You Made That Yourself?!?!

Today I am going to run you through how to create your own little arrangements from bits and pieces you can find in your garden.

Most types of flowers and foliage can be used. The best type are woody long-lasting greenery like Ivy, Cyprus, Camellia and Leucadendron.

Here is what you will need:

– A water tight container.

– A block of wet oasis.

– A shape pair of scissors.

– A towel.

– Assorted flowers and foliage.

Start by trimming your oasis to fit the container. Make sure you leave a gap down one side for water. Also leave 3cm of oasis poking out the top of the container.

Now we are ready to start adding the greenery. Cut the stems on an angle so they slide into the oasis easily. Add the greenery in a circle motion creating a frill around the container, then moving into the center of the oasis.

When you are happy with the way your base has turned out, it is now time to start adding in the flowers. I like to start with my main flowers in the center of the arrangement. This flower is right in the middle and stands a bit higher than the other flowers do.

Make sure you give each flower room to open and breathe. This is half way through, how is yours looking?

When you have all your flowers where you want them, have a final look over to check you havent left any gaps where you can see the oasis.

Congratulations, you have just create a beautiful bowl arrangement!!!

Spring Weddings

We’ve had plenty of orders from lovely brides around Wellington for November and the beginning of December this year… One bride had in mind a green bouquet, so we created this:

Full of fern, lambs ear, silver flax, freesias and lavender, we hope she and her bridesmaid loved them!

We can’t wait to see the wedding photos!

Would you like to come to the ball with us?!

Now is the time of the year strapping young lads get their Mums to come in to our shop to sort out corsages for their ball dates.

Here at Karori Flower Shop, we make the corsages out of white spray Roses, Ivy leaves, and other yummy bits and pieces like cyclamen and fern leaves to add a bit of unusual texture.

To finish them off we always add some beads to match the colour of the dress.

With great delight we came across a product that is like a pearl bracelet that you tie the whole corsage on to. When it has lived its life you can undo the ribbon and have the bracelet as a reminder of your night.

When we have finished corsages in the shop we cant help but have a play with them on.

Corsages have become very popular again over the last couple of years. We hear comments like ‘ I didn’t get her one last time, I wont be making that mistake again!’ But as a young lady who wouldn’t want to wear one for the night!

This is how we package them up to be delivered to their recipient, making someone very happy.

Thanks for stopping by to have a look.

Have a great flower fill week!

Is Autumn the New Spring?!?

Hello Everyone!

Things at Karori Flower Shop have not slowed down after Mother’s Day!

We had 3 hugely successful days delivering flowers to deserving Mums all over Wellington.

The flower markets have been full of amazing spring flowers that we can not resist.

We delivered a beautiful Birthday bouquet of Spring flowers to a very special customer.

She was celebrating her 104th Birthday!!!!!!!

We thought it a privilege to meet her in her own home which she took great pleasure in showing us around. What a remarkable Lady.

These are the different spring flowers we have in store. The beautiful Iris, perfumed Early Cheer, fragrant Sol de Ors, unusual Parrot Tulips and scented Freesias.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend full of colour!

Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day! 

The shop was extremely busy this year and surpassed all of our expectations!  We usually close on a Sunday, but of course had a fun and busy day helping people pick flowers for their beloved Mums!

We love that we now have regular recipients of orders from overseas and out of town, that each year on Mother’s Day (and birthdays and other celebrations too!) we are popping in to the same homes to deliver some love…

Potted plants were a big seller this year, along with the bouquets, especially our miniature potted roses which always go down a treat….

And of course, our stunning bouquets… days like Mother’s Day make us love our job even more… everyone is pleased to see us!

Hoping you had a special day

Bloom’n’Fibre Part 3: Hats galore!

The exhibition has delivered an abundance of flower-embellished hats into the shop which we just love!

And a gorgeous hat and mitt set too!

It’s Mother’s Day next week, so we’ll be busy getting the shop ready for the second busiest day of the year !

See you next week!

Bloom’n’Fibre Exhibition- Part 2

This week we are going to introduce you to two more of the members of the Onslow Fibrecrafts Guild and showcase the work they have entered into the exhibition.  The diveristy of the work from the Fibrecrafts Guild members is amazing, and we are excited to introduce you today to Audrey and show you some of her entered pieces.

Audrey shares with the Guild, a lifetime of knowledge and expertise in all things fibre-related.  One of our favourite entries is a tea set, knitted with wool she spun herself, decorated with a floral theme around the cups and tea pot.  It is a true work of art!

The full set contains another cup and saucer.  She has also entered a silk scarf, beaded at the bottom, with a lace flower pattern knitted into it.

Two sets of beaded flower buttons….

 And an exquisite beaded case…

And inside?

A handmade sewing kit!

Beautiful, intricate and delicate work from Audrey, we hope you enjoyed!

Esther is another of our Guild members who has entered some of her beautiful fabric flower badges…

And  this knitted cactus!

Clever and quirky, we love it!

Next week we are setting up the exhibiton and will be excited to show you the whole thing!

See you then

Bloom’n’Fibre Exhibition

This month, we have decided to hold an exhibition here at the shop.  The theme?  Flowers of course, and the artists are the very talented members of the Onslow Fibrecrafts Guild.  As this exhibition is shaping up to be quite big, we’ve decided to introduce you to the artists week by week before the opening on April 26th!

Today’s artist is Flo, an extremely clever felter among other things, who has given us plenty of fabulous felted flowery goodies to showcase, such as this stunning flower necklace, perfect for a florist to wear don’t you agree?!

Also,  this particularly gorgeous shawl!

 

Other items she has on offer are bags, badges, necklaces and even slippers!

If there is anything you just can’t live without posted here today, please leave us a comment and we can pass on your details to Flo!  Otherwise, we’ll be looking forward to seeing you on the 26h!

Have a lovely week, from the Best family

Colours of Autumn

Autumn has well and truly arrived in New Zealand, and we’re being inspired by the golds, reds, oranges and browns that we are seeing in nature.

Not to mention, of course, in our yarns are well!

We hope you are keeping warm!  From the Best Family.

Potted Plants

Potted plants are a lovely alternative to a bouquet of flowers, and depending on how well the recipient cares for it, will last longer too!!  The benefits of potted plants are vast, and one of the most important benefits in our opinion, is that they cleanse the air in our homes.  Whether we actively choose it or not, pollutants are in our homes and the air we breathe, cleaning products and vehicle emissions being major culprits, and it is good news that there are natural ways to deal with these problems we are faced with, which destroy our health and wellbeing.  Lucious, green, leafy potted plants (the healthier the better) cleanse out air and bring life into the room, enhancing our homes and lives.

Have you ever noticed the difference in a rooms vibration once potted plants are taken out of the room?  Try it and see!  Placing a plant next to your computer will lift the vibration in that area, and putting a lovely leafy plant in an empty corner will improve the flow of energy in the room…

Like humans and animals, plants are living, breathing beings and need specific care depending on their species.  To ensure that you are caring for your pot plant correctly, read the care label on the plant when you purchase it, and position your plant where suggested.  Don’t put a plant near a cold draft and many need to stay out of direct bright sunlight.  Palms and other large leaf plants need to be dusted with a damp cloth regularly as they breathe through their leaves, and most plant stores sell fertiliser you can add to water to make sure your plant is getting enough nutrients.

As you know, plants come in all shapes and sizes to suit all personalities, from dangerous looking cacti, to breathtakingly fragile orchids… some of which we are loving stocking in the shop right now.

How many plants do you have in your home?  And what are your favourite type?

Have a great week, from the Best Family