Hey there! Well, here it is almost the end of 2020 and I feel I have to say along with most of you, "Good Riddance"! However, as I look over my year through the scope of my blog I realize 2020 wasn't all bad. I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for following me and reading this blog. Your participation means the world to me. So today, I share with you...Your Top Ten Posts.
The After Christmas Christmas Tour
Hi folks! Well, as it turned out I wasn't able to post a pre-Christmas house tour as I had hoped. So like I have done in the past, I am publishing an After Christmas tour today. 2020 has been a very rough year for all of us but the last few weeks have been especially hard for my husband and me, as well as our family. I hope to share some of the details of our year soon but, for today, I want to focus on happy thoughts and fun decorations!
Obsessed With Plaid Ribbon This Season
Welcome! The holiday season is speeding by and, as usual, I am behind in almost every area of the holidays. While I am wrestling through, I wanted to show you my fascination with a particular black-and-white plaid ribbon I found at Michael's. It is showing up in all areas of my home.
How to Fill an Outdoor Container for the Holiday Season
Hi, all! I know this is coming late and I apologize for that but, I thought I would share my tutorial for filling an outdoor container for the holidays with you today, anyway. I hope you don't mind. Time has gotten away from me. I truly meant to have all my decorating done by Thanksgiving like reputable bloggers do but, we had some unforeseen sadness happen in my family and I was waylaid in my decorating. I am playing catch-up right now but, I am still enjoying getting my home ready for the holidays.
Offering Flower Subscriptions as Gifts
Hey, there! I am happy to announce I am now offering gift flower subscriptions for the months of January and/or February. The flower subscriptions will mean, depending on what option you go for, that I will deliver a stylish flower arrangement to you or the person you are giving the flower subscription to in the months of January and/or February. Once you place the order, I will email or send a confirmation card announcing the present to the recipient of the gift. If you would prefer, I can send you the card and you can give it to your friend or family member.
I thought these subscriptions would make great gifts for those on your Christmas shopping list who are hard to buy for and love flowers!
Please go to: Flower Subscriptions for all the information you need and to place an order, if you would like! You can also email me at: Christine@designsandevents or call me at 978-852-8196 if you have any further questions to ask.
Please remember that I deliver only to these MA towns: Groton, Pepperell, Dunstable, Chelmsford, Westford, Littleton and Acton.
Please also remember that I am also offering a December Pick Me Up Arrangement for this month. Please go here for more information on that :).
December Pick Me Up Arrangement
Frosted Glass Christmas Votive Holder
Hi Everyone! How are you doing today? It is definitely feeling like November here in the Northeast. We have cleaned up the yard and put away any leftover deck furniture. It was time to do those chores. I have one more week of thinking about fall and fall colors but after that, I will be moving onto Christmas. I did a prelude to Christmas this week with a very simple but fun craft that I thought I would share with you. It gave me joy doing it and, hopefully, it will you too!
November Pick Me Up Arrangement Information
Pick Me Up Bouquets
Hi Everybody! Believe it or not it is snowing in my neck of the woods! I think it has added up to about 5" so far. It is late in the afternoon and it looks like it might actually be slowing down a bit. The weatherman told us we might get 2". Not funny, Mr. Weatherman!
Now that I am done complaining about the weather, I wanted to share with you what I have been working on lately. A few weeks ago, I started thinking about 2020 and how hard it has been on everyone. It has been hard on my business because weddings and social gatherings have come to pretty much a standstill. Like you I am sure, I have had to deal with personal trials that have come along because of the pandemic. It has just been hard on all of us.
Vignettes of Autumn Around the Home
Hey, all! It's Friday! The weekend is almost here! And it is almost the end of October so for two reasons, I wanted to share some of my fall decorating around the home, inside and out, with you. The first reason is that the squirrels, chipmunks and bear(s) (yes bear(s)!) are attacking the pumpkins I have placed outside to decorate my yard. I wanted to share photos of these decorations before the pumpkins are completely eaten. The second reason is because the scenery inside and out is looking pretty good right now and I wanted to share some of the vignettes before I move on with my Thanksgiving and holiday decorating.
Decorating the Fire Pit Area for Fall
Hi Everyone! How is it going? I honestly cannot believe where the time has gone. It is already the middle of October! How can that be? I am finally finishing up my fall decorating. I am truly ashamed that it has taken me this long. With Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching I thought I would share some of this fall decorating with you while I still had the chance!
A Foraged Wedding Boutonniere
Hey, there! Are you enjoying wonderful weather like we are here in Massachusetts? I spent last weekend at the beach on Cape Cod and you would have thought it was still August. It was great! I hope you all had a good weekend, as well!
A Floral Recipe for a Fall Planter
Hey there! How are you all doing? You know how some weeks are better than others? Well, last week was not the best for me and my family. I don't really want to get into the particulars because I am not one to share a lot of my personal life but, suffice to say, it was a week of loss and sadness. We are slowly moving on from the sorrow and grasping onto joy but, sometimes you have to be real and tell it like it is. Life can be hard at times.
Making a Wreath from Roadside Plants
A little over a week ago I decided to create something from almost nothing. I noticed some plants growing in abundance on the side of the road. I would call them weeds but that has gotten me into trouble. (I will explain that later.) There were some of these "plants" growing on my property and they reminded me of artemisia. Some people make dried wreaths with artemisia so I decided to give it a go with this roadside plant material.
The Micro Weddings I Did in the Age of the Coronavirus
A Year of Floral Designs and More
Hey there! How are you all doing? As many of you may know, this has been an especially hard year for wedding and special events. Therefore, it has been an especially hard year for folks such as myself, namely floral designers. It has been a year of very small weddings and no real events going on. Therefore, I have been more introspective lately and have been looking over my past work outside of the wedding industry and thought I would remind you (and myself) of past pieces I have done. Some of you may be new to my blog and, perhaps, you would like to see some of the things I have done previously. (I hope so, anyway 😊.)
Iced Tea Time on a Very Hot Day!
I don't know about those of you who live in other states but here in Massachusetts we are still under some pretty strict rules concerning the coronavirus. Our social gatherings are still supposed to be held to a small number. So, much of what I do and plan for is for two, maybe four.
Creating a Beach Themed Tablescape in the Country
Taking a Little Break to Rejuvenate
Hi, All! I hope you are all doing well. I am signing in today to tell you that Designs and Events is going to take a few weeks off from its blogging schedule. Even though the pandemic in Massachusetts has abated quite a bit, which is wonderful, the whole experience has taken a toll, at least on me. I am sure it has on you, as well. I feel as though my creativity has suffered somewhat and I am now in need of new inspiration.
Making a Front Entry Summer Ready
Hi, Everyone! Summer has officially started and with that I am now realizing that my spring planters on the front porch are beginning to look a bit bedraggled. They looked pretty good a few weeks ago ↓ but, what often happens with pansies is now happening with my pansies. They are getting "leggy" and limp looking.