Gumnut Rose Wedding Bouquet

I am an unapologetic hoarder of Martha Stewart Wedding magazines.  I pull them out of the bookcase again and again - they are so beautifully crafted and have wonderful ideas in them time and time again.  I got the urge to make a hand-tied wedding bouquet, which I haven't done for a while.  Hand-tied bouquets have been the most popular style of floral arrangement for brides for a while now and they look just as at home in a vase as they do accompanying a bride down the aisle (minus the ribbon of course).

Summer's End Tea Party: floral table centrepiece

I walked out the back door yesterday morning with our dogs and pussy cats in tow.  As we wandered around the backyard, looking for some flowers for my next project, I realised that summer is coming to an end.  Not a flower was in sight except for some ground cover primulas so I went out to the front of the house where the roses reside - not a single bud.

Well, there was one more little garden that I hadn't checked - the vegetable garden.  Admittedly it has been a little neglected, but the sturdy little herbs and leafy greens have soldiered on despite the lack of water.  So I trotted back around to the back of the house and found miracle of miracles: the only flowers with stems in the whole garden. 

Be My Valentine OR ELSE: double decker heart bouquet

Valentine's Day is on the 14th and this year I've decided to love me.  My husband brought me home a lovely box of chocolate truffles yesterday (he figures better too early than too late).  I excitedly helped myself to pink champagne, leatherwood honey, tia maria... only to wake up the next morning with a headache to rival any cocktail-induced hangover.  Poor hubby.

Sunshiny Sunflowers: a floral bouquet

I was in the fruit and veg shop yesterday and I saw these looovely sunflowers - they really are a ''happy'' flower.  Another happy and really long lasting flower is the chrysanthemum... I sound like I have a speech impediment when I say that word, so just as well I'm typing it!

Chinese New Year: a floral centrepiece

As Chinese New Year is upon us and Bonsai originated in China, this little Chinese farmer and his cattle seem very appropriate for the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit.

Peacock Courtship: wedding bouquet on a budget

I thought it would be fun to show how cheaply I could make an extravagant wedding bouquet with just a  few unusual elements to give it a wow factor.   The total estimate for this bouquet is AUD$35/ USD$35/ GBP£21.

I found these lovely peacock feathers the other day and they really are magical.  I love their 'eyes', made up of azure blue, island sea turquoise and regal purple.  Male peacocks use these feathers to court female peacocks, so I think they are a perfect inclusion in a wedding procession.

Bento Box Blooms: a floral centrepiece

This is a variation on the Jane Packer Bento Box (Japanese lunch box) design I learnt at her flower school in London, using plants from the garden and the New Covent Garden Market.  It is such a cute idea - very visually appealing and sure to illicet "oohs" and "ahhs" from its recipients. 

Branching Out! floral vase arrangement

I thought the easiest and most effective project to start with would be a vase arrangement with lots of help from branches I picked up from around our back yard - after a really windy weekend!

Small branches and twigs help space out and hold the flower design.  You can fiddle and tweak as much as you like and they will stay in place without having to start over again if you're not quite satisfied with the look.

One way ticket to London

Bond Street, London: Frankelin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill discuss war, peace and wedding anniversaries (Winston seems to approve of my first bouquet from floristry school). 

My darling husband came home from work one evening just over a year ago to find me fussing over my flowers yet again.  I hadn't done any housework, the floor was littered with leaves and I had that manic look in my eyes... even the flowers looked traumatised.  

"You're just a frustrated florist."

Little did he know that his throwaway comment would have me booking a one way ticket to London within the week.  Never one to do anything by halves, I jumped on the first available flight and applied to the internationally renowned Jane Packer Flower School.