simple dinner party...black, pink, gold, succulents

We celebrated the engagement of dear friends recently with a small dinner party at home.  I wanted the table to look really special.  I am loving pink with succulents right now, and teamed up with black and gold it's a scheme that is chic but not to serious.  I love how it turned out.  Scroll down to see how you can create this setting easily and inexpensively at your house.

I recently bought a set of charcoal dinner plates, I just love how the dark colour shows off the food.  These ones were $37 for a set of 12 pieces at Freedom a few weeks ago. 
I already had the plain black table cloth and gold chargers.  I use these chargers all the time, a really good investment many years ago.
I treated myself to new black linen napkins, only $2.50 each at a $2 store which is also where I found the tablecloth.  My only other purchase was a bunch of pink alstroemeria, any soft pink flower would work just as well.  

To set up I picked some succulent stems from the garden and arranged them with a few of the pink flowers in used black glass candle holders. 
Then it's as easy as laying out the gold chargers with a black plate on each one.  Fold each napkin into a neat rectangle and place one on each plate.  Arrange cutlery on top of the napkin.  To easy.

Soft and pretty but still elegant.  Love how it turned out.  Good food, good company and a little bit of prettiness makes the world a wonderful place.

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just because it's pretty

The lovely thing about doing flowers for a dinner party is you get to have them around the house afterwards.  These ones migrated to my bedroom.
I am just loving succulents and pink flowers together right now, the black glass makes it just a little more grown up.

Hope you all had a fabulous long weekend.

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Around the house...

Love fresh flowers around the home.  One of the lovely things about winter is that it's tulip time.  My long legged horses agree.

Have a lovely weekend

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how to arrange flowers in a wide vase

A neat little trick a picked up off Pinterest a few years ago.  I often want to use low wide vases for flowers, this one is actually a glass salad bowl.  So how do you prevent the flowers all flopping towards the edges and create height in the centre.  Easy, magic tape to the rescue.
Scroll down to see how

Use strips of magic tape to create a rough web across the vase.  

The flowers will hang over the edges and hide the end of the tape.

Now simply arrange the flowers as if they were in a normal vase, using the tape as a support to make flowers in the centre stand up.

Enjoy your gorgeous arrangement.

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pop up party... in the garden

This was supposed to be a beach party, the car was packed, the guests invited, and the heavens opened in a tropical thunderstorm.  No beach party!  Surprise! the party was at our house instead and I didn't have time to set up a thing.  So the next day I set up the beach party in the garden instead, you can see Miss J helping me out below.  We will just have to plan another one for the beach.

How to arrange your own layered table wreath

• Place hurricane lantern in center of table.
• Lay long pieces of eucalyptus along the table with the stems starting at the center (at lantern).  The stems are quite firm and woody creating a great structure to hold the other flowers.  
• Arrange other flowers into the eucalyptus, hiding their stems in the leaves.  It looks best if the stems all run the same way, pointing towards the center, giving the impression that a bouquet of flowers has fallen over and spilled onto the table.  
• Make sure the flowers spill onto the place settings, very romantic and loose.
• Nestle tea lights into the arrangement.

Choosing colours

• The grey eucalyptus are a soft base that set off the creamy white garden roses, white berries and pink snap dragons.  
• Crisp white table cloth and pink touches to finish.

Fun finishing touches (from my favourite $2 shop)

• champagne pink mirror glass tea candles
• pink polka dot napkins 
• white plastic plates 
• bamboo cutlery tied together (back to back) with pink elastic bands

Half way through photographing the heavens opened again, I never really got a good shot of how pretty the table looked right across.  I was forced to scoop everything up a second time.  This time I put the long suffering flowers in a vase, and third time lucky we enjoyed our very own picnic in the garden, sitting on cushions on the lawn and surrounded by bees and flowers.  

There is a real delight in creating these little parties in unexpected places.  See my pop up party at home and valentines mini celebration here.  The next one will definately be at the beach...  

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the trouble with vignettes

Spent a very frustrating morning trying to style and photograph vignettes in Miss J's bedroom.  
What looks pretty to the eye doesn't always work on camera I am discovering, I need more practice.  Went out in  huff, but had a lovely reviving visit with my cousins new little baby girl.  How inspiring new life is.  
In the end I liked this one of my coffee table , so I think I will leave it there for the day.

Have a lovely week...
And if you have been having a frustrating day, take a deep breath, go for a walk, and let it all go.

Stag tea light,  Geometric gold,  Lsa International silver,  Platinum tea light,  Marakkech tea light tray        

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Flower inspiration...an unusual combination

I was given this gorgeous bunch of flowers for my birthday, it was such an unexpected combination I just had to share.  Who knew that a king protea, eucalyptus and flowering gum would go so beautifully together.  

The silver and the dark living room wall really sets them off too, and picks up the green and grays in the painting, a very happy coincidence.

