flowers in may #15

It was another sunny, beautiful day in Seattle yesterday and so when I got home from work I sat out on the deck for awhile, basking in the sunshine and warmth.  As I looked out over the planting bed, I noticed a shrub with blooms that I don't remember from last year.  I sat enjoying looking at the variety of greens/golds/reds of new growth on all the shrubs and finally couldn't stand it.  I had to take a closer look at the splash of orange in the flower bed.

It looks like it's in the lily family, but the greenery doesn't seem lily-like, so I don't know what it is.  Oh, yes I do.  It's pretty, that's what it is!  Linking my flower-of-the-day-for-May to Lori Moon's challenge.

AEDM - day 17

In an effort to keep up with the AEDM challenge, my creativity today went to practical....I made a vase floral arrangement.  I used to be a florist and still love picking flowers and making arrangements for my home.  I'm totally spoiled about wanting to have pretty flowers or greens around.  There's not much in my yard right now, so I picked up a bunch of mixed greens at Costco and voila, a vase arrangement that should last through Thanksgiving.

Ooops - I meant to adjust it in PSE and get rid of some of that bright flash, but oh well.  This is a great mix because it has fragrant eucalyptus, colorful preserved fall leaves, drooping seed eucalyptus, some grasses and leucadendron for a 'flower'.  Colorful and long lasting, that's what I'm talkin' about!

Displaying flowers in a vase is the easiest way to do it - no messing with the floral foam and making that all work.  However, there are definitely some tricks to make your flowers look "designed" rather than stuck in a vase.  I wrote a couple of how-to articles on my home decorating blog (Your Decorating Hotline) and you can check them out if you're interested in some real florist tips..... Arrange roses (or any flower for a formal look) or Arrange tulips (for a more casual style).

Again, be sure to visit AEDM for other talented ways to be creative!