A New Year with New Hopes

A New Year is...another chance, another opportunity, a do-over, and most of all a Fresh Start.

Everyone experienced many things in 2008-good and bad. I think most people are glad to say-

Good bye.

So, out with the old and in with the new! What are you looking forward to??

As for me?.. my list includes in no particular order-

Figure out how to work my Apple more efficiently and learn how to use photoshop.  For those of you that know how to photoshop- stop laughing. Yes, I am that incompetent.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with many new clients, both corporate and private. I'm looking forward to some wonderful weddings and party work. I can't wait for the amazing fresh flowers that are getting ready to grow- just for me to play with.

I am looking forward to celebrating my twenty-fourth wedding anniversary. I think twenty -nine years with the same person is pretty cool. Yes, do the math -we dated for five years. And better yet, is the fact that he still makes me melt.

I will enjoy redecorating my home [since it didn't sell- it's now new again- to me!]

I am looking forward to SPRING!! Beautiful blooming plants, beautiful, colorful window boxes, and warm weather once again.

I am excited to test for AIFD.. and I hope to have an amazingly creative day when I step into that testing room in Kansas City. Because I plan to leave Kansas City with the confidence of knowing I will get a letter in August that says I can put the four letters A I F D after my name.

And, as if I'm not planning for enough.. I hope for continued health, inner peace and happiness for myself, family, friends and clients. Because  without those three things the rest is a little less likely to happen.

Have a wonderful New Year- 2009 should be quite interesting, to say the least.

All the Best!

Carolyn

Guess who can sing.. and who can't??

I am beyond thrilled that my Christmas shopping is nearly complete. Seeing that it's only a couple of days away you'd think I'd be finished. Well, heck no. Only a few special people are left on the list for a few little things. Anyway...

I need to back up a bit.. earlier in the month, I had a birthday. My darling hubby and kids thought I should grow up and get an Apple.. I think secretly my hubby wanted my current laptop to surf Ebay and of course I was right. It worked in my favor regardless..I got a laptop. Now, I am in the progress of figuring out all of the nuances of an Apple..it's definitely different than my other laptop. So I feel like I'm having to learn a new language.

So what did I learn today??? Well, I learned that the ear plugs from my Ipod work on my laptop. It sounds great! And what else did I learn?? My hubby told me that I cannot sing??? What?? I sound great! At least I do in my head. But he insists I'm wrong. All I can say is I am sooo glad my daughter introduced me to Pandora.com  Now I can listen to all of the George Michael I want and sing as badly as I can-- because I cannot hear myself. This is GREAT !!

Oh, and who can sing??? Well, that would be Jessica.. yep- she has the voice of an angel. And she has friend that sing too, and they're talented as musicians too. Gosh, some people.   

We're getting NOTHING for Christmas!!

We're getting nothing for Christmas.. and we know it. We were very bad. We took advantage of Santa's chair being at the shop and took naughty photos in it. We will probably get coal-- which could be a good thing considering the economy- at least that could provide heat. But, none the less- we were overcome with silliness. We figured 'what the heck, the Big Guy isn't coming back any time soon.'

So, like Goldilocks, we frolicked in the giant chair. We tried to figure out when he'd gone to Egypt to snag this ugly specimen. Egyptian chair- Santa...?? it didn't make sense to us, but we played anyway.

We didn't know it, but Santa Came back today, Saturday. He informed us he'll be back to our shop every Saturday until Christmas. Great!! now we really do have to behave.

Calling all Marthas..Class is in Session Tuesday, December 16

If you've ever wondered--'what nifty things could I come up with for a last minute hostess gift, inexpensive decor gift or quick gift wrap idea?'-- then you should take our fun class- Holiday Ideas 101

We will be holding our class at Lavender Hill on Tuesday, December 16 at 7pm. We have room for 12 people for our first class. We promise to make if fun and keep things on course to end by 8:30.

The class will be $20. per person. Our class will cover quick gift wrapping ideas, you'll make a simple centerpiece and learn how to create additional quick centerpieces from things you may already have in your home.  We also want your input on things you want to learn how to do.

