New Blog Update! 12.16.14

Friends!  Wallflower Inspiration Floral Designs has gotten a facelift! In order to make things easier for you who are searching and looking at wedding floral photos and other events I have a new updated blog!

Just click on this new link to take you to my new blog:

Wallflower Inspiration Floral Designs

Thanks again!

XOXO

Esther

DIY: Christmas Wreath

Christmas is right around the corner! Can you believe it?? How has another year gone by so quickly? For me, this year was full of....well....EVERYTHING! I was pregnant and now I have a kid?! Wait what? How did this happen? Haha...don't worry, I know how it happened, you don't have to tell me about the birds and the bees...yah de da da la... but anyways...that baby that I just told you I had...well...he's 8 months old already! And as you can probably guess, this Christmas is even more special!

But let me tell you...having a kid sure cuts into your DIY and crafting time along with your DIY/crafting budget! So I've had some friends who have been asking me to do and share some DIY things/tips that I've done and although some may not necessarily involve flowers all the time, but it will involve budget friendly-time efficient projects (cuz let's be honest, we don't have all the time and money in the world to be working on little crafts whether we are moms or not).

So I present to you, my first DIY share on this blog! And inspired by the season...the Christmas Wreath.

So this particular wreath that I created actually cost me $0. Yes, ZERO dollars! I know it's probably not the most extravagant looking wreath you've seen, but my goal this year was to spend minimally on Christmas decor and use the money that I would normally spend on decor on the house to buy toys for our church's toy drive called TOYS FOR JOY.  So... if you were like me and trying to decorate the house on little to no budget at all...well I'm your gal!  I realize that not everyone has random floral stuff laying around so I'm gonna help you out and show you what you need and how you can use these tools and supplies over and over again to get the most out of your dollar.

Supplies Needed: 

-As many left over Christmas Tree branches you can get.  I got all mine from when my husband trim the tree so it would fit in our stand. However, you can get free branches at any Home Depot or Lowes that are currently selling Christmas Trees.  

-Floral Wire: you can get this at Michael's and be sure to sign up for coupons because then you can use a 40% off coupon that you can use then this ends up being just a couple bucks!

-Strong Scissors: wire scissors or gardening shears will do. 

The Extra Stuff:

-Any fake Christmas decorations that you have laying around the house will do.  I used some old Holly Berry Branch and some dried babies breath that I found in the corner of my flower studio collecting dust.

-I also used some succulents from my little potted garden as added decor.  When using succulents, you need floral wire and floral tape to hold it in place when sticking it in the wreath.

-Again....find whatever decor you have that you don't really care about or have extras of.  And if you don't have any to spare and you really don't want to break the bank, go to a dollar store and grab some glittery decor!

So now let's get started! 

First, trim all the branches so it's down to a single branch that is easy to work with. As you lay all the branches in a circular pattern, start working the wire around so you connect the branches together.  To make it easier, I went ahead and pre-cut the floral wire 5 inches and had about 15 wires to start off.  Cut more if you need to.  As I connected the branches into what is starting to look like a Charlie Brown wreath (AKA skimpy looking) I went ahead and layered more branches on top to make it look more lush until it looked like what I was happy with.

Now it's the fun part! Use the floral wire to connect any fun decor pieces you wanted on your wreath! I'm sure someday when I make this with my son, we'll have a lego wreath but for now, I used succulents! 

Then I took some of my dried babies breath and stuck that in random places.  I absolutely LOVE dried babies breath! You can do so much with it! They look so vintage or you can glam it up and spray paint them metallic like gold and stick them in a vase somewhere around the house.  But for now...these babies are going in the wreath.

Ta-da!! Again...not the most extravagant but this took me 25 min and it costed me nothing so I'm pretty happy! And I have something to hang on the door!

My Dream for this upcoming year is to finally start on remodeling my flower studio and host DIY events along with family dinners or have just a bunch of women who want to get together and talk about life, relationships, motherhood, cooking, clothes, flowers or whatever! And when I do...I hope people come.  I hope you come. I just want to share life and enjoy life with everyone! 

Well, I sure do hope you all are having a beautiful December so far! And I hope you all have such a blessed and merry Christmas!

XOXO

Esther

Be Happy. Be Floral.

Kelsey and Rob: Red Barn, Valley Center

You guys!! I am so excited to share with you this gorgeous wedding! A couple months back I did a rustic barnyard outdoor wedding and although the drive was long and far, it was worth it! The venue was absolutely beautiful! I had the pleasure of meeting Kelsey through her best friend and Maid of Honor, Kelsey! Yes! Both their names are Kelsey and I got the honor to do both of their weddings! (Refer back to La Jolla Wedding: Kelsey and Joel).

Anyway, Kelsey and Rob are absolutely PERFECT together! And I have the pictures to prove it! But first when you meet them, you're gonna think that this stunning couple is so fit and you're right to think that! They own a gym called ZASTC and if you live near El Cajon you should check it out! And about those pictures...well....here ya go!

How amazing is this arbor? Rob and his dad made it for this special day!

Love how Rob's first act as husband is to serve and wash his bride's feet.  LOVE!

CONGRATS KELSEY and ROB!! 

So happy for you both!

XOXO

Photo Credit: Analisa Joy Photography

OC: Sarah and Paul

One of my favorite things about my job besides being surrounded by endless flowers is meeting new brides. I honestly feel so blessed to sit down and meet some of these amazing women! I love talking about their BIG DAY because I get so excited to see the glow about them and to be honest, I have the best gig! FLOWERS! Who doesn't love flowers? Even people who are allergic to flowers love flowers! Anyway, I am so glad that an old childhood friend of mine connected Sarah to me because she is seriously the sweetest! And I wanted to share with you a
glimpse of her beautiful day with Paul.  Enjoy!

Overall, it was such a beautiful, warm, sunny day.  It was a perfect day to get married!

So happy for this couple who are about to embark on such an amazing adventure together.

Congrats Sarah and Paul! 

XOXO

Esther

PHOTO CREDIT: Jerome Park Photography

Sneak Peak....

Happy Wednesday everyone! Half way through the week! Before you know it, the weekend will be here so keep on keeping on.  This past week was a hot one here in San Diego and Orange County.  Luckily I have a cool studio to work from and to store my flowers.  Anyways, I wanted to share a few photos that I took from my iPhone that I'm sure I'll be blogging with actual pro pictures soon! ENJOY!!!

Wedding 1: Linda Vista, SD

The cool thing about using the beer bottles as centerpieces was that the bride and groom are home brewers! I love doing centerpieces and floral pieces that really connect to the couple's story and personality.

Bridal Bouquet

Wedding 2: Laguna Hills, OC

Crossline Community Church, OC

Close Up on the Alter Pieces. 

Flowers for DAYS! LOVE IT!!

Close up on that gorgeous Campanella Peach Garden Rose

Bridal Bouquet

I hope you have a great weekend! It's suppose to be another hot one! Hit up the beach while you can and soak up those rays!

XOXO

Esther

Be Happy.  Be Floral.