Theme Thursday: Exquisite Iris

February is almost over, but there's still time to celebrate the birth flower for this month, the Iris. People have valued the Iris throughout history, with appearances in art as far back as ancient Egyptian times. With its showy flowers in a wide variety of colors, it's certainly fitting that "Iris" is the Greek word for "rainbow". The blues and purples are the most popular, and rightfully so with their striking color. In floriography, the Iris is said to mean faith, hope, wisdom, and valor. Here are some modern day interpretations of this exquisite flower:

A Pansy Purple Iris - Original Oil Painting on Wood by Maria Burd

Iris No. 1 by Art Photos Diana

Purple Popcicle Iris Watercolor by CheyAnne Sexton

Iris Luxury Hand Painted Silk Crepe Scarf by Morgan Silk

Purple Irises fine art reproduction by Leslie Macon

Pink Iris Dichroic Glass Pendant by My Fused Glass

I just snagged a treasury featuring these irises and more! Click here to view it. Expires Saturday at 2:00pm!

Free business couseling for small businesses in Maine

I first learned of the Maine Women's Business Center at an Etsy Maine Team meeting last fall.  One of my fellow members, Laurie Spugnardi, was telling us about the WBC, and how she had been meeting once a month with one of their business counselors, Gretchen Henn, to work on growing her business.  At the time, I thought, "Aha!  This is exactly what I need".  Then the holidays happened, and I got busy, but it has always been in the back of my mind.  I finally took the time to contact the WBC, and set up a meeting. 

Yesterday, I had my first meeting with Gretchen Henn, and I can see already that this is going to be very helpful.  If you are in Maine, and have a small business, I highly recommend taking advantage of this free service.  Yep, it's free!  In this day and age of the cost of everything skyrocketing, getting a service like this for free is simply unheard of.  And there's no limit on how many times you can meet with your business counselor, either.  I've already set up another meeting with her in March, and am very much looking forward to it!

Growing, changing, and learning

Any mom to a 2 1/2 year old knows that it can be a difficult age.  Toddlers in this stage are constantly flip-flopping between wanting to gain independence and clinging to you for dear life.  Case in point:  my daughter.  She's going through this phase where she likes to pretend to be a baby.  She will be saying "I'm a tiny little baby" and wanting me to rock her.  Then not but two minutes later, she will be adamantly demanding "No!  Do it by myself!" as I'm trying to help her with something.  It's a continual struggle, and takes heaps of patience to wade through.  

But each day she gains more independence, and now that she's started preschool, I can see already that she will be growing, changing, and learning new things at a rapid pace.  Just this week she has learned to count to 10 on her fingers, and she seems to have picked up a new word:  idea.  Now everything is "Oh!  I have an idea!" and "That would be a good idea!".  Such a little grown-up!  And adjusting to preschool was nothing to her...when I picked her up at the end of that first day, her teacher said it was like she had been there all along.  Thank goodness I have such an adaptable child!  Certainly makes it easier on mom.  :)

Florist Friday: Wedding show pics, part 3

The wedding show pics continue this week with orchids!  Orchids are among my favorite flowers for weddings.  Two of the most popular types of orchids we use are Dendrobiums and Cymbidiums.  Dendrobiums most commonly come in shades of whites, pinks, purples, and greens, and Cymbidiums in whites, pinks, greens, and yellows.

Dendrobiums are perfect for cascading style bouquets, with their linear shape and delicate blossoms.  This bouquet features three shades of Dendrobiums - deep purple, white, and a variegated purple and white.  The orchids are paired with classic white mini calla lilies and loops of variegated lily grass, creating a simple yet elegant look.

A boutonniere of a single white mini calla lily wrapped in variegated lily grass makes a perfect companion to the bouquet:

 

  

 Cymbidium orchids come in both large and mini varieties.  The larger ones make a fantastic focal point to more stylized bouquets.  This crescent bouquet features three large Cymbidium blossoms in vibrant lime green with a touch of deep red in the centers.  The orchids rest against a contrasting bed of black magic roses and green hypericum berries.  Forming the arch of the crescent are exquisite green/burgundy Anthuriums on the left, and burgundy calla lilies on the right.

The smaller Cymbidiums are great for boutonnieres.  In this boutonniere, a single green mini Cymbidium is coupled with a deep red rose bud and accented with green hypericum berries and plumosa fern.  The stems are then wrapped with a rose petal and gold wire.

