IT'S BY U is a DIY flower arranging kit subscription service. They send the vase style of your choice along with flower arranging tools in your first shipment followed by new flowers and custom instructions weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is of the French Country style subscription starter kit and monthly subscription.
About IT'S BY U
The Subscription Box: IT'S BY U
The Cost: $59.00 a month (or $49.00 per week for weekly shipments, $55.00 every other week for bi-monthly shipments)
The Products: A one-time starter kit shipment with vase and flower arranging tools and fresh-cut flowers with arranging instructions delivered on the schedule of your choice.
Ships to: Continental U.S.
IT'S BY U Flower Delivery June 2018 Review
In my first shipment from IT'S BY U last month, I received a Starter Kit which contained a ceramic vase, flower cutting scissors, and a wooden expandable ruler. The starter kit arrives only once, after that each shipment will only contain flowers.
When you sign up for IT'S BY U, you start by selecting what style of vase and flowers you'd like to receive. I selected the French Country style and am reusing my vase for this month's flower shipment.
Here's a reminder of what my French Country vase looks like. It is made of tubes around the outside with a tube in the middle that provides structure for the flower arrangement.
Onto the flowers!
A Dozen Pink Roses
This month, my flowers arrived in two bunches. The first bunch is 12 pink roses, protected by a cardboard wrap and wrapped in newspaper.
Bouquet of Peonies, Scabiosa, Queen Anne's Lace, Spider Mums, Strawflower, and Button Mums
The stems were neatly bound together with the delicate spider mum buds wrapped in protective netting. The blooms arrived in pretty good shape though some of the petals on the white spider mums had started to turn brown.
IT'S BY U sent June's arrangement instructions by email along with a link to a video. It includes care instructions for the flowers along with the names of each flower in the shipment and one arranging option - last month there 3 variations to choose from. The booklet also stated that the flowers in my kit may include substitutions based on availability, but that the overall look will be the same. Like last month, I found the instructions helpful and something I've always thought was missing from other flower delivery services. Because there was just 1 set of instructions this month, there weren't as many leftover flowers as last month.
The flowers arrive in a dormant state so IT'S BY U recommends trimming the ends getting them in water immediately to rest for 30 minutes to an hour before starting to build the arrangement.
After letting my flowers hang out in cool water for about an hour, I started prepping the roses for placement in the arrangement. I removed any excess leaves and then took off the guard petals.
Next, following the instructions and using the ruler from my Starter Kit, I trimmed one rose to a length of 8 inches and the rest in 7-inch lengths.
I placed the 8 inch rose into the center column of the vase.
The booklet recommended trimming the peonies (and the rest of the flowers) to 7-8" inch lengths. It recommended starting with a longer length so there's room to trim the stems as the arrangement is refreshed.
I added a big open peony to the middle column with the rose. I love peonies so much! I am lucky to have several peony bushes in my yard but I did not get to bring them into my house before the ants got to them!
Next, I added a rose to each of the tubes along the outside of the vase.
Then, I added the remaining 2 peonies across from each other on opposite sides of the vase.
I removed the leaves from each of the spider mums and cut each stem to 8 inches including the bloom.
I added the 3 spider mums around the arrangement into the same holes as the roses. I placed two over top of the roses and one underneath a rose to vary the look.
I trimmed the Scabiosa, Queen Anne's Lace, and Button Mums to 7-inch lengths.
I put the purple Scabiosa into a gap that needed something to break up the pink of the peonies and roses.
Then I added a cluster of button mums.
Once the button mums were in, I decided to add another bit of Queen Anne's Lace.
Ta-da! Here's my finished arrangement. It's so pretty without looking too formal. I love it!
Here are two more views so you can see that each side has a little something different to offer. One side shows off a peony while the other showcases the roses.
How about an overhead view?
Love!
The finished arrangement measures 9 inches tall.
Here is my finished arrangement alongside the leftover flowers. I had 3 leftover roses (not pictured) which I gave to Marne, Anna, and Lacey to keep on their desks. I didn't add the strawflowers. The booklet let me know that the Queen Anne's lace is likely to be the first flower to fade in my arrangement, and I hope to put the strawflower in its place.
Verdict: I am really happy with my second shipment from IT'S BY U. For $59.00 I received 2 kinds of higher-priced flowers and a nice selection of filler flowers plus detailed instructions on what to do with them. I loved getting some pricier flowers like peonies and roses this month - I look forward to peony season every year! I sometimes feel a little lost when I receive unarranged cut flowers but this subscription gives me the confidence to just get to it and make something really pretty. My June shipment was very different from my May shipment which is great - it would be so boring to get the same thing over and over again. I did miss being able to choose from 3 provided arrangement ideas like last month, but I am extremely happy with how my arrangement turned out. For $59.00 I received 2 kinds of higher-priced flowers and a nice selection of filler flowers plus detailed instructions and choices on what to do with them.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? You can sign up today and get the same French Country starter kit but will receive different flowers depending on the month.
Check out all of our IT'S BY U reviews and more DIY and decor subscription boxes for your home!
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What do you think of my first IT'S BY U shipment and arrangement?
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