Vintage Botanical Book and Dried Flowers in Decor

Hi there friends, welcome to the March edition of A Lifestyle of Love Blog Gathering. We get together every other month to share how we use vintage items and concepts in our décor. Cindy from County Road 407 is our hostess and this month we're talking about Dried Flowers. If you're coming from Rachel's at The Pond's Farmhouse, where she's sharing a wonderful rustic hydrangea centerpiece, Hello and welcome!

I don't bring in a lot of florals or buy many bouquets because of allergies. In the past our two kitties could eat and destroy a lovely live floral arrangement in a few minutes flat. But I do have a few dried florals to share with you all today. 

These photos are from two blogging houses ago, when I first started this blog, in our large light filled living room. At that time I was very much involved in actively buying and selling vintage and antiques, through several market spaces. When you're out twice a week at fleas and markets you can unearth some of the most amazing items. 

Vintage Botanical Window

One of my favorite stores had several vendors that just brought in vintage pieces and stacked/shoved finds wherever they might fit. There was no display, but it was a never ending treasure trove. On one of my "digging" trips I found this wonderful college course study of botanicals from the late 30's. There were several dozen individual pages of dried and catalogued floral and "wild" specimens. 

I sat on this collected notebook for a year or so, but blogging allowed me to try different ideas for display. I briefly thought about framing them individually and creating a gallery wall or of selling individual framed pages, but in the end I couldn't part with them. So I put together this salvaged vintage window with individual pages and displayed it at the house.

While I haven't dried many other florals, roses, which are easy and beautiful when dried, always were saved and gathered. Small bouquets were easiest to dry and display... and keep away from the kitties.

The Botanical Window Returns

My only other endeavor to dry and preserve florals are hydrangeas. When we moved here I had one large bush that supplied me with lovely blooms in multiple colors throughout the blooming season. Two years ago we cut it back (not a good plan) and since then we haven't had any blooms. I'm hoping this year will be different as the woody stems have had a chance to regrow. 

I've had a few blooms from that bush that I've kept the last few years. Now, at year three they are rapidly disintegrating, but I'm hanging on to them for as long as I can, and mixing them with faux hydrangeas for display.

I wanted to try a small mixed bouquet in one of my vintage concrete garden urns for an early spring / Easter display this year in the sitting area of the garden room.  They can be used throughout the year, but since it's Spring I wanted to mix them with lighter hydrangea blooms.

This is my current coffee table display with a McCoy vase, basket filled with a vintage rabbit cutout and vintage garden book.

Summer to Fall Vintage Floral Containers

Here's a small display on my old white desk for early fall.

September Hydrangeas in the Holiday Cupboard

In this early fall display in the Holiday Cupboard, I used darker blooms in white ironstone. Dried hydrangeas come in a wide spectrum of color from creamy white and pinks to darker greens, mauves, and purples.

An Endless Summer Bouquet

Dried blooms can be beautifully displayed in a variety of vessels throughout the seasons. This gorgeous antique brown transferware pitcher shows off the late summer blossoms.

Back again to our earlier home with a display of French Lavender displayed in a French gathering basket. Dried lavender was like catnip for our kitties, so it had to be kept where the girls couldn't indulge.

French Lavender

Thanks so much for coming by to share some vintage loveliness.

We hope you'll visit my other friends listed below.

Be sure to head over to visit Cindy at County Road 407,

where she's sharing how to dry wildflowers.

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