Are you looking for that one a kind venue for your wedding or special event? Recently I received a phone call from a college of mine who is involved with the Gerold Opera House in Weyauwega. She told me in the last few months there has been some exciting changes going on there. The Gerold Opera House has been renovated to accommodate weddings and I was invited me over for a tour! Now let me tell you, this building has been around since the early 1900's and is full of charm and character. The main room has 20ft ceilings, a theater balcony and a stage. Downstairs is a bride's dressing room and groom's pool lounge.  I can't say enough how impressed I was. This building seemed to go on and on. Click Here for more pictures of our designs at The Gerold Opera House.

If you are interested in seeing The Gerold Opera House or would like more information on booking your event, visit The Gerold | Weddings and Special Events .

Back in March I blogged about my plans for the yard this year. There has been lots of hard work and never enough time. Here is my gardening update for the year.

• Yard is cleaned up. My husband is mostly responsible for that. Thank you dear.
• My lilacs did good this year. I had many new transplants from a friend I put in last year. They all survived and I had the most blooms in all the years I have owned my home. Many of my friends had problems with their lilacs freezing.
• I planted some Lily of the Valley. They are all still alive. So far so good here.
• Planted my annual flowers. Decided to do all container gardening for these this year. Too many weeds to control in the flower beds and not enough time. Finally just planted them this last weekend. Even found some good deals on plants and a new whiskey barrel planter.
• Cleared half of the trail in through the woods. Need to get the weed trimmer out there to finish. I cheated and used a leaf blower instead of a rake for most of it. Now I just need to transplant some ferns and hostas along the trail.
  

Always a work in progress but I love seeing the improvements. Not everything works out like I planned but that's part of the fun. What type of gardening you have done recently? You can even send us pictures at [email protected].

So the other day, my husband, who by the way is a devoted fisherman, says to me,

"Would you ever use a spinner in a boutonniere?"

After I finished laughing at him and actually thought about what he said, I started to like the idea. For those of you who are unfamiliar with fishing, a spinner is a type of fishing lure, like the one shown on the left. I can honestly say that fishing lures are one item I have never been asked to use, but my husbands question makes me wonder if anyone would actually want a fishing lure(s) accenting their flowers. Of course I understand this idea is not for everyone, and even some grooms-to-be may have a difficult time convincing the bride-to-be or vise versa. But I could see this idea as a unique way to add your personal touch to your wedding flowers. It's really not that far of a stretch from all the other items used to add "bling" to flowers. Fishing lures come in so many colors you would most likely find one to coordinate. And if added to the boutonnieres the men would have a keepsake they may actually use! OK, so maybe my husband on to something?

So I am asking for your help, please take a second and vote in my poll. Let me know if you like the idea of fishing lures and flowers.

If I could plan my wedding all over again I think I would want something that
resembles nature. I have come to the conclusion that Mother Nature did it best.
There is so much beauty that surrounds us in our everyday lives, so many of us
and I am guilty myself, forget to take the time to slow down and see whats right
in front of us. I was reminded of this yesterday when I had a lovely meeting
with Shelly from Signature Events by Shelly. She brought me to
stunning local that over looks the water and really makes you stop and take
notice. With that as my motivation, I put together just a taste of what my nature inspired wedding would look like. Let me know what you think.

Memorial Day... the unofficial kick off to summer, a long weekend to spend at the beach or camping, BBQ's and above all, time to remember the men and women who died while serving our country.  There will parades, services and flags placed on graves nationwide as ways to pay tribute. I will be taking time to honor these heroes and share the history with my children.  The link below if from a blog I wrote last year about one of my favorite tributes for Memorial Day.

One flower I have been seeing more and more of lately is the Craspedia. With their fun color, shape and texture they provide, I can see why they are becoming more popular. Only available naturally in Yellow but they can be artifiaclly tintes. Craspedia provide a tight, round, textured blossom approximately 1/2 - 1 1/2" on top a leafless stem.

