Peachy Keen

Here's the latest addition to my Etsy shop.

The roses are from Hobby Lobby's new "Fresh Picked" silk flower line. The flowers in this line look so realistic that they really do look freshly picked. They are a little more on the pricey side, but I think they are well worth it! I am so in love with this line, check back often to see more arrangements and wreaths featuring "Fresh Picked" flowers.

Random Updates

I have been so busy lately that I have totally neglected my blog! I have a lot of good news though.

First of all, we had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. My Mom's side of the family came down for the weekend and we got to visit, eat awesome food, play some sports and shoot fireworks! I was able to take a lot of great pictures, but I'll save those for another post.

I have three custom orders for wreaths and arrangements on my Etsy site! I am so very excited! I love custom orders. I went to Hobby Lobby today to pick up some of the flowers and vases. I will definitely post pictures of the finished designs for you to see.

There is a contest at Martha Stewart Weddings. They are asking people to share a photo of their handmade wedding decor. The winner will have their design featured on "The Martha Stewart Show". I have submitted my "Sweet Magnolia Bridal Hair Comb" already and I hope to make some wedding arrangements to submit as well. I would really appreciate it if you could rate and comment on my item HERE.

I think you have to be signed in to rate and comment on the items.

I have also submitted one of my wreaths in another contest on MarthaStewart.com. It is for the summer crafts contest. You can rate it and comment on it HERE.

And since I hate posts that don't have any pictures at all, here's a shot of a recent storm that brought rain that we desperately needed, and what happens to a yellow dog when she plays in the mud!

Brand New Awesomeness

I have a brand new wreath in my shop and I can't get over how cute it is!

Maybe it's just me, but I love the colors in this one - it seems like they just pop! "Floral Circus" is another mini wreath which will fit nicely in a smaller space where some of my larger wreaths would not. The wreath measures 17 inches tall, 17 inches wide and 6 inches deep, so it is not really "mini", I just like the way that sounds!

It has the perfect summer time colors and can actually be displayed through fall since it features mostly oranges!

Land of the Free Wreath

Check out the newest addition to my Etsy shop! Introducing "Land of the Free Wreath"...

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays! I love that it is in the summertime so that includes barbecues, beaches and fireworks - is there anything better! I also absolutely love the decorations! The red, white and blue splashed everywhere, the flags flying, and remembering why we are free, and those that sacrificed for our freedom makes me proud to live in this country!

I can't wait for Fourth of July!

This was my Grandma's favorite holiday as well. I remember when we were little, we would always spend the Fourth of July weekend at her house. My uncle would barbecue, and Grandma didn't mess around when it came to decorating. There would be huge tents set up behind her house with plenty of tables and chairs for the whole family and then some. She would decorate the tables with patriotic tablecloths complete with matching citronella candles (to keep the mosquitoes away), the dishes and tableware matched as well. And there were always too many flags to count! One of the adults would take us to the fireworks stand where the boys would go crazy and buy all kinds of fireworks. Once we got back to Grandma's house, they couldn't wait to set them off - and they would usually get yelled at for trying to fire at the dog or getting to close to the house! After dark, we would head over to the beach and watch our uncles set off the "special" fireworks. I have so many great memories of the Fourth of July that is probably why it is one of my favorites!

This year we have plans to go to my parents house where my Mom's side of the family will be joining us! I am very excited and I am sure there will be plenty of pictures taken to share with you!

Blooming Treasure

I have been so focused on making my hair accessories that my wreaths and arrangements have kind of fallen by the wayside! I guess just because it takes much longer to create the wreaths and arrangements and I am all about the instant gratification that is involved when making the hair clips!

The other day I decided to go to Hobby Lobby and check out the floral department. Oddly enough, they had some vases on clearance, so I picked out three of them and found the perfect flowers for the arrangements. I also bought materials to make a lovely Fourth of July wreath!

Here is the first arrangement I created -- "Blooming Treaure". I am in love with it! You can find it here in my Etsy shop.

I still need to photograph the other arrangements and the wreath, but I will post them here as soon as I get pictures.

Another Fun Custom Order

I received a request for a custom hair accessory the other day! I was so excited because I have yet to sell one of my hair clips (I'm not counting the ones I have sold to family and friends). The customer needed a hair clip to match her graduation dress and she loves my hair clips, but none of the colors were just right for the dress she is going to be wearing. She ended up sending me pictures of the dress and I created a custom design just for her!

