Y.H.S. Prom wrap up - Calla Lilies

Every year we create a few corsages with 

miniature Calla Lilies. I like to work with them even though they can be 

a little spendy. Their graceful shape help make an elegant corsage.

A couple callas with three orchid accents... gorgeous!

 This white & blue design was one of my favorites- you can't see it, but I added rhinestones to the inside of each lily in the corsage like you see in the boutonniere.

Miniature Calla Lilies are pretty easy to use in corsages- just be sure to place them into the 

ribbon base the way you like... BEFORE you glue!

Miniature Callas come in lots of colors-

 (I find the smaller 40cm size are the best for prom work.) 

As always, contact your local florist early so these flowers can be ordered for you if needed.

Y.H.S Prom wrap up - Orchids

Last weekend our local school held it's prom

here are a few corsages we did featuring orchids.

Dendrobium Orchids

These beautiful flowers are a great prom flower choice since they have such a unique 

shape and they are also light weight. As you can see they come in lots of great colors, 

including the dyed blue we used in our corsages.

 Here's a design we did using bear grass to enclose the blooms. We added a few of the

stick on rhinestones to the arching grass accenting the rhinestone bracelet. 

 Another corsage with a braided ribbon accent.

We also added orchids to roses and freesia to create an interesting mixture of 

form and texture.

Cymbidium Orchids

Another great orchid for prom- these are a bit larger than Dendrobium orchids

 so all you need are a couple to make a stunning corsage...

We used mini cymbidiums in our corsages.

Cymbidium orchids come in a variety of colors as well, although if you want blue, you'll need to stick with Dendrobium orchids. 

So if you want something different for your corsage, try orchids! 

Talk to your local florist well before your prom, because these flowers usually need to 

be special ordered.

The Classic White Rose Corsage

This past weekend I created a few wrist corsages and boutonnieres 

for a smaller school near us. 

I didn't have many orders, but everyone of them requested

white roses in their corsage.


I couldn't resist adding a couple stems of fragrant lily of the Valley to a couple..
I'm lucky since I have it growing right outside my door. So tiny and delicate, Lily of the Valley
is one of the most expensive flowers grown!

 A couple of silver styles- we get so many more requests for silver than gold accents
about 80% of our orders.. almost every year.

Custom wire copper leaf design to coordinate with copper & amber
toned jewels on the dress.

Sweet pink with the addition of pink hyacinth and white stock blooms.

Darling little rose buds add just the right touch of green.

Corsages for a Cause

It takes a special person to donate their time and talent, especially when their time and talent is stretched thin during the busy spring prom season. 

Renee Burns is such a person. 

I met Renee over the phone last year when I wrote about her involvement with 

A Prom To Remember. (101 Corsages)

She was at it again this year when I caught up with her in the middle of making a table full of 

corsages for the event!

How many years have you been supplying 

corsages for this event?

This is my 5th year of doing the corsages for the Prom

 

In the beginning what inspired you to make such a huge commitment? 

My Daughter worked at Charles Schwab and they had been approached to help with the Prom in it's first year.  She was on the committee that helps to choose different volunteer programs and asked if I would consider doing something to help. At the time I owned my Flower Shop and I loved the idea. Schwab sold roses at Valentines day that I supplied them for cost and they sold them throughout the office and raised money to purchase the supplies for the flowers. Sarah Botchick from Pioneer Wholesale heard about it and approached me about 
supplying the bracelets for the corsages. 

How many hours do you spend creating the corsages? 

We start making the frames for them about a week prior to the dance. My husband makes the bows and we both work on the frames.  Now that I no longer own my shop and I actually work for Charles Schwab as well they give me 8 hours of "volunteer" time to work on adding the flowers right before prom. It pretty much consumes the last couple of days prior to the dance to get the fresh items added to the frames. This year I used  Mini Cymbidium orchids and Statice  for a bit of a change. In the past I have used Spray Roses and Babies Breath.This year we made about 115 corsages and 50 bouts. for the guys.

Do you go to the event? 

I have attended the early part of the prom when the kids are walking the red carpet, or in this years case the Yellow Brick Road. It is an amazing feeling to see these kids feeling so special for an evening. Carefree and away from the sterile environment they have had to live in.  

 

There was a beautiful young girl that was there and she was actually featured in an article on Yahoo. She was so frail, but stunning at the same time.  We found out that just days before she was literally fighting for her life in ICU. Her hair was gone, her chest covered in bruises and yet when she put on that gown that all went away. She had a beautiful wig and they covered the bruises with makeup and she was just beautiful as were all the kids.  

They got to meet several players from our Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball team and some Cleveland Browns Players too, but mostly they can be "normal" in a world that has been anything but for them. This year was a bit hard on me, because my husband is also battling  cancer and we had just found out the treatments didn't work.  As hard as it is, seeing these kids gives both of us a ray of hope for our own future. 

 

  A huge thank-you to Renee for sharing your experience with us.
 Your story is both inspiring and humbling. 

More Bling Please!

Sometimes a girl just can't get enough sparkle!
 If you're one of those girls you need to take a look at these
corsage bracelets from Fitz Design.

Cobblestone

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How much do you love this extra bling white corsage?

Diamond Eyes

Here's a Corsage I made here at Twigs using the
Diamond Eyes bracelet
I used fuchsia Bombay Dendrobium orchids, a bit of
black netting, feathers and a touch more bling
in the rhinestone sprays. It brings that sparkle from the
bracelet up into the center of the flowers in the design.

Shazaam corsage bracelet

Love these bold orange and red tones in this corsage using the Shazaam bracelet.
As you can see with this black background..
a great choice for a black dress. 

Corsage image courtesy of Pioneer Wholesale