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