Valentine’s Day is just around the corner (Tuesday, February 14th) and in addition to our gorgeous willow & bloom offerings, for 2012 we are proud to announce that we teamed up with our friends at glassybaby and have created a modern and stylish signature arrangement in an assortment of colors sure to please your loved one.  Inspired by the candy hearts of our first childhood crush, each arrangement is sure to take the conversation further.

"All Mine" - red blooms in a soft pink glassybaby

"First Kiss" - pink blooms in a white glassybaby

"Love Bug" - white blooms in a lavender glassybaby

http://www.glassybaby.com  “A glassybaby is an artfully crafted, colorful, hand-blown glass vessel that can be used as a votive or vase. Made by hand in the Madrona neighborhood of Seattle using a multi-layered glassblowing process, each glassybaby is unique with a thick, clear base and a distinctive yet simple, rounded form.”  Listed on Oprah’s Favorite Things, what could be better for Valentine’s Day than beautiful flowers presented in a stunning glassybaby that your sweetheart can enjoy for years to come?

Please remember that all of our containers and vases are limited in quantity, therefore we highly suggest that you get your Valentine’s Day orders placed before Friday, 2/10 for delivery on Monday, 2/13 or Tuesday, 2/14.  No custom orders can be taken on Valentine’s Day and each year we sell out  well ahead of the big day, but you can also find jewelry, chocolates, or loose wrap flowers by stopping into our retail shop, Petals on Fremont.

It’s that wonderful time of year again where we anticipate fun gatherings with family and friends and the making of magical memories for all that grace our homes.

As a floral designer, of course I think that flowers help add polish and enhance the ambiance of  any room or event but it seems especially appropriate during holiday entertaining to turn it up a notch.

Below are some ideas that are anywhere from do-it-yourself pieces to more stylized presentations that willow & bloom would be more than happy to create for you!

Christmas ornament and leaf centerpiece

This is an easy way to create a colorful centerpiece – festive colored ornaments surrounded by either fresh lemon leaves, silk leaves and accented with eucalyptus or hypericum berries.

Apothecary bottle centerpiece

This is a wonderful set of apothecary bottles set in distressed wood that have been very popular at willow & bloom.  You can easily design this with a variety of flower blooms, fresh herbs and leaves to create a fun and original centerpiece with little effort.  We sell these at our boutique for $28 not including the flowers.

Champagne flute centerpiece

This clean and modern interpretation of a centerpiece is so easy to do with contemporary-styled champagne flutes with individual pieces of pine or rosemary which also adds a nice fragrance to the table.   You could consider adding fresh cranberries to the bottom of the glass for added color as well.

Festive pomander balls

We have created these types of colorful centerpieces for everything from holiday celebrations to birthday parties and weddings.  You can either use carnations or roses, both of which come in a huge variety of colors.  These fun pomanders can be placed in a number of containers from contemporary to antique.

willow & bloom holiday centerpiece

We recently designed a stunning tablescape for a client’s holiday party using three of these centerpieces placed down the center of the table.  The mercury-like glass vase reflects candlelight and the hydrangea, roses and orchids created festive and beautiful color.  The price range is $75 to $150 for this centerpiece arrangement.

Happy holidays!

It’s almost November, the time of year when nostalgia seems to linger around your sweater with every cool rush of air. Coffee aroma wafting out of cafe doors and the subtle chafe of wool… what’s not to love? This season’s sentiment brings a couple favorites to mind. An all-time favorite is artist J. Morgan Puett; pictured below are two scenes from different installations of hers.

J. Morgan Puett archived her whole career as a fashion designer, from dresses and patterns to shipping receipts, in natural beeswax (pictured below). Click here to view and read about the entire installation.

Below is a set of photos from Inventory Magazine, out of Vancouver BC. Inventory describes themselves as “a curation of ideas in product, craft and culture.” Their aesthetic is clean and crisp and a great source for inspiration; there are always alluring photographic stories to be found (below).

Beginning this fall, Southern California is celebrating the birth and livelihood of mid-century modern design in a six month long, multi-decade art exposition known as Pacific Standard Time. The expansive collection of exhibitions illustrate the – arguably overlooked – influence California had in the mid-century design period. One of the most iconic exhibits has to be California Design, 1930-1965 : “Living in a Modern Way” which features a comprehensive recreation of the Eames House living room, designed in 1949 by husband and wife design team, Charles and Ray Eames.

California Design also includes Barbie’s Scandinavian Dream House (look at LA Curbed to see photos!)

Installation by LA artist, John Outterbridge, featured in Pacific Standard Time. This installation, his most expansive ever, is meant to illuminate beauty and social, cultural and economic complexity.

We recently worked with a team of exceptional designers and artists to create this magical wedding for Ashley and Chad. Georgian and Northwest design influences + industrial fervor suited our stylish bride and groom oh so well. These gorgeous photos were taken by Laurel McConnell Photography, and flowers are by willow & bloom. Take a look at Laurel McConnell’s website for more stunning photos!

groom’s boutonniere & bride’s bouquet

The clean and elegant design is arresting when juxtaposed with the backdrop of the industrial venue, Sodo Park in Seattle.

