Whether you’re living your single life or happily married or with kiddos, it’s time to show yourself a little love and attention this Valentine’s Day, in fact let’s make sure we do it everyday!! Some of you may already know, but I’ve never been a big Valentine’s day person, for me personally I just don’t feel there needs a commercialized calendar holiday that’s become about grand gestures just to show love, when it’s in the mundane everyday moments that love is shown and felt, at least that’s how I feel. And I absolutely have no judgement fir those who love the holiday, as with children it’s certainly cute to shower them with lovey dovey things and have fun with some themed crafts. I’ll never say no to that 🙂
I do have quite a whole lot of love to share, and so I have shared several Valentine’s Day ideas and recipes on the blog throughout the past years, including most recently last week’s “Amber” modern cottagecore tablescape which I’m quite smitten with it … I do love to get creative with Valentine’s day and not necessarily make it all red and hearts, but I really love to shower my loved ones, with a extra bit of love whenever I can. I love gifting the ladies in my life something simple whether it’s making a handmade card, a sweet print they can hang in their office, and of course a small floral arrangement or cookies baked with lots of lovin’!
My tip, always gift something simple but personal, pretty and cute but that also functional or edible.
And what tells the ladies in your life, just how much you Love them? A beautiful vintage inspired tea tin filled with pretty whimsical flowers and the yummy tasting tea alongside, so they can sip calmly, enjoying their flowers and reveling in all that friendship love!
Almost everyone loves flowers, it’s true, and it’s true they are quite, okay very overpriced on Valentine’s day.
One option to save costs, is to create an arrangement in your tea tin using dried florals. There are so many beautiful varieties and selections of dried blooms that you could create something beautiful that is inexpensive, and will certainly last longer than real flowers.
For a cost effective option for using Real Flowers, always go with Grocery Store Flowers! I’ve said it, and will say it again, Whole Foods has an amazing selection of blooms for anyone to get and create stunning arrangements. But DO NOT buy an already-made bouquet! Always pick up loose bunches of flowers and greens, as those are cheaper and will often have specials if you buy a few bunches together. Plus, for a regular sized tea tin that holds about 20 tea bags and is about 4 inches, you won’t need too many flowers to feel lush.
Flowers used in these arrangements …..
- White Majolica Spray Rose — 3 stems
- White Lisianthus — 5 stems
- White Ranunculus — 3 stems
- White Astilbe — 3 stems
- White Wax Flower — 3 stems
- Pink Veronica Flower 3 stems
- Fern — 5 to 7 stems
- Any pretty + fun textural filler flower with small blooms
Choose a beautiful tea tin that can be cherished for a long time …..
“Why, how darling is that tea tin!! I do fancy it so, it’s quite charming….” no, that’s not how a proper Regency era lady talk about another’s lovely tea tin?? 🤣 {if you watch Bridgerton, you may have gotten that awful reference lol…}
I do love Harney and Sons teas, I’ve been a longtime drinker and find their blends light but complex with a lovely taste that appeals to many people’s palettes. They have such a vast selection of tea blends, but it’s their signature vintage looking inspired tins that are the treasure. I always keep my Harney and Sons tea tins whenever I finish, as do many tea drinkers. They are pretty to have displayed on your tea shelf, reused to hold pens or as other decor. If the lady in your life is an avid tea drinker she will absolutely love this gift!
Harney and Sons teas can be purchased on their website and select retailers like Target, Walmart and a few choices on Amazon. This is simply a brand of tea that already comes with a beautiful tin alongside great tasting tea, but of course feel free to use whatever tea tin and tea you’d like!
Prepping your Tea Tin for a Floral Arrangement
The easiest way to arrange flowers in a tea tin will be to place a glass jar inside. You can seal the inside of the tin with waterproof tape or whatnot, but it’ll be quite a bit of work and a pain, and you run the risk of water leaking anyway. Trust me, use a smaller jar or glass vase that fits perfectly into the tea tin, and et has a wide enough opening as the tin to make the arrangement.
Prep the glass jar vase but either putting a small ball of chicken wire inside and taping off a grip with 4 strips of floral tape. If you have no chicken wire, or a floral frog, do not worry — simply tape off a grid using 2 strips of floral tape horizontally and 2 vertically to create a few squares, like this. Place the jar inside the tea tin, then gently fill the jar with cold water about 1 inch from the top.
Arranging Your Florals
First, begin with your greens. Create the foundation for the shape you want your arrangement to have, no need to know what you’re doing — make sure the edge around your vase opening is covered, one side of the centerpiece is slightly taller than the opposite side, allow the greens to naturally flow over the vase and…
work with your flowers and greens, not against them!
Then move onto your focal flowers, in this case the Roses, Ranunculus, Lisianthus — place the largest blooms front and center, on both the front and back of your tin vase. Then begin arranging the other smaller flowers around your focal flowers, in odd numbers. When it comes to styling odd numbers are a more visually appealing.
Make sure you’re creating shape and movement with your flowers — so no need to place them all at the same height. In fact nestle a few blooms in more, while you let others graciously stand tall. Flowers with natural movement, like Ranunculus, are great for adding movement and beauty to the sides of your arrangement.
Finish, by using any filler flowers, like the Astilbe, Wax Flowers and Veronica Flower, to finish your arrangement. Add them into any spots that seem empty or need to hide the inside of your container.
Create more height if needed, add more movement to the right of left — whatever final touch you feel you need to complete your beautiful floral arrangement, make it unique to you!
Putting your Tea and Florals gift together …..
To gift the tea bags that came in your tea tin, the easiest, inexpensive item you can place them is a simple mason jar! We all have them and they’re always a useful item to have in the house.
Make your own tag by simply writing a heartfelt note or print a cute template Valentine. Tie it around the jar with a pretty ribbon to make it feel extra special. I used a beautiful silk ribbon for my tea jar, making something so simple feel a bit more high end.
I hope you love this sweet but special gift that will surely say “I love you” to all the beautiful ladies in your life.
So why not take this opportunity to someone you love, or yourself as I currently cuddle with a mug of Harney and Sons’ Paris blend gazing at the sun glowing onto fresh flowers. Take time to relax, indulge in good food and simply make time for the important things in life, and all the people you LOVE, even if this year it’s from afar…
Leave a Reply