Could Anything Be better Than Flowers?

Yes, PUPPIES!

"Little Man, Bear and Noodle" -all names are temporary:)

I'm sorry, I don't care who you are...new born baby puppies are adorable! My dogs Jack and Lucy are the proud parents of 3 new puppies. They are looking for a good home, possibly your home???

Here are the stats-
They are Yorkie Poos (Father full blood Miniature Yorkie and Mother Yorkie and Toy Poodle mix).

Parents are small and around 5 lbs each.

There is a boy that will look like Jack and another boy that will look like Lucy only black (sorry the little girl "noodle" is spoken for).

They will be ready to leave mom around July 1st and they are pretty affordable for being such tiny bundles of joy!

Jack and Lucy

The Boys

Any interest or questions please email me at summerharsh@yahoo.com

Spring is Harvest Time?

Yes it is! It is time to "harvest" the beautiful spring flowers! This past weekend I had a wedding and a corporate party and I was able to include some of my favorite flowers right from my own back yard.

My supply of Plum Blossoms! Ok, so not exactly my back yard on this one...

If it's not your back yard, be sure to get permission! Cutting in the dark can be dangerous:)

I incorporated Lilacs, Lily of the Valley, Plum Blossoms, and Variegated Hostas. It gave me an amazing sense of satisfaction cutting right from the plant and designing away, talk about fresh! It made me wish that I could plant acres and acres of flowers to use all Summer long for my clients. Unfortunately I do not have the time or the resources for such an endeavor so I am looking forward to supporting local growers this season.

It worked quite well that the clients were wanting a very fresh, vintage look. These classic blooms had no problem pulling that off, and of course a venue like the St Paul Hotel doesn't hurt either! For the vases I used a collection of crystal that I've been gathering from thrift stores for the last few months. All together I was extremely happy with the result and received the best complement ever when someone said it was very "Great Gatsby". I adore that book and time period, so much grace and style! Best of all, this weekend we achieved grace and style done in a completely "green" way! Who said this couldn't be done??

Here is shown the collection of vintage crystal and fresh cut local flowers.

One of my favorite details, a sprig of Plum Blossoms on every napkin.

A buffet piece also incorporating green Fern to add to the vintage "Gatsby" feel.

Plants vs. Flowers

A friend recently called me to ask if fresh flowers or a plant would be more appropriate for the birth of a new baby. My answer was fresh flowers for sure...not because this is my main expertise, but for actual practical reasons. New parents are not going to have time to take care of a house plant, they have a brand new human being to feed and nurture! Also, failing at keeping a house plant alive could shake the confidence of the new parents in their ability as care givers. Fresh flowers it is...

This got me to thinking about what is appropriate and when. How about sending something to someones office? Plants are great, but only if you know they have the light for it. If you are sending the gift later in the week flowers might not be the best choice since they will probably bloom out over the weekend.

Plants are great gifts to send when the extra care of them will not be a burden. They can be a sentimental reminder of growth and sustainability. Flowers are a better choice when the situation is busy or high stress. They tend to have more color and fragrance which can do a lot for the psyche. Either way, always remember to send something! Flowers/plants are becoming underestimated as gifts, let them know you care.

Watch the colors change...

Being sick for over a week has made me go a bit stir crazy in the house. So what do I do? Paint the Kitchen, why not!?! Choosing paint colors proved to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. I swear the lighting they have over the paint swatches is designed to make you make the wrong choice, buy the paint, return to make a new choice once you realized you painted your kitchen the most sickening shade of orange, pick what you think is a great shade a green and spend more money on that... UGH!!

It made me realize though how important lighting can be when it comes to colors. When thinking about an event and the flowers, it is important to take that into consideration.

Here is an example of a wedding I did a while back. Just the flash alone changed this rich coral color to an average pink.

Another example of how this linen went from a gorgeous ink blue to black.

This is why I suggest incorporating shades of the same color (ie. Coral...Use tones of peach, salmon, coral, and melon to pull out both the orange and red/pink tones that make up that color). Not only does it add depth to the arrangements but ensures that when the lighting changes one, if not more, of your colors will translate.

