flowers for all!

Have you heard of flowers for all.com? If not, listen up!

I was contacted by flowersforall.com to see if I would try out some samples of their flowers. I went on their website and found out they are a well-known and respected high end flower company that grows luxury flowers on their farms in South America. They cut the flowers fresh for orders and ship them directly to you! They have high credentials when it comes to using environmentally responsible practice and also ongoing commitment to work practices that protect the environment and their workers which is an important aspect in the floral trade. Because they are shipped directly from the growers, they are exceptional in appearance, quality and longevity and at the same time, affordable.

I picked out a box each of white roses, peach spray roses and bright yellow alstomeria. They were delivered by fed-ex directly to me from South America. As the fed-ex man handed one of the boxes over, the scent of fresh flowers caught my attention and he said "enjoy them!".

I couldn't help but open the boxes up right away. They were packaged lovely for gift giving, wrapped with a satin ribbon and a kind note. I cut them and let them drink up. Already, even without designing and just snipping them all the same length, they were beautiful! I waited a few days for them to open up before designing.

My favorite of the samples I received were the peach spray roses. They bloomed so lovely and were full of ruffled petals. I left them in my girls' room and they would not stop sneaking sniffs because of their lovely scent.

the vibrant alstromeria:

After the flowers opened up a few days later, I picked out a vintage milk glass pedestal to design in and used my trusty kenzan (the proper japanese ikebana term for a flower frog). I snipped some mint that grows wild, myrtle, citrus branches and lengthy wandering jew vine from my garden and started designing.

I loved the results of my garden themed design. Each of the flowers were top of the line and opened up beautiful. Just look at those white roses!

My apartment smelled wonderful for days as the citrus, flowers and mint all mingled together. I am confident that you will enjoy your experience ordering from flowersforall.com for any floral occasion and I am grateful for the chance I've had to share their beauty with you!

flower id: anemone

beautiful, fragile, anemones. These were headed for the trash yesterday by a unappreciative designer as I worked designing for valentine's day. Their petals will soon fall which is why they were too spent to use in arrangements. I couldn't bare to see such blooming beauties wasted at their prime, so I saved them and brought them home. One designer's trash is another designer's treasure :)

anemones are in the buttercup family, ranunculaceae, and also known as the poppy anemone or the anemone coronaria. The anemone coronaria are native to the Mediterranean region and grow wild all over Israel and Jordan. They come in a variety of colors like white, red, pinks and purples. And how are they pronounced? a-nem-o-neeee, you know like how nemo pronounces it. These are one of my favorite flowers, I love how delicate they are and how each center looks different.

I am thinking about doing a giveaway of one of my designs so come back soon!

flower id: hostas

Chances are high that you have these babies growing somewhere in your yard. Hostas are a common ground cover often found in landscapes and gardens abound. There are as many as 45 different species of hosta plants you can grow with all different leaf sizes, shapes and color variations. Hosta plantaginea originated in China, though most of the varieties we have today were introduced by Japan to Europe in the 19th century. They have since spread over gardens across the world as an easy to cultivate and pleasing to the eye plant.

I love using hostas as a cut flower. When displayed alone in a vase their ovate leaves show off great texture. Hostas have a very long vase life and I will let you in on a little secret, florists actually pay big money for them as a cut flower to use as a soft texture in garden bouquets. So while you are waiting for your summer cut flowers to bloom, try displaying some hostas!

-christina

flower ID: globe thistles

globe thistle or echinops

globe thistle or echinops
Lovely round globes of textured bliss! Not only can you grow them outdoors in a garden fairly easy, they also last for a few weeks as a cut flower and dry great too. I love using them in arrangements because of their unique and eye catching textures. Silvery blue tones that are soft and subtle. I'm not completely sure why God cursed the ground with thistles after the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:17-18). I find them a pretty curse.

Don't be deceived though. These cute little globes are quite vicious. They have large prickers on their leaves which makes designing with them on the difficult side. I always end up with tiny prickers stuck in my fingertips or somehow nestled in my socks. It's worth it though. These little trouble makers make quite the statement.

photo credits: 1-3 floresdelsol, pintrest, ethanollie, design sponge

houseplants 101

One of my favorite classes in college was plant ID. Yes. I loved the fact that I was being forced to memorize the common and scientific names of all houseplants. Strange, I know but I'm infatuated with plants. I know it stems from my mom who had plants around our house growing up and was always rooting cuttings on the windowsill. She also threw plant parties (you know like Tupperware parties) in the 70's before I came along.

