flora in fashion–alexander mcqueen

vogue.com

Did you see this dress in September’s issue of Vogue? We saw this dress and automatically thought of carnations and foxgloves.

I just can’t stop thinking of how I would sit down or bend over to pick something up in this dress. What if you dropped something down the front of your dress because it is so wide open like a vase opening.

What we love:

• soft texture with a strong structure
• mix of color
• the crazy high shoes that would be perfect for church next week :)

flower feature–carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)

One of the most common flowers and one with a bad rep (old woman, old fashioned, too traditions, too common). But it really isn’t so. My cousin introduced me to her love for carnations and with her reasoning, I have grown to love using them in designs (those reasons are below).

There are some great meanings with carnations. For the most part, carnations express love, fascination, and distinction, though there are many variations dependent on color.

• Light red carnations represent admiration, while dark red denote deep love and affection.
• White carnations represent pure love and good luck, while striped (variegated) carnations symbolize regret that a love cannot be shared.
• Purple carnations indicate capriciousness. In France, it is a traditional funeral flower, given in condolence for the death of a loved one.
• Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance. According to a Christian legend, carnations first appeared on Earth as Jesus carried the Cross. The Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus' plight, and carnations sprang up from where her tears fell. Thus the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother's undying love.
• Carnation is the birth flower for those born in the month of January.

source: wikipedia.org

source: marthastewartweddings.com – bellethemagazine.com – thesaltypineapple.com – google.com

What we love about carnations:

• carnations come in any color! Not only so many naturally, but you can dye them to be any color you want! Blue anyone?
• they are hardy! This means that they can handle being handled and used in more novel designs like wreaths (bottom left), leis (upper right), pomanders (center left), crowns (upper left), and garlands (center left)
• an easy flower to come by at any time of the year
• carnations are easy on your wallet and therefore can help you stay in budget
• they can be used to add more volume in a design without costing you a lot
• carnations are a great filler flower or a main flower in designs
• such a girly soft texture
• carns have a sweet smell that brings good memories

trending–feathers

When we were married years ago, I wanted peacock feathers in my wedding flowers. We looked and looked and there were none to be found. It wasn’t trending and so we decided to go with something else.

source: rissfloral.com – montrose prom silk corsage

Of course, now I can find peacock feathers everywhere. (I guess we are just ahead of the trends we are so good) This trend of feathers has been on for a couple of months, but we sure think that it will really evolve this coming season. There are a lot of different types of feathers that we are seeing now in centerpieces and other designs. They are so much fun and really add a unique and personal touch to any design.

What we love:

• you can pair feathers with flowers or just use feathers
• feathers can take something from 20’s glamour to a country vintage depending on the type of feather you use
• feathers add such dimension and depth into an arrangement or corsage
• the fall centerpiece with pheasant feathers (bottom center)
• the bridesmaids pomander balls of feathers (center middle)
• feathers can add structure or softness to the shape of your design

what we’re up to–baby welcome party

Some of our neighbors are welcoming their first baby into their family in the next two weeks. So we are planning a party to host at our home to welcome their baby girl. Our friends didn’t want anything really “baby shower”-ish. They also wanted a party where the spouses could come. So I decided to do an Ice Cream party.
The final event will happen in October sometime when mother and baby are ready to debut.
Here are some of my inspirations:
Some of the things we need to do:

• decide color scheme
  • We are thinking bright colors
• create invites
• thrift containers for toppings
• create the carnation ice cream centerpieces (aren’t they so fun?)
  • We will do those in ice cream glasses and have straws coming out too
  • I love the individual cone ones to have guests leave with on top center
• create pendant banners

color board - navy

Navy is in! It is one of the main colors seen this season in weddings, events, clothing and home decor. And who wouldn’t want to incorporate navy into flowers?

Navy is almost a neutral. It is like saying you can wear almost any color with blue jeans. Navy is the new take on a classic black. It is modern and fresh.

source: blogss4fun7157.blogspot.com – indulgy.com – zimbio.com – stylemepretty.com – etsy.com – theknot.com – jcrew.com – boden.com

What we love:

• navy ribbon! since there aren’t navy flowers, this is our main go to to incorporate the color
  • our favorite is the upper right photo
• navy ties – makes any man look handsome
• navy dresses – can you say slimming?
• the way navy makes any other color look more vibrant
  • our favorite colors to pair with navy
    • raspberry pink
    • light pink
    • coral
• feather and fabric in boutonnieres (bottom center)
• navy and white stripes – is more relaxed and gives that nautical feeling (upper center and bottom right)
• that birdcage veil (center) – now where can I wear that? hmm…

inspired–single

source: 79ideas.org

Simple. Floral arranging doesn’t have to be expensive or complex.

