Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you have a wonderful day with your family and friends.

Fall Weddings

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I guess it is time to post some fall wedding ideas!  Check out these beautiful fall inspired flowers.  I love the idea of using natural materials.  The bark covered vases are gorgeous.  The boutonniere with the kumquats and eucalyptus pods are super cute too.

Pictures from brides.com and The Knot; click on each picture to get more details.

Fall Vase Hack

Martha Stewart brings us a simple way to create a fall look with some of the small vessels you have on hand.  Wrap a dried corn husk around a small vase and then, tie some ribbon around the bottom so it holds.  You will have yourself a beautiful vase to put some fall colored flowers in for Thanksgiving in no time. 

Flower Pumpkins

So cute! I love this idea of using pumpkins and mums for these arrangements.  What a great decorating idea for Thanksgiving.  You could even do this with the kids. 

Click here for details from Better Homes and Gardens.

Thanksgiving Table Settings

Come on over to the shop today or tomorrow to see some table setting examples at our Holiday Open House!  We will have demonstrations on using ribbon for decorations, creating your own centerpieces for the holiday table, decorating Christmas trees, and more!  We hope you will stop by for the party!

In the meantime, here is some inspiration for your Thanksgiving Table - just a few short weeks away.

 

[pictures from Country Living, click here for many more ideas]

Holiday Open House

Wow!  I can't believe Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away.  To prepare for the holidays we are hosting a Holiday Open House.  Check out the details below.

Friday, November 7th, 12 pm to 8 pm

Saturday, November 8th, 9 am to 5 pm

We will have the store decorated with holiday decor and tablescapes.  We will give you some decoration and DIY tips with demonstrations.  You will get a chance to meet our designers.  And we will have some noshes & nibbles and wine & drinks to share with you, as well as door prizes!  Please stop by.

Sandy Springs Festival

Be sure to check out the Sandy Springs Festival this weekend! Here are the details for the event:

Hours - Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00pm and Sunday: 11:00am to 5:00 pm

Where - Right near CityWalk

What - community fun! Don't miss the pet parade at 11:00 am on Saturday. And you can register early tomorrow morning for the Doug Kessler Lightning 10k.

Click here for more information.

[The picture on the right is from last year's festival.]

COLOURLovers - Wedding Palette Possiblities

I spent sometime this morning playing with the COLOURLovers website.  Wow.  If you like experimenting with color, you can spend a good deal of time on this website.  I think it would be really helpful for someone planning a wedding (along with decorating, floral design, you name it).  Say you are struggling with which colors to use for your wedding.  With this website, you can take a favorite painting, photograph, or whatever; throw it into the COLOURLovers picture palette inspiration tool; and ta-da! - the colors that were used in the picture pop up on the screen.  From there, you can create a inspired color palette for your wedding. 

One of my favorite paintings is the Girl in the Window by Dalí.  So, I took a weblink for that painting and came up with this palette.

Check out KenzieKate's guest post on Design*Sponge for a more detailed description of how to use this website.

Air Plants!

The designers are having so much fun with air plants these days! Also known as Tillandsia, air plants are so easy to care for and add a bit of spunk to an arrangement.  Air plants do not have roots, do not require soil, and mainly thrive on the dust and moisture in the air, which means they are super easy for those missing a green thumb.  There are so many ways to use these plants: add them to an arrangement, use them on a piece of drift wood, or place them on top of some beautiful river rocks - that is just the start, the possibilities are endless.

To round out the summer, try getting an air plant and putting it into one of the shells you found this summer at the beach.  Here are the instructions for how-to do it!

 

[via Martha Stewart]

For more information on air plants, click here and here.