Theme Thursday: EtsyKids Spring Shopping Guide Picks

Wow, what a busy week!  I finally feel like I had a chance to catch my breath (and catch up on my sleep!), so now I'm ready toget back into the swing of things. One of the things that has been keeping me extra busy the past couple of weeks is the Spring Shopping Guide for the EtsyKids website.  I'm happy to say that I finished it up this week, and in the process, found some great new spring items for kids!  Here's a few of my personal favorites from our Spring Shopping Guide:

Pure Wool Beanie with Vintage Button Embellishment by Sheeps Clothing

Pink Flowers with Butterflies Nursery Wall Art by Baby Chick Designs

Apples and Pears Oh My Chenille Bib by Little Butterbeans

Olivia the Pig Twirl Skirt by Noah and Lilah

Boy's Best Friend Creativity Wallet by Ducks in a Row Boutique

Dainty Blooms Headband by Zuzu Girl Handmade

Crochet Octopus Plushy by Meg's Couture

 

Toddler Overall in Red Apple Dot by Overall Baby

Aqua Flower Minky Blanket by Booger and Tash

Taking a break

This week is complete chaos - not only Valentine's Day is one of the busiest times of the year for florists, but I'm also trying to finish up the Spring Edition of the A to Z Shopping Guide for the EtsyKids website, as well as get my daughter ready to start preschool next week.  Yikes!  So needless to say, I won't be blogging much this week.

See you next week!  :)

Florist Friday: Wedding show pics, part 2

Time for more wedding show pics!  The vibrant colors of the bouquets in last week's post were hot, hot, hot!  This week we'll cool down with some soothing shades of blues and purples.

Looking for that "something blue" for your spring wedding?  This bouquet would be perfect!  In this hand-tied bouquet, white peonies and tulips are nestled into a bed of blue hydrangea, and are accented with elegant pearl and rhinestone pins.  The entire bouquet is collared with sprays of pearls dangling down, and it is wrapped with pale blue satin and silver wire accents.

A nice coordinating boutonniere for this bouquet would be a single white rose tucked into a chic little silver holder with accents of the same pearl sprays that were used around the bouquet.

If blue is not your cup of tea, then perhaps this fresh combination of purple and green will be more to your liking.  This bouquet features a cluster of purple anemones surrounded by Picasso calla lilies, which are then surrounded by mini green hydrangeas.  This picture doesn't quite do the Picasso calla lilies justice...in person they are very striking.  The stems are wrapped with purple satin ribbon, which is held in place by lavender pearl pins with green hypericum berries.

Matching boutonniere of a single Picasso calla lily, accented with green hypericum berries and a galax leaf, and wrapped with purple satin ribbon.

 

 

 

 

Up next week:  cascading orchids and calla lilies, and a funky crescent bouquet!

Theme Thursday: Crocus

It seems that around this time every year I start to get spring fever.  As my eagerness for the fresh blossoms and bright colors of spring grows, I keep peering at my snow covered garden in hopes of catching a glimpse of new buds poking their way through.  Crocus are the first thing to pop up in my garden, and are a delightful first sign of spring.  I hope I see them soon!  Until I can enjoy the real deal, at least I can sit back in my warm cozy house and enjoy looking at these beautiful crocus inspired items:

Harbinger of Spring Print by Artful Magpie

Crocus Flower Fairy by blumenkind 

Crocus Business Card Holder Case by Suteki da ne 

Crocus Necklace by Something Blue 

Hocus Crocus Frit Blend by Frit N Chips

Spring Softly Print by Maleah Matthews

Lots of new stuff going on around here

So as I had mentioned last week, I've opened a new shop on Etsy, The Curly Kitty. I haven't had much time to start listing my jewelry there yet, as I've been busy with another project (we'll get to that in minute), but I did get everything set up and listed one brooch. I've been working on my photos, and have taken a few, but I want to try out a couple of other things with them as well. I went outside this afternoon to collect some more props for them...you can find lots of interesting things right in your own backyard! Next I just need to set aside time when the lighting is good to take some more shots, and I can list to my hearts content.

So, new shop, new listing...and you may have also noticed a slighlty new look to my blog! I decided to updated the color to fresher springier green. I think it looks quite nice, and am enjoying the change.

Now on to that other project I've been busy with...Modern Handmade Child. We just finished up the spring issue, and I must say, I'm quite proud of it! It's full of wonderfully cheery and springy things, as well as some great ideas for Valentine's Day, and lots of great recipes. So grab a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy flipping through our spring issue:

We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this issue, and welcome your feedback. Drop us a line anytime at editor@modernhandmadechild.com.

First Faces

My daughter's drawing skills have taken a huge leap forward in the past couple of weeks.  We've gone from indecipherable scribbles (although she could always tell me what she had painted) to completely recognizable faces and even writing a few letters.  I will absolutely cherish these first little faces for many years to come.  

It's amazing to me how much expression these faces hold.  It will be fun to watch her drawing and painting skills grow and change over the coming months, and to look back at these first faces a year from now.  I wonder what her drawings will look like then?  Only time will tell.  :)