Flower Arrangement Ideas to Brighten the Home

Flower arrangements can bring freshness to any drab area or room in your home, even an outside porch or patio. All you need is a little imagination. Doing it yourself brings a sense of satisfaction when all is done. Keeping the arrangement to the theme of the room is the easiest and most practical way to begin, along with color. If your room has, for instance, beige furniture, beige walls and carpet with accents of color in toss pillows or in pictures , make your arrangement in the accents colors, using the beige as a base color only in the arrangement as well. You can keep to one style flower, such as roses, or make a bouquet of all different flowers and greenery. What to put it in is entirely up to you.

For themed rooms, such as a Nordic look, find an old fishermen's lantern. Yard sales and flea markets are ideal places to locate hard to find items. Carefully remove all the glass panels and you now have a hanging plant holder. You can spray paint it to match your d?cor or just to freshen up the color. All home improvement stores carry spray paint in a variety of colors. You will need to get a chain, or rope to hang it from plus the ceiling hook to suspend the entire planter. With hot glue you can place a small piece of Styrofoam or oasis in the bottom of the lantern. Then, starting with greens, insert them into the Styrofoam, to cover the base, then start adding flowers. You can make it red, white and blue with a variety of flowers. For a more flowing effect, and this can be done with any hanging arrangement, add ivy before the flowers. Have the ivy flow out of each open window pane if the arrangement can be seen from all sides, or just the front panes if hanging in a corner.

If your house is filled with old fashioned dolls, bears, or has that country look, find an old wooden high chair. Again, flea markets and yard sales are the place to go for great deals. You can refinish the chair or just leave it in its worn-over-time look. Find a planter to place on the seat part, one high enough to come up over the tray of the high chair if it has one, otherwise, any size holder will do. Place Styrofoam into the bottom of the planter and make sure it comes to within 2 of the top of the planter. Add gypsy moss or any other ground covering to hide the Styrofoam. Then, start adding your flowers. Add Ivy first for the flowing look, followed by your flowers. Wicker baskets are inexpensive and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Use their natural color or spray paint them. Craft stores and even dollar stores carry them. Hot glue a Styrofoam square to the bottom. Add greenery and artificial fruit on picks to the arrangement for a fall look. You can buy pre-made bows or make your own with a variety of ribbons to pick from. It really doesn't matter what you put flowers in. Look around your home. If it has an opening, it can be filled. Mason jars make a great holder, fill the inside with gypsy moss and there's your instant filler to hold any flowers. Add a bow to the outside of the jar. New out now are the wooden roses, those can be inserted into any artificial arrangement. Glass long stem flowers that are heavy and hard to use, insert them into an already existing arrangement for an added shine. Indoor trees can be decorated with birds, bird houses, lights, holiday trim, etc. Cut the top off a bird house, and that's another planter idea. You can hang that outside or inside. A small child's tricycle with a plastic basket can be used as a planter on a front porch. An old milk box, mailbox, watering can, bird baths, are all great ideas. Paint to match your house or trim. Wintertime, fill old ice skates with holly and hang them from your front door. Use your imagination. Plastic flowers work best for outdoor to withstand rain and the elements but will fade with the hot sun after time, but they are inexpensive and can even be found in dollar stores.

Remember, paint is the cure-all for old containers and other objects. Be creative, use your imagination and most of all, have fun!

By M.Soozan