Read Bloomflora's holiday tips in New Jersey Monthly Mag...

 

Enjoy Holiday tips from Jersey experts in the December Holiday gift guide issue of New Jersey Monthly magazine.  Thanks for including Bloomflora as one of your experts on floral design! 

Hope our tips inspire you..!

 

Red dahlias and feathers for an intimate wedding..

 

I think my new favorite blooms of the moment are cherry red dahlias!  The color is just amazing... Lovin'  this bouquet I designed for a small, intimate wedding for a friend.  The photo below was just a little pre-styling before the event.  I had so much fun doing this because I was able to just run with it!   Feathers and fern with LOTS of red and plum with deep burgundy.. it was beautiful!

We're back...!

We're back after a two week holiday! Cleaning buckets, conditioning flowers and preparing for a a huge delivery of flowers that are coming tomorrow for wedding this weekend.  Hope you enjoyed your summer!

Arrangement of the day...

Pretty petite arrangement... The perfect thank you. 

(hydrangea, tulips, spray roses, bullet allium)

Purple flowers on my mind...

I've been up since 5:30 this morning working on wedding ideas and putting together proposals... The color of the moment seems to be purple!  I'm planning weddings of purple combinations with lavender and blush. Another purple wedding with blue, chartreuse and fuscia and another purple theme with graduated shades of purples and lots of white!  Feeling inspired today and purple is my mind...

Intuition.. Amazing how the inner self works.

I am totally amazed at how life works.. As a floral designer there are so many flowers that I love. I don't know that I have one favorite, although I may have favorite colors, but not a preferred flower.
When I was doing all of the planning for my store opening, I knew that I wanted a flower in my logo, so I searched to find "the one".  For some reason the poppy just kept appearing. It's the only flower that appealed to me... So I asked my daughter, who is a young artist, to draw it for me.  And so, the bloomflora logo was born. It was meaningful in that my daughter had a hand in its creation. I did not know however, what the meaning of the flower was, until now...
Crazy!!  I'm just beside myself...
 

Poppy:  Imagination, Wealth and Success

Imagination, Wealth and Success... Can you believe it?  It was my clarity... It was not intentional, but on the other hand, was it? Was it intuition that made me select that flower?  Not sure what to call it, but I know for sure that this is right. It is the right time, finally. It's been a bit difficult and I have questioned my decision to start a business again. No more... I am ready for what is coming with an open mind, an open heart and open arms!  Thank you Universe.. for all you have given me and for all that is coming.  Exciting!!

The most beautiful rose...

This is actually my favorite rose... it's called "Quick Sand". You would never know that this bloom opens to probably a 3" to 4" diameter. It is just so lovely... and the soft, neutral, blush tone is perfect alone or  pairs well with so many colors. I prefer it alone.. to me, receiving a dozen of this rose is more romantic than the red. But that's just me!

Take a look at an arrangement I did today. Hope the recipient likes it!

Enjoy..

Eddie Zaratsian Floral Boutique..at Restoration Hardware.

 

This is my kind of flower shop!  Not to say that mine is shabby.. but Eddie Zaratsian has got it goin' on!  He is so fantastic that he's partnered with Restoration Hardware.  He has a floral boutique in West Hollywood, CA at Restoration Hardware that's got the perfect blend of elegance and rustic charm.

These pastries just have my mouth watering too.. they're so beautiful..Yum!

Enjoy..

What kind of car are you...?

I love these photos so much that it got me thinkin' a little silly, but fun! Hmmm... three different cars with three different messages.  They all say it with flowers, but which one would i be?

a. Luxe on the go

b. Vintage chic

c. Mod tree hugger

Of course I would be Luxe on the go!  I couldn't resist having it all!
Which one would YOU be?

Enjoy..

Parona Farms bridal show..

 Summer bridal events are in full swing... Last night was my second show of the summer.  I have one bridal event a month scheduled for the rest of the year.  This one was at Parona Farms in Sparta, NJ.

Crazy... but during the drive there and back, periodically, I couldn't help but think of the movie 300 when Gerard Butler says "This is SPARTA!"....lol! So silly, I know, but that name.. I know you thought the same thing!

Ok.. back to the bridal show;  The venue was beautiful. I love their outdoor facility and the cobblestone entrance. The windows were beautiful too... What a nice transition from the vestibule to the courtyard. 

I'm hoping that one of the brides I met last night will give me the opportunity to design a wedding for them at this venue.  It really is a lovely place with huge possibilities. 

Thanks for having me Perona Farms!

Enjoy.

Saturday Flowers...

 

 I'm loving these Dahlias!  Today I paired them up with hydrangea and tangerine spray roses. 

 

This client wanted a colorful arrangement. Since I'm lovin' these dahlias so much, I used them again with the tangerine roses and added fuscia spray roses along with some bright yellow craspedia.  

