Little 500

Little 500, or as we hoosiers call it Little Five is a bike race held every year here in B'town. The town gets crazy and it's a bit of a big deal. I myself have never attended the race, but I hear it needs to be on my agenda for next year. This year I was simply too busy to make it - with a bunch of parties around town, it's good for business (yeah!). Here are a few pics of red and white tulips (IU colors for you non-hoosiers out there) with racing flag ribbon around the vase. This event took place at IU's new venue the Hall of Champions. Such an honor to be asked to help.

April Wedding

Polka dots are the rage right now, old school like the 80's and Minny mouse and stuff. Here's a bouquet I did for a bride who was wearing polka dots. Who doesn't think she totally "gets it"? The bridesmaids carried simple pink tulips.

The Euro Bouquet

"Travel anywhere in Europe, especially France, and you will notice the abundance of flower shops and find it hard not to take something with you. Although the shops do carry a selection of containers, it is usually not extensive as most Europeans see no need to send flowers in a vase—everyone already has a suitable container. If you receive flowers in Europe they will most likely be delivered in a cellophane bundle filled with water to keep the flowers alive until you can transfer them to your own container. The European hand-tied bouquet is the quintessential gift to give abroad."

(via Flower Magazine Spring issue)

I think this is BRILLIANT! Why pile up the vases and spend the extra money?? Now keep in mind this is designed differently than a simple wrapped bouquet, this is arranged to be placed directly into a vase without fuss. Much like a bridal bouquet this is a dense gathering of flowers that is "hand-tied" or arranged in the designers hand then tied so the bouquet will maintain shape and design. The pictures above show how the bouquet looks after it's been assembled, how it would look when delivered in cellophane, and how it looks after being placed in a vase. All the recipient needs to do is give the stems a quick snip to the right height for their vessel and the rest of the work is done for them.

This is one of our standard offerings at Peppertree, so if you're interested make sure to mention that you'd like to order the "Euro Bouquet". They start at $45.

Broccoli??

And why not.... I love to use a little veg in my designs when I can. These are for an event held by Windfall Dancers and One World Catering. Good food and a performance- can't get much better. Katie used green roses with assorted greenery and broccoli florets to complete this look. What fun!!

The Farm

The Farm restaurant has become quite the destination for good local eats. What you may or may not know is that they have a lower level they call "The Root Cellar" where they host many private parties as well as a "Lounge Night" on Thursdays and "Soul in the Hole" on Saturdays. This venue is "up and coming" and should certainly be considered next time you need an awesome place to party. Here are a couple arrangements I provided for a party being held there tonight. Antique green hydrangea (the size of my head), hot pink and peachy garden roses and green and white parrot tulips make for a lush display for spring.

Just in- Plants

Some cacti, geraniums and a staghorn fern for your viewing pleasure. Up for adoption!!

Dailies

Deliveries I've put out this week.

Alpha Gamma Delta

This was a last minute event I did for Alpha Gamma Delta. Simple and colorful gerbera daisies in terra cotta pots. Fun, festive and cheap- can't get much better than that!!!

Wedding Season - Slowly Starting...

Wedding season is just now getting kicked off. I've had a few small weddings come through recently, but not until May does it really get busy. Here is a bridal I did for a bride getting married at Beck Chapel this last weekend.

Blue and white seems to be a color scheme that's getting a lot of play this year. Unfortunately, this is a color scheme that can be tough for florists. This bridal is the traditional favorite for these colors, ivory roses and white lisianthus with dark and light blue delphinium (one of the few blue flowers available year round). Another great choice is blue hydrangea, but I choose to only use hydrangea in arrangements that will have a water source, otherwise you can have wilting problems mid-ceremony.

BLOOM

Yesterday the new Bloom Magazine came out. I was elated to find a full page story highlighting my new store. We're almost up on our 1 year anniversary, which I can tell you will be celebrated with great sales and all kinds of goodies.

I am so grateful to Bloomington for all the support over the last year. This has been a dream for me for a long time. I look forward to living the dream for many years to come.

Click on the story for the full sized article.

O'Bannon

"The O'Bannon Institute is Ivy Tech Community College - Bloomington's annual signature event that brings focus to community service, service learning, and civic engagement"

~John Whikehart, Ivy Tech Chancelor via Ivy Tech website.

I am so honored to be involved in this event this year. Chocolate brown linens with wineberry napkins and sashes made Alumni Hall look amazing. To pair the color scheme with flowers we used purple anemones, purple lisianthus, purple and lavender freesia, "Black Bacarra" roses, "Cool Water" roses, hanging amaranthus, purple stock, purple larkspur, burgundy tulips, burgundy ranunculus accented with brazilia and fantail willow, which doubled as a table number pic. We also chose to use white glass vases to add a sophistication to the tablescape.

The Federal Room was dressed for a private reception for Laura Bush with similar colors, but with a little pink ranunculus to add some interest.

The top picture of the orange parrot tulips was placed at the Ivy Tech campus for the televised interview that will be playing on our local PBS station.

Thanks for the faith Ivy Tech! It was so awesome to work with these colors and have freedom with the design.

Ooops Correction- Floral Class

I'm still so new on the retail florist circuit I didn't even think about Mother's Day being a bad weekend for my class. That being said, it's certainly not a good day for me to be relaxed and enjoying a class. So, please correct your calendars (sorry for the hassle) for the new date for the class. We'll be getting together May 27th from 7-9PM at my downtown studio. As previously stated there is a $20 charge to hold your spot in the class with another $65 due at classtime. Please call or write to me soon if you are interested, spots are limited.

From Backyard to Beautiful- A Floral Design Class

May 27th from 7:00 - 9:00 PM Peppertree Floral will be conducting it's first flower arranging class in our new downtown location. Call 812-330-0586 or e-mail me at andrea@peppertreefloral.com to reserve your space. A $20 deposit will be taken to hold your spot in the class with another $65 due at class time. For this you will receive a set of your very own floral tools to take home with you as well as a beautiful centerpiece you made (a price reduction is available for people who can bring their own tools). There will be drinks and eats as well as a two hour tutorial to help you get comfortable with designing florals for your home. I'll be concentrating on creating designs from your gardens or, for those of you without a green thumb, being able to save money on floral arrangements by doing the designing yourself. I hope to see you there.

Yes - I'm for real and stuff

So many people are still call the store and ask if I do indeed do deliveries. YES! We do- and would love to help you with your next floral gift. Give us a try and see what you think. We promise good service, great product and imagination. Call the office at 812-330-0586 to place your order. Also, don't forget to follow Peppertree Floral and Events on Facebook and Twitter. Become a fan and receive special sales and discounts.

Keep the look out for our new on-line ordering. It should be available by summer.