Bouquet of the Week




This week's bouquet is a style that looks much better when held upright. I admit it's my hand in the photo! The purple mini Phalaenopsis Orchids are fun to work with and pretty hearty in the heat. I look forward to future orchid work!
In the meantime I offer a mini suite of photos that compliment the bouquet.

Enjoy!

Posted in: , on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at at 11:40 PM 0 comments  

Sample at Testarossa

May starts the official wedding season and in that spirit I feel like posting a sneak peek at our Memorial Day weekend event. This morning was the floral sample meeting at Testarossa and the staff couldn't be more friendly and helpful. If you are ever in Los Gatos with time to spare head over and have a wine tasting, picnic on the porch, or walk the beautiful grounds. http://www.testarossa.com/

The wedding should be fresh and fun with our Irish bride and Italian groom. It's the island meets the peninsula with green, white, and a hint of champagne!

-Karin

Posted in: on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at at 10:03 PM 0 comments  

Sage in My Garden

There is so much to know about flowers, foliage, identification, and cultivation of plants. I am constantly surprised at the variety of flowers and plants out there and what they are capable of. This past fall in the garden I let all the herbs stay put and uprooted all of the annuals like tomatoes. To my surprise the sage went wild and survived the winter. It proceeded to take over 3 square feet and bloom in a dazzling display of purplish- blue this month. The flowers are splendid and I am planning all of the stuffing recipes I will need to make use of this abundant herb. Thanksgiving in June perhaps? Sage bouquet anyone?

Posted in: on Sunday, April 19, 2009 at at 1:28 PM 0 comments  

Honorable Mention

My name and face showed up in Liz Guthrie's own Wedding Soup blog for San Jose Wedding Consultants. There's a photo of me enjoying the wine at the Long Branch Saloon and Farms event to showcase the venue. Liz describes it best here: http://www.bayareaweddingsoup.com/

Liz's site: http://www.sanjoseweddingconsultants.com/

Posted in: on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at at 1:53 PM 0 comments  

Water: A Bride's Best Friend


Submerging flowers is still in for 2009 and I am happy about it! Not only is it an elegant effect by having your flowers showcased and brilliantly magnified in a full glass vase, but water remains affordable. Filling all of those lovely vases can be a tad laborious for the florist but we are used to working with H2O and therefore have strong backs!

Pictured above are several dendrobium orchids that come alive submerged in a 2 foot vase.

Posted in: on Friday, April 17, 2009 at at 1:36 PM 0 comments  

Bouquet of the Week


Our Bi-weekly feature bouquet turns to the tropical with an old favorite of mine that includes Pitcher Plants, Mini Callas, and Cymbidium Orchids. What I love about this one is that the sturdy flowers used guarantee it will not wilt quickly.

Posted in: on Monday, April 13, 2009 at at 2:39 PM 0 comments  

Jasmine in my Garden

Saturday, my family and I went to the hardware store for some summer gardening supplies and there they had the most fragrant and beautiful Jasmine vine! Remembering the words of Michael Daigian I immediately placed it in the cart to plant in the house garden. It seems to be a smart investment since it grows like mad and is becoming the "ivy" of choice among modern brides. There's nothing wrong with Ivy but I imagine the plant was so overdone in the 80's and 90's that brides of today want a change. Nancy Liu Chin also has a fondness for Jasmine and taught me how to use it well.

Above is an arrangement that has pink winding Jasmine to give it the scent and movement that made it a favorite at Susan's baby shower. I look forward to using some from my own garden some day this summer to accentuate some lovely wedding florals.

Posted in: on at at 1:50 PM 0 comments  

Happy Easter

My front door is not easy to miss due to my love of wreaths. This idea came from Southern Living Magazine and is affordable and darling. I encourage everyone to get a straw wreath, some plastic Easter eggs, ribbon, and a hot glue gun and have fun.

Happy Easter to all of you!

-From the Woodwards

Posted in: , on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at at 10:00 AM 0 comments  

Competition School: An Ode to Klaus Wagener

This past week in floral competition class our instructor created a mid term group project that involved learning about a designer and featuring their work in a showcase for the class. Our foursome (Nixon, Sonia, Areum & I) chose Klaus Waneger; the wild and oddly controlled designer from Europe who has very natural, unusual, and sometimes gravity defying works.

(If you scroll his home page gallery you will see why we did what we did)

It was fun to create innovative designs that weren't so commercial and I wanted to share with you what we presented to the class. With use of such unusual products as paper, sea cucumber, and asparagus, let our inner Wageners shine. My project was the rectangle (above) that was described by classmates as "beautifully delicious", and "making me hungry". Why does it always have to come back to food?

