The Floral Studio

Gorgeous Garden Wedding in Monkton

2011-05-03T14:49:00.006-04:00

The wedding was right around the corner and everything was falling into place. The bride, armed with a beautiful vision and more than enough talent to pull it off, had taken care of every detail--except for one. She just couldn't find the right florist to pull together the incredible clean, crisp garden look she was going for. As luck would have it, we were asked to do her wedding shower florals only two weeks before her wedding and within hours of the shower, we had ourselves a wonderful new client and less than two weeks to pull together one of the prettiest weddings we have ever been a part of. The style was garden party with punches of delicate sherbert-like color. Some of the work was built in-house, but a lot of what we did had to be built on site. Here are just some of the images from our set up on the wedding day

The bride's family home in Monkton was absolutely lovely and served as the perfect backdrop for a picture-perfect wedding. It reminded me of an English Village with small outbuildings and unique architectural details, statuary in the various gardens, hedgerows reminiscent of a garden maze, paths and walkways, arbors--really a wonderful place. We will certainly post more pictures but wanted to get these few up right away!

BOB

2011-03-29T22:42:00.000-04:00

Must be Italian...

REAL WEDDING : Mia and Christian

2011-03-22T15:06:00.003-04:00

This one is picture heavy, but we could hardly edit down the beautiful photos taken by A. Bryan Photo. This was a gorgeous garden wedding for our sweet friends Mia and Christian. The wedding took place at the Belmont Conference Center in Elkridge. It is a beautiful blank canvas and Mia's palette of orange and cream was just what it needed on a pretty June day! Congratulations again to Mia and Christian!

Out for Delivery

2011-03-22T14:45:00.003-04:00

Here's a shot of a lovely arrangement we sent out yesterday. The request was for whites and creams with pops of color! As pretty as this arrangement was, it smelled even better! (thanks to the fluffy white stock)

AROUND THE SHOP

2011-03-07T14:51:00.001-05:00

Just popping in to show some work that we've recently added to the gallery section of our website!
take some time to look through the full gallery and let us know what your favorites are!

BOB CAT

2011-02-27T21:11:00.000-05:00

Bob is a little anxious for spring and that means he's just itching for trouble. Yesterday he insisted on tipping over a huge water bucket and totally drenched not only himself, but poor innocent Jack as well. He's into everything lately and when he gets totally bored he pouts--in the sink.

Jack, on the other hand, is loving all the spring flowers. He's added anemones and tulips to his diet. But roses remain his favorite. So if you ever order a dozen roses and end up with 11, blame Jack.

FIELD TRIP TO FISCHER'S GREENHOUSES

2011-02-19T22:04:00.000-05:00

We love the fact that we are able to get many of our flowers from local growers and markets. It's better for the earth, better for our customers, and always better for our communities. One of our favorite suppliers is Fischer's Greenhouse. We discovered David Fischer and his absolutely regal and breathtaking Calla lilies last year and have been fans ever since. David has a farm in Kingsville where he grows these gorgeous Callas as well as beautiful Anemones and some of the biggest Snapdragons I have ever seen.

Yesterday we got a last minute job that necessitated a spur of the moment trip out to Dave's farm. Usually Dave delivers his gorgeous blossoms on Tuesday mornings, but we needed the Anemones and Callas for a last minute job.

The weather was so beautiful and Katie had everything completely under control back at the studio so it was a great excuse for me to make the run and pick up the flowers we needed. I rolled down the windows, turned up the radio and headed out to Kingsville. You actually go through a covered bridge on the way and from there it's less than another country mile to Dave's farm. If it were open to the public I'd be the first to tell you how to get there. But it's not, and you can't just go wandering around the place at will, but I did anyway. In spite of the numerous greenhouses, it's a pretty quiet operation and I wandered around for awhile before I found Dave. I stumbled upon these beauties first when I went into the first barn. Dave had just cut them that morning.

