I'm So Thankful

 Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. The food, family and a chance to reflect on the past year and give thanks for all of my blessings.  This year has been especially sweet and so good to my family.

We moved into a beautiful new home in February.  We sold our home without listing it, and bought our real estate agents home, that was not listed.  Such a blessing for us!

My twins started preschool this year two days a week.  They are learning and growing so much.  They are healthy and thriving and making me laugh so much these days.  My heart just about bursts when I think about the past 3 years. I cannot believe they will be 3 in just a few short weeks!

My husband got a promotion at work.  I am so proud of him, how hard he works and how well he provides for our family. He loves us and takes such good care of us.  He is such an amazing husband and father.

The biggest blessing this year was the birth of our third child.  He is such a sweet baby and so full of love.  He always has a smile waiting for anyone he sees.  Having 3 under 3 has been challenging, but also rewarding and fun.  Don't get me wrong, we have had a few rough days here and there, but overall, these 3 little people are the biggest blessings in my life. (Well, 4 people counting my hubby!)

So, as you gather around your tables this week with family and friends, take a moment to really think about all the things you are blessed with.  And of course, be sure to include some flowers on your table!!!  Here are a few pretty pictures I am loving right now!  From simple and elegant to floral and fun, these inspiration pictures are sure to give you a few ideas this Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Indiana University Distinguished Alumni Banquet

Recently I was asked to create arrangements for an awards banquet.  The request was for an elegant arrangement in white flowers that was not too large.  I decided to use a glass cube vase with hydrangeas, stock, roses and spray roses and a variety of greenery.  I really like the way white flowers pop on the deep wine colored table linens.  I kept things pretty simple as the table tends to get pretty crowded with plates, glasses and various other dinner items.

I also created an arrangement for the podium using the same flowers along with larkspur, snap dragons and stattice.  The hydrangeas were really full and lush and the roses opened just as I delivered them!  Perfect timing!!

  Podium

 Centerpiece

Pumpkin Party!

  I was recently asked by the Jacobs School of Music and the Indiana University Foundation to prepare centerpieces featuring pumpkins.  The event took place on Halloween, so it was the perfect opportunity to do something fun and out of the box with white faux pumpkins. 

The original plan was to glue real bittersweet to the pumpkins.  This was a harder task than I thought it would be as bittersweet is pretty hard to come by these days.  So, I made the suggestion to put flowers on top instead.  I LOVE the way they turned out!  The bright fall shades of the flowers really pop on the muted white pumpkins.  The bittersweet would have been really pretty, but I was sort of hoping that we could do the flowers on top instead!

Luncheon at the Foundation

 Here are a few pictures of my recent corporate work.  Centerpieces for a luncheon held at the Indiana University Foundation and a large arrangement that was placed in front of the podium.  I love the vases wrapped in rope!! 

The linens for the event were a dark chocolate brown and a rich avocado green.  Perfect for a crisp fall day! 

Enjoy!!

Fall Textures and Colors

 

I have been really lucky to work with some great ladies on my corporate work.  They give me linen colors and let me have a chance to use basically whatever I want to.  It allows me to experiment with flowers I don't use very often.  It also allows me to use my interior design experience exploring textures and colors.  

Last week was busy in the design studio making fall creations for 2 events at Indiana University.  I used some traditional fall flowers and added in a few unusual pops of texture for fun.  I used trachilieum for the first time.  (Its the purple puff-ball looking flower below.) It is rough and a little prickly to the touch.  It was the perfect pop of eggplant color that the client requested.  I also used lavender mum, green button mum, alstromeria, green hypericum berries and seeded eucalyptus.  

I was so pleased with how the centerpieces turned out, and more importantly, the client loved them!

Fall LOVE!!!!

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE FALL!!!!I love every little thing about it.  Cool temps, falling leaves, boots, sweaters and pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING!  (I may or may not have at least 5 pumpkin flavored food/drink items in my house right now.  And maybe a candle or 2!)  I just love how warm and cozy this time of year is.  I love it SO much, that my hubby and I picked the month of October to get married, 9 years ago!!  WOW!

Fall is such a romantic time of year to get married.  While I LOVE love my spring and summer weddings, I have a special place in my heart for fall weddings. 

I have been working on a few quotes this week that will take place on Halloween, so the colors are rich and deep and the textures just jump out at you.  The best part is, the arrangements involve pumpkins!  I can't wait to show you the final products next week!

Until then, here are a few pictures to drool over that I found on Pinterest.  (Duh, where else would I be spending my free time!!??)

Enjoy!!

A Little Pinterest Love

  Anyone else feel a slight obsession with Pinterest??  I almost feel a little guilty for the amount of time I spend searching bouquet and centerpiece ideas!  (And, I'll admit it, I am usually looking at the food section as well!!  But that is a story for another time!) 

Pinterest has become a brides best friend!  When I got married, (back in the old days) we had nothing in the way of social media, let alone a place on the Internet to find inspiration and ideas.  I mean, there was no Facebook!  I'm not really sure what I did with all that free time:)  Maybe I read a book or 2, talked to someone on the phone or even face to face!!  My how things have changed!

