70th Birthday Designs

I was asked to design floral arrangements for my client Denise's Aunt's 70th Birthday Celebration, this past weekend.  The event was held at Donatello's Restaurante a delicious spot for Italian food, and it is right in my neck of the woods.

My client Denise and I talked about flower, vase, and linen selection. Denise told me that there would be one long table set up for her group of twenty. The details she provided me were all I needed to start my design process. I chose to design with five vases, one larger 8 x 8 vase, and four smaller 6 x 6 vases. Denise mentioned that she wanted to use calla lilies and hypericum as she had seen them in one of my previous designs. When I went to the market, and spotted these deep aubergine calla beauties I knew they were the perfect punch of color that I had envisioned for her designs.

Designing with flowers is not unlike designing a room or a vignette. It is important to consider scale, shape, texture and color in order to create an overall design that fits the space. I incorporated some angel hair vine from Save on Crafts for additional dimension, and a bit of whimsy. 

Pictures taken outside before the delivery, capture the romantic appeal of these designs.  I was almost sad to part with them, as I was very pleased with the results. I was hopeful at that point, that Denise would feel the same way.

My trusty burlap tablecloth came in handy during my little photo shoot. Lucky for me the cold was not due to set in until Sunday.

Votive candles I had on hand were added to set the mood. I love how the designs stand out against the white linens.

I am happy to report that my client Denise was extremely pleased, and I really look forward to working with her again.  I appreciated the opportunity to be able to take some liberties with the designs as Denise (the perfect client), let me do my thing.






Until next time...L.

Burlap Christmas, part deux

This will be the second year that we have cut down a tree at Durkee Trees in Littleton, Mass.  I am happy to report that this tree has been up since Thanksgiving weekend, and is still drinking water. It appears that we are in luck again this year.

As you know, I will be incorporating burlap into some of my Christmas designs this year. I added burlap ribbon to the tree to create a backdrop for my sparkly red berry strands. The burlap ribbon was purchased at my new favorite online craft store, Save on Crafts. A little elf is pictured off to the left, fixing the Christmas tree lights. This is the same little elf that had to have a Christmas tree two days after Thanksgiving. I guess we know who is in charge around here.

This picture was taken by my little elf, and insisted that it be used for the blog. This fish ornament was chosen by my son while on a shopping excursion with his Mimi at Jordan Marsh, many moons ago. He is now twenty one, so that gives you an idea of the time frame. It is funny how certain ornaments become favorites, and how they hold special memories for those who chose them. I remember being horrified at the sight of this fish when it arrived home. Back then, my tree was decorated in shades of pink which I know sounds quite frightening but at the time is seemed fine. It was the 90's, what can I say.

This is about the best picture that I could get of the tree. I only took about 300 pictures, but found it tough to work with the glare of the lights. I want to thank my little elf, because she helps to remind me about the true meaning of Christmas. THE PRESENTS!!!!




Until next time...L.