Happy National Poinsettia Day!

Traditional Red Poinsettia

Today marks the celebration of Poinsettia's. These beautiful star-shaped red flowers have become a world-wide symbol for Christmas.

Poinsettia Greenhouse

The poinsettia was introduced to America in 1828, but didn't become popular at Christmas time until the 1960's. It began making it's appearance during the holiday's on television thanks to shows like The Tonight Show and the Bob Hope Christmas Special. As one can tell, the poinsettias have only become more popular since it's humble beginning.

While originally available only in red, new varieties are now available in white, pink, red, burgundy, and mixes of these colors.  My favorite is the 'Winter Rose.'

Varieties available from our favorite local grower.

Poinsettias are delicate plants and don't really hold up well over long shipping distances or with sever temperature changes.  Luckily, we have a wonderful local grower for all our poinsettias.  Westwood Gardens has been growing Poinsettias for years and always have a wonderful selection.  

Before we wrap up this post, we wanted to make sure and squelch the rumor of the plant being poisonous  It does secrete a latex like substance from it's stems after being cut away from the main plant.  While the poinsettia is not recommended for consumption humans, it would take a massive amount of bracts (the red part of the flower) to make a child sick.

Enjoy your poinsettias this year!

For more information about poinsettias check out the following links.
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/is-poinsettia-really-poisonous
http://pauleckepoinsettias.com/

**Top photo via web, multiple sources. Other photos via www.westwoodgardens.com**

True Love Tuesday: Warren & Julie

Julie & Warren were wed on October 13 at Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks. They both wanted to keep their wedding true to the season they were getting married in. Drawing from the colors of Fall, we made her bouquet out of Asiatic Lilies, Button Mums, Sunflowers, Seeded Eucalyptus, and Hypercurium berries wrapped with Jute twine. The buffet arrangement was made from Curly Willow branches with hanging Dendrobium Orchids.

This was a beautiful fall wedding, and we were so happy to a part of their big day!!

Enjoy!!

Button Mum & wheat boutonniere

Calla lily & button mum corsage

Bride's Bouquet

Buffet Arrangement: curly willow & orchids

Cake decorated with fresh dahlias, button mums,
eucalyptus and gerbera daisies

True Love Tuesday: Stacy & Dave

Stacy & Dave were wed back in May at Pratt Place Barn. For their reception, they wanted to keep the barn open and bright so we chose a cream and white palette that would achieve their look. We used Hydrangea in the centerpieces, made the wreaths from Baby's Breath, and for her bouquet we used Peonies. When we were finished, the look was perfectly simple and bright. 

Enjoy!!

Holiday Wreath Class Pictures

Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of working with some local crafters on creating their own holiday wreath! Here are a few pictures of our amazing class hard at work on their wreaths. A big thanks to Botanical Gardens for hosting us, and we look forward to having another class there soon!!

Poinsettias - not just your average Christmas plant

It's that time of year again - Christmas! And with Christmas comes the call for Poinsettias probably the most recognized flower for winter time since the 1960's. As florists, we often get calls from people wanting to order Poinsettias for a loved one in lieu of an actual arrangement. Some people, though, would prefer not to get the plant considering they don't want the mess of a plant in the middle of their dinner table. Well, we have good news for those people -- we can actually incorporate the "flower" of the Poinsettia into a larger arrangement that can be used on a table without worrying about the dirt and mess from a plant.

Below we have included a few simple ideas that we plan on using as our own Poinsettia inspirations this year! And don't forget to order your Poinsettia or Poinsettia arrangement before National Poinsettia Day!

Enjoy!!

This simple arrangement turns the traditional decor into a clean, modern centerpiece. All you have to do is cut the "flower" to your desired length and float it in water. If you singe the end of the stem, the bloom will last longer.

These Poinsettia gifts are adorable! 

This is similar to the first picture. But instead of using vases and bowls here they used crystal stemware. 

All images come from Google and are not owned by Rose of Sharon, Floral Designs. 

These are simply our inspirations - not our work.

