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Ranunculus...

 

Love these flowers.  

They aren't cheap and they can be tricky to work with 

but they are oh so worth it!

Roses are Red...

Last month I had the pleasure of creating this bouquet for Summur Rayn.   

Summur wanted to do a "one year later" photo shoot to 

celebrate her first wedding anniversary. 

Here is one of my favorite photos from the shoot.

This is a photo from Summur's wedding day about a year before.  

Urban Flowers had the honor of designing the flowers for both occasions.

Valory Jean Photography did a fine job photographing both events.

Orchids and Tropicals

We've been doing a lot with Tropical flowers lately.

Here is an arrangement I was asked to create for a funeral. 

 I wasn't given any specifications, just a budget.  

So it was a pleasant surprise to learn that the deceased 

had spent a few years in Hawaii.  So quite serendipitously

the arrangement became

a lovely acknowledgment of that time in his life.  

I just love it when things work out that way.

Orchids are a wonderful, long-lasting blooming plant, 

great for helping to bring some warmth indoors during the winter.

Phalaenopsis orchids come in a variety of colors and 

are some of the easiest orchids to grow.

Oncidium orchids tend to be a bit more difficult--

But if you can find a place in your home that suits them, 

they can be very rewarding to grow.

White phalaenopsis orchids are fairly easy to find and they go with any decor.

I love to dress them up with twigs, moss, and a beautiful cache pot.

Sometimes I will mix cut flowers with orchid plants

 as I did in this case for a funeral arrangement that was intended

 for the family of the deceased to take home and enjoy.

When the cut flowers fade, they can simply be removed, 

the moss surrounding the cut flowers can be fluffed and rearranged,

 and the orchids will continue to look nice for weeks to come.

I've always loved the smooth, dark bark of manzanita branches.

The branches make such a nice, simple arrangement.  

Here they are shown with a base of protea, seeded eucalyptus, 

and bear grass.

A Wedding in Purple

I love how the flowers turned out for Keena and Kelly's winter wedding. 

The white and purple anemones with the dark centers were well worth the 

splurge to make this a stunning bride's bouquet.

The bridesmaids carried asymmetrical bouquets of white ranunculus, 

white football mums, genistra, purple altsromeria, Maine blue misty,

 gumdrop eucalyptus, and ming fern.

I love these boutonnieres made with star of Bethlehem, 

ming fern, gumdrop eucalyptus, and Maine blue misty. 

 The groom's boutonniere. Love!

Holiday Centerpieces

Winter Wedding

Theses pictures are actually of a wedding from last winter--

I just found the photos while looking for something else.  Hurray! :)

I love the bouquets we did for this wedding.  Each one is different. 

 I worked closely with the bride to come up with designs that were unique and personal. 

 She had sewn the jacket that she is wearing in the picture and had some left over material which I used to fasten her bridesmaid's bouquets.

A close-up of one of the boys' boutonnieres. 

A Celebration of Christmas

It can be a real challenge to dress up a large, utilitarian space for a festive occasion.  

My tactic is usually to make the decor BIG and pretty.

Easy Winter Centerpiece

I've always been a big fan of using twigs and ornaments in winter flower 

arrangements, however, my creations of that kind usually tend to be huge.  

I got the idea for this smaller  arrangement from

 my last issue of Organic Gardening of all places.

I used two square vases:  one nested inside the other to hold the twigs in place,

 then the inner vase can hold a votive to add light and sparkle.  

I made this arrangement as a prototype for one of my brides to see as an 

option for her centerpieces.

Just a few more Purple Flowers

This diminutive arrangement just makes me smile so I had to share.  

Double tulips, green Bechtol crabapples, dark purple mums, 

Blue Muffin viburnum berries and 

yellow-green fall leaves make a stunning combination.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is my sister, Ruthie.  She owns Petals Floral Design in Simi Valley, California 

and she taught me a lot of what I know about arranging flowers.  

   

This year we were able to spend Thanksgiving together at my parents house.

We always love to collaborate on the floral decor when we get together for a holiday or event.  This year Ruthie brought all the flowers and foliage--some of which she had foraged from parks near and far from her home (the acorns actually came from Disneyland!)

I did this arrangement and the one below in Asian containers that belonged to my Nana.

The green spider moms will always remind me of her.

 My sister did the gorgeous centerpiece below for our dining room table--it was full and lush and just the right height for conversation.

Bride's Bouquet in Purple and White

We made this gorgeous bouquet for Keena's bridal shoot about a week ago.

I love the white anemones and star of Bethlehem with the dark centers, 

and the double purple tulips are stunning.

I'm looking forward to the wedding reception at Noah's in December--

Urban Flowers with be providing more bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, 

and a big, beautiful centerpiece for the buffet.

Fall Arrangements

Just thought I would share some of my favorite arrangements from this Fall before Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are on to Winter.