My Valentine, 2014

After 6.5 years and a story long enough to fill a heavy, leather bound book, I still know that this guy is the one for me.  We'll be married in just under 6 months.  Lots to do before then, but for now, we'll eat some pizza and have a relaxing night in.

(The future) Mr. and Mrs. Rainville

Love and light,

Alyssa

Roses are Sometimes Pink Ladies

The snow outside from the monster storm can't put a damper on these beauties.  They smell as amazing as they look.  

Pink isn't my favorite color, but a client asked for a white and pink bouquet for his girlfriend for Valentine's Day.  I feel really glad that this client trusted me enough to know that he would get something amazing, without micromanaging each detail.  

Personally, I think that the surprise is part of the beauty.  

I love how the rosemary looks next to the traditional shape of the roses.

Love and light,

Alyssa

Engagement Arrangement

The wintery weather in the Philadelphia area had prevented me from going to work for another few days this week, but I hardly mind.  Playing with flowers is giving me more joy than driving in the gross icy rain.  But that's a given.

The bouquet below is a gift to a work friend of mine who was proposed to over the weekend.  She was given a beautiful ring from her man, and I know that they will have not only a beautiful wedding, but a beautiful marriage.  She is just the sweetest person and I can't wait to see her as a bride!

We have roses, silver brunia (one of my favorite winter greens), ranculus white wax flower, and a red filler flower whose name I cannot recall at the moment.

Love and light,

Alyssa

What Fires Me Up

Image credits can be found here.

What fires me up?

Love in all forms, quality time, coffee, violin music, garden roses, my cat, road trips, warm summer nights, camping, fireplaces, the smell of snowfall, cooking, dinner parties, candles, reading, perfume, Smith's Rosebud Salve, cozy houses, strawberry licorice, spearmint, hardwood floors, weddings, milk glass, floristry, handwritten notes, stationary, Sharpie pens, vacations, cabins, swimming, biking, vanilla lattes, scarves, linen, constellations, potlucks, handmade gifts, mathematics, children, strawberries, bagels, warm blankets, snuggling.

Love and light,

Alyssa

Ordering For Valentine's Day

If you are interested in placing an order for any floral necessities for Valentine's Day and the weekend of the holiday, orders must be received by Sunday, February 9th.  I would love to work with you in creating a special gift for someone dear to you.  Please contact me for rates and arrangement possibilities.  They might just be endless, who knows?

Love and light,

Alyssa

Valentine's Day Arrangement

Making an arrangement for Valentine's day was a fun activity that I did this past weekend.  Luckily, the lobby of my apartment building has neutral decor, and photographing it was a snap.  Showing off all of those pretty blooms is no small task!

The white ranculus are from Trader Joe's in Ardmore, and the rest of the flowers and foliage came from The Argyle Bouquet at the Ardmore Farmer's Market.  Flowers involved in this arrangement are garden roses, bells of Ireland, thistle, white wax flower, and silver brunia.  

Those garden roses smell as beautiful and lush as they look.  Wish I could make myself a pillow and blanket of them!  The ranculus are still opening, and I love how their petal pattern looks next to the distinct difference in the garden roses.

I was playing with the leftover scraps and made a cute little boutonniere from a fallen thistle and discarded wax flowers and silver brunia clippings.  

If you need an arrangement or bouquet for the upcoming holiday, I must know by Sunday, February 9.  I would love to help you surprise someone dear to you with pretty florals.  

Love and light,

Alyssa

Flower Potluck: Amy Merrick and Kinfolk Magazine

Happy Sunday, sweethearts!

In lieu of posting a current project, I'll be keeping you in a bit of suspense.  A friend of mine just got engaged, and I have something special made for her, involving some garden roses, ranculus, silver brunia, and much more.  Stay tuned this week for some photos. 

In the mean time, I want to take you back to last year.  I was flipping through old issues of Kinfolk magazine that I have in the big stack of reading material near by bed, and I happened upon an article about hosting a flower potluck.  What is a flower potluck?  Look no farther than the photo below.

There is another article on Kinfolk's website, detailing the process of hosting a flower potluck.  You can find it here.  Amy Merrick is a huge inspiration to me in the floral design arena.  She is incredibly talented and her Instagram feed is a constant source of enchantment.  Check her out for some floral goodness.

I think I will be hosting a flower potluck in the near future.  It would do my heart well to share my love of beautiful blooms with curious friends.

Love and light,

Alyssa