The groom’s cake is so fantastical, and looks great in front of the seafoam window! you rock my… universe?

The Wedding Team

(drum roll, please…)

Wedding planner : Sweet Pea Events

Venue & catering : Herban Feast at Sodo Park

Photographer: Laurel McConnell Photography

Documentary videographer: Brett Renville

Hair and makeup: Erin Skipley of Bellatrix Studio

Bride : Gown by Enzoani from Luly Yang, Shoes by Kate Spade, Veil by Preston & Olivia

Groom : Tux by John Varvatos, Shoes by Alden, Cufflinks by Jan Leslie

Rings : Phoenix Roze

Officiant : Reverend Brendan Coleman

Cake : The People’s Cake

Floral : willow & Bloom

Italian/Bistro/Globe lights : Blue Danube Productions, via Sodo Park

Stationary Design : Kerri Efendi

Photobooth : 321 Foto

Photobooth props : Heathoriginal

DJ : Emerald City Productions

Cocktail band : Jason Parker Quartet

Transport : British Motor Coach

Mixologist : Jason Rowan, Embury Cocktails

We received a phone call this week from Dan, who we worked with along with his bride, Stephanie, on their wedding flowers exactly one year ago today.  Dan asked us if we could create a vase arrangement inspired by his bride’s wedding bouquet to help celebrate their first anniversary and he sent us the two photos below…. we loved them so much we had to share!

We used flowers grown by one of our favorite local organic growers, Diane and Dennis of Jello Mold Farm in Skagit County.  Stephanie’s bridal bouqet featured some of their beautiful dahlias, millet, and hydrangea which helped complement their golden and serene setting.

Love the rose petals flying through the air… Cheers!

At willow & bloom, we have the privilege of helping others facilitate the perfect ambiance & milieu for special occasions and ceremonious celebrations. The ideal setting coupled with quintessential placement of every object of interest can manifest into an occasion so special and ethereal, you can almost feel the delicate heat of the summer evening sun.

Jenni Dalley and Thomas Bath’s wedding was awe-inspiring; from the whimsical farm setting to the beautiful hand-tied bouquets, (made by willow & bloom, of course!), their wedding was sensational, in every sense of the word.

The couples’ wedding colors were gray, juniper, sage, and ocean chalcedony (a color derived from its namesake gem which adorns Jenni’s ring finger). The colors and decor were inspired by the bucolic open skies and sagebrush of Nevada, the groom’s home state, as well as the pastoral evergreens of the bride’s native land, the Pacific Northwest.

The wedding is featured in this season’s issue of Seattle Metropolitan’s Bride & Groom magazine. These lovely photographs were taken by One Love Photo. Bouquets & boutonnieres were made by, yours truly, willow & bloom!

Don’t you ever wish we could revert back to the days when convenience wasn’t our first priority and super stores were unheard of? Imagine quaint streets lined with boutique spécialisées like pâtisseries dedicated only to sweet confections and pastries. And a fromagerie owned by a dairy farmer who loves to provide fine cheeses to his town.

The romantic past might be fading, but we still have relics to keep parts of it alive! Check out the The Melrose Project for the unique piece you’ve been wanting, or just for inspiration. The Melrose Project is a collection of antiques, fine art, rugs, and contemporary furnishings, carefully chosen and thoughtfully curated. Below is a photo from taken in the gallery.

Another favorite is Obsolete, an antique gallery sure to pique any collector’s interest.

Warm summer days call for refreshing beverages. Whether entertaining guests or reading a book in the sun, a fresh herbal tonic is perfect for revitalizing your senses and enhancing your table tops. Try muddling fresh mint and basil with fresh squeezed lime juice and turbinado sugar. Or, try one of the beautiful concoctions below, featured in Catherine Ling’s sumptuous food and travel blog, Camemberu. Pour over ice and don’t forget to garnish!

Adorn your tables with glass jars and bottles filled with a sundry of citrus juices and sweet smelling herbs. Adhere hand-written labels as your hallmark. Think :  Indonesian beach bungalow + apothecary whimsy for inspiration.

Summer solstice is just a couple of weeks away! We’re eager to bury our rain boots and revel in the sun. When we’re not at the beach or a regatta, we like to curate the spaces where we spend the rest of our time; i.e. work space, studio, and home. Summer is about relaxing, after all, and nothing is more relaxing or satisfying than feeling comfortable and inspired in a modishly organized room.

Artist Tom Sachs suggests “knolling” one’s surface space as a means of organizing. To “knoll” one’s space is to arrange instruments, tools, etc. in parallel or 90 degree angles for function and aesthetic. Berkley artist Diva Pyari, founder of Linea Carta, demonstrates this technique in Object Portrait, below, featured in Anthology Magazine.

French artist Maïssa Toulet practices another form of organizing and display by creating beautiful curiosity cabinets, classifying and arranging objects and curiosities in vitrines; by color and species, among other characteristics.