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Y.H.S. Prom Wrap-up!


Every year we make dozens of corsages and boutonniere's 
for prom. There are always those few corsages
that are a little different or just turn out 
better than expected...
Here are some of my favorites from this year..

This pretty lavender calla pair with hyacinth blooms.
 and this white & coral corsage 
(looking very orange in this photo)



 This lovely pink calla corsage belongs to Chloe.. We did another corsage for her a while back
One thing about being a small town florist is creating these corsages year after year for the same girl and in some cases other members of the family. It's wonderful to hear about how much 
they loved certain corsages they've worn in the past.


I had a surprise visit from one of my very first prom customers (Swayze) who came in with her brother (Josh)  to 
pick up his corsage... 
Josh's purple orchid wrist corsage

She Still had a photo of it on her phone ..
(hearing that made my day)

Swayze's pink orchid wrist corsage & matching bout. 2008





Here's the finished corsage from the 'Inspired by Wire' post
The matching boutonniere is attached with 
a magnet. 




Love this red , white & gold corsage on the gold rhinestone bracelet. 
All the gold ribbons to one side with the rhinestone accents opposite.


Red, gold & white wrist corsage



TBT 1950's Prom

A couple years ago a fellow florist shared this photo....


The bottom diameter is about 3" and can be expanded, & the top is a 
couple coils of wire used as a clip..
Can you guess what it is? 

Here's the packaging.. 


Directions read:

Place plastic ring inside of 'bra' with stem bent towards shoulder. 
slip flower stem into loop. 

 YIKES!

It was known as a .... wait for it... BOOBLET


I searched Google hoping to find an example of it being worn.. 

 
 Of course I can't know for sure, but
I think the girl in the white dress is wearing one.
Notice how the flowers are just sitting at the top edge of her gown?


Here's another photo from my search..
again, the flowers are preciously perched on the top of 
her bodice. 
(now we know how they stay there!)


I can't even the imagine today's awkwardness of presenting a girl with 
this contraption ... 
And you think pinning a boutonniere is hard?! 


Tracey

Our Favorite Flowers for Prom - Hyacinth

Beautiful fragrant Hyacinth flowers are the essence of 
springtime- 


We love to use the little individual blooms in corsages. Since they are a specialty spring flower, they are only available from mid January to the latter part of May.

We use them as accent flowers.. 

Lavender wrist corsage with white Hyacinth blooms

Little white blooms accenting the roses.
Petite wrist corsage with yellow rose buds and white Hyacinth blooms

 or.. 
  Blue/lavender blooms tucked into the petals of an orange carnation. They are also
threaded onto thin silver bullion wire. Both flowers equally important.
Orange carnation with purple Hyacinth corsage

or.. 
as the focal flower in this all white corsage.

White on white wrist corsage

Hyacinths are available in a range of cool colors.. 
(just like the top photo)
from a pretty grape purple to rich raspberry and all the lighter tones in between, including white.
and 
they smell HEAVENLY! 

Tracey

Prom Corsages- Perfectly Matched?

We  are often asked to create a  prom corsage & boutonniere that 
matches the dress color exactly.. not a shade lighter or darker
and absolutely no other colors except the color of the dress. 



Although this request seems like a reasonable & safe choice, it's not the best choice.
Especially when your dress is Turquoise or it's lighter shade Aqua, or some other 
hard to match color of the rainbow.

To find the BEST choice for your prom flowers,
 you need to remember what you learned in Art class about color.
Remember the Color Wheel?? 


 Colors look their best when they are in harmony with other colors, 
or different values or shades of the same color. 

Monochromatic color scheme (different shades of the same color) corsage by Rose of Sharon Floral Designs
 

I found this fantastic color wheel calculator from the great people at 

Sessions College    

 

To use it, click on the link
Start the process by selecting the color of your dress
 (I used Aqua ) then choose a Harmony..


Here is a complimentary color scheme....



and here's a similar example with peachy/pink flowers and mint/sea-foam green ribbons.. 


Play around with the different options on the calculator- you'll see there are
 SO MANY other great color schemes besides 'matchy-matchy'!

You don't want your corsage and dress to clash- and we don't either. 
We, as professional florists know a little bit about color and can recomend 
color schemes to compliment your dress.
We work with color everyday!

Tracey

Royal Blue

Royal Blue

A little Royal prom inspiration this morning brought to you by Polyvore! 
The Calla lilies in this wire wrap corsage could easily be switched to 
pale pink or even a pale yellow and still compliment this outfit beautifully 
while adding just a hint of color. 

Little Mistress blue dress
$63 - nelly.com


Bridal shoes
etsy.com


Oscar de la Renta clutch
marissacollections.com


Inspired by Wire -New Ideas for Corsages

After being inspired by Rhonda's designs (read about them here
and that wonderful Floral Jewelry book we keep referring to ...
I finally got a chance to gather my wire & tools and 
create!

  A simple leaf design for starters..