Inspiration vs Reproduction: Revisited

Back in August, we talked about inspiration vs reproduction, and since then we have had even more brides come to us already knowing what they want their bouquet to look like. However, most of these brides were only inspired by what they saw. They were not looking for us to recreate the same bouquet, but wanted us to take their idea and put a spin on it to make it their own!

Our top three inspiration vs reality bouquets are below. Please notice how each one has little details that the original did not have. Some changes were made because of the bride's budget, some were because a flower was out of season or the bride didn't like the flower, but most were because the bride wanted something that was her very own. Something that she could look back on and be happy knowing that her personality was captured.

Inspiration (left) used softer blues and greens, but our reproduction (right) used bolder blues and greens to give the bouquet an added pop. We also placed a small blue butterfly in the bouquet for the bride.

Inspiration (top) used a variety of flowers to give extra texture and dimension, but our bride wanted her reproduction (bottom) to be softer with pops of bold color coming from Freespirit Roses to give dimension.

Inspiration (left) used soft pinks and purples to add contrast to the golds and yellows, but our bride requested her reproduction (right) to have no pinks and purples. To reflect the fall season and add extra texture we used Yarrow in place of the berries.

We hope that you have enjoy looking through our inspirations vs reproductions, and find your own inspiration to turn into a symbol of your personality!

Enjoy! And don't forget to check us out on Pinterest! You can see all of the things we are working on and have been inspired by!

True Love Tuesday: Anna & Andrew

Anna & Andrew were wed on October 6. She came to us wanting to embrace the colors of fall, but wanted to also keep her flowers romantic and soft. The orange and cream roses were perfect for her. What made Anna's wedding even more special is that she wanted to create her own centerpieces using bulk flowers she purchased from us. Yay for crafty brides!! We simply can't wait to see the pictures of the centerpieces that she made.

Enjoy!!!

Attendants carried a hand-tied bouquet of Freespirit Roses and  cream Roses.

For Anna, we created a beautfiful hand-tied bouquet using Freespirit Roses, cream Roses, Dusty Miller, Stock , and Carnations.

The boutonnieres and corsages contained spray Roses, Hypercurium  Berries, and Baby's Breath. 

Rose of Sharon's - Best Bouquets 2012

And the winner is!!

Our top favorite is this fantastic cascade bouquet with Roses,  Phalaenopsis Orchids, Ranaculous,  Lilly Grass,  and Air Plants.

It's the end of the year, and which means it's time to go back and browse through our favorites of the year. Today, we focused on bouquets. Each bouquet we create is unique to the bride, the wedding, and to us. You may wonder how we pick out our favorites, and I promise you it's not easy! However, we buckled down and chose our top bouquets of the year!

Enjoy!

A few of our favorite cascades and a favorite arm bouquet.

All of these bouquets rank high in our memories as some of our favorite hand-tied bouquets. Each one has a unique selection of flowers and colors specific to the bride and her wedding!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have shut off the lights, said farewell to our flowers, and gone home to enjoy the day with our families this Thanksgiving, And though we may not be here working with our flowers, we are at home drawing inspirations from those around us to bring back to you next week. We thank you for a year of great inspirations, kind words, and unending support.

 May you have a great day celebrating this day of thanks, and always remember that flowers can make any day a better day!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

True Love Tuesday: Haley & Thomas - The Reception

Haley and Thomas' reception was held at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs on September 22. Haley came to us wanting a Shabby Chic wedding using a mixture of Mason Jars, antique lace, and her collection of tea tins, kettles, and urns that she found in various flea markets. For flowers we stayed in the cream color palate using a mixture of Hydrangeas, Roses, Spider Mums, Stocks, Scabiosa Pods, and Dahlias. 

The combination of her Shabby Chic containers, and the cream color palate of her flowers made for a one-of-a-kind look in the gorgeous ballroom.

Enjoy!!!

True Love Tuesday: Jennifer & Craig

Jennifer and Craig wanted a period specific Renaissance themed wedding. Keeping with the traditions of that time, we made sure everything was very natural. The mixture of Myrtle, Wheat, Ivy, and dried Lavender was the perfect combination to provide the couple with their very special look.

