Flowers are Always a Good Idea

Hey there, it's Cally!  Welcome to Summer!

It has really heated up here in Cincinnati and all that warm weather and sunshine is the perfect combo for GORGEOUS blooms at local Farmer’s Markets and my never-ending love affair with Trader Joe’s flower department.  With that in mind, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about flower arranging!

Last month’s blog post featured Derby Style fashion. Big hats, fun dresses, and an excuse for heels and high roller impersonation? Done.

Here's a picture of my husband and I ready for our friend’s annual Derby Party!

I crafted my hat at a local Gild Collective party.

If you aren't familiar with Gild Collective, they are a company that provides in- home craft nights.  A local brew pub where I live was having a Gild party to assemble Derby hat's which was right up my alley.  Gild parties are a super fun no- prep way to have friends over and enjoy a night in.  Check them out for your next Girls Night!  Amy recently held one where we did string art.  You may remember it from this post.

For me, the Derby party was even more exciting as I was asked to do the flowers arrangements.   My hostess with the most-est friend, Meredith, knows about my little ‘Happy Hobby’ and asked for my help. Color scheme in hand, off to Trader Joe’s I went!

The race is called the “Run for the Roses.” How amazing was the plan to use Bourbon bottles as vases for her bar?!

And here are the flowers for the buffet.

To say there is a wide variety of food is an understatement. The endless bite sized buffet never disappoints. See that silver tray on the bottom right…Hot Brown Bites, my personal favorite!
Meredith does small event catering, her company is Little Bits, here locally. She comes with my highest of personal recommendations!

Next up on my ‘Happy Hobby” list, flowers for a double baby shower my friend Kate was hosting. Her cousins (and sisters!) are expecting within weeks of each other. Kate graciously flew in from Boston to host their “You are my Sunshine” themed shower. Would I do the flowers?
You know where to find me…

Hi, Trader Joe’s flower aisle!

The warm tones of a summer sunset were easy to replicate with various roses, carnations, and puffy white hydrangeas.

And that cake table?! I can’t deal with the perfection.

But the REAL REASON my ‘Happy Hobby’ was so exciting this month, our planned girls ‘crafty hour’ at The Marmalade Lily in Loveland, OH.

This absolutely amazing space hosts Flower Bar Fridays on the last Friday of the month. For a fee, you receive a bucket of freshly grown flowers and instruction on how to arrange. Just bring your own vase! Or in my case…teapot.

Pulling off the main road onto this incredible property transports your entire being into relaxation mode. Joined by 3 of my gal pals, we were greeted by the lovely owner and her daughter, a table with refreshments and cupcakes (yum!), a bucket of beautiful freshly grown flowers, and tools of the trade.  This was the best first night of summer I could have asked for!

Here we are! Amazing how unique all our arrangements ended up isn’t it? I love to see how flowers can take on the personality of the creator who is arranging them. We all seem to see something different even when viewing the same stems.

My arrangement is still going strong in my kitchen! My favorite element is the green Lemon Leaves. It’s the simple things right?

Flowers just always bring me delight. What kind of hobby inspires you?

Stay Cozy,

Cally

Thank you for joining us today, Cally!

You can read more about our Guest Contributor, Cally here.

To life feeling like home!

XO,