The FLOWERPOT Cafe' IV - Join us for a cup of Flowers!

Starlight, you are just too hard on yourself. Did you take just one class or a series of classes? It was fun or stressful?

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a lovely time at Christmas.
Thankyou Starlight for coming back with your lovely arrangement! I agree it is a delightful basket of flowers.,and given with such warm wishes.
Thankyou all for the kind comments about my arrangements!
Adele, I used to take front, back and side view pictures listing all the plants and flowers, I will try to remember! I don't really know the names of the tropical bunch.I have only one dogwood,they are great sticks for arrangements.
Karma, Thankyou for starting a new thread with wedding fllower arrangements. I will go and check it out!
Did you get any floristry or gardening stuff for Christmas?

Hi everyone,
Happy one day after Christmas!

I just now, unsuccessfully, tried to make a wreath with wheat. Can anyone give me some tips. I have a wired circle 18''
Thanks
Adele

Hi again Adele, I will leave it to Terri. She is our wreath master!

Hi Adele, What have you got in your wired wreath, moss? or foam?
The wheat would be tricky to use because it breaks easily, so it would be better to make bundles (4/5) wired together. Without seeing the wreath frame, it's hard to say!
Karma, I seem to remember, a while back ,you said you would make a wreath! or am I just imagining that?!!!!!

Karma... I took a whole semester course, 4 months of floral design. Every week we learned how to make something new. The general priciples involved with each type of arrangement. I liked the class, and I liked the learning and the playing with the flowers. There was about 30 of us in the clas s and we even had a couple of males. I didn't think I did to bad until I saw what everybody else made. Then I would get kinda depressed. There was some real talent and creativity in that room.

I'm a grower and a wood crafter. I love sprouting seeds and growing plants and had been watching the cafe for a long time and had decided to grow more cut flowers this year and se e if I maybe I couldn't learn how to maybe make some simple small cute arrangements for what I grow that could go to the market too.

Diggerette.. What you and your sister working on now? Lovely arrangements. : )

Hey all,
First time I have been able to get to a computer and don't have long. Just wanted to say belatedly, Merry Christmas!!

The cafe' is hopping, which is fantastic. Diggerette & Starlight, fantastic and Terri, as usual.

More next week!! I have Teensy this week!!

Starlight, a wood crafter? Did you know we have a gallery for arts and crafts at the cafe,? Please show us some of the handmade crafts you have made, if you have any pictures.That would be lovely.
We all love to grow flowers, and somehow the arrangements are special !

Hi Traci! Have lots of fun. I hope you washed out Teensy's teapot!!!!!
Thanks for calling by.

Starlight, could you be my mentor for growing seeds then? I have been wanting to winter sow, but first i have to get all my bulbs in the ground. Just wishing for some time in the garden. Tomorrow, I will spend all day in the garden. Can't wait for spring. . .we can all play with our home grown flowers!

Hi Traci. . .a belated Merry Christmas is better than no greetings at all. Have fun with Teensy this week and have a great New Year's!

Terri, I probably did say I would make a wreath. I probably said many things. . .bit more than I could chew. How was your Christmas?

Terri,Oh, you have to put foam or moss on the wire?! That could be a major reason why it looked like crap. I made a hanging wreath because I couldn't fiqure out how to layer the wheat on the wire.

Starlight, I love wood craft. Please share your work. I'm also going to grow more flowers for cutting and drying. Flowers fresh or dry are so expensive.
Tomrrow, I'm going to start my winter sowing.

Please critique. How could I have made this better?

Terri, Here's the wire frame. I wire the foam or moss on it?
Thank you for your help.

Oh now I know what kind of wreath!!!!!
This is a sheaf wreath! and you have made a beautiful job of it.
Love the way you have layered the wheat and the lavendar, as a background to the roses.
Also a very natural and fitting use of the string both for pratical and decoration purposes.
I think it is lovely and it doesn't need to be improved. Well done and thanks for bringing it in.
You could use your wire wreath for something else, if you have it handy I would like to see the frame!

karma, I had a lovely day, great watching the girls opening their presents and being 'Happy' with everything. We had a big dinner and christmas pudding, mince pies, lots of chocolates and I still feel full today!!! Thanks for asking, how was yours?
I got some seeds too!

SNAP! (that means we typed at the same time)
This is the HARDEST type of wreath to do, hahaha!!! good luck.
Moss would be best for this wreath, and you have to cover the back with tape and pin on your plant material.
Alternatively, you could layer dried stuff and berries around it,
either way you have to wire everything onto it.