If you're interested call the shop at 288-2388 or email us and let us know your coming. Martha said she would come - but we said 'No'-that's a Good Thing- she would just be too distracting... 

Blooming Carpet

Talk about a custom made carpet!! I just received this photo from our favorite Photog Princess- Stef- This would be amazing to see in person. Just thought I'd share- Thanks, Stef.

Invitations and a Special Offer for you!

Did you know we not only have FABULOUS Flowers but also FABULOUS Invitations ? That's right.. We can design amazing florals for your wedding or event AND you can save at least 20% on your invitations to your hip soiree. And, as if that's not enough.. mention you saw this on our blog and you'll receive *free* thank you notes for your wedding shower. If we're doing the flowers, you'll save on the invitations- it's that simple.

Also, if you didn't know already- we have rentals. Candelabra, gorgeous vases, lots of glass items, silver candle lighters for the unity candle, silver cake plateaus and more. The most fabulous thing is we also carry linens. Gorgeous, luxe, decadant linens- even hard to find colors- for all of the guest's tables, just your wedding party or just you and your new spouse. Linens can completely transform the atmosphere.. of course with beautiful flowers sitting on top of them!--All available to rent from us.

You don't have to go to Louisville. Southern Indiana does have a variety of amazing event vendors- and many of them are our favorites. We know how to spoil our Brides and Grooms and their families with excellent service and products.

And one last thing.. we also offer wedding/event coordination. If you need direction or just want someone experienced to handle the details so you can just enjoy your day, we can do it! We have many years in this event business and are always researching the nations' latest trends. New York, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Palm Beach-- we have friends in lots of places. It's our job to be in the know...and we love to share ideas. If we're booked, we have fellow event planners we love to refer to- they're amazing too- or we wouldn't work with them. We have very cool friends.

Give us a call. Schedule an appointment. We'd love to meet you and hear all about your plans.

Thanks for stopping by!

Marianne's wedding -- Part II

On my way back from my wedding at Farmington, I stopped by Glassworks where Jessica's friend Marianne was getting married. First, I must say Jessica worked her buns off. Working 'til three in the morning to be sure things got done..yes, we really do have to work insane hours on some events- but it is always worth it.

Although there were two official photographers, Stefanie being one of them, I snapped a few photos to post. Unfortunately, my photos don't show all of the detail of the color and designs infused throughout the wedding and reception. The main floral color was chartreuse and truffle. So the table decor leaned towards the shades of green. The bride's bouquet combined both the ivory and truffle. It was a bundled bouquet of mini calla lilies accented with plum toned feathers collaring the bouquet. Marianne also included a silver Fleur de lis pin on her bouquet stems and on many of the items used at the reception.

I'm sure everything went wonderfully. Glassworks looked amazing - it was truly worth all of the time that went into creating such a wonderful event.

Jessica, enjoy your special day off.

A wedding at Farmington

One of our other weddings taking place today was outside at Farmington. Our lovely bride could not have ordered a more beautiful day. The weather was absolutely perfect. Her colors were olive and chocolate with beautiful orange and rust toned flowers.

Our DYI bride and her family and friends did a great job with table decor of creme toned pumpkins with monograms nestled in a bed of fall foliage. I can't wait to see the photos from her photographer. I'm sure she got some great shots..

Next posting.. more from Marianne's wedding.

Marianne is getting married today!!

So, one of today's brides is having a themed wedding. One focus is family and friends. The other aspect is the Fleur-de-lis. [By the way,we have 4 weddings this weekend.]

Marianne is a dear, longtime friend of our lead designer, Jessica. So together they have been collaborating on the ideas for decor, bouquets and details. Many photos, sketches and notes later-there are plenty of details. So, this is just a start to the photos we will have from her event.

I know we'll have great photos because Stefanie will be snapping many of them. So, check back for the rest of her details and for some photos of the others.

Have a great weekend! and Best Wishes to all of our Brides and Grooms.

The new designer

Heidi is our guest designer for the day.. we definitely need her help today. We have lots to do with four weddings this weekend. Lulu is not fond of our guest. It is no longer all about her and she just doesn't like it one bit.

I'll post more photos of the weddings later.

