Saturday Afternoon Flowers

Well, my dear husband is heading off on a special vacation with one of our dear daughters. So he has bought me flowers as a going away gift. He is nice like that!

This is what I did!

From the wedding

At last a couple of photos from the wedding which, by the way, was lovely in every way!

The photographer has offered to send me some of her photos in a couple of weeks. I will use those on my web-site since I am obviously NOT a photographer. So, stay tuned to the web-site to see really nice photos of Nick and Mary's wedding.

So, now what will I do? Get ready for Sheree and David's wedding of course!

Today is the day!

So here are the last of the photos before the wedding.

We had a couple of last minute things to buy that will be helpful while setting up the flowers at the church today.









I am very happy with how everything has turned out and can hardly wait for the bride and her family to see. It is one thing to talk about it and try to decide what you want, and another thing to see your ideas and dreams become tangible.
Now I'm going to kick my feet up for a little bit and then we will head to the church. I have two whole hours until we need to make the delivery. Now we just pray that every thing makes it to the church without incident!

We'll take more photos at the church with everything in place and the flowers with all the right people. That will be posted on my web-site...and will have to wait for another day.

Thanks for joining me this week. Hope it was fun for you--it certainly was for me!

another photo

So, here is one more while I have a moment.

The camera made it back from the Elitch's Garden bachelor party in one piece and the guys had a great time!

We worked all day and only have a little left for tomorrow. Sore feet and sore fingers--but we are very happy with how everything is turning out.

Let's see 11 bouts, 4 maids' bouquets, 2 shoulder corsages, 2 wrist corsages, 1 toss bouquet, cake topper and add on's--all complete. Botanical board 'greened' and ready for tomorrow. Bride's bouquet set aside and ready to be completed tomorrow.

Thanks for joining me on this week before the wedding. Stay tuned for tomorrow's additions.

Sally Hansen is still doing her job well, too! :)

Pictures!

French manicure

At this point I must give a 'shout out' to Sally Hansen's Strong as Nails French Manicure! So far they have stood up to the abuses of a florist! There are still no chips and I've been giving them a good work out. We'll see if they last until the wedding on Saturday. Way to go Sally!

Flowers here...camera gone....

Yes, the flowers are here and are beautiful. I really want to take a photo to post with this blog but...the camera is missing! Well, it is actually at Elitch's Garden with the bachelor party instead of here with the floral party. How did that happen? Communication...hmmmm....

Anyway, we'll get a photo when the boys get home.

The flowers are all prepared and conditioned. We'll start on the bride's maids bouquet and the boutonnieres in a bit. The blues are very blue and the whites are very white and I am very happy with the product I brought home today!

Photos to follow, when the boys get home from their fun-filled day :)

Botanical board and kitchen

Here is a photo of the botanical board mentioned in the last post. Each piece is 30 inches long and they will sit side by side on the alter during the wedding. There are places for greenery, fresh flowers, candles and ribbons. This will be a beautiful, 60 inch long, vertical alter piece and the background for the wedding ceremony. It doesn't look like much now, but just wait and see! To see a demonstration on making a botanical board, visit this web-site:

http://www.ubloom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=135&Itemid=152

Also completed, clearing off the kitchen counters. Since this is a home business I have to change the kitchen to a floral design studio today. The counters are clear now. We will tackle the refrigerator throughout today and tomorrow. When the boutonnieres and corsages go into the refrigerator there can be no fruits on veggies in it. Fruits and veggies produce a gas that will shorten the life of the flowers. So now we eat very healthy!

I am ahead of schedule (thanks to writing this blog!) and so I think I'll do my nails today.

Tomorrow morning we bring home the flowers. Then the fun begins. First we will condition the flowers so that they will be as beautiful and long lasting as possible. Even though I'd love to just jump in and start designing, the flowers must be conditioned properly--well worth the wait. It will be fun to bring home buckets of flowers though. Then most of the designing will take place on Friday and Saturday.

I'm off to give to paint my nails!

Wedding Emergency Kits--Done!

It took a trip to Wal-Mart to get a few outstanding items, but now my emergency kits are complete. I have three that I will take on the day of the wedding. One that is specifically for me the florist (floral tape, floral glue, wire, ribbon, etc.) One for general use (sun screen, sewing kit, lint remover, etc.) One that holds larger items that I will leave in the car (and pray that we don't need.) All I need to do is throw in a few last minute items and we are set to go! It is comforting to have these on hand, even if we never need them!

Instead of writing a detailed list of the items that I have packed, here are some web-sites that have already done the work.


http://www.weddingbeepro.com/tag/emergency-kit/

http://www.blueorchidblog.com/2008/02/peek-into-my-emergency-kit.html

Tomorrow I will finish up the botanical board which is the base for the alter arrangement. Most of it was done weeks ago, but I'll add the remaining details that can be added before the flowers arrive. I think you will find this interesting--to see the board before and after flowers. I am really looking forward to making this arrangement.

