New to this forum

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/905393/ just learning how to do links!

I'd post pics of the class arrangements but I'm in basic and the arrangements are pretty lame. The first ones had a lot of carnations in them and not the good kind! Then we went into sympathy flowers, which actually were not bad considering glads are not among my fave flowers. I'll post one of those.

We just started on weddings last week. We did two bridal bouquets. They were both very basic. The second had a little trailing thing and to be honest, mine was ugly. I didn't align the roses correctly and I didn't like it at all. We also did a glued corsage, which I liked better. We've done taped corsages but this was our first glued one. I like gluing them a lot more!

Hi Gwendalou - welcome to this forum. I found it about a year ago, and it's been a lot of fun. I mostly just like growing cut flowers for informal arrangements. I would like to take a class on arranging one of these days too. You will find that there are a lot of creative people here - and Terri is one of them!

Terri - good job on the links!

Hi Gwendalou! Thanks for sharing your arrangement. Did you make the bow? it looks great!
It's amaising how much greenery is needed for a sympathy tribute, do you have a good supply of foliage in your garden? Are you working on wedding designs again this week?


Dianne, I'm tickled pink I can link!! moi creative? oh Merci Beaucoup mon ami!

Yes, I made the bow. I fortunately have a great supply of greens - salal, evergreen huckleberry, yew, cedar (galore), boxwood. We live on 2.5 acres and are surrounded by 'greenery.' I still do buy greens, tho. I like seeded eucalyptus, tree fern, ruscus, and I have just discovered rice flower which I love. But I bought the dyed kind (didn't know it was dyed) and after a few days, the roses next to the rice flower got a blackish color. I presume it was from the rice flower because I've never seen that happen before. The stock I had in there didn't turn, just the roses.

Last night we were broken into two groups of 3 each and had to do a complete wedding in 2.5 hours. We jammed. We did a cascading bridal bouquet, handheld bridesmaid bouquet, bouts for the groom, best man, and 2 fathers, corsages for 2 moms, a centerpiece, 3 bud vases, and a half halo for the flower girl's head. We had only a certain amount of flowers - 25 roses, 9 gerberas, 10 freesia, one bunch each of wax flower, leather fern, and plumosa fern. So we had to come up with how to allocate the flowers among all those pieces, etc. I think we did a great job, considering we're novices. Both groups had really great stuff.

So I guess we're done with weddings now. Can't wait to see what we do Saturday!

Sounds like you are enjoying the class and it's good fun. You did have a lot to make!! Hope you take your camera with you next time, hint hint!!
So you don't know what you will be working on next class? do they provide the flowers?
Do you have a picture of 'rice flower'? don't think I know it, at least not by that name.

Here is a link to our wedding flowers gallery ......

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/799557/

I do take my camera every class, but I don't upload them to the computer every time. I'll probably upload them Sunday. I'm not sure what we're doing Saturday. We do have a syllabus but it's not always crystal clear exactly what. I know we have a test Saturday! It also says on the syllabus, 'new design forms, the Asian influence in design, interpretive Ikebana, the European influence in design, landscape design, vertical floral design, parallel design."

Yes, they provide all the flowers. However, I think that for the interpretive design we're going to make, we can bring things from home, from our own garden, etc.

That first pic I posted up above has the rice flower in it. There are 3 flowers in there - roses, stock, and rice flower. From a distance, rice flower looks similar to a sedum in shape and color (mine was dyed). But when you get close, it's very delicate, like queen anne's lace. Let's see if I can find a pic online somewhere.... Ah, there are a bunch. Google it for more pics, but here is one that looks the closest to what I had.

So glad you found us and so glad I found this thread. You do some lovely work there Gwen, looks to me like you found your niche for creativity. Looking forward to seeing more.
Terri is our leader here when it comes to arranging. We try to emulate her and really value her critique.

Don't take any noticed of her Gwen, Candee (haighr) is one of the best arrangers here!

Thanks for the rice flower picture, I don't think I've seen it at the florist around here. It does look like sedum!
Good luck with your test, I'm sure you'll do well!
It looks like you will be covering lots of designs at your class, great!
If they provide the flowers, then everyone has the same?
Looking forward to seeing what you make next... LoL!

We have the same, more or less. For instance, when we broke into two groups to do the wedding stuff last Tuesday, one group had ivory flowers and one group had hot pink flowers. The group with the ivory had wax flower as a filler while the group with the hot pink had statice. Everything else was the same - roses, gerbers, freesia, and greens.

Usually there are color choices but the flowers are the same unless there is a minor difference as with the weddings.

Here is a photo of the wedding. The photos did not turn out as well as the flowers.