I am very happy with the way it turned out! I just love custom orders because I love collaborating with the customer and creating a design I might not have even thought of without their insight!

Feathers, Feathers and more Feathers

Look what I got in the mail the other day...

Okay I know that a bag of guinea feathers is not the most exciting thing in the world, but they are just so bright and colorful!  I am going to design some new floral hair clips using these feathers and I am super excited to get started!  I will post the new designs as soon as I finish them!

Oh, and by the way, the hair clips class I taught went really well.  There were nine people that showed up and I think they really enjoyed it!  The hostesses (okay my sister-in-law and cousin-in-law) told me that if I ever wanted to demonstrate how to make the floral hair clips again, I was more than welcome!

Teaching a Class

My sister-in-law has invited me to teach how to make my floral hair accessories at her monthly scrapbooking class!

I am so excited.  The class is tonight and tomorrow night!

Last Christmas I taught a wreath making class for seven people and it turned out to be so much fun!  I'll have to keep you updated on how this one turns out!

Enchanted Evening

Check out my newest listing in my Etsy shop! I want to keep it for myself! I just love the colors. It would be perfect to wear at a wedding or other fancy event!

To see more of these accessories visit http://www.southerngirlflorals.etsy.com/.

Manual Mode

I have had my camera since October 2008. It is a Canon Rebel XSI and I love it! I am just starting to really get the hang of it now though. I have ventured outside of the automatic settings and have started using some manual features. There is still so much that I have yet to learn, but what I have picked up so far has been very fun! I was practicing with some of my new designs. So here you go:

To see more of these designs visit http://www.SouthernGirlFlorals.etsy.com

My Busy Week

My week back to work has been a busy one so far! I have totally neglected my shop and my blog! Monday I got home after a 10 hour workday and crashed on the couch, woke up at 8:00, moved to the bedroom and was completely out until the next morning! Yesterday I had a little time to just chill out and came up with a great idea...okay actually the great idea came to me on Sunday, but I didn't do anything about it until yesterday.

I love working with silk flowers and I wanted to kind of mix it up and design something different, something that I have never done before. So I went to the store and bought different hair clips and combs and bought some gorgeous flowers and started designing some floral hair accessories!! I am super excited about this new venture and I think these first designs are pretty awesome.

Please tell me what you think about them! I don't have them listed in my shop yet (due to the increased work load!) but hopefully I will get them listed soon!

Oh and by the way, the fisrt picture is my sad attempt of a self portrait, not my best! For the other two, I waited until my husband got home from work and he took those - they look much better than the first!

Hello Yellow Sunshine

I bought these little woven baskets a long time ago because they were on clearance and I knew I would use them. I put them away and totally forgot about them! It wasn't until I was sorting through the mess that I call my workroom that I found them again. I really wanted to list something new in my shop, but I didn't have time to go to Hobby Lobby to get new materials, so I pulled out all of my flower stash and started crafting. I was able to create this Hello Yellow Sunshine Basket out of flowers I already had. The basket is flat on the back side, so you can hang it on your front door or set it on a table against the wall!

You can find the Hello Yellow Sunshine Basket and more wreaths and arrangements in my Etsy shop here: http://www.southerngirlflorals.etsy.com/

I love it when everything works out!

New Mini Wreath

I finally went out and took some pictures of the new Mini wreath - Lime Sherbet which can be found in my Etsy shop! Isn't it so cute! The dimensions of the wreath are 16inches x 16inches x 5inches, so it is not itty-bitty, but compared to some of the gigantic wreaths in my collection it is pretty small.

My first treasury!

I got my first Etsy treasury on Saturday! I could not believe it!

For those of you who do not know what a treasury is, you can check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/how-to-make-a-treasury-the-nuts-and-bolts-688/.

I decided to create one featuring my fellow Design Style Guide Team members. The theme I chose was "Dusk till Dawn".

I am very proud of the way it came out.

And four of my team members items that I had listed there sold! It was probably because they are awesome items to begin with, but I like to think that it was because they were in my treasury!

A Taste of the Tropics

There is a new wreath in my shop - A Taste of the Tropics.

This is the first tropical wreath I have ever made and I am so happy with the way it turned out.