The bride carried a Clutch bouquet of Alstroemeria, Wheat, Lavender, Myrtle, and Ivy.

The centerpieces kept with the theme using iron candelabras, and a mix of the floral. 

Close up of Ceremony arrangements.

Ceremony arrangements were simple clutches of Wheat, Myrtle, Ivy, and Lavender.

Centerpieces for the head table consisted of bunches of Wheat with sprigs of Dried Lavender.

Make Your Own Holiday Wreath

Have you ever seen that wreath that looks just too good to be homemade, and wondered how you could make one just as good? Then come join us on Saturday, December 1 from 10 am to 12 pm at Botanical Gardens for a wreath tutorial!

Our very own lead crafter and expert in all things floral, Althea Wiles, will be leading a class on how to make your own wreath. The best part? She will be with you as you make your very own! All of the materials will be provided for you. We encourage you to bring your own ornaments or special touches to make it all yours!

There are limited spots available, so be sure and register soon at the link below! We look forward to seeing you!

http://www.bgozarks.org/events/#330

Happy National Boss Day, Althea!!

Happy National Boss Day, Althea!!!

Here at the studio, we are pretty sure that we not only have the coolest jobs, but also, the best boss around! We are very happy to introduce you to who our boss is for us!

A

is for her Artistic flair

L

 is for how her Laughter can fill the room

T

is for her Tenacious Teaching skills

H

is for her ability to be Honest & Helpful at the same time

E

is for her Effervescent attitude & her Expert Eye

A

is for Althea, in all ways Amazingly Awesome!

We hope that you also have a great boss, and that you've stopped to remember how much they do for you. So, with our boss in our minds, we present you with a few of her favorite inspirations. :) Now, go find your boss and say "Thanks!"

Enjoy Althea's favorites!!!

PINKspirations!

As a business that is owned by a woman and has an almost all woman staff, breast cancer awareness is high on our list of priorities. Each October we find ourselves thinking of family and friends who have battled this disease, and being grateful for all of the survivors. As the days turn cooler around us and the crisp fall colors arrive, we gladly fill our spaces with the color PINK!

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we encourage everyone to let the survivors in your life know they are special, and what better way is there than with flowers? Enjoy our PINKspirations!!!

Wedding Day Flowers for Your Pet

We are proud to announce an addition to our team; Tank, our new little guard dog here at the studio! Of course, we had to make him his own floral collar on picture day. In honor of Sir Tank, we decided to showcase a few ideas for wedding flowers for your pet.

Incorporating your special pet in your wedding is not a new idea. With more and more couples living together before marriage, it's common to have gotten a pet during that time that you want to be a part of your special day.  We sat down and collected a few tips for you to keep in mind while planning on your flowers.

Most importantly, you want to keep it simple. Pets can sometimes be distracted with something new, and especially if they are wearing it. The best way to prevent this is to keep your design simple and comfortable. Our favorite designs are floral collars or special boutonnieres that clip onto the existing collar. This way it's easy to take off and will keep Fido comfortable.

A close up of Tank's collar; Purple Dahlia's and Wax Flower were
the perfect combination on a Green Satin Ribbon. 

Something that goes along with keeping it simple is the choice of flower you use. You want to be sure to use a flower that is durable and can withstand the possible beating it may get by Fido's paw.  Don't forget that some plants and flowers can be harmful to your pet if eaten.

We have included some of our past favorite designs, and a couple of our design inspirations for future work. We even included a picture of topiary's made to look like the couple's favorite pets!

Enjoy!!

Top left and bottom right designs by Rose of Sharon.
Top right image via onewed.
Bottom right image via The Knot

National Boss Day is October 16

In case you didn't already know, next week is National Boss Day. It's a day where employee's stop and say thanks to their boss. What better way to show your appreciation than with flowers?? Flowers have always been a favorite of employee's because it's something you can order ahead of time and not have to worry about after that! Plus, then your boss can take their flowers home or leave them at the office and be reminded of how much you appreciate them.

We, of course, felt the need to provide you with a few floral ideas that are boss appropriate. Hopefully, with our help your boss will know how much you appreciate them. Enjoy!!