floral

SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2013

looking over my shoulder

ive come to realize as i assemble flowers, that i appreciate everything that particular flower has to offer. i love color (especially dusty lavender-my all time favorite), but dont get me wrong. i have come to find out its primarily texture which intrigues me. all of the unique ridges and clusters of orbs, irregular petals along with fantastic symmetrical details which give the flower its flavor, just does it for me. i also love a haphazard arrangement. one that looks thrown together. one that is purposefully lopsided. go figure.

so i shared the love over the weekend. i created an arrangement for a great man who passed way too early. as i put together the arrangement i almost felt as though he was looking over my shoulder. my expression of gratitude for him and his fantastic example translated into the bouquet before me. i was there assembling Gods beautiful creations in his honor. i had this same experience with another friend who passed years ago. as i quietly arranged her casket spray, i felt her there with me, appreciating what i was doing. my meager contribution to her memory was not in vain. i know she watched and appreciated. and it was good.

but with my visit to the flower mart in carlsbad, i picked up a few other pretties which caught my eye and put together some quickie bouquets for fun. i love going to the mart by myself, and not in a hurry. i hate a deadline. but unfortunately wedding have time restraints...what a drag. i have had dreams (or nightmares) where i forget to put together the wedding flowers, and the bride is asking me where her bouquet is and im standing there empty handed. i have awakened in a cold sweat. kinda like the dreams you have where you dont take the last class to graduate. yup, ive had those too. but fortunately i have never forgotten a wedding. see, i am a responsible adult.

MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

the pink lipstick

made this shot...

just sayin.

old friends

one thing i have realized while working with wedding flowers, is the whole process is about love and goodness. it brings friends and loved ones close together, cultivates a beautiful feeling of kinship and warmth..and it is simply a good place to be. i will confess, i have felt the "love in the air" thing, while creating floral pieces for couples who are about to wed. magic really, and it spills over to those i may be working with, and lovingly floods the place at times. such good stuff, really.

i have a few special friends in my life who support me unconditionally. i will forever be grateful for their undying love and beautiful, solid character. loyal as the day is long, and people i would love to be like one day. all wonderful examples to me of how to be a true friend and real person. i have created with these women many times over the years...and it has taught me the meaning of true friendship and sincere devotion. so i guess what im trying to say is that putting together a wedding is more than just arranging a few flowers and throwing them in some sort of receptacle. the experience goes much deeper for me. maybe i just think too much, or am a true romantic at heart, but its an experience not just taken lightly. its not just a job, or something i may do to fill my time. i get into it, feel it and experience it. and especially if im able to experience it with lovely friends...now that takes the cake.

thank you dear friends...you know who you are and i love you to the moon and back.

in the garden...eden

these roses are from my garden. remember this rose...eden...when you want an incredible climber to take over a small space, or large space for that matter. lets just say it is vigorous.

a wedding done with these would be breathtaking.

the new silks

i had to switch gears a bit for this wedding. the bride wanted a large bouquet of silk flowers. they were having an open house in southern california, as well as a celebration in texas...so they wanted florals which would last for both events. makes sense. shinoda has the best selection of silks around, so the mother of the groom and i ventured there and were pleasantly surprised with a beautiful selection of gorgeous silks. i added the sparkle of rhinestone broches, which dressed the bouquet up and made it that much more special. now, can you tell these delectable flowers are silk? (the bootineers are even silk).

i was able to use fresh for the table centerpieces and larger arrangements,

but i had to marry these two floral entities. i used 96 hydrangeas for 14 centerpieces, which made it so i could fill them up tight. and the fresh hydrangea i found was similar in color to the silk. hydrangea is the ultimate filler. an arrangement isnt an arrangement without hydrangea. my all time favorite. 

i used faux pearls as an accent, coffee bean, lambs ear which is a wonderful shade of grey, and a variegated green which added depth and interest. all of this paired with loads of ivory roses and a sheer tiffany blue ribbon, made for a beautiful, classic table. the grooms mother added the rustic lanterns and blue accent pieces which completed the scene. gorgeous.

pink and red dont go

so when i got instructions from this bride to combine bring pink and red, i gasped. oh no! they dont go. at all. no no no...however, reluctantly i started my search at the mart for pink and red...together. and it worked. and fairly well, i might add. what i thought was a daunting task turned out to be not so bad. she was very sure about a very traditional look with all roses and a rhinestone accent, which i was happy to add...since i like sparkles, and so does every other bride i know. i got these little faceted wired buttons of sort, and intertwined them in and around the bouquet. her arrangements for the quaint, tiny chapel were these huge clusters of blooms, including fragrant rubrum lilies and more red and pink roses, lots of seeded eucalyptus and some airy fern which dripped down the sides of the large glass fishbowls i used. my new favorite receptacle. and a big thank you to the guy who helped me lug all those roses out of the mart...you were the best helper man ever.

i hate boots

so i wont lie and tell you that creating bootineers and corsages is fun. quite frankly, i hate them, but i will do them. im a trooper like that...and always always, they turn out great, even though i have pulled my hair out,  sighed numerous times in exasperation and bitten my lip while wiring and taping and wiring and taping. ive even been known to say i will never do another one ever again. kinda like saying you will never have another baby after youve just gone through the hell of a painful delivery with no epidural..ok, i will eat my words. so, yes, i will do boots and corsages...just dont be in the room while i am creating. you might hear a swear word.

orange for olivia

olivia came to me wanting a certain look..had a complete list of what kind of flowers and colors she wanted in her bouquets. she was prepared! so when i went to the flower mart, my task was easy. just had to find the freshest hydrangeas, and looked for the clearest greens and most vibrant oranges. and my asian wholesale floral friend always delivers. hes the best.
the flowers came together beautifully and quickly, and along with her supermodel good looks, these were spectacular, to say the least.

many thanks to victoria mcdaniel at archangel photography for the pics.

simple is good

as i reflect about what might possibly be the motivation behind every wedding i do...i come back to simple. less. un-fussy, if there is such a word. clean and straight, flowers clustered in odd groups and haphazard too, like a conglomeration of foliage thrown together for a look of measured chaos. yeah, that might sum my look up. some of my best arrangements have been the ones which have taken the least amount of time. basically "thrown" together. go figure. i have had photographers say they have never seen anything like it, and actually heard gasps from delighted brides as i hand them their bouquet. i am in awe of the miraculous design and amazing aesthetic pleasure it brings. pure magic...and oh so good that someone appreciates my certain kind of mayhem...but then again, how can you go wrong with the sheer beauty of fresh floral.

certainly, Gods little glimmers of heaven He has so lovingly given us to admire.

many thanks to kamee june photography for the pic