Billboard-lovesparklepretty

Yesterday, I decorated a little bit differently to bring in some of the fall ambiance. I was given a really pretty floral arrangement from my mother as well as a gorgeous vase to go with it. The flowers though, didn't all fit in the vase so I recreated a few different arrangements for our mantel.
I realized how much I miss playing with flowers since I decided not to take the advanced floral class this semester. This brought me to a relaxing creative place and gives our home more of an "inviting" feel.
The mantel right night now has a summer into fall presence. As much as I'm hanging onto my warm summer days, I'm definitely awaiting fall's humble welcome.

I have taken a HUGE break from my floral design and event planning course updates so, here's a 2 week update!
In floral design class a couple weeks ago, we created a "puppy in a basket" arrangement. I never really understood the point of this design. Like, why give a flower dog to someone?! Ha! Never the less, I made one anyways because that was the assignment. I was supposed to add a little "tongue" and bows to the dog but I had to leave class early this day so it went without.  I have to admit though, it turned out pretty cute!
We used carnations, daisies, wax flower, asters, lemon leaf and ming fern to create this design.

This past week, we created 2 designs. First, we made a corsage using a rose, daisies, alstromeria, babies breath and ming fern.

The week of the 8th was Spring Break for our floral design class so I didn't do an update. The arrangement that we came back to was called "Imagination Blooms." It was definitely the most interesting design I've done and I actually really liked it! This was also the easiest and quickest piece I've done in the class.
We used asiatic lilies, spray roses, dendrobium orchids, green button mums, bear grass, solidago, curly willow, orgonia, Ti leaves, orgonia, and ming fern.
It's kinda "wild" but it's fun and it looks expensive!

 I also created a corsage and boutonniere set for my pastor's son and his girlfriend . They went to prom together (so cute) and I was asked to create the corsage and boutonniere using red and silver. So, I used red  spray roses, white wax flower, lemon leaf, clear rhinestones, gray pearls, silver glitter leaves, silver ribbon and silver tulle with bits of glitter on it.
Here's what I came up with.

As for my wedding and event planning course, I am now on Unit 2 where I am starting to get into the "business side of things." This weeks lesson is all about the budget.
Talking about money isn't the easiest thing to do but it was certainly interesting and when planning a large event that requires so many details and different vendors, it's important to really be open and talk numbers.
Since the audio portion of this lesson is done by a wedding planner out of NY, it's mind-boggling to hear the cost of a wedding in that state! Just for catering alone can be hundreds of dollars per person!
I also read that the average cost per person to have as a guest at a wedding is $118 in the U.S. and is usually more than $200 in the northeastern part of the country. *Note to self, don't get our vow renewals done in NY. This cost includes food, drink, cake, music, invites, thank-you notes and facility costs. It's kinda crazy to think of each guest as a Benjamin Franklin (+ an Andrew Jackson) but it may be necessary if you want to keep costs down.
Going over contracts and what should be in them is also covered in this lesson which is quite helpful yet sounds exhausting. lol
I still have a couple more pages with this lesson and then I'm onto reading about wedding attire. It's been a productive week recently!

Two weeks ago in floral design class, I created a colorful springtime arrangement. Since I am horrible at constantly watering any flower, the arrangement that served as a centerpiece on our kitchen table started wilting away. Before I decided to throw it out, I plucked some of the flowers that were still decent and decided to create a mini inspiration post for a simple, yet fun tablescape.

I wrapped a few of the flower stems in lace trimming, used some glitter clothespins from my shop and attached a chalkboard tag (which was created with card stock and chalkboard paint) to each.
For the centerpiece, I used a milk vase which I just recently thrifted and filled it with daisies and mini carnations. I also added a paper doily and a small ornate frame for a bit of extra detail.
It's so fun for spring and I'm happy I was able to "recycle" my dying floral arrangement! :D
Have a beautiful week my friends!

