Chelsea Flower Show; fit for a Queen

May 28, 2015 admin Leave a comment

b6c81e95-504e-43e3-b06b-f08a360acc89-1020x719 — The Queen opening the The Royal Horticulture Society’s Chelsea Flowers Show 2015 Photograph: Stuart C Wilson/AFP/Getty Images

This week, in south-west London the The Royal Horticultural Society’s annual flower show (one of the most famous shows in the world) opened and was expected to see 157,000 visitors throughout the shows five day schedule. It was held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where it has been since 1912.

Prior to being known as The Chelsea Flower show, it was originally known as the Royal Horticultural Society Great Spring Show, and first took place in 1862 at the RHS garden in Kensington. Even before then, the RHS held flower shows in their garden in Chiswick from as early as 1833. Sir Henry Veitch, a great nurseryman, secured the grounds of the Royal Hospital for the first show in the grounds in 1912, which was intended to have been a one-off event. But having proved such a suitable site for the show, it continued to take place on the premises almost every year til today.

Highlights of the Chelsea Flower Show include the avant-garde show gardens designed by leading names with the Floral Marquee at the centrepiece. The Show also features smaller gardens such as the Artisan and Urban Gardens.

Awards include:

Flora Gardens and floral exhibits
Hogg Exhibits of trees
Knightian Exhibits of vegetables, including herbs
Lindley Exhibits of special educational or scientific interest
Grenfell Exhibits of pictures, photographs, floral arrangements.

Florist with Flowers unfortunately could not make the trip this year but an old flower friend has recently moved back home to the UK and was kind enough to supply us with some pictures to drool over. Gotta love a bit of inspiration, and we can certainly find that in abundance here.

There was clearly a Topsy Turvy Alice in Wonderland theme this year, so in the 19 days to prepare designers conceptualised and installed their stand with fun and flair. The Queen of hearts was seen there, the rabbit, the tea party and more….have a squizz!

11354935_10153375508508824_2014846368_n — I am LOVING this floral ceiling. Such inspiration here

11281786_10153375508353824_2103395789_n — Another view of the amazing floral ceiling display

11329691_10153372662658824_961837330_n — Amazing hyacinth bulbs

f0025e2a-0032-444a-b4f9-9aa57102c6fb-1020x676 — A Chelsea Pensioner before a display of lupins Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

11356344_10153372666463824_1924288578_n — Imagine being a judge on the Peony pane;. Drool

If you have ever been to the Royal Easter Show here in Sydney, I am sure that at some time of another you have peered into the Floristry exhibitions for a bit of a gander.

Like here, the Chelsea Flower Show also has a floristry element, evident in the Alice in Wonderland theme pictures above, but also where entrants create one off smaller pieces as seen below. I have included a couple of my favourites:

A big thank you to Caroline (our foreign correspondant!) for all the pictures she has allowed us to use here. I had better start saving my pennies if I want to get there myself next year- its definitely on my bucket list!

Til next time

Fwf x

Colourful Call- Names with Origins from the Colour Palette

May 21, 2015 admin Leave a comment

Have you seen that colourbond advertisement, where the hubby is literally obsessed with creating everything from the colourbond panels? Remember how his two children ‘Deep Ocean’ and ‘Jasper’ are named from their range? Well, like them, many people favour names with their roots derived from the colour palette. And why not? Colours have sentimental meaning for us, take us to a special place, sum up a emotion or can hold a dream or hope….

If I were to sum up a colour with one word, it may not be the same word you would use, and neither is wrong or right. Our perceptions of colours and the meanings/feelings that they hold is extremely personal, and like any title we use to name our child, deep thought and consideration goes into it.

So this week we have put together an interesting list arranged by colour tone. There are certainly a few within our collection that have gained popularity over the years, but like any trend, they do change and if in doubt, perhaps choose a more classic moniker.

Image: Emroy

“Blue is the colour of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolises trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body.”

Sky(e)
Celeste (spanish- blue)
Bluebell
Nila / Nilah (Indian – Blue)
Bleu (also spelt Blu/Blue)
Iris (purple blue flower)
Indigo
Livia (Latin “lividus” meaning “blue”)

Image; Emroy

“Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense colour. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure.”

