Sunday Dinner

Last weekend my boyfriend's Mom invited us over for some burgers at her house and I had plenty of flowers left over from the farmer's market.  My boyfriend's five-year-old nephew said that "he liked them," and quizzically asked if they were real.  I like a five-year-old that appreciates flowers.

Weekend Farmer's Market: Summer Arrangement

Another weekend trip to the farmer's market and supporting the local flower cause.  I cannot take credit for the combination of these flowers because I purchased them as pre-picked bunches of flowers.  I like the wildflower, rainbow effect they all have together.



And when I woke up in the mornings I got to see these lovely colors.  And Domo, of course.

Floral Design Class: Scalene and Vertical

One of the other styles we tackled in our advanced class was the Scalene Triangle design.  We had a lot of different flowers and greens to choose from, thanks to Carol and to other classmates with overflowing gardens of their own.  I used yellow gladiolus and some sort of fern to make the basic frame and I used some form of oregano (I believe that's what it was...) and misty to fill in a little of the negative space.  I liked the overall dramatic look of it and had fun watching my gladiolus open over the week.

And now for the design I battled with.  I don't know why, but I had a lot of trouble with the vertical arrangement.  Maybe it was a bad night, maybe I was tired, or maybe I just need more practice with it, but I was frustrated with my result.  We used myrtle and swordfern and [insert name of unidentifiable purple line flower seen here! Anyone know?] to make the vertical frame and used carnations and pom-pons to draw the eye up.  Amaranthus, pittosporum, and leatherleaf helped to frame the bowl.  I'm not sure, I can't put my finger on what I don't like.  The amaranthus look whimpy, that's for sure.

Floral Design Class: Biedermeier

I was instantly excited when we began learning about Biedermeier-style arrangements because, as I've said before, I enjoy balance and preciseness in design.  So, concentric rings?  Sign me up!


The bird's eye view of my first attempt at a Biedermeier is pretty cool.  I definitely like this view better than the more important side views, but it was my first try.  I look forward to making some during Christmas.

I really wanted to stick to rings of the same color, but we were low on flowers and there was no way I was going to have enough yellow carnations to complete the lower ring.  The different colors break up the rings, but I still like the effect.  A very fun first attempt.

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day this year I decided to practice and let my Mom hopefully enjoy the fruits of this practice.  I found the gorgeous pink heather at a local flower market and I snatched it up and quickly bought it.  As I walked to the car, however, I remembered that the one color my Mom loathes is pink.  I think, though, the amazing fragrance of the heather made up for its color.  I used purple statice and first learned of my hatred for mums.  Maybe the mums from Trader Joe's were old or something, but they were unruly and their heads kept popping off.  I liked the wildflowery, summery look and it looked great on the dining room table!

My Mom enjoyed her arrangement and the little present I left her on her bedside table.