10 Ways to Reuse Your Vases This Fall

Your boyfriend sent a bouquet to the office for your anniversary, you bought flowers specifically for your sunshiny kitchen windowsill, or you had a centerpiece delivered for a dinner party.

After about a week, you’ve enjoyed the blooms but they’re past their prime. Toss the flowers but don’t toss the vase. Here are 10 ways to reuse, revamp and revise those containers.

1.   Desk Organizer

Your desk is cluttered with scissors, pens, pencils and paintbrushes. Clean it up by putting everything into the vase. Even if it’s littered with paper clips and thumbtacks, the contained chaos will also act as desk decor.  

2. Kitchen Utensil Holder

Use a wide-mouth vase as a way to store your kitchen utensils. From spatulas to wooden spoons, whisks and ladles, your kitchen organization is getting a makeover. And your utensils will be easy to grab when you’re cooking.

3. Terrarium

Turn your vase into a terrarium. Fill the container about a third of the way with sand. Choose succulents from your local nursery or garden store. Succulents need very little water to survive, so they make great plants for those who don’t have a green thumb. Check out the Stephmodo blog for inspiration.

4. Coin Catcher

Coins just make your purse heavier to carry around. Create a home base for these loose coins and use the vase as a modern day piggy bank. If you have a lot of pennies, use the vaseful as a copper-colored decoration. It works great with an old-world look or muted color scheme. Check out this antique-feeling piece.

5. Collection Display

Marbles? Billiard balls? Seashells? Wine corks? Whatever your collect, put it in a vase. The vase acts as both a container and a pretty way to display, making your collection into a work of art.

6. Luminaries

Create luminaries with a vase and a tea light. Play with designs like lace, or wrap the jar with yarn and paint. These will give the vase a fresh face lift and you’ll want to debut them on your brick fireplace or front step.

7. Lanterns

Create a hanging lantern arrangement. To make a lantern, put an inch or two of sand at the bottom of the vases. Then, set the base of a candle into the sand. If the vase is larger, you might consider a cluster of three candles. Use wire or string wrapped around the bottleneck to hang it. Cluster different shapes and sizes together, and pair the lanterns with hanging wildflower bunches for a stunning display perfect for an outdoor wedding, party or dinner

8. Bookend

Load up the vase with pretty stones or marbles and use your new creation as a bookend. It’ll stand out on the bookshelf and hold your books upright in place. It’ll also add height to your current book arrangement. Shop this flowers at FTD.com. FTD offers 10% OFF Sitewide with FTD coupon code. Automatically Applied!!!

9. Picture Frame

Mount a photo to colorful paper and place it inside the cylinder of a vase, hugging the inner edges against the back, with the photo facing the inside. The bend of the glass will give an interesting — almost fish-eye lens — perspective to the photograph and makes for a conversation piece among your family photo frames.

10. Vase 2.0

Go to town with Washi tape, available in different widths and patterns. Decorate vases for a holiday, or just to display on the living room shelf.

Think before you put away that vase. With so many ways to repurpose and reuse, we know you’ll find a project that fits your space best.

Thanksgiving day: FTD Coupons - Who We Are Thankful For…

Every year Thanksgiving reminds us what and who we are thankful for and allows us to take the time to recognize those that have made a difference to FTD.

First, we would like to express our gratitude to our customers. Our mission here at FTD is “To inspire, support, and delight our customers when expressing life’s most important sentiments.” Every day this mission drives our company’s decisions and future.  Our leader, Rob Apatoff, always takes the time to remind us of our mission and keep us directed toward fulfilling our mission.  It is always exciting when a customer expresses their happiness after receiving one of our products, and it is always disheartening when something goes awry.  In the end, FTD would like to thank its customers for standing with us for the last 100+ years and we are excited for the future.

Next, we would like to show our appreciation for our member florists and their role in fulfilling our mission.  Our “best-in-class” florists are always using their talents and artistry to deliver the quality and creativity that FTD promises.  We are dedicated to helping our florists grow and succeed in the upcoming years.

