Moss Balls not Moth Balls

Tonight was the Kokedama workshop that I designed for my garden club. I created this sample Kokedama to provide some inspiration, and to help get the creative juices flowing for the night. A petite salver that I purchased from HomeGoods, is the perfect resting place for this egg and nest inspired design.

Kokedama translated, means "moss balls." A Japanese art form considered to be a cousin of the Bonsai.

Low-light plants paired with moss make an ideal combination for indirect light. A mixture of three soils including Akadama, to achieve the desired soil consistency needed for these balls of moss.

Petite mossy balls of cuteness make for a design-marriage made in heaven.

As I have only just begun to scratch the surface of this newfound design style, you can expect to see more of these in the future.


Until next time... L

FRESH Possibilities

My little elf and I had some holiday fun, making FRESH arrangements for our home. We created arrangements with assorted cuttings fresh from our yard, and fresh from our hearts.

With some outdoor inspiration in mind, we decided to design with oasis. This gave me the chance to spend a little one-on-one time with my little elf and teach her some of the basics of floral design. A HomeGoods mercury glass container makes the perfect home for the first design.

A faux succulent from Pottery Barn tucks into a nest made of grapevine. Andromeda makes perfect color sense with this succulent theme.

Lambs Ear, Arborvitae, Boxwood and Birch make this a soft landing for this glitzy reindeer given to me by a friend.

Birch containers with a nest of orange kumquats and a little sparkly deer.

Last but not least, and designed by my little elf is this adorable fox design. Perfect for her bedroom to enjoy over the holidays.



Until next time...L

Pumpkin Designs | 2012

We spent this past Sunday bracing for Hurricane Sandy, and preparing our pumpkins for Halloween night. The lead designer was my daughter, who did an outstanding job. She used inspiration from online sources, and from the October issue of Country Living.

Pinterest was the inspiration behind this pumpkin-eat-pumpkin design.

Silhouettes are all the design-rage this year, and pumpkin silhouettes are no exception. She created this howling wolf design with the addition of orange and black ribbon that she found in my studio.

A little vignette created with her smallest pumpkin creation positioned on the top of the lantern. This black lantern was a FIND at HomeGoods last year. I used it for my Boxford Holiday Homes Tour design, and I knew it would come in handy.

The lead designer sporting her Harry Potter scarf, and fake teeth.




Until next time...L.

Art in Bloom | 2012

Artist: Britt Daw

Tonight is the opening night reception at the Lynnfield Library for Art in Bloom 2012. I am finally ready to interpret my painting for the second, and final time. I will be designing with fresh flowers, yippee.  My fresh floral interpretation will be on display at the Lynnfield Library from March 12-16, 2012, along with my fellow garden clubbers. I wanted my approach to be completely different than the silk interpretation that I had done for the window display. Demonstrating that there are many ways in which one can interpret a piece of art. Even if it is done twice, by same person.

I found this interesting lantern at none other than, HomeGoods. It was love at first sight!  I believe that the shape, color, shading and architectural feel of this lantern will be the twist I need to make this interpretation different from the last. I will not have to be concerned with size, like in the library window design. The lantern will represent the significance of the Eiffel Tower's size that I had wanted to represent in my design.

Who doesn't love the look of a great nest? This one I had on-hand, and it reminded me of all things french. It speaks of a stark winter with leafless trees, seen in the painting. Something a little unexpected to suggest a touch of softness (feathers), which will be in contrast to the towers cold metal exterior.

Floral elements for my design are tones of white to play on the winter scene, roses, lilies, pussy willow and Arabicum.

A close up of the flowers positioned inside the lantern. I adore the reflection of the lights against the glass. Not willing to change my original plan of having the arrangement inside the lantern, adjustments had to be made to make it fit. And, what seemed impossible this afternoon, worked out fine in the end.

The nest tucks in nicely against the burlap backdrop.

Thanks goes out to Britt Daw, whose beautiful watercolor of the Eiffel Tower was the inspiration behind all of my designs. Until next year...




L.

Boxford Holiday Homes Tour, part deux

"Nothing is worth doing, unless it is overdone"

                                                                                     anonymous source

This past weekend I was one of the featured designers, at the Holiday Homes Tour in Boxford, "Entertaining with Style." I chose to design my space with a slightly less traditional theme in mind. I decided to use my parent's annual cider party as my inspiration. A tradition that still exists today, thanks to my sister.

To begin the process, it was important to first consider the space (a beautiful front porch), and its unique features. The gorgeous wood floors and weathered gray walls, helped to create the ideal backdrop for my cider party theme.