College Living

It is that time of the year.  The car gets packed to the gills and you head out to start a new year.  College students all over the U.S. will be decorating their dorms and college apartments over the next few weeks, if they haven't already.  The first year is always the most exciting and overwhelming.  What to bring?  There is tons of advice out there on this.  I remember the monster list I had with great suggestions on items that I needed for the year.  Here are a few lists that I found online: Off-to-College Checklist, Bed Bath and Beyond, and the Container Store.  The Container Store also has some tips for college living on their main dorm room page. And here are some more suggestions to keep organized and manage in a small space.  National Geographic also lists some resources for taking your dorm room green. Remember to check with your school to find out what is allowed in your dorm room and don't forget to plan with your roommate!

My one suggestion would be to add some live plants.  They bring life to the room and offer an inexpensive option for decor.  Try African Violets, succulents, or a money tree for easy to care for options.  Lucky Bamboo or wheat grass are two other ideas that would work too!  Go to your local florist and see what is available that you like. 

[photos via pusgums and cyntheticflava]

Wedding Featured

One late night last week, I received word that some of our wedding photos were going to be featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs blog.  When I opened up the link, I was blown away with the super nice comments and photo selection for the post.  Today, I finally had a chance to poke around the blog some more and let me say that I am amazed by all the gorgeous weddings and decoration ideas posted on their site.  Be sure to check out their blog regularly for wedding inspiration!  We are SO honored that they posted some of the photographs from our wedding.  Check out the feature on their blog for some pictures by the very talented W. Scott Chester.  Thank you Elizabeth and Anne and thanks to Cristen of W. Scott Chester photography for forwarding along our photos. Also, you can see some of the floral arrangements created by KaBloom of Sandy Springs!  Thanks Don, Linda, Michelle, and Tim for all your work that day! 

Some Pieces from Around the Web

Check out the links below for some of the items that I have bookmarked over the past few months. 

Flower Arrangements

• Summer Flower Arranging Tips for low vases from Apartment Therapy
• How To: Display Cut Flowers (10 Easy Ways) from Apartment Therapy
• Retro Vignettes of flower arrangements from Desire to Inspire
• Hodgepodge of single stem tulips in blue vases from Lovely Little Things

Vases

• Polka Dot and Stripes vases from {frolic!} 
• Sara Paloma Vases from {frolic!} 
• Postfossil's Torre Pot from happy mundane
• Easy Fabric Vase Covers from How about orange...

Miscellaneous

• Terrariums and Aquariums from Koko Studios (found via Apartment Therapy)
• 10 Best Succulents from Apartment Therapy

 

If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it is your world for the moment.

Georgia O'Keefe

Internet Blues

Sorry Folks for the lack of posting here. I have had intermittent Internet access. But I am back online here and will really get back to the regularly scheduled program. Today is a catch-up day, and the rest of the week we will be on a family vacation. So, we will be back next week! In honor of the Internet Blues - here is a blue arrangement using ranunculus and muscari from Martha Stewart. Click here for instructions on how to put it together.

Vases by Alyssa Ettinger

Alyssa Ettinger has some really nice white porcelain vases for sale in her etsy shop. I have a soft spot for old milk jug style jugs - so I just loves these! (Right: Milk Collection, $30; Left: Set of Three, NYC Theme, $110)

I also love the detail here for the knitware vase (Flat Mod Cable, $150).

Found via PoppyTalk and click here for more designs.

Upside Down Callas

Check out this gorgeous arrangement from Hotel Murano. I love the calla lilies hanging down inside the vase - some good floral engineering to accomplish that one!

Hotel Murano is located in Tacoma, Washington and is inspired by glass art.  For more photos of the hotel, click here.  [Found via Apartment Therapy and photo by Toby Weiss of the B.E.L.T blog.]

Modern White

No wonder Preston Bailey is tops when it comes to floral design.  This stunning bouquet just says it all.  Perfect for the modern bride!

This bouquet was made for J.J. Philbin (Regis Philbin's daughter) and is filled with white cymbidium and dendrobium orchids, white peonies, and mini calla lilies.  (via InStyle Weddings)

Simple Summer Flower Arrangements

Real Simple posted an article with eight simple flower arrangement ideas. The main tip is to use a unique container with one or two different types of flowers. My favorite from their bunch is the gerber daisy table runner with wheat grass - very simple and summery. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
I also like the idea of using beach pales or terra cotta planters as containers too. These are things you have lying around the house - why not put flowers into them to give them new life! Click here for some more ideas.

