Baby's First Bridal Shower

Again, this event was for Kendra, hosted by my mom at her little house in Claremont (what, what!). These flowers were primarily my doing, design and execution, and I think they turned out alright. I was going for a casual, romantic feel, using a mix of pink flowers placed in a melange of glass and milk glass vases.

I also made about a bazillion paper flowers for the napkin rings, which people immediately took off and threw away. Some of the paper flowers did make a comeback in the toilet paper wedding gown contest but I was still pissed that I put so much work into them and they were barely noticed. Harumph.

Do you see how cute the napkin rings are? You don't either? Typical.

On second look, this table is begging for a runner or something, but oh well.  No regrets, mothafucka.

Baby's First Wedding

Kendra, my mom's best friend's daughter, got married in August and she asked my mom and I to do the flowers. And being the lovely, obliging people we are, we of course accepted. To tell the truth, this was really my mom's gig and I was but her lowly floral assistant. I also point out that this was my mom's project because she, in cooperation with the bride and the mother of the bride, designed the flowers and centerpieces for the wedding and they aren't really my style.

I guess it's pretty bratty of me to make a big deal about how I had NOTHING to do with the design of the wedding, but then again, I guess I'm kind of a brat, so whatever. It's not that the flowers were hideous or anything, but they just weren't what I would have chosen for my wedding.

Nonetheless, I want to share the photos of the flowers from the wedding to show more of my work, even if I'm not wild about it. Let's face it, every one's taste is different and who am I to judge what someone wants for their special day. As a florist you can't expect to be pushing your fab taste on everyone who walks in the door--it just aint happnen.

So here it is, my first Real Weddings post: Kendra and Robert

My mom and the bride decided to go with a topiary design for the centerpieces. They're kinda cute, but look a little wonky and too cutesy for a wedding.

The above two arrangements are actually all me. Both were in the church for the ceremony and moved into the reception hall; the smaller one went by the guest book and the larger on the altar. 

I don't know who thought this fabric was a good idea. Sheesh. It's everywhere, you can't escape!! But this little guy is one of five trough arrangements I made for the head table. It's obviously a shitty picture, but trust me, they were cute IRL. 

Guest seating cards were placed in wheatgrass, pocked with red clover.

I wish I had taken pictures of the bridal party's flowers and Kendra's bouquet because they were actually beautiful. The brides maids carried little red rose nosegays and the bouquet was made of stargazer lilies, white irises, and stock.

Ribbons and Bows, Bitches!

I literally just got home from my all day ribbons and bows intensive and I can't wait to share my work with the world! Not that it's that great or anything. It's not. Don't get your hopes up. But I just had so much fun today that I want to instantly re-live it through my blog. (A blog that apparently my mom doesn't even read. Jerk. See if she gets a Mother's Day arrangement this year.)

Today we worked on three major projects. First, we tied a bunch of bows. Next, we made the obligatory harvest arrangement in a basket, incorporating some of the bows we tied. And finally, we made a so cute gift box ribbon/flower arrangement which is perfect because I'm going to a house warming party tonight and now I have something nifty to wrap my gifty in.

Let's take a look, shall we?

Ribbon attempt #1. A bit of a flop.

Attempt #2

Attempt #3

My ribbons in a basket. Just cus I felt like it, yo. 

Ribbons on wooden picks for the harvest arrangement.

Securing the Oasis foam to the basket. Oasis foam is SO bad for the environment. But if god didn't want us to use it why would he have invented harvest centerpieces?

Viola! Thanksgiving has arrived! Also, notice my instructor in the background. 

Other side of arrangement. See the bow peeking out?

And here's the arrangement in it's natural habitat on my kitchen counter. That's my roommate there in the background. Hi Patrick!

This gift box adornment is by far my favorite project I've done in class. I wish I had taken more pictures of the process to show how it works, but basically it's a little Oasis foam 'igloo' that you thread onto ribbon and decorate with fresh flowers before tying it to the box. Love it. 

The Tea Tin Trend

I'm constantly looking for interesting vases and containers for my burgeoning collection. Containers are so important in flower arranging. Size, shape, color and style are key elements in making a cohesive, appealing arrangement. Flowers in the wrong shape vase can look sloppy and disproportionate but flowers in the right container can take on fresh, unexpected twist.

Tea tin arrangements have been all over the blogs lately and I'm just loving the look. Loving them so much that I went on the hunt for tea tins this past weekend at the Brooklyn flea market. I scored a really sweet one that I just can't wait to get some flowers in.

A ruffly, more is more look.

More branches, flowers pulling in the color of the tin.

Ranunculus. My faves, looking very soft and romantic.

Amazing. I really need to get a move on my collection so I can recreate this dope assemblage. 

