How did the carnation get such a terrible reputation as a flower? Maybe all those grocery store bunches gave them a bad rap (especially the green and blue ones that are clearly dyed unnaturally) But let’s give them another chance!!! From now on, let’s use their scientific name- Dianthus

See how a simple Dianthus bunch can be made into a simple and creative bouquet? Change the color, add some bling, wrap with a gorgeous ribbon and….. a more subtle, traditional feel with a tad of bling and sparkle! ( I would TOTALLY load this up with a TON more bling, but you get the idea!)

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Are you a DIY bride looking for an awesome gift for your wedding party? Well, how about this?

Every girl in Florida owns a few pair of flip-flops! Ok, so some of us own a TON of flip-flops, so when I saw this DIY project on epbot.com. I just HAD to share it!

Here’s how to make them

First, grab a handful of the flimsiest metal hangers you can find in your closet- you know the kind you get with your dry cleaning. (You want to be able to bend them with your hands, if possible.) You’ll also need a pair of needle-nosed pliers.

Cut off the bottom section of the hanger like so:

You may need to score the metal with the pliers and then snap it with your hands.

Now take your pliers and roll up the two edges, like this:

This gets the sharp edges safely out of the way, and also looks kind of cute.

Now, using both your hands and your pliers, bend your hanger into this approximate shape:

Kind of like a stick figure flexing his muscles.

Want to match your wedding colors? How about a little spray paint?

I love the idea to make them a bit prettier with this little wrap!

Here’s how you make it:

Make sure your ribbon is snug, so it doesn’t fall off the hanger. To secure it you can use fabric or super glue – or, if the glue stains the ribbon like mine did, glue dots also work really well.

Step 6 shows the backside of the hanger. I suggest flipping it over like this to trim off the excess ribbon.

When you’re done, your hanger should look like this:

You can add special touches to personalize too. How about their initial, just to make it EXTRA special.

And here they are, hanging in a row:

Here’s how the ‘flops hang:

Plus, here’s a handy bonus: you can also hang your ballerina flats on these!

I love the “green” eco friendly concept of recycling for a one of a kind gift!!!

Pomanders, or “Flower Kissing Balls” are gorgeous floral decorations at parties and weddings. It’s name is from the French pomme d’ambre or apple of amber – a ball of perfume. They were carried to protect against infections and diseases by modifying bad smells. Interesting huh? Well, today they’re used as a beautiful, hand-made decoration!

Paula of Frog Prince Paperie
has made a tutorial for these floral balls and I LOVE the look of these!

SUPPLIES:

– 4″ white Styrofoam ball

- 90-100 pearl tipped corsage pins

- Two sheets scrapbook paper –a pearlized pink for one ball and a matte pale pink for the other in these pictures

- Martha Stewart hydrangea punch

Step 1. You’ll need to punch 180-200 of the hydrangea petal shapes, which will take around a sheet and a half of 12×12 scrapbook paper.

Step 2. After the shapes are all punched, curl the edges of the petals upward and to the center. This will give the flowers some dimension when they are complete.

Step 3. Stack two of the flower petals and turn them a bit so it looks like a full flower. Stick a corsage pin straight through the center of your petals.

Step 4.  Push the end of the pin into the Styrofoam ball, the repeat until your ball is covered.

Start by making a row around the center and filling in each half a concentric row at a time. Make sure your flowers are close enough that the petals cover the Styrofoam. If you’re going to sit them flat by themselves on the table as I did for my centerpieces, you can leave about 2 inches on the bottom bare of flowers so the balls have a bit more stability. If you cover the entire ball, these would look pretty in a bowl or with ribbons pinned among the petals to hang them.

And that’s it! A very simple project for a very elegant and impressive display.

As part of our mission at I Do University, we continue to address the questions and issues on the mind of our brides. One of the most common comments is "Why are wedding flowers SO much more expensive than any other time I buy flowers?" Many brides think that wedding florals are similar to the "Valentine's Day effect" of higher pricing because it is a wedding! I am madly in love with gorgeous flowers and the talented floral designers who can make the simple look so elegant and flawless!


