Spring is in the air and so are these 38 inspiring vintage flower arrangements that I swooned over while out “Thrifting with the Gals” this past weekend in Vermont. I know you are going to love each and every one of them. Along with one vintage student plant press, which is everything!
Stone House Antique Center
Stone House Antique Center located in Chester, Vermont is one of my favorite antique shops in New England. It’s overflowing with antique vendors and I don’t think I have ever left there empty-handed. It’s well worth the visit if you find yourself anywhere near the southern Vermont area.
See more of my favorites in the post, My Favorite Second-Hand Shops from Vermont to Maine.
And it just so happens that this past weekend they were having a “Garden Party Open House”. Filled with inspiring garden art, decor, and wonderful treasures to help get our homes ready for spring.
*Click on any photo in the galleries to enlarge the picture.
38 Antique Flower Arrangements
The inspiration began at the two entryways.
Door #1
Door #2
Then it was a welcoming bouquet of spring tulips and forsythia greeting me inside the doorway.
Each vendor created their own booth’s garden party with vintage-inspired flower arrangements and refreshments.
Pussy Willows
The pussy willow displays will always have my heart. As a New Englander, I admire their rustic and wildflower charms.
I brought two bunches of pussy willows home with me to create my own antique flower arrangement.
There were Salvia, Forsythia, Gerbera Daisies, Lavender, and Hydrangea antique flower arrangements.
You may also enjoy the post, Forcing Forsythia Branches into Beautiful Spring Flowers.
Antique Tulip Arrangements
And of course, the tulips were available in prime time.
You may also enjoy these 17+ Simple Tulip Arrangements You Can Create Today.
Pansies in Antiques
The pansies looked fabulous displayed with pewter, with bird nests, on vintage corbels, and in antique chamber pots.
Antique Table Flower Arrangements
There were various tabletop and hutch flower arrangements. Each one so unique, simple, and creative.
You may also enjoy the post, 17 Best Summer Home Decor Accessories to Thrift.
Wall Flowers
Cute ideas for antique wall flower arrangements and art.
Antique Metal Baskets and Crocks
And now we come to the end of this garden party’s antique flower arrangements.
I hope you enjoyed your walk with me today around the Stone House Antique Center.
Which flower arrangement did you like the best? Let me know in the comments below!
You may also enjoy these Antique Crocks with White Tulips.
Vintage Student Plant Press
One of the many items that I fell upon while antiquing today was this vintage student plant press. At first, I thought it was an old flower press, but after getting it home and doing some research on it I believe it to be a vintage student plant press.
Let me explain.
This vintage plant press is marked Ward’s Natural Science Establishment, Inc. Rochester, NY.
Today the company is known as Ward Science providing high-quality educational learning tools to all grade levels. (And I appreciate this world very much, as before retiring I spent 5 years selling educational textbooks and software to secondary schools.)
I haven’t been able to find another plant press like this one anywhere online.
But after researching Ward’s Natural Science Establishment further, it would make sense that this would be a student plant press that Wards Science would have sold into schools, not a consumer flower press.
Unfortunately, there’s no date on this plant press, so I can only believe that this piece is vintage based on its overall appearance.
For example, the web straps on the plant press, used to tighten the press itself with flowers and plants inside, are classic of an old military bag and the web strap clips are rusty metal and worn.
Today, if web straps are used, they are made out of nylon with plastic web strap clips.
The inside cardboard and paper that retains the plants and flowers for pressing are aged with the moldings of pressed flowers and plants. Appearing to be very old in nature.
I just love the natural wood, finish, and all the little vintage details that make up this old student plant press.
Wards Science sells a modern-day version of their student plant press here.
I think I like the vintage one I found a little bit better… What do you think?
And did I mention it was only $14?
How to Press Flowers and Plants?
I’m thinking about using this vintage student plant press to preserve favorite flowers and plants to create and design with. Not just for decoration.
Would you be interested in seeing future blog posts on how to press fresh flowers and plants along with some ideas on how to use them in your home?
What Else Was in My Vintage Haul?
- A bouquet of purple flower artwork, beautifully framed.
- 2 bushels of pussy willows.
- A nautical painting by Montague Dawson for our home in Maine. You may enjoy the post, Antiquing Down East, A Day’s Jaunt where I found a similar nautical painting that matches this one.
