Sunday, December 30, 2007

An end of the year party-






So here I am thinking this year's events are basically over...oh, so wrong!

I had the wonderful opportunity to be introduced to a client 'Mrs. K' from a dear friend in the business- David.

David is an amazingly talented painter, photographer, graphics guru, visual merchandiser, interiors visionary and more- going by the title Starvin Artist.

I had the opportunity to create the florals and collaborate with 'Mrs. K' for the celebration dinner last night at Vincenzo's, honoring her 40th Wedding Anniversary..40 years is HUGE!! I was thrilled she chose me for this event- she has worked with some amazing floral designers in our area. I was very happy she considered my ideas and suggestions for props- these awesome 'water walls' created by a local artisan. They are now part of the inventory of an event company, and luckily they were available for the event. So three water walls were placed in the room with 3 'hedges' we created to surround the water trough. {many thanks to Janette and Angie for following my vision and 'growing' my hedges and to Larry for assembling these little buggers- our drill died during the assembling and Larry forged ahead and got the job done.} Thanks too, to my dear husband for saving the day by getting another drill to us..Larry was most pleased.

Anyway, 'Mrs. K' put alot of thought into the details to make each guest feel appreciated in sharing their 40 years. From the chairs they sat on to the exquisite gold charger plates, no detail was overlooked.

As far as the centerpieces...they included Virginia roses {over three dozen in each arrangement} along with white hydrangea, white stock, calla lily and the best thing- white peonies- yes, peonies in December. They were delicately accented with sparklie vintage ferns. The glass Clarinet vases were illuminated with lights placed beneath the vase surrounded with rose petals and votive candles. 'Mrs. K' was going for a classic, elegant refined look for the table decor.

The side tables in front of the mirrors had beautiful oblong arrangments of assorted creme pillar and taper candles. The flowers complimented the table decor..roses, hydrangea and stock accented with galax leaves and mirrored bead sprays.

The staff at Vincenzo's complimented the floral and decor choices. I was happy they were impressed. Being a smaller floral company, we made a very big impression. They are very used to seeing the local 'best' in floral and event design. So again I'm pleased that 'Mrs. K' chose us as her floral source. I look forward to the opportunity to work at Vincenzo's again.

So, enough chattering. I've attached some photos of the party. I did have to jet back to the restaurant before I headed home. I only peeked into the private room as guests arrived.. no, I didn't go in, just looked thru the window as I passed-I must say- it really did look beautiful..flowers, friends and lots of love.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. K--- now, bring on the New Year.

All the best-

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Christmas is just around the corner

I know the holiday is inching up, just a matter of days... but I'm just not ready.

Our shop is more than ready, lots of sparkly things, wreaths, ornaments and more. Our floral cooler smells divine, with the scents of cedar and pine. We're ready for the deliveries...I'm just wondering if everyone is thinking we have more time.

Believe it or not- we also have one last wedding of the season- this Friday evening. Phillip and Ellen will be getting married. Phillip is in the Army and shortly after the wedding they'll be moving to Seattle before Phillip receives his orders to go overseas. I wish them the very best.
I do hope to snap a few photos while at the wedding and if I can get some good shots, I will definitely post them.

We've had a couple of requests for some nifty florals--- we'll be designing some party decor for a lovely 40th anniversary party at Vincenzo's just before the New Year. We also have been retained to redesign the florals for the currently Caesar's soon to be Horseshoe Casino. We're thrilled to have gotten the commission and plan to have everything done before the new year. So, we have just a few things to get done before breaking out the champagne.

We wish the very best to everyone this holiday season. Remember what's most important..family, faith, health and friends... the rest is just icing on the cupcake.

All the best-
Carolyn

Sunday, September 09, 2007

It's almost over..












Well, 4 weddings down and one more to go today..So as promised some photos.
Okay, so as I'm trying to upload these photos.. I have somehow loaded the same one twice. I did catch this.. but if you know me as some do- you'll also know I don't know how to get rid of this photo.. I don't do computer stuff too well and I'm quite lucky to get up the things I can. So don't laugh at me- I know I have an error on this post.
The few I took at the shop don't even begin to tell the tale from this weekend. Flowers, foliages, grass, tree limbs.. in one of the background shots of Kelly.. beyond belief. Our new gal Angie, picked a great weekend to start.. nothing like -baptism by fire!! PS_ yes, she's in the double post photo..and she helped me srt up at the Hyatt- thanks Angie- you were a HUGE help !!Hopefully we'll get some good photos back from the photographers. Enjoy!
All the best-
Carolyn












Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Meet Lulu


Okay... so the more I thought about it.. the more I realized- Lulu's photo needs to be on the blog-- Well the internet in general !!

