Mothers’ Day 2012

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Paulette Salvia

One of the most special holidays of the year is the day we devote to our mothers to impart how very special they are to us.  In recognition of a lifetime of sacrifice, love, guidance and friendship, we usually honor our mothers with a special gift.  The most popular trend is flowers, and many chose to send silk floral arrangements as a lasting reminder of their appreciation.

We would like to share with you a few of the silk floral arrangements our customers chose:

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Don’t wait for a special day to share your feelings with your Mom.  Let her know everyday how much you appreciate her!

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FTD Presents the Jane Seymour Collection

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Paulette Salvia

It was shortly before Valentine’s Day that I gazed into the window of a local florist.  On display was a dozen red roses with baby’s breath.  Since red roses are in great demand on this holiday, I peeked in the doorway for a closer look and found myself shocked to realize that these roses were silk/artificial.  While Floral Creations by Design have been selling silk floral arrangements for two years now, this was this first time I had seen an actual florist selling silk flowers.

It was just a matter of time for the florist industry to realize what we have known all along.  Silk florals last a very long time with little or no maintenance. They come in all styles and designs and can be custom designed to suit your preference. This is a formula that agrees with so many people.  We all find it sad to watch a cut bouquet or arrangement die.

The Jane Seymour Collection is an exceptional quality line that is reflected in the cost.  It is a treat in itself just to watch their video.  You may even watch it twice :)

If you enjoy my blog, I receive my inspiration at the local Dairy Queen. Your tip, however small, will keep those creative juices flowing ;-D

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Translucent Rose Beauty

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Paulette Salvia

COMMENTARY BY: Paulette Salvia

In keeping with Valentine’s Day, the above YouTube video by westtechphoto is an inspiring look at the beauty of roses from the perspective of their translucence.  The rose is the most symbolic flower for Valentine’s Day although many designers incorporate other flowers which serve to accent the rose.

Roses are the number one gift for valentine’s day and although you can find many different lists on the web as to the exact meaning of the color of the rose you have chosen, it is my belief that the varieties of colors of roses can be enjoyed by all without any imposed meaning.   Today the quality of high-end silk roses make it almost impossible to perceive that they are not real.  Manufacturers have improved on their processes and are providing suppliers with incredible life-like flowers.

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Home Staging May Be the Next Best Way to Sell Your Home By Judith R Arkes

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Paulette Salvia

Twenty five years ago, most Interior Designers specialized either in redecorating or designing interiors for home and office. However, the real estate industry partnered with the Interior Designers to create a new decorating niche, Home Staging. This has become an integral part of selling homes.

Years ago, I was in a Home Goods store in suburban Chicago. I met three women looking to find green lamps for a young girl’s bedroom. They were on a budget since they were “home stagers” I watched how they searched out the store’s inventory to find the right lamp or picture to stage the home that they were working on. Years ago, I had my own business as an Interior Accessory Designer. My specialty was helping the client choose the pieces to finish a room. So I found it fascinating and informative watching these ladies work.

Home Staging is now a part of the real estate lingo. Although I have heard the term passing in years, I never heard of anyone who actually used this service. I was surprised to learn Continue reading →

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Ikebana – The Way of Japanese Flower Arranging By Joshua M. Smith, Ph.D.

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Paulette Salvia

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Sometimes it is also referred to as “Kado,” or “The Way of Flowers.”

From Childhood my wife Satomi has informally learned Ikebana from her mother, who is a licensed Ikenobo-style teacher, and continues to take lessons with her teacher in Fukui, Japan.

This traditional art is a way of displaying flowers and interior decorating similar to western flower arrangement. However, it is unique and different in the following ways:

Minimalistic:

Unlike western flower arrangement, which emphasizes color, volume, and full-bloomed flowers, Japanese flower arrangement appreciates a lack of color, empty space, and other areas of the plant, such as its stems and leaves.

The beauty is to be expressed with a minimal number of blooms. In other words, it has to be “Just Enough,” but not “Too Much.” Here is an example of the “minimalist” approach:

Representations of Nature:

This serene art form aims to bring raw nature into your room. Therefore, it uses seasonal materials, several different types of plants, and various parts of the flowers and plants in one arrangement. The ultimate Ikebana experience would be to climb a mountain and use the materials you collected on the mountain to represent that scenery in your room. This is an art that reflects the connection between nature, humans, and creativity. Continue reading →

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“Thankful For” Leaf Bouquet By Dave A Murphy

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Paulette Salvia

Now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, what better time to examine the things for which we are most thankful? And what better or craftier way to show it than by creating a “Thankful for” leaf bouquet? With a few inexpensive items, you can turn this craft into something the whole family can not only share in, but also create together. Continue reading →

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How to Make Paper Flowers

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Paulette Salvia

Paper flowers are perfect accents to so many things. As shown here in this video, the paper flower completes the wrapping for the present. Paper flowers can also be used in different sizes for party decorations. Just attach string or a ribbon and suspend from the ceiling. Adorning chair backs is another great use for paper flowers. Imagination plus paper flowers can open up a host of ideas for you in planning your decorations.

If you enjoy my blog, I receive my inspiration at the local Dairy Queen. Your tip, however small, will keep those creative juices flowing ;-D

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Silk Flowers and Cool Crafts

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Paulette Salvia

As the weather turns cooler and you spend more time indoors, are you looking for a few ways to express your creativity?  Silk flower petals offer fun and easy ways to engage in imaginative and productive crafts.

Make silk flower string lights. Start with a working strand of little white lights and a bunch of silk flowers in colors that work pleasantly together. Carefully take the flower apart until you’re left with just a few petals toward the bottom of the bud. Using a glue gun, attach the silk petals to the cord in the spacing between the lights. Take caution that the fabric doesn’t come in direct contact with the light. When you finish, you’ll have a custom-made, affordable string of delightful flower lights for entertaining or just to liven up that certain corner in your favorite room.

Make a silk flower coin purse. Start with an old coin purse. Don’t worry if the fabric is old since it will be covered with the silk petals. Make sure the snap or closure is in working order. Choose a stemmed silk flower like a rose or tulip.  Dismantle the flower completely so you have a big stack of petals with which to work. One at a time, using fabric glue, secure the bottom part of each petal to the purse in an over-lapping fish-scale pattern. You can choose to use just one color or make the coin purse multi-colored.  Another option would be to make one row one color, the second row a different color, and alternate between the two colors. When you’ve finished applying petals in layers all over the purse, you can add a pretty matching ribbon around the edges, or a small bow at the top and voila, you have now created a unique, one-of-a-kind silk flower coin purse.

Make a silk flower brooch. Flower pins are still making the fashion pages!  You will find them on hats, belts, sweaters, blouses, jackets and purses. This is an easy project that is not expensive or time consuming!  You may have an old pin you don’t use in your jewelry box, or you can buy pin-backs at craft stores or on-line. Take the heads of a few silk flowers, on the smaller side, that look well together and will be small enough when bunched together so as to fit on the lapel of a jacket. Using both hot glue and a little stitch here and there, pull your faux flowers together into a pleasant arrangement and glue the pin-back onto the back of your festive bouquet. Wait until dry and wear it with a satisfied smile, knowing you’ve created something unique and lovely.

Once you start working with silk flowers, you will find yourself coming up with numerous ideas for other uses. If you store a supply of silk flowers at home, it is best if you stand them up in a container for future use.  This will help prevent them from becoming crushed and wrinkled.

If you enjoy my blog, I receive my inspiration at the local Dairy Queen. Your tip, however small, will keep those creative juices flowing ;-D

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PAPER FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Paulette Salvia

Hope you enjoy this Guest article by Trudy Pfeiffer as submitted to Ezine Articles!

WHAT ARE PAPER PUNCH FLOWERS by Trudy Pfeiffer

Are you someone who’s always on the lookout for unique and interesting ways to decorate greeting cards? If so then learning the art of creating Paper Punch Flowers may just be what you’ve been searching for.

If you’ve been paper crafting for a while then it’s likely you’ve accumulated a few paper punches amongst your collection of tools. But do you know how to transform those flat pieces of paper punch-out shapes into intricate, three-dimensional flowers that can be used to create beautiful floral decorations for greeting cards and home decor?

With a few inexpensive tools, the right punch shapes and some easily learnt techniques those small paper shapes can be molded and assembled into stunning three-dimensional paper flowers. Hence was born the name Paper Punch Flowers.

Paper Punch Flowers can be use as a stand alone flower or grouped together as borders or in bouquets to decorate handmade greeting cards, framed artwork for your wall, or home decor projects. Some of the low profile flowers like daisies can be used in scrapbook projects but generally the height of the 3 dimensional flowers would cause them to get damaged when folded up in an album.

The paper flowers are made by taking one or more of the paper punch-outs and by using various molding, shaping, cutting, twisting and gluing techniques each piece is shaped so that when the layers are assembled a three-dimensional flower is created.

Punch shape combinations can also be layered in decreasing sizes starting with a larger punch shape at the base of the flower and assembling to end with a smaller punch shape often resembling the stamen of the flower. This ever decreasing layering effect is what you see in nature, and so paper punch flowers can resemble life-like flowers.

Flowers can be created by using just one punch shape or multiple shapes and sizes which when used together create even more intricate and stunning life-like paper flowers.

One of the great things about the techniques used in making a Paper Punch Flower is that a single punch shape can be used to make up many different flowers this is great news for the economically minded crafter. When you combine paper colors and color combinations, molding and shaping techniques plus the addition of embellishments and sparkle, you can potentially make hundreds of different flowers from a single punch shape – a shape that you may already have sitting in your cupboard!

So when you begin making Paper Punch Flower you don’t need to go out and buy all the punch shapes you can find, just 1 well chosen shape like a daisy, rose or sun shape will do to get you started. But if you want to create seriously stunning floral bouquets, then I would suggest investing in around 4 to 6 floral punch shapes of several size combinations together with a complementary leaf punch shape.

Grab your set of free ready to print and decorated greeting card templates at http://paperpunchflowers.com the home of where you can learn the art of creating 3 Dimensional Paper Punch Flowers from the comforts of your own home, including over 3 1/2 hours of comprehensive step by step online video tutorials and projects to get you started.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trudy_Pfeiffer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6593037

If you enjoy my blog, I receive my inspiration at the local Dairy Queen. Your tip, however small, will keep those creative juices flowing ;-D

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Eclectic Silk Floral Arrangements

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Paulette Salvia

This florist in the UK shares a visual gallery of chic silk floral arrangements. This is a testament to the theory that a floral arrangement can be simplistic in nature yet stunning to perceive.

As you can see, the trend is leaning toward groupings and clusters. You can expect to see more of these types of silk floral arrangements in the future!

If you enjoy my blog, I receive my inspiration at the local Dairy Queen. Your tip, however small, will keep those creative juices flowing ;-D

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