Real Wedding. Heather and Andy. Mountain Springs Lake Resort. August 18th, 2012 by Karma Flowers

This past August we had the pleasure of designing the flower arrangements for a rustic wedding at the Mountain Springs Lake Resort. I met Heather and Andy earlier in the year and they had a very distinct and precise vision from the start. Both are nature enthusiasts and they seized the opportunity to celebrate that love from their ceremony {with a nature inspired gazebo we adorned with curly willow and birch trees} to the reception {and the terrarium style centerpieces}.  Heather, a daisy lover, wanted to be surrounded by the simple white flower throughout her day. We set out to to infuse their personalities into the design with the shape and structure of the bouquets and the uniqueness of the centerpieces.  This couple really had a knack for detail. Everything from the trial mix bar to the birch log seating plan concept was a complete success.

All pictures were taken by Matthew Douglas Photography.

The bride loved the idea of incorporating her family members and friends that had passed, onto her bouquet but was looking for something different than the small pictures attached to the bouquet wrap. So instead, Karma Flowers had her burlap ribbon hand-stamped with the names of those she had lost. We think it turned out amazingly well and it was a subtle, yet personal tribute to those who could not be with her on her very special day. 

Andy also wanted something a little different for his boutonniere {and his groomsmen's boutonnieres}. Karma Flowers used ostrich and pheasant feathers and fishing hooks to create a look suitable for a avid fisherman. 

The delightful wooden tags were done by Calligraphy by Allison.

Congrats Heather and Andy!

Pumpkin Decorating Class at Kanibal Home by Karma Flowers

We had a fantastic craft class last night at Kanibal Home in Jersey City. Over 15 people came out to flex their non-traditional faux-pumpkin decorating skills and we had a blast. I demonstrated 3 techniques...painting with an ombre effect, decoupaging images, and taping out a chevron pattern and these crafters took it to a whole other level. You must check out these f-umpkins!

Works of art! Be sure to subscribe to the blog to learn about our craft classes with Kanibal Home and check out the shop at 213 Montgomery Street in Jersey City or online.

Incorporating the Color Blue into your Fall Decor. by Karma Flowers.

Martha Stewart

I was recently in the company of the shop owner of Twine, a fabulously curated and crafted home, holiday and lifestyle shop in Hopewell, NJ {my new most favorite town}. We happened to be talking about the holidays and she declared, 

"Since when is purple a Halloween color? Someone just decided it was and so it is."

And it got be thinking. Being a lover of interior and event design, I take my holiday decorating very seriously. Part of my mission is to always step outside the realm of tradition when it comes to decorating for Halloween and Christmas...why not introduce new colors to the season? Dave and I joked as we picked pumpkins with our young son last weekend {as we tried to find a pumpkin in the perfect shade of peach} that Charlie will moan when he is older that we never had a traditional orange pumpkin growing up because it doesn't match the decor of the living room. In any case, I did a little research and discovered I am not the only one thinking this way.

One of the most satisfying departures from the ordinary I saw for the fall decor palette was the introduction  

of the color blue. For some reason, I am totally smitten with the idea of a blue pumpkin. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62183309/blue-pumpkin-photo-waiting-to-be-turned

It turns out there really are blue pumpkins, most often called Australian Blue Pumpkins and they are fairly easy to find on farms in New Jersey. Who would have thought? I adore the idea of bringing the color blue into this season's decor whether it be in the pumpkins themselves, your linens, or ribbons. Try it. You may love it as much as I do.

Etsy

In fact, you can even incorporate into your meal plans! I thought I would include a recipe for some Blue Pumpkin Soup...perfect for these crisp fall days.

Enjoy.

Recipe is from Happiness.Stuff and Nonsense.

blue pumpkin soup

Grab these:
I brown onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Half a medium Queensland Blue pumpkin, or a whole butternut pumpkin, skin removed, cut in chunks
1 large potato, peeled, cut in chunks
1 orange sweet potato, peeled, cut in chunks
1 cup chicken or veggie stock
water

Do this:
1. In a soup pot, gently fry the onion and garlic in some olive oil until soft. If you are adding any spices, throw them in at this point to release the flavour.
2. Throw in the veggies and swish in a fancy way with a spoon. Add the stock and cover the lot with water. Bring to to boil, then pop the lid on and reduce to simmer.
3. Grab a glass of wine and let that baby simmer until the pumpkin and its mates are nice and soft. Each time you refill your glass, check to see if the water needs topping up, too.
4. Whizz with a stick blender. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and lashings of black pepper. And crusty bread. Oh, and wine, if there is any left.

Real Wedding Anniversary. Happy Year One Matt and Candice! by Karma Flowers.

Better late then never! One of our favorite couples, Matt and Candice Powers, celebrated their one year anniversary on Monday {October 8th}. We want to wish them continued martial bliss and all the happiness in the world. They are honestly one of the most free-spirited, fun loving couples we ever met and we hope that never changes!

Matt and Candice's wedding still remains one of our favorites. From the ceremony with the crane screen we created in Powerhouse Arena, to the eclectic reception space at reBar in Brooklyn...all of the details came together to embrace the love this couple has for one another {the Jenny Packham dress, Matt's dapper suit, the signature drinks, unconventional seating arrangement, postcard guest book, mustaches and lip photo props and of course the flowers made exclusively from baby's breath, billy balls, and a ranunculus or two}.

All of the pictures are from the amazing Jessica Lavoie Photography.

Flea Market Flip. The Karma Flowers and Trunk Team on HGTV. By Karma Flowers

Over the summer Dave and I had the opportunity to shoot a little show for HGTV called Flea Market Flip. Hosted by Lara Spencer, two teams compete to flip flea market finds for big money. We spent three long days filming our TV adventure and couldn't have had more fun doing it. We were surrounded by an incredibly talented cast and crew and we learned so much about ourselves as designers and as partners.

The show finally airs this Friday, October 12th at 9:30 pm EST. We do hope you will watch! {and there is a new episode on at 9:00 pm, right before us that I am sure will be worth tuning into as well}.

a little behind the scenes shot at the Brooklyn Flea with the cast and crew

Real Wedding. Kelly and Mark, July 2012, Bayonet Farms. by Karma Flowers

We can't share too many details of this one just yet, but we lucky enough to receive some awesome photos of Kelly and Mark at their July wedding at Bayonet Farms in Holmdel, NJ. . .that's right...this was in NJ! See brides, you don't have to be in Southern California to step outside the traditional wedding venue.  

Kim from Lulu's Inspirations Event Design was the planner that pulled this joyous occasion together and you can find the photographer, Fernando Colon, and his amazing work here.

Kelly asked for a mix of really fun protea, dahlia, billy balls, succulents, aster and other seasonal wildflowers for the bouquets and tablescapes.

Enjoy.