Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Small gestures, big impact

It's the time of year when sweaty little fists hold sweet little gifts.

What exactly is a mother to do with a handful of crumpled bluebells?

Here's my secret to making small flowers look as big as the hearts that picked them.

Get yourself a potted fern (<$10) and a bud vase with a small neck (.25). The fern will give you beautiful fronds to arrange all summer.

Let's consider scale: Pretty, delicate, NOT enough to anchor a dining room table.

You can try a doily underneath, but no. It's still too dainty.

See how much better the same bouquet looks on a table of smaller proportions?

Even better--a transferware saucer brings out the pale blue of the flowers and pillowcase.

26 comments:

Nancy said...

Lovely. And bless their little hearts. Any word on the job front yet?

Anonymous said...

That looks so sweet. Of course, if I put a vase of flowers anywhere that can be reached or climbed to, my youngest child makes sure the water is emptied out and the flowers strewn about the house. Which means the dining room mantle and the kitchen counter are about my only flower placing options. Maybe some day...

Anshu said...

Thats such a cute gesture. You must be feeling blessed right now

TJ said...

And what beautiful watchful eyes making sure the boquet is well displayed!

LynnMarie said...

What a great lesson on scale. Thank you so much for the lesson.Have a blessed day!

Heather said...

Great advice as always!

Anonymous said...

Very sweet! And you certainly have a good eye for proper display. :o)

Brenda

Shannon said...

A fern looks like a good investment:)

Sincerely Yours said...

I think the idea of the fern is a great one. I'm sure that the way you display your flowers from the children makes them feel as special as their little gifts make you feel!

Anonymous said...

Your flowers are as sweet as the little ones who picked them for you. I wish I had your talent for flower arangements. Your eye for placement too. You have a gift. Meredith, can I ask, have you studied these things in school? I took college home ec. classes and have no where near the great eye for detail that you do. Thank you for sharing. Hope all is well with you. Roxie

Anonymous said...

My mom saved empty perfume bottle for this purpose and she would line them up on the kitchen windowsill.

Anonymous said...

Maybe that was her answer to those sweet cookies?? :)
Mrs. L.

Anonymous said...

You give the best tips!

Anonymous said...

What a sweet mommy you are - I can only imagine how happy it makes your little one to see how important their offerings are to you (hmm, an interesting theological parallel in there). I will try to remember this lovely gesture the next time my little one presents me with treasures from our backyard.

Julie Clark said...

I have those same photo albums! :o) (Sam's?)

Lovely flower display. (My sweet son does the same thing!)

~katie~ said...

Lovely!! :-)

Kelli said...

Hi Meredith! We really did have the same thing on our minds! What is even more amazing is that I also made cookies yesterday! I love the idea of ferns in a bud vase...so pretty!
~Kelli

Becky said...

Darling. What a nice mommy to showcase such 'offerings', too. Beautiful.

Unknown said...

Mine usually brought me bouquets of dandelions and other "wild flowers". In fact I still get the occasional flower for teacher from the little ones.

God bless.

Chief Family Officer said...

Aw, that's so sweet! What a wonderful idea!

Anonymous said...

It's lovely- as expected from you Meredith. I like the way you shared how you decided how to display it. I totally need the how-to's when decorating. Thanks for the "play-by-play" action!

Jane said...

Your kids must feel sooo special having a mom who puts that extra effort into honoring their gift!

An Adventurer in the World said...

Another reminder of why I gravitate to you and your blog, Meredith.

Your little bouquets remind me of my dear grandmother. Even into her 90s she had tiny bouquets placed (proportionately) all through her home....little sprigs of rooting Joseph's Coat, tiny pickings from great-grands, a mini rosebud too small for regular arrangements.

This was a lovely post.

deb m

Meredith said...

Thank you.

It's funny, when I was looking at this in real life, I was sure the saucer added just the right note.

But when I look at the photos online, I think I prefer the plain vase on the table. : )

That's okay, 'cause I took the whole thing apart when we set the dining room table for dinner.

I do a LOT Of puttering when I'm home with no car!

momof3girls said...

What great ideas. My 4 year old picks flowers (and weeds) for me daily. She loves it when I display them.
Tammy

Tubo Family said...

Great idea, I love the inspiration and the play-by-play. Now I just wish I hadn't cracked the only bud vase remaining after big clean-up purge. Hmm, a new excuse for yard saling?