From left: eucalyptus, king protea, red flowering gum.

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flower arranging inspiration...pink and lime

One last look back at 2013, I just have to share the flowers from my Christmas table with you.  I knew I was going to use pomegranates and ended up selecting of pinks and limes, with a few white touches, to go with them.

I was really pleased with how they turned out, many thanks to Antonia from Ruby Slipper Floral Design for her invaluable tips on how to create this type of centrepiece, see her tutorial here.  I would not have had the confidence to tackle these without her guidance.

From left: pomegranate, Christmas flower, green amaranthus, pale pink David Austin rose, lisianthus
Greenery: gardenias and viburnum

Step 1: Start by creating a green frame with the viburnum, gardenias, and Christmas flowers. (see above).
Step 2: Add the pomegranates and roses (for how to arrange with pomegranates see here)
Step 3: Finish with the lisianthus and amaranthus - love how the amaranthus drapes!

The fresh lime of the amaranthus and soft pink lisianthus looked wonderful together, next time I may use these on their own.

It looked wonderful with the gold polka dot table cloth, and the whole house was filled with the gorgeous scent of David Austin roses and gardenias.

Antonia and I are planning to work together again this year, if you have any arrangements you would like to know how to make let me know.

{Arrangements, flower selection and all photos by Eva of Build House Home}

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A low center flower arrangement...for a non traditional Christmas table

We are having a big family Christmas and I want to do some special flowers.   
I am planning several long low floral arrangements for a long long table, with a loose Amy Osaba inspired style, and I want to incorporate pomegranates, their pink red colour reminds me of Christmas without being to traditional.

I asked the talented Antonia of Ruby Slipper Floral Design to show me how to go from inspiration to gorgeous arrangement, and boy did she deliver!  So enjoy the gorgeous flowers and skip to the bottom to see how you can make your own.

What you will need:

• Several blocks of oasis, or an oasis block like the one we used.
• 3 large store bought pomegranates
• One bunch each of green leaves, roses, mini pomegranates, kalmia, lisianthus (see below)
• Florists wire

Soaking the oasis:

• place each block in a bucket or basin of water and let it absorb the water
• Do not push the oasis down or you may create air bubbles, be patient!
• The oasis is fully soaked when no dry patches remain.
• If your oasis doesn't fit in a bucket (like ours) pour water over it carefully until you are sure it is fully soaked.

Adding your flowers in the correct order:

• Create initial structure with greenery:  Space it evenly without being to symmetrical (see below). The asparagus fern has been placed in the top, and along the sides creating good depth before even adding the flowers.
• Create a test corner:  This is where you will get a feel for how the flowers look together and how you are going to group them.  Once you are happy with the test corner, place your feature flowers, then work around the arrangement adding flowers in a similar but not identical pattern.
• Add the feature flowers:  The pomegranates in this arrangement.  Antonia suggest grouping them loosely in threes.  In our arrangement they are loosely grouped slightly off the center of the oasis block.  (see tips for the pomegranates below)
• Soften with secondary flowers:   Add your other flowers around the focal elements making sure they are at different heights to create depth and interest.
• Place flowers at different heights and angles:  Create texture and depth by pushing some flowers deeper into the arrangment and allowing others to trail over the edge.  
• Work around the arrangement building up the design: Stand back and look at your design from every side.  It is a centrepiece and needs to look good from all angles.
• Fill in the gaps: Add a final selection of flowers and small pieces of greenery to make sure the underlying structure is hidden and that the arrangement is full all over.  This is a good time to add trailing elements.

Arranging the pomegranates:

• Cut several pieces of thick florist wire 10 to 15 cm long.  
• Push the wire through the skin at the base of the fruit (see below) and push firmly into the fruit.  
• Twist the wire ends together 
• Position in oasis as you would a normal flower.  
• Use the same technique for other fruit, accessories like pine cones, or even succulents.
• This worked impressively well and the pomegranates were in no danger of being bumped out of place.

Antonia gathers several roses and a small bit of pomegranate into a mini bunch in her hand (above), then nestles them into the larger arrangement.  A design within a design.

Work around the arrangement, adding flowers from every side so that it will look good from every side of the table when finished.

How to choose flowers for your arrangement

• Select flowers in different tones of the same colour.  This allows you to have a variety of flowers without the arrangement feeling to busy.  In our arrangement the yellow to orange roses toned with the orange mini pomegranates, and the pink lisianthus toned with the softer pink kalmia.
• Use greenery to create the base of the arrangement.  The greenery sets off the flower colour and is an inexpensive way to bulk out a large arrangement.  It also hides the oasis structure. Some of Antonia's favourites are hydrangea leaves, viburnum, magnolia little gem
• Keep it simple and limit your colour scheme.  Antonia recommends using only one or two colours in an arrangement.  
• Use seasonal flowers  This is going to keep your costs down and also ensure the flowers are fresh and will last longer.