Floral Class #2: Wiring and Taping

I have a confession to make. It's shameful but please try not to judge. My mom and I have been making boutonnieres without wiring and taping them! Gasp. I know. I know what you're thinking--"what amateurs! Who do these broads think they are trying to pass themselves off as 'freelance florists'?"--but in our defense, the boutonnieres always looked pretty profesh.

Thank god I took this floral arranging class before I showed up to my first day of work (assuming I land a job) fumbling around with the roses and lemon leaf like an f-ing kindergartener. I guess I just have problems with lapel flowers for men in general. First I can't spell the damn word and then I go around securing the little buggers straight up with floral tape* and no wire. Oy.

In last night's class we made corsages with orchids, filler flower and leaves, and boutonnieres with yellow roses. Another blah project, but remember, you gotta crawl before you can run (a bourgeois flower shop). Plus, it was so much fun!

The wristlets really took me back to high school, specifically homecoming junior year when Adam Anderson gave me the BIGGEST corsage that was ever wired and taped. I wish I had that awkward dance-photo to post up in here. It was no lie, seven gigantic roses and a sizable bow strapped to my arm. That might not sound like a lot--but it was. That thing not only looked crazy because it went almost all the way up to my elbow, but it seriously weighed me down and hindered my dancing. Poor Adam was so embarrassed, "umm, my dad picked it out."

But enough of memory lane. I digress. You came to see the goods and I won't let you down.

Prepping my Miniature Cymbidium orchids

Corsage #1, w/ orchids and heather as the filler.

Simple boutonniere. On second look the leaf seems a bit wonky. Must do better next time.

The wristlet a-la-Adam Anderson.

Corsage #2. 

A shitty little arrangement in a crappy little vase. But I made the vase on a pottery wheel, so that's pretty badass.

* I learned yesterday that floral tape can refer to any number of tapes florists use, so the correct term to use in this situation is stem wrap. Who knew?

Branching Out

I've been so focused on weddings lately, all weddings all the time. I even had a dream about a friend's wedding a few nights ago and she's not even engaged. It has to stop.

So I'm branching out with a post featuring arrangements with branches. Get it??

Wildflower Wedding

An old friend from DC recently popped back in my life with some questions about flowers for her upcoming nuptials. She said that she's going for a wildflower look which got me thinking about what that exactly means.

Some key words come to me when thinking about wildflowers: eclectic, natural, rustic, light hearted, etc. But how to translate this feel into flowers?

I did some image hunting and below is a bit of wildflower inspiration. Some trends: clear containers (typically mason jars) free form arrangements, lots of flowing foliage, small delicate arrangements.

My First Floral Arranging Class!

Apologies to my loyal fan(s) out there for the lag time between posts. I just finished my exit exam for school which was a major time suck. Plus, I was on my death bed for the past week with the worst cold of my life. But now that I'm healthy and so close to being completely done with school, I'm ready to dedicate my life, mind, body and soul, to flowers.

And the big news is I've started taking floral arranging lessons through the New York Botanical Garden! Bam.

I just had my first class last Tuesday and even though I was SO sick I had a lovely time and made a badass (sort of) arrangement of roses, lemon leaf, and filler. Super tacky, I know. But roses, regardless of my bomb taste, are ubiquitous, so I gotta learn how to turn them out. Behold:

Original arrangement in class

Dick Roses in a box

Re-arranged at home (ignore the messy dresser)

Update: Paper Flower Wedding

Big news:
The bride from the paper flower wedding, a.k.a. my first post, has a DIY tutorial on 100 Layer Cake for the oversized centerpieces. AND the best part is, they don't seem impossible to recreate. Get to work, kids!

P.S. Big thanks to my amazing friend Lizz (getting married next summer!) who alerted me to these posts and turned me on to 100 Layer Cake, my new favsie blog where I get all my best stuff. 

Boutonnieres, Part I

Boutonnieres, or 'bouteniers' as I've been spelling it for most of my life, are tricky business. They're typically small, which makes them difficult to work with; they have to blend with the setting and capture the wearers special persona; and I've encountered many men who think that they're too girly.

Welcome to 2010, boys. No, not even. Boutonnieres are a timeless classic worn by men for centuries, across cultures (citation needed).

According to Wikipedia, the word boutonniere comes from the French word for buttonhole. The entry goes on to say that boutonnieres are traditionally made with carnations, usually white or red. But if you're feeling a little wild--as I always am--Wikipedia says that you can wear a blue cornflower to "better coordinate with whatever else is being worn."

Not that I was that narrow minded in my conception of boutonnieres, but I've come across some lapel treasures that have changed my world.

There are too many images for one post, and I don't want to rattle you to the core on our first go, so behold, part one:

Made out of tule, these little beauties melt my heart.

Herbs. Romantic and more traditionally 'masculine', for all those haters (and lovers) out there. 

It takes a man with a lot of pizazz to pull of a single orange dahlia. 

Fun, but not overpowering, embellishments.

I never thought to construct a boutonniere on anything, let alone on...what are those? Spigots?