We live probably 30-45 minutes from the coast and I love the beach! When I was younger, we would stay at my grandma's house over the weekend. She lived right on the coast and a few years ago she even bought a beach house. The kind up on stilts that was so close to the water that it even had it's own dock. She had a way with decorating. She was one of my biggest inspirations. I am sure she drew her style from some of the places she had lived - Hawaii, Florida, California, Aruba, Venezuela. Her style was tropical and eclectic with so many bright colors; she was a lady not afraid of color!

I love the island style and decor; the relaxing sense like you're on a never-ending vacation. There are some gorgeous houses built along the coast and I can just picture my wreath on one of their front doors.

Lovely in Lavender

Spring time is here (in South Texas at least)! I am so ready for the warm weather - I am a summer time girl. I just love when the sun is shinning and all the plants are starting to bloom. The colors of spring come alive; it is like a fresh start for the year.

I designed a brand new spring time wreath that I have just recently listed in my Etsy shop.

Introducing...

Lovely in Lavender

The combination of purple and yellow is one of my all time favorite color combinations for spring. The wreath features purple ranunculus and yellow irises.

Those of you who are still a bit chilly, I hope that looking at this wreath will bring you some warmth! Have a great weekend!

Kreativ Blogger Award

Kreativ Blogger Award

I received an awesome award from a very awesome lady, Elizabear.

Thank you so much Elizabear and the whole Bear Bunch!

Here are the rules:

List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 people...tagging them and letting them know they won!

You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sideboard letting the whole wide world know you are KReATIV!

1. I love my husband. He is truly my soul mate! We have been married for three years and I am so very glad we found each other. He is supportive, loving, and hilarious; he can always make me laugh!

2. I love making my wreaths. It is so calming to sit down with a whole bunch of flowers and create an original design. I especially love when someone else loves my wreaths too! To think that not only are my wreaths all over this country, but one is at a home on a completely different continent, is the best feeling ever!

3. I love going to the beach with the warm sun and cool waves, nothing is more peaceful. I grew up going to the beach with my family. I could stay out there all day just relaxing and taking it easy!

4. I love birthday parties, and I'm not talking about my own. I love other people's birthdays and giving them gifts!

5. I love my dog, Izzy. She is so silly and usually completely hyperactive, but she can also be so sweet. When she was little I would let her sit in my lap and she would always fall asleep, and now she still tries to sit in my lap (she is an 80 pound yellow lab!)

6. I love watching romantic comedies. My favorites right now are 50 First Dates, Pride and Prejudice, Dan in Real Life and The Family Stone.

7. I love my family's annual football trip. We take a trip to a different city each year to go to a professional football game. It is always Hugh and I, my parents, and my Aunt and Uncle that travel together and we have a blast!


I pass this award on to:

Akane Designs

JPATPURSES

Mere's Lair

Jacaranda Designs

PamperingBeki

The Craft Begins

Parallax Photo

Another Custom Design

One of my co-workers saw the "Watermelon Delight" wreath that I had made and she fell in love with it. She wanted a pink and yellow spring wreath to display on her front door. So I told her that I could make the same kind of style as the other wreath and just substitute the green flowers for yellow ones.

I brought the wreath up to work yesterday, and she was blown away! She has probably ordered about five wreaths from me before, but she always gets so excited about each one. It always makes me feel so ecstatic!

Bit-O-Luck

Since it is the beginning of March, I feel that it is appropriate to post my newest creation - the "Bit-O-Luck" St. Patrick's Day wreath. I finished this wreath just this morning and I have just listed it in my Etsy shop.

I think it is so cute! It features the classic green colors of the Irish inspired holiday plus a little gold thrown in for kicks!

I love the sign in the middle; it reads: "Irish Luck". Every-other letter in the title is raised and it also has a cute four leaf clover right in the middle of the sign.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

What's In a Name

Usually after I finish a wreath, I come up with a clever name for it. The names describe the wreaths and give them a sort of personality or individuality. Sometimes the names just pop into my head, but other times I really have to think of one. This time I was trying to think of a name for a completely different wreath and this name popped into my head - You Had Me At Yellow. This was the first time that I had actually come up with a name for a wreath that hadn't even been created yet. I knew that I had to make a yellow, cute springtime wreath to fit this clever name. Here is what I created; an oval shaped wreath filled with bright yellows and accented with cool blues.