I was lucky enough to get a tour and I discovered that Dave grows more than just Callas, Snaps, and Anemones. There are potted Ranunculus, Gerbers, and hanging pots of geraniums and Petunias--all of which I can't wait to get our hands on in the coming months! Though I had seen smaller Callas growing as plants in pots and gardens, I had never actually seen the giant varieties. And I'd grown so accustomed to seeing them without any foliage that I was somewhat taken aback at first to see how lush the plants actually are. In the photo here your can see just one Lily. The foliage, however, is mammoth!

My assignment included picking up 80 white Anemones (the gorgeous ones with the black-purple centers) for a University of Maryland job. Can't wait to post the pics on Monday!

I wish I could send everyone out to Dave Fischer's Greenhouse, but I can't. The next best thing, however, would be to stop in and check out his absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous flowers--arriving fresh cut every Tuesday morning at The Floral Studio!

MORE BOB

2011-02-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

Hey, John--
I got your back...
Bob

SUCCULENTS IN FLORAL DESIGN

2011-02-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

I recently booked a bride who wants her bouquet and most of her flowers to be comprised of succulents. I am so excited! I love working with succulents, and the best part of a succulent bouquet is that after the wedding almost everything in the bouquet can be easily rooted in a rock garden. Imagine having bits and pieces of your bouquet flourishing in your garden for years to come. The piece on the left was something I did a few years ago, just for fun, just for myself, but I had to post it as it will be my inspiration for the bridal pieces.

The large "blossom, front and center, is Eucheveria. You may know it by it's more common name -- "chicks and hens." It comes in beautiful tones, from deep evergreen to silver blue to a deep chocolate-burgundy. When I was in northern California last year I saw the darker ones growing all along the coast and honestly, some of them were a foot in diameter!

Can't wait to post wedding pics!

Bob, again...

2010-09-04T11:17:00.000-04:00

Oh, Bob...

BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL @ 4 E. MADISON

2010-08-13T22:52:00.000-04:00

Back in June we were thrilled to be a part of Jenna Spain's wedding. Her color palette was so much fun--bright pinks and oranges with splashes of cool blue. We finally got the pics and I just had to post a few.

The wedding was held outdoors on a beautiful June day in the courtyard garden of 4 E. Madison. Keenan, one of our favorite designers, helped to decorate the courtyard with lush plants, pots of ferns and ivy and 3.5' tall white urns filled to overflowing with bright lush flowers. Everything was beautiful--but also fun and funky and totally "Jenna."

Needless to say, the bride was stunning and absolutely sparkled on her wedding day. Thanks, Jenna, for letting us be a part of your day!

Clay and Liz @ Baltimore Country Club

2010-06-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

The only thing more rewarding than creating flowers for a couple I already know is creating flowers for a couple who are then kind enough to invite me to their wedding. Last weekend was quite a treat as both Kelly, John, and I were invited to the beautiful wedding of Liz Sherman and Clay Goodier. It was so much fun to witness the two of them, both of whom we have known since their middle school years, become husband and wife.

Liz and Clay are such a wonderful and playful couple and Stacy Richardson, their photographer did the most amazing job capturing that aspect of their relationship. Check out a few of her photographs and you'll see what I mean.

Liz loves daisies so her bouquet was comprised of an array of daisy varieties. She's casual and fun-loving but the bouquet was still romantic and sophisticated and suited her beautifully.

As soon as we get more great pics from Stacy we'll show off the gorgeous arbor we created on the lawn of Baltimore Country Club in Roland Park where Clay and Liz said their vows. It was beautiful--and again, it suited her perfectly.

It was such a pleasure to work with Liz and her mom and future mom-in-law (and friend of ours) Isabelle Goodier. And as an extra bonus I even had the pleasure of running into a previous bride whose wedding flowers we had also done last fall at Baltimore Country Club. Kristina was still raving about her flowers--and we just love when that happens! What I am always especially proud of is the fact that we can do two weddings in the same venue and get a completely different look and feel for each one. And each bride knows that her flowers were created just for her and her special day.

Congratulations to Clay and Liz and thanks so much for letting us be a part of your day!

