Tuesday, 30 March 2010

I'd rather have a table full of roses than "diamonds round my neck", Emma Goldsmith

Bouquet of pink and white roses

From a box of roses to this bouquet of flowers for a leaving present. A Mum to be is leaving work and I made this gift. I sell such a bouquet for £40 as if has 20 fabulous roses in it and I need to have a weeks notice so that I can order my flowers from the supplier.

A box full of roses

I love it when the postman brings me flowers. It really makes my day. How I love being a florist as it gives me the chance to work with such wonderful materials and produce fabulous arrangements.

Wedding consultation

I love my studio it is such a light and airy space. I enjoyed setting it all up for when a bride came to have a chat about flowers.

Monday, 22 March 2010

8 week old cutie!


Oh so cute - weddings and also new babies what a great way to spend the day. On Friday visited my friend and her new baby boy only 8 weeks old, so cute and cuddly. We really enjoyed catching up and having lots of cuddles with Pavlos. And getting to chat about flowers for Mums future wedding next year too.

Purple Ribbon for handtied

.

Bridesmaids Bouquet


This is a cute bridesmaids bouquet with small roses and purple verbena, tied with a lovely purple ribbon which is the favourite colour of one of my brides.

Meeting my brides


I've been out and about meeting some brides last week and have been getting excited about what I will be doing over the summer months for them. I've been making a few tasters so they can see what I do. With June and July weddings we have such fabulous flowers available during the summer months and I think that really the only way to go is with a full seasonal display of delphiniums, peony's, hydrangeas, aster, pinks and of course roses. And stock, simple but elegant no need to mess with it, just let it speak for itself.

Thursday, 11 March 2010

Mothering Sunday

I have just been to my daughters school assembly today and had such a lovely time watching and listening to the children talk and sing about their mums. How important we are to them and how we make them feel so special - I cried when my daughter said the special pray - she was beautiful and made me so proud. At the end each mummy was given a love heart decorated with theses words

A Mother is a special friend,
Who knows your past,
Believes in your future
And loves you
Just as you are.

Wishing you all a lovely Mothers Day.


Then after the excitement of this morning I came home to my post bag including yes the usual billls! - but the fabulous brochure of David Austin with all their wonderful new roses. They produce stunning English cut garden roses and are some of the most highly desired flowers in the world. Unlike most mass produced roses which have a small petal head, lacking in scent, David Austin roses form large blooms packed with delicate petals which when opened are truly spectacular. Hurray I can now supply these flowers to all my lovely brides. http://www.davidaustinroses.com/

Tuesday, 9 March 2010

Thought for the day


"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." – Iris Murdoch

Saturday, 6 March 2010

Van Gogh Exhibition at the Royal Academy

Went to the Van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy on Friday with my good friends Karen, Anthony and my brother Dan. I really enjoyed the exhibition, it documented the great struggle that Van Gogh went through to develop his talent. It proved too much and he rather sadly took his own life, but he left behind a wonderful legacy in his collection of artwork.

The painting Flowering Garden with Path was a highlight of the show for me. Such a fantastic use of the contrasting colours - red, green, blue, orange, yellow and violet really animate the painting of a Provencal garden. Definitely a colour combination to try in my next flower commission - just to try and capture the essence of the artwork would be amazing.

We ended this great day with what else but afternoon tea including an indulgent glass of champagne - truly scrumptious! 

Glorious Gerberas


I've been commissioned to make 8 of these pretty cerise and orange gerbera arrangements. Such a bold colour choice but it definitely has some wow to it.

Ravishing Ranunculus


This is my latest commission. A gift of orange and yellow ranunculus - these are such a gorgeous flower and the colour combination is inspiring. Really reminds me of a sunset and the arrival of those warm summer days. I liked this bouquet so kept some of the flowers I got from the market and made a very similar arrangement for myself!

Blooming Hyacinths

I just love my display of blue hyacinths. I planted lots of bulbs 2 months before christmas and put them in my warm dark airing cupboard. They started to sprout with green shoots in January and we have got the final lovely flowers blooming now. The smell is amazing. Lots of effort to propagate your own bulbs but it is definitely worth it.

Wednesday, 3 March 2010

Another Lulu Guinness Design

Lulu Guinness Flower Shop Bag

Went on a shopping trip with my good friend Nikki to get a little retail therapy this week. It's a great way to keep up with trends and what's in and out of fashion. A big trend for spring is definitely the floral theme - flowers are covering lots of things this year - it is definitely floral, floral everywhere!
But my favourite item that I would just love to have is this gorgeous Lulu Guinness Flower Shop bag. The inspiration came from the famous Columbia Road Flower Market in London and the picture captures your typical flower shop window display - fantastic. Can I have one please! Need to get a few more flower commissions with a £250 price tag!

Monday, 1 March 2010

Flowers and that feel good factor

According to a study at the State University of New Jersey, "the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behaviour in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed".

Jeanett Havilland- Jones, a Psychology professor at the university says: "Common sense tells us that flowers makes us happy. Now science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional wellbeing."

Mirror Cube Arrangement

My Valentines creation, a dozen red roses with foliage in a mirror cube vase. Delightful.
If God had not created women, he would not have created flowers