chatting about fleurs...

Apparently, I'm just like Fancy Nancy.  Everything sounds prettier in French.  Thus, flowers become fleurs, and oh, so pretty!

Before You Go...

You might have heard the old Southern saying, "Don't arrive empty handed."  Well, going to your florist is no different. Don't go empty-handed!  Your florist cannot event begin to think, design, or create what you will like without having some idea of what your vision for your flowers is.

Pin It.

Have fun pinning away and make yourself a board or, you can go the old fashion route and clip out from magazines.  Your florist will be thankful for pictures, either way.  As you pin, you will begin to see a trend with colors and arrangements, that will help to show what your style is.  (Don't take mine as an example of similar tastes and styles...Mine is the opposite...it's a starting board for finding out which ones are clients favorites, so that then I can begin to narrow down which ones are their style.)  But, just from looking over a few pictures, you can begin to see which style and colors you like the best with flowers.

The last thing you want is to have your flowers show up at your wedding and be completely off from what you were thinking your flowers were going to look like.

So, if you're in the middle of planning, that's your homework...find pictures of what flowers you absolutely love, so that you know you're all on the same page.

flourish{ing}

 Flowers are amazing.  

You have a bare space, and then all of a sudden, you add flowers or greenery, and there's life!

But, similarly to color schemes, the trends with flowers change over time.  What I picked for my bridal bouquet (13 years ago today actually!) was perfect...then.  

Maybe I'm just too fickle, and vary my taste too much, but my flowers would be completely different now, than what I chose in August of 1999.

Over the last decade, {like many things in the wedding industry} the floral industry has taken quite a turn.  There is a whole movement toward more organic and natural arranging, and not your grandmother's (no offense!) florist.

For years, I didn't like the term florist.  It just felt stuffy, and unexciting, to say the least.  But, I love flowers!  It wasn't that I was unhappy with the flowers, more of how I would see them arranged.

There is a huge difference between having someone do the flowers, and someone being a floral designer.

In the next few posts, I'll be giving some tips on how to pick your favorite flowers, and how to make sure your style will truly flourish.

bunnies making room.

My mom always had a tradition of giving the book Pat the Bunny as a baby gift. However, there were some things that she didn't do. Like decorate with bunnies. Which, on most occasions, I do not either.

However, Easter is a special time of year. It makes people do crazy things...like decorate with bunnies. And chicks. And jellybeans.

Our Bunnykins Breakfast Table

I hope you were able to fully celebrate this season!

Day 30: Entertaining at Home

If you're planning on entertaining at home this fall, you may find yourself turning your decorations up a notch. It's okay to glam it up once in a while, just make sure to stay true to yourself.

Using things that you already have to create centerpieces may seem mundane to you because you see these items all the time. The trick is to use your imagination! Place a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in a pitcher or a couple of clustered mason jars instead of a vase. Make a bouquet of cinnamon sticks to accompany the bouquet, or sprinkle a couple of nuts and/or cranberries around. Or even, put a bouquet of flowers inside of the pumpkin you just carved out (to make pie filling, of course)!

Casual centerpieces, with the use of candles or lanterns, are great for setting a comfortable and intimate tone. Turn up the volume with some sparkle and glam by using glitter pumpkins instead of plain gourds.

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Love Me in Blue

Friday, maybe for the first time ever, I lied to my Grandmother.

It was her 90th birthday on Friday, and when she asked if we were coming up the next day to see her, I lied and said...

"No, I'm sorry, Grandmom. We're just really busy."

I choked back the chuckles (as did my two children) and we pulled off a fun surprise when she walked in on Saturday and saw us all there.

When my Aunt Jackie asked if I would be in charge of the tables for the birthday party, I agreed without hesitation. However, then, I started to wonder how I could make them meaningful and pretty? It came to me, as it usually does, as I pondered who the celebration was for, and things that reminded me of her.

Ever since I was little, whenever we would go visit my grandparents, I could be sure of seeing the cobalt blue glass scattered all over her house. From vases on the windowpanes to china in the china cabinet, she had collected it for years, and it was her signature color.

She has passed down plenty to me through the years, and so I decided to put some on each table to showcase some of her old favorites.

I was going to go to the Farmers Market on Saturday morning to get a few bouquets for the tables, until I saw my hydrangeas already in full bloom. They had made their debut, and I couldn't have been happier.

I took several of her old recipes and made photocopies of them, and then placed them around the tables. And, yes, I used those cute paper clips!

It was so much fun to celebrate with my sweet Grandmother, telling stories of back in the day, and enjoying our family together. 90 years...I tell you, that really is something to celebrate!

linking up with simple pleasures

A Little Flower Inspiration

For all you spring and summer brides, I couldn't help but love this storyboard. I think it's so fresh and elegant, with just enough natural charm! I love how they mixed and matched the colors and flowers to present a clean and unified look, but still kept each look a little different. A good rule of thumb when thinking about flower centerpieces is, "If you can't see over them, you should be able to see through them."

I can't wait for all of the flowers to be in full bloom again. These winter months get a little long for bouquet lovers!

Unlikely Centerpieces at Home II

Another item I love using for arrangements are tea &/or coffee pots. These can seem so useless much of the time...sitting looking pretty, but not very functional. WRONG!

They are wonderful for flowers, foliage, or just a stick arrangement. Take your tea pots off those dusty shelves, stick some greenery in them, and simple as that, you have a new centerpiece!

Unlikely Centerpieces at Home

Even though it's still winter, I still often will bring in the outdoors. I'll cut whatever is still green, and stick in whatever will hold it. I started thinking about how many objects we have in our homes that can be centerpiece "material", that we often look right over. It wasn't until I started playing around with whatever I had at home, that I saw how many unlikely centerpieces were right under my nose.

Today, I'll start with pitchers. Yes, they are wonderful at pouring your guests a drink, but look what else they can do while they're just sitting around.

The texture that they give your arrangements is so lovely. They are much more interesting of a container than just another vase. Also, it clears up my pantry space!

This one is on my dining room table, and you can't even tell that it's a pitcher...

until you peek under the leaves.

See what you have lying around...you never know if you'll find your next "vase" for those evergreens in your yard. I'll have another unlikely centerpiece tip for you tomorrow!