The Craft Begins

Hydrangeas are a great option for a flower that takes up a lot of space and looks good doing it without being too expensive.  They also come in lots of interesting color varieties – I like the sort of dusty-colored gold and rose ones – they look great in a vintage-inspired arrangement.

They look good by themselves or complimenting other flowers in an arrangement.

What’s interesting about hydrangeas is that the color of the blossoms depends on the alkalinity of the soil – it can range from blue to pink in one bush depending on how much aluminum is in the soil!  Maybe only interesting to gardeners but I thought that was pretty cool.

1.  I love all of the quirky and colorful hand-drawn illustrations over at artsyville - stopping by this blog always puts a smile on my face.

2.  I am hard pressed to sum up Abbey Goes Design Scouting in any other way than saying this: it’s awesome.  Visual inspiration in a number of different arenas.  Great for the ADD among us.

3.  Pretty Good combines lovely photographs and delicate little sayings.  It’s understated, which is what makes it so great.

4.  You all know I’m a sucker for anything vintage as well as a great story, so Quaint Handmade is a great daily stop for me.

5.  Simplesong celebrates the beautiful and the well, simple, in a way that’s simply divine.

6.  Looking at beautiful flowers always brightens my day.  If that’s the case for you as well, I highly suggest stopping by Fiore Fresco for your daily dose of springtime.

I’ve seen her work all over the blogs and now that I’ve spent some time checking her out I’m officially in floral love with Amy Osaba.

Her work is so unusual, so feminine, so eclectic – it’s amazing what you can do with flowers.  And feathers and beads.  And whatever else her creative mind comes up with.

Asiatic Lillies are beautiful for their color and their smell.  They come in a vast array of colors – most common is the pink, yellow and orange, although there are many different variations.  And they do have a really strong smell (some specific varieties more than others) so you need to be careful that you don’t use too many in one arrangement, lest it become overpowering.

The other beneficial thing about lilies is the amount of space they take up.  You can get a lot of bang for your flower buck with just a few bunches of them.  And they add great color and texture to any arrangement.

Amaryllis are a perfect flower for the holiday/winter season.  A bright, cheery dash of color and they are so easy to grow, even indoors.  Individual bulbs make great gifts, especially if you get them started first!  Why not plant them in an unusual container, like a teapot or a gravy boat, so your recipient gets two gifts in one?  They come in all sorts of colors – red, white, pink, and orange, but my favorite is definitely the striped variety, something you don’t see too often in flowers.

Reading these always gets me inspired and puts that warm feeling in my heart.  How can so many people be so talented?

1.  Concrete and Honey celebrates all things beautiful, and her blog shows it.  I am an especially big fan of her interesting and organic floral designs.

2.  I’m obviously having a weird day today, so there is in fact no #2.  My apologies.

3.  If you’re looking for something paper-related, look no further than A Little Hut.  If it can be made out of paper, she can do it.  I’m always astounded by her projects.

4.  An all-around design wrap-up can be found at Visual Notes.  She doesn’t discriminate between flowers, interiors, wallpaper, or just about anything gorgeous.

5.  For lots of beautiful home and color inspiration, don’t miss Under a Paper Moon.  She’s on a mustard kick right now that I just can’t get enough of!

6.  I always enjoy reading about artists who are living and working and selling their art.  I especially like it when it’s art that I’m into!  Camilla Engman shares her works and a little bit of her life as well.

7.  The concept of The Jealous Curator is cool enough, but so are the artists that are profiled.  It’s a really great glimpse into the contemporary art world, and hey, I wish I would have thought of that!

8.  The food styling and the recipes over at the Messy Cook are really wonderful to read.   You know if it invovles food, I’m in!

My mom hates roses.  She hates all cut flowers, but especially roses.  It kills me to think that she hates flowers (when I love them) but I can see where she’s coming from.  They’re classic, yes, but can be at times unimaginative.  We all know that I love peonies and ranunculus for their many-folded petals look, but they can also be expensive.  I was overjoyed when I discovered garden roses.  They look a bit like a peony in their shape, and they’re a lot more scented than traditional roses.  They also come in a wide variety of interesting colors – I always like the dusky-colored sandy ones, that look tres shabby chic.

A great way to add color and festivity to your fall decorations are mums.  They come in a wide variety of seasonally appropriate colors and an arrangement like this will last for weeks if the water is changed regularly.  Look for button mums in whatever color you’d like, but make sure that the petals are firm and compact instead of limp.  That way you know they’ll be brightening your table for a long time.  Finish off with a festive ribbon and you’re ready for Fall!

I might be a little bit biased about this one since I had them at my wedding, but I’ve used them at almost every event I’ve done since so I think that it’s ok.  What I like about spider mums is their gorgeous shape.  They add a bit of organic thrill to whatever arrangement they are placed with, their wild petals striking out in all directions.  I believe that they are a member of the chrysanthemum family, and you can really tell by looking at them.

They are also fairly inexpensive, and super hardy.  That means that they are a great flower for DIYers and that arrangements can be made several days ahead of time and be no worse for wear.  They look great clustered together and also in mixed bouquets.   I find that I often gravitate towards the green ones since they are one of the rare flowers that actually look good in green, but they come in a variety of colors like white, yellow, purple and pink.

that, and bouganvillia are two of my favorite things. I hope that it survives the winter.

Best wishes for a lovely Saturday.