Anyone stopping in at the shop gets to meet her and experience her sweet personality. So I thought it only fitting to make her famous.

This photo was shot by Jessie Kreich-Higdon... a very creative local photographer. She happened to be at the shop for a photo shoot for my daughter Jen...she shot some amazing photos for Jen's senior photos. [I highly recommend Jessie if you're looking for a personable and extremely talented photographer for your wedding, portraits or event] While waiting on a clothing change, Lulu entertained Jessie and - Snap! went the camera... The rest is history..

All the best!
Carolyn

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Just a little busy...

So, we're almost finished with summer and it's been a busy one for us. We had the opportunity to work with some wonderful couples and create some great bouquets and decor for their events.

Just when most people would think weddings are over.. oh, no they're not !!!

This week we have four weddings on Saturday and one on Sunday. We'll be at St. Mary's of the Knobs, Mellwood Arts Center, The Cathedral and Hyatt, and Glassworks on Saturday. We'll be at the Selbach Hilton on Sunday. We have some amazing flowers coming for our brides...and we will definitely post photos.

Then, after the wedding marathon we'll be doing flowers for a private corporate party on the 10th and for the Riverbreeze Wine Tasting event on Thursday the 13th..a fund raiser for the Jeffersonville City Pride committee. Then we'll be participating in the wedding show hosted by the Holiday Inn Lakeview on Sunday the 16th.

Aside from all of the parties... we do have to get the shop ready for fall. We'll have some amazing things coming in for our Holiday Open House November 8th...but before that we'll have some wonderful decor for a spectacular Halloween window display. You must stop by to see this ..and of course, do come in and say hello and don't forget to look for Lulu too.

We look forward to a busy fall season. We truly love what we do and always enjoy a challenge. Please email us if you have any questions about what we do. Remember, although I tend to comment the most about our weddings, we also do design florals for every day enjoyment. We love to design arrangements for all occasions.. whether just because, new baby or condolences. We truly can take care of any of your floral needs.

Enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend!!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Our wedding this past weekend...




Gosh, we've been very busy!!!!


We did a wonderful wedding this past weekend at Huber's Winery in Starlight. Just my 2 cents but it's a beautiful location for a reception.. and ceremony. Our bride was married in New Albany with her reception following in Starlight. Her colors were a pale blush wedding dress with her attendants wearing 'truffle'-- the definite 'it' color this season.


Lori carried a beautiful bouquet of sahara roses with creme callas and swarovski crystal accents within the bouquet. We bound the bouquet with fabric from her dress and finished it with a beautiful crystal and pearl brooch. Her girls carried bouquets of sahara, carumba and engagement roses.


The reception was decorated with three different styles of table decor. We used our beautiful iron trees, our iron twist candlesticks and wine glasses with candles on the tables. Lori's cake was designed by the fantastic Joyce Melheiser of New Albany. Joyce is truly a Cake Artist. Her cake was amazing- as always and smelled divine.


At this time, I only have photos of the reception. I hope to get some photos from Lori's photographer as soon as they're available.


Enjoy the shots.. and Congratulations to Lori and Kenny!


All the best-

Carolyn

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The latest Buzz... Weddings to Go

Summer is here and so are the weddings! We're loving it.. this is- what we do best. Because of the amount of weddings and variety of Brides we work with, we've been working on a few new projects.

Our first project is " Weddings to Go". Because we've been getting so many calls from very busy Brides wanting a quick solution to selecting wedding flowers- we've listened and created this simple floral option. We know not every bride has lots of time to sit through a detailed floral appointment [sigh] or they just want something simple but still sophisticated, or they're on a definite floral budget. "Weddings to Go" could very well be the answer to your request.

Simply put- this option will save you time and quite possibly, some money. You can select your European Hand Tied bouquet of Premium Roses or Long Stemmed Calla Lilies. Rose bouquets are simply bound in white or ivory ribbon with a simple pearl accent on the stems. You select the color of roses for yourself and your attendants. A very full bundle of roses for the Bride is $100. that's it- $100. Your attendant's bouquet is $50. The Calla bouquet is priced at $10 per stem and can be designed as a rounded bundle or arm bouquet. It will be finished in a ribbon color of your choice with pearl accent. We suggest a bouquet of at least 5-10 stems for the bride and 1-7 stems for your attendants. Again the calla bouquet is $10. per stem - so you decide the overall price. How easy is that?? We also have rose or calla options for all of your corsages and bouttoniere needs as well as for the ceremony, reception and cake. If you simply must.. we can also add Stephanotis to your Bride's bouquet for an additional fee of $75, you may also upgrade the ribbon options for an additional fee.

