The Language of Flowers
Anyone who knows about flowers has an inkling that they have meanings behind the colors. Red means love, yellow means friendship, etc. That is true, but did you know this dates all the way back to Victorian era? Pretty cool right!
Floriography, or the Language of Flowers was used as a means of communication through coded messages, speaking through the meaning of flowers silently because they couldn’t express it out loud…Ok, Call me a sap, but that’s pretty romantic!
These were typically sent through Tussie-Mussies, which is a floral term for small bouquet. Frankly, I try to use that word as much as I can, because A.) I’m a dork and B.) I like the use of dated words, and C.) It’s just fun to say.
This obviously isn’t in practice today to that extreme, but I get asked the meanings at least once a week by someone. So, for your floral pleasure, here is a list of a few I have found in the cyber garden. { Dorky, I know, just blow past it}
Roses- The flower of love, and the colors also have meanings as well. There are to many to list, so take a gander here.
Sunflowers-Loyalty and Longevity
Anemone-Anticipation
Carnation-love, pride and beauty. This is also what I think of as a generational flower.
Chrysanthemum- joy, fidelity, long life
…and these are just a few of many. It’s worth the Google, so go check it out!
Grocery Store Chic
I know what your thinking. Grocery store flowers = lame. I get it, I felt the same way. However, stumbling across this tutorial by one of my favorite blogs, Design*Sponge, they make a great argument for a little deconstruction, some imagination, and some great vessels and you have got your self a fresh and chic arrangement,…and on a budget!
See the tutorial here.
{photos via design*sponge}
Let me know how this went if you take the challenge,… and send pictures to askraddishandrose@gmail.com!
Have a fabulous rest of your weekend!
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Tis the Season
Happy Holidays !
This year has come and gone. I am happily welcoming the new year. I have never been much for new years resolutions, but this year I plan on setting some goals for myself. One, of which is to update this more :)
There is quit a few to name, however, one of my biggest goals is attending the Flower School New York. It’s a bit pricey and there are so many different classes to take it’s overwhelming. I have always been hesitant in going to a “design school” but this school is very different, this is the one I have been waiting for.
Their master designers are impressive and one of my absolute favorites is Frenchman Christian Tortu. I have his books and one of his AMAZING candles. He really re-invented the floral game and I am chomping at the bit to be able too take a class by him.
So, that’s my biggest goal for 2013. Or, maybe it’s more appropriate to say my dream for 2013. How about fantasy? I guess I should stick to being optimistic, although optimism has never really been a friend of mine.
…that said, here are some of my favorite holiday arrangements by some creative little flower ninjas from all over the globe. Enjoy!
Wreath making with Amy Merrick of Brooklyn
Succulent Trees by JL Designs of Orange County/Los Angeles
Dandelion Ranch of Los Angeles
Domonique Houle of Montreal
Lisa Holmgren of Sweden
Taro Kuniyasu of Japan
A stunning garland by Phillo Flowers of London.
(Source: etsy.com)
CSU Flower Trail
This dahlia is gorgeous! My boyfriend and I drove up to Ft. Collins last week to get away from the chaos of the presidential debates, and to my delight, we ended up stumbling on the Colorado State Universities Flower Trail! To say the least, I was happy as a clam. Enjoy the pictures!
Another place we visited was City Park, and fall was definitely in full effect!
Have a stellar weekend!!
Fall Fleur
Hey, remember me?! Deeply sorry. Life tends to just get in the way sometimes and I have a tendency to get a bit lazy on this sort of thing. For anyone that truly missed me, my apologies and I am really going to try and update as much as I can. Be careful what you wish for :)
In one of my last blogs, I mentioned I wanted to jump back into the world of flowers. After dropping off many { and I mean many } resumes’ to every florist and designer in town, I finally landed a job back in May. I am the floral specialist at Whole Foods Market in Golden CO! Specialist, is a fancy little word for buyer, and I love it! We work with local vendors as much as we can, and bonus, I get to go and check out the facilities whenever I want!
Since fall is moving into Denver pretty quick {we saw a little winter last week when we woke up with a couple inches of snow on the ground!}, the growing season is coming to an end. I will definitely have pictures when I head out to visit the operations in the spring.
For now, I have had a lot of fun gutting out our organic heirloom pumpkins and chocking them full of fleur!
Cheers!
