Calla Staircase

Coming for Valentine's Day 2009: Calla Staircase, by Margaret Box

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to share pics from a recent event, this past Sunday at the Tower Club, in Downtown Dallas. Professional pics to arrive in the New Year!

Red and White Anemone, White Hydrangea, Pyrocantha berries, Un-named grape colored berries, cedar, juniper berries, hyacinth, feathers, tulips, green kale, Casablanca lilies, plumosa fern, tree fern, Granny Smith Apples

Congrats to Eric & Maria!

12.06.2008

Maria and Eric were married at the Weisfeld Center in Dallas, Texas. I have not had the pleasure of seeing the professional photos yet, but even these quick snapshots convey what a fun, playful, and unique vision Maria (an elementary school art specialist) dreamed up to celebrate their nuptials.

We also incorporated a patch from Maria's grandfather's military service uniform from WW II as an honorable tribute to her relationship with him. The bridal bouquet used a white ribbon to reflect her German heritage.

The table settings are paves of amaryllis and green spider mum in stainless steel cubes. The uber-linear design played very well against the period stainglass in the reception hall.

Congratulations to Eric & Maria!

Poinsettia Care

That special time of year is here! Here is information you need to know how to care for your poinsettias.

1. If you buy your plant from the store, remove the plastic sleeve as soon as you get home and water thoroughly.
2. Display your plants in a bright location, but avoid direct sunlight which can burn the bracts.
3. Avoid drafty locations, where either hot or cold air will blow directly on your plant.
4. The best temperatures for poinsettias are between 65-75 degrees. Do not exposure your plant to temperatures below 50 degrees.
5. Keep soil moist to the touch, but don’t allow it to become soggy or sit in water.
6. Remember: Poinsettias are toxic to animals!!!

What if I want to cut my poinsettia and put it into an arrangement?

First singe the ends for 30 seconds over an open flame to prevent the milky-sap from leaking out into your arrangement. This leakage is toxic to other plants and will cause your poinsettia blooms to dehydrate quickly!

ATribute

We were challenged to make a piece this week for a certain special someone at Barney's NY. We came up with two ideas and the one in the black vase won. The other one - which we knew was over the top to begin with, is now gracing our store front window to welcome holiday shoppers on Friday. Why so obnoxious? The challenge we were given was to create a design the matched Barney's decor. This holiday season their decor looks like my grandmother's craft bag exploded on a warehouse full of Helmut Lang.


Czarina Umi

Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Flowers

I was sitting down to write a post with advice for brides who are beginning to plan their big events for the Spring when I happened upon this article by Karen. She said it so well I thought I'd just let her do the talking...


Excerpted from Simply Stunning Wedding Flowers by Karen Bussen:

"Pruning your Blossoming Budget"

• Stay seasonal:

If you've chosen a date and a location, use flowers that are readily available rather than fancy imported blooms. Peonies, like many other special flowers, including dahlias, cosmos, lilies of the valley, amaryllises, ranunculuses, and hyacinths are only in season during certain months and can be unavailable - or a lot more expensive - in between growing periods.

• Don't overdecorate your ceremony.

Think of your flowers as a tribute, not as an opportunity for excess. Create a beautiful backdrop for your vow space, and place something special at the beginning of the aisle to mark your entrance. Avoid sight-blocking arrangements at all cost.

• Banish random decor.

Stay away from pedestals and small arrangments placed here and there. These random elements tend to disappear in a party space. Instead, concentrate on areas that are focal points (fireplaces, entrances, escort card table, and so on) and create something spectacular there.

• Think double-duty.

Design clever details you can use twice. Don't, however, move arrangements from your ceremony to your reception if it will make for akward timing or will impact your guests ("Excuse me, Aunt Betty, can you move so the florist can grab that aisle marker?)

• Remember, some holidays affect flower prices.

In general, flowers (and sometimes design-labor charges) are more costly around Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas and New Year's Eve.


And I'd also like to add:

When you visit your florist, try to bring a few tears from magazines or pictures from the internet. It is likely that your floral designer has a certain style of his or her own. It will help the both of you determine whether or not you are a good fit for one another.

Feel comfortable asking questions about pricing up front, and if you know that you have a strict budget don't be embarassed. Being forth coming will take pressure off of you and save everyone involved from persuing options that aren't realistic possibilites.

And lastly, be open to the unexpected!

Part II of pics

Credit: Real Simple Weddings






Credit: Four Season's Paris

Inspirations for a New Texan!

Credit: 

Photography:  Jill Broussard

Model: Miriana Andreeva

Credit: Magazine Tear

I'm posting pics for a friend.  Above are pictures for her (and your) perusal.  She hails from the North East and is in the midst of planning a wedding! How difficult in a new city. Our goal today is to show her a few directions she can move in and give her a leg up in the planning process!

coming soon....

This week we will post pictures from the Oak Cliff Home Tour, Laura & George's wedding this past Friday, and a few sample Thanksgiving centerpieces that are a new take on old classics.

As engagement season gears up in Texas I will also be sharing some advice on how to pick your flowers and the florist that is the right fit for you. It will include a list of questions to ask, and answers to look for to make sure that your florist understands you.

In the meantime, enjoy this quote from Real Simple Weddings:

Jewel Tones!

Just because Fall is here doesn't mean all the colors have to dry up. Fall opens up an entirely different rich color palette from the Summer because it is finally cool enough again for places like Holland and the Mid-West to start producing peonies, agapanthus, hyacinths and other cold-weather loving flowers.

The celosia and cymbidium combination really anchor this arrangement while allowing the airy agapanthus to act like an exclamation point at the end of a well-crafted declarative statement.

Rebecca Harvey Tea Pots coming soon!

Arriving in November, just in time for the Christmas Holidays, are lovely tea pots and vases by UK ceramic artist Rebecca Harvey. Check with just after Thanksgiving to snag one of these delightful vessels!

Featured flowers: Anemones

Love Potion No. 9

Okay, that was trite. But seriously... a really cool gift is to give your loved one one of these vintage medicine bottles. In the shop we have ones that even have funny phrases stamped into the glass such as "Kills Pain." So whether your best friend is suffering through an awful break-up, or you want to convince your lover that you are the only medicine he will ever need... one of these old tincture bottles might be just what the doctor ordered!

Fall is here!

Let chocolate cosmos and orange unique roses welcome the Fall breeze into your home. Friends don't let friends use artificial wreaths!

Welcome Green Pet!

Installation Floral would like to welcome Green Pet to Bishop Arts!