Floral Photos Brighten Spring and Summer Decor

Don't you love the colors of spring and summer? Many flowers are in full bloom, delighting the senses with their beauty and fragrances. It always amazes me how quickly these seasons pass.

Just a few short weeks ago our flowering cherry trees were in full bloom. I captured them as a backdrop for a photo of our twin boys catching a ride with dad on the riding lawn mower. Only days later a strong breeze blew all the beautiful flowers away and all I have is the photo to remember them.

If you have a digital camera, you too can capture the beauty of your spring and summer flowers. I am by no means a professional photographer. I wouldn't even consider myself an amateur...maybe a novice at best! A digital camera, however, is very forgiving. It auto focuses for you and you can retake a picture until you are happy with how it turned out. In about 15 minutes I was able to photograph all of our flowers and get some great pictures to decorate our home.

We have some tall daisies that I took closeup pictures of from several different angles. The yellow walls of our dining room will make a nice background for those photos.

I never saw the weathered siding of our home as attractive until I photographed it behind some beautiful long-stemmed pink flowers. These photos will make a nice addition to our master bedroom.

Seasonal photos are great because you can change them with the seasons. Last fall I photographed our sons on the porch with some big pumpkins, and those photos will come out in the fall and replace the pictures of our summer flowers.

I love seasonal flowers, but because of hayfever we cannot fully enjoy them in the house. By displaying photos of them in the house we can enjoy them while they are in bloom as well as after their seasons have past.

Note: Photos for article here: http://www.frugal-home-decor.com/floral-photos.shtml

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For easy do-it-yourself home decorating ideas for busy moms, visit http://www.frugal-home-decor.com

Cheap Flowers From the Florist Can Save the Day!

We all have budget problems sometimes and it helps to know that there are cheap flowers to help bridge the gap between thoughtfulness and bankruptcy. There are lots of reasons why flowers can be purchased at differing price points.

Seasons are part of the floral industry just as they are part of any type of agriculture. Whatever is available locally in season will just naturally be less expensive. That can mean that long stem red roses are very affordable for one occasion but an incredible expense for another. That's a really huge difference when planning some occasions like weddings which require many flowers. The flower of choice will probably be available anytime but when it needs to be flown from Hawaii it will be a much greater expense, accept when in large enough quantities to reduce shipping costs.

Another factor in pricing is the fact that, like produce, flowers are perishable. Wholesalers can offer left over cheap flowers from larger orders that they have filled. These will typically be found at retailers and groceries that offer other discounted items. This is a good thing since the degree of thoughtfulness increases as the price point decreases.

Some floral varieties grow more readily than others and are simply more available. Cheap flowers are no exception. As a rule, if it grows in local yards then it will be a source of cheap flowers in season. That sounds like an oversimplification but it's important to remember when planning a floral decorating scheme.

Cone flowers, also known as Echinacea, grow wild but may not keep well. So if they are to be used in a floral arrangement in winter they still have to be imported. This makes them cheap flowers when the florist picks them before a summer wedding but ridiculously expensive in winter.

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What to Look for when Choosing an Online Florist

Choosing an online Florist - what to look out for to ensure you get the flowers you want, when you want.

Ordering flowers is a fickle business and it's easy to part with your cash expecting a beautiful bouquet only to be disappointed by the reality. Here at Flowers 4 Online International we pride ourselves on the quality and value of Online Flower Delivery and have created this checklist to help ensure you can choose a reputable Florist.

How long have they been in business? Do they have experience in the type of event you have in mind? Can they work in your price range? Our experience includes a range of events; we can quickly "size up" what you have in mind.

Are the pictures you see on the site, pictures of Flower Arrangements they have created themselves? Is there a wide price range of Flowers, and do you have the option of sizes of bouquet ranges?

What guarantees do they offer for delivery? Can they offer same day and next day flower delivery? What about international orders, can they also deliver these at short notice? Do they have a large number of international florists they work with to deliver anywhere at short notice? Is pricing totally transparent? Can you see the prices you pay including delivery charges before you pay?

Flowers4 has enabled thousands of customers to send flowers online for over five years through its own Flower Shops, affiliates and website. It is a name you can trust for quality Flowers at good prices with an excellent reputation for timely delivery.

