FALL for Peonies

It's been a busy week for me, designing birch scenes at Mt. Hood to support a good cause, attending my daughter's all-day horse show, and making fresh floral designs for a 50th Wedding Anniversary. Throw in a pulled-pork dinner for the gang and you get one tired lady.

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I have been in love with the combination of pink and orange in this tablescape for some time, and I've kept it pinned to the back of my mind for future inspiration. I knew it would eventually prove helpful, whether for an interior project or in a floral design. I find that the images I choose to keep for inspiration can influence my designs literally, in color palette or flower choice, or abstractly, by inspiring an outfit or a design for a room.

So, when I walked into the market on Friday and saw these pink peonies, I knew immediately that they would work with my floral vision for Sunday's event. The best part of this 50th Wedding Anniversary design was that my client gave me total creative freedom, requesting only that it be fall-like, which allowed me the opportunity to experiment a little. Music to my ears!

I decided to do one larger arrangement for the middle of the long table, with four petite designs to extend down the length. I chose a mix of fresh elements: pink peonies for fun, magnolia leaves for shine, ilex berries in orange, dutch hydrangea with a mottled hue, and berzelia baubles for some unusual texture.

A little pine to soften the edges, and to soften the fact that it's November and that the holiday season is upon us! Start your engines... I heard Christmas music at Home Depot today.