Pansy Bowls!

     This may be my favorite table decoration of the year, and it is made with what I would have, otherwise, thrown away.  Each Spring, I buy pansy plants for my window boxes.  Once I have them transplanted, I always snip off all of the blossoms, so the new transplants can turn all of their energy into re-establishing their roots.  I hate to waste all those pretty flowers, so I fill a clear bowl (usually a crystal one, but I was lazy today) with some water, tap in a drop of blue food dye, and place the flowers carefully on the surface, where they remain for days, through the magic of surface tension. Be sure to snip off the stems to about 1/4".