Don’t overthink flowers. Sometimes the best way to make a statement is to cut out all confusion and create a main focal point. Just like the purple allium above.

What could you go cut right now outside to bring in your home? There is something so wonderful about having something living in your home – simple flowers, wheat grass growing in a basket, even houseplants.

ps – I love alliums. Even as the start to die, the structure of the plant/flower is gorgeous!

design style–contemporary

You might like a contemporary style if you like to keep current with styles, enjoy things that are modern, of today, right now.

Contemporary style can be defined as follows: fundamental, simple, subtle sophistication, texture and clean lines. It is the show of space, not things. By focusing on color, space, and shape, contemporary designs are sleek and fresh.

When looking at contemporary design, you will notice that most designs keep with neutrals – blacks, whites, & grays. However, there are always great punches of vibrant colors. So in floral design, we usually are the lucky ones to play with the vibrant colors since we are a smaller piece of the whole.

Like I mentioned above, contemporary design is also about line and space. A floral design is more geometric and focuses on the structure more than the actual flowers. The lines draw your eyes around the arrangement to certain focal points.

sources: pinterest.com – erinpatrickevent.com – google.com

What we love:

• the structural elements used like sticks, containers, pendants
• the texture of the weaved look on the bottom left
• the punch of purple in the middle right
• the clean lines that the calla lilies give to each design – talk about a perfect contemporary flower
• the clustering of the kermit button mums  on the middle right – it creates a structure
• the rhythm (how your eyes move in the design) of the circular piece on bottom right and the arch on the top left

flora in fashion

Although the shape and patterns may change, floral design in fashion design can always be found. This segment of our blog is dedicated to floral in fashion.

I am a fashion fanatic. Magazines flock into my home (22 subscriptions at one time?). Not all, but a lot are all fashion magazines. I love to take what I see and either use what I have to recreate or shop cheaper for pieces to do the same.

This week I received my Vogue “Book” in the mail! It is about 3 inches thick! September is fashion week in NY and their issue is dedicated to it. As I was pouring through all the ads… my personal favorite parts… I started pulling out ads that inspired me in floral design. Either to create a piece that is my take on the fashion ad, or the use of flora in fashion.

The biggest inspiration was a spread by Neiman Marcus. Check it out! These are just a couple of the ads from the spread.

Gucci

Alexander McQueen

Tom Ford

Dolce & Gabbana

Akris

What we love:

• The use of flora as a motif through the whole spread
• props
• hair accessories
• upholstery
• fabric
• paintings
• bedding
• the bright color of each page
• the look of each model and background meshing into a painting (fashion = art)
• red lips
• that each dress is close to $11,000 dollars!!!
• We are crushing (well, Dan isn’t too much) on the Tom Ford green dress above. Hanging that one on the inspiration wall!

flower feature–mini mango calla lilies(Zantedeschia 'Mini Yellow')

Aren’t these so gorgeous? Calla lilies are my favorite flower. In fact, Dan bought me a calla lily plant for Valentine’s Day this year and I was in heaven waiting for each flower to bloom!

Mini Calla Lilies are a hot item right now. It seems that they fit the bill for wedding flowers to a T. Mini Callas are available in yellow, pink, white, mango (what we’re talking about today) and eggplant.

These flowers are perfect for any wedding, but we love them most in the fall. We are even using them in E’s wedding next week. They can be used alone or as an accent color. Take a look!

 

sources: theknot.com – riss floral design – google images

What we love:

• the smooth texture
• the variation in color that just adds some good depth
• using these in boutonnieres – they look so good!
• the fiery color
• pairing these with an eggplant purple and a chartreuse green!

what we’re up to–ballerina party

We had a birthday girl turning four who wants a ballerina party. The party is next month… here is our inspiration for her:

Sources: blogging2fun3710.blogspot.com – tatertotsandjello.com – glorioustreats.blogpsot.com – hostessblog.com – thecraftingchicks.com – marthastewartweddings.com

This will be such a great party. Here are some things we have planned:

• tutus for each girl
• a dance class with ballet barres
• ribbon wands to dance with
• pink cupcakes with ballerinas on top
• pink rose centerpieces
• personalized cd’s with ballet music
• ballerina charm necklaces

Happy Birthday to a special girl!

color board - mint

This color is TOTALLY trending right now in the wedding world! Whether you are pairing it with a soft pink, vibrant salmon, or a mustard yellow, we are seeing it all over! It must be that whole Tiffany’s Co. subliminal messaging.

