Mistletoe Madness At Downtown Home and Garden Ann Arbor

Here is a link www.blooomfloristcollective.blogspot.com
And follow our little flower school on facebook here https://www.facebook.com/BloomFloristCollective

Did you know about our Etsy Shop?

This may be news because I rarely post about my Etsy site on this blog.  Maybe its the English in me keeping my meat and potatoes separate on my plate but it high time we made some stew.

The below items made by yours truly are available now at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFlowerSoapCo  Hope you will click over and read more about my natural body care line.  My talented assistant Sarah and I have been hard at work stocking up for the holiday rush.

We welcome any feedback or new product ideas!! ~Holly & Sarah

Kristen and Jeff at UMMA (the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor)

Above beautiful photography by Nicole Haley Photography more here: http://www.nicolehaley.com/

CAUTION: below not as good photos by yours truly :)

I love when clients rent colorful linens in general but this is so important at UMMA since as you can see almost everything in there is white including the floor so with white linens the whole blurs together.

Anyway awesome wedding of Kristen and Jeff above featured bridesmaids bouquets composed exclusively of white freesia (they smelled amazing!!)

Kristen's bouquet was a super textured mounded ivory number including garden roses, stock flower, freesia, and ranunculus accented with bright green bupleurum, seeded ecalyptus and scabiosa pods.

3 types of centerpieces including lanterns, wood boxes, and tall curly willow designs included blue delphinium and accented with everyones favorite succulent roses.  Below is a guide to the many varieties of succulents (or echeveria) offered by Mayesh my wholesaler click  to visit the Mayesh flower library a very fun way to see whats available for your wedding!!

Ann Arbor Fall Wedding: Kirsten and Dan at Ann Arbor City Club!

Gem tone corasages and boutonnieres featuring tons of texture including viburnum berries, seeded eucalyptus and home grown citronella geranium leaf (so lacey!!) Ranunculus always look their best in spring and fall when the weather is colder and these red and orange beauties are no exception, almost an ombre effect happening in the orange ranunculus YAY!  the corsages also feature orchids and double faced satin ribbon  I bet you can guess where this wedding was :) Ann Arbor City Club!!

Love love loved these deep dramatic fall corsages and centerpieces choc full of rust cymbidium orchids, burgundy dahlia, red and orange dahlia with ranunculus seeded eucalyptus and viburnum berries.  Fall makes me so nostalgic and so MANY couples choose to get married in Ann Arbor in the fall.... perhaps they are nostalgic too?  or maybe its just so darn beautiful to resist either way great choice !!

Kirsten's bouquet was a classic elegant all white and ivory bouquet composed of ranunculus hydrangea david austin patience garden roses and stock flowers... so timeless elegant and smelled amazing too!

Preview if Amanda and Mike's Millcreek Barn Michigan Wedding

Loving this preview photo of Amanda and Mike's Mill Creek Barn wedding on the West side of Michigan this past weekend.  Amanda is one of my husbands dearest cousins and has the GREATEST taste.  Her whole wedding day was completely epic with no detail left un perfected :)  It was such an honor to design the flowers for a family member and I can't wait to see the rest of the photos from the talented ladies at 430 Studios.

Amanda's bouquet above was composed of silver succulents, yellow craspedia (billy balls) lacy leaf citronella geranium, David Austin Juliet garden roses in peach, cafe au'lait dahlia in blush, black and white anemone and dusty miller.  Stems were neatly wrapped in custom printed linen ribbon from The Lonely Heart on Etsy

The Art of the Compote Design Class at BLOOM Flower School of Ann Arbor

Sweet Pea (Holly) will be instructing the above floral design class YAY FUN EXCITEMENT!! So please click the above photo or here to go to the Bloom website and register for class..See you there.

Floral Hairpieces a Chapel Designers Progressive post

Nothing makes me feel more like a fairy princes then a flower behind my ear or even better an entire crown of flowers as a halo.  There are some pretty avante gard versions out there now but above are my more conservative versions (HEY they're still darn pretty right?!) I do wish for the day that Frida Calho darkens my door requesting a heap of hair blooms for a swanky art party but until *sigh* 

If you like these wait until you see the amazing renditions by each of the talented chapel designers here are links to their floral crown blog posts:

True Florette  http://trueflorette.com/weddings/flowers-for-her-hair-2

Alluring Blooms http://alluringblooms.com/something-special-hair/.html

Celebration Florals  http://blog.celebrationflorals.com/2012/09/another-chapel-designers-progressive.html

Posh Floral Designs http://poshfloral.com/floral-halos-with-the-chapel-designers

Loda Floral Design http://lodadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/09/floral-hair-pieces.html

Earhart Manor Wedding Flowers for Emily and Jon

Unexpectedly this wedding turned out to be one of my all time favorites...unexpectedly because anyone who knows me knows I'm not a huge pink fan.  But sometimes I'm suprised once everything is assembled how much I love it pink as it may be :)

The bride Emily carried a large mounded bouquet composed of tons of pink garden roses, peach juliet David Austin variety garden roses were included to break up the color just a little bit.  The centerpieces were all designed in birch bark vases half were bright green with pink accents and half blush pink with green accents all included maidenhair fern for a nod to woodsy whimsical.

