1. When possible, cut flowers in the early morning or in the late evening.
2. Cut the flowers at a ‘slant’, this allows more surface area for water absorption.
3. Always place stems in lukewarm water, never cold water. Even better, put them in a little flower potion.
4. Remove any leaves that may be submerged under water.
5. Stems need a constant supply of water. When you cut a stem, an air bubble forms at the base. This air bubble can stay in the stem even after you have submerged the stems in water and will prevent water from traveling up the stem. To prevent this, re-cut the stems under running water to prevent the air bubble from forming.
6. Keep flowers out of direct sunlight.
7. Keep flowers away from fresh fruit. Fruits release gases that cause flowers to wilt faster.
8. Always change the flower’s water every 2-3 days, don’t just top it off. This is the most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your blooms.

Photos by {Blue Eyed Yonder}

Do you have any tips for making cut blooms last? I would love to hear your secrets.

I was flipping through some photos from last May and stumbled upon this one: a pretty little bloom from one of our Blushing Bride Hydrangeas.

We planted three bushes in 2008 and have enjoyed their gorgeous blooms for the last three years. Sadly, two of the hydrangea plants mysteriously died. We kept waiting and waiting for them to bud this spring, but finally realized they didn’t make it through the winter. In the past they’ve always seemed like pretty hardy plants, I am not sure what happened.

So now we have just one lone bush. It has lots of bright green leaves, but no blooms yet. I’d really love to know why the other two died. If anyone has a green thumb, I’d love your advice and opinions.

{via}

I’ve been browsing tons of gorgeous photos for a little kitchen inspiration. Since replacing the floors in our kitchen, we’re ready for an update to the cabinets and countertops. I am loving gorgeous whites with a little splash of color through pretty dishes on open shelving.

First things first, I’m wrapping up my pantry redo. We’ve gotten sidetracked with lots of other projects, but I’ve been sorting through its contents, weeding out the junk and trying to get it all organized. (I’ll share photos soon.) Once that’s all tidied up we’ll jump on to the bigger stuff.

I feel like my house has been in a constant ‘state of construction’ since replacing the floors. We’ve just been taking it one day at the time and trying not to get overwhelmed. But the fun’s in the journey right? Ummm, riiiiiight.

Do you have any home projects that you’re trying to tackle? I’d love to hear your stories.

So, after working on my fluffy pom poms for a while, I thought I’d share our beautiful bedroom blooms…

I’ve always liked pom poms, but after seeing Ashley’s adorable nursery, I just knew I had to recreative a similar vibe in our bedroom. The pom poms are hung with clear fishing line and attached to a frame constructed of wooden dowels. Once we hung them above our cozy vintage ”fireplace”, I was in love.

The pom pom cluster was the first step in creating this whimsical bedroom nook. Now that they’re complete, I have to get crackin’ on rounding up more books to fill my fireplace.

87 books didn’t make a dent…

Photos by {Blue Eyed Yonder}