carnations {the right way}

Every time we go to Costco, my sweet little boys buy me a bouquet of flowers.

{well, really I buy them...but they beg to "get mommy a treat"}

With a lot of consultation and negotiation with one another, they always pick them out by themselves. A few months ago, they chose Carnations.

"NOOOO!!!" I thought, "Ugh, I don't want those." But you know what...?

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As I've now played around with arranging them many times, I've found the key to their beauty...

By doing this, you highlight the loveliness of their ruffled petals. Another trick is cutting them all approximately the same height {and short enough that you don't see much of the stems}.

I do this every time my boys buy me roses, too. It just looks so much more put together, more like what a florist would do.

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carnation 1

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I have a mason jar full of these beauties next to our bed...can you believe we're on week 3 and they're still going strong? Admittedly, I have changed the water several times, but my roses and peonies don't last even remotely that long.

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When buying from our grocery store down the street, I typically pay $4.99 for a big bundle. That's about what my coffee costs...and my glorious latte is gone in only about 1o minutes.

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Whether you're using one of your kitchen glasses or mason jars {2 of my go to "vases"}, or perhaps a delicate teacup or other fun find around your home or when out thrifting, think outside of the box. Don't just go to your actual, real vase every time.

Be creative with it!