June Bliss

We all love the laid-back days of June. The sounds, smells, textures and sights of the onset of summer fill the days and nights with feelings of delight and excitement.

If you are lucky enough to have a garden, potential flower arrangements to boost those 'blissful feelings' are just footsteps from your door. Otherwise, roadside stands and farmers' markets are brimming with seasonal flowers to take home and enjoy.

Selecting and gathering your own flowers not only allows you to express your creative style, but they also bring the freshness and beauty of nature into your home. When you decorate with fresh flowers and foliage that reflect your unique personality, it makes for unforgettable gatherings that your friends and family will reminisce about for weeks.

To show how I've expressed my floral creativity during these early summer days, I created several arrangemnts with seasonal flowers and foliage that will hopefully inspire you to create your own. Cheers to June… California Grown Flowers Month!

Flower News: November’s Stories of Interest from Around the World

5 Ways to Make Your Wedding Flowers More Sustainable

We’re pumped to see businesses and couples alike becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of weddings, and floristry is one area where this has become a real priority. And before you start picturing foraged posies and native-everything (not those things aren’t awesome) let us assure you that sustainable practices can still mean high end floral design.

Read more here.
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An Autumnal Boho Wedding with Rust Bridesmaids Dresses, Spicy Fall Florals, and Copper Details

There’s something about Fall color that is just truly magical. Burnished yellows, spicy rust tones, pumpkin orange and coffee really bring the warm and cozies to a wedding day! When Chels and Danté began planning their lavish Fall wedding at Giracci Vineyards, they knew they wanted every detail to represent them. Based on their vibrant and fun personalities, we’d say their color palette choices were spot on!! With the help of Weddings by Cortney Helaine, they planned a boho fête that was full of lush fall florals, macramé decor, copper details and the cutest rust bridesmaids dresses!

Read more here.
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How to Dry Protea

Dried flowers add long-lasting beauty to any decor and can be made into keepsakes for weddings, anniversaries or birthdays. Drying your own flowers at home saves money and allows you to preserve flowers from your garden that otherwise would wither and die. Protea is a large, exotic flower available in many vibrant shades, such as dark pink, blood red, bright yellow and caramel. Once dried, the colors will fade over time, leaving behind tan flowers which look gorgeous in wreaths or bouquets.

Read more here.
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Relieving Stress During the Holidays

While a wonderful season, the holidays can sometimes bring on as much stress as joy. From shopping, to organizing the guest lists, to putting up the decorations, our growing to-do list can add to our feelings of overwhelm and worry about how we are going to get everything done. According to a recent poll, 68 percent of people feel stress on a weekly basis, and 32 percent experience stress daily.

It’s important in these hectic times to step back, breathe, and take opportunities to have a moment of calm, so we can enjoy the holiday festivities, rather than stress over them.

Read more here.

Seasonal Gatherings

Have you ever watched a chef shop at the farmer's market, getting excited while gathering an array of locally grown herbs and produce that will later be used to transform the evening's menu? That's me with flowers. I'm most in my realm when I'm surrounded by seasonal blooms and foliage, visualizing the myriad of bouquets and arrangements I could create. Usually, I start by considering elements like size, shape, height, color, and texture when I choose flowers, and I never know what I’ll end up with until it’s finished!

In the case of this arrangement, I was immediately drawn to the jewel tone hue of the roses contrasted with the cheerful pop of the peach pincushions. Since the protea and pincushions were similar in texture, I added a few stems of foxglove to create a delicate, country type feel. The spiky foxglove also brings a new shape to the mix without veering to far from my chosen palette. Finally, the Grevillea Ivanhoe’s serrated green foliage complements both the protea and pincushion’s texture injecting an organic looseness to the design. I'm enchanted with how it turned out, and even more importantly I had a wonderful time creating it!

Instagram: Photos We Dig

10 fabulous photos featuring Oak & Holly, a small boutique flower shop, sourcing seasonal flowers grown locally in Victoria and other parts of Australia. Inspired by the beauty of Australian landscape, this florist focuses on designs using an array of Australian native flowers and foliage as well as Proteaceae.