One of our designers, Don, loves to create floral arrangements for Imagym. Imagym, which is also located at CityWalk in Sandy Springs, is a kids play center that focuses on health and physical activity. Don gets really creative with these arrangements and uses all sorts of materials to make them fun and entertaining for the kids and the parents going to Imagym. Here are some of his creations:
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Have a great weekend!
Even though it is cool outside, February is coming to a close. It's a leap year, so we have one more day! But it looks like March will start off with a warm, sunny day! Spring is just around the corner for us in the South. And spring brings softer, lighter colors. According to Pantone, the color trend setters, pinks and purples are the colors for this coming season. A dash of yellow, splash of blue, and a touch of gray round out the selections. According to Pantone Color Institute's executive director, Leatrice Eiseman, the spring colors "reflect the cheerfulness of the season" and I would say that I have to agree. Here is the report, which was actually published last spring. If you are interested in color trends for fall 2008, check them out here.
Here are a few of the "hot" colors and some for this coming Spring and some flowers that closely match them:
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The name comes from the french word for buttonhole. Boutonnieres, as you know, are one or two small blooms pinned on to men's jacket lapels. For weddings, all of the men in the bridal party wear one. So, of course the groom gets one, the father of the bride, the father of the groom, and all the groomsmen. If you have other special men in your wedding party, like a ring bearers or greeters, they should have a boutonniere too. And if you are lucky enough to have your grandfather there, it is nice to honor him with a boutonniere too.
It is always a nice touch to have the groom's boutonniere play off the brides bouquet. For instance, if your bouquet has roses, calla lilies, freesia, and rananuculus in it, then maybe the groom's boutonniere could be made with a calla lily and the others' boutonnieres could be made with freesia. Here are some of great ideas for boutonnieres.
[images from The Wedding Channel, In Style Weddings, and The Knot; click on each individual picture to go to original source]
Decor8, a blog I have been reading for quite a while, recently directed my attention to a new do-it-your (diy) tutorial website: Howcast. Members of the community post videos and guides for specific topics. Topics range from financial issues to crafting suggestions. A few members have posted some tutorials about flower arranging. Check out the one below to learn how to use a grid of floral tape to make your own arrangements look more polished. The video is about 2 minutes long.
The name of a flower and an animal, Birds of Paradise, in the floral world, are also known as Crane Flowers and scientifically as Strelitzia reginae. The flower gets its name from how it resembles a bird when it blooms. The meaning of the flower's name is joy or joyfulness. The most typical Birds of Paradise are bright orange and blue. They originate from South Africa, but are grown in many warm climate environments.
[images clockwise starting from top left corner: timparkinson, Mr. Phil Price,
and shiny things]
Care tips:
As a cut flower, Birds of Paradise last a long time, so they are a great buy at any florist shop. Their tall stalks and big blooms allow them to stand out with just one or two stems. They require very little care once you get them home, just keep the water fresh. Each stem contains about 4 to 5 flowers. Usually only one is visible at a time, so once the visible flower withers, remove it carefully with your hand and see if another flower pops up. Oh, and they don't like cold temperatures, given that they are tropical flowers :)
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If you have some free time this weekend, try making a few "do-it-yourself" vases. Here some ideas that I tagged a while back.
Take a paint bucket, then take some decorative paper or magazine images, and decoupage the outside of the bucket. [via better home and gardens]
Wrap a natural-fiber place mat around a tall cylindrical vase. Click here for details on making the vase. [via Sunset Magazine]
Use a paper lantern to add a different texture and some color to your flower arrangement. For instructions on how to make your own, click here [via Martha Stewart Living].
For some more ideas, check our previous post on DIY vase hacks.
With the Academy Awards Presentation on Sunday, Hollywood is busy preparing for the all the parties. One of the biggest parties following the Oscar Ceremony is the Governors Ball. This year, the color theme is red with gold accents as a tribute to the Oscars' 80th anniversary: think red carpet, gold statues. Some 15,000 roses will be used in the arrangements! James Storie orchids will add the splash of gold to compliment the red. The overall look is stunning!