Custom wire leaf bracelet


An armband in pink with whimsical flowers and butterflies..
(flowers are placed on the wire spirals)


Pink arm band

A couple of cuff/wrap designs..

Perfect for prom- wire wrist corsage cuffs

A chunky wrap with pink & lavender beads..

Chunky wrap bracelet

And finally....a dragonfly.. 

Wire Dragonfly


I'm looking forward to seeing how they look with fresh flowers added!

Tracey
Twigs

Popular on Pinterest



I pinned this calla corsage after I posted about Y.H.S. prom 2013 
There were lots of great designs we did last year but this one has received the most 
pinterest love!


The bracelet used is 'High Voltage' by Fitz design in turquoise. 
One of my favorite styles since they each have at least a couple different colors within those 
carnival glass- like beads. 

Small pink callas and a couple (dyed) blue orchid blooms are the only flowers I used. The glittered ribbon is 'Bolton' from Pioneer Wholesale. 






Here is Emily & her date Garret- 
and with her mom...


I don't usually get to see our corsages or bouts worn with the dress or tux- usually they are picked up in a rush by students on their way home to get dressed or fresh from the salon, 
hair done, but dressed in comfy clothes.
 These photos are such a treat!
Thanks so much for sharing them.


Tracey Foster
Twigs

Book Review- Fresh Floral Jewelry

This book has been on my Wish List for a while

(can anyone believe I didn't have it before now?!) 




Fresh Floral Jewelry: Creating Wearable Art with Wendy Andrade  

by Wendy Andrade, NDSF, AIFD and CFD

Published March 28, 2013
Wendy Andrade is a freelance floral designer based in London. She is a regular contributor to 
Her designs have also been found at the 2010 Oscars and other prestigious events.. 
Long story short... She knows more about floristry than most of us!



The book devotes the first few pages to materials, tools & techniques - along with easy to understand instructions and photos. The rest of the book is devoted to 32 projects covering the four seasons. Not just pretty pictures, each project has lots of instructions and 'how to' photos.


Example from book

Most of the projects are necklaces with only 8 bracelets or cuffs. Any of the necklace projects can easily be adapted to a bracelet size. 

another example- my favorite!


What I love about this book:
It serves as a springboard to creativity- any one of these techniques or projects can be built upon, or altered with great results once you've mastered the techniques. 

It emphasizes exacting precision over and over-  from simple binding to the more elaborate designs. This is what separates the amateurs from the professionals, don't you think? 


We've sure come a long way with wire- here are a few of the designs from theProm & Homecoming book (published in 2007) by John Henry...


Compare them to a few of the designs from this book... 



Love this book for prom inspiration!

Who has a copy? 
What do you think? 
Have you tried some of the projects? 

Please leave a comment!


Wire Ideas for Prom

  Hello, my name is Rhonda Little and I have been a florist in a small town in Maine for 39 years.  I am a Certified Floral Designer and Maine Master Floral Designer.  In July, I will be inducted into the American Institute of Floral Design, a lifetime goal of mine since I began in the floral business.  As a member of the Maine Florists' Association and an officer in the association,
 I have had the pleasure of networking with some of the best in our industry while attending all educational programs I could.


 I am pleased and honored to offer some trendy ideas for not just proms but also for other occasions when a wrist corsage is requested. I keep up with emerging trends in the floral business and found wire wristlets and floral jewelry intriguing.  



  Inspired by the book Fresh Floral Jewelry by Wendy Andrade and by other floral artists, I have worked with the wire to produce some designs to utilize for prom and special occasions.  Thanks to the various sizes you can make, these wristlets can be altered to fit any size wrist or arm making them perfect also for father/daughter dances or young wedding attendants and even some unusual attendants such as a favorite "fur kid" (dog)!!


  The turquoise wristlet has been made with bendable "cuffs" to wrap around the wrist holding it in place.  The circlets of wire allow for placement of blooms such as dendrobium orchids, vanda orchids, or small mixes of stock, statice, delphinium blooms.  A "bullion lace" fills the void in the stiffer aluminum wire frame for a softer feel on the wrist or arm.  The same design could be extended for an upper arm cuff.




  The green "cuff" design is a bit bulkier in size but is bendable to fit tightly on the wrist.  Although larger, it is still light to wear and the circlets imbedded inside the cuff allow for multiple blooms of various sizes to be attached.  This design offers a "base" for mixed flower corsages.


  The "braided" wristlet is very light to wear and the three circlets on each end allow for attachment of blooms.  
This style of bracelet can be enlarged as shown to allow a wrist to mid lower arm bracelet. 





The same style of braided wire can be shortened to attach as a wristlet for a young attendant for a wedding or enlarged for a "collar" for your favorite canine attendant.
  I hope you enjoyed, I hope you see a design you like! 

 Keep imagining... keep wondering... keep designing!

Rhonda Little CFD mmfd
Certified Floral Designer/Maine Master Floral Designer
Millinocket Floral Shop