I typically use Pinterest to find inspiration photos that I can use to illustrate ideas to brides. (Although,  I am so school, I still really like to show brides pictures from books and magazine!) I typically ask brides to send me the link to their Pinterest page so I can see all of the ideas they are cooking up!  I also share mine page because I am pinning like crazy these days!! 

For most of my brides, I will offer to create a board just for them.  That way we can share ideas anytime, anywhere!  This is great for my out of town brides! 

With a 5 month old, sometimes I am up in the middle of the night.  Usually I am  pinning while I feed the baby!  The worst part about my late night pinning is my mind starts to race and even after he is back to sleep, I am wide awake!!  Oh my mind!

 Feel free to stop by and check out my boards.  I am all over the place with what I pin!  http://www.pinterest.com/meechols/boards/  Food, home design, ideas for the kiddos!!  But my flower boards, those are my favorites!!! 

What are you pinning these days??

Happy Pinning!!!

Finding Inspiration

 

As with any design profession, it is important to study and stay current with trends and techniques.  I love to see what florists in other parts of the country are doing and what flowers they are using.  It helps   me to stay fresh and hopefully helps me to grow as a floral designer.  I study blogs and websites and always feel super inspired by the amazing work being done by florists all over the country. 

One florist that is not only super talented, but a really sweet person is Kelly Mendenhall of Three Leaf Floral.  Located in Grand Junction Colorado, Kelly is a stay at home mom like myself and is producing beautiful florals for weddings.  I love to glance through her portfolio for inspiration. She creates beautiful bouquets and boutonnieres, each one being so unique.  Kelly has been so gracious to me and offered me a lot of wonderful advice on the business side of things! Thanks Kelly!!  Please take a look at her website; you will be so glad you did!

 

Another website that I stalk is a little shop in Minneapolis MN called Spruce.  I had the chance to visit their store while on vacation in the Twin Cities last summer.  Their approach to design is “simple and organic” and it is so true.  They have a unique style that looks effortless, but takes such talent to construct.  They do weddings, events, classes, you name it, they do it.  As a former interior designer, I have to say I love the look and feel of their shop as well!  Light and airy, just like their floral designs!

 

 

The last florist that I really love to keep up with is Cori Cook floral design.  Cori and her staff are located in Denver Colorado and they are mega talented!  I can’t find one thing about their aesthetic that I don’t love.  From large and lavish to vintage and rustic, they pretty much can do it all and it looks fantastic! 

 

 

 

I am feeling totally inspired today!  What talented and amazing florists these ladies are!  

 

Event at Henke Hall of Champions

Henke Hall of Champions at Indiana University is a beautiful backdrop for a formal event.  The windows provide a ton of wonderful natural light and the high ceilings make the room feel large and grand.  It was truly a pleasure to provide florals for a recent luncheon. 

The table linens for the large round tables were champagne tablecloths and burgundy napkins which were really a pretty pairing.  The cocktail tables were dressed with a burgundy tablecloth and a champagne sash tied around it.  The hydrangeas were a really nice accent for the rich colored linens.

For more information about Henke Hall, you can visit http://www.iuhoosiers.com/facilities/ind-facilities-memorial.html.  And for more information on the linen company you can visit http://www.connieduglinlinen.com/.

 

Hydrangeas Everywhere!!

Last week we did 47 centerpieces for a luncheon.  What a treat it was to have a whole studio full of hydrangeas!!   Definitely one of my favorite flowers.  Traditionally a wedding flower, hydrangeas are becoming more popular for other events as they are available year round in most areas of the country. 

They LOVE cold water, so that is key in keeping the flowers fresh and alive!  I submerged these beauties in FREEZING cold water after cutting the stems at a slight angle.  They will drink water really fast, so it is crucial that they stay well hydrated!

Look for pics of the event later this week!

Before I go, HAPPY FALL!!!  My favorite season is finally here!  Celebrating with pumpkin spice coffee and a pumpkin bagel today!!  How are you celebrating fall this week??!!

IU Scholarship Event

 This was such a fun job for me.  I love IU and I love when I have the chance to provide florals for one of their events.  This was a scholarship banquet with 26 round table for 8 and 12 high cocktail tables.  A lot of flowers and a lot of arrangements, which made for a wild few days in the design studio!  I am currently getting ready to do another event this week which includes 216 stems of hydrangeas!!!  I cannot wait!!!

(This event took place at the Indiana Memorial Union.  You can visit their webpage at http://imu.indiana.edu/)

 

 

 

Busy days in the Studio

  This is what the start of 46 centerpieces looks like in the studio.  Creating red and white lovelies for good ole IU!!!  I love my corporate work! 

I spent one day prepping the vases, scoring them with tape.  The next day was spent "greening" the vases.  Lastly, and most importantly, the flowers were cut and put into the vases. 

I'll be doing another post with pictures of the final products soon!

Seeing Red (and white)!





Seeing all this red and white kind of makes me excited for Christmas!  Well, I'm always excited about Christmas to be honest! 

 

Mums, carnations, alstroemaria, stattice, hypericum berries, gerbera daisies!!  Wow, this looks so fluffy and rich!  Perfect for centerpieces, don't you think?

 

These flowers are so hearty and lush looking.  My wholesaler really came through for me on this!!