Merry Christmas

Posted on by mlball2014

Dear Readers,

Merry Christmas!! This week we celebrate the birth of Jesus! Matthew 2:10- “when they saw the star they rejoiced.”

“Believe in the magic of the season! The magic of Christmas is not in the presents, but in his presence.”

Designing sure does put a smile on my face and I feel so blessed having the opportunity to utilize Gods floral creations.

I sure needed a lot of coffee for this gorgeous winter arrangement!! Grandma and Papa asked me to design a centerpiece, but little did they know I would get a crazy idea and run with it!!

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“Star of David” 

I am very proud with how the recipe for “Star of David” evolved and transformed into a beautiful holiday centerpiece. Continue reading for step by step directions 🙂

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Step one: Choose a square vase of your choice. I loved the way the drawer looked rustic and vintage but still classy.
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Step 2: Research ideas and buy supplies.

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Step 3:

  • Begin by adding base flowers first. I started with Baby Breath and artificial greens.
  • Add focus flowers
  • Fill in the gaps
  • Add other items (pine cones, berries, candy, etc.

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Step 4: Create a floral arrangement for someone you love with all the extras (mom) 😉

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Last Step: Deliver them to destination with amazing and handy boyfriend!!

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Thank you for reading! I hope you have a very very Merry Christmas!! Remember why we celebrate!

Love,

Picking Wild Flowers

 

 

 

Home Sweet Home

Posted on by mlball2014

O Christmas Flower! O Christmas Flower! 

Thy pedals are so unchanging; 

Tomorrow I am home bound! This week I wrapped up my LAST fall finals! I am looking forward to much needed time with friends and family! I have a break full of baking, camp preparing, and flower arranging planned!

O Christmas Flower! O Christmas Flower! Thy pedals are so unchanging;

O Christmas Flower! Oh Christmas Flower! 

Thy pedals are so unchanging;

Lisa, a co-worker and friend, asked me to design two arrangements. One is for her mom and the other is for a friend who is graduating from nursing school. I enjoyed creating both of them, but my favorite was the Blissful design (pink roses).

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Frosty

O Christmas Flower! Oh Christmas Flower! 

Much pleasure thou can’st give me; 

When Lisa and I walked into the flower shop we were saddened with the selection. I want PERSONALITY! I want WOW! I want FRESH!! I have found a gap in the market place and every day I find more and more motivation to fill it! Flowers are a instant breath of jazz. They might not last long but they make an everlasting impression.

O Christmas Flower! Oh Christmas Flower! 

Much pleasure thou can’st give me. 

After a little creativity and brainstorming we found the pink and white roses to be suitable! I purchased some evergreens and baby breath to use as fillers. The berries are actually fake but shhhh don’t tell anyone my secret. 😉

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Blissful 

I really appreciate those who believe in me and all of the practice I have received in the last few weeks. I have picked out a few potential flower garden locations! I need to start thinking about what varieties I want to grow. I know fear is just a part of the process but it will be very interesting to see how this first year goes. It is a year of changes: graduation, job search, flower growing, and moving back. 🙂

Life is blissful!

My First Vendor Show!

Posted on by mlball2014

This week has been crazy!! Not only is it dead week, but I was invited to my first vendor show! Curves, workout facility, hosts a Christmas sale every year and they invite local women to display their products. I applaud Curves, it is a really good outlet for small town women entrepreneurs.

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“Winter Wonderland”

I created two arrangements for the show: “Winter Wonderland, and “Candy Cane.” I heard about the show on Monday night and had to act fast. The show started yesterday and will last for a week! Tuesday was a FLORAL workday!! I was in my happy place 😉 #Goals!

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“Candy Cane”

The floral recipes have a more complex design than what I have done in the past and it was a learning curve for sure. I enjoyed the challenge and I am pleased with the outcome. The two are on display with a brochure and a few business cards. I am hoping to receive a few orders this week before heading home for break!

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Step one: Purchase supplies; I need to look into buying flowers wholesale. Growing my own will increase profits, but currently my profit margin is very very slim. Practice, Practice, Practice!

Step 2: Layout supplies. I went a little overboard with my purchases this week, but I just got way excited and wanted them to be perfect!

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Step 3: “Winter Wonderland”Recipe

Finished Product! The “Winter Wonderland” arrangement took some serious thinking. I wanted to create a table piece that shouted Christmas, but more subtlety.

Step 4: “Candy Cane” Recipe. The ornaments were a challenge all in their own. This was the first time I used non-floral ingredients in my recipe. I conducted a lot of trial and error and ended up securing the bulb to a wooded stick.

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What do you think?? I love the richness in the final product! Below is part of the brochure I took to Curves. Read my story and be sure to stay tuned for more floral recipes next week!

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Brochure