Color-Color-Color….a color for every sentiment!

 

 

Flowers and roses have been a great gift for centuries now. The tradition of giving flowers to: Moms, Wife, Husband, Friend, sister… etc has remained always a mystery of how it got into human cultural evolution in the first place. Many people say that it is because of the great look and smell flowers have. One of the most powerful facts which science has proved is that flower colors have a great impact on people with each color having its own representation and interpretation.

These days online flower delivery companies have made it very easy to order and deliver flowers. They put their flowers and arrangements into categories so you don’t get confused of what arrangement is suitable for your special occasion or holiday. In the occasion category, you find all the suitable flowers for Valentine’s Day in the Valentine’s Day section and so on. But if you really want to give good quality flowers to people you care about, you need to manually select your flowers in order to give them some personality. If you want to do so, here are some flower color meanings:

The white:

As you know, the white color represents: clarity, purity, innocence, peace and hope, that’s why most people like it. As white flowers are suitable for many occasions, you can send them to tell the other person that he OR she is pure and perfect. They can be combined with other colors such as red to represent an even more powerful feeling. My personal preference of white flowers is: Orchids and Roses.

Red:

This is probably the preferred color by most people especially if they want to express passion and energy. This color also represents especially: love, romance, desire, courage and beauty. It is suitable especially for relationships type of occasions like Valentine’s Day. Most of the red flowers given to sweethearts are roses, so make sure you take advantage of that.

Pink:

The pink color represents almost the same meaning of the red but with slight differences. Think of the red as the wild color for relationships and the pink as the gentle one. It represents: romance, innocent love, happiness, delicate, joy and youth. As you know pink it mostly for girls, so you can give it to them in almost any occasion whether it’s Valentine’s Day or birthday.

Yellow:

This is one of the most powerful and mood changing colors. It represents: joy, happiness, smile, new and of course friendship. I think by now you know exactly why we smile when we receive yellow flowers. This color is suitable especially for friend’s special occasions like: birthday, graduation or someone who is having a hard time as these flowers will cheer up anyone.

 

 

Flower Photography~ Let’s give it a go. Newbie welcome!

Photographing flowers is one of the most popular forms of photography and has always been a favorite because you can photograph flowers growing in the wild, flowers that are cultivated in greenhouses  and gardens or even photograph cut flowers and arrangements in a studio  environment.

You can use both conventional film and digital cameras for photographing flowers. You can also use any lens in flower photography, from the well known ultra-wide angle lens (17mm)  to the super-telephoto lens (300mm or 400mm). If you are a serious photographer and would like to get spectacular close-ups buy yourself a macro lens which will  enable you to get very close to your subject without distorting the picture.

A tripod is essential because it reduces the chance that you’ll get a blurry image. Many tripods, even when fully collapsed, are too high for photographing low growing flowers. That is why you need to get a tripod that allows you to get close to the ground. A special kind of tripod, called a tabletop tripod, is great for photographing small flowers and other objects.

Ideally, the lighting for photographing flowers should be a soft, diffused light of open shade or a cloudy day.  Because a flower photo can be very attractive when illuminated by flash, night photography can also be an option (for the more advanced photographer).  You will have to learn to be very patient, especially in windy conditions…

Be artistic and make use of unusual angles when you are photographing flowers, either indoors or outdoors. Try photographing the same flowers in early morning light and photograph them again in late afternoon light to see the different effects. Create a certain mood by using warming filters and add water droplets to the petal of your flower and give it that dewy, morning look. Also experiment with backlighting and try to highlight the transparency of the petals.

Remember that although most people love color photography, creative flower photography can also be in monochrome. Learn as much as you can about the different types of flowers to become successful in flower photography. A great place to go is your nearest Botanical gardens!

Floral Aromatherapy 101

I have candles burning in my home almost 24/7.  I just love trying different scents- floral or otherwise.  I am always amused by the candles that get a comment from my kids- they usually aren’t the ones I thought they would like. 

Aroma-therapy is a natural healing alternative which uses the power hidden in oils extracted from flowers, herbs, fruits other plants and even trees! Considered the essence or soul of the plant, essential oils provide a variety of therapeutic benefits. The benefits of burning aromatherapy candles may be experienced when essential oils are inhaled. Essential oils act on the olfactory  nerves which lead from the nose to the brain. Essential oils contain antibacterial properties and also may contain antibiotic, antiviral, and other therapeutic properties. Aromatherapy is holistic therapy for your mind, body, and spirit. Essential oils are organic and act in harmony with the body, providing well-being and balance. What’s not to love about it!