JUNE WEDDING AT MARYVALE CASTLE

2010-06-08T08:53:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe I haven't posted since April 29, but then again, it has been the busiest wedding season we have had thus far. When you add proms and graduations to the mix--it's been a whirlwind of activity. And we couldn't be more grateful--or exhausted. We have a brief respite right now, with only one wedding next weekend, so I slipped away for a few days to focus on paperwork, and all the little things you just don't get to you when you're in the thick of the busy season.

However, last weekend we had three weddings and each one was different. Jenna used vintage bottles, many in cobalt blue and we filled them with splashes of bright orange and fuchsia with a light touch of pale blue. They were outstanding in the gardens and on on the tables at 4 E. Madison where both the ceremony and the reception were held. We will post photos as soon as they are available. Bonita had a traditional Tiffany Blue and Chocolate Brown wedding with stylized clutches of GIANT local calla for her maids and blue crystal balls on crystal stands for her tables--again, beautiful. The flowergirls' pomander balls were among the sweetest we've ever made.

Jennifer, with an artistic eye, a willingness to take a few chances, and having made a huge leap of faith with me, envisioned a beautiful garden wedding at The Maryvale Castle. When she first came to me with some of her ideas, I was very excited, but to be honest, her mom was a little skeptical. Admittedly, it is sometimes hard to imagine the look of blending a vintage garden theme with just the rights elements so that it doesn't end up looking like the set of "Sanford & Son" or a poorly done Flea Market. But Mom-of-the-bride Patti left me a sweet email this morning saying "I wanted to tell you that the flowers were GORGEOUS...Thank you so much and you were right, I would love them. I loved them so much I took four of the centerpieces...seriously wanted to take all the flowers home with me...but they wouldn't fit in my car."

Patti also took a class with me earlier this spring, claiming she loves flowers and always wanted to learn flower arranging, but I have a hunch she was checking me out to see if both her daughter and I had lost our minds and if her beautiful daughter's wedding was going to end up looking like Anthropology exploded all over the grounds of Maryvale. I can't blame her a bit, but she had nothing to fear. The flowers were stunning!

What I liked best about working with Jennifer--and what I like best about so many of the brides I work with, is that she had total faith in the fact that my vision would meld with hers. In this way, and because I got to know her and have a sense for her personal aesthetic, I was able to exercise creative freedom, and even tuck in a few surprises along the way--like the bee in bouquet that she adored but that came as a total surprise. (He's on the right, just above the hypericum berry cluster). The boutonnieure was another fun surprise. Jennifer wanted fun and funky, but natural and garden-themed. I found a petite faux bird nest and egg and just had to work it into the bout for her groom.

The table pieces were created in vintage compotes and every table was different. Many had clusters of pieces and some featured a single piece, but the best part was tucking small surprises into some of them. If you looked very carefully you might find a butterfly resting, a dragonfly hovering, a bee tucked into a blossom, a ladybug spreading her wings--and even a cricket nestled at the base of one of the compotes.

We had such fun creating these beautiful pieces for Jennifer and her new husband. During the set-up we asked Katie of Chelle Paperie--who happens to be a spectacular photographer as well as a paper and printing genius and a budding floral designer-- to snap a few of these pictures. While we can't post pics of the bride and groom yet, we will as soon as we get copies from the official wedding photographer. But in the meantime, I love to imagine what Jennifer was thinking when she walked into the bridal suite at Maryvale Castle and saw her bouquets for the first time...

CIRCUS ROSES FOR SHOCK TRAUMA GALA

2010-04-29T18:39:00.000-04:00

We recently had the pleasure once again of working with the incredible team of PW Feats. We love these guys. Not only are they professional and creative, they're a lot of fun, too. These guys don't just manage an event, they bring in all the bells and whistles that turn it into something really special, even spectacular. From gorgeous fantasy weddings to amazing corporate events, PW Feats has let us ride on their awesome shirt tails since we first opened two years ago.