Clinton Porter is a search engine optimisation consultant with Nvisage (http://www.nvisage.co.uk/whatwedo/search_engine_optimisation.asp) for Flowers4 Online flower shops and florists (http://www.flowers4.co.uk/) specialists in Wedding and bridal flowers, Funeral and sympathy flowers. Order and send fresh flowers online for same day and next day delivery.

Building a Custom Swarovski Crystal Wedding Bouquet

I have made Swarovski Crystal Wedding Bouquets for many Brides and I always find that they are amazed when they realize what we can come up with once we decide to "step out of the box" and use the medium to its fullest potential.

There are many ways to accomplish something unique and stylish without getting too far away from tradition, or if completely "off the beaten path" is your preference, crystal bouquets are by far, the way to go.

Swarovski Crystal Bouquets are made from crystals that are mounted on stainless steel stems which brings the advantage of any shape or size to your bouquet that you can imagine. The benefits of Swarovski Crystals is that they are incredibly bright and can light up rooms with rainbows in the sunlight or twinkle brilliantly in candlelight, in any light they are breathtaking. Swarovski Crystals come in about 300 different colors so you can coordinate your bouquet with your décor or just your dress.

Let's start with shapes and sizes… The most elaborate bouquet that I have ever built went from just under the Bride’s princess bodice and stopped just above her knees. It had 600 crystals in it and 60 white, silk roses. It was spectacular. She chose to have it cascade at the bottom just as you may have a traditional wedding bouquet of roses and ivy. You can also have them fashioned in the shape of a round bouquet as you would a hand-tied bunch of daisies or peonies. You may also wish to have them made so that it lays across your arm like a collection of wild flowers. The choice is yours and the sky is the limit.

Next, let's talk about creating your perfect bouquet by using variations in color… I have made bouquets for brides with a very wide array of hues. I really enjoy when I get a chance to brainstorm with my clients. We touch on her dress to make sure that the style and the accents will work well with our creation. We talk about the décor for the big day, bridesmaids dresses, jewelry, even favorite colors to come up with the something that will appeal to her every desire.

Some of my favorite creations have been a bouquet that had clear crystals that cascaded around ruby red crystals that I made into the shape of a heart in the middle of the bouquet. This was for a wedding on Valentine’s Day, she wore a white dress that had a wide, red sash around her waste and her entire décor was hearts and arrows. Another Bride wanted me to make all of her bouquets for the party. Each of them had 5 different shades of blue, from baby blue to navy. This looked spectacular next to their Tiffany Blue dresses. And last but not least, I made a bouquet with 300 crystals in it, all of the crystals were the same color, but she chose to get larger sizes that were several different shapes to create interest. There were, round, bicone and cubed crystals, each of them caught the light differently and really made quite a statement on her wedding day.

I do hope that this helps you to open your mind to all of the different possibilities that are at hand with Swarovski Crystal Bouquets. Whether it is the uniqueness of carrying crystals, the shape, the colors or even the ribbons, I’m sure that it will add something to your wedding day that your family and friends will remember for years to come.

Penny Olson is the owner and designer for Brilliant Wedding Jewelry
Make your day sparkle with Crystal Wedding Bouquets. Browse our collection of wedding articles.

Bouquet Tulips - Lucky New Garden Trend?

Did you know that your garden may have the luck of the Dutch with bouquet tulips? Just what does that mean? Good things come in fours. Think of a four leaf clover. Do you know how lucky you are to find a four-leaf clover? Why you would have to have the luck of the Irish!

According to Wikipedia, there are 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf one. If you have to examine 10,000 clovers to find a four-leaf clover, that would take you quite a long time. When - and if - you did find that four-leaf clover, you would be fortunate indeed. Like finding a pot of gold at the end of the Rainbow.

So what does this have to do with the luck of the Dutch? When something is uncommon or rare, it is considered good favor, almost like winning the lottery. Most of today's tulip bulbs are imported directly from growers in the Netherlands by distributors.

