Well, I’ve finally overcome that daunting task of choosing a color palette for the wedding. It was tough but I think I found something that works for our location and our tastes. We are getting married in Duck, NC (I think it is still standing after Hurricane Irene) and while we are going to be at the beach, our wedding is not going to be a “beach wedding.” No starfish or fishing net please.

Our palette is a range of grays, metallic silver, peach, a light orangey pink and a champagne color. I love that the palette is soft and feminine but not too girly (I’m sure Josh appreciates this too). The peach and gray give it a sophistication that I find really refreshing for a wedding palette. And believe it or not, even though I am against having a beach-theme wedding, these colors have been inspired by some aspects of the beach. The grays and silvers are from those great thunderstorms that you get at the beach in summer. And the peaches and pinks are from sea shells. So there! Feeling good about it…yay!

A little over a year ago a new bar/flower shop (yes, a bar slash flowershop) opened in my neighborhood called Sycamore. Their flower selection is beautiful and definitely a step up from the typical roses, carnations and baby’s breath that most places sell. Sycamore tends to have much more unusual selections with exciting names like “Kangaroo Foot.” Anyway, after buying a few beautiful bouquets there (that I did not put together myself), I realized how little I know about flowers and putting together nice floral arrangements. I don’t know why, but I kind of suck at it. Which is too bad because flowers are a great way to spruce up a room. Luckily Allison Jonas, one of the owners of Sycamore, agreed to give me some much needed advice. Here are her answers to my general flower questions. Read through them and then check out my progress as I put this advice into action!

Sycamore Q&A

How did you come up with the idea to open a flower shop in a bar?
We wanted to create a warm, inviting space to walk into during the day that could turn into a cozy place to hang out in at night. And we realized there was a need for a unique flowershop in the neighborhood. We sell everything by the stem, so you can stop in and just pick up a few blooms – which a lot of the time is all you need to spruce up your place and get a little pick me up on the cheap.

What are some general rules of thumb for creating flower arrangements? Could you walk us through the process?
First, pick out a color palette, then once you’ve decided on the colors you like, try to pick between 3-5 different types of flowers for the arrangement. Any less than that can feel incomplete and sometimes more than that can get a little crazy (but sometimes crazy can be fun). Of the 3-5 different types, its good to pick one of each of the following categories: Full/Big/Round Blooms (Like Peonies, Roses, Anemones, Sunflowers) then add in floppy, leafy stems to fill it out (like eucalyptus, brunia, waxflowers, kangaroo paws) and finally its nice to add smaller blooms for interest (like ranunculus, gloriosa, or delphinium). You can also add in some different textures (blue thistle, dusty miller). And when in doubt, just go for all of the same kind. Its classic and you can’t go wrong that way.

This is a question specific to me, but I always seem to have trouble figuring out how much of the stems to cut off so an arrangement will look best in a vase. It always feels like hit or miss even when I try to be thorough. Do you have any tips for how to do this better (or is it just practice)?
I’d say always cut the stems longer and then try them out in your vase, then you can adjust where to cut next. It is also helpful to split the arrangement into thirds and slowly add in stems.

What are some of your favorite kinds of flowers? Are there any flower combinations that you especially love?
My favorites are peonies, ranunculus and anemones

What are some tricks to making flowers last longer?
Flowers are happiest if you trim the stems on an angle every day and change their water. Also you can add a little sugar to the water (Sprite works) and a drop of bleach to keep away bacteria.

If someone is interested in learning more, are there any resources you could suggest?
We have a great reference book called The Floral Artists Guide. It lists every flower, how long it lasts and how to use it in an arrangement. Super helpful.

And now, I try out my flower arranging skills

Ok! After taking Allison’s advice into consideration, I boldly went into Sycamore determined to put together my own bouquet. I started by picking a color palette. On this particular day I was immediately drawn to the purple hydrangeas, so from there I selected some blue  delphinium and some purplely pink button poms. These selections also fulfilled my quota of full blooms, taller stems and small blooms. I was well on my way!

Once I got home I faced the challenge of arranging these flowers in my vase. This was a little scary, but I just remembered to be conservative with my cutting and also to add a third of the arrangement at a time. And viola! Here’s the final product:

Not bad? Maybe its not Martha Stewart quality, but I’m still pretty proud of myself. This arrangement cost $20, but you don’t have to spend that much. As Allison mentioned, just a couple of stems in a small vase can work wonders in a room.

And also, for your increased flower knowledge, here are pictures of all the flower species mentioned in this post:

Peony

Ranunculus

Waxflower

Kangaroo Paw

Gloriosa

Eucalyptus

Dusty Miller

Delphinium

Brunia

Blue Thistle

Anemone

Poms

Would you ever paint a room or an accent wall black? Sounds scary doesn’t it? But sometimes black can really be a show stopper. Depending on the shade you use (yes there are shades of black!) and the finish of the paint (glossy, satin, etc) you can create many different kinds of moods. For instance, glossy black walls can make for a very rich and elegant feeling room, while a dark gray or warmer black in a matte finish will have a cozier feel. Check out these examples of black rooms and take the poll afterward. Also, for tips on how to paint with black, check out this article from Sherwin-Williams.

Image Credits: Fresh Home, Decor Pad, Monica Biering Hammer’s Norwegian apartment (photo by Maria Reme), Maria Claire Maison, The New York Times, House to Home

Recently I had a birthday party, and I made this wondrous cake. It was so much fun to make and I can hardly describe the excitement I felt when I cut into it and saw all the crazy rainbow colors hidden on the inside! (Sometimes it’s the small things that really get me going). I had planned to keep the cake’s “specialness” a secret from my guests so there would be a big reveal when we cut into it, but I got too worked up and ended up telling everybody in advance. I blame my love of color and the wine I was drinking, but hopefully you will have more self-control. So take a deep breath, contain your excitement and have fun making the most colorful cake you have ever seen!
Recipe and instructions below the jump!

• 1 Box of White Cake Mix
  
• Whatever ingredients it calls for (typically vegetable oil, eggs and water)
• Gel Food Coloring (it has to be gel food coloring, the normal kind won’t work)*

1. First, make the white cake batter following the directions on the back of the box
2. Next, separate out the batter into 5 bowls putting 1 cup of batter into each bowl.
3. Use the gel food coloring to make each bowl of batter a  bright, beautiful color**
4. Once you have oiled your pan, pour each color into the center of the pan one at a time
5. Bake the cake according to the directions on the cake box
6. Viola! You have a rainbow cake

*It might be hard to find gel food coloring. You are most likely to see it at cake decorating specialty shops. There is a great one in Manhattan called NY Cake (56 West 22nd Street Between 5th & 6th Avenues). You can buy enough gel coloring for 2 cakes for about $3 per color. They also have a great assortment of cake decorations so it is definitely worth a visit.

**The last color I made was supposed to be purple but turned out to be kind of black instead. So be careful if you decide to mix colors and do it gradually…I got too excited again.

To Make Whipped Cream Cheese Icing (as posted on AllRecipes.com):

• 1 (8 oz.) package of Cream Cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. In a small bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form (see photo on the far left)
2. Next, in a large bowl mix the cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and salt and beat until smooth.
3. Fold in the whipping cream (see middle picture)
4. And you’re done! Add some food coloring to the icing if you want even more color on your cake!

I hope you guys enjoy this. And if you live in my vicinity (Ditmas Park, Brooklyn) please come eat some of this cake! xo

PS. I’d like to give a shout out to the blog OK Great for introducing me to the fabulous world of rainbow cakes.