My little pumpkin's growing up!

This weekend my husband and I took little g to Pumpkin Land. Although she's still a bit young for some of the activities there, she was very excited to see the pumpkins, and play on the slide and swing. Looking at her standing next to my husband by the "How Tall This Fall?" board makes me realize just how much she has grown. At almost three feet tall, she's getting pretty close to half of his height (6'4"). It's hard to believe that not long ago she was still a tiny little baby. I'm pretty sure one day she will be taller than me...I guess then I really will be her "little momma"!

Flower Friday: A study of color, line, and texture

I love when we get a breather from the usual chaos of working at a flower shop, and I can take the time to create an arrangement that's more of an art piece than a bouquet. It's fun to get a chance to experiment, and try something completely different from the usual dozen roses or pick me up bouquet.

This piece is really a study of color, line, and texture. It all started with the sunflowers...we had a couple of sunflowers that were missing a few petals, so I plucked the rest of the petals out, which leaves you with a wonderful color combination of soft green and dark chocolate brown. I had seen sunflowers used this way at a floral design show before, and was amazed at how beautiful they looked without their petals. To compliment the centers of the sunflowers, I chose a rich brown container, which unfortunately you can't really see in these pictures. I really wanted to stretch the limits of the small container I had picked out, so I opted for these incredible Japanese Fantail Pussy Willow branches that had been sitting around the shop. These are one of my favorite branches to use, because they create such beautiful lines. In order to really highlight the lines, I kept everything else in the arrangement low and close to the container. And remembering a bit of what I had learned from my class over the summer, I made sure to pay careful attention to how the lines looked from every angle.

I chose a Fatsia leaf to cover the base of the arrangement, and folded a couple fingers of it back to reveal the soft green underside which is a perfect match to the edges of the sunflowers. And lastly, I filled in with some beautiful golden Celosia, green Hanging Amaranthus, and some sort of dried pod (not sure what exactly it is), which made for an interesting combination of textures.

Overall, I was very happy with how this piece came out. And I'm looking forward to the next little breather, so that I can experiment more with floral design as art. :)

Theme Thursday: Halloween cuties

Halloween is such a fun holiday...when else can you dress up like a chicken and not have people look at you like you're crazy? Ok, so maybe you will still get some strange looks, even on Halloween, if you dress up like a chicken. But your kids certainly won't get any strange looks wearing these Halloween cuties!

Cheeky Cheshire Cat Tee from The Trendy Tot

Child's Pumpkin Hat from Oh Baby dotcom

Bony Tot Set from Small Threads

Pirate Girl Tunic and Bloomers from Rae Gun

Boo Fifi Tutu Panty Diaper Cover from Sherbet Baby

Friday Flower: Circus Rose

With it's bright yellow petals tipped in the most vibrant orange, Circus is an eye-poppingly beautiful rose. Just look at that color! Wowza!! It looks completely fabulous on its own, but it also looks gorgeous with other autumn flowers as in this bouquet:

Hand-tied bouquet of Circus Roses, Flame Calla Lilies, Red Mikado Spray Roses, Viking Poms, Hypericum Berries, and Seeded Eucalyptus

Such beautiful colors for this time of year...I love Autumn weddings. :)

Theme Thursday: Calendula

October is here, and what better way to celebrate than by showcasing the birth flower, Calendula. With it's vibrant yellowy-orange, Calendula is the perfect flower for October.

Petals - 5x7 Fine Art Photograph by Two Dog Gardens

Pampering Floral Bath Tea from The Pig And The Peacock

Calendula, a flower fairy from Camp Cactus


Natural Calendula, an Herbal Vegan Body Soap from Daisycakes Soap

Orange Calendula officinalis Seed, All Natural, Wisconsin Grown, 1 oz. from beck online

Calendula Vest from trnka

1/2 Pound Dried Calendula Petals from Layla

It's the little things

My daughter's new favorite word is little. She always talks about her little doll, or her little cup, or her little toothbrush...you get the idea. Then the other day when we were getting ready to go down stairs, she took my hand and with her sweet little voice she said, "Come on little momma". I just about died from the cuteness of it. If anyone else called me "little momma", I'm not sure I'd be too pleased, but coming from her, it was just the sweetest thing. Soon enough she'll be all grown up and the days of her darling toddler vocabulary will be long gone. So for now, I will gladly keep the title of little momma, and will savor every silly little thing she says.

Friday Flower: Zinnia

Now that we are well into September, the Zinnia crops from our local growers are nearing their end. Farewell to the vibrant Zinnias of summer...I will miss you.