A simple postcard will be available in store by the end of July. We'll be happy to get more information to you, just send us an email or call the shop 812-288-2388. Our goal is to have some photos added to our website under a separate page for "Weddings to Go". You will be able to avoid a consultation and place the order by email or fax. You can of course, stop in if you'd like- we'd love to meet you and put a beautiful face with the name and order.

"Flowers to Go" is a great option for a Bride with no extra time to spare or a budget they'd like to keep under control, so this plan is also designed to be picked up and not delivered by our staff. We'll carefully pack everything and lable each item for easy identification once it gets to the ceremony. Simply unpack and say- I do ! Because of this special pricing, we will accept cash or check on this order. A credit card can be used but an additional fee of 5% will be added to cover processing costs.

"Flowers to Go"- for the Chic and Savvy Bride with No Time to Spare!


Monday, May 07, 2007

A Recent 21st Birthday Party at Maker's Mark

Well, I've been trying for weeks to figure out what's wrong with my camera. I haven't been able to upload any of the photos I've taken at a couple of the events we've done. Thanks to the Geeks at Best Buy- I have photos. No more memory card, but photos none the less.

Back in April, we were asked to design the flowers for a 21st birthday party being planned by event planner Allison Smith. It was being held at the new Maker's Mark at 4th Street. The florals were to be contemporary, masculine and incorporate the obvious- Maker's Mark. So, we got to planning and came up a few of the designs you'll hopefully see on the blog.

I'd never been to the Maker's Mark location, it was beautiful!- Very chic and very big city feeling. I definitely plan on going back and having dinner with my husband.

Well, enjoy the photos!

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Getting ready for Derby '07

It's been a while since my last post as you can plainly see from the dates. We've been very busy.

Kelly and I are planning to become AIFD certified. As part of this preparation, we had a trip planned to Chicago for an educational seminar regarding AIFD. Unfortunately the snow in Chicago kept us from attending. For now, we'll keep studying on our own.

In between studying we have Kentucky Derby '07, Mother's Day, multiple proms, graduations, weddings and more weddings. Did I mention we have just a couple of weddings?

This week we'll begin prepping containers, roses, lilies and all of the other flowers we'll need for the Derby parties and the proms. So far we have events at Caesars, The Brown, The Marriott, Locust Grove and ACL. Luckily no proms this weekend..that we know of.

We'll have lots to do this week, so we may not post again until after Mother's Day

Pick a winner on Saturday!

All the Best-

Thursday, February 15, 2007

We survived Valentine's Day !!

Well just a note to say we survived Valentine's Day!!

And a big Thank You! to all of the men and ladies who gave us their floral orders and allowed us to play Cupid for them.. we appreciate your business.

We had some interesting clients this year.. a chef from a local downtown hotel proposed to his sweetie- and she said- "YES". Congratulations to the happy couple! Our favorite married man's order was one of our regular clients. This Mr. Wonderful- took the time to shop for gift cards to at least 7 different places his lovely wife liked to shop. As if that wasn't enough, he had us include them into a floral arrangement we then delivered to her place of work. We're sure she was very surprised. What a Guy!!

Now, we can rest just a little. We can celebrate our Valentine's Day this weekend with our honeys. I especially hope my daughter enjoys her belated Valentine's Day with her Soldier who is coming home for the weekend. He will be leaving to go overseas. We wish him well and hope his time there goes very quickly.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Keep warm!

All the Best-
Carolyn

Tuesday, February 06, 2007




The Garden Court Wedding Show

Well, Kelly and I survived the wedding show this weekend...despite the very cold weather.

As planned, we were un-planned for what our display would consist of. So we put our creative little thinking caps on- Kelly's was larger because of her giant hair! Anyway, we went with a more contemporary approach with the main display. Our placement within the atrium poses a challenge. Working with three glass walls and two doors on the remaining wall means think outside the box. We shared our atrium space with Sweet Surrender and their yummy cakes and Bella Rentals.

Our florals included amaryllis, orchids, hydrangea, giant ranunculus, hyacinth, hanging amarantha, star of Bethleham, wheat grass and more. We also premiered our preserved roses and surprised a couple of brides with their fresh appearence.

We received wonderful responses from the brides, fiances and attendees. We have booked some dates as a result of the show. If you're a bride interested in a date don't wait too long to book with us. We base our availability on each bride's individual needs for that day. With that in mind some dates are completely booked.

I'll post some photos from the show. Because of our recent computer issues..again.. hopefully they'll upload.