Top tips for arranging flowers like a pro:

• Create your base structure with greenery
• Add the feature plants, the pomegranates to the green arrangement, and then soften with secondary flowers.
• Add flowers at different heights to create depth.  Nestle some deeper into the arrangement, have some trailing onto the table top at the edges.
• Use three or four blooms to make a mini bunch in your hand.  Add the mini bunch as you would a single flower into the arrangement.
• Don't be afraid to adjust the position of flowers, but remember to put them in a new place in the oasis.  If you place the stems in the same oasis hole they will lose stability.

Ready for the table!  We didn't take the flowers all the way down the oasis block because I have made a reclaimed wood frame to hide that bit.  You will just have to wait and see how it looks all complete on the gold polka dot tablecloth.  Next post I promise.  Hope this inspired your and gave you some ideas for creating your own special Christmas day look.  And if you don't have time, let Antonia make one just for you.

All photos by Eva of Build House Home, flowers selected and arranged by Antonia of Ruby Slipper Floral Design.

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flower delights by amy osaba

Sharing some floral candy by Amy Osaba floral design today.  I love the loose arrangements that look as if they have been gathered straight out of the fields.  Their design epitomises the casual luxe aesthetic I am aiming for.

Love these fresh colours, and ranunculas are always a favourite.  All these flowers are by Amy Osaba via: Style me Pretty (photographed by Rylee Hitchner above) & Amy Osaba (photos by Heidi Geldhauser) below.

 I am looking for Christmas table inspiration, I am planning a rustic wooden trough down the center with lots of greenery and pomegranates.  Very inspired by the amazing centrepiece below (photos by Heidi Geldhauser).  I found a great tutorial from the Amy Osaba team on how to create their look here, worth going to just to look at the pretty pictures. 
Photo below from the same Parisian wedding, via Style me Pretty photographed by Rylee Hitchner.

Love the fantasy of this washi tape flower wall, I wonder how long it would last.  Don't think I could really bear to let the gorgeous blooms die.  From a truly amazing shoot featured in Magnolia Rouge (photos by Ali Harper), well worth looking at the whole feature the images are so lovely. 

Doesn't the day just feel better for looking at such gorgeous colours?  Imagine how lovely they would smell.  If you haven't had quite enough stop by the Amy Osaba website for more.

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how to create a rustic spring bouquet

I am delighted to share some tips and tricks I learned at a floral workshop presented by Antonia Georgas of Ruby Slipper Floral Design.  To celebrate the start of spring, and all the lovely flowers available, Antonia taught us "straussing" - the art of making a bunch of flowers in your hand.  I am delighted with how mine turned out and will definitely be using this technique again!  Skip down if you want to find out how or just enjoy the pictures of my lovely bunch on my kitchen bench top.

How to make your own rustic spring bouquet.

Selecting your flowers:
Antonia recommends using 1 primary flower, 2 supporting flowers, and a filler.
In our bunches she selected ranunculas (primary), jonquils and Japanese anenome (supporting), and pieris (filler).
Getting ready:

• Strip stems of leaves, twigs and older blooms. 
• Lay the stripped flowers in bunches by type on the table.
• They need to be ready to use and easy to get to as you will only have one hand free once you begin.

The Straussing technique:

• Start with a stem of your primary flower and lay it across the palm of your left hand (swap hands if you are left handed).
• Next select a supporting flower and lay that across the first stem with the flower slightly to the left of the first stem so that its stem crosses the first one from left to right.
• Continue adding flower stems, alternating the varieties as you go, but make sure each stem is added across the bunch at a slight diagonal from left to right.  This achieves the diagonal stem effect you can see in my photos.
• Vary the height of the flowers to create a looser look.  It looks a little strange in the beginning but will make sense as the bunch grows.  I raised every 5th or 6th stem I added so that the flower was higher than the previous one.
• Turn the bouquet in your hand slightly as you go.  Holding all the flowers in one hand feels awkward at first but gets easier as you go.
• Once you are satisfied with your bunch tie the stems securely with twine and trim the stems to an equal length.
• I snipped the twine once I had put my bouquet in a vase and made the arrangement slightly looser, personal preference really.

There is really no wrong way, with such a lovely combination of flowers your bunch is sure to turn out just lovely.

If my description doesn't make sense why not do your own workshop with Antonia at her store in Paddington.   I will be back for more, next time I want to learn how to use succulents.  

Top Tip

• Keep water in vases clean by adding a spoon of sugar to the vase before filling with water.

I have tried to show my bunch from every side so you can see how lovely it looks from every angle.  I think it is one of the prettiest bunches I have ever arranged myself and I will definitely use this technique again.  

Thanks Antonia, it was a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning.  

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