Crimson
Clancy (red warrior)
Flann (red) or variations Flannigan or Flannery
Flynn
Ormond
Scarlett / Scarlet
Robin (red breasted bird)
Russell (little red one)
Red
Rowan (or Rowanne)
Sienna (orange red)
Phoenix (dark red)
Radcliff (red cliff)
Reed
Cherry
Sherry
Ruby
Poppy (red flower)
Rose
Coral
Auburn (reddish brown)
Cerise (cherry)
Ginger

Sunny/Sonny
Amber
Blaine (yellow)
Boyd (yellow)
Bowie (yellow)
Xanthe (yellow or fair hair)
Amber (yellowish orange)
Saffron (Orangish yellow)
Goldie

Image: Emroy

“Green, the colour of life, renewal, nature, and energy, is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment. Green is also traditionally associated with money, finances, banking, ambition, greed, jealousy, and wall street.”

Olive
Ivy
Jade
Fern
Forrest
Verne
Emerald
Apple
Hunter
Sage
Willow

Image: Emroy

“Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. The colour purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic.”

Lavender
Violet (Violetta/Violette)
Heather
Iris

“Grey is a cool, neutral, and balanced colour. The colour grey is an emotionless, moody color that is typically associated with meanings of dull, dirty, and dingy, as well as formal, conservative, and sophisticated. The colour grey is a timeless and practical color that is often associated with loss or depression.”

Dove
Steel
Sterling (silver)

“White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the colour of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning.”

Bianca
Candice (white fire)
Ivory
Crystal
Vienna
Pearl

“Solid, reliable brown is the colour of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colours.”

Bruno (brown)
Hazel (brown)
Coco
Fawn
Ginger

Image: Emroy

“Pink, a delicate colour that means sweet, nice, playful, cute, romantic, charming, feminine, and tenderness, is associated with bubble gum, flowers, babies, little girls, cotton candy, and sweetness. The colour pink is the colour of universal love of oneself and of others.”

Coral (pinkish)
Rose
Pinky

Image: Emroy

“Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious colour associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, ‘black death’)”

Ebony (black)
Ash
Raven
Jet

Well there you have it, an extensive but by no means exhaustive list of names derived from colours.

Whether she is your little ray of sunshine, or he has eyes as deep blue as the ocean, if a colour name fits the bill, why not?

Til next time,

Fwf x

Colour definitions sourced from Color Wheel Pro.

11218534_10153473546887018_636258351261272685_n

Wiggly Wedding Inspiration

May 14, 2015 admin Leave a comment

Like any mother of young children, I know most of the Wiggles repetoire off by heart. They certainly know how to write a catchy tune that plays over and over in your head, and the kids just can’t get enough.

As far as what they do behind closed doors, I really don’t care. Private life is private life as far as I am concerned, but still, I’ll admit I was pretty happy to hear that Lachy and Emma (Purple Wiggle and Yellow Wiggle for those of you who don’t know) had announced their engagement On Tuesday 5th May. It is a like we are somehow a part of a special love story.

Having only gone ‘public’ with their relationship mere months ago, this courtship seems to have progressed extraordinarily fast, but in reality these two lovebirds have been singing sweet love songs to each other for a couple of years.

When planning a wedding theme, colour is essential. We always recommend starting with the gowns and tying things together with the accessories and flowers. We fancy the idea of Lachy playing homage to Emma by wearing a yellow BOWtie, and similarly, how beautiful would it be to theme the bridesmaids and flowers around the colour purple to pay respect to Lachy’s purple wiggle character. And let’s not forget the Big Red Car!

ww12 — Wouldn’t a yellow Bow tie be just perfect like this one we found on Style Me Pretty

ww10 — Check out these great purple toned dresses- an extract from Broke-Ass Bride

Images found (L-R) Natalie Bradley, Ruffled, Alisa Burke

82ffb8823ecdf5bf685129a37fa7a253 — Their very own BIG RED car. Image from Remarkably Retro

So just for a bit of fun, we are giving you a glimpse into a Wiggly themed wedding!

I have scoured the web for special pictures and concepts that work within this specific theme. With Yellow and Purple as the feature colours, both mauve and lemon elements would work well to provide colour repetition as well as harmony. Why not consider a neutral grey to tie things together too? It is a great alternative to boring old black tuxes PLUS Grey, yellow and purple has been a trending colour scheme.

