Hi there friends, now this is the fun part. I got to come home with all of my beautiful flowers from the NY flower market and play, and play I did! If you missed part 1 click here. I had such an amazing time at the NY flower market…I would choose to go there over visiting a  jewelry store any day. What can I say….my husband got lucky:) I am sure I will be going back sooner than later as flowers just make me happy.

Getting to play with all these flowers  makes me want to either become a florist or more realistically plan a party or luncheon, maybe when life “slows down” if that ever happens.  So take a look at the “playing” I did with my flowers, had such fun……can you tell?  I used my Nikon aka the big gun for all of these pictures to be sure the beauty of the flowers was given proper attention! And here we go……

My first arrangement involved blue and white china from Juliska (plus Blue Willow plates) , my own monogrammed napkins and a mix of roses and tulips in one of my blue and whites (the table cloth was from something I have had). I just love this play on colors, so fresh and springy-

Then I experimented with tulips in a larger vase…..

And then went elsewhere….

And then moved onto  an all white grouping….

And tried them on my mantle….

This picture above almost looks like an oil painting, would like to think its my amazing photography skills but all the credit goes to the “subject”

Another variation on my mantle

Think I went to  flower heaven? Oh yes I did……and most of them are still going strong. Credit to the quality and freshness of the flowers bought at the market vs. a local market or florist…..they tend to last markedly longer which is very interesting.

Here are a few things I learned/tips-

• Don’t be shy to ask questions when at a flower market, this is all about educating yourself and learning as much as you can and that includes asking about which flowers just came in and are freshest
• In the flower market it’s totally fine to eavesdrop and get some “insider” secrets:)
• The tulips from Associated Cut Flowers are really exceptional not in only how beautiful they are but how long they last, amazing selection too
• You can bargain at the flower market particularly with flowers that only have a few days left
• I have fallen in love with ranucuulus they have lasted so long and look  like a cross between a peony and luscious rose….so much bang for the buck (case in point these below are 7 days old)!

• It is wise to cut stems every few days and replace with cold clean water
• I leave my flowers outside at night as long as it doesn’t dip  below 50, they love cool dry air *just like the fridges at the florist*
• There is no right or wrong with flower arranging (in my opinion), it’s a  personal form of expression, just have fun and don’t be afraid to experiment!
• I like the droopiness of tulips and when they take their own direction but if you like erect straight tulips, supposedly dropping copper pennies into the bottom of the vase will do the trick, these beauties are 7 days old!

• MOST IMPORTANT- Take it from me- don’t think you need an event, party or excuse to buy flowers…buy them just because life is short and you are worth it:)

So that’s a recap on my second trip to the flower market of course doing “official business” 🙂 At least that’s what I tell my husband lol. The energy and inspiration from just being there is somewhat indescribable…… yes it’s that much fun! Thank you for stopping by. Wishing you a great rest of the week and a wonderful evening, the weather is so spectacular, we waited a long long time for this. Until next time…..

PS A few more days to throw your name in the hat for the silver giveaway and the silver promo ends tonight, some great buys! Click here