Displaying Summer Flowers with a Vintage Flair by Jerusalem Greer

One of my favorite things about summer
is all the flowers. Flowers in my yard, flowers in my neighborhood,
flowers at the farmers market, flowers on the side of the highway…
Flowers, flowers, flowers!

I have 2 prolific summer bushes in
my yard – both of them very old fashioned and vintage themselves –
one is a gardenia bush and the other is a hydrangea bush. Both are bursting
with beautiful flowers and I can’t stand to just leave them for the
birds and rabbits to enjoy – I want to enjoy them too! So out to my
yard I go scissors and basket in hand to collect a portion to use indoors.

Because I do not have a large butler’s
pantry full of perfect vases for all occasions I have taken to using
some of my vintage kitchen items for my flower displays.

Here are 3 of my current favorites: 

• Vintage Aluminum
    Cake Pans and Aspic (or Jell-O mold)
    Pans:  These are great for floating flowers (gardenias, magnolias,
    water lilies, lotus’s etc.) or traditional stemmed flowers like daisies
    or open roses that have been broken off at the stem. This low profile
    arrangement works great down a long table if you use one large cake
    pan/mold in the direct center with lots of little molds running the
    length of the table.

Vintage aluminum pans & Jell-O
molds are pretty easy to find at thrift stores and on Ebay, and not
too pricey…plus in the winter you can float candles instead of flowers!
 

• Canning or Jelly Jars:
    I am a big fan of canning jars for all sorts of things – especially
    the wide mouth variety – they are great for organizing silverware,
    holding napkins at a party, cotton balls in the bathroom and doggy treats
    by the back door.  They are also great for holding flowers. I use
    these jars for flowers that have a larger head or bloom (like hydrangeas)
    because they seem to balance the actual and visual weight of the flower.
    Another great feature of the canning jar is its translucency. Buy adding
    items such as river rocks, seashells, or beach glass to the bottom of
    the jar you add dimension, and originality to your arrangement, not
    to mention you help to anchor your flower stem in the process!

• Vintage Aluminum Cups:
    I have always loved and collected these cups but could never figure
    out exactly how I wanted to use them, until I decided they were perfect
    for flower holding. My favorite way to use them is to line them up down
    the length of the table, or on the mantle all in a row with one or 2
    flowers in them a piece. They would also look cute this way lining a
    porch railing or front stoop steps for a party.

Even though I have shown just a few
examples from my own home there are many more ways to display your favorite
flower (be it tulip, sunflower, rose or lilly just to name a few…)
Just open up your kitchen cupboards and see what vintage treasures you
can find, just waiting to be adorned!   

Jerusalem Greer is a mom, a wife and a modern vintage gal just trying
to live the artsy life. Full of love, laughter with a grateful heart,
she enjoys creating beautiful spaces and goodies, which bring joy to
all who encounter them.When she’s not filling the role of "style and
design editor" for Vintage Indie Mag, she is busy working in her studio
at Storia Divita.