This week in Floral Design class, we created a very colorful all around arrangement. We used irises, daffodils, carnations, daisies, goldenrod, eucalyptus leaves and ming fern.
I really loved this arrangement and was so excited to work with different flowers than we had the previous weeks. I have noticed that it's also getting easier to place flowers and we have been getting out of class on time lately. Whoop!

Here's this weeks arrangement.

By the way, I was dying to work with Eucalyptus leaves and I was ecstatic when I found out that this past week we had them for this design. I just LOVE the way they photograph and cascade out of arrangements. I can't wait to create a bouquet with these leaves in it!

As far as the Wedding and Event Planning course goes, I am finishing up Unit 1 with "Ceremonies" where I have learned a bit more in depth of the different types that take place among different religions and cultures. Also, in the audio portion of this lesson, they talk about different ways to go about a ceremony if the couple doesn't want any type of religious mention or vice versa. They also go over ideas if the bride is a part of one culture and the groom is another, how to go about blending the two.
It's a good way to end the first Unit and I am now moving on to Unit 2!

Have a beautiful weekend my friends!

This past week was full of fun facts and pretty spring blossoms!
Since Easter is tomorrow, we created our first all around arrangement within a colorful Easter basket for Floral Design class this week. We used daisies, carnations (which have been in all of our designs so far), alstroemeria, ming fern, and wax flower.
I really enjoyed creating this arrangement and guess what? We even got out of class on time! This never happens by the way, but hopefully we can keep this momentum up. For the bow, we were supposed to place one on each side but I cheated and just plopped it on top. Ha!
Here's the arrangement from this week.

A fun fact I learned in floral class this week was that you can put a bit of clear lemon lime soda in a vase of flowers to help expand their life. The sugar in the soda will help nourish the flowers and the carbonation will help keep the vase clean. Cool right?

I also completed lesson 3 of my first unit of Wedding and Event Planning. This lesson was my favorite so far because of all the interesting customs and traditions of weddings within several different cultures.

Here are some fun facts I learned about the traditions we still carry out today in weddings:
*The tradition of a bridal bouquet originated in ancient Rome with the belief that fragrant florals and herbs would ward off evil spirits.
*The wedding cake originally symbolized fertility. Same with the tossing of rice.
*The kiss at the end of the ceremony symbolizes an exchange of spirits, uniting the couple in both body and spirit.
*The reason why we have bridesmaids started within some cultures that the idea of hiding the bride among similarly dressed women would confuse any evil spirits. This also applied to groomsmen.
*Having the groom stand on the bride's right side started in ancient times when men armed themselves with swords. If any danger came to the couple, the groom would easily be able to draw his weapon with his right hand. This is the same reason why we place a knife to the right of our dinner plate when we set a table.

I also learned of some pretty interesting customs from many other countries including:
*In the Chinese culture, the bride and groom will have a drink with each table as they visit the guests. (I can imagine the photos by the end of the night!)
*In the German culture, on the night before the wedding, it is tradition for the guests to break pottery and play pranks on the bride and groom. Also, during a German ceremony, the groom will kneel on the hem of the bride's dress to symbolize his control over her and the bride will rise and step on the groom's foot to assert her power within the marriage.
*In the Scottish culture, when a couple first decides to wed, they will notify the baker who will create a dense wedding cake for them. Then, brandy is poured over it once a week up until the wedding day.
*Russian newlyweds will tie a doll on their wedding "getaway car" if they want their first born to be a girl or tie a bear to the car if they want to have a boy.

There was SO much more that I learned and as you can see, it was a lot of fun! I love how ancient custom still plays a role in why we do things today during weddings. Whether or not they still have the same meaning, there is a reason why each tradition started in the first place and it's quite fascinating! Even for the most "non-traditional" bride, there is always something that companies a wedding which rooted from ancient meaning.

Are there any intriguing wedding traditions or customs that you've learned about?

