Not a nice situation to be in as the parents, and specifically, not nice as the mother of the bride, who wanted to do something special for her only daughter on her wedding day. So I scratched my head. And scratched it some more. And paced the house - thinking, thinking, thinking...
And I came up with one small solution.
A light bulb moment happened when I realized that over the past 34 years since we met, I had been sent quite a few bouquets of flowers by RMan, and a lot of those bouquets had arrived in vases to the extent that I had been left with a whole ruddy cupboard full of them.
Could I - would I - be able to barter these vases for a wedding bouquet?
Some of the vases thoroughly cleaned and looking like new :) |
I explained that shortly we were going to be relocating to a smallholding in the country, where precious water would be reserved for edible crops only. Therefore having fancy vases for non-existent cut flowers seemed illogical. Would she be interested in bartering my vases (here, I pulled them out of the box and carefully placed them on her counter) in exchange for a wedding bouquet? A simple wedding bouquet? Then I showed her an image of what I was looking for.
Happily the florist agreed!
And this is what she created and carefully packed so that I could transport it on the plane with me to Johannesburg.
A wedding bouquet of orchids in a tube of water for transport and with a clever clip attached to the back... |
Viewing the situation from a different angle and the solution presented itself. De-cluttering, recycling and bartering simultaneously - what could be better and more satisfying?
What a wonderful story to share with us, Dani. Your gift was that much more special to you because of the effort you put into it. You'll never forget it, like you would if it was a store bought gift.
ReplyDeletetami - Thanks :) DD also knows the story - hopefully she remembers it too? :)
DeleteGreat thinking. And as Tami said, this will not be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteSue - Thanks :)
DeleteImpressive!!! Win/win/win/win! You are one clever lady and I love the way you think outside the square!
ReplyDeleteLinda - Thanks - when one's back is against the wall, thinking laterally is the only way to achieve your goal :)
Deletethat was pure brilliance on your part Dani! and what a beautiful bridal bouquet! i am pretty impressed and will try to remember this story every time i need to think of something in a slightly different way!
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
kymber - Thanks:) To paraphrase : "Invention is the mother of necessity" LOL
DeletePerfect in every way! Clever you!!
ReplyDeleteQuinn - Thanks :)
DeleteWhat a touching solution to a problem. I bet she sure was surprised and as has been said, she will remember this always. And as a side benefit, the vases get reused again. Brilliant!
ReplyDelete1st Man - Thanks :) Yeah, it worked out well.
DeleteExcellent. You accomplished a lot in one transaction!
ReplyDeleteI have a bunch of vases that I think I will donate to one of the smaller florists in the town nearest our country house. I've tried selling them at garage sales and they never seem to sell. Now to just gather them all up fromtheir various hiding spots. This is going to free up under sink counter and garage cabinet space! Thanks for the idea.
DFW
DFW - If times had be better I probably would've freecycled them. But, they certainly served their purpose... And, yes, the extra space is a definite plus :)
DeleteWhat a gift from the heart. I loved reading this story.
ReplyDeleteMrs Mac - Thanks :)
DeleteI admire your courage. What a great idea and what a beautiful gift for your daughter. The things that we don't use anymore are brought to the Recycle store. You can buy there secondhand stuff for a small price. But I really like what you did.
ReplyDeleteLCE - Thanks. Yes, my first forage into bartering commercially was nerve wracking... :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful bouquet with a wonderful story behind it.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum
xx
Thanks Mum :)
DeleteThat is fantastic!! I love the idea of bartering - it's so honest and simple. I will give you one thing of mine for one thing of yours and be both prosper. And cut out that nasty dollar bill that seems to make people crazy (literally).
ReplyDeleteI barter my soap for everything from babysitting to local honey to jams and jellies. Every 3 months in Seattle we have a barter fair and people bring their stuff to peddle. Last time I was there someone was trying to barter a duck.
And that bouquet is absolutely stunning!
Lindsey - Thanks, Oh, a barter fair sounds brilliant!
DeleteYou clever girl, you! What an excellent idea. Those leftover vases are such a nuisance. They take up a lot of storage space but are too valuable to throw away. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteLeigh - Yeah - plus the vases also have an emotional value, having received them from RMan. This way everyone scores - including my emotional quotient :)
DeleteAbsolutely fantastic! Good job thinking outside of the box! What a beautiful story to go along with your brilliance :-)
ReplyDeleteBee Girl - Thank you :)
Delete