Advent, Expectation and Waiting Well

I love this season of the year, the quiet, darkening time before Christmas. Advent...that time of expectation, of waiting, and hoping that HE will come.

 You may not find it quiet in your house, with children running about, scurrying to Nutcracker rehearsals, clamoring for ginger bread houses, and pondering presents galore to come. But even during the days when my house was full of all that and more, I always relished the quiet time around the table, lighting the advent candle for that week, and thinking for a moment about the One who was and is and is to come.

A big part of preparing for the glory of Christmas, is the quiet work done alone at home, or with the family when others are running out to shop, or waiting for the Amazon truck to arrive. For me, decorating the house has always been a joy, a reminder that waiting, anticipating is a GOOD thing! This year, after years of doing this with dear friends, I started what I hope will continue as a lovely tradition for others, taking time to create and visit and laugh with new friends and old. The four Morning Bird Designs wreath workshops were a highlight of this time of preparation. And everyone took home something memorable and beautiful! For more see @morningbirddesigns on Instagram...they are spectacular!

The photos speak for themselves, so I'll let them.

Jessica's lovely wreath on that perfect blue door!

Kim had order and freedom in this stunner!

Enjoy this quiet season reflecting on the love of God, that sent a little babe to a lowly manger to prepare for the awe-filled sacrifice that brings light, life, redemption and good news to all.

What's in a Name?

This past weekend I launched the first event of my now official floral design work under its new name, Morning Bird Designs. www.morningbirddesigns.com

Eleven women gathered in a friend's ample kitchen and turned boxwood, olive, dusty miller, sage, pepper berry and china berry, rose hips, bittersweet and other foraged accoutrements into fanciful and unique wreaths to celebrate the turning seasons. We had a blast! It was a great start to what I hope will be many more such evenings spent creating with friends. Find us on instagram @morningbirddesigns.

About a year ago, I decided that it was time to give my work a name, to help me get serious about creating with flowers and greens. I first shared the idea at a similar wreath making event that I've enjoyed with dear friends for decades now. They gave me merciful feedback, and no one hated it! I learned a song by Forest Sun called "Morningbird" and was smitten (check it out on youtube). Could this be it?

When time did little to change my mind, I gathered up my courage (it was mine to decide after all!) and made my choice. Here's why:

Birds....I love the little magical creatures. They appear in an instant, and flit off to who knows where...they surprise and delight...their songs bring cheer, and their bright little eyes say do something, go somewhere, make something good, NOW! The Lord himself was fond of them, and cares for them still.

I love drawing birds and their simple forms

Since I'm a rather smallish person a bird seemed like an appropriate symbol, and though I desperately need a cup of joe to face the mornings these days, I love the quiet misty start of the day with the birds first greetings. 

When I think of birds working away with energy, eagerness, purpose and peace, this new name sounds like my voice!

So, I hope the work done under this banner brings the goodness of the created world into many homes and lives, giving opportunities to wonder at and thank God, the creator of all these good things for us to enjoy.

Exciting changes ahead

For the past five months my life has been in transition. Moving out, living the nomad life for a bit, moving in to what once was the old Jail in Old Town, and working to figure out how to navigate getting my little flower business back up to speed in a new yet familiar setting.

There is much creativity here in my new neighborhood, and so many sources of inspiration. I've been slowly working on developing my brand, and am starting to see it take shape. EXCITING!

Been fascinated by lights, brights and darks

Soon to come, the new logo and name, and some opportunities to join in the fun of creating alongside friends and new folks who enjoy playing with the good things of nature.

I hope you'll consider joining me!

drawn from a lovely arrangement by Carrie Moe

Lovely blues!

The glory of small things

Fall always brings opportunities to get outside for those few last balmy days, before the sunshine provides too little warmth, and sweaters, scarves, coats and hats must be brought from their summer hiding places. 

For the past few years this weekend has had some glorious weather, creating a spectacular backdrop for the weddings I've worked. No wonder the fall is so popular with brides, especially here in Virginia.

But soon, tea will be brewed, books will be read, evenings will lengthen as the days compress. 

There is a sense that things are closing in, getting smaller day by day, in a cozy, happy way. As I catch a whiff of wood fires and drying leaves I'm reminded how grateful I am for the glory of small things. 


What is it about those small details? They either jar, or delight, and reveal whether something is shoddily done, or truly beautiful and made with care. The smallest bit can draw you in, causing you to focus, to stop, to truly see.