YumSugar was lucky enough to check out the preview of the event and posted some wonderful pictures of the flower arrangements. Click here for more details and more pictures. At the end of YumSugar's post, you can watch a short video clip from the "flower guy" Mark Held of Mark's Garden. Here is a preview:
[pictures from YumSugar]
On another note - Pink Martini, a 12-member pop orchestra group from Portland, Oregon, will headline the entertainment at the Ball. I saw them in concert last year and really enjoyed their fun, eclectic, and worldly music. The lead singer sings beautifully in at least 4 different languages.
Enjoy the Oscars!
Your bouquet is an important detail to personalize and make your own. The bouquet should compliment the other details you have already selected, especially your dress. Think of it as another accessory.
As with everything wedding planning, there are tons of options out there for what to go with. Along with color and embellishments, there are different shapes available for your bouquet. The most popular and traditional bouquets are nosegay or round cluster bouquets; they are classic, tightly-packed round bouquets that are full of flowers. For very formal affairs, cascade bouquets may be a good match. Cascade bouquets fall down, either just slightly or more dramatically. Although becoming more and more popular, hand-tied bouquets are usually used for less formal affairs. But, depending on the flowers and ribbon selections, they can be seen as more formal too.
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| Nosegay/Round | Cascading | Hand-Tied |
A few more shapes of bouquets are listed at brides.com.
Here are some really cool vases that I have bookmarked from the web and various blogs. I have had them tagged for a while now - it is time to post them!
Apartment Therapy posted some gray cubes a while back. They can double as a vase or candle holder. Check them out at Home Port, which also has these tall Gazon vases of hand blown glass.
[images via Home Port; found via Apartment Therapy]
These inside-out vases definitely flip things around for you. Emiko Oki has a few different types of inverted glass objects that you can see here.
[image via emiko oki; found via sub-studio]
I spotted this cute artichoke vase from the Global Table a little while back. I love how delicate the leaves look.
[image via Global Table]
Last but not least - This is a great idea for those of you who want to bring flowers into the work place or any other tight-spaced place. Jill-able's Fill Me Up Vase lies flat when not in use, but can be filled with water to hold your flowers. If you go to Jill-able's website, you can watch a YouTube video that shows you how the vase works.
[image via tanakawho]
Ranunculus is one of my all time favorite flowers! The name means "little frog," which comes from the Latin word "rana" - frog. They are also commonly called buttercup or crowfoot. The flower means "you are rich in attractions" or "you are very attractive". The flower itself also is beautiful with its layers and layers of petals. All the different, bright colors that they come in, orange, red, pink, yellow, white, and purple, make the flower pop. A while back we received a very unique variety with green specks highlighted throughout the petals. We loved them and wish we saw them more often! I wish I had a picture of them, too. These flowers are usually available in the winter and spring months - so now is their time!
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[images from jslander]
Care tips:
As with most other flowers, remove all foliage before putting them in your vase. Recut stems and change water the water regularly. Also treat them carefully because they are delicate flowers. You can use flower wire to keep them standing straight up, because they have curvy stems. Last but not least, keep them away from fruits and vegetables, because they are ethylene sensitive.
For more ranunculus related info - Flowers and Plants UK, Flickr Group, Flower Possibilities
We will be back with you on Monday! Hope you all have a fantastic weekend :)
If you have some time, check out the Orchid Daze Gargoyles & Grace exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden! The exhibit runs through March 30th.
With the roses being most popular flower delivered for Valentine's Day, here are some tips for how to make them last longer.
| | Display your roses in a shaded, cool location |
| | Keep leaves out of the water; if you have to remove some leaves, take care not to injure the stem by scraping the stems |
| | Keep the water fresh by changing it every two days; put flower food in with the new, fresh water; use lukewarm water |
| | When changing the water, cut the stems (cleanly) under water at a 45 degree angle by using a sharp knife or scissors; cutting an inch off the stem is best |
| | Remove discolored or dropping petals from your roses to freshen them up |
| | If the rose wilts, submerge the whole flower and stem into a large sink full of warm water; while under water cut about an inch off the stems, and leave them there for about two hours |
[More information available at Flowers UK, about.com, FlowerM.D.]