Our bedroom was lacking umph so my husband and I picked out a couple little fellas to pot up and cleanse the air in our room. How happy they make me! Not only are these plants good for the air you breathe, but they are good for your soul too. A bit of living green inside has always brightened my spirits.

Have I inspired you to go get some houseplants yet?

Stay tuned, I will show some of the best plants for natural air purification in your home!

flower ID: amaryllis

my three year old daughter and I planted this amaryllis bulb a few weeks ago for the holiday season. She was so excited watching it grow rapidly and then open large and fire-hydrant red this weekend just in time for the new year! With one flower bud open and 4 more to go, amaryllis are my favorite holiday flower. Find them anywhere in a variety of colors. I found a few for friends from trader joes. After they bloom out, you can cut off the stem and leaves that sprout, let the bulb dry out, keep it in a dark dry place and replant it again next November for another holiday show!

In other musings, I've decided to jump back on my floresdelsol shop band wagon. I've seem to have fallen off in a big blizzard and laziness from holiday vacation :)

vintage collections

I have this thing for vintage wooden bowls. I have a passion for collecting them, but at the same time, I hate clutter. I love that I can create a design in it and away they go until I collect more. The same thing goes for milk glass. These are my current collections awaiting for designs to go in them for sale! As the summer is now slowing down for me, I hope to get creative and fill the shop with some new designs and have a summer giveaway!

My favorite milk glass design of all time that I just cant seem to part with is this vintage FTD Design from the 70's. I have seen it in different shapes and I love the raised leaf texture!

I hope that you enjoy your long weekend. Happy 4th of July!

floresdelsol spring giveaway! CLOSED

Happy March! Its time to brighten things up around here with another free flores del sol giveaway.
Billy button cluster in a petite vintage milk glass lace rim pedestal:

How to enter:
Its easy! Just leave a comment on this post to enter.
Make sure there is a link to contact you or post your email in the comment.

You can double your chances of winning by becoming a follower of this blog, just leave another comment that you are following. If you are already a follower, post another comment to let me know.

Get even more chances of winning by tweeting, facebooking or blogging this giveaway, once again leave a separate comment with each thing you've done.

--Contest open to only US and Canada. Winner will be chosen by random.org
Contest ends April 1st, 2010.

HOORAY for free things!

new finds

here are a few new finds I've added to garden state vintage today:

vintage japanese floral trivet:

vintage avocado canister set:

vintage milk glass vial in floresdelsol:

antique cram's universal terrestrial globe no.105:

be sure to visit on monday when I post the next flores del sol giveaway!

happy weekend,
<3>

floresdelsol's first giveaway!

Here it is, my first giveaway!

moss cluster no. 15 in a vintage milk glass hobnail pedestal:

How to enter:
Its easy! Just leave a comment on this post to enter.

Contest ends December 14th

You can double your chances of winning by becoming a follower of this blog, just leave me another comment that you did (or already are).

Even more chances of winning by tweeting, facebooking or blogging this giveaway, once again leave a comment with each thing you've done.

--Contest open to only US and Canada
*be sure to leave an e-mail or link to contact you!

HOORAY for free things!

hobnail is back

can you tell I love vintage milk glass? Add in some hobnail and I become weak in the knees! I have a great friend who knows me well enough that if she is out at a garage sale or flea market she picks them up for me. Here is my latest hobnail milk glass find. It is a petite pedestal which are harder to come by. I designed a moss cluster in it:

a new design I made in a hobnail planter (these planters area little more common to find):

hobnail glass tumblers (a previous sale) oh they were beautius. I still sort of regretting selling them:

upcycled teal hobnail planter from mushroomandmoss

vintage hobnail milk glass tumblers from jwhite2

a tall vintage hobnail milk glass vase from eddieross
I actually have the same one. I have had it for months now. I just can't decide if I should design something big and beautiful in it, or sell it by itself in my vintage shop?

a beautiful crimson red vintage hobnail vase from lemontreefarm

if you ever see one, pick it up. Buy it for me or hold it and put it back. The feeling of the textured glass feels wonderful in your hands!