Hydrangea Tricks and Tips

Everybody loves Hydrangeas!
They put on a wonderful show in almost any floral arrangement.
These pretties also have a reputation for being almost impossible to keep for any length of time.
It used to be that I dreaded getting a request for Hydrangeas in our floral work.
Not anymore......I know "Hydrangea Stuff" now!
AND I am going to share that stuff with you!

On Thursday the wonderful folks at Koehler and Dramm delivered 125 Hydrangeas Sweetwater.  Yikes....that is a lot of flowers.
What ever would I need 125 Hydrangeas for?
Why....to make popcorn centerpieces for the Chaska Rotary Circus Themed Gala of course!

Popcorn boxes from the dollar store were stuffed with white Hydrangea to mmic popcorn.
The gala decor is the genius work of the Sweetwater Daughter.....and I got to help!

I think she nailed it.....
Enough bragging on my kid...

I am here to share some tips that will ALMOST guarantee success and a long vase life for Hydrangeas.

TIP #1
HMMMM.....did you know that Hydrangeas take in water from their petals?
So...when I unpacked the 125 flowers....I immediately plopped them all upside down in bucket (or in this case the bathtub) of cold water.

Each flower comes with it's own little baggie of water. This keeps the flower stem hydrated while the flowers soak.

If your flowers don't have this, you can concoct one with by bunching the stems and wrapping a water filled baggie around them with a rubber band.

OR.....you really can submerge the whole flower stem and all in the water.

I didn't take photos of my process...so here is an image from the Flower Muse

I soaked these overnight.  You really only need to do this for a couple of hours.
Give them a fresh diagonal cut when you take them out of the water.  Immediately get them in buckets of water.
The flowers will be really wet when you take them out...DUH!....so they will need to dry off before you arrange them.



TIP #2

Alum Dip

When you cut hydrangeas they can form a sticky substance over the cut that prevents the flower from sucking water up through the stem.  There are a couple of ways to prevent that “sticky stuff” from forming: dipping the stem in boiling water....putting the end of the stem in an open flame....OR this! Dip the freshly cut stem in ALUM(A common ingredient used for pickling, find it in the spice aisle.) 

French Country Cottage

When you are arranging your hydrangeas re-cut the stem  about an inch above the previous cut and immediately stick the bottom 1/2″ of the stem in the alum to coat it, then arrange as usual.

 I learned this trick at a workshop given by a wedding designer who does those really spendy weddings that budget upwards of $15,000 for FLOWERS.
I figure that if he relies on this method, it must be pretty fool proof!






TIP #3

Finishing Spray !
This is my new favorite "secret sauce".  Once this is sprayed on your Hydrangeas or other flowers, it keeps them looking fresh for a really long time.

It might seem like a lot to spend.....but if it keeps your expensive flowers looking good for more than a week....it is worth it.  A little goes a long way too.

Tip #4

You can revive a droopy Hydrangea!  Sometimes all the tricks don't seem to work and a flower will wilt anyway.  It is worth trying to revive your Hydrangea....you have nothing to lose!  Just cut the stem again and fully immerse the flower head and stem in cold water for a few hours.  In many cases, the flower will perk right up!

So the proof is in the photo....right!?

Here are the Hydrangeas from the Gala last weekend.
They were arranged on Friday....
Now it is Tuesday.....
They look pretty good and probably will for at least another 4 or 5 days!

 Now....go buy yourself some Hydrangeas and enjoy them with no worries!!

Link Parties
Happiness is Homemade




 

Dollar Store Tips

I have only recently become a Dollar Store shopper.

And....I am not exactly a fanatic about shopping there. 

Face it....some of the stuff in there looks exactly like it cost a dollar!

But....

there are some things to be found that are really pretty good bargains.



Since I am pretty new to the Dollar Store scene, I only have a few tips to share about how I shop there.  But, you know me, I always do my research to see what other people know about a subject and I will share a bunch of links from folks who are far more expert and perhaps a bit more fanatic about Dollar Store shopping.

These are some things I shop for at the Dollar Store:

Poster Board is a staple at Sweetwater.
I use it for backgrounds when I take photos.
I use it to back framed art.

Poster Board at the art supply store is super expensive.

At the Dollar Store....it is 2 for $1

That is a super good deal.

There are always some fun flower picks to look through.
I like the baby's breath and especially the faux bear grass sprays.

Marvin the Sweetwater Cat eats any real bear grass in my flower arrangements...(and then of course proceeds to hack it up).

I fool him by using these Dollar Store picks mixed in with the real blooms. 

They can be used over and over! 

I think I must be harder on gardening gloves than anyone I know.  My fingernails go right through the ends after only a few days. 
Garden gloves from the garden store are super expensive.

Imagine how thrilled I was to find these latex grip gloves for $1!

I could by 6 pair for the price of one from the garden store.






I have also found that cool mesh ribbon and burlap ribbon.  These are real steals for $1.

When all but one of the real succulents in my planter bit the dust.....I headed to the Dollar Store for a fix.

Would you believe that the succulents in this garden are FAKE?
Would you believe that they came from the Dollar Store?
I did add a bit of craft paint to soften the obvious fake colors....but hey...I think they could fool a lot of people.























Now as promised, here are some Links to other tips about Dollar Store Shopping.