A modern garden trend is planting multiple-blossom bouquet tulips. Some of these varieties have four flowers on one tulip plant. How lucky are you when you find one? Discovering two blossom and three blossom tulips is a surprise in the garden, as well. You would have to look in a lot of tulip gardens before you ever saw one. But they do exist.

Just so you know, a common tulip plant yields one flower per bulb. You plant one bulb which forms one tulip plant, grows into one bud and blossoms into one tulip flower. That is the way it has been for hundreds of years. In hundreds of thousands of gardens around the world. When you spot any of these beauties growing in the wild, you have just found a "bouquet on a stem" that is the envy of any tulip arrangement you place into a vase.

Today, with modern science of hybrids, you can buy and plant bouquet tulip bulbs that grow two, three, four, five and even six shoots for every tulip plant. Each shoot yields a colorful tulip blossom. The more blossoms one tulip plant has, the smaller each blossom is. Bouquet tulips come in orange, red and yellow varieties.

Bouquet tulips make excellent tulip arrangements of cut flowers. Make sure to cut the main stem with a sharp knife at an angle. Don't use scissors to cut the stem. Using scissors will pinch the stem and the tulip flowers will not be able to draw water to keep them alive. When you cut the tulip plant stem at an angle, you are allowing the plant to drink more water. It's like using a larger straw in a soft drink.

Put two or three stems in a vase and you have a beautiful bouquet of tulips greeting you in your house. For example, if you had three tulip plants of four blossoms each, you could make a cutting of all three tulip stalks that you put into one vase. That would be a dozen compact tulip flowers in one arrangement. Cut tulips in a vase can last between four and seven days. When your neighbors, friends, or family visit, just think of how amazed people will be to see these unique and unusual gorgeous bouquet tulips on your table.

Dave Pipitone is a lucky tulip gardener. He found a four-blossom orange bouquet tulip. For see pictures and learn more information on four blossom bouquet tulips, visit http://www.bouquet-tulips.com

How To Have A Cheap Bridal Bouquet

It’s easy to spend a fortune on your bridal bouquet alone, so finding some money-saving bridal bouquet ideas is a must. Although bridal flowers are beautiful, it’s important to keep your costs in check. So here’s a run down of what to avoid and some tips to reduce your bridal bouquet cost.

Firstly, what to avoid
Bouquet arrangements tend to be the most expensive type of bouquet, simply because they take a lot more time to complete. They’re also very heavy and you’ll probably get arm ache carrying it around for a few hours. It may also do some damage when you come to throw it at the end of the night!

Long cascading bouquets also tend to be very heavy, since there are lots of flowers and greenery. They’ll also hide your beautiful dress, so it seems a bit silly to spend a fortune on a dress only for it to be hidden by your flowers.

The last thing to avoid is exotic flowers. It’s difficult to grow them locally, so they tend to have high transportation costs, which are then passed onto you.

It probably seems that your options are somewhat diminished. Not so and here’s a run down on how you can save on your bridal bouquet.

Low-cost bridal bouquet ideas
Hand tied bridal bouquets are usually half the price of arrangements. The florist selects the flowers, then arranges them together and ties them with floristry string or wire. A ribbon is then tied around the stems to protect the bride’s hands and finish the bouquet. Simple and effective.

You can use most flowers in a hand tied bridal bouquet, they’re versatile and more importantly, cheap.

Single stems can also be effective bridal flowers. Having a single stem is a dramatic look and works well with elegant, slinky dresses. You could have one stem, or even increase it to three stems tied together in a simple hand tied bouquet. Either way, it’s more cost effective as you use fewer flowers.

Lilies, roses, gerberas and sunflowers looks great as single stems.

Go for flowers in-season as they’ll be fresher, grown locally and therefore cheaper. There are lots of blooms available all year round, so ask your local florist what’s in season at the time of your wedding.

An alternative is find stems with lots of flowers so you get more blooms for your buck. There are lots of flowers that can give you this effect, including lilies and hydrangea.

Nicola Ray is the owner of Cheap Wedding Success, a website dedicated to planning and creating the perfect cheap wedding. With lots of advice, tips and ideas to lower the cost of your wedding, Cheap Wedding Success is the perfect place to start. You can find more articles like this one in the Wedding Flowers section.

Choosing a Bridal Bouquet

As you plan for your wedding, you’re faced with the question of which type of bridal bouquet is right for you? Before you determine that, you have to first answer a few questions.

• What kind of atmosphere do you want for your wedding? Will it be formal, casual, elegant or something in between?

• Where are you getting married? Is this a casual outdoor wedding, an elegant candlelit evening wedding in a cathedral, a simple country church wedding, or a fancy country club event?

• What is your body type? Are you short and petite? Full-figured?

• What season are you getting married in?

• What is your color scheme?

• Are there certain flowers that you simply “must have” in your wedding bouquet?

Another important thing to consider is the style of wedding gown you will be wearing.

• Romantic or fairytale gowns

With lots of lace, tulle and layers of luxurious fabric, this type of gown lends itself to the traditional cascading bridal bouquet. Keep in mind, however, that the cascading wedding bouquet does not necessary flatter a petite bride. If you’re petite, you don’t want to get lost behind a large wedding bouquet. If your gown has a lot of detail to it, be careful not to order a bridal bouquet that actually competes with the gown, rather than complementing it.

• Simple and elegant gown

Think Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn and you’ll have visions of a less fussy gown, designed to show off the beauty of the bride. These gowns are often strapless and have structured lines. Your flowers should be simple and elegant as well, as in a hand-tied bouquet of white calla lilies, a symbol of magnificence. A showy bouquet wouldn’t be your best choice with this type of gown, but a classic clutch bridal bouquet might be the answer. Pastel pink roses would be ideal in a clutch wedding bouquet, the perfect symbol of happiness, gentility and grace.

• Vintage gowns

This is a huge category that includes Bohemian gypsy-style dresses, medieval princess frocks, and Charleston swing era gowns. Match wedding bouquets with the style of dress that you choose. Some bridal bouquets simply would not work with some of the vintage dresses. Of course, these dresses are updated to reflect the styles of the early 21st century.

Make sure that you let your florist or online wedding consultant know exactly what type of gown you have chosen. It would be best for them to see a picture of the gown, preferably with you in it! If you’re unsure of how to pick the style of bridal bouquet that’s best for you, given all of the choices that you’ve already made, rely on the advice from the experts.

And remember, you’re not restricted to fresh flowers for your wedding. Silk wedding flower packages are available at great prices from many online merchants. They can help you decide if the cascading bridal bouquet, the hand-tied wedding bouquet, or another style is best for you considering the location, the season, the atmosphere, your figure, etc. Silk wedding flowers are a wise choice for budget-minded brides, as well as for extravagant brides who only want the best!

Bonnie Goodwin Ray has more than sixteen years experience in the wedding industry. She is the author of Wedding Planning Made Easier and has become a leading expert in silk wedding bouquets design.

FTD Florist

One of the best surprises for a woman on a special occasion would be an unexpected delivery of flowers, whether in the home or office. The joy of receiving flowers from a loved one or an admirer is incomparable.

Most florists, in order to attract more customers offer free delivery services. At the store, the customer can choose the flowers he wants in the arrangement. The florist may assist him in the selection, making sure he gets the right kinds for the occasion, and arranges them for him. But for busy people who cannot make the trip down to the local florist, the Internet is a good place to find and visit florists too. Florists now have websites where customers can conduct transactions such as browse for flowers, choose from the available arrangements or specify certain details, and order and pay for bouquets to be delivered to a particular address.

All a customer needs is a credit card, and he can send flowers to anyone, anywhere. A customer can even send flowers to someone in another state or part of the globe if he orders from a florist with national or international coverage. Other independent florists may offer the same service and use couriers. They may or may not charge extra for the delivery service.

Other florists are more creative in their delivery service. To make the experience more complete for the recipient, they accompany the delivery with a song or dance number from the delivery agent. They can accommodate special requests from the customer.

The business of selling flowers hinges on the ability of the florists to keep the flowers fresh and vibrant-looking, even when the bouquets travel long distances to reach the intended recipients. Florists have developed methods and packaging designs to keep their flowers fresh for the longest time possible.

Florists provides detailed information on Florists, Retail Florists, Florist Delivery, Online Florists and more. Florists is affiliated with Best Florists Online.