Happy Earth Day everyone!
In honor of the day, I thought I would share a few earth-friendly ideas that started with a red tulip...
The Southern Man and I were recently invited to a house-warming party...we have a new neighbor next door and we were happy to welcome her to the neighborhood. Though she said not to bring anything, I didn't want to arrive empty handed. Since the tulips in my yard are in brilliant bloom (and my neighbor's yard is bereft of any flowers), I thought a bouquet would be perfect. But a cardinal rule of hostess gift-giving is never give a flower bouquet without a vase...the hostess had enough to do without scrambling to find a vase for the flowers you brought. I grabbed an Atlas canning jar and filled it with tulips and greenery - clippings from the photinia bush, a branch of just-ready-to-bud lilacs and a couple of healthy fronds of parsley...yes, parsley...I have a large plant in my back garden that keeps re-seeding itself...and I love including herbs in floral bouquets.
To disguise the screw top of the jar, I wrapped around a piece of plaid cotton fabric torn into a ribbon.
I also added a vintage clothespin to which I had drilled a hole in one end so I could attach it to the neck of the jar with a length of bakers twine. The clothespin clipped a quick card made from printing out an enlarged copy of the word "welcome" from an old dictionary.
Pulling this bouquet together reminded me of the review I recently read of The 50 Mile Bouquet, the newest book by outdoor living expert Debra Prinzing in which Debra joins the chorus of questioning how/where commercial flowers are grown...examining the business of growing cut flowers with chemicals and transporting them vast distances. She then profiles alternative and innovative practices, signaling the start of the "slow flower" movement. A change in attitudes and appreciation of local floral possibilities is indeed welcome...
Linking up to Funk Junk Interiors weekly fest of ideas and inspiration...a perfect match for Earth Day...
