SPRING: re-purpose light cages as flower frogs

Daffodils are my FAVORITE flower. Have been since I was a Little Debby and loved watching 'Daffy O'Dill' dance in Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Every spring, I grab bunches of them and fill up the house with sunny flowers... and while I miss being able to drive to the Skagit Valley in Washington state and get my fill of multiple varieties grown and sold in roadside 'honor stands', now I just drive to Trader Joe's Market and grab some bunches! (TJ's imports daffodils from both Skagit Valley, Washington and Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada).

The one thing I don't like about them is how the stems can end up bending and cutting off the water supply to the blooms. But now I've come up with a fun way to turn something else into a solution! 

Continue reading to see this EASY repurposed flower frog idea!

I stopped in to our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and found a chrome wire light cage... usually they go over Edison bulbs in hanging pendants. As I looked at it, I was reminded of another metal light cage that I already had at home - so I bought the new one, ran to TJ's for fresh daffies, came home, found the old one, and completed this project in about five minutes! 

Materials:
For this project, you'll need a wire light cage, and a glass vase.

The cage doesn't have to fit all the way down into the vase - mine don't.
They are usually tapered, so the bottom part will slide into the vase while the sectioned top part sticks up above it - this is perfect for holding flowers.

I get my glass vases at thrift shops and yard sales!

Method:

There are a lot of photos there, but essentially I am showing you how the new larger chrome pendant light cage fits into a large glass vase, and the small silver metal industrial light cage fits into a small glass vase. 

Once you get them into your vases, add about two inches of water to the vase.

Add the flowers you prefer by sliding each stem into the 'grid' of the metal cage. The grid helps hold the stems upright so that when they bloom, they won't start leaning over the vase edge so far that the stems bend in half. 

I begin by placing the largest blooms, then add the still-closed buds. That way the arrangement can be balanced, and the bloom cycle more even in the vase.

A tip: If you use daffodils, they don't like wet stems!
Keep the water about 2 inches deep in the vase, and change it often. This also keeps the water level below the metal cage, so it won't rust.

Accessories like a polka-dot green glass plate and drinking glass just add more happy... and a day later, the blooming was well underway:




related content:

flower frogs, my way - 2018

Painted enamel flowers sign 

shared online:

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creatively beth | creatively crafty link party #240

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