friday fixations: cotton flowers

Last year (around this time, maybe), I received a package from Danielle from Dinosaur Toes and Girl and Parrot (she's got some of the best jewelry -- I've got this, this, and this and I love them! -- and prints -- I want this and this). Inside that package, I found quite a few carefully wrapped, fluffy cotton flowers.

I had mentioned in some random comment (that I can't even remember) how much I loved them and wished I could have some seeds to plant and (as if by magic) Danielle remembered and sent them to me.

You see, here in cold Alberta, we don't grow cotton, but I thought it would be so awesome to get some seeds and grow them as an annual for bouquets. But once I finally had the pretty cotton puffs, with their seeds, in my hands, I just couldn't bare to pull one apart. And before I knew it, June came and I didn't think it would give them a long enough growing season. So they've spent the summer sitting in a decorative bowl on a table in the living room. 

I decided that I was going to find a branch and attach them to it so they'd look a little more natural (even though I don't really know what "natural" would be for cotton flowers). Then I remembered I had a lot of fake cherry blossom branches.

I sacrificed one and pulled off the plastic cherry blossoms and attached the cotton flowers to the bare ends with floral wire. It was incredibly easy and I think it looks pretty nice. It sits in a vase near the kitchen and I've added some random grass seeds to it for filler.

Now I'm thinking I should figure out how to brown the leaves and I really should spend some time taking the brown dead bits off each little cotton fluff. (But it was kind of impossible as they're like little velcros!)

Anyway, I love my little cotton flower branch and I think it makes for really cute fall decor. Thanks, Danielle! Hopefully I'll work up the nerve to harvest some seeds and then I'll have more branches to add to my vase next year!