There’s something about a big beat-up snow boot that screams Christmas to me. Are you with me on this? The rubber on the sole, the dried salt along the seams; heck, even if they are beat up, all the more reason to have them out on display! Let’s talk about how to take a tired pair of boots or shoes and turn them into a holiday floral display.
I found a tired old pair of boots shoved in a corner recently, and I grabbed them up knowing that somehow, they would make for a stunning-rugged-meets-beauty holiday floral arrangement. What I saw in these old boots was a beautiful, lively Christmas bouquet reaching out from them, turning these old clunkers into a holiday floral arrangement masterpiece. Yes, it does take a certain person to recognize such a unique floral container, but after you read my how to, I’m hard pressed to think that you won’t want to turn your old boots into a beautiful Christmas floral display, too.
The first order of business is to seek out a beat up pair of men’s snow boots; the more torn and tattered, the better. The best resource is by looking through some castoffs in your coat closet, or checking out the local thrift stores.
I went no further than the grocery store for my flowers, and a trip around my front garden for the greenery. A trio reds consisting of astromeria, spider mums and red verbena proved to be a festive floral combination. For the greenery, a few snips of boxwood rounded out the bouquet. Fill a cylinder vase or a mason jar with water and carefully place inside the boot. This is where your floral arrangement is going to live. I am partial to a low, tight bouquet with no stems showing. I trimmed the ends of the astromeria to length and placed them in the container first, then filled in and around with the spider mums and red verbena. Last, I trimmed small stems of the boxwood and filled in, placing a taller bunch in the center of the arrangement to give height. Wherever I saw a little space, I filled in with the boxwood, keeping the placement even all the way around the bouquet. A good rule of thumb on flower arranging is when you feel the bouquet is exactly how you want it to look, stop there. Don’t add more just to add more.
To care for your Christmas floral arrangement, change out the water every day, and trim all of the stems just a smidgeon. This practice will help your floral arrangement keep for well over a week.