tulips

Everything about these flowers fascinates me: their origin, history, legends, meaning and the many varieties and colours.

The tulip comes from the East, from Turkey to be precise, where it’s the national flower. It’s first appearance, in Europe was in Wien in the 16th century imported by the ambassador of the Roman empire. Then popularity spread throughout Europe.

From 1644 till 1647 the Dutch people became obsessed with tulips. During this period the price of the bulbs increased so much that people made a lot of money and others lost their entire fortune. Finally in the 19th century the government decided to regulate the prices making them accessible to everybody.

Nowadays the 16h of January in Holland is the national tulip day. In the biggest square in Amsterdam, Dam Square, an awesome temporary garden is created with more than 200.000 tulips. Ten thousand people visit Dam Square every year and receive a tulip.

A few of my favorites are:

French tulips: the stems are long and very willowy. It’s fascinating to see how these tulips move around and bend while time is passing.

Double tulips: the head has at least 15 petals and when it opens up it reminds me of a peony. A variety which is ideal for brides-to-be in late winter and early spring is the “Fox- trot”. The hues vary from white to pale pink.

Parrots tulips: their petals remind me of colourful feathers of a parrot

I’m always bewitched to see how tulips change during their lifetime. They grow, bend, open up and change the hues of their blossom. They’re a true gift from nature.

Tip: don’t put more than 5 fingers of water in the vase. It’s incredible how much they grow, so keep this in mind when creating your floral arrangement.

NEW BRIDE's MAKE UP TRENDS 2016

One afternoon in December, I was speaking to Tiziana Artduini, a make-up artist, about the new make-up trends for brides-to-be in 2016. So seeing as I’m also passionate about make-up,we decided to do a shoot together combining flowers and make-up.

We were inspired by the colours Pantone chose for 2016: rose quartz and serenity.

“Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace” - Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of Pantone® Color Institute.
In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, founded the Pantone company, and created an innovative system of identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community.

The choice of these colors for 2016 is very meaningful: romanticism is really very important in our daily life.

Leafing through the January issue of Vogue Bride I came across some amazing photo shoots where flowers, colors and dresses were romantic but at the same time contemporary and eclectic.

Coming back to our shoot with a young model, Tiziana thought about the make-up and hair styling, Marco Bravi studied the best sets and I carefully selected the flowers

This season the flower that best represents the rose quartz is the marvellous “Ranunculus cloni” (I talked about this flower in two recents posts) combined with the airy false goat’s beard and the timeless classy Hellebours .

For light blue serenity I chose a satin ribbon because in winter we can’t find this light blue shade in nature. In summer however it can be found in Hydrangeas, Larkspur and Scabious.

The first look was inspired by boho chic, a natural style with loose hair and a very delicate pink palette make-up. The second one was very romantic and elegant with an up-do hairstyle and a more intense make-up with a touch of marsala red.

For a similar look, Tiziana suggests using:

• Mascara: Sumptous knockout Estèe Lauder
• Eye shadow: Wet&dry Diorshow mono ,826 bikini, : Illusion d’ombre Moonlight pink Chanel
• Foundation: Sheer and perfect di ShiseidoContouring: New dimension Shpe Sculpt face Estèe Lauder
• Blusher: Luminizing Satin Face Color Shiseido, Joues Contraste Chanel

Ranunculus

Ranunculus: pure poetry, a very feminine flower with layers upon layers of silky petals.

The latin name is “Ranuncolus Asiaticus”. This flower is also known as spring rose.

Ranunculus begin to appear in the flower markets in December through to the end of May. When you see them all together at the flower market, it’s really impressive and so awesome. It’s one of the few flowers that are still grown in Italy and exported.

There are so many hues and colors: from pure white to wine red, from pale pink to energetic fucsia from orange to soft cream and last but not least bright shades of yellow.

Let’s not forget about the many different types of ranunculus such as the classical, the pom–pom, the cappuccino and the magnificent cloni varieties.

