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10 Summer Flower Arranging Tips
Did you know I used to be a florist? My mother owned a flower shop when I was growing up and one Mother's Day she just said, "Here, make an arrangement," and that was the start of my love of flower arranging. It is one of my favorite summer activities. Here are some hints for you to become adept at arranging your garden blooms.
Tip 1: Water Works
Put flowers in water as soon as you get them home. Fill buckets with tepid water, add floral preservative, and then add flowers.
Tip 2: Must Cut
Cut an inch off the stems using a sharp knife, at a diagonal so they absorb more water, especially if the flowers will sit a while before being arranged. The fresh cut will help the stems absorb water better.
Tip 3: Water Temp Matters
Warm water helps tightly closed flower heads, such as roses or ranunculus, to open fully. Leave them in water for a day or two before using them.
Tip 4: Use Foam
Use florist's foam to keep flowers in place and constantly hydrated so they last longer. Soak the foam for 15 minutes before cutting it to fit the container. Water the foam every couple of days.
Tip 5: Trim, Trim
Recut stems just before adding them to the arrangement. Strip off any leaves that fall below the water line.
Tip 6: Picking Flowers
Add large, heavy flowers first turning the arrangement as you work to ensure even placement on all sides. Fill in with smaller, airier blooms, and leave enough space between the stems so individual flowers have room to shine. Include flowers with various shapes and stem lengths.
Tip 7: Height Matters
Make your bouquet taller than its container by about one and a half times. Also, make the width balance the height.
Tip 8: Similar Colors
Mix in different textures for a monochromatic arrangement that's interesting to look at.
Tip 9: Fill-In
Save larger leaves and stems with leaves on them to fill in around the flowers. Drape some of the greenery over the container's rim.
Tip 10: Proper Placement
Keep flowers away from sunlight and heating vents. Recut stems and add water often.
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Cary Perkins,Windermere Top ProducerFun With Real EstateCurrent Portland Oregon Real Estate Information,Highlights of Portland Oregon, House IdeasPortland Oregon Homes
Portland Real Estate, Portland Oregon Top Producer, Windermere Top Producer, Portland Realtor, Portland Homes for Sale
Windermere Top Producer Cary Perkins
Seniors, is it time for a major de-cluttering?
Here's one of those grown-up topics that aren't lots of fun to think about, (like long term care) but is something we should start to prepare for as we age… what are our kids going to do if all of our stuff if we don't thin it out for them?
I've been there before – having to clean out my parents' home after they've died, and hating to let go of even one thing that still smelled like them. I still have both of their bathrobes, and my mother's 25th anniversary dress, and so on. It's so hard to let it all go, but you must in order to somehow get through it.
This article by a Portland Organizer, Heather Hawkins, is a wonderful reminder of how we really owe our kids the favor of starting this process now so they don't have to throw our stuff away while greiving …. and there are so many good recycling opportunities now that there's no excuse not to thin things out so your kids won't have to do it later.
If you'd like information on where to donate your items, please let me know. I have lists of wonderful recycling opportunities so that others can enjoy your overflow. And won't your family love you for it?
– Cary
Please enjoy the article in full below.
Sorry, there is no gentle headline for this kind of post. I tried: Do your children a favor and get rid of most of your stuff before you die and don’t burden them with the painful, guilt-inducing job of sorting through their childhood and feeling obligated to keep everything that reminds them of you, which is basically everything you own, but I feared it would blow up the Internet so I pared it down.
This sweet, touching essay by Jeremy Clarkson, a British broadcaster, completely sums it up. After his beloved mother died of cancer, he was overwhelmed to discover that she’d gotten rid of almost all of her stuff before she died to spare him from having to do it himself.
There is no single thing in the house of anyone’s mother that isn’t infused with a gut-wrenching air of sentimentality. It’s not just her jewelry or her clothes. It’s the little things as well. Her kitchen scissors, her bathroom scales, her flannel. Every single thing in each and every drawer is as impossible to discard as a first teddy bear…I’d need at least two months to go through it all. And I’d need about 4,000 boxes of Kleenex.
