I am a huge fan of fresh flowers. In fact, it’s one of the few decorating items that I spend money on monthly. I think it’s amazing how much a few dollars can spruce up a space and change a space for a few weeks.

Throughout my life, I’ve never really actually enjoyed getting flowers from anyone as a gift. I mean, I like flowers. But from a boyfriend or something, they seem like such an obvious gift. (Not that I wouldn’t love to get flowers, because I totally would…) They’re just the gift that everyone chooses as a go-to for V-Day.

But I do love flowers. And when I put flowers out, I love to use interesting vases, or even non-vases to store them in.

Like this awesome milk jug I got from Shatto Milk… When you buy Shatto, you pay a deposit for the glass bottle. I can do one of two things… I can take the pretty bottle back to the store and get my deposit back, or I can save that bottle for awhile and reuse it as a vase.

I am in love with the look of Shatto’s bottles, so it’s not unusual for me to be that annoying girl at the store who is digging through the bottles to find the one with just the right saying. It has to be perfect. This time, I chose the word “family.” I thought it was a perfect descriptor of the most important thing in my life, which really made it fit right into my arrangement.

So, when I saw these b-e-a-utiful flowers at the store, that look just like red, white, and blue fireworks to me, I knew I had to have them. I knew that they’d be just right in my trusty milk jug. And I knew exactly where in my house I would put them.

The red, white, and blue looked so cool next to one of my retired Scentsy warmers, which is also an Americana themed warmer. I also grabbed some wooden letters off of another surface in our house and brought them over.

One of the best decorating tips I’ve ever gotten was to arrange things in odd numbers… my Scentsy warmer and flowers would look funny, I think, just the two of them, but adding that third piece really rounded out the picture and made it a lot more visually interesting.

When it comes to buying flowers, I tend to pick some from the reduced price sections and fill them out with some that are sold in bunches for $3.33. It’s a real bargain because I can buy several bunches and divide them out in different rooms in my house, from the office, to my bedroom, to the bathroom, perking up each space for only pennies per bud.

I try to change out the varieties that I have and the rooms I put them in to keep things fresh and new. And after looking at these beauties, don’t you think it’s well worth it?

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Do you ever use fresh flowers to brighten a space? Which kinds are your favorite? What tips do you have for brightening up a space without much cost or effort?