FLOWERS WORLD

Time seems to have been passing both incredibly fast and mind numbingly slowly over the last few days here. I have had a million ideas racing through my mind about everything under the sun - developing my website, my portfolio, products for my etsy shop, packaging, delivery charges, couriers vs postal services, logos and designs....the list goes on like that, and you can also add on all those silly things a girl has to remember to do around the house. At the same time I seem to be making very little progress with any of these different things. It took me a whole morning and most of the afternoon to figure out what I was doing with my little logo, but now its finally finished I do feel quite pleased with myself. In case you are wondering, its at the top of this page on the header.

I'm hoping soon to have my first little bits up on etsy as well. I have been making some pretty brooches and as well as these I'll be doing little tea cups filled with lovely spring bulbs. I'm currently hunting around for vintage tea cups and shiny little trinkets to plant up with narcissi, muscari, paperwhites, hyacinths, snowdrops - whatever lovely bulbs I can get my hands on.

Since my hours at work were cut last week I've also been on the hunt for some other work to tide me over until I can stand on my own two feet. I was digging around in my photograph albums on the computer looking for pictures of my work to take to potential interviews, and I found some of the work I did at college when I first started studying floristry. I really enjoyed making these bridal posies even though I didnt have a clue what I was doing at the time, and I just love the hot pinks and deep purples together, its one of my favorite colour combinations.

I also came across this picture which was one of a set taken for me last year. I adore ranunculus, it comes in so many beautiful shades and I cant wait to make something else pretty with them. I also love the old style dutch roses with their green and pink hue, which gives that lovely antique feel to the flowers.

Roses are such a popular choice when choosing any kind of flowers, but are particularly popular for weddings. There is something pleasing about the rose's simple charms - it's spiral of petals which draws the eye into its centre, its soft shape, or the many beautiful colours and shades available. Roses have become a tradition, and maybe a staple of wedding flowers, and while they are lovely, classic, elegant and all the rest of it....I'm starting to get a little bored with them. 

Now some of you will probably be outraged, how can I be bored with such a lovely flower? How?! Why?! Well lets set things straight. I've got nothing against roses, I like them plenty! All I'm saying is lets get a bit more imaginative when it comes to using roses for a wedding bouquet.

There are loads of gorgeous varieties of rose just begging to be made into a beautiful bouquet! Why not step away from the standard tight headed varieties and go for something more open? Using a garden rose from David Austin or The Real Flower Company can give you a very romantic and soft, blousy look, and can be lovely when mixed with seasonal berries, leaves or summer flowers. Or how about a frilly rose like the large headed King Arthur, Supergreen or smaller El Torro varieties. 

 Gorgeous bouquet of frilly "Super Green" roses, brunia, ornithogalum and dusty miller via Bow and Arrows

Go wild with colour and choose something variegated or bright. Mix it with your favorite classic rose to uplift a traditional look, or pick a selection of other bold flowers to make your bouquet really pop with colour. 

There are also a number of beautiful and unusual rose varieties on the market such as the striking Purple Tiger, the lovely variegated Ranuncula, and its cousin the unsurprisingly named Green Eye, all of which would make a beautifully quirky bouquet used alone, or could add character when used along more standard style roses.

So lets mix it up! There are so many other varieties out there other than aqua and akito - lets use them with wild abandon!