Lastly, we would like to thank our family and friends. Our employees work their hardest to make our customers happy and strive to do their best every day.  We would also like to thank our partners for contributing and collaborating with us.  These partnerships have enabled us to continue our leadership in quality, innovation, and dependability.

Thank you,

Your FTD Fresh Team

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An Autumnal Take on Birthday Party Ideas

If you have a loved one with a autumn birthday, consider one of these three fun and festive birthday party ideas to celebrate!

Ladies’ Autumn Wine Tasting

One of the simplest birthday celebrations to coordinate is a wine tasting, or wine and cheese pairing. Appetizers, a little bubbly and conversation are the basics to catching up with girlfriends!

Putting together a tasting is easy, but certain elements are essential. To add some feminine details to this event I used a simple piece of fabric in fall colors as a table runner. I also incorporated a gorgeous autumn-colored bouquet from FTD. These flowers were the ideal decor for this gathering. If I wanted to set the tone from the moment the guests walked through the door, I might have added a wreath to the front door. This one is beautiful, and fitting for any fall occasion. Find discount Anniversary Flowers at FTD! Go through this FTD coupon code and save up to 50% OFF! 

For the cheese tray, I used some of the treats from the Fresh Fruit and Cheese Box. Cheese trays don’t need to be complicated, especially if the event is only for a few ladies. Base the number of items and the quantities, on the number of guests.

A wine tasting like this one can be planned and assembled relatively quickly, especially when some of the crucial elements are delivered to your doorstep! Cheers to that!

Outdoor Family Game Night

Nothing says October quite like a campfire and roasting marshmallows! Crisp, cool autumn nights are ideal for gathering outdoors.

To assemble family-friendly games, choose ones that can work outside, as well as ones that will appeal to many ages. One tried-and-true game — bobbing for apples! Laugh at the wet faces and splashing, and warm up next to the campfire.

For the food, this party can be as simple as making s’mores over a fire! Enjoy roasting marshmallows. It’s fun for the kids and adults alike, and requires little advance prep work!

Decorations for this event can be a mix of rustic and outdoorsy paired with an elegant centerpiece. I used small hay bales, pumpkins, pinecones and acorns for the natural elements. The FTD bouquet was a beautiful addition to soften the rustic pieces.

This birthday party ideas is truly more about enjoying company, rather than stressing over the details. Gather some friends, roast a few marshmallows, play games and celebrate a loved one!

Kids’ Pumpkin Painting Party

Pumpkin painting is a fun, safe alternative to carving pumpkins, and is more appropriate for young children. For this birthday party theme, participants use paint brushes instead of any sharp equipment, and they can truly express their individual creativity.

The necessary items for this party: kid-friendly paint, small pumpkins and snacks. I purchased the plastic paint palettes from a local craft store.

The decor for this event is bright and partial to kids. To achieve this look, splatter several colors of paint on some inexpensive white fabric (or even butcher paper), then layer it with cute orange and white dot fabric. Keep in mind, you’ll want the table to be covered to protect it from messy little hands and stray paint!

I also incorporated the autumn-colored flower arrangement again, because every party should have flowers!

These kid-friendly finger foods are a mix of supermarket favorites and treats from the FTD gift box. Those bright-colored fruit snacks helped inspire this party theme! Another treat from FTD that would be ideal for this party would be these school-themed chocolate-covered oreos! Get FREE Chocolate with purchase of Select Bouquets. Buy Now!

The kids will enjoy this activity, and the parents will love seeing their imaginations come to life. Don’t forget to take advantage of the photo op.

Fall is a lovely time to celebrate a birthday! Enjoy the company and the season.

Decorating With Flowers and Color Guide

There are many ways to refresh a room that’s feeling a little lackluster. Adding a coat of paint, hanging new photos, swapping out pillows—the options are endless. But along with the tons of options comes added stress. How do you know if what you’re adding on truly complements your room?