Bargain Babe has a list of 10 Things You Should Always buy at the Dollar Store.

http://bargainbabe.com/draft-10-things-you-should-always-buy-at-a-dollar-store/


She also has a list of 67 things....here  http://bargainbabe.com/draft-10-things-you-should-always-buy-at-a-dollar-store/
http://bargainbabe.com/draft-10-things-you-should-always-buy-at-a-dollar-store/


Can you imagine buying 67 things at the Dollar Store?  I can just hear Mr. S......"you bought what?"

Did you know that the Dollar Tree actually has a BLOG?  dollartree.com

And for a giggle...you really need to go see all of these Dollar Store Hacks that some kids did as an assignment for a class.  They are really a hoot    http://dollarstore-hack.blogspot.mx/

Well that is all for now....I guess I could head to the Dollar Store....but my first love is still Good Will...so I am off to find some thrifty bargains there.....

Have A Beautiful Day!

Children First....Isn't It Enchanting?

It wasn't hard to choose what I am enchanted by this month.
I had the pleasure of attending an "enchanting" event this past week that was the epitome of finding enchantment in a disenchanted world.

Children First is an amazing community initiative.

• It is a philosophy rather than a program.
• It focuses on positive character-building traits.
• It targets all St. Louis Park youth, birth through 18 years old.
• It calls everyone to support our young people.
• It is a partnership among the business, city, faith, health and education communities bringing the community together to support youth—intentionally making connections and building assets.

I am proud to be a trained asset champion in the Children First program.  Learning how to foster assets in our young people has been very rewarding.




Now....on to the 25th Anniversary Champions Breakfast celebration that was so enchanting.
Imagine a room filled with a virtual community wide "who's who"....all in attendance to support kids!






Take a moment now to watch this video clip that tells the story of Children First!





Now...you have to agree that this is truly "enchanting"....as were the other speeches and stories that were shared.  The result was some pretty amazing contributions to the cause.

Sweetwater Floral was proud to provide the decor for the event.  Check out these photos....

Here is your homework for the day....Check out the 40 Developmental Assets that are proven to help kids....then think of a some ways that you are already providing these....even better....do something to develop more assets.

It truly does "take a village"...or in the case of SLP...a community!
Hats off to all involved.

Have A Wonderful Day!

Flower Arranging Hacks You Need To Try!

Seems like so many of the popular web posts I read have the word HACK in them.
Seems like that word can make a post popular!
But what exactly is a HACK?
Inquiring minds want to know!

A hack is an easier way to do something, a shortcut.

Sweetwater Style is all about making things easier and taking some thrifty shortcuts! 

For your viewing enjoyment, here are my favorite Sweetwater Flower Arranging HACKS!

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Great Kids Books

Next Monday is Martin Luther King Day!

In honor of the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I usually share a list of my favorite read aloud books that encapsulate the ideas we celebrate on our day of recognition of the life of this American Hero. 
Here is a link to one of those old posts. 

This year I decided to go out and look at what kind of lists that other "experts" have put together.
WOW!  There are so many great titles....and I am happy to see that many of the books I recommend are included on many lists.

The Best Halloween Read-A-Louds!

Source

Spiders and Witches and Bats OH MY!

It's time to get yourself to the library or bookstore to find some great books for Halloween.




If you are volunteering at your kid's Halloween parties....what better way to set a calming tone than a great read-a-loud.
OR
Just have them at home to curl up on a cool evening for a family read-a-loud.

Check out this link for a nice annotated list of favorites from back in 2011.
Here are just a few of the titles on that list:

• The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything by Linda Williams
• Night of the Pumpkinheads by Michael Rosen 
•  The Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey 
• Bats at the Library by Brian Lies 
• The Hobyahs by Robert San Souci 

I realized that this list needed updating.SO....here are some newer titles that are truly "beWitching"!

Goodwill Style!

A couple of months ago, I was happily shopping at Goodwill!

You are probably saying..."How is that news?"

Well...I ran into a friend who was doing a thrift store style consult with Lindsey who is

 the owner of Fashion Fix MN!

Lindsey does closet organization and Wardrobe Styling.

The most fascinating part of what she offers is..... thrift store styling!

I watched the consult for a little while and then asked if I could shadow her sometime and watch this interesting process.

I did just that this week.  I spent an interesting couple of hours with watching her "work her magic"!

Come along and see!

Easy Tutu....Really NO SEW!

 They are putting on a SHOW at PSI!

Our school drama production was this week!
My friend does the most amazing job on this.
Remember! We are a Spanish Immersion School!
That means that the whole play needs to be written and performed in Spanish!
Kim does this every year and it is absolutely wonderful!

This year's production is 4 versions of "Los Tres Cerditos" (or if you don't speak Spanish....The 3 Little Pigs)

WARNING!.....you will have to read some of my "educational philosophy" before you get to the TUTU....but this post is really about TUTUS!

Back to School Series #1-Reluctant Reader? Some Tips!

School started for me on Monday.
My days are spent getting the Media Center in my school ready for those excited young faces who will arrive next Tuesday morning.

I've been reading all the fun "Back-to-School" posts that show all kinds of crafts, teacher gifts, posters, etc.
That got me to thinking......there seems to be a lot of interest in "Back-To-School"

Well....since I have been "going back to school" for a whole lot of years, I thought I would do a series on "Back to School" too.

Now I love crafts, fun recipes and cute school clothes as much as any of you...but that is NOT what this series is about.
This series will focus on ways to help your child (and you) connect school and home....sort of your own little Parent Information Night....except you can come in your jammies and you don't have to sit in those little chairs!