Thursday 25 October 2012

THURSDAY FLOWERS......Exam Time !


French Blue and Peachy Pink wasn't very happy about going to exams this week but it had to be done I'm afraid !

I'm not a big fan of exams really ! (like most of the world I'm sure). They make me nervous.
I start to stress a couple of days before the event and I end up in a frazzled state by the time I  make it to the classroom.
This week at my Floristry class I was feeling quite nervous as we had a VERY BIG exam.
We had to choose our own flowers to work with, cost the flowers out to a retail price from the wholesale one and manage to keep a budget.
The design we were working on was retailed at approximately $85 and had to be suitable to take to a hospital in celebration of a new birth. Colour schemes were particular and had to be worked off a colour wheel.  Well !  Try finding 'Just the right' flowers that happen to be in season that fell in to a particular bracket of the colour wheel. Not only that, but it had to be suited to a baby of either gender.

It's actually not as easy as it sounds.

I was desperate NOT to make it for a baby girl. I am quite predictable when it comes to choosing my flowers. I end up with a table full of pink most weeks and I wanted to surprise the teacher with something that she wasn't expecting.
I decided on a pale blue, lilac and soft lemon colour scheme suitable for a baby boy.
Being a Mum with boys (and 1 girl) I knew how much I loved receiving flowers in the hospital......especially REALLY pretty ones !
So I created something that I would have been thrilled at receiving myself.

Blooms chosen were

Lilac Roses
Pale Peachy Pink Roses
Pink Alstromeiria
Pale Blue Delphiniums
White Geralton Wax
Lilac Stocks
Hellebores
Rolled Leaves
Little Gem Magnolia Foliage

At the beginning of the day my table resembled this (below)

Absolutely glorious aren't they !
Then my blooms turned into this
This arrangement is suitable for a presentation.  It is to be held rested back in ones arms when recieved.
I chose soft lilac and white paper and a simple white bow.
PRETTY !
Better still, my teacher loved it and gave me a fantastic mark for my efforts.
and then I pulled it all apart and made this !
Suitable for a table centrepiece at a dinner party, function or wedding.
(I recieved my highest mark ever for this arrangement ! (YAY !)
I was super proud of my efforts.
It helped that I ADORED the flowers that I had chosen to work with.

This is the birds eye view of the arrangement
A close up
A vision of pastel prettiness !

and this is my BIG deal arrangement. (below)
Fit for the mother of a little prince.

I made a sweet little card and attached it.

There are tiny Delphinium buds all over this arrangement. It will look stunning as the buds open to reveal the pale pastel blue petals.
Photo's do not do this arrangement justice.
My masterpiece is now happily living on a little table in my hallway.
Hopefully it will safely live out it's days there because I spotted a very inquisitive pussy cat walking past it this morning and eyeing off the little tendrils that were hanging over the side........

It was a very, very, very, very busy day.
I certainly slept well that night.
I was happy to have achieved what I did and I was so relieved that it was all over.
I now have the finished products to enjoy for the next week or so.  Sometimes I give my arrangements away as gifts for family and friends but I have decided to keep both of these ones to enjoy myself.
The scent of Stocks lies heavy and sweet all through our home and is a constant reminder of how much I love learning the art of Floristry.

THURSDAY FLOWERS has become such a popular feature on my humble blog. I would like to thank you all so much for enjoying the ride with me. It has been an amazing year of learning for me and I am grateful for the many friends and family members that help me along the way with the children.
I am truly blessed

MELANIE
X


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Go and join in the fun !


7 comments:

  1. Oh my friend -- these flowers are MAGNIFICENT!!!!! Beautiful beyond words!!!!! You are a magician when it comes to flowers my friend -- like i have said from the beginning -- the LOVE SHOWS throughout everything you do! You are AMAZING but I all ready knew that : ) So sorry I have been a bit MIA -- life has been as you well know it can be...OVERWHELMING and even though I put in a 20 hour day -- I need more time! (deep sigh) but these beauties have put a smile on my face and a kick in my step and I am super charged for the day!!!! Love you much my friend -- you are so very special in every way...sending you and yours tons of hugs and constant blooms of flowers! Is the etsy shop open yet???? I can't wait to see!!!!

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  2. Oh how lovely!!! You did a beautiful job Melanie!!! So glad to have found your blog!!! BLESSINGS!!! patti

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  3. Hello beautiful Melanie, Before I forget, I wanted to say thank you for your very sweet and kind comments on my blog. You always bless me with your friendship and visits! Your flowers are stunning! I always choose pink too! You did a wonderful job choosing colors that were suitable for a boy. I love the roses and flowers in your arrangements, and the card is so sweet! You are very talented, my friend, and have such a gift for making beauty with your artistic hands and sweet heart! I am glad your marks were high and that you slept well. I enjoyed the museum photos in your previous post too! Your blog is gorgeous and your writings wonderful! Sending warm hugs!
    Much love, Paula

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  4. Exams used to make me nervous too. The flowers are lovely. My fav color too. Thank you for your bloggy friendship and for sharing your wonderful blog at Thursday Favorite Things xo

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  5. Your teacher must love having you for a student, because you put so much thought and heart into your projects. You truly deserve that excellent grade. Congratulations!

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  6. Thank you for sharing your passion with the rest of us. These are delicate and lovely and I really enjoyed reading about journey. I look forward to many more postings!

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  7. Oh my sweet Mel, I love that vintage baby boy card so much!!! Super cute!!! It seems that my package hasn´t arrived yet, I´ve got something at the post office but that looks like a Prague´s sender...oh, I really really hope it arrives safe and soon :-) I am going through your older posts as I have a free evening today...I actually went through all your post long time ago when I discovered your blog but now it all seems even more beautiful when I got to know you a little better! I am sending many hugs :-) Enjoy tomorrow´s last day of this year! x

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