The flower girl wore a crown made from myrtle and pink spray roses which was simple but elegant.  Beautiful photography above by Chelsea Brown Photography  The event took place at the Historic Earhart Manor on campus at Concordia University.   Planning was perfectly exicuted by the talented Kaeli of Luna Soiree Events

Shaina and Danny's Michigan League/Mendelssohn Theatre wedding

Shaina and Danny were married on a sunny day in May (the 19th be be exact) at the beautiful Mendelssohn Theatre and Michigan League Ballroom in Ann Arbor.  The day was expertly photographed by Nicole Ladonne Photography

Shaina's bouquet featured blue hydrangea, blue anemone, David Austin Patience garden roses, bright green viburnum, white ranunculus, and purple sweet peas.  Danny's boutonniere featured white ranunculus, green hellebore and white freesia

Centerpieces were designed in clear glass compotes and included delphinium, hydrangea, lisianthus, ranunculus, anemone, and nerine lilies in an abundant mound of blue, green purple and white.

After the wedding Shaina's mom told us " I do not think I have ever seen such extraordinary beautiful arrangements."  :) Thanks!! we love to hear that ~Pea

Andrea and Sean at the Baronette Renaissance Hotel of Novi, MI

Muted Tones? I think not :) how about super juicy corals and tangerines with pops of peach instead.

 Had a fabulous time designing for this Summery Wedding at the Baronette Renaissance Hotel in Novi.  The Andrea's bouquet featured 

• coral peony (Coral Charm from Holland)
• peach garden roses (David Austin Juliet), 
• tangerine orange ranunculus (from California)
• peach sweet peas from Holland
• apricot parrot tulips 
• yellow craspedia (a.k.a. billy balls)
• dark pink cymbidium orchids
• fuchsia phaleonopsis orchids
• umbrella fern

The Andrea had an orchid for her hair and the boutonnieres were of coral spray roses, coral sweet peas, and craspedia wrapped with black grosgrain ribbon

 All of the centerpieces were designed in vintage milk glass compotes and featured garden roses, stock, sea star fern, anemone, parrot tulips, craspedia, ranunculus, and dusty miller foliage

Look how well those coral charm peony opened for the arbor decor! This was such a favorite of mine so far this year.  I really love the juicy over dyed color pallet which reminds me of the cover of Martha Stewart Weddings from this spring.

Well I better stop messing about on the blog and get down to business it is tax time, my least favorite part of business ownership.   I'd rather eat fried worms than enter all my transactions into quickbooks. oh well I guess its that or get arrested and thrown in jail for evasion.  I should call Martha and see what it was like, maybe its not so bad. ~Sweet Pea

THE AMAZING COMPOTE: Gandy Dancer Rehearsal Dinner

This March I had the privilege of joining 30 of the most talented florists in on God's green earth for the annual Chapel Designers conference in New York!!  It was the greatest to meet and make instant friends with so many kindred spirits from around the country.   It has been such a boost to my sanity knowing that if I encounter a floral challenge, one of these amazing designers will be there for me with advice and encouragement.

This week the brilliant Isha Foss of Isha Foss Events proposed the idea that each of the Chapel Designers create a compote style floral design and share with the group.  A compote is defined as "A long stemmed dish for holding fruit"  But recently we changed that to "a long stemmed dish for holding piles and piles of beautiful flowers!!"

The compote is completely in style even Martha Stewart is on board (thanks Martha) she describes them as a footed bowl,that lift flowers up to the perfect height and creates a lush shape that fills out the table.  


The above gold (brass) compote is from Jamali Garden This design including the napkin fold was created for a rehearsal dinner at the Gandy Dancer in Ann Arbor.  It was the first time Sweet Pea has offered napkins folded around the menu with Midori Ribbon and an orchid bloom at each place-setting.


If you love great design you must check out all of the compote arrangements created this week by my Chapel Designer friends.  Here are links to each of their blog posts:  

IIsha Foss Events http://www.ishafoss.com/2012/05/floral-compotes.html

Alluring Blooms http://alluringblooms.com/ode-compote/.html

Floral Verde LLC http://floralverde.com/blog/?p=800

Flirty Fleurs http://www.flirtyfleurs.com/?p=9609

Celebration Florals  http://bit.ly/K4Dkcz

Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD http://thefullbouquetblog.com/?p=20905

Fleur:ology http://fleurologydesign.com/?p=397

Exquisite Designs http://www.exqdesigns.com/blog/?p=1900

Petals & Hedges http://petalsandhedges.com/blog/?p=868

Bare Root Flora http://barerootflora.com/index.php/blog/45-the-art-of-the-compote-denver-wedding-flowers

Loda Floral Design http://lodadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/floral-compote-design.html

True Florette Floral Design   http://trueflorette.com/succulents/the-compote

Courtenay Lambert Florals http://courtenaylambert.blogspot.com/2012/05/art-of-compote-goes-national.html