One of our favorite ways to improve a space without making permanent changes is adding a beautiful bouquet. Not only do they look great, choosing the right arrangement can actually elevate the colors you already have in your room. We gathered our 10 favorite blooms and paired them with the colors that bring them to life. So next time you’re shopping for something to boost your decor, use our guide below!

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Celebrate Sweetest Day: Throw a Party for Your Sweets

Between family, work and household chores, it’s all too easy to get caught up in your everyday shuffle. But when you do take the time to slow down, enjoy the moment and show others your gratitude for all they do, it pays off so much that you’re often left asking yourself, “why don’t I do this every day?”

That concept of showing your gratitude and paying it forward was the impetus for Sweetest Day. While it would be easy to write this off as another “Hallmark holiday,” invented to sell goods, Sweetest Day actually has no ties to Hallmark or any other greeting card company. The origin of the holiday tells a heartwarming story of a more innocent time that may even make the most cynical share some sweet treats with someone special on October 17.

The Sweetest History

Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October and has been since the 1920s. While various sources list the first Sweetest Day as early as 1921 and as late as 1927, the story itself is quite consistent: Herbert Birch Kingston, an employee at a candy company, generously gave away candy to forgotten people who needed some cheer. He spent the day distributing candy to orphans, the disabled and the underprivileged.

Kingston’s idea caught on and soon others in Cleveland, Ohio, began participating in Sweetest Day. Soon, local movie stars Anne Pennington and Theda Bara joined in, sending thousands of boxes of candy to newspaper delivery boys, hospitals and movie theaters. Within a few years, the saccharine holiday was celebrated in surrounding cities and states, and to this day is still celebrated throughout the Midwest. Over the years, the focus has broadened to include sharing sweet treats with family, friends and other loved ones as well.

How to Observe Sweetest Day

When it comes to celebrating Sweetest Day, the only real requirement is to share something sweet with someone. Whether it’s a box of chocolates for your assistant, your wife’s favorite macarons from the local French bakery or going to the local children’s hospital and distributing candy, the sentiment of thoughtfulness is all that matters. You don’t even necessarily need to give anything that tastes sweet; a sweet gesture like a from-the-heart greeting card or having fresh flowers delivered are also lovely ways to celebrate Sweetest Day. Go through this FTD coupon and save up to 50% OFF gifts baskets - fruit, wine, sweets, spa and more!Go through this FTD coupons and save up to 50% OFF gifts baskets - fruit, wine, sweets, spa and more!

Host a Sweetest Day Bash

Send out invitations using candy-themed stationery to friends and family for an afternoon of festivities. Have all guests meet at your home bringing a variety of their favorite sweets to share. Once everyone has arrived, caravan down to the local shelter to volunteer serving a meal and share the treats with the less fortunate. After a few hours spent giving back to the community, return to your home with your nearest and dearest for a happy hour celebration. Serve simple hors d’oeuvres, libations and a delectable dessert bar, piled with cakes, cookies and candy. To present a Pinterest-worthy spread, be sure to use a glass cake pedestals, tiered serving stands and footed apothecary jars in a variety of heights to create visual interest. Arrange the dessert bar on a long table along an uncluttered wall. Hang crepe paper garlands or honeycomb fans behind the dessert table in colors that complement the treats to ensure that none of the guests can miss your Sweetest spread.

Cool-Season Gardening Tips: How to Plant for Fall

As summer temps cool down and the air feels brisker, spring and summer gardens typically go into hibernation. Excitement over autumn-colored leaves replace the adoration for beautiful spring perennials and summery bright blooms. Pumpkin and gourds make an annual debut, and floral arrangements for the home turn from fuchsia pink and canary yellow to auburn oak and sunset orange. Today's top FTD Coupon Code: FTD offers 10% OFF Sitewide. Automatically Applied!!!. Get all FTD Flowers coupon codes and coupons for 2015.

But for the true gardening enthusiast, a seasonal change doesn’t mean gardening work has to pause until next spring. 

