Hi shoppers!
I’m so so excited about today’s issue — first, because it is about one of my favorite things in the world which is DIY floral arrangements, and second because it is the first installment of a sort of new era for Material Girl.
My hope for the new year was to expand Material Girl beyond shopping lists into a sort of mini lifestyle mag — don’t worry, you’ll still be getting your MG shopping lists straight to your inbox, but I’m also expanding to include interviews with artisans, designers, and even authors of the books I feature, (just wait until you read the first in this category, coming out in the next few weeks!) Oh and we’re about to have MG’s first giveaway?? How did I get so lucky that my little newsletter has evolved to me being able to share these opportunities with you??
Today’s issue is going to be about everything you need to have standout, perfectly aesthetic florals at home including my favorite vases as well as some arranging tools, and even where to get your blooms. So without further ado… florals for Spring 🌸💐🌹🌼🌷
Vaisselle Vase: This is the vase I lusted after the longest and one of my most prized ceramics. It’s sturdy, and such a magnificent and unique statement piece. Mine has a small mouth so it’s perfect for arty arrangements like big blooms and long stem flowers but they have so many beautiful options on their website for all decor and arrangement styles.
Upstate Vase: Another vase I saved for and lusted after, I wanted something tall and relatively modern and these are so thoughtfully made. They are each unique and truly so special and work great with small arrangements as well as elevating a simple bunch of one type of bloom, like tulips or alstroemerias.
Ginori Vase: A true statement piece in our home, this was a very wonderful Xmas gift for my mom from my dad, who is always truly Olympic at getting her something exquisite. This is one of those vases that is as pretty with and without florals.
Lyngby Porcelæn & Bjørn Wiinblad Vases: I was lucky enough to be gifted two beautiful vases from the Scandinavian design house – they are so unique, feminine, and still incredibly sturdy. For a simple vase that will fit perfect in every room, the Lyngby Rhombe vase is great, and for something special, I love love love my Bjørn Wiinblad Eva Flower Pot — whenever I put flowers in this vase it’s like I’m doing her hair.
Biordi Vase: Made famous by White Lotus S2, this is such a perfect statement vase, these come in all different sizes — I have the smallest one and it’s such a wonderful bud vase. Another vase I love because I feel like whatever arrangement I put in her is actually just me changing out her hairdo.
Sophie Lou Jacobsen Cups: These cups are well loved for a reason and I adore using them as bud vases; they’re so clear and clean looking and all you need is a few stems or a bunch of small carnations packed tightly to make something really sweet and special.
Pitchers & Glassware: Just a general recommendation that some of my favorite vases are from the kitchen department at places like Crate & Barrel or Home Goods. Drink pitchers and even tall drinking glasses create a really lovely effortless aesthetic like, Oh this old thing? We’ve had this pitcher for ages!
Monobox Vase: For something simple and sleek that you can really pack a robust arrangement into, I love this vase — it’s heavy and really fine quality and goes with any decor.
Don’t be afraid of the classics: I scour places like TheRealReal and department store’s like Macy’s and Bloomingdales for deals on high end crystal vases. They might look simple and traditional at first but they make a truly beautiful centerpiece.
Hanataba Bouquet Twister: If you know me, you know I love anything Scandi and this first of its kind flower arranging tool from a father-daughter duo out of Sweden is such a unique and helpful thing to have on hand especially with bigger arrangements. The team was gracious enough to gift me a clear flower arranger and it’s beautiful quality and something that I think is perfect for beginners and more *seasoned* (DIY) floral arrangers like me. (I’ll have more on Hanataba in an upcoming issue so keep your eyes out for that.)
Dutch Grown: This summer I’m endeavoring to actually grow some of my own flowers for the first time and Dutch Blooms imports theirs from Holland which makes for a truly wonderful selection. I’ll be receiving my first batch in the coming weeks and without giving too much away — one of you might be as well!
Floral Wire: One thing I’ve learned to keep on hand is floral wire — I use it to wire my ranunculus and to hold together unruly arrangements. You can get a bunch of it really cheap on Amazon and it is so, so useful.
Afloral: Finally, if you’re real flower averse for any reason — maybe you have allergies, maybe the upkeep of constantly changing the water and trimming the stems is more than you have time for — I’ve got you covered. I mix faux and real flowers in a lot of my rooms simply because I have more vases than I do literal minutes in the day so it’s just not feasible for them all to have real flowers in them all the time. All of my favorite faux flowers are from Afloral — they’re incredibly high quality, they have a great variety, and wonderful customer service.
Some general arrangement tips:
I try to go into whatever florist/grocery store I’m buying my blooms with a color scheme in mind, or at least try to stay within one once I see what’s available. It doesn’t have to be something like, all pinks (in fact, I would recommend not doing all one color!) but for winter I like rich, deep tones like burgundy and purples; for summer and spring I opt for brighter colors or even pastels. I find keeping a color palette in mind makes selecting blooms a lot easier.
Use at least three varieties — and try to have each be a different silhouette, ie I might not get snapdragons *and* delphiniums, because they’re both tall blooms that will stick out of the arrangement. I typically get at least one focal flower, like a rose, or my all time fav — ranunculus — one more filler type flower, like carnations, and one wispy bloom like snapdragons.
Tend to your arrangement regularly — if one flower goes bad or moldy, it can spread to others in the vicinity and cut the life of the whole arrangement. I trim my stems and change the water in mine at least once every two days.
If you want a simple, long lasting bunch you can never go wrong with alstroemeria — they’re one of the hardiest, longest lasting, lowest maintenance and most affordable flowers to buy.
For a quick, luxurious arrangement — hydrangeas are your best friend. Buy 6-9 stems and pack them in tight to a simple vase for an instant touch of class in any room. If you notice them wilting at any point, pull them out and let them soak in your sink for an hour or so — they drink through their petals and should puff back up.
Material Girl Reads:
And before I sign off — I just have to gush for a minute about Camilla Läckberg’s The Golden Cage. I love her writing so much and the first in this newer series did not disappoint. At its core, it’s a mystery thriller but it’s also a character study about gender, sex, marriage, relationships, abuse and so so much more. I was rapt until the last page and I cannot wait to read te next in the series.