Just wanted to share. Enjoy!

Saks Fifth Avenue Bridal Event...

Our first bridal event of the season @ Saks Fifth Avenue, Short Hills, NJ. We got an awesome response... which feels amazing!  It's crazy how much time is involved in planning and coordinating these things and they're over in a few hours. It went by so quickly too!  We met so many great brides to be who were very excited about planning their own special day.  I love to talk to the brides and see the glow in their eyes when they talk about their ideas or not 

so clear ideas...lol! It doesn't matter. That's my job and that's the best part. I am looking forward to meeting everyone again and having the opportunity to get to know them better.  I hope we can translate their dreams into reality. 

It seems that the colors we selected for this event were very appealing to a large group of brides.  Most of them said they wanted purple for their weddings. The darkest flower (Amnesia) and the blush just a few shades lighter (Quick Sand) are my absolute favorite roses. They are neutral shades I think work for any season. They were a hit! The brides loved the color combinations I used. Although, it was crazy how many people kept touching the flowers thinking they were artificial! They looked so beautiful... almost too perfect I guess... Hmmm..?! 

I designed this acrylic candelabra and had it laser cut, although I do admit, it's hidden.  Not intentional, but when I started to arrange the flowers the night before, it just organically went this way, so I went with it. I also had these mirrored containers made by IGO Displays and Alisa @ Creatively Engaged Stationary was so kind to make these menu cards for our table.  They were a hit for sure! It's all in the details...

These glass candleholders were also a hit to my surprise.  They're very popular and commonly used  for NY events.. NJ brides were really lovin' them!

I rented the linen,  glasses and plates... the amethyst glass worked perfectly with the flowers! 

Here is the menu card.. I single Phalaenopsis orchid was a simple and elegant touch.  Loved the silver starburst and snakeskin combo.

The eggplant callas and dusty miller were so beautiful I just couldn't resist... I had to do something with them, so I used them for the bouquet.  I added the red aspadistra leaves to the bouquet and so I used them in the table arrangements as well to tie in the rich color.  I thought it made the table arrangements less traditional, which  I like.

Here is Diana, Bloomflora's events manager... She thinking about how fabulous she would look in this beautiful dress...

So happy now.. It's a bit large for her, but its a gorgeous dress!  As soon as we began to set up, she was eyin' up that dress.

When the event was over we gave away the Phalaenopisis orchids to a few cool peeps we met at the event.   Very happy woman I must say..lol!

This is me... on the way out..

Thanks for stopping by...!!!

Enjoy.

Pretty Corporate Silk Arrangements...

Hello again!  I thought it would be nice to share these beautiful spring/summer mixed arrangements I created for a fab law firm in Summit, NJ.   My client pre-purchased these crystal vases for the reception area and conference room, so it made it easier for me to get right to the flowers. We discussed doing weekly fresh flowers, but agreed upon seasonal SILK flower arrangements instead. That's right, they're silk!!  I had these displayed in the the store for a couple of days before delivering them and my store customers couldn't believe that these weren't fresh flowers. 

Love the vibrant colors... and I was able to use of one my all time favorite flowers, the "poppy" which is also the flower in my Bloomflora logo...

Viburnum is another fav for it's beautiful chartreuse green color. 

This was the smaller arrangement and I added purple hydrangea for overall jewel tones.. My client was very pleased and I really did enjoy putting these together.  Not so much different than a fresh arrangement... lol.. Well maybe a bit.  Cutting the wires of the silk stems IS a bit insane.. but worth the end result.

Enjoy!

Behind the scenes of our first Flora workshop...

 

Our first floral workshop "Spring flowers for the table" was a hit.  The students enjoyed the class very much and they did very well I might add.  This was my first time teaching so I thought I would be a bit nervous, but it came easily for me. It felt natural and I truly enjoyed myself so much!  It was a nice feeling to present something I'm passionate about to a group of  woman who were so attentive and excited to learn. Definitely doing a lot more workshops... 

We offered  some wine, sparkling water, fruit, cheeses and crackers.. and of course, Diana's freshly baked and incredibly delicious chocolate tarts. 

 

I started the class by talking about how to condition flowers.  Simple, but very important stuff if you want a long lasting arrangement.

 

 

 

 We talked about preparing containers with floral foam and a brief demo on how I prepare my glass vases for an arrangement.  Since it's much easier to create an arrangement with floral foam, I decided to go with that option for this class.. 

 

The ladies learned how to properly green their containers in preparation for their floral design masterpieces.. 

 This is my favorite picture, because they just finished greening and they look a little worried.....lol!

 

They've selected their flowers...

 and the their big design moment has finally arrived...! 

The ladies did such a great job.

 Thanks again for joining Bloomflora for our workshop.  It was great fun!