80's Night

Last night was 80's night at my favorite pub, The Irish Pub on Washington Street. Everyone dressed up and listened to 80's music all night. They even had an atari set up to play pacman. It was totally radical! I made the hair piece below to go with my outfit, and yes, I wore those rad sunglasses ;)

That's Barb (my hair model)

My girl, Madiline, and I

"Green" Flowers

So, I finally finished reading Flower Confidential and realized there's alot of wonderful yet scary things going on in the cut flower industry today. On the bad side, learning about the over abundance of pesticide sprays and dips on the flowers coming from South America and how bad the workers are treated really made me stop and wonder if I really want to work with these flowers every day. And the carbon footprint of a box of flowers traveling from South America to Miami to the wholesaler to the florist to the consumer.....

On the postive side, I discovered an environmentally friendly cut flower company, Organic Bouquet. It's an online based company out of Florida selling cut flower arrangements, potted plants, gourmet items, wreaths, etc. , and these are actually sold at reasonable prices!! The flowers and gift items are certified by the USDA and Fair Trade, and the flowers are grown organically and come in biodegradable packaging. The flowers are also bought from growers who provide safe and just working conditions. Here are a few of their items:

Gerber Daisy Bouquet

Grape Bonsai - Love this!

Save the Planet Gourmet Cookies

Flower of the Week: Fringed Polygala

As I was taking my dog, Saspar, for a hike in the woods yesterday, I came upon a delightful little flower peering out through dead leaves that almost looked like a mini orchid. So, today, I was curious and looked for the flower in my wildflower field guide and found it to be a Fringed Polygala.

-derived from "poly" meaning many and "gala" meaning milk

-also called bird-on-the-wing

-resembles Wintergreen but leaves are not edible

-supposed to increase milk production in nursing mammals

-used to cure abscesses, boils, and sores

-perennial which thrives in moist coniferous forests

-blooms May to June (early for this year)

-blossoms only 3/4 of an inch long

It's all about the tie...

One of my favorite things about designing custom accessories for weddings is getting inspiration pictures from brides and creating unique yet beautiful designs for their wedding party to wear. I get pictures of groomsmen ties, bridesmaid dresses, bridal gowns, reception centerpieces, invitations, jewelry, and the list goes on. So, I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite inspiration pictures as well as the pieces I created for them.

Flower of the Week

I have been totally slacking with my blog lately! Tis' the season for weddings and nice weather :) So, I've decided to have a 'Flower of the Week' post each week describing a flower giving it's origin, meaning, growing life, medicinal purposes, aesthetic uses, etc. I will also be taking pictures of the flowers myself and sharing them with you. So, for this week, I chose a beautiful and delicate flower, the anemone.

-comes from anemos, the Greek word for wind

-is also called wind flower which signifies the wind

that blows the petal open will eventually blow the petal away

-120 different species which grow as tubers

-3 different types of anemones: spring, Mediterranean, and fall

-like sun to partial shade

-used for treatment of aches and emotional distress

-used commonly as a cut flower for arrangements and wedding bouquets

These poor little guys were being thrown away today at work so I gave them a home!

I designed this bouquet a while back, and it's made with crepe paper anemones.

Vintage Wedding

I am currently working with a bride who is having a vintage inspired wedding. I wanted to give you a little sneak peek of the order. The first picture is her inspiration board and the others are pictures of the bouquet I designed for her to carry. I am very pleased with how it turned out!

Materials used: preserved roses, silk ranunculus and anemones, guinea feathers, paper berries, filler, vintage amber jewel brooch and matching earrings, satin ribbon, vintage lace, turkey feathers, millinery leaves

A Charming Wedding

Last June, my good friend, Katherine, got married to Ethan on a beautiful and unique outdoor venue called The Confluence Resort, which is located in Southern, West Virginia. The venue was perfect for the couple considering their love for nature and the outdoors. Here, there are 50 acres of fields, forests, and overlooks that are surrounded by whitewater. I was very honored to take part in both the wedding ceremony and the decorating. The venue really doesn't need alot of over the top decorating so we kept it simple and charming with a little bit of country flair. With close attention to details, I think it was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen. So, I want to share with you a few pictures of the decor. Later this spring, I will post round two, showing more picture of the bride and groom. I also want to give a shout out to the fabulous photographer, Emily Porter, who captured the best moments of the event.

Becca, Katherine's sister, and I gathered our colored glass bottle collections and put them on the tables with wildflowers on top of a burlap runner.

The bridesmaids each wore a different color dress from Anthropologie. That's me in the purple ;)

Becca found awesome vintage candle holders at a flea market. We also put bird seed in mason jars with votive candles.

The tables were named after favorite rivers of Katherine and Ethan.

Sneak peek of the bride and groom.

The food stations were in the barn so we covered up a door with an old quilt.

This was the overlook where the ceremony took place. Gorgeous!!