Posted in: on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at at 10:33 PM 0 comments  

Shower for a Baby Girl

I recently had the privilege of doing the florals for a 45 guest baby shower in Novato. It was not only a party I helped to decorate, but one I was invited to as well. What a a treat to see the guests enjoying my hard work and attention to detail (and the hosts too!)

I would like to first and foremost thank Ginny, April, and Robin for the opportunity to display my flowers and of course the ever glowing Susan (pictured below). April and Robin worked so hard on every element of the day. The theme had developed from pink and yellow to later, more purples, based on this rather unique napkin that April found that had a little baby in a white bathtub with bubbles. It was only fitting that I created these charming white ceramic low vases with the same colors in flowers. My favorite items were the door wreath (featured in my recent wreath blog) and the baby block made of pom pon mums. So cute! I now await news of a new baby girl in their family. What a great blessing that will be!!

-Karin

Posted in: on at at 8:27 PM 0 comments  

Stephanotis Dream


In school Thursday there was a donation from a local grower of several full boxes of pristine, white, plump Stephanotis. Our class was just before Spring break therefore we had the privilege of taking home a box each of the fragrant and pricey flower. Martha Stewart had an all Stephanotis wreath in her Weddings magazine five years ago and the photo claimed it was beautiful but a budget "splurge"! This was truly a fortune in flowers given to me.
Also that night Michael Daigian stopped by to show us some of his most popular bridal bouquets. It was a lesson I'll never forget. He is a friendly and calm personwho had the entire room enchanted by his presence. http://www.michaeldaigian.com/
It was a real treat to both learn from a master and have the hundreds of Stephanotis to work with at my studio. You wouldn't believe the aroma of these blooms!This is the inspiration board that I came up with for the week.
Enjoy the Stephanotis Dream!

Posted in: , on Monday, April 6, 2009 at at 2:48 PM 0 comments  

Narcissus in my Garden


Since this is a floral blog I feel the need to show off my favorite flowers that happen to be in my yard at this very moment. I bought the bulbs at Costco and I am very impressed with their height and heartiness. I was supposed to plant them in the fall and instead waited until February. The plants themselves would have bloomed earlier, but it's a nice treat to have them after all of the neighborhood daffodils have faded.
The most pleasant surprise so far is the interesting breeds and scents. The double bloom (bottom left corner) is by far the most fragrant. I look forward to it multiplying and showing up again next spring!


Posted in: on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at at 10:29 AM 0 comments  

Welcome!

A door wreath is something that says welcome in the most beautiful way. Some people may think that wreaths are only for funerals, but I feel they are appropriate and special for any happy life event. I believe it was the Greeks who first twisted laurel and olive trees into rings. I found this quote from suite 101.com:

A wreath was called a diadem, from the Greek word diadema, meaning "a thing bound around." Diadems were bands of fabric worn to symbolize royalty. During the Greek Olympics, wreaths were made of various leaves, such as olive and laurel, and given as prizes. The olive tree became the symbol for peace and we've all heard the phrase "to earn your laurels."


So I am proud to show off the oval wreath that adorned the front door at the baby shower for my dear friend Susan in Novato. It was held at her family home and organized by her two sisters-in-law, April and Robin. Of course, her mother Ginny was very involved and all 45 attendants has a wonderful time. In my next post I will go into more detail, but I just had to share this magnificent floral piece that adorned Ginny's very red door.
Enjoy!

Posted in: on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at at 9:33 AM 0 comments  

Ranunculus & Roses


Today's inspiration board is unabashed in it's hue. Pink is on my mind again and these double ranunculus fit the part so well. When I design, I always have the big picture in mind. It may take days to create in my spare time, but I steal every extra minute I can to complete the idea.
In this montage, Orlando roses are sugary sweet and paired with quince and some fresh geranium leaf. The container with the open door was an impulse purchase and I have been waiting to fill it with flowers that were bright enough to be noticed inside.
The horizontal wreath is something I am really excited about. It's a cross between a may pole and a flat table wreath and I can't wait to someday use it as a large centerpiece in a wedding.
It's funny how the mind always wanders back to food when describing color and texture, but I can't help but imagine cotton candy today.

Posted in: on at at 12:30 AM 0 comments  

Bouquet of the Week


I just realized that the bi-weekly bouquet is a bit overdue. Here is the bouquet of the week. It is a preview to a pink ranunculus series that will be featured very soon...

Posted in: on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at at 11:04 PM 0 comments  

Easter Memories


Last Easter my life was a little bit more simple. I was at home with my son more often and we had a sweet little party for all of his baby friends (and their mommies). As favors I made these carnation bunnies and had baskets with real grass and large floral eggs. It was adorable.

We'll see what the bunny brings to the house this year!

Karin

Posted in: on at at 10:36 PM 0 comments  

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