My Big Fat Bathroom Reno

purplefreesia — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:27:29 +0000

BEFORE

When your pre-teen son calls to you from the bathroom “Mom, can you come here for a minute?”, a hundred things pass through your head (and not good ones, by the way!). Upon my arrival at the bathroom door I was quite “relieved” to find that there were no “personal” issues for me to deal with, but rather problems more of the plumbing persuation. He pointed to the ceiling. And that’s when I saw it. A bathroom renovation in the making. The shower on the second floor was leaking right through the ceiling above our heads.

It was the perfect opportunity to finally get that room freshened up! Now, this is not a typical blogging topic for me, so let me explain. My husband is a good man. He always does what I ask, when I ask, no questions asked. Its pretty ideal. He’s painted my livingroom purple, my dining green, my kitchen yellow, my daughter’s room pink, my son’s room turquoise, and my office coral. So, I would like to showcase his handywork for all of you to see as a celebration of him! Thank you Paul for being such a super guy. Sorry ladies, he’s taken.

AFTER

Tropical Paradise at the Living Fresh Flower School

purplefreesia — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:16:49 +0000

I love my job! I love my job! I love my job! Today was the first class of the winter/spring term at that Living Fresh Flower School – and it was fantastic! As a teacher of floral design I get to have my cake and eat it too. Not only do I get to work with exceptional blossoms from all over the world, but I can share my life-long learnings of floral art with people who have a thirst for botanical beauty. And did I mention that I get to do all this along side my best flower friend, Tina Riddell?

Today’s theme was Tropical Paradise. We featured blooms from equatorial regions of the world. Who couldn’t use a bit of that during a Canadian winter? Contemporary, asymmetrical and artistic were the design styles of the day – our floral apprentices from today’s class embraced this theme with gusto!

THE FINAL RESULTS!!!

If you missed our class today, we have many scheduled for the upcoming months! Our next class, on March 11, 2012 will celebrate all things PINK! The floral industry is favouring this shade, particularly the softer, pastel shades of pink. Unleash your inner “little girl” and come play with pink! (click here to go to the Living Fresh Flower School link – Colour Theory Pink)

IDS12 January 27, 2012

purplefreesia — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:03:31 +0000

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend IDS12 – Interior Design Show 2012 on trade day with certified Interior Decorator, Tina Riddell of Living Fresh (Kitchener, Ontario). Cutting edge designs had my head spinning – so much talent and decor under one roof. As a floral designer by trade, I don’t know the ins and outs of interiors, but I certainly have a strong sense of what I like and don’t like. And despite the thousands of amazing things that I did see at the show on this day, there was one design team that stood out among all the others: “Mason“. This design duo, Ashley Rumsey and Stanley Sun, are the partners of Mason, of Montreal, Quebec. They were one of the 6 participants in the feature display entitled “How Do You Live?”, calling their work “Our Home and Native Land”. It was a pleasure to see their work, and as a member of the media, it was an even bigger thrill to photograph it.

In “Now Magazine“, Sun was quoted as saying “We wanted to challenge what a kitchen and bathroom can be, one is a completely private space, and the other is completely public.” They broke down each area to its “functional rather than social use”. In the middle of the container, water flows from a faucet into a long wooden trough, then passes under a cooking platform and finally cascades into a small patch of green space. Several feet away from the small grassy area, tucked away in the corner, hidden by a small tree, is the toilet.

The outdoor elements of water and plant life bring a natural serenity to this indoor space.

This space appealed to more than just my visual sense. My auditory sense went wild – the gentle flow of water is a soothing sound for this Aquarian. And, of course the kid in me just wanted to touch it (but I didnt, because my companion that day would have told me not to!).

The Black Rose

purplefreesia — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:34:20 +0000

My first introduction to a black rose dates back to 1997. It was not a great introduction, but a memorable one. I was managing a small local flower shop and it was Valentine’s Day. After having pulled an all nighter with my staff, we were just locking up shop. There was a knock on the door. I won’t lie to you – the first thought that ran through my head was “too bad buddy – we’re closed, exhausted and all sold out -so get lost”. Then I saw his badge – his police badge to be more specific. So again, I wont tell lies here, my next thought was “Are you seriously going to pull rank on me so I will let you in for flowers that you should have pre-ordered days ago??”. When I opened the door to let him in I saw that he was already holding flowers – black roses to be exact. They were accompanied by a death threat.

