To continue a bit more on our floral theme, there are so many simple yet stunning ways to present flowers in your home. One need not go crazy spending hundreds of dollars or even $20+ on bouquets. You can pick a few stems from your yard or balcony, grab some from a nearby field, or even ask a neighbor who may have many wild flowers in their yard if you could pick a handful for your home (our neighbors use to let us have our pick - literally!). Perhaps you could even find some fallen branches to arrange in a tall vase or pluck a few magnolia blooms (which are everywhere over here now, in full bloom) and pop them into a vase, tea tin, tea pot, anything really.

A simple peony bloom can be all you need for a bud vase, or one of those gorgeous cabbage roses which is a favorite flower of mine. There are many, many options so don't limit yourself to pre-made arrangements or clustering flowers together perfectly... again, simple touches can make an impact! Think of pearls with a black dress, or diamond studs with a button down blouse and some jeans. Simple elegance is what made Coco Chanel so famous as not every arrangement, whether fashion, interiors or floral designs need be over-the-top!

I found this beautiful porcelain shop recently called Rou Designs in New York who makes very simple bud vases in a feminine bubble shape that would be perfect for putting together something small and pretty by your bedside or on your perfume tray, or perhaps in the bathroom next to all of your pretty soaps and hand towels that you may have neatly folded on a shelf. You could even arrange several of the Rou Designs vases on a fireplace mantle or on a shelf in your entryway. If you're having a dinner party (or getting married) you could consider adding several down the center of your table. I can see doing this and then popping in a big peony bloom in each in various shades of pink from pale to dark. Or mixing things up with a different color in each vase - imagine that!

Do you use small arrangements as a budget-friendly decorating accent in your home or office? I have some mini glass bud vases but get annoyed by how the water becomes dirty and you can see an ugly water line from the outside. For this reason, I've grown more and more fond of solid vases or colored glass lately vs. transparent glass.

Do you have mini bud vases in your home and if so, how and where do you arrange them? Here is how I usually arrange mine... I have mini porcelain vases and cups, glass mason jars, mini jam jars, and little glass bud vases -- some are shown here, here, here, here and here.

(images: rou design)