Spring Trend: Flowers and Vintage Finds

One of my favourite Spring trends is flowers combined with vintage finds. There is something so beautiful about delicate blooms mixed with rusty old metal and I definitely have a soft spot for that look.

I found these old sap spiles last year when my mom and I were on a trip to Quebec (you can read about it here) and I so wish I had grabbed more of them. There was a bucket full of them and yet somehow I only came away with 3.
Sap spiles are used to tap Maple trees in the Spring to collect the sap that is boiled down to make Maple Syrup. The hook on them typically hangs under the spout and is used to hang the bucket on. You can see one in use in the photo below…With an abundance of Maple trees in Ontario and Quebec, Maple Syrup is a huge, huge part of Spring here. I have to confess that I actually hate Maple Syrup though. I have never, ever, ever liked it; real or fake. Nonetheless, despite my distaste for it, I can appreciate the hard work and history of the industry and love these little, old sap spiles.

Sealing the Sap Spiles

With Maple Syrup season being such an integral part of Spring I thought it was the perfect time to use the spiles in my decor. When I was deciding how best to use them, I thought they looked like the perfect little bud or bloom holders. The only problem with using them that way was that they had holes in the bottom where the teeth were.

The teeth on these sap spiles had been pushed together to create a rounded bottom so that was good. Even with them closed though, there were still little gaps that would leak water.

My fix for the gaps was to seal the spiles with a layer of glue. I used waterproof wood glue and brushed on a generous coating to the insides of the spiles. After it was dry, I added a second coat to each and that did the trick.

The Flower Frog

With the little spiles sealed, I wedged them into a vintage flower frog. The spikes were not meant to be moved, but they separated enough so that I was able to wedge the spiles in tight.  

Adding the Flowers

With the sap siles standing tall, I added a little water and a pastel pink tulip bloom to each. I couldn’t be more in love with how pretty they look.  The juxtaposition of the rusty old sap spiles and vintage flower frog with the delicate pink flowers is one that I adore. It is such a contrast in textures yet they look like they were always meant to be together. What better way to encompass my love of vintage finds and beautiful flowers.  I hope that you find something small in your home that makes you smile this week and I would encourage you to try combining two of your favourite things to create something unique.