This fall gardening guide highlights ways the horticulturist can keep digging and growing as the cooler months approach.

Fall Benefits

The cooler temps of fall actually benefit plants (and gardeners). Roots are able to grow in the warm soil before the ground freezes. Pests and diseases appear less, and fertilization isn’t as necessary since winter will prevent new growth. To take advantage of these benefits, start fall planting before the first hard frost which is about six weeks between September and October.

Autumn Plants

Not sure how to approach your fall garden? Here’s inspiration for what to plant this fall:

Spring Bulbs: Spring-blooming bulbs need to be planted in the fall and require the winter cold dormancy in order to bloom in the spring. Sunset Magazine recommends planting the dutch iris for its intense colors, or darwin hybrid tulips for their cup-shaped blooms. Plant the parrot tulip accented with ruffled, feathery edges, or apricot daffodils for a pop of color. They also offer tips on choosing the best bulbs to plant in fall.

Cool-Season Plants: Cool-season flowers will bring color to your garden during the dreariest time of year. In mild-winter climates, plant hellebores with drooping bells, vibrant Iceland poppy, tangerine-colored nemesia or ornamental kale full of lavender, plum, rose, white and creamy yellow hues. The five-petaled pansy and flowering snapdragons will bloom all winter long. Winter jasmine actually prefer to grow in winter (or early spring) and create a striking yellow aesthetic amid a chilly winter landscape.

Vegetable Gardening

Since the season changed from summer to fall, why not change your garden from plants to vegetables? First determine the average first frost date of your area and the number of days to harvest for your particular vegetable. Use that number to count back from the frost date and add two days  —  this is the date to plant.

Garden Preparation: Prep your vegetable garden by removing any debris and pulling out any weeds. Adding organic matter or compost can also help your veggies grow. For the best results, grow your vegetables from a quality seed mix and water the plants well  —  about an inch of water a week. To extend your fall gardening season, use a cloche, sheet, blanket or tarp to protect from frost.

Top Crops: Sprinters are fast-growing veggie plants that take about 40 days or less to become ready-to-eat salad ingredients. Plant arugula, spinach, turnips and red radishes in September. Asian greens like tatsoi and mizuna only take about three weeks to grow. The hearty fall vegetables spinach and kale easily grow into early winter. Excellent fall crops also include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots and cauliflower.

Cold-Weather Protection

Eventually colder temps and harsher weather will settle in. The following tips can help protect your fall garden.

• Use a layer of mulch to protect bulbs and roots from frost; mulch can also help soil retain water
• Build tunnels over vegetable rows to help sow seeds early and keep growing veggies once winter arrives
• Till organic matter beneath the soil and let the weeds or yard debris become natural compost for wintertime; make sure to till in mild-winter areas with soft soil
• Use fabric coverings to protect perennials (just like your vegetables) from damaging frost

If you’ve got a green thumb and need a post-summer gardening fix, plant spring-blooming bulbs, cool-season plants and hearty veggies. And with winter protection, your garden will be ready to flourish by spring.

Source: FTD.com

Know Your Floriography: Give the Right Rose & Avoid Floral Faux Pas

Flowers and plants have been used to convey messages to recipients since biblical times. However, the current language of flowers, known as floriography, gained widespread popularity in Victorian times and those same meanings are still used today. In general, roses convey a message of love, but with a rainbow of shades to choose from, and each hue carrying its own meaning, be sure to carefully consider the associated flower meanings before selecting blooms to avoid a floral faux pas.

Red Roses

You don’t have to know anything about the language of flowers to know the meaning of sending someone a bouquet of red roses. No other flower conveys true love like red roses. The deep scarlet shade instantly evokes images of a couple passionately in love. Red roses are one of the most universal symbols of love throughout the world; they say “I love you” in every language.

Pink

While there are as many meanings for pink roses as there are shades of the blushing hue, pink roses generally convey gratitude, grace, admiration and joy. This is the perfect floral choice for a new mom or a special graduate. Deep-pink roses are a lovely way to say thank you for support from people like an assistant, secretary or childcare provider. Lighter shades of pink tend to carry a more sympathetic message, making them the ideal color choice to send to a friend who is ill or grieving.