I also need to stress to anyone planning and picking flowers-Mother Nature is unpredictable... Getting the right colors is important, but there is so only so much you can control. Communicate with your designer and trust their judgement, they've seen the flowers many times and know how it will all look in the end. Besides things are better when they are not EXACTLY matchy matchy. Coordinating and complementing is key!

The Sustainable Wedding

I have the privilege of participating in The Sustainable Wedding on September 5th 2009 and being the first certified green florist in the Twin City area! Tonight I attended my first Green Wedding Training Course at the Live Green Live Smart Institute. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but was very please and impressed with the whole concept.

The 2,200,000 weddings held in the US this year will account for the greatest CO2 footprint and largest single source of waste for any type of event held by individuals in 2009. A one-day wedding can create the same amount of CO2 produced by a family of four during a five year period (outside of the US), will send to landfills up to 1/4 tons of trash, waste up to 38% of the food served and thru the selection of jewelry and clothing inadvertently causes the deaths of 3 or more individuals in 3rd world countries.

Scary and sobering details! To be honest, it kind of freaked me out a bit and was overwhelming... How in the world do we even begin to combat this? I expected the answer to be a drastic "debbie downer"-weddings can't be fun, they can't be pretty and the bride has to wear hemp... I was so wrong!

The main message I took away from tonight was; you don't have to say no to things, this is still a celebration-just rethink things and be responsible! There are many subtle (and some not so subtle) things you can do to help your wedding or event be sustainable. First and foremost, seek out "green" vendors. Because of the efforts of this organization there will be local options for green certified vendors in all areas of event planning. Feel free to email me or visit http://www.livegreenlivesmart.org/ for more information on how you can make your event green!

A Week and a Day...

Details, details! Green, white, black and pink composed our color sheme.

We created a tiered centerpiece of sorts and incorporated paper flowers with the fresh.

A week and a day ago I participated in The Duel of the Design 2.0. I was paired with Todd Pinzuti of Bungalow 6 Design and Chef Asher Miller from 20*21 and we won!!! I had a blast! I see it as an honour to work with Todd, he is truly a master of his craft.

For whatever reason, I was not very nervous. I think this was for 2 reasons... 1. I've been so busy that I didn't have time to think about what was happening-me in front of 300 people, no idea who or what I'm working with, a mystery item and a tight time line! (just saying it now makes me nervous!) 2. I knew the talent of all involved and knew that however the teams ended up, I'd be in good company. Both of these reasons, along with great food and drinks, an amazing crowd and the support of friends and family made for an amazing evening.

All in all, it was another great celebration for Summer Harsh Botanical Artistry! This year, as young as it is, has been extremely fun and busy. I am exhausted but will not complain! I had a wedding yesterday, I will be participating in the Twin City Bridal Fair on Sunday and then off to Philadelphia and Orlando to design centerpieces for some corporate events. I've always said "have flowers, will travel" and I finally get to mean it! I can't even think about all of this without this strong feeling of gratitude welling up inside. I could not be doing this without the support of my friends, family and colleagues. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It's Winter, naturally...

In Minnesota, you can't fight Winter... The best thing you can do is embrace it. I learned that on a trip to Reykjavik Iceland a few years ago. That adventure forever changed my outlook on this not so appealing season.

Icelandic people know how to do Winter. They line the snow banks with candles, they actually look good (sexy even) while staying warm and they don't let a few feet of snow stop them from going out and having a good time. So where am I going with all of this? I recently worked on a Winter wedding that made me feel good about my nemesis season. I've dubbed it the "Narnia" wedding because the decor and feel reminded me of that mythical winter wonderland.

The coolest part about this whole process were the bride and groom. They love the outdoors and wanted to keep everything very natural-no glitter, no silver paint and no blue! They went out and collected (fallen) birch wood which we incorporated into just about everything. We also used fresh green moss and rock salt to give it an "icy, yet still alive and fresh" look . I loved the concept and challenge of keeping things rustic but formal. Of course, formality was not an issue for The Landmark Center and the gorgeous chocolate satin chair covers and floor length linens from Linen Effects. The overall event design by The Style Laboratory was breathtaking and I was happy to be a part of it!