Wow,I think I'll put it away for now. Thanks

Sorrry! I didn't mean to put you off. If you want to use it I can get my book out and show you how to make it step by step!
Has your sis made anything since your flower day together?
I meant to say earlier, the wheat you used is very expensive here, that amount would cost a fortune here. It looks in really nice condition.

Terri, I forgot to thank you for your kind words about my wreath. Thank you. Its a big confidence booster.
Also,you didn't put me off. That wire frame did. I ordered a grapevine one.That's easier to work with,right? I'll wait to make a wreath until then. A bundle of wheat was 5.00. I used 2 bundles with some left over. Is that a common price? All the materials for the sheaf wreath came to about 25 dollars. This is an expensive hobby. Is floral design your job? I'm thinking about it becoming my new job when I retire in 3 years.
My sister(Teri)made a few more things but her camera is not working. She's coming over tomorrow. We'll make more then.

here's something my daughter,Emily, created.

Karma... be glad to help you with your seeds, any way I can. Been looking through all the seed cataogs to see what might be good and a bit different to grow. When I figure it out and get the seeds in would be glad to share any your interested in.

Terri.. nope didn't realize there was an artisans place til ya mentioned it. When I get out to the shed and get more batteries for the camera will try and take some pics. I take loosey pics too : ) Feet , fingers and off center usually make it into the pics.

Diggerette.. Your broom is really pretty. Like how the flowers all in place around the outside . Your daughter did a really good job. I love eucalyptus, just which I wasn't allergic to it. Give s me a migrane headache when I work with it.

Pupil.. Have fun with Teensy!

Starlight, thank you for your offer. I have loads of seeds too! When I have some time, I will give you a list. There was this round robin "deejay" hosted and she sent me all kinds of seeds that I've never heard of before. Perhaps there are some that you will be interested in.

Adele, that arrangement is fantastic. I adore that vase with the frogs! Great job Emily. You have a family full of talent there Adele!

Terri, what kind of seeds did you get? We had a great Christmas. Spent Xmas Eve with my family and Xmas Day with dh's. Peyton had lots and lots of presents. We have toys just everywhere. Clean up will be a lot of work from now on, but will be worth it as long as he's happy.

(((((((((((((((PUPIL))))))))))))))))
you never called me back! Miss ya girl!

Misty, sorry I haven't seen her here today. . .we all have been missing her as well. Hope she is having the time of her life with Teensy!

I sure do miss here, that's for sure! She called me just as I was on my way to get the boys from their Dad's on Christmas day and never called back. :( I know she and Teensy are just having a ball! Guess my little Teensy will have to do for now! :)

How old is your little teensy? Mine is going on 20 months.

Hi Adele,
I think we have different names for the floristry materials! I haven't heard of a grapevine wreath! Does it have foam in it? The foam ones are the best to start with when making a wreath. I have a picture of one in
the Belle's florist thread. Since christmas is over now they are not used that much, only in sympathy tributes.
I agree! it is an expensive hobby, so buy bargains and re-use whenever you can bring yourself to take apart something you have taken HOURS making!! it's the only way, during the winter when there's not much to snip in the garden!
If you have greenery in the garden use that instead of buying the expensive florist stuff.
Hope you and your sister (my namesake) have fun again making something exciting for our cafe!!
Thankyou Emily, for making a pretty arrangement for our funny little cyber cafe!
I also think you did a nice job making the 'fan shape'. It must run in the family having a natural gift for flower arranging.! Already you have mastered one big floristry rule, which is to put the larger flowers at the bottom, getting smaller towards the outside of the design. Also, the shape of your pot complements the shape of your arrangement. Fabulous and very well done. Thankyou, Traci puts all the arrangements in place at the cafe, I'm sure she will find a beautiful spot to show it off at it's best!
Hi Starlight,
There is the Artisans flowerpot cafe on the Artisans forum, you are welcome to go there and show your art to other artists. After all it is our sister cafe!! We also have a gallery right here in the flowerpot cafe, so please show us here too!
I get a headache when I work with conifer for a long time. some plants have that effect on you and you don't even realise it for a while.
Has anyone got any ideas for what you would like to make with flowers next?

Well, my 'teensy' daughter is 5, but we named our female puppy after pupil's teensy. I will attach a pic, although it isn't even close to how fat she is now! LOL

Thank you starlight,Karma and Terri for your compliments! it really helped my confidence in flower arranging to hear that you liked my piece. It was a little frustrating sometimes. I never realized how hard it is to arrange the colors, shapes and to add pieces without destroying it. Thanks again. Emily

Awwww, thanks for sharing, Misty. And welcome to the cafe. Terri is great hostess. Emily, keep it up. . .you're doing great!

