Impress your guests or wow your hostess with the ultimate 4th of July centerpiece - a fresh flower flag!

How To Make A Fresh Flower Flag

This flag can be made in many different sizes.

Choose a container that has a lip of at least one inch all around. Line the container with floral foam, cutting the foam to fit. Tape the foam into the tray using clear waterproof tape. If you plan to only use your floral flag as a flat centerpiece then taping isn’t necessary. Soak the floral foam thoroughly using regular tap water before inserting flowers.

I used red and white standard carnations and blue statice. Other options would be white poms, mini carnations, or roses. To fill the galvanized tray that I chose, it required:

• 3 dozen white carnation
• 4 dozen red carnations
• 10 stems blue statice

I used clear crystal bouquet jewels to create the stars.

Creating the flag:

• Cut the stems of your flowers slightly shorter than the height of the lip of your tray.
• Use a knife to mark off the area in the foam that will be the blue area of the flag.
• Fill in the marked area with your blue statice.
• Starting with the top row, place your red flowers into the floral foam. Be sure to insert the cut stems directly into the floral foam with the flower straight up.
• Alternate rows of red and white flowers, ending with a red row.

Your floral flag is now ready to display. Add water on a daily basis and your flag will stay fresh for at least a week!

God Bless the USA!

When decorating for the 4th of July, a red, white, and blue theme is a “no-brainer”! Take your patriotism a step further and use vases and flowers that are all made right here in the good ol’ US of A. I’ve chosen a set of my favorite hobnail milk glass vases, which are designed and manufactured by the Fenton Company. Fenton is a family owned business that has been making vases and decorative items in the United States for generations.

I kept the arrangements simple, using single varieties of flowers that were grown in California. I chose blue delphnium for the tall vase and red roses for the short one. The look is retro, reminding us all of a time in America when things were simpler and almost everything we owned was made right here at home.

Both color and scent have emotional components to them. They can help to cheer you up or calm you down. They can trigger a memory or help to bring balance to your life. Here are a few facts about various colors and scents that you might find interesting along with fresh floral examples of each.

COLOR

YELLOW

• Yellow wakes up the room like the rising sun and is the feng shui color of sunlight. It is cheerful and uplifting. Yellow always lightens and brightens any space, as well as creates a cozy and welcoming feeling.
• Any dull, dark room with little sunlight will greatly benefit from yellow. It can help compensate for the lack of light and bring in the gentle warmth of the sun.
• Color researchers believe the color yellow increases self-esteem and can strengthen the overall well-being.

Put some yellow in your life when you want:

• clarity for decision-making
• relief from ‘burnout’, panic, nervousness, exhaustion
• sharper memory and concentration skills
• protection from lethargy and depression during dull weather

GREEN

• Green is the color of nature, fertility and life. Grass green is the most restful color. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony.

Put some green in your life when you want:

• a new state of balance
• feel a need for change or growth
• freedom to pursue new ideas
• protection from fears and anxieties connected with the demands of others

BLUE

Blue is the coolest color on the color wheel. It is the color of the sky, ocean, sleep and twilight.

A pure blue is the color of inspiration, sincerity and spirituality. Blue is a calming color. That makes it a wonderful color to use in the home, especially for babies. Blue is so soothing that is a good color choice for pajamas.

Put some blue in your life when you want:

• calm and relaxation to counteract chaos or agitation
• to open the flow of communication
• to broaden your perspective in learning new information
• solitude and peace

SCENT

Lavender - The scent of lavender helps reduce stress. Lavender is great for headaches and general relaxation.

Mint – The benefits of mint include: soothing, cleansing, calming, refreshing and purifying.

Rosemary – Rosemary not only pleases the eye with its beautiful blue-grey flowers, but most of all pleases the mind with its symbolic qualities. Rosemary represents friendship, love and fidelity. It is said that the scent of rosemary can help improve your memory.

June is National Rose Month. Here are a few fun trivia facts about roses and a few beautiful images of roses to brighten up your day!

