Monthly Bouquet - January

I am fortunate to be able to obtain flowers from some really affordable grocery stores in the area.  Trader Joe's and Whole Foods rarely disappoint.  I obtained the white anemones from Whole Foods, and the stock and eucalyptus came from Trader Joe's (as did some really delicious chocolate croissants!).  There happens to be a farmer's market in Ardmore's Suburban Square where Argyle Bouquet is conveniently located.  They had many beautiful blooms, including some whimsical protea and orchids.  Argyle Bouquet is where I purchased the green dianthus, hypericum berries, and thistles.

Since winter is still raging outdoors and I'm not here to bore you, I was thinking that a bookstore would be an interesting location to take the bouquet on an adventure.  I'd love to style a wedding around a bookstore/library theme - I'm already imagining the check-out card place cards and the book centerpieces with some whimsical florals sprinkled throughout.  However, the cold weather outside has really deterred me from leaving my apartment, so the lobby will have to do.  It's not too shabby though!  Glad there's lots of natural light somewhere at my little home base.

The lace and leather cord wrap was a new idea for me to try, and I really like how it turned out.  The light colors in this bouquet are calm and ladylike, and the eucalyptus adds an unexpected texture, along with the thistle.  Love.

I also made a little boutonniere from some of the greens and an anemone.  Would it be too odd to wear a bout each day at work, just to have a little garden on my blouse?  I think not.

And there you have it.  January's bouquet.  I'm basically in love with it.  I wish I knew a bride that needed it today so I could see just how lovely it would look being held by someone in a wedding gown.

Love and light,

Alyssa

Goal Setting - January/February

January has been an extremely cold month for us residents of the Greater Philadelphia region!  I realize that it is, in fact, still winter, but I think the record-breaking 13.5 inches of snow that we've already received is enough for the season.  I do feel pretty lucky that I have access to some beautiful flowers, despite the snowy weather!

As the first monthly goals post, I've come to the decision that I'd also like to share how I've done on my goals of the month, and update you sweet readers on my goals for next month.  I've been doing Lara Casey's Powersheets goal setting since December, getting geared up to make 2014 an eventful and successful year of growth.  What better way to be accountable for my goals than to share them publicly?  I'm hoping the my monthly bouquet and goal setting is done at the end of each month, so that I can maintain some consistency in the manner in which I share my progress.  Here it is for January, and looking forward to February!

January Goals:

• Begin a monthly bouquet series on my blog (Here it is!)
• Post at least twice on the blog each week (I did posts on 1/1, 1/12, 1/14, 1/18, 1/20, 1/22, so I ALMOST achieved this goal.  Pretty dang close!)
• Post twice to Instagram each week (Check out my Instagram feed to see some pretties.)
• Drink a healthy smoothie each morning before work (Spinach, pineapple, and flax seed are pretty popular here.  This will continue every single day!)
• Compile addresses and send save-the-dates (They're all mailed as of Friday!)
• Purchase wedding shoes (They've arrived and are gorgeous.)
• Find a wedding suit for Chris (This can happen in February, as long as it happens soon.  Not too time sensitive.)

All in all, not a bad month!

February Goals:

• Find a wedding suit for Chris!
• Enjoy a weekend jaunt to Pittsburgh to get more wedding plans taken care of.
• Research business plans for advertising, branding, and licensing.
• Maintain a twice per week blogging presence.
• Comment on at least one photo per day on Instagram.
• Ask a dear friend to officiate our wedding.
• Nail down a rehearsal dinner venue.

I'm trying to build a presence on social media in an attempt to network and show future clients that I'm here and seriously ready for their beautiful event.  I have some exciting things in the works for my personal and professional life, and thankful for some big changes along the way.  

Do you have any big goals for the month?  For the YEAR?  I'd love to hear more.

Love and light,

Alyssa

Southern Blooms Feature from Southern Weddings Magazine

Bouquets and blooms are my love language.  Sometimes I just can't help but want to squeeze a flower arrangement in a big hug because I just love flowers that much.  Imagine my delight when Southern Weddings magazine showcased a feature from their Volume 6 issue as digital content on their website.  The feature, titled "Southern Blooms" showcases bouquets that are floral representations of several southern states.  For example, the bouquet that represents Alabama holds pink peonies, azaleas, and sweet pea.  They are each unique and gorgeous in their own way.  I'll bet that residents of the states represented felt appreciated and excited about their state's bouquet!  This makes me think about Pennsylvania, and what I would put in its' bouquet.

My favorite from the feature is definitely Tennessee, followed closely by West Virginia.




I already have ideas for a Pennsylvania bouquet. Keep your eyes peeled for that one, folks!

Love and light,
Alyssa

Workshops and Classes - Love'n Fresh Flowers

Having the day off from work today was a welcome treat.  Granted, I still made lots of things disappear from my to-do list, but I didn't have to drive anywhere at 6am.  That was a plus!

I wanted to write a quick post to share my excitement about a series of floral design classes that I learned about this morning.

If you have not yet heard of Love'n Fresh Flowers, click quickly to the website!  Run by the fantastically talented Jennie Love, flowers are farmed in the urban setting of Philadelphia, not even 15 minutes from my apartment!  All locally, organically grown, Love'n Fresh Flowers does a wonderful amount of weddings and events each year, with stunning floral creations.

