When you think of Valentine flowers, do you think of red and pink flowers? Try something different and buy purple and white flowers to design with!  Here is a cluster design, (stems cut short and placed close together in a container).  Mini Callas are so popular right now and they come in many colors.  You see purple ones here.  Purple roses come in a couple of different shades too.  All white roses are not the same either.  Enjoy the colors and textures of placing different flowers together – or just cluster ALL THE SAME flower and see the impact that design makes!  3 days left!  (including today : )

Sheer colored vases are all the rage right now showing different shapes and sizes.  Here I used a sheer pink tapered vase to display a nice mix of fresh flowers.  Two different colored roses, red dyed spider mum, pink asiatic lilies, flat eucalyptus, pink and white alstromieria, and a lily grass heart!  Pick up flowers YOU like today and Dare To Design your own vase.  I made a quick tape grid over opening of vase so the blooms would stay in place.  If you use a grid you’ll be able to use less greens and therefore save some money for CHOCOLATE!  : )   I L-o-o-v-v-e-e  Valentine’s Day!  Just think!  What other holiday can you ‘WIN’ on any decision your husband or loved one makes?  ”Should I get her jewelry…dinner out…fresh flowers…or her favorite chocolates?”   See what I mean? It’s a win-win situation.  Hurry! only 3 more days…

Before I even start designing a fresh flower wedding package, I prepare my work space.  I often start with the boutineers which means I need to gather boutineer bags and label them with the names of groom, groomsmen, etc. ( I often do this the night before).  I’ll need wires, wire cutters, florist tape, boutineer pins, and  of course the flowers I’ll be using. Last, but not least is a good cup of hot coffee or tea and the work begins!  I also learned to tarp the floor directly under me and bring my garbage can nearby.  This all makes cleanup so much faster and allows you the freedom to sit and create without being interrupted by not having what you need close by.  I have worked for florists that don’t allow for the few minutes it takes to prepare their work station, and in the long run it takes the designer longer to do the work at hand because of chaos of looking for supplies as you need them.  Create  your own wedding prep station and then have fun designing!

This was one of the summer designs I shared with a group last week!  This is so easy to make yourself! You need to fill a nice vase with a mix of shells , starfish, and sisal.  Place a container in the top of the vase and put soaked oasis in it and fill with flowers.  I used hot pink roses and white roses as well as pink mini carnations and babies breath.  I added one of the rose armatures for interest by simply using the stems cut from the roses and tying them together with wax string, bullion wire, jute, or raffia.  Thanks to Nancy for taking the great pic for me!  Celebrate summer with an insert design today!

  One of my favorite spring blooms…LILACS!  An exciting sign of warmer weather to come.  My lilacs JUST popped into bloom 2 days ago.  Now, with the badly needed rainfall, they should be all the way bloomed when the sun hits them again!  Because of their woody stems, I like to cut the ends once one way, then again the opposite way.  This helps water to be absorbed better. This is similar to crushing them but I like the criss- cross cut better.  The lilacs look so pretty placed in a vase of water where their blooms sit just above the vase rim.  This way it allows room for the lengthy bloom to ‘lay’ nicely.  Add some stems just a touch longer to the center to keep the arrangement from looking too flat.  I used one of my antique vases here.  Another fun design to do with fresh lilacs is a French Wrap.  Gather the lilacs in your hand and move the stems around til you have a nice shape with the blooms.  Then tie the stems together or just lay them on a piece of clear cello. Water tube the ends or wrap just a couple inches up from the ends with drenched paper towel.  Start at one corner of the cello and roll the bouquet of flowers til the cello overlaps on itself.  Take a pretty ribbon that matches, I used lavender gingham here, and tie in a knot or bow, whichever you prefer.  And there you have it!  Two designs to make use of those lovely scented blooms! My husband and I were invited for coffee  to our friends’ house so I brought them this cute bouquet.  Share your fresh lilacs with someone today!

 Have you seen the new flat wire that’s been released on the floral design market?  There are many kinds of wire to design with right now.  There is bouillon wire, astro wire (24 gauge), skinny wire (28 gauge), and round wire(25 gauge).  These are all popular with floral art to wear – meaning corsages and boutineers, arm bands, over the shoulder designs etc.  Then there is the brand new beaded wire in many colors and the 25 gauge round wire that’s been around for a few years.  The Flat Wire is so cool to ‘play’ with!  It truly changes your design depending on whether you bend, twist or curl it.  I can tell you it was hard for me to ‘let go’ of this little teacup design because I wanted to fix the curl, re-shape the bends etc.  I know from experience, that feeling comes from not being familiar with the product yet. Once I experiment more, my technique of using it will get better and  I’ll be more focussed on where and how to use it!  I’ll be showcasing some designs with flat wire at my upcoming spring and summer demonstrations with fresh floral art. I love the mix of fresh flowers and metal and also the fact that it can be whimsical looking depending on what color you choose or shape.  It just never gets boring when you are in touch with what’s new in floral design!

Yesterday I had a good time with the women at Heath Village, Hackettstown, N.J.  The ladies there enjoyed seeing some new products  being used in the four designs created for the facility.

I demonstrated a large cylinder design with the silver flat wire wrapped around the outside of the vase.  A decorative box was designed in a vertical style of designing using a pussy willow armature at it’s highest point.  An ‘upside down/ mirror design was created in a tall slender cylinder with a moss orb at its center with a submersible acolyte hidden in some glass stones on the bottom.  Lastly, we talked about the popularity of composite designs, where I created one using two squared off containers with  angel vine and red cardinals, as well as tulips, babies breath, forcythia and other fresh flowers.

Thank you to Cindy Livingstone, Recreation Director, for inviting me to share my passion with her residents.  I can’t wait to share summer fun designs in August , when I’ll be returning for another Fresh Flower Demonstration!

Shelly invited me to her new apartment for lunch today! She is making quiche for the first time and knows I eat anything. haha. I’m not worried. For Labor Day we were invited there and she tested out her first dinner for company on us! It was perfect. ANYWAY….Of course I want to bring her something….oh! How about flowers?….it’s fall…gourds are out ….and the walmart and Bi-lo by me carry flowers for quick cash and carry so I picked up some fluffy white mums and a bag of mixed gourds. Find the spot where the gourd is balanced on its own when set on a flat surface -then carve out a curved line and make it thick enough to get a flower stem in there. Loosen pulp by pushing knife in and out, empty out any loose pulp and then fill with water and add short stems of mums. Pin on accent leaves and add a cattail or piece of wheat to it for height and you have a quick fall design to bring as a hostess gift! I didn’t have any wheat here,(one can only bring SO much for 4 months), but I’m sure I’ll be able to pick one piece of the millions of ornamental grasses outside this apartment. Have a GREAT rest of the week. Now, if I can just find her apartment…  ; )

Have you played with the forsythia that’s getting ready to bloom? Simply cut some branches that have buds on them and put them in a vase you love and watch them bloom within 5-7 days! The bright yellow flowers are sure to brighten up the rainy gray days we have to deal with before Spring is in full swing!