Last weekend we worked with them on the florals for a Gala for Shock Trauma that was held at the Baltimore Convention Center. The centerpieces were simple bubble bowls filled with gorgeous Circus Roses. This is a fabuloous rose because it blows wide open right away but continues to last for a week or more. The more it opens the more it reveals its vibrancy. It's a stunner. We did 270 centerpieces and each bowl had roughly 14 roses in it--do the math. We had more than 2300 of these beautiful roses in our studio. They were everywhere...

I couldn't have been more proud of our team. Every single piece was beautiful. You always worry when you're doing a lot of a single design. It's easy to get tired and adopt that "it's good enough" attitude. But our team of Debbie, Susie, Sharon and Kristen never let up and they took ownership of each and every piece they turned out.

The result was 270 perfectly gorgeous bowls of Circus Roses that we packed up, delivered to the Convention Center, and set up. Imagine these flowers on black tablecloths--270 of them. I love when it all comes together and the client is thrilled with the final look. Thanks, PW Feats, for once again letting us be part of your vision!

BOB, THE STUDIO LUSH

2010-04-28T17:41:00.001-04:00

We just couldn't stand it. As many of you know, The Floral Studio is home to Jack, our free-roaming rabbit, and Bob, our adorable fat cat. Yes, that's right--Bob cat and Jack rabbit. The two of them live at the studio, roam free 24-7, and have apparently become very good friends. It's a pretty relaxing place and Bob loves to find a patch of sun on the workroom floor and sprawl--belly up. Well, we just couldn't resist. We had to set up this photo.
What a lush...

Cherry Blossom Weddings

2010-04-01T22:20:00.000-04:00

It's Cherry Blossom time again and we're gearing up for a cherry blossom wedding at The Peabody Library this Saturday. Last year we did a beautiful wedding with these gorgeous blossoming branches and I just had to go back and look at the photographs again for a little inspiration.

Jennifer McMenamin was the photographer at this beautiful wedding last spring and the pictures of Sylvia and Tim's wedding are among our favorites. The Floral Studio has been lucky to have collaborated with Jennifer on many weddings in the last two years and she has never disappointed. We think her work is stunning and has a way of getting at the heart of the moment.

Right now we have hundreds of Cherry Blossom branches soaking in buckets around the studio and on our deck. We're coaxing these blossoms and the timing is always tricky, but we expect to produce another magical Cherry Blossom wedding on Saturday!

If you should decide to try and force branches at home, you might want to try Quince. It has a pretty pink-salmon color that's a little unusual. It doesn't actually bloom in clusters like most cherry varieties, and the stems are a little stiffer, but it does have a similar flower blossom and it will last a bit longer than Cherry.

Start forcing stems by cutting them from the trees or bushes, trimming some of the smaller stragglers towards the bottom of the branches (to force the energy into the buds further up the stem) and then setting them in warm to hot water for an hour. It will jump-start the process. Pick stems that have small buds just starting. They don't need to be open, or even peeking color, but you'll have more luck if the buds are starting to swell. Stay away from branches that have already bloomed unless you want a very short-lived arrangement. Once the energy has gone into the bloom, the branches are a little less hearty for cutting.

"Spirea" or "Bridal Wreath" forces nicely, too. It's a shrub with vine-like branches that bloom a little later in the spring and produce clusters of small white flowers. Dogwood is a little tougher to get going, but it is stucturally gorgeous once it blooms on some of those gnarled branches. Most fruit trees can be forced and that includes apple blossom, orange blossom, and flowering pear tree. And many flowering vines are extremely cooperative and can be forced in the very dead of winter. Forsythia is a great choice for an explosion of sunny yellow in the dead of winter.

Nothing says spring in Baltimore like blooming trees (and lacrosse sticks). Can't wait for Saturday!

FlORAL CLASSES

2010-03-08T00:00:00.006-05:00

We just wrapped up two classes this past week and they were fabulous! On Thursday night we did a private class for five friends. Wine, cheese and flowers--who could ask for more on a rainy-snowy Thursday night? The pieces were beautiful and everyone had a wonderful time.

Sunday afternoon we hosted a slightly larger class and we were lucky enough to have Katie from Chelle Paperie with us. If you don't already know, Katie is not only a talented designer of exquisite papergoods, but she's also a fabulous photographer. As a matter of fact, many if not most of my blog and web site photos are courtesy of Katie.

In any case, she enjoyed the class, as did everyone else, and she also snapped a few photos to document the fun. As you can see, the arrangements are absolutely beautiful!

The fun began with a few essentials--beautiful flowers being the most important element.

We learned about prepping and preparing various flowers--especially those fussy damn hydrangeas we all love so much.

Pretty soon we were creating gorgeous pieces in rich shades of tangerine and salmon. Huge French tulips, incredible varieties of roses, peachy-orange hypericum berries and deep rich green gardenia foliage made for some stunning finished pieces.

Everyone's work just got prettier and prettier as we moved along.

It always amazes me that as students are introduced to various flowers--as they get to know their tendencies and become more comfortable with each variety, they begin to see each flower in a different way and the building and placing of the blooms becomes more and more natural as the class progresses.

Soon everything is coming together and the students who came into class two hours earlier are often surprised by how beautiful their work is.

Everyone took home an exquisite piece that afternoon! For more information about upcoming classes shoot us an email or give us a call. Private group classes are also available and we love to turn it into a wine and cheese evening as well!

Baltimore Bridal Show

2010-02-22T16:05:00.003-05:00

Baltimore Bride has been on the shelf for seven weeks now and we are just so thrilled to have been a part of it again this year. Chelle Paperie, Kate Beck Events, and The Floral Studio combined our talents as "artists in residence at Coppermine Terrace" to create a beautiful bridal table for a photo shoot we participated in at The Walters Art Museum in the Sculpture Court last fall. Our design was titled "Vintage Glamour" and it was totally gorgeous, original, and fun. Katie, Kate, and I had a great time doing it and incorporating slightly unusual elements that you don't always think of when you're planning wedding decor. With a color palette of graphite and tangerine, we threw away tradition but gave a nod to the past with our beautiful table. A rock runner, "pewter" china, soft creamware pitchers of vibrant orange parrot tulips and ranunculus, vintage velvet chairs for the guests of honor, and bold splashes of orange color made for a truly unique but charming and inviting tablescape.

If you want to see more of our designs--live and in living color, be sure to stop by the Aisle Style Bridal Show at The Baltimore Hilton on March 7. Featuring some of the area's finest wedding vendors and lots of great ideas. The Floral Studio will be there and we have cute gifts for all attendees!

spring under glass

2010-02-11T12:45:00.007-05:00

The snow is waist high, the trees are bare, and the wind is whipping around the gables of our studio. I couldn't help but wish for a little piece of Spring and then I thought of these darling pieces I made not long ago. I could just stare at them forever...

Each beautiful cloche holds its own little world nestled under glass. There are butterflies, bees, eggs and feathers. What a great way to bring nature indoors during the cold days of winter.

It makes me smile :)

WORKING IN PURPLE

2010-02-11T07:27:00.002-05:00

We are so excited to have our new blog up. Many many thanks to Katie of Chelle Paperie and her husband Ben Kutil of Make Things Studio for pulling this all together for me. It looks like this will be a great place for me to spout off about flowers, the industry and anything else that comes to mind. It's my own personal soap box--as my husband would say--and I'm thrilled to have it.

Last week we met with a ton of new brides. Every one of them was a pleasure to spend time with and every one of them is planning a wedding with a completely unique and individual feel about it. One thing I did notice is that there is an awful lot of "purple" going on next year! But each bride is using it in a different way. Some want a purple to red palette and some want a purple to pink palette. Some are looking at true purples and others are thinking along the lines of eggplant. One caution to all purple brides--purple doesn't always photograph "true." Even under the best of conditions you may find purple looking blue so make sure you're working with a good photographer who knows how fickle this color can be.

***

Valentine's Day and the floral industry

2010-02-08T17:56:00.014-05:00

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and to be perfectly honest, it is probably my least favorite time to be in this business. Most florists love Valentine's Day. After all, for many of us it's the biggest floral holiday of the year and what most florists make in February on this holiday has to carry them through the long slow weeks of March and even into April before the wedding season starts to pick up again.

But the truth is, I didn't start out trying to be like most florists and this holiday just proves my point. It's not that I have anything against the holiday itself. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite customers who lives in a retirement community down the street just ordered from me again and I adore working with this man. (I can't wait to tell you the sweet sweet story about how he and his wife treated each other to flowers on Valentine's Day last year--but more on that later).

So what is it about Valentine's Day that drives me nuts? It's the damn flowers themselves. For one thing the quality of most flowers is just not that great. The roses are typically lousy because they are cut way too early and held in cold storage for way too long. And I, as a buyer, have no absolute knowledge of how my purchases have been handled prior to the sale. My reps call me and urge me to pre-order to get the best price and they are deadly serious. My roses TRIPLE at Valentines Day. I'm talking about my actual COSTS. And we're not even talking about terrific roses. Some of the reps insist that for every 100 roses I order I take 30 of them in whatever colors they want to ship and the rest will be red. If I pre-order I get a small break on the price, but believe me when I tell you I am still overpaying for them, especially given the quality. I don't blame the reps--they're overpaying for them, too! And perhaps I can't blame the growers either becasue they are only trying to cash in on the biggest day of the year and it allows them to keep their prices more reasonable the rest of the year. But in my opinion--this is one hot mess.

The pre-ordering only adds to the nightmare because then we have to charge just a little bit more to make-up for the fact that we may have over-ordered--especially if there is a snowstorm, which really throws a wrench into the works. Orders drop off, deliveries can't be made, she can't get to work so her roses sit in the office for three days before she sees them... Like I said, it's one hot mess.

And if all of this nonsense isn't enough to deal with we good florists find ourselves explaining over and over again why it is that 1-800-FLOWERS can deliver a dozen roses to your doorstep for $29.99 with no delivery charges and my dozen roses are typically $79.95 plus delivery. I wish I could explain it but sometimes there's no explaining something (without sounding bitter). Suffice it to say--I'm not Walmart.

So where does that leave us? The best I can do during this holiday is to seek out the very best flowers I can find. True garden roses are always good because they CAN'T be cut too early. I can also encourage my customers to try different flowers for Valentines Day--Stargazer Lily's, Tuberoses (mmmm-they smell heavenly), deep plum colored Naomi Calla Lily, Peony, Lilac--so many beautiful alternatives.

Take a look at two of our most popular designs. We love these designs all year long, not just for Valentine's Day!

Now, I did promise to tell you about the darling couple who live down the street from our studio in a retirement center. These two are madly in love with one another and last year, Mr. Perfect Husband arranged for me to do a piece for his wife for Valentine's Day in a favorite piece of her china. It was to be delivered to the front desk at their center and I was to ask the desk to come and get him, but not mention anything to his wife so that he could present it to her. What he didn't know was that Mrs. Wonderful Wife had made the very same request--that a piece be made for him in one of his favorite pieces of stoneware and that it be delivered to the front desk where I was to instruct the staff to call her but not mention anything to him so that she could present it to him as a surprise! It was so much fun to be a part of their Valentine surprise to one another.

Ahhh--maybe it's not such a bad holiday afterall.

***

THE ART OF THE BRIDAL BOUQUET

2010-01-17T19:00:00.002-05:00

"When I meet with a bride to talk about her bridal bouquet I try to take the opportunity to get to know her and get a sense for her aesthetic. It's not just about color or shape or size or even the flowers being used in the bouquet. It's about who the bride is and in what way she wants this gathering of flowers to speak for her. Then I can use those various design elements and ideas--a color palette, style, size, floral choices--combined with my own artistry to create a bouquet that is unique to that bride and the perfect complement to the celebration." Shawn Nocher - Owner, Designer