Bridal Shower - Good Advice

Better Homes and Gardens has an article on their website about throwing a "Good Advice" shower.  I really like this idea for a bridal or even a baby shower, because it is a great way to involve the guests.  Plus, coming up with one line of advice, can't be too hard! Here are some suggestions on how to match the advice (from BHG) with the present:

Advice: Take turns cooking for each other.
Gift: Favorite cookbook and kitchen tools.

Advice: Experience new things.
Gift: Travel accessories.

Click here for the article - the main point is to include a cute card along with the invitation (maybe a pocket envelope invitation), provide some instructions on what to do with the card, and have the bride read each card aloud before she opens the present!

 

Another great suggestion, if you are doing your own food, buffet style, is to use square vases as containers.  This makes for a nice uniform, modern look.

Go check out the article for some more great suggestions!

Flex Vase

In doing some research for another post, I ran across this very interesting "test tube" vase at the Museum of Modern Art website.  Designed by Andy Designs, this award winning vase combines test tubes with flexible connectors, which allow the vase to form different shapes and sizes. Go to their website to see a video on how the vase works!

 

 

Here are just some of the patterns you can make with the vase.  Click here for more tips. 

Darwin's Garden - NY Botanical

Slipper Orchids

The New York Botanical Garden has an exhibit featuring Charles Darwin's study of plants and flowers.  The exhibit replicates Darwin's Down House experiments and his English gardens.   Studying flowers greatly influenced the development of Darwin's theory of evolution.  For a slide show by the New York Times about the exhibition, click here.  And here is the link for the article.

Sweet Little Flower Details

Flowers do not have to be limited to bouquets, centerpieces, and ceremony decorations. There are tons of ways of bringing flowers into other elements of your wedding. Below are just some random ideas I have run across recently.

I love the idea of using a flower to accent each place setting. And I adore the little ranunculus cuff in the first picture below!

[pictures via In Style Weddings and brides.com]

Another unique idea is to use a little bud vase with a single flower for your place cards, which could double as a favor. I especially like this idea for bridal showers, which are often smaller, making the idea more budget friendly! Or just add a creative flower arrangement near your escort cards to add some more color.

[In Style Weddings and brides]

And I love this idea of using mums to decorate the swizzle sticks for these lemonade drinks!

[via Hostest with the Mostest Blog, In Style Weddings]

Happy Administrative Professional's Day

A post on the Flower Blog points to research by Rutgers University about how bouquets send a very positive message to the receiver.  Not only are flowers beautiful to receive and look at, but they tell the receiver something about the sender (e.g., thoughtful, caring, and successful).   Click here for more information about the results.

[picture from Sister72]

Administrative Professional's Day - Tomorrow!

[picture from procsilas]

Don't forget about administrative professional's day!  Make sure you place your flower orders today. Recognize and thank the people who really keep the office running.

Happy Earth Day!

 

Grow grass inside! Aiming to green indoor living spaces, these frames of grass modernize the old Chia Pet.  Supposedly, the grass lasts for about 4 to 5 months.  The trays can be refilled to begin the process again.  Click here for purchasing information.

Daily Inspiration - a beautiful and inspiring blog!

Lately, I have really been enjoying the posts by Sas of Daily Inspiration. She takes beautiful pictures of flowers, posts wonderful quotes, and truly inspires. See below for some examples of her photos and quotes, but really, I encourage you to check out her blog for true inspiration!

Silently a flower blooms, In silence it falls away; Yet here now, at this moment, at this place, The world of the flower, the whole of the world is blooming. This is the talk of the flower, the truth of the blossom: The glory of eternal life is fully shining here. - Zenkei Shibayama

Be like the flower, turn your faces to the sun. - Kahlil Gibran

Spring Centerpieces - Tutorial

Epicurious posted a slideshow with tips on how to make three different spring centerpieces.  Click here for the slideshow.  If you look closely you can see the asparagus lining the square vase for the arrangement at the farthest right. 

A few more wrist corsages

	After the post last week about different corsage ideas, I found a few more wrist corsages (on the left) that were interesting.  I think they could help   spark some creative thinking about how to design some wrist corsages.  They remind you that are not so limited to just selecting which flowers to use, but how to accent the corsage and how to use leaves, other flowers, and materials for the band.  Any of these could work for a wedding or for prom.  The first and last ones are definitely an out-of-the-box designs.  I love the idea of using the craspedia (also know as billy buttons or woollyheads) as the  band and the use of the anthurium for focal point.  For more information click here.  On the right you can see some recent prom corsages that we have made up.   They are made with roses and dendrobium orchids and sprinkled with  succulents, grape hyacinth, wax flowers, and greens.  The band on the first corsage is made from a strand of pearls!  The band for the middle corsage is a "diamond" band - really Austrian crystals!