The ranunculus cloni with its bigger than average head started to appear at the flower markets a few years ago. It’s produced in Sanremo where it was created.

The ranunculus is perfect for a bridal bouquet. The ranunculus cloni in particular has all the elegance of an English garden rose and the beauty of peonies.

The older they get the more beautiful they become; the blossom opens up more and more to reveal their silken petals.

This seemingly fragile and delicate flower is surprisingly hardy. The standard variety can last about 7 days while the cloni one up to 14 to 21 days. A tip: don’t put more than 5 fingers of water in the vase otherwise the stem will become rotten. When the blossom becomes very heavy, cut it very short and leave it floating in a glass so you can still enjoy it.

I took some pictures from Floret and Flowerona.

Flower Design Course at the Villa La Valverde #2

After the beautiful experience enjoyed by all at the 1st Flower Design Course at the Villa La Valverde, we have to show you the photos from the 2nd lesson we had at the location, this one dedicated to the Rose, the Queen of all Flowers. We created marvelous bouquets, vibrant with deep, rich colours that allowed the Rose’s elegance to play with the freshness of the viburnum opulus and sparkling branches of lilac. (some pictures of the floral material used: IMG1 – IMG2 – IMG3). Also this visit permitted us to find splendid flowers to use in our creations from those growing on the grounds of the Villa, such as indigo iris and hawthorn, used together with strawberries and radishes for particular and fun, smaller, secondary bouquets.

Another warm thank you to all of the participants, congratulations for the magnificent levels of beauty acquired on this occasion as well. We leave you to take a look at the image gallery of this lesson.

Flower Design Course at the Villa La Valverde #1

March 29th, 2014 was the date that Floral Design Courses covered the subject of floral spontaneity at the Villa La Valverde. Splendid bouquets were created when mixing cut flowers with flowers and plants found at the Villa.

We have gathered some photos of the welcoming flowers we found as well as the creations we made.A warm thank you to all of the participants whose energy and passion translated into the optimum results displayed.

A Great Gatsby Wedding

Taking place at the Villa d’Acquarone, an incredible wedding inspired by the magnificent style of the Great Gatsby. A celebration reminiscent of the extravagant 1920’s style parties, realized in collaboration with Palazzo Eventi, which recreated the sparkling, electric, energy rich atmosphere of the times, with extraordinary attention to the smallest of details.

The chromatic floral compositions we created for this event bring to mind the elegance and vitality of the period, while expressing the visual force of fireworks: roses, dahlias, gladioli and amaranthus are assembled to create this effect, playing with their contrasting and powerful coloring in order to complement their diversity. Adding crystal to the ensemble amplifies the effect of the floral array, increasing the luminosity and intensifying the atmosphere of lavish, vibrant luxury.

The Villa d’Acquarone was adorned externally as well as internally with custom arrangements for each separate space. The dining hall walls and the head table were enriched with floral compositions of alternating heights, bouquets of roses and orchids cascading from the chandelier. Outside, a powerful and emotion inspiring floral arch was created for the bride and groom to celebrate their union: the declaration and promises of love were exchanged under a triumphant display of roses, hydrangeas and hanging crystal. The aviary, the pool, the main and supplementary entrances, the lounge area and the indoor fountain were decorated as well.

We left no detail untouched. We even proposed the preparation of beautiful gift corsages for the ladies present at the ceremony: freesias, pearls, and feathers to enhance the head or wrists of the female attendants. Even the external chairs were adorned with organdy and satin bows centered with Swarovski crystals.

A fairytale wedding at the Byblos Art Hotel

These are our floral arrangements created for a wedding which took place at the beautiful Byblos Art Hotel, Villa Amist, in collaboration with Palazzo Eventi.

Potrete vedere il video dell’evento in onda su Sky Sposa TV, canale 425, sabato 25 gennaio alle ore 22:15 e domenica 26 gennaio alle ore 19:25. Una preview qui: