Five Favs of 2013: Floral Photography by Marilyn

As we are nearing the end of 2013, Kaleb and I wanted to highlight some of our favorite posts from the year. We will be sharing what we call our “Five Favs of 2013” in every topic we have chosen to focus for the year. To start it all off, we shared our first post on our five favorite recipes last week. Yesterday we shared our five favorite DIY projects. To continue with our streak of favorites, we wanted to share five of our favorite floral arrangements and photography this year. If you are considering different ways to include florals in your home for the holidays, be inspired by some of these fun lovelies!

Get your whites on with this fun Hydrangea Heaven bouquet!

Wow your guests with these December Florals. They also make a lovely way to include some subtle color in your home for the holidays.

These Roses for your Toeses always make a lovely and whimsical choice for any centerpiece.

Though it may be winter, these Spring Tulips will be blooming again as soon as the new year hits. We never tire of lovely tulips.

This Spider Mum Lovin’ bouquet is one of our favorites for the holidays. The deep reds and bright greens will accent your holiday decor perfectly!

Photography by Marilyn Nimz

December Florals by Marilyn

It’s been pretty chilly here recently, and by chilly we mean like 8 degrees Fahrenheit with snow and ice. Kaleb and I decided to warm up our home a little with this fresh and lovely bouquet. Gerber daisies are not necessarily my favorite flower, but what I love about them is that they come in this brilliant orange color. I love how these look with the roses and other bright florals. Just because there might not be much plant life or sunshine outside doesn’t mean you can’t bring home some lovelies for inside. And if some warmer weather decided to head this way, we wouldn’t be opposed to that!

Photography by Marilyn Nimz

Floral Teapot Party by Marilyn

We had a small cold front come through a few weeks back which brought ice storms and some snow. While we were bundled up and inside, I decided to snap a few photos of these lovely florals my friend Heather gave me. These lovelies include peonies, roses, and lambs ear. I threw some acorns in that we managed to pick up before the cold weather arrived. One great thing about chilly weather outside is the opportunity to do some fun things inside (similar to ‘nesting,’ but without the being pregnant part). While inside, we were able to bake some chocolate chip cookies, put together some fun florals, take some naps, cuddle, and watch movies. It was the best and most relaxing afternoon ever! The latest forecast calls for more snow and ice this weekend. How will you all be spending your time?

Photography by Marilyn Nimz

Sunflowers and an Owl by Marilyn

Fall is in full bloom around here and we are loving every minute of it! I was inspired recently, when I came across these lovely giant sunflowers, to put a few in our home. Each one was so big, it just made my heart so happy. Here are a few photos of them in our little owl vase. You may recognize some of the photos also feature a few of our lovely autumn reds from last week. Hope you all are enjoying the lovely colors and rare blooms that only show up this time of year!

Photography by Marilyn Nimz

Autumns Reds by Marilyn

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year! Besides pumpkins, leaves, boots, scarves and sweaters, I love the warm colors that come with fall. We found these perfect Autumn daisies recently and decided to welcome guests over with some color. I also love including gourds in our decor because they usually last the whole season, they are hardy, and they also come in brilliant colors. I always wish that fall could last two seasons, but I realize it would be harder to appreciate if this were so. What is your favorite season? What kinds of things do you all find yourselves decorating with around this time of year? 

 Photography by Marilyn Nimz

Wedding Floral Arrangement – Part II by Marilyn

You may remember my Wedding Flower Party post last week that I shared about some floral arrangements I helped out my friend Heather with. Heather has been a wonderful friend to me and is paving the way as a brilliant and enthusiastic event planner for Emerson Events. I also snapped a few quick photos of the arrangements at the venue Red Prime in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The space is a wonderful place to have a wedding or any other upscale downtown event, or even just a night out for dinner. I had a wonderful time working with my friend Heather, but also learned a few things about myself (isn’t that what blogs are for? – sharing who you are, but also learning and growing in the process). One of the things I learned was how I can put some of my passion for flowers to use and help others to make their day more beautiful. I’m excited to share these photos with you as well as a few of the dessert table. I just couldn’t resist since the table was so pretty and I’m a sucker for anything sweet!

