Current Obsession: Herb Boutonnieres

Let me introduce you to my current obsession. Reader, I would like you to meet Mr. Herb Boutonniere. Organically interesting, delectably fragrant, and simply chic, this little guy has it all! I have to say, he is the chameleon of all boutonnieres, perfect for almost any type of wedding--garden, spring, modern, organic, or traditional. He is also a great choice for the groom who refuses to wear a flower since he (the boutonniere, not the groom!) treads a fine line between masculine and feminine.

He is the perfect soul mate for almost any lapel, EXCEPT for maybe those that are sensitive to aromatics. Let's not forget the women. Mr. Herb Boutonniere can also moonlight as a corsage.

It was a pleasure introducing the two of you and I hope that soon he will also become your obsession!

Self-Contained

Side Note: It's been a busy month and I've regretfully neglected this blog, but now I'm back! I've been preparing for some upcoming events including the wedding that I did yesterday and I was away on a 5-day camping trip to Yosemite (photos to be posted soon!).
Usually I am always talking about the floral make-up of an arrangement, but for this post, I am going to get to the bottom of it...literally! I found a couple of random containers and used them with a simple arrangement of red roses to show that containers do make a difference and may be worth the investment.



Can you guess what type of container this was shown up above? It's a wooden utensil holder! The sleek container, unexpected use of the moss and the simplicity of the flowers all contribute to the modern look of this piece.


For an organic feel, go for a chunky wooden bowl that doubles as a salad bowl!

On occasion, if you are going for a very specific theme, using the right flowers may just not be enough. You or your florist may need to carefully hand select some containers to finish off the theme successfully. For instance, if you want a pin-up girl retro feel, find some vintage tins. You might spend a little more on the vase, but perhaps you can scale back slightly on the flowers. There are endless possibilities and, if you are like me, you might have to figure out ways to "contain" yourself. I will definitely be exploring this concept further on future blogs or for your wedding ;)

Organically Inspired

Have you ever been called a nerd or an overachiever and, despite the negative connotation, you secretly enjoyed the label because it meant you were really good at something? I think my Type A personality takes over from time to time (my husband would probably say, "all the time!") and today was no exception. After a long day of designing, I decided to challenge myself, "Iron Chef" style. I took only my shears, floral tape and some wire out to my garden with the goal of creating extraordinary boutonnieres (subjective, of course) out of ordinary things in 10 minutes...let me repeat, 10 minutes! I ended up using pods with mint, chiles with a persimmon leaf, and baby Roma tomatoes with geranium leaves. Organically, interesting?

I think my Lab pup made this task harder than it had to be. Since we adopted her in December, she's single-handedly cleared my garden. Who would have thought dogs love eggplants and tomatoes? At least I know the chile plants will always be safe!