Image references: Word Board, Converse Shoes, Yellow ties, Bridesmaids holding flowers, Ombre cake, Invitation, Ties

Image references: Posy Vase, Bridal bouquet, Table setting

Image references: Ombre Cake, Invitation, Petal Cones, Ties

Image References: Colour board and Chrysanthemum, Bridal bouquet and Bridal party, Decorations, Converse Shoes, Bridal Shoes, Bridal Party.

Have another colour scheme you would like to see mood boards for, or need inspiration? This is what we LOVE to do, let us help!

Til, next time….

Fwf x

The Motherload- Gift Ideas for EveryMUM

May 4, 2015 admin Leave a comment

You know that Valentines Day is a crazy day for florists right? Of course.

But did you know that Mother’s Day is actually busier????

Firstly this is because not everyone has a lover, but everyone does have a mother or mother in law, grandmother or mother figure in their lives. On top of that, because Mother’s day falls on the second Sunday of May, families tend to go out for celebrations as most people have weekends free. This often impacts whether they decide to have their fresh flowers delivered, or whether they order flowers online and collect them in-store. It also impacts whether they order flowers Mothers Day itself, on the Sunday,or whether Saturday or even Friday is more appropriate. So the reality is, that unlike the craziness of one busy day like Valentines Day which is like a sprint, Mother’s Day actually takes place over three days, so can feel more like a marathon!

Florist with flowers is delivering throughout Sydney Friday 8th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May. We also have trusted affiliates throughout the country (and the world) that we can use to get a special delivery to the lovely lady/ies in your life.

We’ve literally got something for everymum.

But if that is all a bit vast for you, lets break it down….

Delicate Delights for Mum:

Does mum tend to like softer colours, muted palettes, and things that are more feminine and delicate? Using a blend of soft pastel tones, these items are perfect for mums who prefer softer hues.

With colours like lavender, pistachio, lemon, marshmallow and strawberry…..Gosh, it feels like i’m in a gelato store and don’t know which flavour to choose!

Here’s our top picks:

The Gorgeous Pink Bunch “Honouring Mum” includes a soft blend of lisianthus, disbuds, gerberas and roses.

If you are looking at something self contained so mum doesn’t have to worry about finding an appropriate vase, “Mother’s Garden Delight” has you covered with a soft pistachio ceramic pot filled with a garden blend including chrysanthemums and roses.

Mum’s Midas Touch:

Some people are born with the god given gift of keeping things alive, and saving plants from the brink of death! My mum is one of those people….you know the ones….you have cared for your plant and done everything right but for whatever reason, it just isn’t happy. Enter mum. Plant makes complete turn around within days or weeks and flourishes under her loving touch. The Midas Touch.

We have a selection of plants as always, but these are a couple of our favourites:

Every knows a cyclamen plant is always a winner. These brightly coloured flowering plants are easy to look after and have a beautiful flower and foliage display.

My latest love is this oh-so-gorgeous white ceramic jug with your very own long lasting succulent plant inside. These heavy earthware jugs have been glazed in a glossy off white and will match any decor. They are an eye catching display which will give mum years of enjoyment.

Bright and Bold Mumma:

Does mum like stronger colours and bold statement pieces throughout her home, wardrobe or accessories? Maybe the usual fluffball bouquet isn’t her style, or cup of tea….

Try a grouped arrangement, or strong bright colour tones to gift mum something more in line with her aesthetics.

Our bright and vivacious bouquet is a uber cheery mix of sunny sunflowers, lisianthus, gerberas and roses. The bright and clashy colours will add that ‘pop’ and pizzazz that the dark corner is crying out for!

Our gorgeous grouped vase is filled with feminine mix of pink disbuds, roses and stunningly scented oriental lilies with lush foliages. It differs from the usual, in that the flowers are strongly clustered in a modern style.

We have so much more on offer, so you can check out our whole range and see if something else takes your fancy. Or why not call our friendly staff and talk about something special?

Whatever you decide on, I know mum will just love that you have chosen something for especially for her.

I’ll just leave you with this thought

–

They say the first 40 years of parenthood are the hardest….sheesh! I’ve still got 38 years to go!

Fwf x

Month: May 2015

Chelsea Flower Show; fit for a Queen

Colourful Call- Names with Origins from the Colour Palette

Wiggly Wedding Inspiration

The Motherload- Gift Ideas for EveryMUM

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