This past week in floral design class, we created an asymmetrical arrangement using carnations, daisies, larkspur, statice, ming fern and myrtle. It was supposed to be a slight "L" shape and although I thought my arrangement was looking like it was supposed to, I look at the photos and it doesn't really look asymmetrical to me. It may be because I took these photos a few days after I made the arrangement and some of the flowers actually changed their facing direction.
Either way, I really enjoyed this week in floral class! I feel like I'm beginning to be more comfortable with placing flowers in floral foam and using up its surface area wisely. I loved working with the different textures and colors of the flowers and foliage as well! They really welcomed the first day of Spring (which is the day we created this design).
When I was done, I gave this arrangement to my mother in law to celebrate her "birth week." She had a few different events throughout the week for her birthday so the day we went roller skating, I surprised her with this. :)

This week in floral design class, we created another symmetrical triangle arrangement similar to last week but incorporated a St. Patricks theme to it. We used several different types of flowers including daisys, button mums and carnations keeping with the green color palette and adding pops of yellow.

What is usually a 5 hour class, turned into a 6 hour class. Even by staying an extra hour, I didn't really complete my design exactly how I wanted. I was actually pretty frustrated with this arrangement and when I finally walked out of class around 8:30pm, I was exhausted! Honestly, I didn't think flowers could really test your patience very much! lol It's a great learning experience though and I'm so ready for next weeks assignment when we create an asymmetrical piece.

In other news...
I was informed about this amazing site just for brides where they can easily browse and purchase anything and everything for their wedding right from home! It's called Cloud Parade. If you haven't heard of it, you will seriously wonder why you haven't. I know I did!
Anyway, the day I discovered Cloud Parade (thanks to my friend Aurora), I submitted an application to become a partner with them and sell my wedding pieces through their site. I recently received an email back saying that my shop has been ACCEPTED and they are excited to see my items on their site (as am I)! So now, I am working on getting my new additional shop up and running. :)
Watch this video and you will fall in love with Cloud Parade like I did!

Cloud Parade from Cloud Parade on Vimeo.
Have a beautiful weekend my friends!

Lately, I feel as if everything is in a bit of a whirlwind. I have so much to do and yet, as one woman, I wish I can stretch the hours in a day so I can get it all done! It's been such a blessing to get to do what I LOVE to do! I'm seriously so grateful that I can say that I just LOVE my job(s). Even when you are doing something you love though, it's easy to get burnt out when you don't take time out for yourself and your family. It's easy for me to think about EVERYTHING I have to get done instead of taking it a bit at a time. I'm learning.

As you may or may not know, I started my Wedding/Event Planning course recently. I have read the first lesson and I feel like I'm hooked! I haven't even completed any projects for the course just yet but it's sooo exciting to finally start this journey (officially).

What I got from my first dose of content so far, is that I really need to focus on organization. I can be organized in some sense when it comes to certain things, like my shop. I use a white board, a calendar, post its and a filing box but I still feel like I can improve with the shop/blog/etc. I'm not the most organized person all around and when planning events, it's a MAJOR issue. So, I guess I can start a "mid-new years resolution" right? {Get more organized}

I also started my floral design class. It's been quite fun so far BUT hard work as well! I really didn't think it would require so much "knowledge" and patience. Haha! I really do enjoy it though and can't wait to actually experiment with my own designs. So far, you have to do almost EXACTLY what is being instructed. The only experimenting I've had is choosing the colors of the flowers I'd like to work with-and even that is hard when everyone is rushing to pick their fav. first. It's great to learn the basics though which is what I need! Here are the 2 designs I have completed so far:

First week was learning to create bows and creating a single carnation corsage

This past week was creating a symmetrical arrangement of a dozen carnations. I tried to create an ombre effect with it. I gave this to my mother for her birthday today. Happy Birthday Momma!
There's my busy self in a nutshell right now. How do you de-stress? Do you have any great organizing tips to share? :)

Have a beautiful night friends!