Fall Finds...

 You know the saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure?"  Turns out it also goes something like this, "One chick's compost is another's centerpiece."  I spent a bunch of time pruning and cleaning out flower beds today and couldn't help but notice the awesome shape and form that some of the plants, sans blooms, still had.  This is the fun little bunch I gathered.  I'm hoping to work them into some centerpieces.  Check back on Friday...I am going to start a "Friday Fancy" post.  What better way to share what I've been working on (or make sure I actually create something each week!)

(Painted flip-flops and socks-sure to be all the rage Spring '11.  You can say you saw it here first.)

Business Cards

My business cards came in yesterday.  I love the vine, but not at all crazy about how the font and text size turned out.  Oh, well...they'll get the job done!  The good news is, I only ordered 100, and what with the land-office business I'll be doing, they'll go fast.  (Wishful thinking, anyways!)

Because that's what friends are for....

That's what I am singing right now.  Why?  Not only do I have awesome pictures to share, I have the very best friends!  Every girl should be as lucky as I am to have such wonderful friends!  Friends like Amy, who encourages and cheerleads when I wonder if I'm capable, who cares for my kids like her own when I need a few hours, who doesn't mind me showing up on her doorstep with a new bouquet in hand every few days requiring photography services.....

My Camera Stinks!

The kiddos cooperated and actually went right to sleep tonight.  So what to do??  I had a bucket of the last blooms of the year (boo for frost!) and decided to make, what else, a hand-tied bouquet for a non-existent bride/bridesmaid.  And then in every effort to share my little creation with my faithful blog followers (all three of you girls...wink!), of course I should take some great pictures.  And hence the title of this post.  Ok, very small rant...my camera stinks!  But then again, how could I expect it to be anything other when it is an archaic. We're talking a 4 whopping megapixels.  It is high time for a new camera.  So, here then here is a lousy pictures of what actually is a very lovely bouquet. (Well, I think it's lovely anyhow! The colors look really wierd in this shot.)  With any luck, I can bride my good pal to snap a few shots tomorrow.  (Notice how all of the other pictures on this blog are better than the ones I posted tonight?  That's because I bribed her with flowers to use her superior camera and clever photography to take them!) I suppose I also really ought to start camera shopping tomorrow too...

Hand-tied bouquet with dahlias, zinnias and sweet pea vines. 

Fall Centerpieces

These are a couple of arrangement I put together a few days ago.  It has been a blast to see just what I can do using only what I have grown/pick.  Both centerpieces have sunflowers, sage, cherry tree leaves, and sedum from my yard/garden.  The top arrangement is also sporting some locally harvested rose hips.  (That crazy girl wearing a skirt and boots, standing in the brush by the railroad tracks...that may or may not have been me...it's hard to tell....). I've decided I am going to start traveling with my clippers in the car.  There is so much cool stuff around right now!  (After digging that thorn out of my finger, I've also decided gloves might be a good option for my covert brush picking trips!)

Looking Back...

I was flipping through pictures and came across my lovely friend Amber on her wedding day!  This is the bouquet I designed for her.  All of the flowers are straight from the garden; hydrangeas, sweet peas and sedum. Simple and sweet!

A logo and tags (and a boring account)!

It was a good day today!  Open a business account-check!  Create a logo-got it! Create tags for merchandise-done!  (Am I the only one who uses red marker to check things off my "To-do" list?!) 

(Thank you, Miss Mustard Seed, for the idea and the step-by-step how to!  Copying is the greatest form of flattery....right?)

60th Anniversary Celebration

Twig and Vine designed it's first "event" flowers last week!  My good friend, Amy, contacted me about arranging centerpieces for her parents 60th anniversary luncheon.  Luckily, the weather has been kind and I was able to complete the order using primarily what I had in the garden.  (For the sake of the corsage and boutinere, we added one bunch of mums and a two bunches of carnations.)  My goal for Twig and Vine is to use as many locally grown flowers and greens as possible.  When I say local, I really mean local...as in from my flower beds and cutting garden!

Arrangement for the dessert table.

One of the six centerpieces.  These featured some unique garden fare including dahlias, sedum, sage, and cherry tree leaves, and of course a few of the purchased mums.

Cheers to Walt and Lorrine!  60 years....amazing!

The corsage included dahlia buds, sedum, sage, boxwood and purchased carnations.

A few lessons I learned from this order.....

1. My kitchen is big enough to double as a florist shop.
2. A 3 year old can play with one piece of florist wire for approximately 45 minutes.

3.  If you run out of hot glue and are in a real pickle, you can force the last few drops out with a pencil.

 4.  My youngest doesn't mind what I'm arranging or how long it takes, so long as he has a bird's eye view. (I have a feeling I am going to be increasingly thankful for our Kelty backpack over the next few months!)

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From a seed...

Twig and Vine is growing from a little seed that was planted years ago when I worked for a florist in my hometown.  It's an idea that I've come back to in various forms over the years as I've designed friend's wedding flowers, gardened, and decorated my home.  It's taken a while to take root, but I think it's time has come.  And so...away I go!  The whole idea behind blogging my little adventure is to share what it's like to start a small business and, hopefully, inspire with lots of pictures and how-to's.  (And of course there is also that matter of drumming up business.)  Check back tomorrow...I'll have pictures of my first event, a lovely 60th Anniversary luncheon!