Thrifted Picks and Flowers
This week at the Thrift Store I found some great buys for faux flowers and holiday picks. I’ve always bought picks when I see them but faux flowers only occasionally. That may change now that I’m a bit more aware of the retail prices for flowers.
In the picture above you can see two large bunches. One bunch has some beautiful flowers in roses and reds with lovely accompanying grasses and the other a bunch of sparkly holiday picks.
Having fresh flowers in the house is a real joy. Because I have a garden I’m able to harvest flowers throughout the growing season allowing us to enjoy beautiful blooms throughout the Spring and into the Fall. During the Winter I’m usually able to find flowers at the grocery store but that’s not alway possible. I’ve been looking at faux flowers as a supplement. Honestly, it was surprising to me how much good faux blooms can cost. So I started looking for stems at the Thrift Store.
I found this beautiful bouquet of flowers in soft purples, roses and reds with some gorgeous grasses included in the bundle. There were 14 stems in the bunch and some of them still had the original tags on the stem.
To give you an idea of how full this bunch is I put them in a simple vase without even arranging them. The bunch is quite substantial and looks pretty realistic. I love the soft colors. They will be a nice alternative to fresh flowers. This bunch of 14 stems was $10. I actually found the exact stems online. I couldn’t believe how much they cost new. Time to educate myself on the pricing of faux flowers. LOL
Another beautiful bunch of faux flowers are these Iris stems. I found these at the Thrift Store last year and they are quite spectacular. I’m showing them here because a large bunch of these stems makes a great display. They were much less than the first bunch of flowers shown and brand new. They had never been opened up so a great purchase.
Although I haven’t bought faux flowers too often I do buy picks…generally around the holidays. I was able to find some really nice ones at Hobby Lobby during the after Christmas sale. They were 75% – 90% off so a pretty reasonable price. However, I do look for them at the Thrift Store as well. This week I found a really great bunch at the Goodwill clearance center.
There are 18 individual picks in the picture above. They are quite full and remind me of the Dr. Seuss story of the Grinch. They cost $3. That’s not $3 per stem but $3 for all 18 picks. The clearance center sells everything by weight so I wasn’t sure how much it would be until they were actually on the scale. I was doing my Happy Dance all the way to the car.
To the mix of pink and dusty rose blooms I added some gorgeous off-white roses that I picked up yesterday at the Thrift Store for a couple of dollars. There were seven stems in the bundle and that really filled in the bouquet you see above.
Another view of the flowers.
I’ve used the flowers in a table setting. Faux flowers are very versatile especially when organic blooms are unavailable. So, keep an eye out for faux flower stems when you’re thrifting. They can be a nice addition to your decor.
I love faux and, yes, the prices are high and getting higher and prices for the really high-end variety are out of sight. Since all are made in China, who knows what the future holds. You found some pretty ones in good condition. Great find.
This month I’m heading down south to continue the clean out of my mother’s dwelling. She had faux flowers all over the place. Last trip I gathered them all up, Tbey filled and actually overflowed a large department store shopping bag. I was going to post them online and sell them all, Now I’m having second thoughts. I will probably have to categorize what is in that shopping bag and decide what I should keep. Lol.
You have a great haul!BLNDLRFUND
Thanks, Robin, it’s such a challenge to clean out someone’s residence. Sounds like you have a good start on your job. Good luck with the Faux flowers. I hope you find some good ones. Thanks for sharing and see travel.
Lynne
Thanks, Teddee, I really don’t know much about faux but I’m learning fast. They definitely work in home decor. Thanks for sharing.
Have a great week.
Lynne
Those faux flowers are perfect with your tablecloth! And I love those sparkly picks. Great finds.
Thanks, Joy, the picks are quite fun and I have to figure out how to incorporate them in ext year’s Christmas decor. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week.
Lynne
Loved seeing your flowers. I rely on faux flowers for decor and my crafting. When thrifting, I am not deterred by slightly ragged or dusty blooms (most people are). I take my sharpest scissors and trim the ragged edges which can be time consuming, but worth it to me. If they are dusty, I spray them with Awesome and whisk them (not soak) in soapy dishwater, rinse, and dry. Reds (like velvets) are liable to run. Dusty flowers also respond well to being “dusted” in fluffy snow, I’ve found. If you have access to an air compressor, blowing air on them works, too! I save the extra leaves from long stems when cutting off flower heads when I make a wreathe and use them to add more foliage where it is needed.
Thanks, Kathy, for sharing such great tips with everyone. I’ll look at potential faux flower buys with new eyes now that I know they can be freshened up. Have a great week.
Lynne
What a great find. The price of the faux floral was great, and their so pretty.
Hi, Vicki, I was really surprised by the price of good faux flowers. I’ll be looking for more in the Thrift Stores. Thanks for sharing.
Lynne
You found fabulous thrifted flowers! Lucky you, artificial flowers are can be so expensive. All the ones you found are so beautiful. Have a great week.
It was a lucky find. I’ll be looking for more. thanks for stopping by and sharing
Lynne
Great finds, I just picked up some great Eucalyptus stems as well as 3 humongous Hydrangea stems ( would be $15.00 each new). Always love using a quality stem (for less money), LOL. from SYStyle
Sounds like you did really well. I like that you can dunk them in water and refurbish them before using. Thanks for sharing.
Lyne
I live in upstate NY – where winter can be REALLY long. Faux flowers definitely play an important role in getting me through the winter. You found some great faux stems! Also you can’t beat the price – if you buy them new they are SO expensive. Thanks for the inspiration and for helping me to think *spring*.
You are definitely still in the grip of winter. This time of year anything you can do to make yourself fell more cheerful is a good thing. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be sending “Spring” like thoughts your way.
Lynne