• Since 1986, the rose has been the official National Floral Emblem of the United States.
• The rose is the official state flower of: the District of Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, New York, and North Dakota.
• George Washington was the first rose breeder in the United States.
• Roses are native plants in the United States.
• Roses are big business: 1.2 billion are sold annually.

Back in Victorian times a Tea Party was the equivalent of today’s “Girl’s Night Out” - although back then it was a traditional afternoon event! It was the ladies chance to get together and do what we do best - get dressed up and talk, talk, talk! It was also an opportunity for a host to impress friends by creating the most beautiful environment and serving sweet and delicious treats. Using the best china, linens and having lots of fresh flowers were a must!

The Victorian Tea Party theme works great for any bridal or baby shower. Starting with the invitations, ask your guests to dress accordingly (including a beautiful hat!) There are many websites where you can find tea party ideas, games, and recipes. Here are some ideas for incorporating flowers into the day. Personally, I think that the flowers really bring it all together!

Don’t worry about being matchy-matchy. Mix the flowers with old and new tableware in various patterns – this will allow you to create your own look. If you are able to visit a flea market or garage sale, look out for old silver trays, tea pots and tea cups. Don’t be afraid to mix and match tea cups too. Straw hats can also be incorporated into your tablescape for a fresh look.

The flower arrangements should be lush and have an “unarranged” feeling to them. Mix roses with other garden-variety flowers such as hydrangea, tweedia and black-eyed Susan’s.

Any piece from the Old Country Roses collection from Royal Albert would be a perfect addition to the setting. Fill it with fragrant fresh flowers and you just can’t go wrong!

Here’s a cute idea to use as a place setting. Fill individual tea cups with fresh flowers and have a “tea bag” label flowing from the flowers with each guest’s name on it. These precious petite arrangements can double as party favors. Just have small shopping bags ready for each guest to place their tea cup bouquet in when the party is over.

Even though the Mother’s Day holiday has passed I am still not done “spotting” incredible women who are also moms. Today, I am recognizing a garden loving mom in my life. I had originally planned to feature her prior to Mother’s Day, but as always “better late, than never”.

Green Thumb Mom

I would like to introduce you to someone who is a true Green Thumb Mom and who has used her passion of gardening to create a very special outdoor space for children at the Long Island Children’s Museum. Her name is Maggie Gray and I visited her in “Our Backyard” last fall when they were just getting ready to close shop for the winter. The place is amazing. Each space has a unique quality that allows children to learn something while they are having fun. I’ll let Maggie tell you in her own words a little bit about the museum and how gardening has affected her as a mom.

ME: How long did it take to create this fabulous outdoor space - playground, classroom, sanctuary?
MAGGIE: This project started in 2004. I was working at the Long Island Children’s Museum as an exhibit technician, fixing things the visitors broke. At the same time I was attending classes necessary to become a Master Gardener with Cornell Cooperative Extension. I saw a need to provide an outdoor space. After receiving support from my directors and with a team of dedicated staff, this project has grown bigger than I ever expected and I foresee it to grow.

ME: What were your goals?
MAGGIE: My goals were to give the museum visitors an opportunity to either begin to or continue to, develop a ‘Sense of Wonder’ through the exploration of the great outdoors. If we hope for the current generations to protect the environment, they must first develop a relationship with it. People will not protect what they do not love. My hope is that ‘Our Backyard’ will help nurture the development of our current and future environmental stewards.

ME: What are you most proud of?
MAGGIE: I think I am most proud of the example that I have set for my children to pursue a worthy cause and that if you work through the obstacles in creative ways, goals can be met and exceeded.

ME: Do your children share your love of gardening?
MAGGIE: My 20 year old son texted me from Haines Point in Washington, D.C. the other day, to tell me about the Cherry Blossom Trees that were raining pink. My 17 year old daughter is graduating from high school this spring and plans on pursuing a degree in Environmental Engineering, and my 13 year old daughter still loves to eat the first peas right from their pod seconds off the vine. So I guess my answer is yes, my children do share my love of gardening.

ME: What can children learn from gardening?
MAGGIE: From gardening children (and adults) can learn patience, disappointment, success, failure, love, frustration, anticipation, and understanding of the interdependence necessary for life. Another big one is a respect for life.

