Weekend Preview

We have had another amazing week here at La Fleur Vintage.  We have met with too many new brides to count and booked several new weddings.  Our walk in customers are ordering flowers, and we have two weddings to complete tomorrow.  We will look forward to sharing with you the professional photographs in a couple of weeks.  Until then, here are several photos to show some real beauty.  Have a wonderful weekend. 

Garden Roses, Hydrangea, Stock, Orchids, Dahlias, Ranunculus, and Anemones.

Another soft, but more rustic bouquet of Dahlias, Roses, Scabiosa, Solidago, Misty Blue Statice, Ranunculus, Rosemary, Burplurum, Privet Berries, Eucalyptus and Astrantia. I love the soft colors!

Expert Advice From Elizabeth

Preventing an Orange Mess

Lilies are stunning, are they not? And the smell....  The one downside to bringing these beautiful, and showy flowers into your home is the pollen. As the flower opens so do the stamens, exposing pollen for the wind, insects and animals to carry off for pollination.

While it's good that the pollen is spread to other plants for pollination, it is not good for it to spread to the petals, your hands or your tablecloth. To prevent the pollen from staining everything it touches orange, remove the stamens. Watch for closed blooms to open, and grab the stamens as soon as possible.

Lilium longiflorum flower – 1. Stigma, 2. Style, 3. Stamens, 4. Filament, 5. Tepal

If you find that the pollen has already dropped onto the petals, there is one trick that will remove most of the pollen, and leave very little staining. Do not use a wet paper towel! The best tool is a pipecleaner. Fold the pipecleaner in half. Using the folded end, gently drag it toward the outside, from the center, over the pollen. Voila!

Flowers in Season October 23-29

The Pansy

Viola Wittrockiana

Pansies represent the THOUGHTS of lovers, shared before a word is spoken.

Named for the French word for "thought" (pensee), the pansy was said to be a charmed flower, possessing a telepathic magic. Attending to the plucked bloom, you could hear your lover's thoughts.

Familiarly called johnny-jump-ups, pansies were widely culitvated in the nineteeth century. A perfect pansy, it was thought, had a deep clear color, and circular skirt, a verigated fringe, and a single, bright, central eye.

-The Meaning of Flowers. Myth, Language & Lore by Gretchen scoble and Ann Fields

Changing Season

I'm not yet ready to let myself believe that the hot weather is over, but there is definitely a change in the air, and. Hot or not, fall is here. Daylight Savings Time is almost over :( but change is always good. We just did some much needed rearranging of the store, bringing in some new vintage furniture and welcomed our first holiday friends.

Below are some photos, but they don't do it justice. Come on in to see us.

We moved all of our design and gift books to one area that includes our new antique tea table.

This great new side table holds our selection of PAKs.

Nouvelle candles are displayed on our new bookshelf, and Caspari napkins and hand towels fill this precious dresser. Too bad I don't have room to take it home.

Our new pair of Bentwood chairs.

Meet our new little friends. They have such adorable faces.

Flowers in Season October 16-22

The Calendula

Also called the Marigold

CALENDULA OFFICIALIS, MARIGOLD

Ardent, bittersweet, true, the marigold lifts its bloom to the sun year round-its little lover, some call it.

In England, they were first called "golds." In the Middle Ages, they came to adorn the Virgin Mary and afterward bore her name. "Open afresh your round of starry folds," wrote Keats, "Ye ardent marigolds."

In Victorian flower language, through, the marigold referred to greif or cruetly. Its botanical name, Calendula, means "a bloom a month"

-The Meaning of Flowers. Myth, Language & Lore by Gretchen scoble and Ann Fields 

Halloween Photo Shoot

After I posted the Black Flower Inspiration Board we were contacted by a darling photographer, Paige Newton. Check out her site! Tomorrow we are collaborating on a Halloween Photo Shoot. Take a look at the stunning flowers we will be using.

"Black Cat" Dendrobium Orchids

Schwartzwalder Mini Calla Lilies

Chocolate Cosmos

Castor Oil Seed Pods

Chocolate Dahlias

"Black Baccara" Roses

Add to these some amazing Fountain Grass, Purple Artichokes, Black Aspidistra Leaves, and Matte Black Ball Jars and we've got the beginning of a stunning and creepy Halloween set up. I'll post some shots from the shoot tomorrow.

