Inspired Design Notes

What is a Drop-In Bouquet?

We’ve been talking about the trend in drop-in bouquets and they are being shown in all the shelter magazines, but what does it mean?  In some cases it is nothing more than taking a bunch of flowers and placing them in a vase with very little artful thinking or process.  In its most beautiful sense, it is placing flowers in a vase without using floral foam, or other mechanic such as chicken wire, a frog, kenzan or tape to create an art piece.  It is a particularly good way to create designs in glass vases because there are no unsightly mechanics showing when it is complete.  While this method has its advantages, without a mechanic to hold the stems in place as they are being arranged, it can also be much more difficult.  Flipping through some of the current home magazines will provide a multitude of ideas for ways to use this style of design.

Design Classes at House of Design "Renew, Reuse, Recycle"

For years I’ve called this class, a favorite of mine, trash to treasure (not my originality, but I thank  whoever came up with it).  This year we re-titled it, in keeping with ‘green’ thinking, however the practice is still the same.  Our Mom was a master of it, as she worked to stretch the dollars.  I don’t think there was a bone in her body that wasn’t creative and she always had a project going we could share.  At the store we call my sister Liz the queen of recycling – we save everything for her (right down to the plastic pans the hot glue comes in for paint pans), which she then turns into something wonderful for ‘her’ kids at SERF.  So, I guess you might say “it runs in the family”.

There are so many ways we can renew, reuse, recycle; from how we mix up our accessories and repaint furniture, to creating treasure from ‘trash’ – it is mostly about how we perceive something and finding a new way to appreciate it.  Unless something is broken beyond recognition, I can usually come up with some wild idea for it.  Unfortunately, we have too many catastrophes around the store and there is an ample supply of ‘trash’.  You can see a few of our ideas here and check out the rest on our website, www.shophouseofdesign.com which will have ideas added as we create them.

Succulents: Real Vs Real Faux

    As so often is the case, I spot a container that instantly starts the pictures in my head rolling, and then I need to create a design with it.  Today a fabulous aluminum vase with very classic lines and a modern finish caught my eye.  I have ‘favorites’ – materials that for any of a multitude of reasons catch my fancy, and then I want to use in them in everything.  At the moment succulents are near the top of the list and after little deliberation, very little, I decided they would be perfect for this vase.
    Every year the industry creates more realistic faux flowers and botanicals.  Succulent plants are no exception.  Myriad species of succulents are available from small to huge.  Made from a variety of materials they even have the thick, fleshy leaves of their real counterparts.  Aloes, Hens and Chickens of all kinds (Echiverias), Kalanchoes, Paddle Plant, Donkey’s Tail, the list goes on. 
    They are easy to pot up in sand, just as you would a living one, or use dry foam to hold them in place.  The addition of rocks, driftwood, and/or lichens adds wonderful texture to designs.  The very best teacher for designing (planting) your succulent arrangements, is Mother Nature.  Study how they grow and ‘plant’ them in the same way.

    I haven’t had the opportunity to test them outside in full sun to determine how they will hold up, but summer is coming.  What I do know is, they come in a variety of materials, and those made predominately of plastic will most likely fair well in the sun for a while.  How long I don’t know, and as always, that comes with a caveat – only time will tell. 
    As with most everything price and quality are relative and what I find works well is mixing the less expensive with the more expensive, which often also adds greater texture to the design.  The addition of other gathered materials, such as a piece of lava, lichen, or gnarly wood can expand the design without adding to the price.
    We have a nice selection of unpotted succulents and lots of pretty containers to plant them in.  If you are looking for designs, we have several to choose from, or have us design one specifically suited to your home décor.

Pam to Kate:  Visit http://www.shophouseofdesign.com/html/succulents.html for more information on faux succulents and their use as well as to view of a few of HOD's extensive succulent collection