Perhaps this is why dyed flowers, roses in particular, have always left a bad taste in my mouth. Dyed flowers are everywhere now and I am not a fan of them to say the least. In fact, a few weeks ago, I was placing a Valentine’s Day order with my favourite rep at Staalduinen Floral Ltd, I expressed my dislike for dyed flowers. She diplomatically asked me if I had ever seen a dyed black rose and would I like to see a sample? They were expecting a shipment in a few weeks. They arrived at the shop I manage this week. And I cannot believe I am admitting this for the world to read, but they are magnificent.

They are a large ecuadorian red rose with a high petal count that has been stem dyed deep blue. The blue dye is evident when you inspect the base of the stem and sepals. You can also see the blue when you cut the stem. Interestingly, the dye does not seem to seep into the water turning it a tell-tale shade of indigo. As the rose opens it starts to reveal its natural shade of red. Stem dying is a complicated process – achieving the exact same shade every time is extremely difficult. In order for the roses (or any flower for that matter) to absorb the same amount of dye each time, countless factors much be consistent: external temperature, internal temperature of the flower, concentration of dye, humidity, dehydration of the flower, stem length, and bloom size.

This rose is nameless by the grower (simply referred to as BLACK STEM-DYED ROSE), so the good folks at Staalduinen have taken the liberty of calling it “Ebony”. A perfect fit if you ask me. If you are interested in seeing this rose for yourself, I must forewarn you: order many weeks in advance and be prepared to spend about $8 to $10 per rose. Oh, and just for the record, the spray painted black rose with the death threat attached to it did not come from the store I was working at (thankfully) !!

2012 Living Fresh Flower School Schedule

purplefreesia — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:31:03 +0000

We have some pretty amazing classes lined up for the winter/spring term at the Living Fresh Flower School! Classes are starting to fill up already, so don’t miss out….click the link to our website and register right there online. Can’t wait to see you there, because everyone deserves to have beauty in their life.

Tropical Paradise

It’s winter. We live in Canada. Enough said.

Since most of us can only dream of flying off to a tropical destination, the Living Fresh Flower School would like to bring the tropics to you.

Imagine an exotic floral arrangement with orchids from Thailand, birds of paradise from Mexico, ginger from Peru, anthuriums from Hawaii, and protea from South Africa (just to name a few!). It’s the next best thing to a day at the beach (no sunscreen required).

Date: Sun, Feb 5, 2012
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Price: $ 125.00 + HST
Limited to 15 students.

Colour Theory – Pink

Pink is feminine and romantic, affectionate and intimate, thoughtful and caring. It tones down the physical passion of red replacing it with a gentle loving energy. A home adorned with pink blossoms offers warmth and tenderness.

Come join the Living Fresh Flower School where we will introduce lush garden varieties in this girly colour, creating a beautiful garden-styled floral arrangement in a glass vase.

Date: Sun, Mar 11, 2012
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Price: $ 125.00 + HST
Limited to 15 students.

Easter

Bunnies, chicks and eggs, oh my!

Allow your inner-child to come forth and create a sweet and whimsical floral arrangement for your easter dinner table. Playing with the soft pastel colour palette, the Living Fresh Flower School will teach you how to make a centerpiece that incorporates both flowers and seasonal elements, appealling to your guests, both young and old!

Date: Sun, Apr 1, 2012
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Price: $ 125.00 + HST
Limited to 15 students.

The Right of Spring!

Spring flowers are here and it’s time to celebrate!

The trees are rejuvinating and blossoms are sprouting from their baron branches. The Living Fresh Flower School will take full advantage of this awakening as we show you how to create an oversized vase arrangement embracing everything spring!

Date: Sun, Apr 15, 2012
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Price: $ 125.00 + HST
Limited to 15 students.

