Last Year's Tendrils

You can probably guess that this arrangement is somehow related to the last post of the bouquet with "Everything I had". You're right. I reconfigured the pieces adding some to compose the aforementioned bouquet. A sprawling arrangement made in an old tarnished silver revere bowl containing dried Clematis tendrils (from last year's display), English Ivy, Pussy Willow, Delphinium, Cherry Branches, Queen Anne's lace, Skimia, Astrantia, young Parrot tulips, Poppies and Hyacinth. I'd like to see this on an escort table surrounded by assorted pewter candlesticks- maybe an old candelabra for good measure. The lost garden above is from one of my favorite garden paths at Lowther Castle in England. A tour of long lost gardens in Europe is in the works!

The Constant Constance

A lovely arrangement by the forever inspired and inspiring Constance Spry

I can never get enough of Constance Spry and her iconoclastic arrangements. Luckily I had a chance to play with some left overs in the studio and fell into a Spry induced meditation! Life ain't all that bad.

Visions of Tulle and Petals at Dior

Nothing like poppies to add some light and ephemeral wistfulness to January!
Dior Haute Couture has also stolen my heart with their flounces of silk tulle and Irving Penn silhouettes sashaying down the runways in Paris this week! If she wasn't pregnant I'd definitely put money on the "Swan" of the moment donning one of these to retrieve what surely will be her Oscar next month. Ah... fashion and Hollywood I want to hate them both and do on many levels but occasionally magic surfaces from the material and cinematic worlds. In these intersecting instances The House of Dior and our own little princess Natalie have succeeded. Bravo! Who could foresee where the two would miserably part!

And more pastel Dior runway visions paired with Hydrangea, Ranunculus, Thistle, Queen Anne's Lace, veronica and Astrantia.

Our Side of Paradise

This year the Horticultural Society of New York held their yearly fundraiser at 583 Park Avenue. The table top displays were translations on a theme: "This Side of Paradise", which ranged from underwater coral and shell fantasy motifs to the Garden of Eden. We chose to play on the earthly version - a drug induced paradise - and created giant fabric poppies dancing overhead in a floating airy revelry from the guests perspective. Smaller fabric flower lanterns illuminated the swirling tangles of stems which were planted in a giant glass flower pot exploding with fresh poppies and ranunculus. The table cloth and chair covers sang "orange electric" made of transparent hand died gauze. We titled our table "The Opiate Affair" and guests name cards included Jean Cocteau and Florence Nightingale, both opium addicts. The Opium translation may have been lost to some but most would agree that our fantasy paradise was one conceived and executed for only the greatest of flower lovers!!!!!!!!!