Thanks for reading.. and a huge thanks to Kelly for all of your hard work and creative ideas.

All the Best-
Carolyn

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

A Recipe using Lavender.. and other flowery stuff!

Well, thanks to my wonderful gals Kim, Kelly and Phyllis and guy- Derrick, our professional floral arrangement relocater, a.k.a delivery guy-at the shop.. I actually had two, not one but two days off!! Now for me, this is nothing short of a miracle. A day off is slim to never..so when Kim looked at our schedule and noticed no major events or appointments, she squealed- take the days off! I thought she'd been in the fridge too long, surely a day off is not in store for me- BUT, Kelly our Floral Designing Diva- confirmed, yep, take the days off! Well, that's about as good as getting the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket for me . So, I indulged....

At first I wasn't sure what to do.. so I quickly scheduled a massage.. Floyds Knobs Massage Therapy is wonderful- they made the end of my day the best.. But if I start at the beginning- it's at the bookstore. Okay, I'm a nerd. I have a day off and I'm looking for floral books- flowers, weddings, parties and design.. it's on my brain 24/7 . After spending a small chunk of cash-very well spent, I must say, I got some fabulous new magazines for Kelly and me to drool over. You know, we've both been in the floral industry over 20 years and we still truly love being inspired by other amazing designer's work. We especially love new flower and foliage varieties. We're looking forward to finding the fresh mocha roses we've heard about. I purchased three floral magazines and two new gardening mags and one book for leisure reading.

After the book store, it was time for lunch.. Off to Wild Oates. While strolling through the store, I ran across their herbs, jars and jars of them. Also in the aisle was a gal purchasing of all things Lavender- she was preparing a special dinner for her grandmother's birthday and told me the theme was a Provence menu- hence the Lavender. While we chatted, she mentioned she was having a bit of a challenge finding recipes with lavender.. SO.. I thought, well I have lots of recipes with lavender in them, and we can get wonderfully fresh lavender to cook with. Maybe... other people may be interested in recipes with lavender, so I will be occasionally posting recipes with lavender. Today's recipe will be simple, Lavender Lemonade....but I have to finish my day first.

After a delicious lunch at Wild Oates I drove back to the Knobs and had a great Knobs Carmel Coffee at the Hobb Knobb Cafe and lingered over my floral mags. The coffee was great and the mag wonderful! Both helped me relax and get in the mood for my massage. My massage was wonderful and I truly enjoyed my day off. That was Friday.

Saturday, I and my husband and daughter, drove up to Ball State to visit our son and return to him his beloved Carmela- an adorable kitten he adopted from Kelly- her beautiful Himi had kittens. Carmela had a visit at the vet and was ready to return to her 'daddy'.

Thanks to everyone, I had a very nice weekend. I truly appreciated the days off.

So, now for the recipe:

Lavender Lemonade-- 'the flavor is elusive and yet quite unforgettable'

3 Lg. lemons
1 lg. pitcher of ice cold water with ice
1/2 cup of boiling water
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon lavender in a tea ball

Squeeze the juice from 2 lemons. Slice the third lemon thinly. Combine the boiling water with lavender, let steep 3 minutes, remove lavender, add sugar and dissolve. Add to the pitcher of ice water along with the sliced lemon. Serve chilled.


Thanks for reading.. and as always please stop in the shop and say - Hello! we'd love to meet you.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007




Happy New Year !!

We're so glad to welcome in the New Year! I know we've got lots to do in these next few weeks. The holidays may be over but Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

If you've gotten engaged over the past recent weeks, Congratulations!! You too, will have a busy '07 ahead of you. We've been getting lots of calls already for dates in May and June and even some fall dates too. This year's 'Hot Date' is 07-07-07...I'm sure this one will book quickly for every vendor. So far the colors we're seeing are Kiwi, Coral, Red and Black of course that's the tip of the iceberg..it's only January 2!

We will be participating in the wedding show at Garden Court on Feb. 4- Another very good wedding show that same day is the wedding show at Kye's. Although we did receive an invitation by Kye and Heather, we had to pass this year because of our previous commitment to Garden Court. We can only be in one place at a time. I really wish we didn't have to decline the invite- one because it's a great invitation to receive, two, because we love a great show and Kye's is a wonderful facility to have an event at and work and three,we love participating in a wedding show that we feel is an opportuity to present ourselves to creative and adventerous brides. If you're having your reception or ceremony at Kye's- Congratulations, you'll have a great day!

I will try once again to post some shots from some of our weddings from this past year. Please feel free to email us with any questions. We'd love to hear from you!

All our Best-
Carolyn and the Gals