'Flowers are love's truest language' . . . Park Benjamin

I began this Blog to share beautiful photos, inspirational thoughts and maybe a tidbit or two that you will want to pass onto to someone else. No one does 'pretty' better than Mother Nature .... Welcome and I hope you stop in often!


A Day in the Life of A Dreamer

My photo
PA, United States
I have always been a 'dreamer' and I think that is the most important quality a person can have in order to be creative. It allows me to view things from all sorts of angles. Whenever I would design for a wedding/special event I made myself 'think like a photographer' and in my mind's eye I wanted to be able to showcase various colors, elements & textures. At the end of 2012 I closed the doors to my Floral Studio and began pursuing new horizons. Flowers and plants have been a part of my life since I was a child and helped my Dad in the garden. Seeds have always fascinated me and one day I will share my 'Lesson Of the Bean' story with you! My other passion is creating beautiful food to share with family and friends -- I have always said that food and flowers go together. For now, I would like this Blog to be a collection of Pretty things that this Dreamer would like to share with all of you!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Wild Flower Kingdom!!!


Some call them weeds . . I call them beautiful!!! Found this beautiful Oyster Plant Flowering in my garden . . . a flower today & a puff ball tomorrow -- amazing!

Friday, June 24, 2011

He Loves Me . . . He Loves Me Not!!!


Our signature Grass Mats look fantastic 'planted' with daisies and place cards ready to welcome your guests --- Even the simplest design is fit for this Country Club venue!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Dining Al Fresco


A Gorgeous Evening, some fresh flowers and a great bottle of wine -- turn dinner tonight into a Special Event just by adding yourself into this scene!!!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Bridal Bouquet Styles - Which One is Right For YOU???
















I love doing Bridal Consultations!!! First of all it gives me the opportunity to meet with people in love who are ready to embark on one of the most amazing journeys that life has to offer -- they have decided . . . this is it . . YOU are the one & we are going to do this together!!! Planning a Wedding should be fun and I always tell my clients . . . make lots of great memories!

I cannot begin to tell you how often I hear over and over again how confused they are about flowers, they 'just don't know what is right for them'!!! Well it's my job to help them find the right fit.

So how do you do it??? Well first of all I like to find out about them. I listen to their 'love' stories -- some of them very funny, some romantic but all of them interesting. It's their story and I learn alot about them just in those first few moments of meeting them for the first time.

Then I ask about the attire . . . the venue . . . their dreams . . . their budget because all of this factors into what will work and what will spell disaster.

We share pictures and I get a feel for what they have been looking at.

Then I share my 'flower philosophy' -- I tell them that I believe each component of their wedding/event should compliment each other . . . not overpower. Your Wedding attire has been designed to showcase the designer's masterpiece in fabric and my floral designs should not overpower it but rather add that little 'pop' to make the picture complete. I always tell them that I think like a 'picture' when I am creating flowers -- how does the camera see them and their flowers.

So what style is the right one and how can we make it 'yours'!!!

Most of you are familiar with the Simple yet beautiful Hand-Tied Bouquet -- Flowers designed and finished with a ribbon tie or clutch. Does it need to be just a 'round' mound of flowers compacted together where your flowers lose their identity . . I say absolutely NOT!!! Each flower should have it's own space, identity & texture they deserve to be noticed!!!! Hand-tied bouquets can be used for simple Garden Weddings or they can be 'jazzed' up with gems, bling, bullion wire, etc. to hold their head up high in the most elegant of surroundings!

Along the lines of the hand-tied would be your Nosegay style -- just a smaller hand-tied.

Then there are the bouquets that are designed in Bouquet Holders -- my personal favorite holder is the Crystal Gala Bouquet Holder that was created by J Schwanke of JTV and founder of uBloom. It is very elegant and comes in two sizes -- a large and small -- these bouqet holders are great for flowers that need lots of water and hydration to keep them looking fresh -- Hydrangeas, Gerbera Daisies, etc. One word of caution . . the large bouquet holder can become a little heavy and will give your upper arms a good work out especially if you are the type that 'wants it all' in your bouquet!!!

I also use these the Gala Bouquet holders to create 'Waterfall/Cascade' style bouquets. These are not your mother's cascade bouquet . . but rather gorgeous designs that give the illusion of your flowers gently 'spilling' from their 'holder'
It's a bouquet in motion and I love to introduce flowers like orchids or grasses that will provide movement for my clients as they walk down the aisle. One of my favorite tricks is to 'slide' the orchids over the grass tendrils. . . oh yes . . now that is poetry in motion!!!

Presentation style bouquets are just that -- a collection of flowers that you cradle in your arm -- Calla Lilies make up well for this style and I even did a rendition of my Mother's presentation bouquet with roses, lace and ribbon tendrils that had her signature 'Love Knots' tied throughout them.

Tussy Mussy bouquets -- these are Nosegay style bouquets designed in metal holders . . . they became popular in France way back in the Eighteenth Century -- a staple for the ladies of that time period.

There are many other unique and different styles -- The Crescent -- that is exactly what it looks like, The Biedermeier - a European influenced style that features blooms that are very tightly structured and arranged in a circular pattern, The Pomander - 'Kissing Ball style a round ball of flowers suspended from a loop of ribbon, wire, etc., The Scepter style -- very dramatic and recently I designed one using StarFighter Lilies . . gorgeous!!!

So how do you chose? Each of the above styles are beautiful in their own way and allowing your floral designer the opportunity to guide you to select the right one is the way to go. Trust me . . . I would never put Best Buds' name on a design I would not be proud of to carry myself or have one of my family or friend's carry. Best Buds does not sell flowers . . . Flowers are used to create bouquets and designs that will turn heads and bring smiles to all those around you!