My goals for the space were understated and sophisticated, so burlap table covers seemed like the logical place to start. When creating a design with a theme in mind, you can never spend too much time (including non-waking hours), figuring out how to best work in as much detail as humanly possible.

And since designing is like telling a story, this one began with a press.

My husband often helps me realize some of the mechanical aspects of my design ideas, which there are many. He is the engineer and I am the architect, for lack of a better word. Here is a collaboration between the architect and the engineer - not the best photo angle:(  Dear, I want a cone shaped holder for my design project, please. Oh, and did I mention there are nine chairs?

All the props used for my cider party space were either from my own private collection or for the most part, HomeGoods. Keeping cost down without sacrificing the quality of a good design is like music to my ears.

Mixing in heirloom pieces and HomeGoods finds, brings up the level of formality while creating a more unique aesthetic. My grandmother would be over the moon to see her red goblets in action. I never tire of their beautiful jewel tones.

photo credit: Yvonne Blacker

My son's painting is featured in this cider party vignette. A treasure of mine from his high school years at St. John's Prep. I immediately envisioned the painting hanging in this space, as the colors speak of fall with a contemporary flare. It hangs in my home and I have the luxury of admiring it everyday.

To the left of the porch is where all the cider-making happens, along with some "comfortable" seating. This press was purchased by my Dad from "The State of Washington," and has been in my family for over 32 years. It has graced many a lawn, around this time of year.

And last but not least, a little children's paradise, hidden under the weeping cedar. I can't even begin to imagine how old this tree is. Any guesses?

I want to thank my husband for all his help, as this design project would not have been possible. Honestly...the heavy lifting could not have been done alone.

I look forward to the opportunity of participating in the Boxford Holiday Homes Tour, again. I had the chance to meet some great people, and spend the day touring some fabulous Boxford homes. As I begin to put away all my design props, and return to a more normal schedule, it feels a bit strange to put this project to bed. Onto Thanksgiving, I guess.

Until next time... L.

Boston Antique Show

I had the wonderful opportunity to design a floral arrangement for my friend and designer, Yvonne Blacker. Yvonne's latest venture is her online magazine, New England Finery. New England Finery was in attendance at the Boston Antique Show, this past weekend. I was very honored and excited to be able to have my design on display at such a large event. I met Yvonne several years ago through the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield. Yvonne has been working diligently these last few years building a business for herself, and putting her design ideas out there for all to enjoy. She has been a true inspiration.

When I begin the design process for a project such as this, I have to work with visuals provided by the client. Yvonne had given me photos of her furniture, rug and color selections for the space. One additional inspiration was the cover of her online magazine, New England Finery.

While meandering through HomeGoods as I often do, I scored this outstanding vase. Not knowing all the details of the design yet, I took a chance. I had a feeling that this vase might work, and if it didn't I would use it for something else. The vase is a modern interpretation of a hobnail milk glass design, and its height was a lot of fun to work with.

After my design was complete, I planned a visit to see Yvonne's dinning room vignette in person. I wanted to be assured that my arrangement had helped to support her overall design concept. Working with photos can be tricky, but I like the challenge. I was pleased to see that all was as it should be, and thrilled about the feedback that I received from the antique show patrons.




Until next time... L.

Art in Bloom | 2011

Tonight was opening night for the Village Garden Club's Art in Bloom program. Garden Club members chose paintings by artists of the Lynnfield Art Guild that they then interpret with flowers. All paintings and floral designs are on display from April 11-15, 2011 at the Lynnfield Library for the public to enjoy.

This year I interpreted a painting called "Covered Bridge" by artist Carol MacKendrick, a member of the Guild. The colors in this painting were fantastic to work with.

The process starts (for me) with finding the "right" container, which happened to be at HomeGoods. I then brainstorm about what I want my design to say, visually, and what I might imagine the artist was trying to portray in his/her painting. It's a way to use my creative talents, and to showcase (hopefully) the artists work in living form.

The fact that this container was wooden, and had legs made my job even easier.  The color and shape of the container were just the icing on the cake. The combined elements of the container helped to support the look of the bridge, and create the feeling of a horse drawn carriage. The open design created by flower placement helps to show the pathway through the bridge; giving the design a focal point around the horse. A horse was an obvious add-in (for me), as the dark color helps to depict the inside of the bridge. I envisioned a horse from the moment I looked at this painting as though the scene had come to life. My choice of flower material was geared toward color and texture. I love strong colors so this painting really spoke to me.

This is my sixth year participating in this program, and I look forward to many more. It is always sooo interesting to see what other garden club members create. I always learn a little something each year from the other members as each interpretation is unique in its own way.



Until next time...L.