Hello Everybody,

I am getting excited about this spring weather!  This seems to be the longest winter I have experienced since I moved to North Carolina 15 years ago. I know I can hear all of you in the mid-west and northern states saying, “She doesn’t know what winter is all about.”  Well as a Texas gal that moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1969 until 1994, I have first hand knowledge of how cold it can get and while we are much warmer here in the Carolinas it has been a long, wet winter for everyone.

This weekend I pulled out a planter I have not used since last summer. Vietri’s  pistachio- colored planter is great for indoor and outdoor use. Its elegant and rustic look make it the perfect accent for any kind of décor.  I decided I was going to use it inside my house for now.  Most planters, when placed properly, can be used in and outside the house, depending on the look you are going for.  This would make for a great party ice bucket for wine and beverages as well.

I began by wiping the planter down with a damp rag.  Luckily, it had not accumulated a lot of grime since the summer.  I decided to use silk flowers instead of fresh, because I didn’t want the mess and expense of having to change out fresh flowers every few days.  Plus, I did not want the hassle of cleaning the planter. This planter happens to be a hand made Italian terracotta.  Because it is terracotta, you should not leave it outside during cold weather.  The terracotta will soak up moisture.  When the temperature drops below freezing the pot will crack.

Cover the top of the planter with silk flowers.

In addition to your planter, you will also need enough silk flowers to completely cover the top of the planter. I chose to use bunches of silk flowers instead of single stems. This is a much more affordable way to get a lot of flowers without spending a fortune. I paid $4.99 per bunch at Garden Ridge.  I purchased five bunches; if you over buy, you can always return what you do not use.  I cut each bunch of flowers apart to create single stem flowers.

Chicken wire is a great material to anchor the flowers in the container.  You could use floral foam or antique floral frogs, but I prefer chicken wire.  The wire is affordable and available at your home improvement center and you can use it repeatedly.

Start by placing the flowers in a row around the edge of your container.  Then repeat this process by adding a second row, a third row and then fill-in any open spaces at the top of the arrangement.

Silk flowers are a great accent piece for almost any room in your home.  They are easy to maintain and will not perish. This is a great home décor piece to help bring the appearance of the outdoors, inside to your own home.  Celebrate! Spring has finally arrived.

I would love for you to send me your ideas for celebrating the spring and summer season! Email me at FYHmedia@cutterstv.com