source: rachelevents.com – bridefinds.com – pinterest.com - aphroditesweddingblog.com - alowcountrywed.com - hellodarlingchicago.blogspot.com – shabbyapple.com – etsy.com

Things we love:

• hints of mint in all the details
• flowers don’t come in mint and still look natural
• gorgeous mint heels that would be so cute peeing out under a bridal gown
• big ribbon on the bottom bouquet that could match your bridal gown sash
• different patterned ties in the same color scheme
• relaxed and flowing bridesmaid dresses
• mint goes with almost all colors
• bring in hints of gold, copper, or silver to add formality
• bring in hints of brighter colors to add a relaxed feel and/or vibrancy
• bring in white to add balance and grounding

Flowers in mint:

Unless you are dying your carnations a mint color, you aren’t going to find what you are looking for in main flowers. What we have seen in mint schemes are mainly white bouquets with mint ribbons. In filler flowers and greenery, the closest you will get to a mint is in a silvery lamb’s ear greenery (pictured in second row bouquet). If you are set on mint flowers, you could always opt for silk arrangements – but it won’t look as natural.

inspired–fruit centerpieces

source: http://birchandbird.com/with-a-thankful-heart

What we love:

• using the fruit as the main focal in the arrangement – can cut down on costs too!
• gold accents make this feel more luxurious
• white gives grounding to the color scheme
• the use of different bases and containers for the arrangements
• the use of a platter as the base and not a container of sorts on the front arrangement
• the greenery looks like it is growing out of the stack of fruit
• the texture of the tablecloth brings it back from too formal to a bit more relaxed
• this could be done by anyone for a dinner with close friends (we are so doing this next week!)

event–ogden bridal gathering

For all those engaged couples, we just wanted to let you know of an event happening in our area.

Bridal Gathering

Friday, September 7, 2012 -4:00pm - 8:00pm

Saturday, September 8, 2012 -10:00am - 4:00pm

 

Where

Union Station

2501 Wall Avenue

Ogden, UT 84401

United States

Phone: 801-625-4559

Vendors

do-it-yourself back-to-school arrangement

Our neighborhood starts school next week. Ahh, those last days of summer!
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE new pencils and crayons. My mom and grandma must have been the culprits for that because I know my mom always bought herself a pack of crayons each school year. And my favorite memories of my grandma are when we would color together. I am trying to refrain from purchasing any this year, but I don’t know how long I can hold out!
Put your crayons and pencils to use with this cute idea!

• Lay two rows of masking tape out – sticky side up
• Place pencils or crayons onto your tape
• Wrap around a mason jar or straighter shaped vase – you know we love thrifted items!
• Secure with twine, raffia, or ribbon
• Fill mason jar with flowers from your yard, branches from a tree, or something ordered from us… couldn’t resist!

This other idea is great too!
Using a vase inside of a vase, fill in with letters and numbers

flower feature–bells of ireland (molucella laevis)

Bells of Ireland has always been one of my favorite line flowers to use. A line flower is a stem that draws your eyes upwards. Other examples are snap dragons or gladiolas. In our designs, we categorize them into filler flowers and you can request them with any of your designs.

These 30” stems have cup-shaped papery green calyxes. They are known for the green more than for its tiny, fragrant white flowers. They also grow towards the light that you can get s-shaped stems. However, this can be prevented if snipped in the right spot.

source: Google images, riss floral designs, txweddings.com

What we love:

• the instant height and shape
• the vibrant color that makes any design feel more grounded
• the softer/lighter texture
• the hardiness – will last all day in bouquets and boutonnieres
• great fragrance
• used alone or within a design – gives great focal points and rhythm within a design
• the sound the stems and calyxes make when we work with them

trending–recycled glass

This past weekend while on a trip we drove past a glass recycle center and the sun was sparkling on the crushed glass piles that were ready to be melted. The sea green hue was spectacular!
Essentially, all glass is recycled. However, there is minimally recycled glass and this glass is something that we are seeing more and more in the floral industry right now.
When glass is recycled, it's broken down into smaller pieces and mixed in with soda ash and sand. This mixture is melted in a furnace. After melting down, manufacturers can mold it into new bottles or containers and use it again [source: WWF]. This process not only saves natural resources, but uses less energy than creating new glass. [source: HSW]

Things we love about this trend:

• without thrifting or reusing, this is as eco-friendly as you can get on glass
• costs less than colored or clear glass
• the color – mint and aqua are so in style and this glass brings subtle tints to any arrangement
• vintage – gives a unique quality to any arrangement and a natural/organic feel

Let us know on your next order if you are interested in being green with us!