Our first question was about Florists vs. Floral Designers……


Q: Are floral designers more experienced or qualified than florists? –Monica, Kissimmee, FL

A: No, they are usually two different jobs and you should not infer anything about experience or qualifications in comparing them.  Typically, florists work out of their own shop.  While they may arrange flowers for an event, they also operate a flower shop, preparing bouquets for holidays, birthdays, etc.  Floral designers, on the other hand, usually have focused primarily on event arrangements.  They are often more involved in creating an overall aesthetic that extends beyond the specific flower arrangement.

Rosalba Fasan-Buffat from Roses Flowers and Gifts, a floral designer in Vancouver, BC Canada spent a bit of time chatting with me about her work and I had the privilege to ask a floral designer the real scoop so consider yourself informed.


WHY ARE WEDDING FLOWERS CONSIDERED EXPENSIVE? "Weddings can sometimes appear to have higher prices for a few reasons.  Weddings are A LOT of work, as you can imagine, someone doesn't just pick up the phone or walk into the store and pick some flowers and then walk back out.  There are meetings, emails, phone calls, making changes and with each contact and change there are changes to the master list of flowers (yes, each and every flower and container have been counted out and every time a change is made and a new price is needed all the numbers are affected because flowers are purchased in bulk).  For designers, like myself, who don't offer standard packages to each person this type of personalized service can add up to days and/or weeks of time.  If you take into account placing the orders with wholesalers and growers and keeping on top of them and putting out a fire, that always happen, it's even more hours of work.  And this all before I've even touched a flower.  There are also containers, glue, ribbon, wire, tapes and multitude of other products we use in most every wedding arrangement.


Often times we meet with brides months in advance and literally have to guess the cost of that flower (based on the year previous and any trends that we may notice-the volcano eruption in Europe last year through everyone for a loop and we had to scramble to fill our orders that because so many flowers couldn't get flown in)   Flowers are sold on the open market via auction clocks and there are hundreds of factors that can affect the cost.  What I do is charge it out to the higher end of the cost spectrum and if it comes in cheaper I will add more flowers to the arrangements or maybe crystals that she couldn't previously afford and surprise her.


There is also, for myself, the fact that I purchase


• better quality blooms

• condition them to the best of my knowledge (more time)

• and use more accents (like pins, ribbon, crystals, etc) to make it the prettiest arrangements she's, hopefully, ever seen.


I have also found that most clients really have no clue how many flowers actually go into an arrangement.  They see a pretty bouquet and don't notice the 40 roses it took to make it up (for example) or that the peonies in that bouquet were purchased in September and out of season so they were flown in from Holland, or to cover an aisle in rose petals can take 1000's of petals=100's of roses.  Quite a few people will purchase their day to day purchases of flowers from a Costco or a Chinese grocer or a grocery store where bouquets were purchased on mass by people with no floral education making and with very little to any of the before mentioned time spent.

Just as in every industry there are vendors that will cut corners and say they are "saving" money. You may be saving $$ but is it at the cost of- Quality, Design, Details?


Thank you to Rosalba for her insight and time! You know, in my dealings, a great quality designer can offer you a totally new perspective on how best to use your budget for the maximum effect. A quality floral designer will bring you so much more than you can ever get by going to Costco! PLUS: they really do care about you and your wedding day!


The past is back and all vintage ideas as well. Incorporating modern elements that have a historical past is a growing trend, which is very appreciated by everyone that participates in weddings with these types of ideas.

Presenting your guests with party favors from historical brands, building the wedding theme around this concept, recycling and wearing your mother or grandmother’s wedding dress, incorporating your parents’ or grandparents’ wedding pictures into the décor, creating an atmosphere of nostalgic romance is always nice and very, very trendy these days.

Some ideas include involving save-the-dates with antique trinkets or pieces. Keeping in check with the budget is also important, and an easy task to accomplish with a vintage inspired theme. Included small props like a spool of thread for a place card (match your wedding colors – INSTRUCTIONS) or jars of buttons for centerpieces, even adding to the cake with vintage sugar buttons!

Creating a beautiful vintage inspired wedding within your budget is easier than ever.