Thanks for visiting.

Of course !!

Wouldn't you just know it !! There is an E- STEFANIE. I'll be you I won't screw that up ever again.

Carol and Stephanie

I want to publicly announce that I have incorrectly spelled Stefani's name..hence the Carol and StePHanIE...title on today's post.

People who know me know -Carol- is not my name. Yet for some strange reason, people who don't know me but claim to know me call me Carol- a dead give away- they really don't know me. If they did, they would really know how much my being called Carol is like nails down a chalk board or better yet getting a paper cut licking an envelope or slamming just the tip of my finger in a drawer. Being called Carol is icky memories of childhood and a neighbor girl named- Kim standing across the street from my house yelling 'Carol' so I would come out and play with her.. while she was covered in sticky goo from a giant colorful charms pop sucker sliming down her arm- I didn't like it or her. I know that's very bad to put in print but it's true and explains why I personally don't like being called Carol. Enough of that.. on to StePHanie--

My post the other day was in reference to a photographer Stefani. Of course, I boldly took it upon myself to spell her name Stephanie rather than being sure it was spelled correctly. It was brought to my attention that when Stefani learned of the post featuring her photos she gasped with distress upon seeing her name spelled incorrectly. Of all cruel things I could do to another person-- a misspelled name-- I of all people should be uber-sensitive to this - but was I ?? NO- what is my problem?

So, I humbly post my error. I Carolyn- not Carol- althought it does sound like something she would do- admit my error in spelling and publicly correct {the artist- formerly known as Stephanie} is actually spelled Stefani.. I only hope I've spelled this correctly and didn't leave off an E.

Okay, enough of my faults.. have a great day.

It's been a while..second artist -Elaina

I am very excited to also be hosting artist Elaina Panico at the Art on Spring event.

She is not a local artist -she's from Wisconsin. She's a mere -almost 20- and very talented. I was fortunate to receive two of her paintings this past week. One is shown on the blog. You'll have to stop in to find out which one it is. I'm hoping to receive a couple more of her paintings and sketches within the next few weeks. The photos I'm posting are just a few in her portfolio.

Enjoy.

Oops! The Art Show is November 13 -NOT- October 13

It's been a while..

As darling Jessica pointed out to me the other day, it's been a while since I posted.

I've been busy enough to have lots of things to post-flowers for photo shoots, lots of work in the shop, painting, re arranging displays, weddings and more. And of course getting ready for the Open House and the Art on Spring event the following week.

So, I'll post about the art and some artists. First the new photo at the top of the blog was shot by Stephanie. With some coaxing.. I'm hoping she'll display some prints of her latest work. She has photographed a variety of subjects [I'm lucky enough to have some copies] and I hope she'll select at least a couple to display at the Art on Spring event - Thursday, October 13. They will be for sale.

Okay, I'll post a few. It's amazing to see someone's perspective through a lens. Especially when they make you really feel something or inspire you to think.

I will post another post following this. The next artist is a painter...with a completely different perspective and subject. Enjoy.

Our Favorites

In my coupious amounts of spare time this weekend, I'm making lists. Lists of things to do this week. Flowers to order, containers to prep, silks florals to make and more info on this blog.

One list I made for the blog was the 'Favorites'. Often we're asked who we would use for a vendor if if was "our event". So I've compiled a list. I have personally used the services of a number of the businesses listed.

The list I compiled is just a suggestion of some of the vendors we feel do an excellent job. They are businesses -we know first hand- who consistently provide excellent service, excellent products, seek a creative approach in their production and are an absolute pleasure to work with. We have no vested interest, we receive no compensation. We just feel it's important to let our readers know when an excellent vendor available. As we find more "Faves" we'll add their name.

Have a great week!

The Holiday Open House- November 6th.

It's coming. We have lots of people asking when it is..the official date is Thursday evening, November 6th. Not only is it our shop's soiree, the Open House is a joint event for all of the merchants in Downtown Historic Jeffersonville.

We are very excited. We'll have a new look in the store- new tequila lime walls [if I ever get them finished] New holiday gifts, new wonderful Arbonne personal skincare and bath products, absolutely delicious gourmet foods- yes, we will be sampling them, beautiful holiday wreaths and arrangements and so much more. We can't tell you everything. We have to have some surprises.