Carnations get a bad rap.  So often the flower choice of a forgetful boyfriend at 8pm on Valentine’s day, they’re often dismissed as being cheap and ugly.  My mother abhors them.  I tend to think that they have a lot of potential!

Clustering them gives them a more sophisticated look, and since they are so cheap, you can use quite a few of them to get the density required and not feel guilty about it.  Especially if you can order them in bulk.  They also come in a really wide variety of colors, so that’s a bonus as well.

Here’s how to make your very own carnation centerpiece!

1.  Pick a piece of floral foam that will fit into your preferred container.  I’m not usually a huge fan of floral foam, but when you need the flowers to be this tightly grouped, it’s the only real solution.  Make sure to get wet foam if you plan on using real flowers.  Before you start placing flowers, soak in water until it’s good and dense.

2.  Pick your flowers.  Lots of wholesale/discount florists carry large bouquets of carnations cheaply, so they are a great place to start looking.  Make sure to pick flowers that have strong stems and dense, fresh heads.  The amount you’ll need depends on the size of your container, but you’ll need to buy more than you think.

3.  Cut the stems below the flower themselves, but above the last bulb.  You want to make sure they’ll go into the foam and stay there.  Starting at the top, insert the stem into the foam.  Made a grouping, with each flower head slightly overlapping the previously placed flowers.  Do this all around the foam, making sure there are no gaps.  You don’t want to go all of the way to the bottom – make sure there’s enough room to put the foam into your container.

4.  Place the foam into your container, fill with water, and enjoy!  I’d love to see a grouping of white carnations in all green and blue containers, lined up down someone’s table at a dinner party.  So lovely!

Not a terribly eventful weekend, all things considered, but still nice.  Saturday was too hot for words but the rains have started and now it’s mercifully cool outside.  Bought some gorgeous bougainvillea at the flea market, along with a really cool globe from the 1940’s.  French Indochina, anyone?  I think there’s about half as many countries on that globe as exist today.

Got to hang out on an alpaca ranch on Sunday – these guys are too cute.  The little mops on top of their head give them such personality!  Also got some cool pictures of the Boneyard here in Tucson – if you haven’t heard, it’s an enormous amount of planes scattered over the desert.  They’re all lined up in orderly rows closer than you think it would be possible.  And there are more planes than you can even imagine.  It’s not so easy to get a picture, as everything is fenced off, but I’ve found if you stand on top of an SUV, you can get a decent shot.  :)

I love how relentlessly cheery they are!

The best part is that they dry out rather well so you won’t have to worry about your bouquet melting, and you can keep it with you forever!  I love the feel of a bouquet of them altogether, or interspersed with a bunch of different flowers for a quirky look.  I’m planning on using them in the boutonnieres for an upcoming friend’s wedding.  I had just a few in mine and I love the way that it came out.

1.  This is pretty much a given, but you have to see the Pike Place Market.  It’s a tourist trap, yes, but you still see lots of locals wandering around grabbing a snack or plotting a beautiful dinner.  The prices are (for the most part) great, the energy is high, and it’s something that you really can’t quite experience anywhere else.

2.  If you go during the summer, makes sure to binge on cherries and berries.  I tried to eat so many cherries that I would get sick – didn’t quite get there, but I sure did try! My favorite are the Rainiers – they get so dark and sweet that their flesh is almost black.  Amazing.  Peak season is July – so make sure to get there then!

3.  Another thing to check out is the flowers.  So cheap, and so amazing.  Their bouquet designs are wonderful, especially considering that they are just sitting behind a wood counter putting all of those things together right there.  Surprise your host or strangers on the street with a fresh-cut flower!

4.  If you have a chance, make sure to stop by Beecher’s.  They make the cheese there (you can even see them making it through the giant plate-glass window) and they have many different amazing varieties, including a black truffle goat cheese that I’m just now realizing I never got back there to try.  Their mac and cheese is to die for, and the grilled cheese (with fresh cheese curds) and tomato soup is simply out of this world.

5.  The Space Needle.  You have to see it.  You can go to the top, but it isn’t free and although I’ve heard that it’s worth it, I’m a little afraid of heights so I don’t really need another excuse to not make the climb.

6.  You must see the Experience Music Project, or EMP.  The inside is really interesting – chock full of music memorabilia, trivia, and other exciting music-related things.  It’s presented in a way that’s pretty engaging and you learn a lot of obscure music information.  My favorite part is the architecture.  Designed by Frank Gehry, it’s almost impossible to fully comprehend, but definitely worth a try.

7.  Make sure to stop by Lola for a bite to eat (photo from Lola).  We had an amazing breakfast there – ever tried octopus hash with a fried egg?  Thought not.  You should.  The building is gorgeous, the food is really unusual but really good, and the service is very nice.

There’s tons of things to do in Seattle, most of which aren’t mentioned here, but these are a few things that I always enjoy.  What is your favorite thing to do or see in Seattle?

I was in Seattle over the weekend (sorry for the lack of posts!) and of course I went to the Pike’s Market at least twice.  What struck me most (especially living out in the desert) was the flowers.  There were so many of them!  And they were beautiful.  It’s peony season up there so you saw more peonies than you can even believe.  Sweet pea was also in season, and between the two the place smelled like heaven.  What also got me was that they were so cheap!  You could get this artfully arranged bunch of peonies and other flowers for $5.  I don’t think you can even get carnations here for that cheap.