winter flowers

5 Flowers for the Month of March

1 · Mar 24, 2020 ·

Coming here to write has been a little bit of a struggle. With all the things happening in the world, chatting about flowers seems a little frivilous. I mean, they’re just flowers…

At the end of last week I watched videos of some of the California wholesalers having to dump product because their doors are closing. They weren’t throwing out just a couple of bunches of blooms, but hundreds of thousands of flowers (and dollars). Flowers that were grown by farmers across the country and across the world. This is people’s careers and livelyhood. Tears welled in my eyes and I still get a rock in my gut just thinking about it.

On top of that, flowers bring joy. Right now, we all could use a little joy. It was like seeing buckets of joy being thrown away. We might be forced to stay in our homes, but that doesn’t mean that we need to suffer in ugly silence. We can still seek out the joy in each day. For me, much joy is found in flowers so I’ve decided to continue sharing it the only way I’m able to right now, here in this space.

I know I’ve said it several times in the past few months, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m going to say it again – there are amazing flowers available in the winter and early spring months. The colors and textures are like those not found at other times of the year. Here are 5 that I’m especially loving right now.

Daffodils

I’m sure I’ll talk a little more about these once Michigan bring us more, but for the moment let’s just soak in the happy, sunshine hues and their coral counterparts. There are 2 different varieties here because I was indecisive and couldn’t choose just one (and the ones that I had actually ordered were sold out). Sometimes that indesiveness is perfect though, as I find new flower varieties to love. Daffodils are cheery, cost effective and great as either an accent flower or even the star of the show.

Clematis

Another springtime favorite, I dream of having beautiful climbing clematis vines around my property… I just haven’t quite figured out where exactly I’d plant them. So in the meantime, I’ll buy them to use in your arrangments. I love their spidery star shapes, the touch of yellow in the middle and the long graceful lines of their foliage.

Poppies

When I first started working in the floral industry, I was told that poppies make a poor choice for cut flowers. They have a short vase life and wouldn’t last in an arrangement. I’m so glad I haven’t found this to be true. I absoultely love these flowers during these dreery months (and again when Michigan will bring us her’s in the summer). These are the Icelantic variety, and each bunch is a farmer’s choice mix of bloom colors. They’re shipped still in their budded stage, which means opening each bloom is like a Puppy Surprise, you never know what you’ll find inside! This particular bunch was almost all white with yellow middles, except for 2 coral blooms.

Japanese Meadowsweet Spirea

This is an ingredient I don’t get to use nearly enough. It’s so delicate, lacey and screams springtime! I love the mix of woody, dancing branches with teenie little flowers all clustered together. It adds amazing texture and height to an arrangment. I would highly recommend using this for both your base when creating the overall arrangment shape, as well as some last minute accent/textural pieces.

Japanese Sweet Peas

I don’t descriminate amoungst sweet peas. I love them all. I bought way too many just for myself at the farmer’s market last summer and plan to do the same again this year. However, when the Japanese ones come into season, they bring extra long stems and the most unique color variety. These are technically brown, but like many other flowrs that fall into that brown category, I see other colors shining through. In each single bloom, I see vains of mauve, purples and even bits of amber. My only regret with these? I didn’t order more!

As in months past, I have put together an arrangment using all of these ingredients together which I will share soon. A little teaser to make sure you come back… this is one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever made (that is, until I make my next favorite!)

Stay safe and healthy flower friends!

A Winter Maternity Session

0 · Mar 6, 2015 ·

I didn’t have maternity photos taken when I was pregnant with Gretta, and I’m not sure if I completely regret that but do know that there’s a missing piece of documentation in my life. I will never have that visual memory. I’ve never thought of myself as very photogenic so I just didn’t entertain the thought too much. I applaud those women who carry pregnancy with such beauty and grace, because that’s simply not me. However with this pregnancy, I decided to go for it. So back in January, Ashley Slater and I snuck outside for a little wintery photo session to commemorate this time in my life. I really set forth to see the beauty in this moment and try to find that every season has a reason to celebrate. It’s what I preach, it’s time to act on that.

As a bonus, I surprised my husband with these for a little Valentine’s gift. These were totally worth facing the frigid temperatures and now I have some beautiful new artwork to freshen up the baby’s nursery. And if you know me at all, you know that any photo session wouldn’t be complete without some beautiful blooms and a little styling.

Photography: Ashley Slater Photography | Florals & Styling: The Day’s Design | Calligraphy: Kaitlin Parisho Designs | Chair: Cameos & Cardigans

DIY Mercury Glass

0 · Mar 8, 2013 ·

Vintage finds inspire me. One of my favorites is mercury glass. It can be mixed in with so many decor styles and is super glamorous. I read quite often about people finding great pieces at flea markets and other antique sources. However, I have never been lucky enough to find a thrifty piece at one of these locations. I have found some pretty great non-vintage pieces at TJ Maxx, but if you’re trying to create a display with multiple pieces, this can get pricy fast.

I’ve seen several posts on how to make diy mercury glass. So I tried it, here’s a way to create the look of mercury glass at home.

What you’ll need:

Clear glass vases
A spray bottle filled with water
Mirror finish spray paint

Step 1: Wash your vases. Do not worry about letting them dry completely.

Step 2: Spritz a little water into your vases.

Step 3: Spray your mirror-like paint inside the vases. Use short quick sprays, creating a thin layer of paint over the water surface. It will be runny looking and seem pretty messy.

Note: Make sure you use mirror-like finish spray paint, regular silver spray paint will not give you the same reflective quality.

Step 4: Place the vases upside down to dry. Paint and water will run out of them, make sure you don’t care about the surface you place them on, as it will get messy. Let them dry for about an hour.

Step 5: Add another coat of paint to the vases if they seem too transparent. To do so, repeat Step 3, and place them upside down again to dry.

Another note: I do all of my spray painting outside because I am not a neat painter! However, I do not recommend leaving them outside to dry in this cold winter weather.

The water spots create that splotchy appearance we all love in mercury glass. Once your vases have completely dried, fill them with your favorite blooms.

Now I’m not going to sit here and pretend that this looks exactly like mercury glass… because it doesn’t. But mix these DIY vases in with same authentic mercury glass to make your decor budget stretch a little further. I like mercury glass with wintery greens and snowy accents and since we haven’t seen the last of the snow yet here in West Michigan, I used cedar and some other floral leftover that I had laying around. Hopefully I’ll be adding some spring projects soon! Adding ribbons, jute or other embellishments to these vases can add a little extra flare. Personalize them and make them truly yours. And have a Happy Friday!