Living Fresh Flower School – Holiday Flower Classes

heliotrop3 — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:58:32 +0000

The Holiday season is fast approaching and the Living Fresh Flower school wants to help you prepare for it! We have three great flower classes lined up to help teach you a thing or two about creating floral art for your home.

We hope you can find the time in your busy schedule and enjoy us for some fun holiday flower arranging, here are the class offering for the 2011 Holiday season:

Organic Outdoor Wintertime Urn

A fresh outdoor arrangement of coniferous foliage is the perfect way to embellish a front porch for winter. The longevity of cedar, juniper, and pine is ideal for our long, cold climate – guaranteeing three to four months of show.

Come mingle natural elements with a splash of colour to create a beautiful arrangement you can slip into your own outdoor container.

Date: Sun, Nov 13, 2011
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Price: $ 125.00 + HST
Limited to 15 students.

Click here to register.

Holiday Ice and Snow

The scent of winter greens will always remain a constant, but how this foliage is arranged for holiday decorating is as unique as the designer working with it.

Allow your festive design journey to begin with us as we sculpt an elegant floral arrangement in an oversized piece of stemmed glass, using white, cream, silver and crystal – the perfect interpretation of our snowy Canadian climate.

Date: Sun, Nov 27, 2011
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Price: $ 125.00 + HST
Limited to 15 students.

Click here to register.

Rubies and Gold

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but rubies and gold are lifelong partners. These coupled classic tones are timeless and rich; but that is not to say that they cannot offer your December holiday dining table a contemporary twist.

The focus of this class is to create a unique table arrangement using fresh winter greenery, shiny metallics, radiant reds and numerous surprise elements that are sure to wow your dinner guests!

Date: Sun, Dec 11, 2011
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Price: $ 125.00 + HST
Limited to 15 students.

Click here to register.

To register for all classes please go to our website, click on the class link you would like to sign up for and use the Buy Now buttons to register using credit cards or PayPal accounts – payments are accepted through PayPal. Should you require another payment method, please contact us at info@livingfresh.ca or 519.573.9039.

We hope to see you in class!

18th Century Floral Design

purplefreesia — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:59:16 +0000

As one of the teachers at the LivingFreshFlowerSchool, I am excitied to tell you about the next class that we will be holding on Sunday October 16, 2011. 18th Century floral design!!

We will not be fashioning floral arrangements around the sky-high hair pieces adorned by Marie Antoinette. Nor will we be using a guillotine to cut our botanicals. Seductive posies to reflect the queen’s promiscuity are not the look we are going for either…

Pretty and poised, feminine and fair, lacey and lavish, delicate and diverse, aromatic and alive – now that’s more like it!

Please join us at this 18th century period class to bring out your inner “Dauphine”.

Flower School is in Session!

purplefreesia — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:47:00 +0000

On September 18, 2011, The Living Fresh Flower School taught its first ever floral design class: Colour Theory Purple. What a success! The flowers were beautiful, the students were fantastic and the end results were spectacular! Have a look for yourself at some of the pictures that were taken during the class. But most importantly, check out the end results! These students took home floral arrangements fit for royalty (after all, purple is the colour of royalty!).

Living Fresh Flower School

purplefreesia — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:03:28 +0000

This week the Living Fresh Flower School ad will be featured in the City of Kitchener’s Leisure Magazine. Registration is now open so check out our website to decide which classes you would like to sign up for. Classes are limited to 15, so register early to avoid disappointment!

Sept 18: Colour Theory Purple

Sept 25: Play with Autumn Pave

Oct 16: Marie Antoinette

Oct 30: Moulin Rouge

Nov 13: Organic Outdoor Winter Urn

Nov 27: Holiday Ice and Snow

Dec 11: Rubies and Gold

Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus

purplefreesia — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:23:18 +0000

A few years ago we bought my son an Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus to try and grow in the garden. The first year or two was kind of touch and go, but this year it seems to be the only thing thriving in our garden during these exceptionally high summer temperatures and lack of rain. This year it has bloomed!!!!! What an exceptional flower!!!

In Canada, this plant can only be found in a few areas in South Western Ontario. It is currently listed in regulation under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007. If you wish to see this majestic plant growing in the wild, you should take a trip to Point Pelee National Park!