Ombré Inspired Floral Designs

Monochromatic tone has always been my favourite theme to design because it looks soothing, clean, and modern.

After a workshop with florists supply 2 years ago, I was introduced to the idea of “Ombré” inspired arrangements. I began to love the beauty of ingredients from the lightest hue to the darkest hue or from the darkest colour slowly shifting to the lightest colour.

Green theme

Earlier this year, I was inspired by the colour of the year – Emerald Green and designed an ombré arrangement with eucalyptus, green cymbidium orchids, roses, dendrobium, hypericums, and green tricks.

Red and pink theme

Red roses are popular for Valentine’s day. We can make it more fun by designing an ombre arrangement with red, hot pink, and soft pink. Therefore, it’s not traditional at all.

Purple and cream theme

This arrangement was designed for someone very very special when she held a concert in Vancouver. We designed it with dark calla lilies, purple ocean song roses, white ohara garden roses, brunia and seeded eucalyptus.

Tulips, roses, orchids, freesia, and lisianthus are fun to design with as well.

Peach and cream theme

Juliet Garden roses are so pretty that they are very popular for wedding floral design. I designed this peach and cream ombre arrangement with Vercilia roses, Juliet garden roses, faith roses, vandella roses, and white hydrangea.

If you would like to see any other colour in ombre effect, let us know!!

Bubbly Terrarium – Art Plants

A follow up to our previous post by our designer Lisa “Something in the air” we are constantly exploring different ways of designing air plants in different containers.

Quoted from Lisa “What makes these plants so special? The Tillandsia species is able to survive without soil, absorbing moisture and nutrients through its leaves. Just give them a good soaking every week and they’re good to go. Rootless wonders indeed.”

I decided to put them in the glass bubble after our kind friend Melissa gifted them to me!!!

We also have the tea light holder like this and it’s cute to put an airplant in it!

Limited quantities still available!

Feature Flower: Gardenia

Gardenia is also called “Cape Jasmine” a super fragrant flowering evergreen. I love the texture and fragrance of gardenia so much that I need to buy them for myself at the last floral auction!

Having them around the studio, makes me even happier!

Happy Amy = more inspired designs
Gardenia bridal bouquet with peony!!!! Oh my! I will renew my wedding vow every year just to carry this bouquet!

And my husband will wear this one to match me. It’s elegant yet manly!

Silver Flowers – Dusty Millers, Kochia, and Brunia

Silver flowers are great for the winter season. The colour is frosty and the texture is fury. We often bring in dusty millers, kochia, and brunia spray because they are fun and different! They not only look good in arrangements, but also in bridal bouquets!

My favourite colour combo- silver, white, and green

Silver foliage goes well with pink flowers, too.

The lamb’s ear is one of my favorite silver foliage as well! This is a sphere pinned with lamb’s ear! Isn’t it cute?!

A table art piece designed with Lamb’s ear, green tricks, aliums, scabiosa, and eucalyptus

Oh yeah! Tango Tangerine and silvery Grey goes absolutely well together!! Love it!

A creative way of using Kochia is to design them in the candle holder and terrarium.

My next theme post will be about “different ways of using birch”, can’t wait!

Planters Big and Small

I took advantage of a few special days where the sun was shining in Vancouver to take some photos of some of our newly made planters. There is nothing like natural lighting to make a photo look its best, and our imperfect cement floor makes a wonderful back drop.

There is something about multiples of tiny little succulent planters that is very visually pleasing. I used some white 3×3 cubes and planted a variety of succulents in them. These succulents came in soft, spiky and delicate textures and each one is interesting in its own way. I topped all of them off with some black sand and put 3 glass rocks in each little planter. Each one is slightly different, yet they are all the same. There is beauty in numbers!

Here is a beautiful planter with orchids and air plants. I used a big silver bowl, mossy branches and a twine ball to create a natural and elegant planter. It was fun to make, and for those of us who tend to unintentionally murder our house plants, it is also very low maintenance and easy to care for. The orchid blooms can last over a month with proper care, and 3 weeks or so even if they are completely neglected.

So to any Vancouverites out there, take advantage of the sun light while you can! It probably will not be around for long. We still have a few months of dark rainy days ahead, but after all of that we have magnolia and cherry blossoms to look forward to! There is light at the end of the tunnel, or as us florists say, there are blossoms at the end of the tunnel!

Woodsy Inspiration – When Ranunculus Meets Plum Blossoms

Where does my inspiration coming from?
Thinking outside the flower box! When ideas come, draw them down and create them!