I learned today via Instagram that a workshop and class schedule has been posted on the Love'n Fresh Flowers website.  The image below is a screenshot of the Bigcartel page upon which you can enroll.

I am hoping to attend at least the Floral Fundamentals Workshop called Flower Child.  The class description makes me feel so eager to attend.  Words such as "flower crown" and "wildflower comb" queue up some gorgeous and lush images in my head.  It's sure to be a treat of a class!

Love and light,

Alyssa

Flower Leftovers

 Happy Sunday, readers!

The flowers above are leftovers from my New Year's bouquet adventure.  This image was taken after Philadelphia received a great deal of snow, and we were plunged into extreme low temperatures.  These beauties only endured the polar votes for about 10 minutes.  Boots from LL Bean are always a good idea in extreme weather.

The white roses, winter greenery, and limonium misty blue were wrapped with a vintage handkerchief that I found at a cute antique store in Wayne, PA.  It adds a practical and homey touch to a simple and elegant bouquet.

Love and light,

Alyssa

LoveSick Expo 2014 - Philadelphia

Learning from others is invaluable to anyone.  Personally, I am learning from observing and speaking with other professionals in the wedding industry, hoping to hear any words of wisdom, advice tidbits, and otherwise pertinent info to helping me shape Demure Birch Design into a successful venture.

Sunday was a day of intense learning from observing.  Chris and I attended the LoveSick Expo at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, and were greeted immediately with a bustling crowd, edging around to see some of the most unique vendors in the Philadelphia area.  The LoveSick Expo is partnered with Offbeat Bride, which is an extremely valuable wealth of resources for folks who are planning weddings that have any aspect of non-traditionality within the event.  I would say that anyone, even those planning the most traditional wedding possible, could use the information on Offbeat Bride, especially when it comes to non-sappy father/daughter dance song recommendations, first dance songs, real talk surrounding the marital aspect of commitment, and some pretty great rainbow elements in real weddings.

LoveSick Philadelphia had an impressive showcase of vendors, ranging from planners to makeup artists.  There were many photographers present who had beautiful prints and books of their shots.  The only vendor type that outnumbered photographers had to be food vendors, ice cream, cakes, fun cocktails, and full service caterers brought tasty samples of their food.

Excuse the mediocre quality of photo...my iPhone was my only means of capturing the event,

 as my camera never made it into my tote.  

Something I learned while observing at LoveSick was that the level of preparation required for vendors is huge.  Having the appropriate structures and tables, maybe even chairs is not to be overlooked when planning ahead to be a vendor anywhere.  

It is also integral to have a pretty arrangement of your wares!  This includes your newsletter sign-up book or clipboard, any paper products you are distributing, and samples of your work, whatever that might be.  Hospitality is huge.

A goal of mine is to become a vendor for LoveSick Expo in 2015.  Lofty?  Yup.  And I'm totally fine with that.  I'm ready to go big.

Love and light,

Alyssa

Monthly Bouquet Project

Happy Sunday to all of you sweet readers out there!

I wanted to give a little bit of information about an upcoming project that I had mentioned a while ago.  The idea comes from my desire to continually create better and more unique floral arrangements, as I grow in skill and technique in the art of floral design.  I want to improve constantly as I work, and part of that comes from having fun and playing, and trying new things.

Each month this year, I will be setting aside time on a weekend (or day off of work!) and creating a bouquet.  The idea is that each month, I have new flowers to work with.  I need to try working with flowers that I haven't yet used.  I need to set aside productive, purposeful time to try my hand at something not yet attempted.  I'll be buying local at times, but at other times, I'll be ordering from wholesalers to get a feel for blooms that cannot be found locally.

January is still open, and I have a few ideas already.  I'm also open to challenges in the comments of this post.  Is there a flower you think I should work with, during a certain month?  Tell me.

Perhaps at some point, I'll be donating or gifting the flowers to local businesses to display in their store.  This would be an awesome opportunity for me, and I'd love to brighten someone's day at the same time.  Shops or people that are interested in a free bouquet and some business cards?  Contact me!

I'm ready to learn and create.  I hope that you'll enjoy what I make.

Love and light,

Alyssa

New Year's Bouquet

I want to wish you all a very happy new year!  Last night, Chris and I rang in the new year by having a pajama party for two, with nature documentaries and homemade pizza.  I'm a huge homebody, so it was just perfect for the two of us.  Today, we are relaxing around the apartment together, him playing guitar and researching computer circuitry, and me working through Lara Casey's Powersheets.  I want to be ready to make changes in my life, but I do enjoy having a plan.

Yesterday, I went out and purchased some beautiful blooms to continue practicing my bouquet making skills.  I bought white roses, baby's breath, hydrangeas, limonium misty blue, and some greens, and I started bunching things together this morning.  Chris and I went to a nearby park to stroll in the cold air and to take some photos.

I love the different textures that were pushed together in this bouquet.  Texture is a major aspect of any arrangement or bouquet that I make, and I want to play more with texture in this new year.

Sometimes bouquets like to just sit and relax on rock walls.

  

I am learning while constructing bouquets, but I am learning from the photographs of my creations as well.  Sometimes a photograph will show us something that we did not even consider when simply looking at something.  Perspective is everything, and I can clearly see some good things along with areas to improve on when I look through the many photos we took of the bouquet.

Stay tuned for some exciting news about a monthly project that I will be starting!  I am ready for 2014 to teach me in so many ways.

Love and Light,

Alyssa