Some More Spring Trends

Here are some beautiful arrangements using the colorful gray trend for flower arranging this spring.   I love the big green arrangements!  They are so tall and  impressive. 

[images from the Flower Council of Holland]

Click here for some more arrangements that fall in line with this trend.

And click here for our previous post on using gray this spring. 

Sophisticated Corsage Options

Corsages are used to recognize the special women at your wedding - mothers, grandmothers, readers, stepmothers, or any other immediate family members who are not in the wedding party.  Here are some corsage options to consider.  The traditional corsage is pinned just below the shoulder and near the collarbone.  Typical pin-on corsages can be made of multiple flowers or made of one bloom, maybe a cymbidium orchid or a rose. 

Another option is a wrist corsage.

[image from brides.com]

[image from KaBloom of Sandy Springs]

You may want to recognize your mothers a little differently.  Two ideas that I like are giving them a corsage that attaches to their purses or giving them a small bouquet or a few stems to carry instead of wearing a traditional corsage. 

A few things to remember: Try to use a flower that matches the rest of the wedding flowers.  You can personalize the corsages by using the wearer's favorite bloom.  Click here for instruction on how to pin a corsage.

Hanging Vases and Flowers

For some reason, I have been drawn to hanging vases lately.  By hanging a vase with flowers, they are directly at eye-level when you walk into a room, so you seem them right away.  I think it is romantic and a little unexpected.

[image from KaBloom of Sandy Springs]

CB2 has two hanging vases available for purchase and a few hanging candles.  Hang them in a cluster to create beautiful floral arrangement that is surrounded by candle light.  First seen on Loving Living Small.

Or click on the following link for an article on how to make your own: Tips on Making your Own.

Ginger

It has been awhile since we featured a tropical flower.  Today's flower is Ginger, also known as Alpinia.  Like many tropical flowers, these are big, dramatic flowers.  Originally they are from Malaysia, but now they bloom in many tropical regions.  Ginger comes in red or pink, but there is also a yellow variety.  Depending on the type of ginger, the shape varies.  The one shown below is shaped like a pine cone and is often found in floral shops.   It is commonly called beehive ginger.  

 

[images from turtlemom4bacon and daveyll]

Another variety often found in floral shops (definitely ours), looks like the ones below, a little bit longer and more opened.

[image from KaBloom of Sandy Springs]

Quick Tips

Tropical flowers like warmer temperatures and bright indirect light.  You can spray the petals with water to keep them moist and fresh.  Change the water and trim the stems every three to four days. And they are related to the ginger you eat!

Dogwood Festival - New Location

Even though this year's Dogwood Festival is not at Piedmont Park, due to the drought, it is still a great opportunity to check out some artwork and hear some live music.  So take Marta down to Lenox Square this weekend and walk around a bit.  Hey, you can even do some shopping while your at it!

 

 

Lenox Square

3393 Peachtree Road N.E.
Atlanta  GA  30326

Friday, April 4, 12:00 - 9:00 PM
Saturday, April 5, 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday, April 6, 12:00 - 6:00 PM

 

Click here for more information.

Have a great weekend!

Just one more... gray this time!

But, if you want to stay with the times and the gray trend for this spring, check out these very cool vases by Tina Frey (found via Oh Joy!). Yellow and green containers are available too.

Feeling Green Vases

Feeling some green today.  For some reasons, most of the of vases I have tagged from Etsy for a post turned out to be green glass.  So, I decided to focus on it!  Check out some of these beautiful vintage vases for Etsy.

 

[click on each vase to go to the seller - garagesale, sweetrice, and MyVintagePad]

 

And then some of these handblown creations from SolosGlass in Richmond,  VA. 

[click on each picture to get purchasing information]

Aisle Style

I really wanted to have flower petals lining the aisle when I got married, but alas due to restrictions, we couldn't. However, there are tons of ways to decorate the aisle for your wedding ceremony. You could have two aisle markers made of big, beautiful arrangements that make a statement when guests walk in. Or have them lining the entire aisle. You could put pomanders or pew markers on each (or every other or the first and last) row. You could line the aisle with candles or a flower garland. Here are some pictures to provide you with some inspiration.

[click on each of the pictures for the original - from the the knot, wedding channel, and brides.com]