And, as if that isn't enough, the following week will be the Art on Spring Event- November 13th. Local artists will be featured in various shops. The locations will be announced at the Open House. Please mark your calendars. If you haven't attended our Open House in the past, we're sure you'll enjoy it.

The Chocolate Candles are here !!

Our patience was worth it!

The heavenly Chocolate Candles have arrived. They smell divine. We've ordered these from a small business in upstate Washington. They're made by hand.

If you need a low-calorie chocolate fix, this may be it.

What I learned in school today..

First thing- I learned the day before school-- Garmin or as I called it- Garmina- my backseat girlfriend driver- is a wonderful friend to have on a trip. Of course my awesome husband gave me great directions..but Garmina got me where I needed to be locally.

So, day one in class- most of the people here are 1- women, 2- from the region, and 3 very helpful towards each other.

The hotel- The Omni, has a great lobby and atrium- but could benefit from more flowers- they have them, just not enough...or the ones they do have, should have more- Oomph! They did however have a great lunch and the bananas foster was YUM!

So, Phil- is a floral natural- it just comes from within. He is beyond helpful as is his assistant Fanny. I like the fact that he infuses a philosophy of positive thinking in design. Basically, you positively can do it- just let it happen. Be open to instruction and soak it in. A definite positive, happy, I love what I'm doing vibe- very contagious. He spoke about his shop Avante Garden and his wife Cathy- also AIFD. Definitely a floral family.

Our first assignment was creating a tropical table arrangement which included anthurium, protea, lotus pods and some other things.. in particular a 'nautilus' created with a leaf. First we had to learn how to make the nautilus- and I did !! Not right away, but it came to me after a couple of tries. They are very cool and you will be seeing them in our future work as it fits in.

We also did some weaving with grasses and ribbon and applied it in design. Again, very cool. The main thing he was focusing on was balance and the minute details in design- the ones that will make or break you in going for passing a certification with AIFD. Also a lot of other design details that would not impress anyone not in the floral industry. So, I won't bore you. Jessica, I know you'll be reading this- you I will give the details. And Kim, girl- you will love learning how to make the shells and the birds too. No palm leaf will be safe with us around!

We also made very cool birds with palm. Definitely not something you can make only once. They will definitely need some practice.

Tomorrow, more designing, more hand work and other detailed creations. The attached photos are of a very large arrangement Phil designed- about 6 feet tall. The other one is one I made. I'm glad I'm here. It re-enforces what I know and shows me where I need to focus my attention with detail.

Well, I see the photos I'm trying to upload- aren't. I promise I'll try and figure out what the problem is. Maybe tomorrow, I'll have better luck. I've got to get to bed. I have school in the morning ;)

Bye, for now.

I'm going to school..kind of-

I am beyond excited for this weekend. I will be leaving on Sunday for a road trip to Charlottesville, Virginia. I'm going there to attend a continuing education class in advanced design. Yes, I have been doing design for 24years-- but, there's always something to learn. My last class was at Texas A&M and I learned alot.

I am most excited because the instructor is Phil Rulloda. This man is brilliant. He has won every design award possible, has his shop and design school in California, has written design books and more and is an AIFD member. One of my goals is to also become AIFD certified. This is kind of like getting a PhD for someone else's profession. It is not an easy thing to accomplish. But, if you do you will be celebrating and it could open many new doors.

So, bright and early Sunday morning I'm leaving and won't be back in the shop until Thursday. I will return to a laundry list of things to do because we have a mega huge wedding on Saturday [don't worry, we're on top of it, everything is ordered already and the flowers won't come in until Wednesday] and also another smaller one. I know the shop will be in good hands. The lovely Jessica will be holding down the shop and designing like the ninja she is. You'd have to see her in action. Things get done and you never saw it happen- she's quite mysterious and wonderful to have around.

So, off I'll go- like Thelma without Louise. Just me, the Garmin and lots of cd's to listen to. I'll be back with lots of new ideas and an overflowing imagination.