Photography by Marilyn Nimz

Wedding Flower Party by Marilyn

I had the opportunity this past weekend to arrange some fun flowers for a wedding with my friend Heather of Emerson Events. The bride chose this wonderful combination of flowers that included Billy Balls, Cali Lilies, Hydrangeas, Dahlias, Roses, and Lambs Ear. I had so much fun organizing and arranging these little lovelies together! One of my favorite colors is yellow, so I found myself falling in love with these charming little billy balls and lambs ear accents. Although we weren’t sure how everything would look when it was finished, we felt that afterwards, it turned out to be quite a success! I love all kinds of flowers and have fallen in love with styling them believe. Seeing them just brings a smile to my face and brightens my day.

Photography by Marilyn Nimz

Garden Brights by Marilyn

I had the chance to snap a few photos of this lovely bouquet a few weeks ago. I decided to try photographing outdoors this time in a small garden and had the best luck with lighting. Natural light definitely makes for the best light when taking photos. I still have much to learn when it comes to photography, but in 2013 I must say that I am impressed with how much more comfortable I am behind a camera. It’s amazing how when you set goals and deadlines for yourself, it not only forces you to accomplish them, but also better your skills and confidence. And check out how the Green Spider Mums turned out! I couldn’t believe how different they look outside than in our home from previous posts. Hope you guys enjoy viewing these as much as I did while taking these photographs.

Photography by Marilyn Nimz

Summer Mountain Flower Mix by Marilyn

Kaleb and I took a mini-vacation last week to visit my family in Utah. I can’t say enough good things about Utah. It is a beautiful state with so many things to do outside and the mountains are always in the background, which makes me really happy. It makes one of the best places to take a vacation. Even though the weather was warmer there than it usually is, it was still much cooler considering what the temperatures are normally like in Oklahoma in the summer (generally 100 degrees+). And I noticed that there are different local native plants in my parent’s neighborhood, and also that everyone keeps flowers in their yard, including my parents. We have some lovely flowers in Oklahoma, but normally by July and August they have seen the end of their life.

While we were visiting, I decided to take advantage of capturing all the fun color and liveliness in my parent’s garden. I’m not sure what all the plant names are so if you guys see anything you recognize, feel free to share! We also took note of the lovely Aspen trees all around and might have hugged a few. The nature on our vacation was lovely and very calming to our spirits. What sort of things do you guys keep around to soothe the soul?

Photography by Marilyn Nimz

DIY: Floral Crown by Marilyn

For my last fashion post, I created this fun floral crown. I love making stuff like this just for fun. It seems that when I am creating something that is care-free and just because, it turns out to be much more natural and usually has a better outcome than when I try too hard. I also love to choose projects that are ‘me’ and not aiming to be someone else. The projects have a much better outcome this way and I can vouch for them whole-heartedly.

On this quick DIY Floral Crown project, I used florals that we already had around our home (from a few of our recent bouquets), which included hydrangeas, eucalyptus, berries, and a vine that I found growing in our yard. The fun thing about using things you already have around is that you don’t really need to go out and buy new crafty things to create something. Part of the creativity in a project is to see what you can come up with to create your idea. For this floral crown, I envisioned a very natural look and with a somewhat Greek feel to it. I hope you will take some time soon to embrace the nature around and join me! Create a floral crown!

Choose the florals of your choice. Please note that you don’t have to buy these necessarily. A lot of times you would be surprised at what is already around you outside. Grab a vine, or if you don’t have one, grab some twine. You may also need garden wire, garden tape, and sturdy scissors.

Measure your head with the vine and cut to the correct length of your head. Tie together with your garden wire. Strip some of the leaves off the vine and give some spacing between the clusters.

Strip your florals from its stems and tie on to your crown using the garden wire. Space the flowers out evenly around the crown. I tried to create a pattern: flower, leaves, eucalyptus, berries. You can create your own pattern, but I’d recommend sticking to one the whole way around for the best symmetry/outcome.

Photography by Marilyn Nimz and Kaleb Nimz

Now put on your crown and run free outside! Embrace your inner-flower child!