A Holiday Wonderland on a Tabletop

When I retired from flowers a few years back,  I kept one client. We usually do just one event a year - a client appreciation luncheon.   This year, she asked me to work with her on the company Christmas party.    I was thrilled that she asked.  I love doing flowers for her, and I love Christmas, and I knew it would be a whole lot of fun.

It was.  In fact, it was probably the most fun I've ever had while working with flowers.  

The event was held in the Presidential Suite at the Westin Hotel in Seattle.  It's a beautiful space, and the view from the suite is outstanding.  The twinkling lights of downtown make the perfect backdrop for a holiday party.

My client has a lot of props to work with, so we met prior to the event to pull a few pieces for the 20 foot table we would be decorating.  We chose a few trees, candles, and baubles and had a great brain-storming session.     

I left our meeting feeling really inspired, and began charting out the plan.  I ordered all the flowers, selected containers, and began making the non-perishble  details for the party.   

Setting up the party was an all-day affair.  A lot of the pieces were made in advance, but the assembling of all the elements still took a great deal of time.

The table scape was lush, and packed with many little details.  I really wanted to create something special for the guests - something rich and layered and filled with surprises to be discovered while they dined.  

In the center of the table, we placed a large acrylic tree.  The branches were decorated with mercury glass icicles and moss nests occupied by sparkly little birds.   When illuminated by the candles beneath, the tree looked like it was made of ice.





We also placed several wire trees with little pearls on their branches down the center of the table.  The branches disappeared,  leaving the pearls to hang in the air.



Our friends at Choice Linens provided the linens for the event. They did an amazing job draping our gigantic table.



The flowers on the table were thick.   Black Magic roses, hydrangeas, cymbidium orchids, amaryllis,  greens and berries filled the mercury glass vases.













Low and tall candles in birch and mercury glass ran the length of the table and illuminated the display.



Tucked between the candles, trees and flowers were little vignettes built inside birch tubes.  The scenes inside were little woodland creatures exchanging miniature christmas gifts.   Little "fires" were made using twigs and faux votives.

   


















In addition to the floral displays on the 20 foot table, there were many other flowers placed around the suite.






And of course there were poinsettias.  You can't have a holiday without poinsettias.




I was there when the guests arrived, and everyone seemed to really enjoy this display.  It was fun to watch them circle the table,  discover the details, point them out to each other, and smile.


I took SO many pictures of the event  - too many to put in this post - so if you would like to see more, you can visit this Flickr set.

Itty-Bitty Gifts

If you know me at all,  you're probably aware of my fondness for tiny things.    For as long as I can remember, I've liked anything little.

This week I've had the pleasure of making these itty-bitty gifts for a party that a very special client of mine is hosting.  We're creating a long floral  tablescape on a table set for 20 guests.  These tiny gifts will be tucked into the display along with some small birds.

I can hardly wait to put it all together.  The goal is to create a display with lots of little surprises for the guests to discover during their dinner.

Below is  a little peek at the tiny gifts.    I'll be taking lots of pictures of the whole display, and share will them after the event.

I have to say, wrapping these tiny gifts was just about the most fun I've had all year.  

See You at Sandpoint for the Last Sale of the Holiday Season!!!

 Today (Saturday, December 10th) I'll be selling my wares at the Second Saturdayz Market. It's a wonderful show - vintage goods sprinkled with wonderful crafts - and it's organized by my crafty friend Linda (of LULUZ) and her craftin/junkin' pal.

I'll be selling wreaths, pins, paper flowers,  garlands, ornaments, and a few other treasures, too.  For those who follow my kitty blog, I'll be bringing kitten cards and Sparkle Balls along.

The show's in Hanger 30 at Magnuson Park on Sandpoint Way in Seattle WA.

Show hours are 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Come for early bird shopping (8:00 - 10:00 AM) and pay $10 to enter. Arrive after 10:00 AM and pay $5.00 for general admission.

Click HERE for complete directions and  more information on the show.

Hope to see you there! It's going to be a good one!!  The December show is always especially awesome!

It's my last sale of this holiday season, so if you need some Fa La La Laurie this Christmas, please do stop by!

 Thanks!

It's Sparkle Season!

Generally, I try to keep my glitter and bling to a minimum, but once the holiday season begins, those rules go out the window.

