maybe you saw this on facebook the other day. i love feathers. some florists will turn their noses up at this and say they are over the trend, or perhaps claim to be purists when it comes to arrangements–flowers and foliage only. i happen not to care. if it’s pretty, and these definitely are, i’ll put it to use in a bouquet.
that said, people do some pretty hideous things to feathers as far as bleaching and dyeing is concerned. it can be done well, but lets try to avoid the day-glo kindergarten craft look, shall we?
i swear those are g’s, not q’s. the font’s still too pretty to pass up. annnnyway…i love the little polka-dotted guinea feathers in boutonnieres. yup, those dots are natural and just perfect.
peacock feathers really are the grandaddy of them all. these are from my friend jayme at harvest moon photography, who just happens to have a bunch of peacocks strutting around her property. i like these guys paired best with something high-contrast. deep, bright red? or maybe some gold? yes, please.
lesser known, but gorgeous in their own right, are the peacock swords. the iridescence is just so spectacular on these, more than it is on the eye feathers.
these days, feathers aren’t just for flowers, especially in weddings. there are feathery dresses, feathery hair accessories, hell, even feathers attached in hair. a bunch of friends of mine actually did that last one to a poor passing boy once. funny thing is that they didn’t even have to hold him down.
fun fact: one of the best places to get loose feathers is at your local fly shop. this tip is brought to you by one of my july brides, the lovely miss brianna. i swear this gal has a resource for everything. we’re totally using feathers in her flowers, and i positively can’t wait.
so what’s the word? are we over feathers? can’t get enough? want them in your bouquet?
tip: the short candles will melt the taller candles in half. should you use both, space appropriately (not pictured).
i got to huggle a friend i’ve been missing dearly. miss elisa, thanks for the petite fours and for grating the carrot for the slaw.
the pulled pork was delicious.
we opened all the windows wide and smelled, tasted, and listened to spring. it was wonderful to relax and cuddle with my husband and feel generally twitterpated for one another.
we threw a tenth birthday party for a friend turning thirty-one. i made him his first ever birthday cake and it made me cry. there were balloons and party favors and basketball trading cards. our drunken rendition of happy birthday was one of the worst (best) on record. i’m sure the whole neighborhood heard us.
i want to eat a whole bowl full of the frosting i used for the cake. if you make some, invite me over, k?
chocolate sour cream frosting
15 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1 1/4 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso (optional)
2 cups room temperature sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
combine the chocolate and coffee powder. melt in a double boiler, stirring or in the microwave in short 15-30 second intervals, stirring between. my microwave has no turntable, and i don’t own a double boiler. i used my big 4-cup measuring cup inside a saucepan. it kinda worked, balanced on top of a ramekin. *shrug* remove from heat and let cool until tepid.
whisk together sour cream, vanilla, and 1/4 cup corn syrup. add tepid chocolate and stir quickly to combine. taste for sweetness, adding corn syrup till it’s how you like it. if your sour cream mixture is too cold, it’ll solidify your chocolate. room temperature, peeps.
i have more ideas in my brain than i have time and money to execute, so i figured i’d share some here as an outlet. there’s nothing like inspiration boards to express a little creativity and some good ideas without going gang busters buying flowers, expensive dresses, and lots of beer. ok, i might have some of the latter later today. it is friday, after all.
love oregon? here’s a classy pacific northwest theme for ya. mossy, ferny, shroomy table decor and stationery. puffy clouds of baby’s breath. and beer. this imaginary wedding has beer tasting set up at the bar and boutonnieres made out of hops. the rainy theme certainly doesn’t match the day we’re having in eugene right now, but i can’t say i mind one bit.
i could put together about a bajillion more of these. leave a comment and let me know if you want to see them. like this board? get married and i’ll help you make it happen. :)
“i am not a peony,” cries the ranunculus. “peonies are fickle, only showing their frilly faces for a month or so, unless you have coin enough to bribe them. they’re large and garish and demand all the attention. they make women faint all the time.” the little flower folds his leaves across his stem with a harumph. “and besides, they’re pollinated by ants!”
lisianthus pipes up, assuming ranunculus is through with his tirade. “actually, sometimes i think you look more like an anemone when you’re all opened up like that.”
brianna and doug’s engagement session is featured on bowties and bliss today, and it’s worth blogging twice in one day to share! click here to check out the full feature, with photos by the always amazing anne nunn. i can’t wait for this wedding–i am going to have so much fun putting together brianna’s flowers! is it summer yet?