Enjoy the pictures of Maggie in “Our Backyard”

I was recently asked by a New York bride and groom to incorporate apples into the place card display at their Manhattan reception. They had many guests coming in from out of town and wanted to visually welcome them to the Big Apple.

I filled varying size glass cylinders with small lady apples and used large deep red apples as votive candleholders. The look was clean, modern and had that person touch they were looking to include in their special day!

There’s a reason for the saying “Fresh as a Daisy”. And the gerbera daisy with its wide selection of bold colors and its long green architectural stem adds a modern funky vibe as well. Gerbera daisies look best when used sparingly with no additional foliage both as a bouquet and in an arrangement. I’ve used a vibrant striped ribbon as a band on the stems for this bouquet - perfect for the bride or bridesmaids.

I love decorating a tabletop with multiples - vases, candles, etc. The look works great on either a round or an oblong table. Choose a modern shape glass vase like the unique fish bowl shaped one I used here. Two or more work best for an oblong table. You can get a nice dramatic look by lining up candles and floral arrangements right down the center of the table. Don’t the orange slice candles look fabulous! And in this case, the oranges were a personal shout out to the groom’s home state of Florida.

To make these candle arrangements, start with varying size glass cylinder vases. Place a pillar candle in the center. Fill the remaining area in the vase with orange slices and add water. Leave at least the top quarter of the pillar candle exposed for burning.

I hope every mom out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

As you may know, wedding season is now in full swing. And weddings like everything else these days have been affected by the economy. However, I think in the end it has had a positive effect on weddings. It has encouraged couples to keep the focus on what is really important and to think outside the box. Personalization is one of the biggest trends in all aspects of wedding celebrations. Here are some ideas for ways to both watch the budget and create bouquets and floral décor that are inspiring and personal.

“COASTAL INSPIRED”

There are a few different ways that you can go when you are doing a beach type theme. You can go tropical and colorful or coastal and serene. Here I took the serene path and worked primarily with blues and greens.

Find a floral designer and/or event planner that can be a true partner throughout the process. Talk about your vision and your budget. Show them as many pictures as you can of things that you like. One way for you to make your décor unique and economical is for you to source and buy most of the hard goods (vases, candles, etc.) for the floral designer to use.

Tabletop

Linens can add a real customized feeling to the whole look. If the reception site doesn’t have the choices that you are looking for then I recommend visiting a local large fabric store. That’s where I found this perfect seaside stripe cotton material that I had a friend sew into a table runner.

Next stop was a large discount home goods store that has many options for vases, candles, etc. The retail prices in this type of store are unbelievably low (usually below typical wholesale pricing). The total cost of the 5 containers used for my tablescape is under $20!! I chose green cymbidium orchids for the oversized shell bowls and bear grass for the smaller green containers.

If you prefer to go with more of a Cape Cod/Nantucket coastal vibe then use Nantucket style baskets filled with hydrangea. Lots of candles and randomly placed shells complete the look.

Bouquets

For the bridal bouquet I went with white peonies and green cymbidium orchids. Peonies are perfect wedding flowers - they’re lush, romantic, and fragrant. Unfortunately, they have a relatively short growing season so I always try to use them when I can.

The bridesmaid’s bouquets couldn’t be simpler or more beautiful. A few stems of blue/green hydrangea tied with a ribbon and you’re set to go!

Check back for the details on the Wedding Day Daisies - a fun and modern look for that special day. If you are in NY – look out for me on the PIX Morning News. I will be talking about wedding day flowers! Can’t wait.

Today I’m excited to spot Melissa Chapman who is a mommy blogger extraordinaire. Melissa writes a weekly column called Kids in the City, which is a news website dedicated to Staten Island, NY and the surrounding areas. Melissa also works as a blogger on NYC Mom Blogs and is a contributing writer for SheKnows.com, iVillage.com and Time Out NY Kids.

Melissa offers fun and helpful advice, such as the best coloring books for children, how to rejuvenate instantly and even dating tips for single moms. Check out all of her blogs and columns! There’s some great stuff…

Mother’s Day is tomorrow!! Make sure to spot all the moms in your life.