This time of year I do enjoy adding a little extra sparkle to everything, and I just got done trimming our dining room chandelier.

I am a total holiday nerd and if it was socially acceptable (and not a fire hazard) to keep a Christmas tree up year round, I would probably  do it.

Indie Banditas on Bainbridge!

I added one more show to the holiday roster...  The Indie Banditas Traveling Bazaar on Bainbridge Isalnd!   It looks like it's going to be a great one - the vendor list is outstanding.   Pop on by if you can!  It's this Sunday, November 27th.   Details on the poster below, or pay a visit to their website to learn more.     

Thanks for an Awesome Weekend, Tacoma!

 This was a full weekend!  I started off Saturday sitting on a panel moderated by Katy Evans (of Post Defiance) along with artist Chandler O'Leary and writer (and Metro Parks Commissioner) Erik Hanberg.  

The panel was part of the Tacoma Art Symposium and we discussed how artists can use social media tools to promote their work.  It was an interesting discussion and the audience had lots of great questions.

As soon as the panel wrapped up, I dashed over to Kings Books for day one of the Artist Craft Fair. It was an awesome day.   Traffic was steady, and I think it was a successful day for all of the participants.   Thank you Tacoma for being so supportive of your local artists!  




Day two wasn't quite as bustling as day one, but still a very good day.

There were lots of new folks at the sale this year,  like Libertine Tacoma, and Matthew Porter.  We saw many of our regulars too.   I love seeing all that's being made in and around Tacoma.   It's always inspiring.  I  enjoy the opportunity to talk with other artists and crafters at sales like this. When you work from home, you can feel a little cut-off from the world.   It's nice to spend a couple of days connecting with people and finding out about what everyone is up to.

I brought  lots of inventory along for the sale including ornaments,  pins, birdcages and wreaths.  This was my first craft sale with the wreaths and I always feel a tad nervous when I introduce new things. Thankfully, they were well received and I spent Saturday night making several new ones to replace the ones that sold that day.



There's lots more making ahead, holiday craft sale season is just getting started!

Next up is Glitter Haus this Friday!    I hope to see you there!! Please don't forget to RSVP.

    

See You This Weekend? I Hope So!

Just a little reminder..

The  Tacoma is for Lovers/ Kings Books Artist Craft Fair is happening this weekend!  The TIFL sales are always great, but the holiday one is always especially awesome.  For more info, please visit HERE!

There's a mighty-fine line up of artists on both days - lots of new people too!  I'm excited to see what everyone's been making a get a start on my holiday shopping, too.  

 I hope to see you there!   I'll be there with bells on.  Literally.

Sneak Peek at Some New Wreaths

This holiday season I'm introducing some new paper wreaths to my collection.  They range in size from six to twelve inches in diameter and they're made with glittered and patterned papers in shades of aqua, gold and green.  

 Custom orders in the colors and size of your choice are available, just send me an email to discuss the details.

If you would like to see them in person, please visit me at one of the sales this season.  Click HERE to see where I'll be next.

 

Fresh Flowers and Holiday Fairs

Oh, what a week! I came out of retirement to do fresh flowers for an event this week. It's been awhile since I've done any (fresh) floral arranging at all and I had forgotten how exhausting that work can be.  

The party was huge, and the flowers were plentiful, but I have to say, it went pretty smoothly.  No glitches at all, in fact.  Just some achey bones today.  

Here's a glimpse at the flower arrangements and my studio assistant, Charlene Butterbean. If you care to see more pictures of the event, you can visit here.

After a smooth event, it's tempting to step back into the business.   But my heart is in the craft world, and I need to keep pushing that business ahead.     

So, this week I purged the last of my remaining floral supplies.  I took 3 carloads of props, vases, and assorted supplies to Goodwill.  I kept the basics - rolls of tape, my knives and clippers - but the rest went away.   

Soon, we'll begin renovating my former flower space into a sparkling new craft studio.    I can hardly wait.   Once the room is complete, it will be so much easier to work.   My current space is packed full of supplies and inventory - leaving too little space for making.   I look forward to being able to sprawl out with all my projects and still have room to photograph, pack, and store my work.   

FIRST, I have to get through the holiday season.

Here's where you can find me over the next few weeks: 

November 19th and 20th I'll be at the Tacoma is for Lovers Artist Craft Fair at Kings Books.

