Terrariums

My new love! For me terrariums are a great addition to interiors where you want not only a conversation piece but also a fresh hit of long lasting greenery. With terrariums the possibilities are endless, just google it and you will see! They seem to be a bit of a retro thing from the 70's. But of course they actually go way back to Victorian times.

Trio on display at Hughes Clothing in Victoria

The terrarium below is a desert scape in which I used white gravel and a single tillandsia. Also known as an air plant.

I am the type of person who is always picking stuff up outside and shoving it in my pocket for no other reason than I love it's shape, color or texture. And now I am finally putting to good use all my pieces of bark, driftwood and stones! Love it!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to all my lovely blog readers!

wish this was my idea but it wasn't.....Thanks Garden Works, Victoria, BC.

my talented mother made and sent my kids this card

my daughter was really trying to make a scary pumpkin!

In my home - Cyclamen

I love to use potted flowers especially when life gets busy. Are you are a flower lover? And always trying to have fresh flowers in the house? Well, let's face it, fresh flowers can be high maintenance. Changing water, cutting stems, removing dead flowers, buying new flowers, it all takes time. So, potted flowers are a great alternative to use in your home. But, what is not allowed in your home decor is the plastic pot...... so cover it up please! Right now beautiful cyclamen are available, and I love using their bold colors in my home.

My dining room feels empty unless I always have something on the table. Although, I will admit most of the time my flowers are surrounded by bags, school work, snack containers, laundry, you name it!

Flowers for me just finish a space. I probably could have just done one here but they were so darned affordable I couldn't resist! These would also be great on a coffee table. Go and treat yourself today!

Party Flowers - hydrangea & godetia

Last week ended with a really fun "party" order. I went with some very saturated colors. Deep purple statice, coral godetia, and green hydrangea made these colorful designs really pop against the white walls of my clients entry. I had suggested doing a grouping of flowers because the entry table was quite long. I did one taller design in the middle flanked by two smaller designs. I also added a branch to the center design once I arrived.

It's something to consider when doing flower arrangements for your own home. Instead of one big design, turn it into three and line them up down your dining table or on your buffet. And remember, using different heights also adds interest.

The leaf I used is called hawaiian flag. I just love seeing patterns through the glass!

Thanksgiving Flowers

Who says your thanksgiving flowers have to be orange? Not me! For some of my clients this year I chose more sophisticated palettes. At this time of year green mini kale are so great to use, not only because they are long lasting but because they add a nice fullness and texture to the design. Look at the gloss on those black peppers! Love them. I wish this photo had better light quality, but by the time I finished doing these flowers it was my bedtime. And I just wanted to pack them up for delivery the next day. With kids still at home, I tend to work late into the evening. And drag my kids on deliveries!

Below is a more feminine autumn design. This was an order from a daughter to her mother for Thanksgiving. Pink dahlias how I love you! If only you were around all year. All you local Victorians, dahlias are out in full force at road side stands. Keep your eyes open and change in your wallet!

I am so thankful for the beauty in nature. Happy Thanksgiving to all my wonderful readers!

Yellow wedding

This will be the last post on my sister's wedding! There were just lots of fun details I had to share. Like this sign below which I requested of my brother-in-law, and he made it with old wood just like I wanted! Thanks Rick!

 All the floral designs I made did double duty. They were first used for the backyard ceremony and then we hauled everything up to the golf course hall. These were used on the refreshment table.

I kept things simple because I didn't want to spend to much time "arranging" flowers. The easiest way to keep things simple is to buy lots of one type of flower and mass them together. Like I did with the gladiolas above.

I had ordered some green carnations (which do not look like this) but being in a different city and dealing with a different wholesaler I got the wrong flower. With flowers having so many different names it happens. Anyways, these carnations were too pale for my color palette, but by putting them in a patterned vase it helped spruce them up. I hate to waste any flower!

I have never used spider mums in a wedding before and I really enjoyed it. They were nice and hardy and managed in the heat very well. Not to mention they last well out of water so are great in bridal bouquets too!

Well I think that covers it! Oh wait, one more picture.........my mother did a candy buffet which was very colorful and not only did the kids love it but the adults did too! That's my daughter stealing a jelly bean!

Pinwheel Wedding

My sister's wedding a few weeks ago went off without a hitch thanks to the hard work of family. Especially my parents! My mother who is the super duper scrapbooker/crafter of the family took my idea of a pinwheel wedding and ran with it. Her and my dad made about 200 pinwheels of various sizes which we used to decorate my sister's backyard, where she had the ceremony. After the ceremony (with the help of cousins) we moved them up to the golf course hall where the reception party and dinner was held.

Something that was really "sweet" was to see the 100 tiny pinwheels that my mom made for the cupcakes........

thecupcakeladybc.com

For decor we also placed two pinwheels back to back in glass vases filled with sand for the tables...... (note: the table markers my mom also made, each one had a different picture of the bride and groom)

We just couldn't do pinwheels! So we also used paper bunting, that yes my mother made! I know, I know, she must have been cutting paper for weeks. My dad was her crafting side kick, and thanks to him the pinwheels spun beautifully. We ended up having some wind that day to test them too, and not one of them broke! The bunting on the other hand we did start to get worried about but it survived too!

For the ceremony we hung the bunting off a tree in the shape of a tent to sort of act as an alter. As a surprise to my family my sister had asked my uncle to do the ceremony for them!

For this casual, fun DIY backyard wedding I think we scored a 10! I can't think of one thing I would have changed (except for my wine consumption..haha!) and I hope my sister feels the same way.

Stay tuned for one more post on my sister's wedding, last one I promise! What can I say, too many great details and shots for one post.