It's Alive!

Do you recall my excitement over finding a wholesale florist in Ontario? Well, I managed to get actual costs for their sales manager today, and it looks like it might be a bit costlier than I thought. Still MUCH better than paying for arrangements, mind you. However, the thought of cut flowers just feels so wrong, especially since I haven't been entirely as eco-friendly as I would have liked so far.

While I think that although I am still loving the idea of single stems in old bottles and little bunches in old cans (see above image), I think that the cut-flower purchase will be as small as possible. Therefore, to reduce the number of poor soon-to-be-dead flowers used, I came across the most fabulous idea today: living centrepieces!


While sourcing some product for work, I came across a DIY wheatgrass growing kit. I thought it looked stunning in a flat planter/dish, and imagined the possibility of sticking in a few individual flowers to punch it up a bit. Wondering if I just had the most brilliant original idea ever, I poked around online. Nope. It's been conceived by others (see above). But, I am not swayed. In fact, I am most hopeful: it can be done! The grow kit was a tad pricey, but with my mad Google skills, I managed to find some DIY instructions, and bulk wheat seed on another site. I also think that potted flowers could look quite lovely, and then we could plant them in our "garden" (um, if you saw it, you'd understand why quotations were necessary). My black thumb is my only concern...

The best thing about living flowers is the obvious: less waste. Oh, and more oxygen! Wheatgrass is purported to have many health benefits, too. Perhaps we'll pack our trusty Juicer and serve a shot of the stuff to our brave guests who stay the night. Yikes, I may have just gone from marginally eco-friendly to tree-hugger in the span of a few paragraphs.

On the subject of decor, the future in-laws just offered up some great relics from their antique collection to add to the country feel of the venue. My own parents are kicking in some old bottles as well. Hm, "Something Borrowed" has a whole new meaning!

(P.S. I did end up purchasing my iPod new. Although purple (it was hot, and matched my tights). I'm no stranger to 2nd hand - hey, Goodwill got me through my 20s - but electronics are not something I want to mess with. That's an F in the eco category, but an A+ for budget...sorry Mr. DJ)