Grapevine Floral Company http://grapevineinbloom.com/?p=228

Modern Day Floral http://moderndayfloral.com/blog/?p=4036

Sebesta Design http://sebestadesign.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/the-classic-compote-arrangement/

Petals and Promises, llc http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petals-and-Promises-llc/108746239185151 

Martha Stewart Post - http://thebridesguide.marthastewartweddings.com/2012/05/crazy-for-compotes.html

Coral and Peach Peonies for Ann Arbor City Club Wedding

A Huge Thank you to Kelly of Mayesh in LA for combing the flower market until she found us just the right coral and peach peony, ranunculus, and astilbe!! The peach peony on the cake and the design top right left me breathless when I opened that box.  It was nice to dust of the teal mason jars for their first appearance of many this year.  How simple and beautiful is that ruffle cake? Does anyone know who the baker is, I would love to share a link here.

So the recipe for anyone intrested: Maidenhair fern, sweet pea, anemone (white with black center) ranunculus, scabiosa flower, scabiosa pods, astilbe and ..............PEONIES!!

Congratulations Keri it was an honor to design for your big day ~Pea

P.S. the bright naturally lit venue is the Ann Arbor City Club

Bright Spring Wedding Flowers

These bright pinks and greens make me think of Ms. Piggy and Kermit :) For Tamara and Jacques wedding last weekend.  I was especially proud to use some lacy scented geranium leaf that I have been nurturing as a plant since last October.

Designs also include garden roses, jade dendrobium orchids, spray roses, green trick dianthus, green hydrangea parrot tulips umbrella fern, sweet peas, and ranunculus.

Photographed on my pallet coffee table (thanks dad) love the reclaimed wood look that heirloom adds to my photo shoots :)

I am going to be so sad in a few weeks with parrot tulip season is over our love affair has been so sweet.  I live for spring and fall the availability mid summer is surprisingly dull and since everything bolted this year the time table is way off.  For example Sorry mid May Brides lilacs will be ancient history.

Now Seating Table Number 5

Put together a new tablescape with the ladies of Suite 110 yesterday.  Composed of my grandmothers fine china (Thanks Grandma Jean!) some amazing napkins I sourced from Treasuremart   Gold rimmed juice glasses found at an estate sale in Grosse Pointe (my new stomping grounds).  We tucked sprigs of dried lavender into the napkin with the silverware (goldware in this case)

My favorite part of the whole design is the hardest to photograph.  Hanging above are branches and from the branches drum roll...............7 of the prettiest little air plants that I picked up at English Gardens.  The succulents are from Lowes garden center sorry floral wholesalers but Lowes has them for half the price.

Full confession, after a long winter without much designing I was afraid I wouldn't remember how.  Irrational fears sometimes get the best of me.  The cool part was that it created this nervous excitement like the day before your first high school dance, i couldn't sleep that well and I was waiting by the door for my floral delivery all day like a puppy dog.  Of course my hands remembered how it went thank God!

These two designs were a demo for a May wedding that will be at the Michigan League in Ann Arbor.  The charming bride to be Carmen has such perfect taste! Milk glass compotes filled with viburnum, mini green hydrangea, white anemone, ranunculus, jade dendrobium orchids, hybrid delphinium accented with maidenhair fern and jasmine vine.   The distressed white wood pillar holders are from Pier One .

Don't give in to irrational fears that you can't do something.  I forget this more often than I remember.   Every time I go salsa dancing I think that I will be so out of practice no one will want to dance but as soon as the music starts I prove myself wrong. Speaking of which if you care to dance you should try Sangria Sky Club on a Wednesday night.

Handmade Soap Wedding Favors in fuchsia and tangerine

Just wrapping up some custom soap favors for Karina and Joe's wedding.  At first when Karina sent me her wedding color inspiration I was nervous that the bold pinks and tangerines from the Martha Stewart Weddings Winter 2012 cover would not be a great fit with the natural neutrals of the soaps.

But I set off for Hollanders  looked at drooled on and fondled every paper in the store almost left when I spied this beautiful "Velvet floral" paper near the register.

Because it is textured I learned the hard way that the label wont hold it in place it must be hot glued around the soap (Imagine working for hours wrapping 100 bars of soap then waking up to find they have unwrapped themselves overnight) Oh well :) alls well that ends well. xo ~holly

P.S. you can purchase my completely custom soap favors in my Etsy Shop HERE

Happy 1st Birthday to the Gown Shop

Last night was the fancy first birthday party for The Gown Shop Bridal Boutique of Ann Arbor.  Sweet Pea was thrilled and delighted to design the below pink arrangements in mercury glass vases to add a special touch to the always beautiful Main Street loft that is The Gown Shop

Love those parrot tulips eek!

Succulents and anemone with cymbidium orchids and umbrella ferns

Check out the awesome loft windows that look out over Main Street 

This is my office below in the same building with The Gown Shop (yay!) Thanks to my dear Dad for the new window signage designating our space.  I am office mates with Calynn Berry Photography,  Petals Planning Co. and Custom Paper Works who are all responsible for the lovely table design.

You should smell these garden roses they are amazing!