Episode 207- Thinking outside the Vase!

Episode 207- Thinking outside the Vase!Host J Schwanke shows you how to think “outside the vase” when it comes to arranging & displaying your flowers. J visits an Antique Market, uses found containers, and upcycles existing ones—the possibilities are endless!Finding VasesI'm always looking for vases or containers for my flower arrangements. Certainly there are lots of vases- and at the same time- I love things that are unexpected- and unusual- so when I head to Antique Fair- or am looking on line- I'm always on the lookout for something that will be eye-catching -filled with flowers. On this episode of "Life in Bloom" - I hope to inspire you to think outside of the traditional vase when it comes to discovering or uncovering something- that will be amazing- when it's filled with Flowers!Antique Market- Searching for Containers at Eastown AntiquesI admit it- I have a thing about antiques- although I'm not the traditional antique guy- and I guess I'm admitting my age- when I say I'm more attracted to Mid-Century Modern "antiques"... so I have certain haunts- that I love exploring for Mid-Century Modern artifacts.It's not to say- that don't look for other kinds of things either- You've seen my collection of Carnation Artifacts- and that collection continues to grow. It's definitely not Mid-Century- it's themed to the Red Carnations... It makes me think that I should do an update to that collection- hmmm... maybe in Season 4.One of my Favorite Local Antique stores- is Eastown Antiques- it's located in the Historic East Town of Grand Rapids- and lately they have had a great collection of Mid-Century Modern artifacts- heading their way. We make a trip to Eastown Antiques in this episode- and I think outside the vase- to find some great items for flower arrangements.Included in these finds is a set of Vintage Seed Packets- that I découpage to a wooden box- to create a wonderful container for flowers from the garden. There's also an Hors d´oeuvre dish- that is definitely Mid-Century- (and you'll have to wait for another show to see me create in that dish)... and a few other fun things... including a Rhino planter- that matches my Rhino Flower Frog (from Season 1).Recycle- Up-Cycle- Re-purpose Containers for Flower Arrangements with Jenn Pascua - Link HEREMy Friend Jennifer Pascua stops by the studio- and we have a whole lot of fun- creating flower arrangements- in recycled food containers. Jen and I always have a good time- and we certainly did- while making these arrangements- Jenn creates her own arrangement- (and there's behind the scenes footage- in our BEHIND THE BLOOM Series Here!)Dirt Cake in Clay Pots - Recipe in Bloom - Link HEREThis is a fun recipe that looks like dirt- and then you can see which one of your friends will be the first to try the "Dirt Cake"Flower Cocktail Hour- Blackberry Sage Smash- Link HereThis is a great Summer Cocktail- and it's every bit as pretty as it is tasty! Stencil Burlap Vases- Flower CraftUsing Stencils from the Craft store- and Design Master Color Tools- you can create fun patterns, letters, messages or monograms on flower containers for your next dinner party or event. This is such a fun idea- and in this project- I use burlap containers- that have water-proof liners- but since we filmed this segment- I've gotten photos from viewers- that used Take-out food containers (great Idea) - cardboard boxes (with liners) great Recycling- and even To-Go Cups- another great idea...Design Master Color Tool- is such a great COLOR TOOL- (that's why it's in their name)... for crafts, projects and flower arranging- and the translucent dyes- they have in Just for Flowers and Tint-IT are perfect for stenciling- it gives a wonderful see through impression- (not to mention they are great for shifting the colors of glass containers- like we've done for repurposed vases - and even for shifting the colors of flowers... )You can create any message you like- or create a monogram- or even us an emoji - to theme your project to just about anything... I think about all the possibilities- especially when it comes to the holidays! Check out this project- it's super easy- and it would be a fun project for kids too!Hydrangea- Featured FlowerHydrangea are quite possibly- one of the most loved flowers on the planet- and for good reason... the Hydrangea is BIG- Bold and Beautiful- and it comes in a remarkable number of colors- White, Green, Pink, Blue and Lavender- the latter- Pink is caused by alkaline soil- Blue by acidic soil- (You add aluminum nitrate to the soil to get Pink- and aluminum sulfate for blue... and coffee grounds... (We'll do that in Season 3 of Life in Bloom... so stay tuned)...  Lavender happens when you have both- so if you have alkaline soil- and you add a bit of aluminum sulfate- you get Lavender... it's pretty fun Chemistry.Hydrangea- are so named - for the Greek Hydra- meaning water- and that is what these flowers LOVE- they want water- I have a soaker hose on my Hydrangea- most of the summer- they are in direct sun- so I'm working on some shade trees... but in the mean time- my Hydrangea need watering 3 times a day or they flag something terrible.I love using Hydrangea in arrangements- and the biggest secret is cutting the stem early in the Morning- just before the sun comes up- and then putting the stem directly into water... that way they last a long time. I also prefer using an anti-transpirant on my cut hydrangea- this seals in the moisture so they don't evaporate water too quickly and wilt... Look to your local florist- as a resource to buy an Anti-Transpirant... Your hydrangea will thank you!Water-Tight Tip- how to waterproof a container for Flower Arranging!Sometimes we want to put flowers in a container that just won't hold water- like the wooden box I have in this segment. It's a gorgeous container- and it's wonderful and rustic- and I love to put flowers in it... but it won't hold water- so that's why I save all my plastic containers- I keep them in box in the garage... sour cream containers, mushroom crates, to-go containers... anything that will securely hold water... I wash them and place them in the box- so I have plenty to choose from - when I run across a container that needs a WATER-PROOF Liner- for flower arranging.I hope you enjoyed this episode- and start thinking outside the vase- when it comes to creating flowers!