Much like everyone else in the midwest, I love fall. It's those few months of the year that we get a break from the blazing heat of summer, and bitter cold of winter. So obviously I absolutely had to plan a fall/halloween themed floral workshop. And what says fall more than making floral arrangements in pumpkins? Nothing that I can think of!
This post has been moved. Please find it now on my new baby and kid focused blog, Hazel & Ollie. There I'll be sharing all kinds of inspiration from nursery decor, kids fashion, maternity and new born shoots and more!
I've been working away on some really awesome collaborations with some of my favorite local businesses. I've been a huge fan of The Hair Parlour for a long time now. Owner Jamie is such a sweetheart, an amazing biz lady, and totally up for collaborations (check out this great hair and make-up tutorial). We decided to create an awesome event for First Friday's Kansas City, and we'll both be bringing something fun to the table. So mark your calendars and save the date for this unique event, we can't wait to see all your lovely faces there!
Also this event is open invitation, so please pass along details to anyone you think might be interested. You can see more here: https://www.facebook.com/events/401700843349113/
Spring is here, and I think it's fairly common knowledge that it's one of the best times of year for flowers. In this global market it's possible to get almost any type of flower anytime of year, but it doesn't mean that they'll be as beautiful as when they're in season. I just can't help but play with flowers at this time of year!
Fragrant hyacinth, blue tweedia, tulips, and of course poppies. Poppies are a tough one to get here in the midwest sometimes. They're so delicate, they don't travel well, so you better believe when I see them at the market I scoop them up ASAP.
I put my pretty blooms in a hand painted/stamped wooden box I created. I cut triangles out of mat board, applied paint, and stamped them on the box. Then I added the white detailing.
When you're doing a wedding at a botanical garden, the bar is set pretty high.Stephanie and Cory's colorful orange and navy event took place at Powell Gardens in Kansas City. It was our first, and besides setting up the wedding of course, we spent a majority of our time between ceremony and reception sneaking peeks at the incredible selection of flowers. Seriously if you're a botanical lover, it's a must visit. Stephanie wanted tons of color and texture for her day so we decided to use elements like green trick, succulents, scabiosa and poppy pods, along with huge beautiful orange roses and dahlias. Beautiful pictures by Rivas Media Photography. Thanks so much to Stephanie and Cory for letting us be a part of your day!
I was contacted recently by Emily Reinhardt, an amazing local Kansas City ceramics artist. She sells on Etsy, and her business is the object enthusiast. I've been a fan of her work for awhile, and love following her on Instagram. She makes the most gorgeous pieces, I honestly could fill every shelf in my house with them. So you can imagine my glee when she offered me a piece of her work to incorporate with some of my floral designs. Obviously I said yes. I wanted to make this really special, so I decided to do an Everyday Flowers post, three different ways to style a vase. Below is the piece she gave me. She uses lots of gold in her work, a woman after my own heart!
I created my arrangements in the spring, one of the most lovely times of year for flowers. For this first look some of these blooms aren't something you'll find in your local grocery store, but check out a flower shop in April or May, and you're sure to come across some. I'll give you the names too, so if you want to, you can know what to request. From left to right pictured above: poppies, mint leaves (from my garden), sweet pea, peonies (from my garden), spray roses, astrantia.
To get the basics on prepping and arranging your flowers visit this post.
I love using herbs when arranging, they add a lovely fragrance above and beyond the flowers. I find that mint is a nice compliment to the sweetness of flowers like roses, and peonies.
Poppies are super delicate, and a little tough to get sometimes here in the midwest, but when you can get them it's totally worth it. They make quite a statement.
For the second look I wanted to keep things super simple. This is a look that literally anyone can style. One large bloom in a vase, you really can't go wrong. Of course I used a peony, they are the queen of spring flowers. This one's from my garden, but you can find them in abundance in the spring, sometimes even at Whole Foods or Trader Joes.
Boom! Gorgeous, no?
Greens are a huge trend right now in the floral world. I've done tons of weddings this season that incorporate lush wreaths, and garlands. It's no longer all about big fluffy balls of flowers, but interesting foliage in all shapes, sizes, and colors. And of course succulents, I'll never tire of those. I think the greens really compliment the beautiful vessel, and let it's beauty shine (literally).
A huge thank you to Emily for this beautiful vessel, please pop on over to her shop, the object enthusiast, and support this amazing artist!
Today's Everyday Flowers, aren't so everyday. These fresh floral letters are pretty fancy, but making them is super easy! I whipped up the GBS above for a fun styled shoot for the ladies of Go Blog Social. But they'd be perfect for so many occasions, baby or bridal showers, weddings, birthdays, you name it. Plus depending on what type of flowers you use, they can be hardier than you think. Carnations and mums are an excellent choice, they can last for days out of water and still look fresh and lovely. All of the flowers used in this step by step were purchased at my local grocery store.
You'll need:
Foam board
An Xacto knife and pencil
Floral shears
Hot glue gun, and glue sticks
Fresh flowers. All of the flowers for this DIY were purchased at my local grocery store and Costco, except the anemones (white flowers with black centers). I bought about five bunches of flowers, which could make two or possibly more 12 inch letters. The flowers I bought: 2 different colors of a dozen roses, light pink spray roses, yellow button mums, and monte casino (daisy like flower), and pink carnations.
Your first step will be to cut out your letter. I free handed mine, but if you need a little help, dowload a template of a letter, print and trace. Or buy pre-made paper mache or wooden letters from a craft store like Hobby Lobby, or Joanne's.
To prep your flowers simply cut the flower heads as close to the bloom as possible. You want to create as flat a surface as possible, which will help give you more are to adhere to the letter. Turn on your glue gun at this point as well so it can begin warming.
After you have your letter and flowers prepped, begin gluing the blooms to your letter (and excuse my gross looking glue gun, it's covered in moss from previous projects). Start with your largest blooms first, such as the roses and carnations. Then follow behind, filling in with your medium blooms, and then use your smallest to fill any remaining bare spots.
Once your letter is all filled in with blooms you can add a hanger on the back with ribbon or wire. Or just use it free standing. I decided to use my E for my little Eleanor's one month birthday pictures. See what a fun addition it makes?
Hope you've enjoyed Everyday Flowers Number Four. I hope you'll try your hand at creating your own fresh floral letters or shapes for your next special occasion. See more floral projects in the Everyday Flowers category, and happy Spring!
The holidays are just around the corner. Learn how to make this fun statement arrangement for your event, or to give as a gift (it's super easy). Find out more over at The Bloom Academy.
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