Halloween Happenings

I mentioned in my last blog that I *love* Halloween.

When I was a little girl, I loved the fact that Halloween gave me the opportunity to wear makeup--because my mom didn't allow makeup until I was much older. And what little girl doesn't love all the candy--my brother and I got candy I had never even heard of!!

Now that I'm older, I still am pretty happy about the candy--especially anything chocolate. But what I like most now is the craftiness--there are so many cool things to make this time of year!

Here are a couple of the projects I've done at the inn lately. And Mom, if you're reading this, you'll notice that none of them involve eye shadow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flower of the Day: Orange!!

Okay, so orange isn't a flower, it's a color (or a fruit, especially yummy here in sunny Florida!)

Earlier this month, we hosted a wedding for a lovely couple, both originally from Venezuela. They held a very impromptu wedding--deciding to get married just a little over a week before their stay.

In keeping with the spontaneity of this fun couple, the bride asked Mike if she could have a small bouquet the morning of the wedding. It was a Sunday, so our regular florist was not available, but we certainly didn't want to disappoint this lovely woman. So Mike asked what colors she liked (Ivory, orange, or yellow, she said), and Sandy headed out to the store to see what she could find.

What she found were these gorgeous Gerber daisies, pumpkin colored roses, orange alstromeria, and then a nice bouquet of ivory roses. She twisted them into a bouquet, then dropped it in warm water (to help the flowers open up--the roses were practically buds), and the final product was this beautiful handful of autumnal blooms.

And--spontaneity rules--orange Gerbers were the bride's favorite flowers!! As the couple kept saying throughout their stay, Clearly, it was Meant To Be!!

Flowers of the Day: Petunias

There was a time that I didn't love petunias.

 It was partly because of their spicy smell, and partly because they get so leggy in the heat. Well, they smell the same (just smell my car after I pick up a few flats), but the newest versions stay compact and bushy.

Needless to say, I have adjusted my earlier thinking.

Flowers of the Day: Yellow Roses

What's happier, sunnier, more summery than yellow? NOTHING!!!

This photo is from Brianna and Adrian's wedding, held in the gazebo yesterday. Brianna carried a gorgeous round bouquet of yellow roses, and her groom sported a yellow tie and yellow boutenniere. The girls wore yellow ribbons in their hair, yellow sandals, and--of course--yellow pedis.

Now, this blogger is all about the yellow--yellow pumps, yellow flats, yellow sweater sets, and an awesome yellow blazer that I wear when I'm doing presentations. So maybe I'm biased...but I have to say, I thought this color absolutely rocked!!

I also loved that the bride included small crystals in the bouquets, and in her hair. It added a great sparkle in the yellow sunshine!

See more photos below.

Nothing mellow about this yellow--and I loved it!!

Getting Crafty: My Latest Wreath



This wreath doesn't suc-ulent.

 Every now and again, I get inspired to do something a little crafty.

Last week, inspiration struck and I created this wreath for our back patio area. It's where we keep the bicycles and beach chairs, and it's not a very trafficked area--but I think every space has the right to be beautiful.

What do you think? Is it beautiful or what?

(Want to make your own? I got a grapevine wreath, then glued green "grass" to it, as well as some natural moss. I then wired--and hot glued--2 sizes of terracotta pots to the wreath, and filled them with succulents. Because I know I'm not great at watering! Then I tucked in/glued some little birds, a couple of butterflies, and finished it with a raffia bow made out of two colors of raffia, a pinecone, and another bird for good luck. I bought everything at Michael's, except the plants which I got at Home Depot. It was about $25, plants and all).

Flower of the Day: Yellow Roses and Peeps

It seems odd, not having any weddings this weekend.

But our beautiful gazebo needed some quick reinforcing (we don't want anyone to literally "take the plunge"!) and so we blocked it off for events yesterday and today.

Of course, just because there aren't any weddings, that doesn't mean that there aren't any flowers! In fact, spring is in full bloom here in Florida--we've got snapdragons, carnations, bougainvilla, pentas, and even my oleander have thrown out some blooms.

But my favorite flowers today are the bouquet that I just made. The most stunning yellow roses (I just got back from a work trip to San Antonio, Texas, and I was inspired), vibrant pink carnations, and of course--Easter peeps!!

Enjoy the final product, peeps!

Flower of the Day: Tulips

I have always loved tulips.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, weary from shoveling snow and carrying water to the calves in the back barns, my brother and I anxiously looked for the crocuses first, then the daffodils, and then the tulips. I loved the tulips the best--those big boldly colored cups, the strong stamens inside. Besides, once the tulips unfolded their petals, it was pretty likely that our snow shoveling days were behind us. At least for another year.

Of course, as I got older, and had to buy my own flowers in my own yard, I began to like the daffodils more. They multiplied each year, while the tulips thinned out a little bit each Spring, eventually disappearing altogether.

But I still love tulips today--although Florida winters aren't really cold enough to plant them. But they're a great cut flower right now, available at all the florists in town, and I think they're a wonderfully versatile flower for weddings. They can be sweet, in pink and blushed hues, or they can be bold, in reds and purples. And the fact that they sound like "two lips"--well, that just makes them perfect for a springtime bride!!

This bouquet was done by our preferred floral vendor--Flowers by Krissy. She put them together for Kristin and Cordez, who tied the knot yesterday in the gazebo.

Flowers of the Day: Hydrangeas and Dyed Roses

Everybody knows that the hub convinced me to move to Florida with the lure of year-round gardening.


Yes, the ability to see color--rich, saturated and healthy color--throughout the year was a wonderful draw.


So it's not surprising that I check out the flowers before I look at the wedding dress during our weddings. We work with a local florist, who combines colors in fresh, inventive ways. She also will fit in any color a bride wants--like the Christmas bride who wanted black and red roses. Instead of getting black roses, Chrissy used black silk ribbon and twisted it into a tiny flower to go in the center of every rose. It was beautiful.


Today's flowers are brought to you by the cool color family--green, blue and purple. I promise I'll feature the embellished roses next, but in the meantime, enjoy this happy spring-time bouquet!