My dad & I last Christmas!
Since I was little, my dad has always given my sister and me flowers, usually roses. Every Valentine’s Day, birthday or special life event, my dad has been there with roses for his girls. It became a ritual of sorts. Each time our flowers started to wilt, my dad would always hang them upside down in the garage until they dried. Then, he would bring them in for us to put in our rooms.
As time flies by, I have learned to appreciate those roses. While they may no longer fill the air with that sweet smell, they remind me of the moment when I could lean my face in and smell the strong scent. Now, I know sometimes the memories that go along with flowers can be painful. Like a rose you got from a funeral, an ex or flowers from when you were in the hospital. But, regardless of the heartache the flowers may bring, those same sad flowers can remind you of all the amazing times you had with a loved one, or the incredible people who cared enough to bring you flowers during a rough time.
Dried flowers in my apartment.
Right now, in my apartment, I have little clusters of dried flowers everywhere. Maybe it’s just the girly girl in me, but I love flowers – fresh or dried. Plus they make for cute, cheap decorating. So give someone you love flowers, maybe for no reason at all other than you care. And, next time you are about to throw flowers out, dry them instead. After all, they are always more than just flowers! So, let your flowers dry up instead of your memories.
Go here to find out how to dry your flowers.
Dried flowers I put in a glass Voss water bottle.
5 Comments
November 9, 2008 at 1:25 am
Holley,
i too do the dried flowers thing. Looking at the ones i have in my room, i let myself go back to the memories of the place and time i was back when i received them. You are so right when you say that they are never JUST FLOWERS. Each bouquet represents joy, laughter, and even a little pain. Thanks for this one,
-Bri
November 10, 2008 at 12:16 am
I used to do this in high school and I loved it! Unfortunately, I lost them when I was moving stuff, but I want to start up again! It’s just so classic and vintage.
November 10, 2008 at 9:34 am
“So, let your flowers dry up instead of your memories.” … very nice!
November 10, 2008 at 3:06 pm
That’s so cool! How do you keep them organized? How long do you keep them? Do you press them into books or just hang them upside down. I used to work in a flower shop and I remember all of the dried roses hanging up in the back and i was always so worried about them falling apart. Do you have flower pedals everywhere!? haha. Is there time when you’ve kept dried flowers that is most memorable for you? I’d love to hear about it.
November 10, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Hey Kristin!!
Well, I usually just put them in different cool vases or glass bottles that I find or I have some at my parents’ house that are just in baskets and I somehow remember who I got the flowers from and when I got them. (I mean there is the occasional flower that I recall, but usually it comes to me.)
I keep them FOREVER! I seriously have not ever thrown dried flowers away that I can think of. I actually hang them upside down! But, another cool thing is to pick all the petals off of roses and put them in a basket and they will dry and you have potpourri. But, usually the petals stay on, once in a while there will be one or two that falls off.
Hmmm…they are all pretty memorable, but honestly, I think all the ones my dad has given me from past Valentine’s Day are really special. I guess just since it has been a tradition since I was really little!