It was the greatest gift she could have left him.
I don’t know how long she had worked on her downsizing and the clear-out and the organisation of her things, but it’s something we should all try to do when we know the Grim Reaper is heading our way. Because not only does it spare our loved ones from the hassle of going through every single thing we’ve ever owned but it also spares them from the grief of deciding that the horse brasses and the Llardro figurines really do have to go to the tip.
(Tip = dump, by the way. I’m a big advocate of reuse, and there are plenty of donation centers and consignment shops happy to take household goods off your hands.)
I’ve helped people clear out their parent’s homes after they’ve passed, and it’s a big job. Most professional organizers offer this service, but we also help seniors get rid of clutter and extraneous possessions beforehand. We figure out, with input from their children, what will be passed down and what should go now. Photos get sorted and labeled. Furnishings and artwork that will be used by the heirs are listed out and saved with the will. Valuable items can be sold ahead of time. Other items can be donated. We work to clean out the basements and garages and drawers filled with opened seed packets and old receipts and clothing that hasn’t been worn in 30 years but is often the hardest for children to get rid of.
It’s not an easy subject to discuss or ponder, but it’s one that’s worth considering now rather than later. For another touching, funny insight on aging parents and the burden of clearing out a deceased parent’s home, I highly recommend New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast’s memoir Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?
Heather Hawkins of Homeflow Professional Organizing helps Portland-area residents declutter, organize, downsize and stage their homes for sale. Contact her at 503-313-7164 or heather@homeflow.org. Visit www.homeflow.org for more information.
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Cary Perkins,Windermere Top ProducerFun With Real EstateCurrent Portland Oregon Real Estate Information,Highlights of Portland Oregon, House IdeasPortland Oregon Homes
Portland Real Estate, Portland Oregon Top Producer, Windermere Top Producer, Portland Realtor, Portland Homes for Sale
Windermere Top Producer Cary Perkins
Tired of losing your phone or keys?
This is it. The technological breakthrough you’ve been waiting for. The one you can’t believe hadn’t been invented already. The one that probably deserves a trumpet and a choir singing hosannas.
So let’s say you’ve lost your keys. Here’s how this works, not necessarily in this order:
- One: Download the myBiKN app from BiKN (you’ll want to pronounce that “beacon”) on your iPhone.
- Two: Slip the smart case onto your iPhone.
- Three: Attach the BiKN tags to your valuables. (By the way, we’re giving you two more than the standard kit—so that’s four in total.)
- Four: If something goes missing, the app will then show you the right direction and distance to walk in to find your stuff. Think of it as a digital treasure map. The electronic tags you’ve attached to said valuables will also start beeping, letting you know exactly which side of the couch you should be searching.
- Five: If the reverse occurs (i.e., your phone mysteriously disappears), you can use the electronic tags to find the damn thing.
And voilà: the easiest way to never lose anything again. And naturally, Perks is getting it to you for something less than the going rate…
And best of all, here’s a link to get it on sale, thanks to my friends at Urban Daddy. They have it for $135 (for a limited time only) instead of the list price of $170.
For more information, and details on the product, see www.bikn.com.
I know a few people who definitely need this. Is their one in your life?
source: www.urbandaddy.com. Thanks!
Moving to Portland Oregon
What better way to explore Portland than through pictures? I’ve been collecting scenes from Portland, and have started to keep a file on a Pinterest page. You can find it by clicking here.
Check back often, or subscribe to my Pinterest page. You’ll also find pages on mid-century love, do-it-yourself ideas, restaurants, and awesome looking spaces to dream about in your next home in Portland, Oregon. Obviously, I’m also the person to help you find it. I love Portland, and I’ll show you nooks and crannies that will help you to love it too.
