I love having floral arrangements scattered throughout our house, especially when we entertain, but I don’t like the expense of them. Today Ashley and I show you how to make some quick, easy, and affordable arrangements using flowers from the grocery store mixed with items from my yard.

All of the vases we use, including the tea cups and votive candle holders which make great containers, were bought at Discover Goodwill. I seriously cannot bring myself to buy new vases when Goodwill has so many to choose from at a fraction of the cost. I can pick them up for anywhere from 29 cents to about $3.00 for a large one.

I like to buy a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store, which is usually cheaper, and add grasses, stems, branches, or herbs from my garden/yard to make the arrangements fuller and more interesting. Depending on the time of year and what’s growing in the yard I can turn one bouquet into 2 or 3 arrangements. The King Soopers grocery store in our area has a section in their floral department where they have discounted flowers, usually 50% off. If I’m making a lot of arrangements for a special occasion I will pick up flowers from the discount section and save even more. (Look for arrangements with mini carnations or other hardy flowers that last longer.)

Take a walk around your yard (or a nice neighbor’s yard) and see what’s blooming or just looks pretty and you won’t even have to buy flowers. (Unless they are all covered in snow of course, but that’s when I start bringing in pine branches.)

I have no idea what this flower is but it looks pretty and it came from one of our bushes…which is probably why I didn’t major in botany!

A single flower can make a statement.

KEEP FLOWERS FRESH –

Ashley suggests you cut the ends of your flowers before putting them in your vase/container. Trimming at an angle opens up the stalks so they can absorb more water. She also suggests you trim off any leaves that would be touching the water, which will help keep the water from getting nasty and moldy. Rocks and marbles added to the bottom of your container will help keep the flowers in place. Or of course, as she says, floral tape will do the same thing. (I’ll be adding floral tape to my next shopping list.)

I have experimented with different methods to keep flowers fresher for longer and found that the mixture some bouquets come with really does work best. A penny dropped in the bottom of the water works really well too.

I bought this little vase at Goodwill for 29 cents (in fact I bought all of the ones they had that looked similar to this) and have used it as a floral place setting/take home goody at dinner parties. I filled this up with rosemary so guests could use a bit when cooking at home.

All of the dishes we use in the video came from the Dollar Tree and our napkins and placemat came from Goodwill. The red charger came from Walmart which I bought after Christmas for 10 cents. (We in fact bought 50 chargers, red and green, when they got marked down. I use them for “goodie” containers during the holidays, under planted pots to prevent water stains, and of course as chargers.)

THE PIZZA…

Because I have celiac disease I have to eat gluten-free and let me tell you, gluten-free pizza can be so expensive! And to be honest, a lot of them don’t taste that great. But this crust, made from a box kit, really tastes good and even if you’re not gluten-free, I think you’ll like it.

I found my Betty Crocker gluten-free pizza kit at Walmart, along with their Great Value Pizza Sauce, which is also gluten-free. I have not been able to find the Betty Crocker (gluten-free) crust at any of the grocery stores in our area, just FYI. And as long as your crust and sauce is gluten-free, feel free to substitute any other vegetables to customize your own pizza while staying away from the gluten.

Funny story. I’ve made this pizza quite a bit but I was in such a hurry the day we filmed, I forgot one major step. You are supposed to cook the crust first, add ingredients, and then bake again. I just loaded it up, popped it in the oven, and well, you’ll notice we didn’t take a bit on camera…ha! Yes, following the directions can make quite a difference.

GLUTEN-FREE PEPPERONI PIZZA –

Prep Time: 10 minutes            Cook Time: about 30 minutes        Serves: 4 (2 slices each) for approx.$8.30

Ingredients:

1 Betty Crocker Gluten-Free boxed pizza kit (I get mine at Walmart)

1 14-oz. jar Great Value pizza sauce (found at Walmart)

3 ounces sliced pepperoni

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/4 jalapeno, thinly sliced

6 to 8 green olives, sliced

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Prepare pizza dough according to directions. Make sure you bake it first! (Before adding toppings.) Add sauce, pepperoni, vegetables, and top with cheese. Bake again, according to package directions.

And the lovely wine Ashley and I are enjoying is McManis Cabernet which runs approximately $8.oo a bottle.

Our floral attire…Ashley is wearing something from her store, Ashley’s Attic (my favorite consignment store in Colorado Springs,) while I have on a $6.99 dress from Goodwill. Hey, we’re eating, drinking, and designing on a budget, so why blow our savings on an outfit?