- One vintage student plant press.
And a sassy Berner…
I’m so glad you dropped by, and if you are new to my blog, welcome! I hope you enjoyed your visit with us here today from our Home in Vermont.
Be sure also to check out our Home in Coastal Maine where we spend summers and weekends when we are craving a walk on the beach or a visit with old friends.
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You always find the most interesting and wonderful vintage and antique items. My mother had a friend who always included pressed flowers in cards or letters when she sent them to a friend. I still have a few pressed flowers that she sent to my mother years ago.
Ann, I love that idea so much. And that you still have some of the pressed flowers is amazing. Hang onto those. This sounds like something my mother would have done. I’d love to share this idea too. So thoughtful and I’d love to get a card with a pressed flower in it. Thanks kindly!
Loved this post, Ann! The vintage flower press is quite the find! Yay! And I love the garden party theme! I think we should give it a go at the shop I’m in! Happy hunting!
Cara 🙂
Isn’t that so fun Cara, I love it too. You should definitely put on a garden party. It was so inviting and each booth had refreshments too!
You are living my dream life. I would like to see ideas on what to do with the pressed flowers and ferns. I taught myself to make cyanotypes of plants so I find this very interesting. Life is so full of lovely things!
LOL, you’re so cute Kathy. I think the last time I pressed flowers was when I was young. But I’m excited to try it out again. A follower mentioned here pressing them and including them with cards. Love this idea! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by today!
What lovely shopping you have near you. Hard to choose but the tall narrow green basket with ivy is darling and the wash stand holding yellow flowers. But the most inspirational are the turquoise glass insulators turned upside as vases and the pansies in pewter because I have those items on hand. I don’t have pewter but do have vintage aluminum ware. Are you familiar with that? Boy I would have loved being in school at a time when they taught a class using a flower press! Amazing. I would be interested in more posts about pressing flowers and using them. I used to do that a lot decades ago. Would be great to use in a nature journal started last week.
Good morning Pamela, thanks for popping in. I think the pewter with the pansies is my favorite too. I’m looking forward to adding some pansies to my mother’s hutch in Maine with her pewter collection when we get there. It’s been ages since I pressed flowers too, but I’m going to give it a try. I do have some pieces of vintage aluminum ware, it will match beautifully with the pansies. So glad you found some inspiration here today!
What a lovely idea, I love flowers and a press for them would be so nice, and ideas on what to do with them. I would love it.
Wonderful! I’m going to start pressing some today! I haven’t done this since I was little. haha. Should be fun. Thanks, Marlene!
Each new post seems to be better than the last one. My husband and I went and pick pussy willows in a swampy area near our home this spring . My grandmother used to have dried pussy willows that she brought out every spring when I was a child so I am hoping to create the same memories for my granddaughters. That grandmother also had a beautiful English country garden and she pressed flowers all the time but with a huge Oxford dictionary. It was exciting to help put the flower, leaves, etc. into the large book and then wait to see them after they were dried and pressed. I would be very interested in you walking me through the process with flowers out of y garden.
I look forward with anticipation for your next adventure. From Ontario, Canada – cheers.
Aww thank you kindly Linda, and adore your wonderful memories of pressing flowers. I just put some into press and am looking forward to learning more about it all too. Stay tuned, my friend!
I loved the arrangement in the clear glass vase on top of the rustic side table. Tulips and forsithia branches together just look so inviting.
I made the small flower press pictured with the four bolt adjustment over 50 years ago. Looking forward to your blog on flower drying and uses!
Jeanne
Oh I do too Jeanne, aren’t they all so rustic and fun? How wonderful that you made your own flower press. What a wonderful DIY that would be. I just pressed my first flowers! Thanks for popping in Jeanne!
I really enjoyed this post! I would have snatched up that fantastic vintage flower press too. Thank you for the links to some other selections!
I’m so glad Christy, thanks for stopping by!
Ann,
I love all these ideas. So clever
Thanks so much Rachel!
Hi Ann
I just read your blog tonight, I live in Rochester NY and actually lived close to Wards as a kid. We had a few field trips there in grade school, so imagine my surprise to see the flower press. Yes they sold to school labs.
Enjoy reading about your home in Vermont. One of our favorite places to visit, Maine is actually our first!
Thanks for the blog, I enjoy it.
Anita