Tossing and turning, I couldn’t fall asleep! New ideas always kick in when I am calm and still – usually it’s my beauty sleep time. Insomnia may bring lots of stress to most people, but not for me. I feel good when creative ideas are flowing, swirling, and collaborating in my brain. Then I will get off my bed and draw them down with extra excitement! I know it’s passion and determination!

The first design idea was triggered by one of the photo frames on my desk. I wanted to build a garden photo frame to capture the beauty of ranunculus and the movement of the plum blossom.

The second Idea is winter. It has been snowing for the last two nights and I am just feeling white birch! I built this birch container using my trusty hot glue gun.

Before and After

Love love love the garden roses, haworthia, dusty millers, and hellebores.

Can’t wait to work tomorrow!!!! I meant today! It’s 4AM!

2012 Colour of the Year

Every year the colour forecasters at Pantone select a shade that they deem colour of the year. They predict that it will be a huge colour trend in everything from fashion, to furniture and even flowers!  This year’s pick….drum roll please….

We love tangerine around here, and peach and mango and cantaloup and every other shade in the orange-y spectrum for that matter.  Here’s a round up of some of our favourite arrangements featuring these citrusy shades.

How do you feel about it? Is tangerine really the new honeysuckle??

Love and Flowers

While many are still recovering from busy Christmas and New Years holidays, we here at Garden Party Flowers have been working like Christmas elves preparing for the one of the most romantic days of the year. After all, love is our business. Flowers and love go together like peas and carrots, peanut butter and jam, or rain and umbrellas! In our studio we have been busy creating new and interesting arrangements and bouquets to help you show your love and appreciation for that special someone in your life.

This classically inspired red rose and hydrangea arrangement is sure to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.

A deep and sensual arrangement of red roses and burgundy cymbidiums will inspire passion. You might even get a kiss!

Here is a naturally alluring arrangement made with soft hued garden roses, peachy spray roses, local peach roses, pink tulips and an accent of seeded eucalyptus. This arrangement is wild and romantic, feminine and sweet.

This planter may not look romantic at first, but why not think of it as a token of your love for that special man in your life. Traditionally, Valentine’s Day means the man buys his woman flowers and she in return may cook him a nice dinner in the nude. Well, why not challenge tradition? This time buy your man a unique lithops (living stone or pebble plant) planter and the he may just cook you a romantic dinner in the nude! This, my friends, is what dreams are made of!

Valentine’s Day is still a little over a month away, so there is still lots of time to decide on how to please (or find) that special someone! We will be (like good little elves) updating and adding to our Valentine’s Day Collection until the big day. If you do not see anything that makes you tingle give us a call, or stop by the studio to find exactly what you need to sweep your Valentine off of his or her feet!

Something in the Air

We’ve been loving air plants around these parts of late, and have been finding all kinds of unique and wonderful ways to use them. Their muted grey-green leaves, miniscule size and interesting texture make them the perfect specimen to enliven any arrangement.

What makes these plants so special? The Tillandsia species is able to survive without soil, absorbing moisture and nutrients through its leaves. Just give them a good soaking every week and they’re good to go. Rootless wonders indeed.

We’ve had a quite a few requests for terrariums lately, and we really do like designing these miniature ecosystems. They are a fantastic and long-lasting way to say ‘thank you’, ‘happy birthday’ or simply, ‘thinking of you.’  We hope you like them too.

Vintage Wedding Inspiration

I love when the past can inspire the present, and show itself in a new and interesting way. I have a real love for all things vintage, and I do not just buy old things to look at them, I try to use them in my everyday life. When I got married last year, I found myself a dress from the 1940s or 50s that fit me perfectly. It was unique and inexpensive. Here at the shop we did a little photo shoot with flowers to match my vintage dress. I gathered up my best string of pearls and some bright red lipstick in order to capture the spirit of a bygone era. Oh ya, and my favorite old glasses that I wear everyday!

Orange, cream, peach and white come together to make a fresh bridal bouquet that matches my vintage floral dress.

Included in this bouquet are orange dahlias, white ranunculus, white and peach roses and creamy lisianthus.

A vintage wedding can be really fun. Using the past as inspiration can be really interesting, and finding all of your vintage pieces is like a treasure hunt. You just never know what you will find! Vintage items are also usually one of a kind, so you will have the most unique wedding around!

Long live the vintage-loving bride!