Beauty has the power to arrest us, to get our attention, with a quick breath drawn, and a satisfied sigh on the after-side. 

Weddings are beautiful because of the small things....so many details, lovingly brought together, to bring joy to the beloved person, and all the family and friends. Weddings celebrate the small details of family life, those bits of personality and taste that each person contributes.

So don't go overboard, but enjoy those little details that make your wedding yours!

Inspiration from Oscar de la Renta

According to Rosemary Verey, friend of Oscar de la Renta, "gardeners and couturiers possess many of the same talents; imagination, knowledge, and industry. Both know which colors shock or coordinate, which textures rasp or soothe, and both see fashions change—but they never forget that the concept of beauty is timeless."

This week I am enjoying a little get away before the move in to our new location in Alexandria. Husband is attending a conference, and I am puttering, thinking, and exploring Dallas, TX. Today is gray and rainy, and I understand they really need this rain, so I don't mind staying indoors a bit longer.

I visited the Bush Library at SMU and saw the show of Oscar de la Renta dresses worn by several first ladies, and the lovely gown made for Jenna Bush. There were simple lines, elegant folds, fabulous beading and an explosion of texture, but the thing I enjoyed most was seeing that de la Renta is also an avid gardener, and understands how "playing with the colors and textures of plants" can be such a delight.

I love how artists of all stripes seem to find the garden a place of inspiration, and I'm grateful to be able to learn from so many talented artists, both past and present.

Lilium henryi I think

Texture, color and line

Special thanks to Anne Bowen of Charleston Stems for the chat the other day. I love how this work lends itself to collaborating and encouraging others. She lives and works in the lovely southern city we called home years back. Hearing about her journey from kitchen sink to retail shop gave me a lot to think about!   

http://www.charlestonstems.com

A 2010 exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, featured the gardens and paintings of several of my favorite impressionists. I love to draw and find the colors they use appealing, but I hadn't thought of garden design on the large scale as a source of guidance for floral design, which focuses our eyes on a much smaller space.

It seems these painters found their gardens to be a restful sanctuary, but also a laboratory for experimenting with color, texture and design. I can't wait to glean from their experience and train my eyes to see more possibilities, which will hopefully bear fruit in ever more creative and pleasing designs. 

So much inspiration!

From Good to Very Good!

Read a wonderful article by David Trautman recapping a lecture by Andy Crouch http://www.culture-making.com/. This line in particular stood out to me:

"Image bearing transforms the world from good to very good." 

This idea, that we, as people made in God's image, have the ability to take the raw materials of Creation, and even the creative thoughts in our own minds, and turn them from something good, to something very good fascinates me. 

Crouch adds, "the best of culture unfolds the very goodness of the world. Eggs are good, omelettes are very good; grapes are good, wine is very good." And to that I say a hearty, AMEN!

I love delivery day!

These hydrangeas look like sleeping beauty

What an excellent challenge, to take something as beautiful as the flowers of the field and turn them into something even better. God has given us so much to choose from, to play with, as I like to think, and it is delightful to experiment, to discover and to learn to arrange them with an artistic eye.

Though learning requires that mistakes are made from time to time, I still catch glimpses of that "very good" when things come together just so. I love the experience of sharing those very good things with others at events meant to be full of goodness and beauty.

An arrangement for a friend's family gathering

Mother's Day flowers from my lovely redheaded daughter

As Anne of Green Gables used to say, there is so much scope for the imagination everywhere you turn! I've enjoyed living in City settings for the last 8 years, after a good long time out in the countryside of Virginia, and now, armed with my little iphone, I snap photos of inspiring visual vignettes everywhere...poor husband must slow his pace to let me do that "work". I love seeing the ideas others come up with on Instagram, Pinterest, and numerous blogs I'm starting to follow, and really appreciate the shared wisdom and community effort in this space. 

 

Inspiration from around the neighborhood abounds.

Grateful for transitions that slow the pace of work and give time for thinking; a very important piece of the creative process. And while I am in transition I'm taking a little time to draw some of my favorites. Drawing helps me see the flowers in a new way, which might lead to something "very good". 

ah, fritillaria

Ten months later for one of my favorites

Creating floral design for weddings has a lot of perks, but one I'm particularly grateful for is the new friends I've made. Kelly and Jerry Gee were so much fun to work with, in part because they both are so vibrant and full of joy and energy. The flowers they chose fell right in line with their personalities, and carried some seriously electric visual impact.

