How to Decorate with Carnations: Tutorial

Rookie Mistakes: a series of common decor mistakes made by rookies… aka us. And no we are not judging because we have made (and continue to make) these mistakes too!

Fresh flowers are a big indulgence for us both. Some girls are into shoes, others like a new mani every other week, but we…we like fresh flowers all over our homes. Alstroemerias, hydrangeas, roses…just about any flower will do. But even if our fresh blooms are on sale, they can still cut into that budget. So we usually try to choose cheaper blooms that will last a long time so we can get the best bang for our bucks!

Rookie Mistake – Displaying Carnations

Carnations certainly fit the bill. Sadly, these blooms get a bad rep. But today we want to show you that these cheaper flowers can look very high end if you display them the right way.

Before we got into the whole fresh-flowers-every-week thing, we were not very good at displaying flowers. Instead we would just plop them in a vase, put them on the kitchen counter, and call it a day.

Yep…we made this rookie mistake all.the.time.

The stems are awkwardly tall, the flowers dwarf the small vase, and it looks as inexpensive as the flowers.

So let’s remedy that rookie mistake…

The Best Way to Display Carnations

Ohhhh much better!

Here’s how to achieve this look every single time. 

Buy some pretty carnations at the grocery store (we typically find a whole bunch for less than $10 at our local stores!) 

Then find a cool vase to display them. We prefer round & low bowls, but geometric or other cool shapes work well too. Fill it with water and the packet of plant food that comes with your flowers. 

Now it’s cutting time. Hold up a stem next to the vase, eyeball the cut, and snip the end on an angle. Be sure to also remove any leaves that will be below the water line (so just about all of them). 

Keep going and bunch them together in your hand as you go, making sure the flowers fan out from the center. 

Then place them in your vase. You may need to snip the ends a bit more at this time so they all lay nicely. 

Much better, right? Those carnations are looking much more high-end. People will never guess what a deal you got on them! 

Now the best part about carnations is that they last FOREVER. Seriously, these babies can still look good up to 2 weeks later. It’s crazy….crazy awesome. 

Let’s hear it for the often-ignored carnation. It’s time to give this flower some love & attention because when displayed properly it can be incredibly gorgeous! So what do you say? Are you gonna brighten up your dreary January with some colorful blooms? We sure hope so!

Bridget&Casey

Pssst…need help displaying roses? Try out our tutorial to get those beauties looking good in no time!