Nov 25th please join me at  Glitter Haus - THE holiday craft event of the season! 

Dec 10th I'll be at the 2nd Saturdayz Market in Seattle. 

This Week

I have to say, It's been a good week. For starters, I'm still floating on air about the whole BHLDN thing. Also, Halle Griffin wrote this nice article and there was a sweet little mention in the The Bride's Guide ( Martha Stewart Weddings blog).  

As dorky as this sounds, the highlight of the week may have been discovering this fabulous cable knit paper at a local paper store.  A good paper just makes me giddy.



 I don't know what I'm going to do with this yet, but I sure do love these cable knit patterns.  Sometimes you have to sit with a supply for awhile before you find it's purpose.  For now, I think I'll just pin it to my wall until inspiration strikes.

There are lots of art happenings around the Puget Sound this weekend.

Today, my friends Sarah (of Deeds and Petunia)  and Lori (of Parisienne Girl Designs) are going to be setting up shop at the Bellevue Club Holiday Bazaar.  They were kind enough to bring along a few of my holiday pins, paper ornaments and paper wreaths to sell in their booth.  If you find yourself on the East Side, please come by the bazaar. There's an amazing selection of vendors with lots of wonderful holiday goods for sale. The sale runs from 9 to 3 PM today.  For more details, please visit their website.   

For all you Tacomans, it's Art at Work month and there are Studio Tours this weekend.  It's always interesting to get a peek inside an artist's world and see what they're making and what items of inspiration they surround themselves with in their studio.  I plan to hit a few myself, starting with my friend and neighbor, Chandler,  of Anagram Press.  

Glitter Haus!

I've been working with my crafty friends Lori (from Parisienne Girl Designs) and Sarah (of Deeds & Petunia) on a very exciting event.  

We've hand-selected a few of our favorite vendors that have great taste and vintage style and we're bringing them together for one festive evening on Friday, November 25th.

Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served and our guests will have the opportunity to mingle and shop a collection of handmade holiday gifts and decor items from our vendors.  

Our line-up includes:

Parisienne Girl Designs - Elegant Vintage Rhinestone  Jewelry

Deeds & Petunia - Vintage Inspired Women's Accessories

La La Laurie - Handcrafted Holiday Fanciness

B. Children's Wear- Adorable Children's Clothing

Libertine Tacoma - Unique Home and Culinary Items

Luluz - Vintage Treasures and Handmade Objects with Old-World Charm

 

We would love to have you join us!  Please visit the Glitter Haus website to learn more about the event, and if you would like to attend our handmade holiday affair, please be sure to RSVP by emailing HERE.

Glitter Haus
Friday, November 25th
4 - 8:30 PM

1016 N Anderson St
Tacoma, WA 98406

La La Laurie at BHLDN !

For quite some time I've been keeping a little secret under my hat,  and now I can officially share it with you.

The past couple of months I've been working like mad creating bouquets and boutonnieres that are now available at BHLDN!!!

I love their dreamy wedding world and I was so honored when they asked me if I would be interested in working with them.

For those of you not familiar with BHLDN, they are an off-shoot of Anthropologie.  It's your one-stop,  bohemian, vintage-inspired wedding shop.  If you haven't seen their website before, I encourage you to pay it a visit and get lost in it for awhile.  It's pretty fabulous.

To fill their order, I had to make masses of paper and fabric flowers. I started off in my craft room cutting piles of petals, but soon the project started spilling out into the dining room, guest bedroom, and eventually the kitchen.  We were living in a field of faux flowers.

I assembled the flowers one style at a time, and as I completed each bloom, I stuck the stem into a styrofoam board to keep them vertical and safe.  Our dining room table looked like a parade float.









After all the elements were made,  I picked my blooms from the boards, and the bouquets were assembled.  




The bouquets were based on a sample piece I made for an issue Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom Magazine, so if it looks familiar, you probably saw it in the magazine, or in this post.


Once the bouquets were completed, the boutonnieres were made, then packaged.




 Finally, everything was tagged, boxed-up and sent off to BHLDN.

 



And today, their winter collection has gone live.

I am so excited to have my bouquets and boutonnieres right up there with the many lovely pieces in their collection. It's a thrill, to say the least.