Home from Vacation!

We have arrived home.  So, we will be back to our regularly scheduled program next week!  We had a wonderful trip and saw many exciting sights!  Here is one lotus flower picture that I took from our first stop in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  I love how they folded the flower petals!

Brights - Yellow and Pink

Here are some beautiful arrangements from the summer issue of Martha Stewart Weddings!  I love the bright colors, especially the yellow.  Click here for more pictures and arrangements.

Real Simple Flowers

I have already featured two arrangements from this Real Simple Flower slide show, but I just could not resist a few more. Check them out!

Click here for some more.

July 4th! Patriotic Flowers

Can you believe that July 4th is tomorrow!?! Hope you have some nice plans to celebrate the day with friends and family.  Here, many Atlantans celebrate by running the Peachtree Road Race - so if you are running, GOOD LUCK! :)  And don't forget to have some fun!

After the race, if you are going to a barbeque, think about taking a nice arrangement of red and white flowers in some blue vases.  Or just a few small blooms - one of each color to use in a small bud vase. 

Enjoy the fireworks displays!

[image from Rachel Ray]

Orchid Details

Orchids, orchids, orchids. Delicate, elegant, and interesting. For a small wedding or even a bridal shower, I love the idea of using these orchid cones as escort or place cards that double as favors.  Just add the guest's name to the ribbon or cone with some more ribbon and a little piece of paper. A water tube is placed inside each of the cones to keep the orchids hydrated.  [via Martha Stewart]

 

Flag Arrangement - 4th of July

Here is one floral arrangement idea you could use to celebrate July 4th!

Take 6 or more small, short cube vases, a bunch of red and white flowers (roses, carnations, or tulips) and your favorite blue flower (dyed blue roses, hydrangeas, cornflowers, anemones, or even irises).  Line up all the cube vases in a rectangle on your table.  Fill one cube with the blue flowers and put that in the top corner, and then fill the other cubes with alternating rows of red and white.  Final result - flag of flowers!  You could even sprinkle in a few small white blooms to make the stars for the blue cube.  You could also due this with a box, glass baking dish (with short stems and floral foam), or whatever else you think of!

Similar to this, but on a smaller scale!

[photo by Neil Rickards]

Old Houseware Items Turned Modern Vases

Better Homes and Gardens has some suggestions for creative flower arrangements. Some of them use items that could be found while looking around antique shops and markets, garage sales, and anywhere else! Or think about other uses for items before you toss them.

Colored Glass Cups	Mercury Glass Containers
Old Watering Can	Rustic Kitchen Containers

Silver Cordial Glasses

Click here for some more ideas.

Simple Rose Arrangement

We often have great specials on rose bouquets.  Take home a dozen or two and make this super simple arrangement.  All you need are the flowers and a short square vase.  Just make sure you have enough roses to fill your vase.  Click here for the instructions by Jill Slater. 

One more below the rim

Simple, elegant. The container makes the arrangement. Just float a few big blooms in a beautiful china bowl and you have a classic center piece! [via Martha Stewart]

Wedding Cakes with Fresh Flowers

I chose a simple wedding cake with fresh flowers as decorations.  It came out beautifully! Using fresh flowers to decorate your cake is, often times, a good cost saving option.  Here are some beautiful cakes featuring fresh flowers!

[photos from left to right, top to bottom: Wedding Channel, Better Homes and Gardens(BHG), Wedding Channel; second row:  Knot, Knot, BHG; third row: Wedding Channel, Wedding Channel]

Just Below the Rim

For quick and simple flower arrangements, think about big vases and floating flowers. Click on the pictures for details on how to design each flower arrangement.

via Better Homes and Gardens