Flower Color Meanings – All Put Together Spell~ LOVE

 

Fun, Flirty and Fabulous Floating Centerpieces

 

A Fun DIY Project!

A floating flower centerpiece can be an elaborate creation with candles, ribbons, and exotic blossoms floating in a swimming pool–or as simple as a few flowers floating in a bowl of water or in wine glasses marching down the center of a table. As such, most floating flowers are meant to be seen from above. Whether you use real flowers or fake flowers the finished effect is magical.  I am partial to fake flowers because I take my them out of the water and air dry them on a tea towel and put them away until the next arrangement.  I find they hold up to a lot of usage.This is one of our favorite DIY projects right now.  We hunted down different shape bowls,  tall pillar glass jars, mason jars, glass “rocks”, water pearls and fake flowers, that we just cut the stems off, round mirrors,  also lots of votives to surround the bowl on the mirror  I usually use fake flowers from the Dollar Store.  For Valentines we found beautiful, glittery red roses that sparkled with the LED lights we put on the bottom, held down by our glass rocks.  We put floating red and white candle roses on top to really make the effect. Coordinate your colors so to make the most of the effect.

Real Flower Floaters

Flowers that have a broad base and are reasonably flat are the best for floating in water by themselves. Camellias, hollyhocks, gardenias, open roses, gerbera daisies and orchids are some of the best flowers for floating. More difficult are tube-shaped flowers such as lilies, tulips, and daffodils, or heavy flowers such as sunflowers. These have a tendency to sink after an hour or so. Cut the flower stem to an inch long. It will act as a stabilizer to keep the flower upright. Carefully place the flower in the water without getting water on the petals or in the center of the flower. The flowers can be floated in wine glasses, votive candle holders, and small bowls. A number of flowers may be floated in larger bowls or stemmed bowls. Flowers with floating candles make a stunning centerpiece. Float flowers in half-filled wine glasses  I use stemless wine glasses but any will work . Use the wine glasses to hold up a clear glass plate. Stack three to five shorter glasses with floating flowers on the glass plate. Add another glass plate with candles on top as the finishing touch.

 

 

Anything goes! Use your imagination, try different combinations. Just have fun with it!

 

 

Peonies = Happy Marriage!

The Secret Language of Flowers

My eldest daughter and her husbands best friends are getting married today!  They are both in the wedding party…..so I thought I would repost about our favorite wedding flower….the peony.

Peonies date to at least 1,000 B.C. These long-lived plants, some of which  are known to survive for as long as 100 years, are prized for their sturdy  foliage, lush blooms and sweet scent. Early American settlers brought peony  plants across the ocean and planted them on American soil to remind them of the homes  they had left behind.

Description

Peony blossoms come in shades of white,  cream, pink, rose and deep red;  yellow-flowered peonies are more rare. Obviously, I am partial to the pink peony! Although  they bloom only in late spring or early summer, their glossy leaves remain an  attractive backdrop to the perennial border throughout the growing season.  Plants are available in both herbaceous (meaning that the…

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Rosemary

Known as floriography, the language of flowers was extremely popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. The Victorian Age was a time of etiquette and social customs. Feelings that could not be expressed in words, could be expressed through gifts of flowers.

But the language of flowers originated long before Queen Victoria made it popular. Shakespeare uses a bit of floriography himself in his famous play “Hamlet”. Ophelia, insane after the death of her father, gives out meaningful flowers to her brother and the King and Queen in Act IV, Scene V:

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts…There’s fennel for you, and columbines: there’s rue for you; and here’s some for me: we may call it herb-grace o’ Sundays: O, you must wear your rue with a difference. There’s a daisy: I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died…”

A Few Flower Meanings

Flowery Baby Girl Names!

The Secret Language of Flowers

Flower names for girls are one of the trendiest categories of baby names today. Since my oldest is expecting her first baby we are spending a lot of time with baby name books.

First came Lily, one of the trendiest girls’ names of the nineties ~ my little Rosebud has a bff named Lily.  Then Daisy began showing up on the choicest babies.  Rose became the middle name du jour.  And flower names for girls, last a craze a hundred years ago, became the most fashionable group around.

I am compiling names for my pregnant daughter.  I’m hoping for a boy since I have soooo many girls but if she does have  girl here, is a rundown of the choicest flowery baby girl names:

THE TRENDIEST

Daisy — Charming and simple, Daisy started off as a nickname for Margaret, now more popular than the original.

Iris — Former dowdy old lady name revived when…

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