Oh what a lovely display! Which ones did you make?
The class is Tuesday AND Saturday? Lucky you!

I made the centerpiece, the 3 bud vases (which are backwards in the photo - a duh moment I guess), and 2 of the corsages.

The class is every week on Monday and Tuesday nights from 6 - 9:30 pm and then one Saturday a month all day from 8 - 5.

You made a great job of them all!

Yesterday we did a basic Ikebana, a landscape, and a vertical design. I'll post pics later. I ended up not enjoying it too much. I had a cold and as the day went on, it got worse and worse. All I wanted to do is come home and get in bed. (I have my laptop in bed right now!)

I'm hoping to be better in time for tomorrow night! Right now I can't get up any enthusiasm for anything.

Hi Gwen, Sorry you are not feeling too good, hope your cold goes away soon and you will be ok for tomorrow!
Stay in bed and keep warm today. LoL!

Oh I hope you are not coming down with that nasty thing blossom had, take care and nip it in the bud so you don't get really ill.
Thanks for your compliment Terri, but yu know you have been the leading inspiration around here.
Gwen you are really making some lovely arrangements there. What is the little band made of?

The headband? Waxflower.

Boy, am I sick. I haven't been this sick in a long time. Even watching tv is too much for me!

Ohhhhh Sorry you are still sick Gwen.
Have some fresh fruit to kill off the nasty bugs, and get plenty of rest!

Hope you will feel better soon and will be ok for class tomorrow night.

Gwen - hope Terri's fruit does the trick. Don't want you to still be sick for the next class on Tuesday. I would love to try more ikebana style arrangements, but they are so tricky to get right. Lucky you that you can take a class in it.

When you feel better, come join us in the cafe and meet some of the other people who frequent this forum. They can be a wild bunch at times. We just finished celebrating two birthdays!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/965189/

Gwen, beautiful as it is you just have to eat that fruit Terri has brought for you, please feel better soon.

Oh, I love that. It really is luscious to look at and is the kind of arrangement that makes you also want to eat it! Did you glue the daisies on or just place them?

I bet they are placed with care!

Thanks Gwen, the daisys are placed on. Hope you are better now?

Gwennnnnnnnnnnnn, are you better yet?????

I'm in perpetual coughing mode now. It's awful! It must be affecting my arranging. My projects in class last night were just hideous.

Oh dear, poor you! Maybe you are just not really up to it yet, sounds like an infection.
Have you been to the doctors?

No, this is typical for me. My colds always end in horrific coughs that go on forever.

Hi Gwen, sorry you are still coughing. Here's a bunch of flowers for you to play with!

Get well soon!

Oh that is a great bundle Terri what a nice thing for Gwen. Do hope you soon get over that nasty crup Gwen, sounds miserable.

Gwen - come on over to the cafe and join us for hot tea, coffee, (and other stronger beverages) ,chocolate pie, etc. etc, etc.

You will forget about your cough in no time. (at least, hopefully, it won't seem as bad when you are having a good time)

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/965189/

Welcome Gwen! You will find lots of treats on this forum! Just follow our bouncing blossoms! There are soo many things here you cannot possibly see them all.

I do a lot with silks and drieds and when I can out of the garden. Have several threads, do hop in there and join us! Good luck with your course.

And oh, hope that nasty bug goes away, seems it is making its rounds, we were down with it for 3 weeks... nasty cough that hangs on and I swear will dislocate your ribs its so bad. Get Well soon!

Hi Gwen,
How did you do with your test and have you got any pictures of your latest arrangements to share??
Hope you are over the cough now.

I did great on my written but horrid on my design. However, I think part of it was graded unfairly. For the asymmetrical arrangement, I placed the flowers exactly like we were taught and was shown in the outline in our handout, yet I was specifically marked down on that.

On my bud vase arrangement, last time I was told not to have the greens come up so high, they were supposed to be low. So I did that for the test and the comment was that the greens should have come up behind the rose. Different teachers.....

We were told one of the male teachers was grading, but then they said the female teacher graded, and they both have different styles. So i felt that was unfair.

I was really depressed over it at the time. Felt I should give up flowers totally, that I was a complete failure. I've gotten over that, tho. LOL

Now you cant do that. Like you said, different teachers... different tastes. They are probably teaching you how to take criticisms more than anything. Ya'll cannot get discouraged if someone does not like your style, you have to learn to roll with that. There is someone else that will. If you cannot take the "heat" of the comments, then I guess that might be the issue? If we all quit because somone said e-yuk.. well, where would we all be? Make like a duck... now get out there again and do some more!

You are a creator.. run with that! :)



This message was edited Apr 20, 2009 5:43 AM