Favorite Websites :: uBloom.com

What a fun day, I attended a flower show at Michael's Wholesale where J Schwanke did a presentation on wedding bouquets and centerpieces. He introduced us to a fairly new website:
uBloom
"the source for everything flowers"
There appears to be all types of information available, including videos to learn floral design. I just started to delve into it, looks like quite a few internet hours can be spent on this site!
So if you are a flower enthusiast be sure to check it out.
Other than learning of a new flower site, J did show/tell us all kinds of facts about flower care. He designed more arrangements than I could keep track of.
And a special mention - lunch was provided by one of my favorite caterers in Denver - Footers. Had a nice chat with Jimmy - a fellow flower lover!

Bridal Star Hairstyles Magazine

The Bridal Star Hairstyles Magazine issue #56 just hit the newstands. On pages 22-27 is the article "Love In Bloom". Leslie Snyder of Leslie's Arts coordinated the entire shoot which took place at Phipps Mansion. She did all the style work with dresses, makeup and most importantly hair. I provided all the flowers for the photo shoot. John Hudetz snapped the wonderful photographs. The spread turned out fantastic. Now I'm just hoping to receive it in PDF form - which will promptly be posted on the website. Enjoy!

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style magazine

Last Tuesday, March 11, was the photo shoot for Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine at the St. Regis in Aspen, Colorado. What a whirlwind trip to Aspen! I pulled out of Denver on Monday - after waiting for FedEx to show up with the linens shipped in from Los Angeles. Arrived in Aspen and crashed with some friends for the night, up bright and early on Tuesday morning and off to the St. Regis hotel. What a day - pulling together all the aspects of Bella Fiori's tablescape, plus designing two bouquets and two boutonnieres for the shoot.
First off, a special thank-you to Wildflower Linens of Buena Park, California for helping me to design the linen look. Young Song sent over a phenomenal lily pad table linen in moss green. I absolutely loved it, as did everyone else that saw it. On the chivari chairs we draped a sage chiffon chair cover and adorned it with a yellow pincushion protea flowers. At each place setting was a dupioni silk citron napkin.

All the rentals for the tablescape were provided by Event Rents of Denver: including the charger, plates, glasses and silverware. At each place setting the napkin has a pocket fold and holds a menu designed by Michelle Gillette of Dramatic Events. Michelle also designed the place cards which I placed in our cut logs. Also, each napkin is adorned with a yellow cymbidium orchid. At the base of the arrangement is green sheet moss, yellow cymbidium orchids, green votive holders and green balls of different textures.
The arrangement itself was designed on a 36" vase that I wrapped with bark and twigs. A manzanita branch sat on top of the vase where I wove yellow kangaroo paws, yellow dendrobriums and yellow mokara orchids into the branches. For some added flare and interest I wired individual yellow mokara orchids with gold wire and had them dangle from the manzanita branches.

Looks like I didn't get any shots of the bouquets with my camera, ooopppsss. One bouquet was handtied with a cluster of yellow pincushion flowers surrounded by rolled croton leaves. Around the leaves I wired yellow callas so they'd form a circle around the leaves. The second bouquet was also handtied and contained yellow spray roses clustered in the center and had dangling yellow mokara orchids wired in.
The boutonnieres I did get shots of.
The first boutonniere was of yellow kangaroo paws and three billy balls and yellow gems on the base.
The second boutonniere had a yellow cymbidium orchid with rolled croton leaves and lily grass, also adorned with yellow gems.

Happy Birthday Bella Fiori

Hard to believe that today marks the 5th birthday for Bella Fiori. Seems like just yesterday that I was given the keys to the studio and walked in for the first time. Walking in with all kinds of ideas and dreams! 5 years later, still feel alive with ideas for the future of Bella Fiori. :)
A lot has changed in 5 years, I've meet so many wonderful people in the event industry, worked with tons of wonderful brides & grooms - and enjoyed providing flowers for their special day, have had some great worker bees come through the doors (and happy that Michelle will soon mark her two year anniversary here), traveled throughout much of Colorado - all for weddings, learned many Denver city streets - for deliveries!, have had the opportunity to continue my education in the floral industry - here in Denver and in other cities, participated in quite a few magazine articles - Grace Ormonde photo shoot is coming up in two weeks! Attended more networking events than I can remember - each one is a party in itself, this list could go on for awhile....

Some highlights & things I'm thankful for:
1) opening the doors for business March 1, 2003
2) having dinner with Preston Bailey, November 2006
3) television appearances, 2006
4) “The Knot 2007 Best of Weddings Pick” - May 2007
5) Selected by Elegant Bride as one of the top floral designers for weddings in the country - 2005
6) being accepted into bbrooks, June 2003
7) meeting Lisa Weddel AIFD, who has introduced me to AIFD symposiums and Rose Parade
8) Michelle starting work here, May 2006
9) being next door to Lifestyles Catering, Kaye and I have such a bond - our afternoon meetings outside so the dogs can play and we can talk about business. For the countless times I borrow their vans, their staff helps me and for all the wonderful food I have sampled. :)
10) Jessie who used to work here but moved to Hawaii - yet, still sends her friends here for flowers :)
11) all the florist friends that I have here in Denver

Things I am looking forward to:
1) Grace Ormonde Wedding Style photo shoot
2) Class with Paula Pryke in London
3) Applying for AAF through Society of American Florists
4) Becoming involved with Warren Tech floristry program, we will be providing job shadows for students.
5) Working on a book of wedding flowers

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain