Saturday's Bride

This is a picture of the beautiful Kasia who got married on Saturday at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington.   I worked on this wedding with my friend Terry who made this wonderful peony and ranuculus bouquet.

Spring Posey

A bird's eye view of a little spring posy.  Pink tulips, green viburnum from my garden, pink rice flower and a couple of cream roses.

Business lesson

I made this little piece at a meeting of my independent floral designers group (IFDA).  We had a workshop in which each of us got a slip of paper with instructions to make a specific piece within a specific price range.  My instructions were to make an arrangement to be given to a new hire (a man) for his desk, something zen and masculine for the retail cost of $75.  I came up with this - gold cymbidium orchids within a red twig dogwood framework, with some chartreuse moss, stones and a burgandy grass.  It was a fun exercise. 

Yard Art + Delivery

Today I delivered 23 little arrangements:  a horsetail background, tropical leaf and orchids and seeded eucalyptus in front on most and the addition of a calla leaf and brunia berries in a few others.    These went to Matisse Restaurant as favors for a thank you luncheon.  On the way I passed a riotous front yard on Fessenden St. with lots of great art.  Such fun to see.  One of the perks of driving around making deliveries.

FDR Memorial color studies

I went down to the FDR Memorial the other day.  The cherry trees were losing their petals and it was beautiful to see.  Pink petals all over the granite stones and plants.  The plantings in the memorial are maturing and soften the look of all that stone.  The first photo is of a pine tree interwoven with a blooming maple.  The second is of the petals on an about to bloom red azalea.

Landon party

They are having a party over at Landon tonight.  In part, it celebrates the return to the house after a fire in November.  I continued my tropical theme this time with apricot tulips, brezillia berries, mimosa, kangaroo pods, flax leaves and baby monsteras in  pinched waist vases.  

Today's arrangements

This morning I made some pieces for a fund raising dinner tonight.  The client wanted some small yellow arrangements for her kitchen and a large dramatic orchid piece for her living room.  I used yellow Finesse roses, yellow mimosa, Viking mums with varigated pittosporum for the kitchen flowers.  For the orchid arrangement I used 3 large brown cymbidium stalks, flax leaves, brown kangaroo paws, yellow mimosa and 2 baby monstera leaves.

Wednesday ikebana

Yesterday we made arrangements in the shoka shimputai style.  Our teacher has a black pussy willow plant in her yard and I used those branches with gold cymbidum orchids and some small eucalyptus twigs.  You can hardly go wrong with such strong elements.

Basket design

I made a little arrangement in a basket the other day.  I have little call for this type of thing but it is always fun to work on something like this.  Pink roses, novelty carnations, white tulips, white filler, pink larkspur and 3 types of foliage. 

Dinner party at Holton

On Sunday I made a few arrangements for a dinner party at Holton.  We used the Holton plaid for tablecloths and I used flowers that would go with the colors in the design:  blue iris, Vendela and Golda roses, some rolled gold speckled leaves and a little seeded eucalyptus.  I never tire of this type of arrangement - it may not be a design breakthrough, but it is always pretty.

Ikebana Class

Today in ikebana class we made some shapes with wood veneer and used those shapes as part of our arrangement.  I used an anthrium flower and crocodyllus foliage rolled and unrolled. 

French embassy event

Tonight I delivered a couple of buffet pieces down to the French embassy for an event.  They wanted tall buffet pieces with a modern tropical look.  I used anthiriums, orchids - green dendrobiums and green cymbidium, orange double parrots, brezillia berries, orange pincushions and several kinds of tropical leaves.

Flowers for Claire

My client Claire had a baby a few weeks ago and I have been running flowers over to her since.  This is the 3rd piece I made for her -  I used lovely garden roses with beautiful greenish cream hydrangeas, cream spray roses and princess pine in a cylindrical vase.

Sparkley Christmas

My friend Alice has the most wonderful house and I have posted pictures of her decorations before.  I may have even posted a picture of this fabulous rhinestone wreath, but I am sure she has added more glitter since.   It is pretty over the top for most people, but on her hall coat rack surrounded by hats and nothing more, it is just right.  At least in my opinion - what do you think?

