Over The Top Flowers - Azuma Makoto

Azuma Makoto, is an amazing floral artist.  He has done major art installations in Paris, New York, Milan, Tokyo.  Recently he did a special exhibit for a new Isetan Department store in Japan.   Titled "Art of Plants", the work includes intricate foliage on entire walls, freestanding sculptures and suspended shapes.   Simply stunning!

Thanksgiving Table Ideas

Poor Thanksgiving, it gets pushed aside for the ever earlier need to decorate for Christmas. This year I saw   Christmas decorations up before Halloween!  Will it never end?!  Our local Nordstrom store waits to put up their Christmas decorations until the day after Thanksgiving.  I love shopping there in early November knowing I'm not going to hear Christmas songs or see decorated trees.

So let's decorate for Thanksgiving!  Hosting the big eating fest can be a lot of work, whether it is for a small gathering or a large group.  To help you set a festive table, I've searched for photos showcasing easy ways to decorate for your Thanksgivings dinner. 

 Pick a Pumpkin - 

Or a gourd!  Pumpkins and gourds are easy to incorporate into your table setting.  Try painting them gold, bronze or silver; hallow them out and fill with flowers or candles; or use them as stands for platters on a buffet table. 

I love this idea.  You could also do it on a much smaller scale with miniature pumpkins. 

The dark russet table cloths make the white pumpkins pop.

I wish I could give credit to whoever came up with this fantastic idea!

Let There Be Light - 

Candles add so much to a table and are simple to decorate.   

Double stick tape is the trick to decorating the outside of a glass vase with fall leaves.

Grouping similar candles of various sizes always makes an interesting centerpiece.  

 Wrap a candle with decorative paper or ribbon to match your table cloth or place settings.  

 Fill 'er Up -

If you have an assortment of class vases, consider filling them up with fruits or nuts for a creative do-ahead arrangement. 

Idea from designer Julie Mulligan

Decorate with Place Cards -

There are unlimited ideas for cute, simple Thanksgiving place cards.  This is a great way to add a personal touch to your table but still have room for all the food!

Above ideas from Martha Stewart - who else! 

Line Them Up - 

  Since most Thanksgiving tables need to accommodate a crowd, your decorations should not take up too much space.  By using multiples of one item in a line down the length of the table, you create a simple yet interesting centerpiece.  This idea is repeated throughout the photos above.  Here are a few more examples:

Simple vases filled with leaves make for a very modern Thanksgiving

A cute, family-friendly idea from funfamilycrafts.com 

 Small flower arrangements in a retro food can.

  (Idea by Courtney Russell)                                                                        This is over decorated--it would be best with just the apples.

Flower Truck

I'm sure you have seen or visited a food truck--they have been all the rage for sometime now.  Recently I came across an article about a flower truck.  Yes, a mobile flower shop.  What a fantastic idea--so simple and so fun!  The Flower Truck is the brainstorm of Jennifer Kaplan.  Check out her website at www.flowertruck.com 

Lauren Lachance

Lauren Lachance is both a botanist and artist who uses pressed flowers in a very big, bold, and modern way.  I love her work and hope to one day own one of her beautiful pressings. 

Here's more information from her website:

"The Lauren Lachance Collection brings you the world’s most extraordinary botanical art. It’s the largest known collection of its kind. Our rare and beautiful specimens were collected over 20 years of expeditions to the far reaches of the globe. Each piece is a true reflection of natural beauty." 

 

 www.laurenlachance.com

Spring Floral Arrangement

I had a wonderful group of women attend a floral workshop last weekend and we made lovely spring- time bouquets. They went home with gorgeous arrangements filled with tulips, scabiosa, veronica, roses, sweet peas and dogwood branches.   As always, I had extra flowers (I find it very difficult to not over buy when I'm at the SF Flower Mart--like a kid in a candy shop!) so here's my spring, dutch inspired arrangement. 

Started with coated chicken wire inside a sage green urn.

Added the dogwood branches first which provides an "outline" for the arrangement

Next came camellia leaf--so pretty with buds!

...then dusty miller and ceanothus...

and finally tulips, scabiosa, roses and purple sweet peas.

Bouquets To Arts

Every year the San Francisco Auxiliary of Fine Arts Museums hosts a floral exhibit and fundraiser.  This year's event, held at the de Young Museum, featured arrangements from 150 floral designers who created displays that pay tribute to or were inspired by the de Young's permanent art collection. 

It was pouring down rain on the day I attended the event (much needed rain for our area!) so a good day to be inside and enjoying amazing works of art by our local floral designers.  I tried to take a few pictures to share but it was very crowded at the event so not the best photos.  Maybe a better camera would help!  Hmmmm...I think my business should consider investing in some new equipment. 

 I wish I could give credit where credit is due but I wasn't able to keep track of all the designers and their work.  Enjoy!