Practice

When I was 4, I started playing the violin.  My parents put me in private lessons, mom worked with me (ticka- ticka, stop-stop, for anyone out there that knows the Suzuki method), I played in orchestras, and put on recitals all through high school.  I enjoyed it, and I was a good player, but not great compared to others who actually spent real time practicing.  

I've never been good at practicing. 

Somehow, I got away with winging it, using last minute moments to turn on the creativity and conjure up the skills I'd been taught all those years.  

I still do this, but a change is in order.  Now that my oldest daughter is taking piano lessons, I am trying to instill in her the discipline of practice.  

I don't know if practice makes perfect, but it sure does make better!  

Soooo, since floral design is my job and I do actually enjoy it, I am going to practice...in between events and carpools...and hope to get better.  

The flowers here are extras I had after doing some mock-ups for an upcoming wedding.  Peony, roses, hydrangea, some craspedia from the house, and caladium leaves from the yard.  I'm trying a different style here...a little more free-form, yet placing emphasis on individual blooms.  Looking at each bloom to inspire what pairs up the best helps to bring out the natural color scheme, I think.     

   

When you really love doing something, practicing can actually be fun!  How about that!!! 

Inspiration

It's summer, which means school is out, the kids are home, and it's a new kind of busy around here. We're going to the pool, grilling out, and we're together..ALL THE TIME (feel free to use a sing-songy voice here)!  It's crazy, fun, hard, exhausting, and hilarious all at the same time.  I'm not gonna lie, though, it's a hard adjustment when we're all home for summer vacation.

Summer break also means that I have get to do grocery shopping with the kids, which is always very interesting.  It's like this...one kid is in the cart, two are running down the aisles, and I'm cramming groceries in as quickly as possible.  I'm usually whisper-shouting at my kids to stop this or that,  saying "no we can't get that," or running back 10 aisles to the restroom.  Hilarious.

Inspiration?  Forget it.

But it happened.  In Publix.  Blessed Publix with free cookies and wide aisles.


 
























Walking through the produce section, I spotted a bin full of potted flowers.  It was a random mix of blooms, but what caught my eye was an enormous Ornithogalum or "Star of Bethlehem" plant.  The plant was in full bloom, so I grabbed it up and put it in the cart thinking the blooms would make a really pretty bridal bouquet. As soon as we got home and settled, I began cutting the stems and making a bouquet. I used some foliage from my "coral bells" plant to bring out the earthy tones in the center of the blooms. It turned out nicely. The best thing about the whole experience was simply the feeling of being inspired and creative on a day that felt far from anything like that.

Thank you, Publix.  Thank you, flowers.  Thank you, God!


 

For Vintage Florals, wedding season is finally starting up. The spring season was slow, but I found it to be an unexpected gift. I needed to do family things, clean my house, get organized, bake cookies, and step back from flowers a bit. The break was good, and now I'm ready to get back to it. We have a couple weddings a month through the end of the year, which is a good pace here. I'll post pictures along the way!

 

Have a fun summer!  :)