Thanks for joining me on this florist's week of the wedding!

Done for today!

Boxes--check
Tissue paper--check
Buckets--check
Basket--check
Corsage magnets--check
Ribbon scissors--check
Floral foam--check
etc.,
etc.,
etc.

Grocery shopping--check
Clean spare room--check
Pick up son's glasses--check
Organize hall closet--check
(thank you family for helping with all the chores!)

We are moving right along!

Tomorrow I will finish my "Florist's First Aid Kit." There are a few little things left to put in so it is ready for the wedding day. This kit contains the remedy for many emergencies--Advil to floral wire to sunscreen! Must try to be ready for anything!

Now to put dinner in the oven, get a big glass of ice tea, grab my book and put my feet up. It's been a good day!

Done and To-Do

Many of the wedding preparations have already been done. I've met with the bride and discussed the gown style, favorite flowers and colors. That was months ago, but that meeting has directed all the decisions.

Since that time I have made all the bows for the corsages and bouquets. This is something fun to do when I am wanting to work on the wedding, but there are no flowers to play with!

The flowers have been ordered from the wholesaler.

Also, I have started gathering. Since this a home office, my supplies are in two place. The items that I use often are in the kitchen and the supplies that I use occasionally are in the spare room. This week I will be gathering it all in one place so that we can use our time and energy most efficiently.

There are other things to gather as well. I need a good, sturdy box to keep all the supplies together, and a nice basket to deliver the bride's maids bouquets. I like for each bouquet to be in its own vase so that each will stay hydrated the day of the wedding. And I like all those vases to be tucked into a basket. It looks so much nicer than a big box from behind the liquor store! But sometimes the box just has to do!

I will spend this day finishing the gathering and getting my regular chores done. I don't want to be interrupted with daily chores when I am in the midst of designing. I will get those all done before the flowers arrive and then I'll be able to focus on flower arranging because my other chores are already completed.

Preparing for a Wedding

It is 7 days until Nick and Mary's wedding. I thought it would be fun to blog the days leading to the wedding from a florist's point of view. There are already many things that have been prepared for the wedding. I'll list those on the first few days of the week when things aren't so busy. Then, I'll see if I have time to do the flowers and write posts. I think it will be interesting to keep track of this for my own sake. I hope this works and that it proves it be a fun and educational exercise.

If you go to my web-site you will see that I have added a count down until the wedding! So join with me as walk thru the wedding details from the florist's point of view!

Callas and Sweet Peas

This is what is growing in my backyard this summer. I tried very hard not to pick them and turn them into an arrangement. I've done very well for a few weeks, but finally gave in today.

I didn't know how callas and sweet peas would go together. But they look nice in this simple bubble bowl. I curved the calla stems so that they would bend with the shape of the bowl. The purple sweet peas bring out the purple in the callas. I do like it.

We'll see how long they last compared to the flowers in the yard. With all these crazy summer hailstorms we've been having, these flowers may actually last longer than the ones 'out in the wild.'

Callas and sweet peas. A simple summer arrangement that brings the beauty of backyard flowers into the home.

A Poet's Prayer

A Poet's Prayer

O God, give me words!

Give me white-haired mountains and cloud-swept sky,

Give me waterfalls, oceans, and deserts red-dry,

Give me the sun, the moon, the stars,

Give me an ant, a sapling, a spark,

Give me the rhythm of fall-winter-spring,

Teach me the song that every bird sings,

Unlock the secrets of a human soul,

Tell me Your story, so great and so old,

Stuff them with wonder the earth can't contain,

Then squeeze them by droplets into my brain.

Word that was flesh, can You be ink on a page?

Can You make my lips utter Your love and Your rage?

If so, do it, Lord.

O God, give me words!

Stephanie Alderton

This poem was written by a young lady in my church and posted at her high school graduation. I just fell in love with it when I first read it. Thought I'd post it here for the poets, writers, and speakers among us.

Thank you Stephanie for sharing this!

Flower Tip #5

Keep it cool!

Flowers will last longer if they are kept cool. This is why flowers are in coolers at floral shops. The wholesale warehouse keeps its cooler around 33 degrees. Really!

In December I did a wedding and kept all the flowers in our pantry--which gets really cold, but not freezing. It was the perfect flower cooler.

If you have some beautiful flowers that you want to last a long time, display them on the table during the day, and then put them in a cool place...maybe your basement...at night. You should get a longer life from the flowers.

BEWARE THE FRIDGE!!!! You would think the best thing to do would be to put those lovely blossoms in the fridge. Not so if you have fruit or veggies in there. Produce gives off a gas which will actually shorten the life span of your flowers. The temp. is good, the gas is not. Sorry.

So, keep it cool, and enjoy those flowers!