Party flowers

Some shots of flower arrangements I made for a party on Sat. night.  The tablecloths were chartruese with a bronze overlay so I found some wonderful green hydrangeas - both full size and mini and added in cream roses and callas, green cymbidium orchids, magnolia leaves, lemony green cedar, berzilia berries in two sizes and in the larger piece, bells of ireland. 

Silk arrangement

I made this silk and dried arrangement for a house last week.  I used dried lotus pods, lemon leaf that will dry nicely and wonderful silk roses, hydrangea and evergreens. 

Embassy Christmas party

Some details from tonight's Christmas party at the French embassy.  The color palette was a mix of silver and gold - it was very festive.  We used white roses and hydrangeas and lisianthus, holly berries and a mix of evergreens - princess pine, cedar and  white pine.  We added in iridescent snowflakes - in the arrangements themselves, on the sides of the vases and sprinkled on some of the tables. 

Ikebana class

This week we did a simple arrangement - an uneven number of stems, 3 different floral materials, all in a row. 

I went to the wholesaler to pick up flowers for a job and found  these wonderful peach anemones with cherry red markings, they were too pretty to leave behind.  and I brought them to class for this piece.  I
added a stem of red twig dogwood from my yard and an interesting tropical leaf with a serrated edge to
complete the design. 

Speedy delivery

My next door neighbor ordered some flowers for her Thanksgiving tables.  They came over to pick up the 6 pieces with their old Radio Flyer Wagon.  I may have to get one of those wagons for my own deliveries.

I used beautiful Fado roses, burgandy mums, hypericum berries, wax flowers and green pittosporum.

Burgundy, lime green and grey

I have a theory that adding the color burgundy or lime green or grey to any arrangement elevates the sophistication of the color palette.  This little arrangement has burgundy photinia leaves, my latest enthusiasm.  They are a perfect addition to many arrangements.  I am now looking for a place to plant one - my yard is filling up with all types of foliage plants.

Candle wreath

Today I delivered a wreath of dried and silk flowers that sits around a large vase filled with candles.  I matched the flowers as closely as possible to the colors of the rug in the room.  It was fun - dried hydrangeas, 3 colors of silk hydrangeas, silk cream fringed gerbers, lotus pods in 2 different sizes and a variety of other silk and dried flowers. 

Flowers for an art opening

I made these two pieces for an art opening.  I used a new mimosa foliage that is silvery green, cream hydrangeas, Sweet Eskimo pink roses, dusty miller, cream lisianthus and seeded eucalyptus. 

The wedding of Alex and Van

Today Alex and Van are getting married.  They have a beautiful fall day in Washington, DC and will be able to have their ceremony outside in the courtyard of the Arts Club of Washington on I St.  I think her bouquet is among the prettiest I have made - I used pink cymbidium orchids, Free Spirit and Anna roses, orange freesia and ranuculus and put a collar of red photinia leaves around it.  Free Spirit describes Alex and I used that rose throughout the wedding palette.  Two wire urns mark the ceremony area in the courtyard - I made a wreath of hydrangea, Free Spirit roses, photinia leaves, burgandy amaranthus and some mini pink garden roses and used gold painted birch branches in the center.  The centerpieces had the color volume pumped up with Free Spirits, orange Mambo spray roses, purple tulips, magenta carnations and fuschia roses. 

French embassy event

This week we did the flowers for a corporate event at La Maison Francaise at the French Embassy.  We used fall colored roses - Gypsy Curiosa and Manitou, Dutch red antique hydrangeas, peach hypericum and red photinia leaves in gold cubes and on top of gold painted trumpet vases.  Gold birch branches topped the tall pieces.  It was a very pretty combination on brown and gold embroidered tablecloths.

Vintage weddings

Lately we seem to be working with brides who have large bridal parties.    It is an interesting trend but 

obviously not a new one.  I can't remember where I found this picture but had to share it.  We haven't had a wedding yet with 11 bridesmaids, but we have gotten close.