Overcome your Fear of Faux

It is very rare that I work with anything unnatural. Especially given my aesthetic and surroundings. Outside my door is a world of flowers, twigs, branches, moss and many other living things that I transform into arrangements. But every now and again the instance arises. Often budget is a factor for my clients or the wish for a flower out of season. In this case it was the desire of my client to keep her bouquet for years to come - something I can hardly disrepute.

One amazing thing about working with faux flowers is that they are much less fragile than living flowers. This opens up a whole world of possibilities. Or in this case, a whole world (okay, maybe just a bag) of sparkling accessories. When I met with my client she handed me a small bag filled with vintage jewels. Some were old pins, some were buttons,  and others were undetermined, but all were beautiful.

I spread them out and got to work, picking ones that were favorites but also picking ones that shared a similar shape or tone. Some were an intense white while others were a deep cream. Others had glistening silver and some a tarnished glow. The trick in adding any sort of jewels to your bouquets or other creations is to pick one look and stick with it. Otherwise the bright white will make the cream look dirty as will the bright metal against an older tarnished metal - rather than look like a marvelous vintage peice it will look dirty.

The outcome was a beautiful bunch of white peonies with special gems sprinkled in. The bride also gave me jeweled L and B letters, the first letters of her and her fiance's names. Rather than let those get lost amid the rounded jewels, I tied those at the base of the bouquet and paired them with a small antique clock. They add visual interest to the front of the bouquet without competing for attention.  That is the other trick with jewels, less can be more. If there is a vast sea of jewels, no one will notice the individuality of each one.

My piece of advice: don't be afraid to work with faux flowers. They are unlike real flowers in almost every way, but they provide a lot of great opportunities for creativity that real flowers don't allow - and bonus, they never wilt and you dont need to remember to give them a fresh supply of water each day!

An Unconventional Affair

Many of you may know a friend of mine, Roy Cerny. Roy has been a part of my family's lives for quite some time. My son worked with Roy when he was 16 years old and now 16 years later the two are still close friends. Jim also has a close friendship with Roy, one that grew over a love for the outdoors and camping in the Boundary Waters. They have a never ending book of stories and if you ask for one you'll walk away twelve stories, three hours, and one sideache (from laughter ) later.

For those of you who have friendships that have lasted a decade or two, or maybe even three, you can agree with me that there is something incredible about them. You live through the good and the bad with one another. You laugh together and cry together. You share joy and you share pain. Roy is one of these friends for us. And so when he approached me to do his wedding I said yes without hesitation and was blessed to be able to share in one of the happy moments.

In true Roy fashion, little about this wedding was conventional. There were no tuxes or formal clothing, in fact Roy and his bride Midge wore camoflauge..... yes you read it right, camoflauge. There couldn't have been a better attire for the two than hunting-inspired clothing with the bright orange as an accent. Your thoughts are probably similar to mine, how does one design flowers and decor for a such a wedding? Well, as in any design job I may come across, I love a good challenge. And this was no exception.




Nature was my inspiration. Both Roy and Midge are lovers of the great outdoors. It seemed to suit both them and their camo ensembles.  Rather than ribbons and silks I turned to birch tree trunks for the stem of the flowers. And instead of flower petals or crystals I filled vases with sand. The result was an unorthodox mix of rugged and feminine. 

It was unlike any wedding I have designed for, and unlike any wedding I have ever attended. But it was fitting for our friends and I couldn't have imagined it any other way. Congratulations Roy and Midge, here's to the decades to come.

As most of you native to Minnesota know, the days of summer are short and sweet. This seems especially true this year. I can count the days of sunshine and low humidity on one hand. Still, as soon as the grass is green and the flowers are budding you'll be scarce to find me anywhere but my garden. I've been doing a lot of re-design this summer and last.

Those of you who know my husband and I well, you know we are project and remodel junkies. I do not believe in the last 30 years we have owned our home we have once been projectless. Over these past few years we've made some major changes to our yard - adding a few rock retaining walls and leveling out some of the hills that surround the gardens closest to the house. Now what better excuse to switch up these gardens?!


My peonies in full bloom

 Besides the obvious factor that my love of gardening stems (no pun intended) from my love of flowers, 

it is the experience as a whole that keeps me coming back summer after summer. There is something cathartic about being in the sunshine with the grass inbetween your toes. And the simplistic joy that comes from watching my cat Olive mesmerized by the little red ladybug walking down a flower petal or the mother bird teaching her babies to fly in the nest nearby. If you don't have a garden, or haven't visited yours in a while, I suggest you do. There is nothing better than getting your hands dirty and experiencing a little of what nature has given us.

Studio time.

As business continues to grow, I've come to discover that finding space to work is seemingly more and more difficult. My projects trail from my dining room over to the entry way and on to the garage. There are vases and petals and clips of bouquet wire...well, everywhere! So when my husband and I embarked on yet another round of home remodel, we decided it would be a benefit (to both of us) to build an area in our home for me to work. So now rather than walk into our basement and see to your left our laundry and furnace room, you will see my studio.

While there is still an infinite amount of work ahead of us, the next thing on my checklist is choosing the interior design for the studio. Flowers can be quite messy so I need surfaces that clean easily and hide dirt. But I also want a space that is inspiring. I want to open the doors and smile. So I turned to one of my ever faithful books on color and space and began dreaming.

The swatches above show some of the colors I am hoping to use - vibrant pinks and soft yellows, a little black and a soft grayish green. The floor will most likely be a grayish green and black checkerboard and so to contrast the darkness I want the fresh vibrancy of yellows and pink on the walls, cabinets and/or countertops. Plus, if you know me, you know I love pink and black -  I couldn't have a studio without them! Can't wait to share the finished product with you.