Style & Decor Blog

Forsythia, tulips and pussy willows… It must be spring!

I’ll be turning these simple stems into stunning “Instant Arrangements” on the next Style at Home Day on Citytv’s Cityline. Tune in at 9AM EST on Tuesday, March 9!!!

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Spring is in full bloom at the flower shops at Avenue Rd. and Davenport…

I bought these tulips this afternoon, re-cut the stems and am now actually watching them unfurl before my eyes as they soak… Magical.

Catch the clip of my latest CityLine gig here!

I always feel bad for the carnation… It’s easily the most detested cut flower on the market, and it’s such a shame seeing as how they’re so inexpensive and so hardy. This particular arrangement can last about two weeks with proper care.

I was seriously impressed with Tracy’s floral arranging skills… I think she has a secret calling in the floral design field!

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I was at a press launch yesterday at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Toronto, and had my buddy Corinna vanGerwen take a shot of this floral arrangement in one of the hotel’s penthouse suites. (One camera + my arsenal of manpurses = one frequently misplaced camera)

Now, nobody doesn’t love peonies, and these super-soft pink varieties are especially pretty. But I’m not sure how I feel about the juxtaposition of the understated elegance of the pink peonies with the harsh, angular greenery that cuts jagged slashes through the arrangement. It’s certainly eye-catching, and adds an edge to an otherwise soft and subdued flower… 

What do you think? Pretty pairing, or mismatched?

A huuuuuuge thank-you to everyone who came out to the Norwich Library on Saturday for my flower arranging class! We had a great turnout, and I think everyone stopped by at their local nursery on the way home to pick up some fresh greens for the garden!

Here I am with the showstopper arrangement that I created during the seminar –

an easy, breezy arrangement of simple daisies and pink carnations in a rather unusual vessel… Yes, that’s a watermelon!

I simply shaved about an inch from the bottom of the melon so that it would sit stable, and then carved off the top third. Using a melon baller, I emptied most of the fruit (about two-thirds deep), and dried out the remaining interior with paper towels. After lining the interior with floral cellophane (clear cling-wrap would work wonderfully as well), I inserted pre-soaked floral foam, secured in place inside the melon with floral tape. Pop in a few of your favourite summer flowers, elevate on a cake stand, and you’ve got a quick and easy centerpiece that will have your guests talking at your next al fresco soiree!

Photos courtesy Rose-Le Studio.

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