Common Name: Craspedia
Botanical Name: Craspedia Globasa (cras-PEE-dee-a  glo-BO-sa)

Also know as Billy Balls or Woolyheads, the flower represents good health.  Craspedia is a genus of daisies. They are native to Australia and New Zealand where they grow in a variety of habitats from sea level to the alps. Craspedia is available most of the year and can also be dried. While they may look fancy and expensive, Craspedia is actually very affordable.

Interesting Fact: If you try to grow Craspedia, plants will start growing as a single rosette, and each rosette generally produces only 1 flower stalk. A risky, but effective way to force basal shoots is to let the plant dry out until the leaves wilt, then water the plant. New basal shoots will appear in a few weeks. Pruning appears to be ineffective, usually resulting in the death of the plant.

Mother's Day is this Sunday(in case you didn't know). One gift that is always popular to give Mom is flowers, and who doesn't love flowers? This year it is estimated that flowers will accountant for just over $12 billion of the total $18.6 billion in Mother's day gifts given.

Did you know that all flower providers are not all the same? How, you may ask. Well let me explain the basic differences between them and you can decided which is better for you.

A. Order your flowers from a local florist. Talk to a person, support a local business. Most offer freshness guarantees and deliver a quality arrangement with a designers touch, no assembly required. The floral arrangements will also be more individual because a florist is able to personalize to your recipient.

B. When you order flowers from say FTD or another wire service they forward you order on to a local florist and keep a cut of the profits for themselves. Your local florist who is then paid less for the same arrangement also has to pay a membership to the provider. You will most likely receive a cookie cutter arrangement, and they are not always as pictured.

C. You order flowers from someone like ProFlowers who ships the flowers "fresh from the farms" you'll will receive flowers delivered via a carrier like FedEx and the flowers will arrive in a box, requiring the recipient to unpack and make the arrangement themselves. Vases are usually not included and you will be charged extra if you want one added to your order.


I maybe a bit bias but I feel when you support a local florist everyone wins. Most small business owners return the favor and spend their dollars in the same community. They provide local jobs, the owners live and work in the communities themselves and feel vested in the area. Their prices may be a bit more but when you consider the benefits, I feel they out weigh the possibilities of disaster tenfold. If you are sending flowers this Mother's Day, I recommend taking the time and looking up a local florist and place your order directly. Even if they are in a different area it will be worth the effort. If you need help, let us know, and we will find you a local florist who can help.

Will you be sending flowers this Mother's day?

With the warmer weather upon us, one can't help but dream about the beautiful outdoor weddings right around the corner. As long as mother nature cooperates,  the possibilities are endless and breathtakingly beautiful. Here are some pictures to get you in the mood. Did/Are you having an outdoor wedding? Where? Why? Let us know!

Tiny and delicate but the smell is amazing. Yes, I'm talking about the Lily of the Valley flower. I have choosen Lily of the Valley this month because recently a friend of mine gave be some plants from his yard. I personally have never been able to start one of my own. For anyone who knows me, they know that my designing skills and my gardening skills are on the opposite end of the spectrum. So to say the least, I am very excited about the newest plant addition to my yard. Well this week, the very first flower appeared. Everyone probably thought I was crazy because I kept looking at it and smelling it and then making them look at it and smell it.  Can't wait for more flowers to appear!

Common Name: Lily of the Valley
Botanical Name: Convallaria Majalis (kon-va-LAY-ree-ah may-JAY-lis)

The flower is also known as ‘Our Lady's Tears’ as, according to legend, the tears Mary shed at the cross turned into Lilies of the Valley. Lily of the Valley has tiny bell-shaped flowers about 1/4" and are crusted in small groups of 8-12 flowers along a short stem about 8-10" tall. Desired highly by brides, they have a very limited availability, usually mid to late spring, and are very expensive. But if the timing is right they make some stunning bouquets.

Lily of the Valley also has some wonderful meanings: Sweetness; A return of happiness; Purity of heart; You made my life complete; Protects from evil spirits; Birth flower for May.


Interesting Fact: Lily of the Valley is also the national flower of Finland.

If you are anything like me you love to read your horoscope. Not so much because you believe anything written but its fun to see how accurate (or not) they may be. I came across this interesting article while browsing the web that uses the zodiac to guide you in your wedding flower decision process. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Read the article - Click Here!