Seductive Succulents

A square sedum and succulent wreath is a unique and sustainable addition to any front door. To create this you need:

Wreath frame - round or square
Heavy gauge and decorative wire
Sphaghnum moss
15-20 4" pots of varying sedums/succulents

To make the wreath - soak the moss in water for a few hours and then pack it into the wreath frame. Secure the moss by wrapping the frame with wire. Plant the sedums into the wreath by tucking them into the moss and securing by rewrapping with the decorative wire.

The wreath should be watered once a week and trimmed periodically so that it keeps its shape.

A Glorious Saturday on Kiawah!

On Saturday, we set up for a wedding at the Sandcastle on Kiawah Island. It was a perfect day... 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

On top of that - I loved the flowers we worked with - ranunculus, sweet peas, anemones and garden roses - and adored working with the bride, Laura Booras.

Sarah Bradley of Social Event Design coordinated the day and Juliet Elizabeth Photography was on-site to capture it all.

Here are a few of our photos.:

Rustic Elegance

Yesterday A New Leaf Studio delivered wedding flowers for Laurin Hampton's ceremony at St. Luke's Chapel at MUSC and reception at Hibernian Hall. The flowers were ivory and celadon accented by hints of burgundy. Rustic wooden boxes topped with lanterns and mercury glass vases were placed on 2/3 of the tables and lush centerpieces in mercury glass vases on the remaining 1/3 at the reception.

Below are a few shots we took on our way out before the festivities began. I can't wait to see the "real" shots by Heather Forsythe Photography.

Spring, Daffodils and Guerrilla Gardening!

Victory! Elation! New beginnings, of the earth, organic - A New Leaf Studio...

Dorky... yes, I know - but yesterday on my way to work I was ecstatic to see the fruits of last fall's guerrilla gardening project continuing to bless Spring Street. The daffodil bulbs that the 25+ participants of the guerrilla gardening party in October planted are now in bloom!

A little bit of bright yellow in the plant wells along Spring Street adds happiness and hope of good things to come. Something we can all probably use right now in the midst of tough economic times and at the end of a long winter.

Greg Watkins, of Islandscape Landscaping, and I got so excited by the daffodils that we began discussing our next Guerrilla Gardening adventure. Stay tuned for something fun this spring!

In the meantime... Next time you are driving down Spring Street in the Elliotborough neighborhood of Charleston, SC - check the plant wells between Coming and Rutledge Streets for little pockets of yellow love.

Playing in the Dirt

Last week, in 30 degree weather, Greg Watkins of Islandscape Landscaping (islandscapelandscaping.com) and I cleared my backyard and prepped a raised bed for a cut flower garden! So exciting. The raised bed, created by Greg and his team, is created out of recycled concrete from an old parking area on Sullivan's Island.

The bed is now covered with black landscaping cloth to kill any weed stragglers until planting begins.

Last night I ordered final seeds from Seeds of Change.

Check this company out: seedsofchange.com. They are dedicated to sustainable agriculture... sell tons of interesting seeds and offer a wealth of gardening information on their site.

Spread the Love

I've been thinking a lot about Valentine's Day... As a florist I want it to be a big day for business.

But as someone who has been single for a long time, I have a love/hate relationship with the holiday.

On one hand, it conjures up bad images of "Hallmark", cheesy dates, carnation sales in middle school and all things shrink wrapped red and shiny. Valentine's Day - like attending weddings - has in the past pronounced the fact of being "single" or of being in the wrong relationship (much much worse than being single).

On the other hand, I love the day. It is a veritable almost-spring version of Thanksgiving - a day to celebrate all the people you love.

So this year, instead of just celebrating a significant other or being frustrated by the lack of one - consider celebrating all your significant others: friends, family members, pets, etc. Even if they, like me, outwardly shrug off the day, secretly they will be honored.

You don't buy have to buy anything - send emails, pick up the phone or make cards....

but if you do happen to want to send flowers - call me!

Back to our Roots

I am excited to announce that A New Leaf Studio is making some changes in 2009. After reflecting on a wonderful and busy 2008 - I've decided that I would love to redirect the company back towards my original vision of celebrating life through the natural beauty of flowers.

To that endeavor, A New Leaf Studio is moving into a smaller space downtown Charleston (44 Morris Street). This location is an awesome design center filled with lots of like-minded women-owned businesses and buzzing with creative energy. This will be our main hub for design meetings, etc. Our production space is moving to West Ashley. There we will create amazing wedding, special event and daily delivery arrangements, container gardens, etc. I am also embarking on an organic cut flower garden that we can hopefully use in our designs.

Eco-Chic...It has always been my goal for A New Leaf Studio to stand out from the crowd by creating beautiful and inspiring floral designs that are as healthy for the environment and the recipient as they are visually appealing.

I plan to use this blog to detail my adventures in being a "green" florist, learning to compost, creating a cut flower garden and simple ways to spruce up little nooks and crannies within your own personal oasis.

I'd love tips, comments, suggestions and feedback along the way.

Happy playing in the dirt!
Annie

Moroccan Bouquet

Last week we played around with daffodils, disa orchids, parrot tulips and ranunculus to create this "moroccan-inspired" bouquet. The bouquet is bright bold jewel tones featuring feminine flowers and architectural lines.

Hopefully - this bouquet will be seen in the next issue of Destination Weddings magazing. Heather Forsythe of Heather Forsythe Photography took the photos. She is an amazing wedding photographer located in Charleston, SC. Her work is fantastic. Check her out at heatherforsythephotography.com.

Simple and Elegant

Yesterday my good friend Heather Totten gave me an absolutely fantabulous piece of hand-crafted pottery. She is an amazing potter. I keep trying to get her to sell her wares locally in Charleston, SC. This sweet little light blue pitcher has a simple leaf pattern hand carved onto both sides of the body.

Filled with a simple cluster of sweet peas this pitcher made my bedroom utterly shabby chic and I woke up excited about the New Year.

Sweet flowers and the perfect container. Floral design at its best!
Thanks Heather!

A New Year!

2009 is off with a bang! This year A New Leaf Studio promises to return to its roots... focusing on sustainable and eco-chic design.

Yesterday we worked on the wedding of Mary Gould Woodside and Jamie Moorhead. It was a wonderful way to get the year started. Both Mary Gould and Jamie were fun to work with as were their parents. Both the wedding and the rehearsal dinner were coordinated by Stacey Fraunfelter of Red Letter Events, a Charleston Event Planning Company. Stacey and her team always make an event smooth sailing.

The rehearsal dinner at Hibernian Hall featured bold natural florals in oranges, reds and pinks in mercury glass vases accented by lots of ambient lighting. The wedding at the Wickliffe House was true southern elegance with an environmental element. Centerpieces of all white flowers alternating with potted container gardens in whites and greens were so fun to play with.

Mary Gould's bouquet (above) is one of my favorites.

Happy New Year to everyone!