it is nearly time to say farewell to my friend the cymbidium. these blooms have been pilfered so many times to be wired, taped, or artfully (if i do say so myself) set inside a glass bulb with some moss. most of the blooms are fading now, intensifying in color with their advanced age and beginning to curl closed. one has fallen off entirely, for now resting in the tangle of leaves in the center of the pot. i shall fish it out when i am less sad about it.
when the last bloom falls, i have no idea what i’ll do with the space this plant occupies. it’s on and end table, which happens to be in the middle of the room next to a floating sofa. whatever goes there needs to be tall, since the ceiling is so high right at the place and everything else in the room is vertically uniform.
as to the orchid, i need to study up on what to do to coax him back into bloom. i hear colder temperatures and bright light are preferred for an extended period of time, but i have serious doubts about my ability to bring him back around. advice is welcome. it would be easier to just replace it, but perhaps less rewarding. who am i kidding, though? instant gratification will likely win.
make sure to see what everybody else brought to the flower party, hosted by the most gracious ms. jane.
if you’re one of the 2% of eugeneans who haven’t read botany of desire, catch up. great book. in it, michael pollan (appropriate last name for a plant enthusiast, even if the spelling is not quite right) describes how the crazed love for tulips brought an entire economy crashing down after a seriously inflated boom based on the trade of new hybrids and varieties.
here in oregon, our tulips are more likely to be grown in california than the netherlands, but the nation persists as a premier location for growing and trading flowers, including the lovely ones they are most famous for. it’s a serious daydream of mine to visit one day and stand in the middle of all that color. for now, two bunches of gracefully drooping flowers will do.
those dark doubles are just too gorgeous. the flowers are a bit newer in the top two photos. as time goes by, the blooms open, the stems grow a couple inches, and they bend towards the light. if for some reason you prefer straighter tulips, give them a fresh cut, then poke a straight pin or a bit of wire vertically up through the bottom of the stem.
tulips are a bit wild and unwieldy sometimes. my favorite way to ‘arrange’ them is to let them more or less do as they please. here, they’re only sharing a vase with some twigs of pussy willow, but if you have tulips that are giving you fits in your design, try putting the tulips in the vase first, even before your foliage. that way, they’ll guide the rest of the composition so you can build the arrangement around them feature the tulips or let them accent the other flowers.
all flowers are prettiest when they are a day away from being tossed out. the fleeting nature is part of what makes them so wonderful. i’m no poet though, and plenty have already written on the subject, so i’ll just share the pictures.
remember these guys? well, here they are. as i mentioned, they were a little beat up to begin with. i had two of each, and unfortunately the lovelier of the two white roses opened up to reveal a deep bruise instead of the blush center i was hoping for. the one pictured above is still all ruffly goodness though.
mr. pink, however, was a pleasant surprise. he was so tightly wound that at first i was afraid he’d hardly open at all, just shed outside petals one at a time until the little scamp flashed his stamens at me. it only took a little prodding to loosen the petals for this photo, and now he looks more like a peony than a rose to me. just don’t mind the little touch of brown there on one of his petals.
yes, they still smell amazing.
yes, all flowers are male.
next time i’ll share some tulips that are almost done. they’re even prettier than blown roses.
i wish. please don’t actually run your fingernails along your monitor. well, it probably wouldn’t hurt anything if you did, but if somebody sees you…it’s not my fault if you look silly. blame the roses.
ok, so they aren’t much to look at right now. when i stopped by my wholesaler this morning, she was unpacking a battered bunch of some new roses and plunking them in some water in the office to see how they opened up. she couldn’t remember the variety names off the top of her head, but i hope they pan out. she sent a couple home with me to review and i can’t even begin to describe how heavenly my car smelled.
over the history of floriculture, most roses have been selected for color, petal count, and vase life. scent has largely been left by the wayside as a non-essential trait. this is infinitely disappointing when you try to bury your face in the dozen roses your lover just sent you. the good news is scented roses are coming back in vogue. the fantastic garden rose varieties, like the david austin ones we all adore, are wildly popular for their scent as well as their fluffy peony form. this is a trend i can seriously get next to. there’s just nothing like the scent of a rose. it’s unmistakably romantic. how wonderful would a whole bouquet of them be?
as to the fellows in the pictures, i have high hopes for the white one. he has a beautiful blush center that i just couldn’t photograph well and from the looks of things will be all frills on the inside. if i can manage to leave them be long enough without holding them up to my nose, i’ll let them drink for a couple of days and see if they’re a little less camera shy.