In bloom

Flowers are popping up everywhere, especially after this amazingly early Spring we are getting in Boston this year! I'll take it! Have a great weekend!

Elva Fields

monogram ring?, yes please.

Olivia is just the cutest. Leopard + Floral = adorable.

Trend Spotting - Succulents

I started noticing these here and there at the end of the summer.  Then at Christmas, I started seeing them incorporated into traditional greenery for a more updated look.  I think the trend is going to continue and you will be seeing lots more of these very versatile plants.

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They are very much on the scene already for modern weddings.  . . 

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Look to see them in outdoor spaces when the weather begins to turn warm.

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Not only are they drought tolerant but they give you so many color variations without any faded blooms to remove.

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They also look amazing when coupled with flowering plants of all colors.

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This one is especially drought tolerant, it's a graphic photograph! 

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They can be used in a fresh and very modern way . . .

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 Or worked into a more traditional setting.  I also love that a single succulent has the ability to stand on it's own like with this place card.  Hard to get that effect with a single bloom.

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They will last longer than cut flowers and it only takes a few to get some great impact.

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Have a marvelous day! M.

Christmas Fluff

The last couple of weeks I've been spending a lot of my time focusing on Christmas decorations for clients.  I know there are lots of interior designers who "don't do Christmas decorations" which is totally fine.  But I adore it!  I think it is such a fun creative way to style a home, and it only happens this time of year.  

I've done some bigger jobs (still have one to go) with the whole shebang from the outside garland with lights to all the mantels and entryways.  I love being able to create a feel for the entire home.  But, I've also been doing a few in the "Christmas Fluff"(totally made this term up) category.  It's sort of like going to have your hair blown out and styled (rather than a full on cut/color/highlight/straightner - and NO I don't do all those things to my hair!)  

For a Christmas fluff, the client will put up their decorations, and I will come in and zhush it up a bit with fresh greenery, ribbon, etc.  I will also put together arrangements and centerpieces for areas where they just want something new and different.

Here are a few pictures I took of a fluff I did for this super great family who were having a dinner party this past week.    For starters, they have an amazing home.  It's simply beautiful.  

We started by meeting last week and brainstorming on what she might like for her table.  She pulled out these crowns and the deal was sealed.

I thought they were the perfect solution for a low centerpiece that allows your guests to see each other while giving you some major impact.

Two of the crowns are different while the third type is a set of three in decreasing size.

I used my tried and true trick of three different types of greenery and she happened to have these dried white berries from another project, so I incorporated them to give the arrangements some contrast. 

I think they are simple yet still very elegant in keeping with her gorgeous dining room.

As for other rooms, I added some greenery to this bowl of Christmas ornaments in her family room - just a little zhush.

I thought the table needed something fresh to finish it off. 

Then in her breakfast room, we did some fun things with more color.  Sorry the picture has such a glare.  It was a very sunny, and the light was not cooperating with me!  

This sitting area is to the left of the breakfast room table.  So we put together this little container.  I think she picked up the cup on a trip to Scott's in Atlanta.  It's so simple to put an arrangement like this together if you are clever with the container you use. 

In this container we started with some floral foam covered with moss (this is a trick to help you use less greenery and flowers).  Then we added gerber daisies cut at three different heights along with some rosemary and holly from the yard.  super simple.

Have any of you finished your Christmas shopping yet?  If so, please don't say as I am far far from finished!  I only want to hear from those of you who have been procrastinating or have been too busy to pull it all together - I need to feel better about my delay! M.

Entryway Arrangement Tutorial

As many of you know, I grew up in Mississippi on a large piece of property outside the city of Laurel. Every Christmas (even before Martha Stewart made it cool), my family would go out on our property and cut fresh greenery to decorate with during the holidays -  wild magnolia and bay leaf, holly, cedar and other evergreens, wild pyracantha and even chestnuts.  I grew up watching my mother create some of the most stunning arrangements you can imagine.  We used all different kinds of containers from large french baskets to galvanized oval shaped tubs.  So, decorating for Christmas brings back lots of wonderful memories for me, and I just love the process. 

I mentioned last week I would show you how to put together a large arrangement for your home like the one I did for Christmas Count Down.  Here's the final arrangement I made for the night.

And, here it is on my buffet in my dining room.  I changed out the branches for sandblasted manzanita branches to give me the look I wanted for my dining room, but it's the same arrangement.

Large arrangements are much easier to make than you think.
In general, remember "the rule of 3's."  There are three types of greenery, three types of ribbon,  three types of ornaments and the entire arrangement is laid out in a triangle.


Create a base layer by bunching up some burlap.  I bought mine on a random trip to Hobby Lobby.  It's just cut yardage, so I folded the cut edges under.

Select a container with some height.  I've had this container for years, and I use it for lots of different occasions.  It was an investment at the time, but I'm so glad I have it.

For a wire container, line it with moss and then place a water tight container in the center filled with floral foam that's been soaked in water.  As an aside, when soaking your floral foam, fill up a basin with fresh clean water and drop the foam in - that's it - do NOT push it down to submerge in the water, let gravity fill the foam properly)

Use floral stick tape to secure the foam to the bowl.

Every well designed arrangement includes something tall, fullness in the middle and something draping.  (another rule of three).  I like to start with the tall, I placed three large branches in the center making sure they're angled out a bit to provide space for the ornaments.

I added the draping element - these branches were from a very sun deprived scotch pine in my mother-in-laws yard!  It's a little difficult to see (b/c I'm not a great photographer), but I have grouped these draping branches to form a triangle.

Then I filled in around the base of the branches with large magnolias to cover the bowl, foam etc.  The shiny leaves are a nice contrast.   Again, I grouped them in three clusters to form another triangle.

Then, I filled in with some cedar just to draw your eye up to the the ornaments on the branches

Almost finished!  I added some ribbon to create a contrast in color with the greenery.  I used three different ribbons with three different textures.  I think when you cut all the greenery out of your yard (or a friend's yard!) you can splurge a bit on the ribbon.

Final step, I placed ornaments on the branches in a sparse way - three different kinds.  Don't over do it or it begins to looks like a hot mess!

Lastly, I added something special to the table - packages of Christmas cards from years past.  I've been collecting Christmas cards from each year since I got married.

During the season, John and I will pick a night to sit down with a glass of wine and go through some of the bundles.  It's always fun to see how people change and families grow.

I hope this encourages you to try an arrangement of your own! Have a great week.  M.