Sneak Peek

Here are a couple photos from tomorrows wedding at Flat Creek Estate.

 

The lovely bride will be carrying this small Cascade Bouquet of Hydrangea, Kale, Bouvardia, Scabiosa, Dendrobium Orchids, Queen Anne's Lace, Ranunculus, Lisianthus, Mini Calla Lilies, Scabiosa Pods, Wheat, Mini Pittosporum, Jasmine, and Hanging Amaranthus.

Her tables will feature this wonderful Fall Centerpieces complete with turning Maple Leaves.

We can't wait to see how everything looks at the vineyard! Check back for more photos.

Relaxed Texas Wedding: At the Flat Creek Estate

I am getting so excited today about the beautiful wedding this weekend La Fleur Vintage is so lucky to be a part of.

The wedding will be held at the beautiful Flat Creek Estate Vineyard.

The flowers will consist of  whites and greens including:





White Hydrangea



Scabiosa Pods
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Can't wait to show you the photos soon!

Flowers in Season October 9-15

The Dahlia

DAHLIA 'RIP CITY' (INFORMAL DECORATIVE)

The dahlia suggests the instability of perfect beauty.

In the gardens of the Aztecs, the conquistadors found the dahlia, a jewel of the Amercias. When it was sent back to Spain, they made a holiday in its honor, the Day of the Dahlia. Some dahlias bear flowers more than a foot across.

For all its glory, the dahlia was touchy in the northern gardens and often would not survive. So the English flower code books called the dahlia fickle. In Europe, the dahlia became, nonetheless, an expensive and fashionable flower.

The tuber of the dahlia is a sweet fruit, eaten as a treat in the Americas, where the Aztecs called it cocoxochitl (co-COX-oh-cheetle).

-The Meaning of Flowers. Myth, Language & Lore by Gretchen scoble and Ann Fields 

Flower of the Week

We couldn't resist these "Pink Piano" David Austin Garden Roses  at market yesterday. It's clear why some people refer to them as Cabbage Roses; so many petals and that cute round shape. The recipient of these roses is very lucky.

Black Flowers and Vases

OOOooooo.....    Spooky Flowers.

We're getting ready for the holiday season here at La Fleur Vintage, and we realized that an often forgotten holiday in the flower world is Halloween. Check out some of the amazing Black Flowers and Vases that would lend themselves perfectly to a spooky costume party this year.

Black vases from CB2, Black Pansies, a Bat Plant 'Tacca Chantrieri', Jonathan Adler "Druggist Jars," Black Hollyhock, a "Queen of the Night" Tulip, a "Black Out" Iris, "Vase of Phase" Vases by Dror Benshetrit, and a Black Bearded Protea.

Congratulations Lauren and Stuart!

This past weekend was a very busy one at La Fleur Vintage. We had two weddings that could not have been more different, or more beautiful. Check out photos I took on my phone from Lauren and Stuart's wedding.



One of the bridesmaid bouquets which included Stock, Ranunculus, Roses, Godetia, Sweet Peas, Scented Geranium, Eucalyptus and Succulents.

A Succulent, Coxcomb, and Herb Boutonierre with Turqoise Ribbon.

Three Garlands of Pink, Red, and Coral Carnations with dozens of Turquoise, Pink, and Red ribbon adorned the Ceremony site, two beautiful trees over looking the Sunset.

Long family style tables, with lace overlays, and a mix of bottles, jars, potted Succulents.

Lauren and Stuart selected Three Points Ranch for their wedding, perfect for the Rustic, Vintage Themed wedding.

Sweet last minute additions to the table included these darling little Birds.

We will post the professional photos as soon as we have them. We cannot wait!!!

Flower Cone DIY!

We put these little flower cones together last week using Birch bark and plastic champagne flutes:

Tribeza Style Week 2011

This year Tribeza asked us to put together a few arrangements for Style Week!

To fit with the fashion week theme we created these handbag flower arrangements: