CasaSugar

Create This Bridal Shower Table Setting

CasaSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:00:03 -0700

Why settle for boring floral arrangements when you can create a chinoiserie-inspired table setting instead? If you're in charge of hosting a bridal shower at your home this Spring, take inspiration from stylist Rebecca Thuss's look for this table setting. To re-create it, simply purchase bird figurines, vases, and branches. Alternately, you can take advantage of Spring blossoms and trim flowering trees or hedges to use, which will cut down on the cost of this look.

Feeling ambitious? You can also create a matching overhead light. The look is so seasonally appropriate, and would be sure to impress the bride, as well as the other bridal shower guests. Have you created a similar look at a bridal shower?

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Casa Quickie: Tea Time

CasaSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:30:19 -0700

Break out the tea cups even if you're not observing tea time. Take advantage of Spring blooms, which are often already on a short stem, by arranging them in pretty, mismatched china. Displayed on a mantel or across a coffee table, these modest garden blooms can make a big impact.

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Cool Idea: String Theories

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:30:15 -0700

I'm always keeping an eye out for unexpected centerpieces for your next party. This pretty alternative to flowers, which was created by New York event designer David Stark, was fashioned by first shaping wire into floral shapes. Then, biodegradable sisal twine was carefully wound around the wire forms. The unexpected effect is equal parts modern art and kindergarten craft project - definitely an effect I love. I think this would look great on tables at an Autumn wedding, and it looks so easy to make that if you were going to be DIYing your wedding, you could involve a number of friends and relatives in the process of making these.
If you're interested in seeing more of Stark's ideas for centerpieces, check out the slideshow at The New York Times.

Marilyn K. Yee for The New York Times

Cool Idea: Hanging Wedding Flowers

CasaSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:45:03 -0700

Miss Cherry Pie recently posted photos of her hanging wedding flowers. She's still perfecting the idea, but I think they look great already. She writes that she "spent some time this weekend with my shepherd’s hooks and cache of jars working out how to attach one to the other. First, I picked out 20 jars of a similar smallish size, and set them aside. Then, I went a-crafting. I took a trip down to Michael’s to pick up some wraphia (aka raffia), a natural-looking, grassy ribbon that’s strong enough to use as a hanger."

Then, she tied the wraphia around the mouth of each jar, fashioning a handle out of it, and hung them from the shepherd's hook. This is such a lovely, simple idea for displaying large flowers. It's a beautiful, easy arrangement for any couple planning a DIY wedding.

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How-To: Decorating With an Ornate Vase

CasaSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:57 -0700

Sometimes an ornate vase is just what an interior is asking for. The beautiful colors and patterns of this Tuscia d'Arte Vase ($165) from Emilia Ceramics are stunning on their own. But what's the best way to accessorize with such a complex ceramic object? Take a look at some of my suggestions.

Choose one accent color from the vase and pick a bouquet made up of a single color that reflects that color palette. For instance, the orange accents on this vase suggest tiger lilies as an appropriate choice.
Forgo the flowers and choose peacock feathers instead.

To see some other suggestions, and to leave one of your own, read more.

Cutting from a deciduous tree, with their simple, green leaves, would also be an excellent complement to a more ornate vase.
If you do decide to decorate with flowers, make sure to only use one variety of flower. A mixed bouquet would add too much busyness when combined with the vase.
Keep it at its most simple and allow the vase to stand on its own.

What would you do to decorate with this vase? Tell me in the comments below!

Casa Quickie: Less Is More

CasaSugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:00:03 -0700

If you're trying to create some easy, Summer style forgo the fussy arrangements and try slipping a single bloom into a small vase. I love the dramatic effect of this less-is-more strategy. It's especially lovely in this picture, achieved with the simple use of a small jar and a feather-like fern frond.

Photo Courtesy Abby Powell Thompson

Cool Idea: Petal-Filled Vase

CasaSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:00:20 -0700

I'm not a flower snob. Pick a couple of wildflowers from alongside the Interstate and toss them in a Starbucks Frappuccino cup, and I'll be just as happy as if you'd charged a floral masterpiece to your Black card. But I do appreciate a little innovation when it comes to flower arrangements. And sometimes, it's not thinking outside the box that brings about innovation, but rather, inside the vase. The Kartell Pantagruel Vase by Phillipe Starck ($198) was re-imagined here, filled to the brim with pink hydrangea, highlighting its feminine curves. This new genre of bouquet can be achieved with any flowering plant, dried or fresh, and works best with a clear glass vase with a nice shape. Try it with grasses for a more masculine arrangement.
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How-To: Arrange Grocery Store Flowers

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:30:29 -0700

I love having fresh flowers in my home, but most of us don't have the time or money to stop by a fancy florist every time we're craving color. Don't fret: grocery store flowers can be just as pretty if you know how to arrange them right. Just follow these five easy tips, and people will think your arrangements are the work of an expert.

Buy mixed bouquets or several cheap bouquets featuring one flower. Variety will inspire creativity.
Choose flowers in contrasting textures and shapes (i.e., soft gerbera daisies, round berries, and spiky lobster claws) and complementary colors.
Collect foliage from your yard or street. A flowering vine or broad-leafed weed often ends up looking much prettier than the filler that comes with supermarket bouquets.

For the final two tips, read more.

Use a wide-mouth vase, but create an anchor inside it. Often, people think that a small-mouth vase is better because the flowers don't fall all over the place. But a wider opening makes for fuller arrangements. Just coil some extra foliage (see, it comes in handy!) inside the vase, so as to create spaces and slots to anchor the flowers. Then, stick the flowers down around the anchor.
Make the tallest flower one-and-a-half times taller than the vase height. Only one or two flowers should be the maximum height, then vary the heights from there.

Summer Style: Flower Arranging Tips From Paul Lowe

CasaSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:45:18 -0700

It seems like I'm not the only one who thinks that one rule of Summer style should be keeping things simple. Interior and food stylist Paul Lowe, whose gorgeous floral arrangements I featured earlier this week, agrees that simple presentations can make a huge visual impact when it comes to flowers. I asked him if he could provide CasaSugar readers with some simple Summer styling techniques when it came to flowers, and he happily agreed.

Here's one of Paul's flower tips:

"When I work with flowers I always try to keep it simple. I don't like mixing too many types of flowers in a vase. I believe that one kind of flower in a vase makes a bigger statement then a mix of flowers. If you want to use a mix, put them in separate vases.

Want to hear another of Paul's tips? Then read more.

Paul also advises, "When you work with flowers you will always have some flower heads that fall of the stems. Don't throw them away. Fill eggcups with water and place the flower heads in them. This looks very cute on a side table."

To get more advice from Paul, read his blog, full of mouthwatering food photos and crave-worthy home and garden shots.

Photos by Frances Janisch

10 Brilliant Wedding Bouquets

CasaSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:00:34 -0700

Whether you're looking for inspiration for an unusual bouquet, or simply some interesting ways to augment a traditional arrangement, I've found some truly splendid bouquets to pique your interest. As you'll see, several of these bouquets forego flowers altogether.
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