Fake Flowers
Unpopular Opinion:: I love fake flowers. I love them. I can’t help it. They are on every “Don’t” home décor list, and I don’t care.
Why do I love them? Hard to say. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, silk floral arrangements were all the rage, at least in my house. Sprigs of dried eucalyptus and thistle adorned the guest bathroom. A bough of twigs and pink baby roses hung over the back door, complete with pink and white checked ribbon tied in a simple bow. A small woven basket of purple posies graced my bathroom. So, maybe this love is deeply rooted in my childhood and what I was trained to believe made a home beautiful.
But, as I have been taking stock of things from my past and things from present, evaluating what stays and what needs to go, the flowers make the cut. I like them. And that’s all that matters.
I have all manner of fake flowers in my home. Dollar store arrangements. Expensive single stems that I really had to think about and do some hard math in the floral aisle to decide how many I could afford. Seasonal flowers that get shoved and squished into boxes and are right now resting in my attic. When I unpack the “Fall” boxes in September (oh, I also decorate for fall on September 1st when it’s still 137 degrees outside), I will pull out those orange and red fake mums, fluff them up, and smile at them every time I see them until they get replaced with fake red poinsettias on the day after Thanksgiving.
Joanna Gaines can hate them all she wants and think they are tacky. They make me happy. So they stay.
(Something else I love that society tells me I’m not supposed to:: panty hose.)
Your title caught my eye. Your writing drew me in more. Your pictures helped painted an even clearer pictures. Your flowers are beautiful and most importantly they bring you joy. My stepmother also has fake, and real flowers and decorates seasonally. My dad complains about all the boxes brought up and down the rafters, but I know he appreciate the thought and care she puts into the house and how happy it makes her. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love fake flowers too. They don't die, easy to care for, and can be changed inexpensively. I even had fake flowers for my wedding bouquet. I still have it in a vase as a center peace. I couldn't do that with real onew.
ReplyDeleteYour flowers look fantastic. Who cares if they're a "don't"? I enjoyed imagining you unpack all your flowers and seeing the joy they bring!
ReplyDeleteI was totally fooled by your fake flowers. They look great! Do what makes you happy ... get the flowers!
ReplyDeleteBut the books are real— Isn’t that what counts?
ReplyDeleteMallory, you panty hose comment at the end caught me off guard. I was with you on the fake flowers, and I adore how you painted such a compelling picture of how your childhood shaped this passion, but panty hose push the limits. 😊The blue floral arrangement situated near the cover of Leading Well brought me immeasurable joy. P.S. I have weird, yet fond memories of taking fake flowers to the cemetery each time we visited my grandmother's hometown.
ReplyDeleteI do not have an issue with your fake flowers at all. I can't bear to spend money on flowers that die within a few days (and stink) so I don't have flowers in my house. Which makes a happier place? My house with no flowers? Or yours, with flowers everywhere? I think I'm going to begin investing in some "fake flowers"! What really intrigued me was your books in the first photo! I've read four of them and am putting A Spool of Blue Thread and The Printed Letter Bookshop on my Goodreads "What to Read" lists. You obviously have great taste. Have you read Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger? I love his writing!
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