Personal Taste



Every now and then you are presented with something that helps you define who you are in this world.  Sometimes these things are huge earth shattering revelations, and sometimes it’s just a matter of personal taste.

I get a lot of requests to make flashy winter arrangements.  The other day while placing the one millionth glittery gold pine cone in a custom order I realized I really wasn’t feeling it.  I wasn’t excited about what I was creating, and in a creative world that’s everything.  So I spent the remainder of the day making arrangements that are what I would call beautiful.  Not to knock anyone who likes the glitz and glam, but to me I want to look at natural elements.  Give me birch logs over painted twigs, give me rosehips instead of Christmas balls. Give me a sugar cone over those glittery pine cones any day.  I want my arrangements to reflect a walk in the woods, or a weekend spent at a log cabin.  I like them to look Canadian.  I guess I’m just a o’natural kinda girl.

Here are my latest arrangement.  I followed my heart and instead of the trend.

Sublime Photograhy curtiousy of Andrew Lane

Christmas Creations

Just thought I'd share a few of my newest creations.

I have to apologize for the poor picture quality.  It was difficult to find a good back drop. 

The Holiday Home Tour

This year I participated in the London Holiday Home Tour. What is the Holiday Home Tour?  It's an annual fundraiser that benefits the Thames Valley Children’s Auxiliary.

Basically, local interior, floral and garden designers volunteer their time to gussy up five beautiful homes.  The homes are then opened to the masses to enjoy. 

I was chossen to work on the all the outdoor seasonal arrangements for one of the homes.  This home was a complete dream to work with –it was absolutely gorgeous before I even arrived!  

I flattered to have been part of the tour.  It was a lot of fun.  I'm already planning my creations for the 2011 tour!

Dancing Blues

Before

After

It’s so nice to work with a blank canvas, and I’m sure Pat Sutton would agree.  Whereas  Pat uses paints to do her works of art, I work in shrubs and perennials.  The same elements and principles of design still apply to both.

We went with a cool colour palete to complement the warm tone of the brick.  The Blue Fescue Grass is a gorgeous cool tone, Blaaw Juniper has contorted blue-green foliage, the Dappled Willow sports its bluish green and white leaves, and even the Variegated Sedum has a blue cast.  To emphasize the blue, I introduced one of my favourite perennials, Rudbeckia, to provide a bright pop of yellow across the front.  You may think it’s odd to bring a hue that is nearly opposite on the colour wheel, however it truly does draw attention to how blue everything else is.  It’s kind of like how you don’t notice how red something is until you put green beside it. 

Pat’s neighborhood is situated on top a very large hill, and you can often feel a good breeze even on a hot day.  Because of this I wanted to add the element of movement.  Both the Karl Forester Grasses and long graceful stems of the Dappled Willow sway in the gentle wind, almost dancing.