Florals, florals, florals

Floral design is something I've done for several years now, for two Hobby Lobby stores. I really enjoy doing it. Silk and "faux" florals have come a LOOOONG way since the days of hard plastic flowers I remember from the 80s:

Wow. just wow. And if anyone asks if this is my house, I may have to hurt them. 

And if these pictures of YOUR house, please call me. Immediately.

I estimate I've made a couple hundred floral arrangements over the last several years, about fifteen of them were done this past weekend for a store set in Fayetteville, GA. Here are some of them:

  

  

  

  

I tend to stay away from florals that are unnatural colors, but sometimes it's fun to play with the super bright ones and have some fun with them. I like the look of draped greenery across the top of the container to transition from the pot (or whatever vessel is being used) to the florals, and I use a lot of "spindly" stems throughout. To me they look like hands being lifted in praise and joy; certainly a reflection of my exuberance- it comes through in all my work.

One customer brought me this: 

She said she couldn't bring swatches of the colors in her dining room, so she pulled our her box of crayons and found the closest matches to what is in the room. 

This metal container fits down inside a large-scale sconce; the arrangements were to flank a large mirror in her dining room.

Based on her crayon color swatches, the sizes she needed, and very little other creative direction (I love when that happens!), here is what I came up with:

  

Yes, I know the arrangements in the containers are far too large, BUT the containers fit into some large sconces, so they ARE properly scaled. They are obviously asymmetrical, and OH how I wish you could see the colors (fluorescent lighting should be banned from the planet. Banned, I tell you). The teal lilies drape inward toward the mirror that they will flank, and I added some very small lily of the valley sprigs in a really pretty coral color. There are sprigs of bright green mixed in with more muted and dark greens of the large leaves and spindly stems. 

A quick, direct shout-out for the use of faux flowers. Nowadays they aren't what yo mamma and grandmamma had back in the day. If you are looking for a way to perk up a room and add a little life to it with plants, but don't have the enviable green thumb to GROW them, you CAN bring in some faux flowers or permanent botanicals. Just don't overdo it, please- reference the first two pix of this post!