Kelly recently sent along some of the photos from their day and I felt the excitement all over again! Her bridesmaids were legitimate worker bees, helping to put her bouquets, table arrangements and boutonnieres together.

 I really enjoyed working together with these ladies, and they looked marvelous that day.

flowers created for the church served to welcome guests at the train station

Many folks would have shied away from these bold combinations, but not this gorgeous bride. Wishing them both a joy filled future.

Kelly in her gorgeous gown

Moving and New Possibilities Ahead

A few weeks ago we moved away from our lovely home in the Fan, an area in Richmond, Virginia known for its beautiful old homes (ours was built in 1903) wonderful gardens, great food and music, and some of the sweetest people I know. 

Moving is bittersweet; sweet as it brings wonderful new adventures, which unfold as time passes, but bitter as it requires us to leave behind the familiar, those things and people we've grown to love.

Now, we are in between the leaving and the finding and the settling back in. We've started noticing the "soul sucking" environment of the outer edges of a big Metropolitan area, and how even a tiny familiar thing can bring joy. 

So I've been thinking about my lovely back garden, shaded and quiet, in tones of green and white..full of texture, value shifts and variegation, and except for one very pink azalea, only white flowering plants. A real oasis from the stimulation of City living, and the angst of transitions.

Quiet spot to dry an old friend --Day Basket from 1995

Though I probably won't plant azaleas in my new location, this one always sparked a few days of excitement when it would burst forth...so delicate and short lived, but glorious just the same. 

The front garden was a total riot of growth this year after that long hard winter. 


We lost a big tree in the city well in front of our house, and so those plants just soaked up all the light, growing more like weeds than the elegant plants they are.

My neighbor dubbed it a "Darwinian Garden" because it was totally survival of the fittest in there!

Euphorbia and peonies, yarrow and blue salvia, a variety of bulbs, and my favorite little surprise, the pineapple lily! The lovely short blooming weeping cherry tree, the crazy grasses, a pink camelia..how it all fit in there and came in bloom before I left is impressive; the new owners have their work cut out for them.

I met some new "friends" in the plant world, as most of my gardens have been vegetables or cutting gardens, with a large dose of perennials, but all the greens and bulbs and lilies (the spider one was very impressive, too), will be missed. 

I'm looking forward to the new space, garden, possibilites ahead, but I'm grateful for the plants I learned to love during our time in Richmond. 

Boxwood and Peonies -- a perfect pair!

Rain can't stop love!

This past weekend I had the joy of continuing a tradition started by my daughter-in-law, Jenny; getting the bride and her friends together to assemble the bulk of the wedding flowers. As one bride who will remain un-named said, "bring on the slaves".

Having worked with some of the girls before, I knew we had a pretty capable crew. But with rain scheduled to hit on the wedding day, and even possibly prep day, we got started early and scurried around like ants to get things put together before the floods ensued.

Didn't they do a wonderful job!

We used hydrangea, huckleberry greens, queen anne's lace and white freesia, along with white and coral ranunculus for a few smaller arrangements. Everyone did a great job working together after just a smidge of "on the job" training.

Here's one of the two arrangements made by me and my "apprentice".

It turns out hydrangeas love cool, wet weather and they were in full glory for the ceremony and reception, as was the bride and all of her attendants! 

 WHO cares that you couldn't hear the vows for the torrential downpour slamming the porch roof...the wedding went on, and so did the celebrating! 

 

 

 The best thing about a wedding is that happy moment when it all comes together and the bride walks in...the whole place is transformed and a new family begins!

Here comes the Bride!

 Joey and Erin, we wish you many many years of happiness!!

Spring Wedding Preview

The first bride I'll be working with this year has a lovely sense of her own style and enjoys a limited and clean look. Since I tend to be a bit "messy" in my designs, this took considerable restraint on my part to keep my style "in line".

Her bouquets will be simple white hydrangea's with grey satin ribbon, but the tins of flowers to line the aisle and the table decor will be a bit more developed, though still with just a green and white palette.

 Sometimes I do like to give some alternative options, just to allow the bride to consider other possibilities.

This arrangement has some added color, but it's mostly the textural elements that offer some interest.

This arrangement ended up on my table when a snow day canceled an event I was scheduled to work. Now that's a bonus I really can't complain about.