Art in Bloom

We're coming off an exciting weekend after having participated in the Milwaukee Art Museum's 4th annual Art in Bloom exhibition. For those that aren't familiar with the concept, the museum selects 41 pieces from the permanent collection that will be paired with botanical interpretations by the area's top floral designers. On a sunny day back in January all of the designers gathered together to come to terms with their destiny - aka the lottery drawing. We were very fortunate to draw a wonderful abstract, "Breath" by Gerhard Richter.

This is an enormous work that was created using a very interesting technique. Richter layererd many different deep hues of paint then covered the entire piece with plastic wrap. By pulling off the wrap, the various shades are revealed and a beautiful texture is formed. It is very impressive to behold and we knew we had to do it justice!

Our process started with selecting the colors we'd pull out from the painting, which were cobalt, fuchsia, yellow, some midtone greys and white. Then we decided which flowers would represent these shades and shapes that we'd require. The signature elements we chose were blue delphinium for its color and vertical shape, heather for the mass of raspberry and yellow callas for their color and ability of the stems to be manipulated as needed.

We went round and round on white choices - agapanthus? stock? - then it hit us. Birch! If you look at the vertical lines in the painting, especially along the sides, it resembles birch. With all our elements in place, we started composing.

And, voila, introducing, "Hush".

We love this event because of the artistic challenge it poses, the camaraderie we enjoy with fellow designers and the interaction we have with the visitors. The icing on the cake is that it is judged by floral design professionals on the first day of the event and daily by the crowd attending. We were pleasantly surprised to see the first day that we had received honorable mention from the judges...

...and First Place from the people who visited the last day of the event. Yippee!

While I was walking through the museum looking at all of the gorgeous designs, I decided to go and visit last year's painting, "It Was Red and Pink" by Georgia O'Keeffe.

As I was looking at it, three women walked through the gallery area and were talking about the green piece that was there the previous year, describing it in great detail, saying how "stunning" it was. I had to smile to myself and not say a word. :)

These photos were taken for me by my photographer friend, Molly, from M3 Studio.

It's Something Personal

One of my upcoming brides contacted me the other day with what she thought may have been a problematic request--changing some of the flowers for her April wedding. Why the change? Her fiance brought her some white tulips recently and he mentioned that he really liked them and commented that it would be nice to have them at the wedding. The plan for their rather contemporary, more cocktail party than traditional wedding design featured blue dendrobium orchids exclusively. She wanted to surprise him and bring some white tulips into the mix for the reception.

My response could not have been more enthusiastic. "Absolutely!", I sort of screamed through my keyboard. My reaction was so strong not because I happen to adore white tulips (which, of course, I do), but, rather, because she found a way to send a personal message to her new hubby by way of their wedding decor. Saweet! I love it because this simple gesture separates their day from every other couple's day. Customization in its best form.

It's easy to decorate a room and make it completely gorgeous, but it's so much more rewarding to be able to incorporate something meaningful into the design plan. When planning your big day, pay attention to these sorts of cues that will make your wedding uniquely yours. Your vendors will be happy to comply!

Petals and Proteins

Much like today, yesterday was a gorgeous, sunny day. Wonderful day to be out meeting with prospective clients near the lake by a large set of windows. For the first time in ages, I felt uncomfortably warm from the rays. A very good feeling.

The couple I met with has a November wedding that will feature a chocolate brown, kiwi green and ivory color scheme with hints of silver and lots of chunky glass. Tres elegant. The addition of the ivory and mercury glass softens up this otherwise very contemporary palette.

We love to use mood boards at La Tulipe to illustrate the look that our clients are wanting to achieve. While not always literal in their content, they are more directional and inspirational for all parties involved. When working with designers of any sort, it's essential to know that they completely understand your vision.

Based on their likes and dislikes, here is what I'm proposing for this couple. Yummy, right?

So the meeting was moving along nicely until I started feeling a little light headed and my energy level was on the decline. Not the optimum situation for a first meeting. After we exchanged our parting pleasantries, I headed off to the nearest co-op for some alternative protein supplies. Until now, I had only eaten a piece of toast with natural peanut butter which I thought would suffice. It was not doing the trick. In the old days, I would have reached for a piece of string cheese or hard-boiled egg for quick relief. Now, my freshly minted vegan self was going to have to settle for some soy derivation of a favorite food. Tofurkey here I come.

I got to Outpost in the knick of time, filled my recycled bag 3/4 full and paid $45 for a day and half's worth of food. My first field trip to the health food grocer had yielded the following observations:

1. Pleasant surprises. Many of the foods my family already enjoys happen to be vegan. Chief among them is Amy's Frozen Roasted Vegetable pizza. All five of us adore this pizza, so this was a great discovery. Add to the list thai peanut noodle salad, certain Boca burgers and, of course, fruit.

2. When the label "Vegan" is attached to a product, it's price escalates by 70%. Don't anyone let them know that you know pears are vegan. Deal?

3. There are many unreasonable facsimiles. If you want something that tastes like a brat, but prefer a tube mixed with brown rice, tofu, guar gum and a dash of liquid smoke, you may not be coming out ahead health wise. (Full disclosure: we are friends with the relatives of the owner of Liquid Smoke and hold no ill feelings toward their product. Reference to its name was used solely for the author's feeble attempt at creative writing. On the other hand, we know no one that produces guar gum and, thus,will continue to mock its existence as a whole food substitute.)

4. Healthy eating is for the rich.

I could go on, but I find myself once again running out of steam. My kingdom for some lentils!

Day 2 Menu:

Breakfast - toast with natural peanut butter

Lunch - thai peanut noodle salad (of course the noodles are egg free!)

Snack - 1/2 dark chocolate bar, flax and pumpkin seed crackers

Dinner - ratatouille

(Note: all of these meals are ones that we frequently enjoy)