I'm past my curfew, have to say goodnite. Nite to all.

Lana

Goodnight Karma! one of these days we will be here at the same time!!!!!!!!
welcome to our teeny weeny cafe Misty! We all miss Traci, coz she brings us stuff to eat and drink!!!!!!!
But thats not the only reason we miss you Traci!

Emily, the more you make the easier it gets!!!!!

Misty, the first drink is on the house!
Available tonight are... Shy dahlia cocktail , pineapple cocktail , Shakes or smoothies , tea , coffee, hot chocolate .
If there is no one around when you call in help yourself!

I know it what about a month and a half away yet, but what about some ideas for some simple things for Valentine's Day. I got a case of 12 clear flute glasses that 5 and 3/4" that I picke d up for two bucks. I saw them and thought they would be nice to make some sort of arrangemnt in, bt have no idea what or where to start or what supplies I should get. I have floral wire and floral tape and the wholesale shop not too far away and will going in that direction in about a week and a half if somebody has some ideas.

Made a fresh pot of coffee if somebody wants a cup, now if I could just find the sugar. : )

I'll have some of your coffee, starlight. . .although it's almost 5 hrs old. Can you post a pic of your flute glasses? The opening is 3/4"? Is it the size of a champagne glass? If so, we should all have one around the house and we can start our first project?

Good Morning Everyone,
Valentine day project! I'm in!

Terri,Sorry I couldn't respond last night. Too tired. Here's a picture of a grapevine frame. I wire and hot glue gun the materials on to it. That's what they said anyway,in the video I watch on Better Homes and Gardens. It's probably a lot harder than it looked. I think you are right, reusing materials is a smart economical thing to do. Take apart one beautiful piece to create a new beautiful piece. That could only be good.
Also, Thank you for teaching me. "...one big floristry rule, which is to put the larger flowers at the bottom, getting smaller towards the outside of the design. Also, the shape of your pot complements the shape of your arrangement." I didn't know that about putting the larger flowers at the bottom. Is that a rule that cannot be broken?and how do you compliment the shape of the pot? Is there a rule for that?

Misty, cute puppy. more pictures,please.

Good morning all!
Did you find the sugar yet? Gonna need some, and some cream, for that cup a coffee. :)
Will try to get more pics of the little fatty's today. :) Tuxedo started opening his eyes yesterday, so maybe there will be a surprise from Teensy today. :)

Sugar cubes, for all the sugar freaks...............
not good for you y'know!!!

great suggestion about valentines, I will have a think about the glasses.
don't forget, when Traci starts her course we are joining in with those projects too right?

I'll be back later, I have stuff to do, getting ready for Annie's 18th Birthday, we are giving her a laptop!
and she specifically said please Mum ....NO FLOWERS!!!

Hi Adele and Misty. Funny Terri about your daughter not wanting flowers. Poor Mum!!! Have FUN anyway!

Last year for Valentines, I gave my co-workers bottles of tulips filled with kumquats. Not a tradtional rose bouquet, but then, I'm not in love with my coworkers. You know, I never get flowers on Valentines. I buy them and give them away or as favors for other men's wives. What's up with that? DH doesn't dare to order me flowers, especially when I can get them much cheaper. The prices of flowesr skyrocket right before Valentines!

Ok, so I will have hot chocolate instead of the sugar cubes! LOL
Hey, K. glad to see you are finding the other great threads! :)

Hi Tammy, your hot chocolate is ready!
Karma, while you are over in the tropical forum, check out my tropical Island, I go there when I need some sunshine!
Bottles of tulips and kumquats sounds different Karma! you are creative.

Terri, the hot chocolate is MMMMMMMMMM Good, thanks! :)

Adele, I do know the rules, but don't always follow them!!!
As far as the container goes, usually it will have some connection with your design, either by using plant material of the same colour, or by creating a shape to compliment it. Like in your Contemporary Christmas display. The shape of the basket was long and quite thin, which worked well the shape of your design , tall and slim. The height should be roughly twice the size of the container, to help with visual balance. The actual balance is the tricky bit ! When some stems are heavier than others and it topples over.

Thanks Tammy, glad you enjoyed it.
We had our babies on the same day didn't we? how many hours of pain did you suffer?!!!
It was all worth it to have such treasures, I'm sure.