Orange

Orange roses represent enthusiasm and passion. A bouquet in this bold color sends a message of excitement and intrigue, making them the choice for a new love interest. They convey romance without the potentially overwhelming implications of red roses, which is ideal if you have only been dating the recipient for a few months and haven’t said the “L” word yet.

Yellow

If you see any long-term love potential, don’t you dare send yellow roses, which says you are happy to stay in the friend zone. Sunshine-hued roses represent friendship and are one of the only colors of roses that do not have any romantic meaning associated with them. This is a safe pick to cheer up a friend who is in the hospital or to show your sister support after a messy breakup.

White

White roses symbolize innocence and purity, making it a popular selection for brides to use in the bridal bouquet and wedding decor. White roses are the perfect color bloom to send a newly engaged couple to say congratulations. This is also the perfect color selection for dads to send daughters to make them feel extra special on Valentine’s Day or to celebrate a recent accomplishment.

Additionally, white roses signify reverence, which makes them an appropriate choice to send someone following the death of a loved one to show your sympathy and respect for the loss. A bouquet of white roses says “I’m thinking of you” and is a subtle and thoughtful way to express your condolences when words fail you.

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The Inside Scoop from Fashion Week: Q&A with kate spade new york’s Creative Director

The importance of flowers in fashion stems a long way back, influencing everything from original designs to runway décor and signature scents. Flowers show emotion and beauty and set the mood for a variety of occasions, so it’s no wonder they’ve become an influence for designers everywhere.

At FTD, we are huge fans of fashion and we love following the season’s latest trends. We have over a hundred years of experience curating artist-designed floral arrangements, and we put that experience to good use designing the bouquets for our new Runway Ready Collection.

Designing this collection made us wonder. Where do creative directors for major fashion labels draw their inspiration? How do they continue to keep their designs fresh season after season?

FTD recently partnered with renowned designer kate spade new york to provide all of the fresh flowers (over 30,000 flowers!) for the iconic brand’s spring 2016 presentation during New York Fashion Week. So naturally, we were thrilled when we got to go straight to the source and find out where kate spade new york’s Creative Director Deborah Lloyd drew inspiration for this spring’s bright, bold looks.

FTD: Tell us about the colors behind the spring collection and how flowers inspired the designs.

DL: Flowers of every color are always an inspiration for me! This season in particular I drew inspiration from roses—hues of reds and pinks—and daisies. The bright, bold colors are so fresh and fun. If I ever need ideas, I just hedge the flower experts!

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FTD: What are your favorite flowers?

DL: I can never get enough of peonies and garden roses! I love how lush and full peonies are when they bloom, and that they come in so many beautiful colors—pinks, corals, whites. And garden roses, like the ones found in FTD’s Lighthearted Moments Mini Rose Plant, are always timeless.

FTD: What is your favorite part of New York Fashion Week?

DL: The end of it! (Laughs) Once fashion week is over, I go on holiday to get inspired for the next season. And of course, the energy in New York and the focus on our industry during fashion week is truly inspiring.

FTD: What are some of the biggest trends we can expect to see in spring fashion this year?

DL: We are lucky that florals are a huge trend this season – and they are my go-to! Flowers from FTD were one of the main components in our spring presentation this year and that’s because so many of our looks were inspired by the bright, beautiful, fresh feelings they invoke. Expect to see flowers everywhere this spring!

FTD: Why was FTD your floral partner of choice for this year’s fashion week presentation?

DL: It was a no-brainer. We are both iconic American brands. We have a timeless and playful sensibility to our brands, so it was a natural fit. The flowers from FTD have helped people express important emotional sentiments to their loved ones for a century, and these blooms elevated our spring presentation and created an unforgettable experience for attendees. They were bright, fresh and fun – just what we were looking for.

Source: FTD.com - Coupon4share.com