speakeasy new year's eve // vintage inspired florals

i believe that flowers set the tone of a party, and therefore i almost always start with them when planning a scheme. when i set out to create a floral centerpiece for the luxe speakeasy new year's eve party kit i'm putting together with the house of hipsters and the big reveal, i wanted it to be free-flowing, feminine, and a little bit wild, just like the guests at a fashionable 20's speakeasy would have been. it needed to feel old-fashioned with a rustic twist. it dawned on me that i need look no further than this stunning centerpiece by jocelyne y., who tagged it in our #foundforaged instagram challenge. here is how i set out to recreate something similar. 

materials:

family size soup can

small handful of rocks (not pictured)

garden shears

blush roses

silver dollar eucalyptus

seeded eucalyptus

instructions:

1. remove the soup can label (goo gone works wonders if it's not cooperating) and fill the bottom with a handful of small rocks. because the arrangement is asymmetrical, this will help make sure it doesn't fall over!

2. begin with long stems of the seeded eucalyptus. place them one at a time in the can leaning against the right side so that they drape and droop. all the better if you can find stems that will fall against the table surface. i actually pushed them down ever so gently to make them bend a little lower.

3. add in the silver dollar eucalyptus and do the same thing. use the stems that are the skinniest and longest for the best effect.

4. next you'll be adding a small cluster of blush roses (of course ranunculus or other lush blooms would be wonderful too- i simply wanted to use flowers that would be available to anyone and easy to find. good ol' roses are the only ones i can always count on to be at the grocery store. everything i bought for this was from trader joe's). cut one rose to the length you'd like it to be in your arrangement and test it out.

5. when the length suits, then use that rose as a guide. build a tight bouquet in your fist and once it is assembled (kind of like a mini bridal bouquet), cut all the stems to the same length as your first one.

{pause here to pay attention to the small human about to steal your garden shears and save his life.}

6. place your rose bouquet in the left side of the soup can.

7. lastly, cut some shorter stems of seeded eucalyptus and tuck them in among the roses.

and that's it! enjoy your beautiful arrangement. the greens keep for quite a long time, and i think this will be even more lovely when the roses open more, so you can certainly do it a few days ahead of your party. (oh and if i could rewind time, wouldn't that soup can have looked awesome spray-painted copper??)

with these vintage-inspired flowers to set the mood at your party, you'll be well on your way to an elegant, and a little bit wild, new year's eve. 

our party continues tomorrow with a signature cocktail from kyla. you can catch up on our complete new year's eve bash below, and check back each day to see what will be added next! 

{ T H E  W I L D W O O D  S P E A K E A S Y  P A R T Y  K I T }

nO. 1.  v i n t a g e  f l o r a l s

nO. 2.  s i g n a t u r e  c o c k t a i l
nO. 3.  p h o t o b o o t h
nO. 4.  n o s h  &  c a r d s 
nO. 5.  i n v i t a t i o n s 
nO. 6. r o a r i n g  t w e n t i e s  s t y l e

party trend: lush leaves

i've noticed a beautiful new trend creeping into weddings and parties lately: lush leaves. the luxury standard has long been crowded blooms (think poms completely covered in roses). but just as hairstyles have moved toward loose beachy waves, and jeans are relaxing into baggier boyfriend styles, flowers are becoming less formal too. modern arrangements are more organic in shape and stem selection, with more leaves and space allowing blooms some breathing room.

though they haven't been the historic showstoppers, leaves are taking advantage of their moment to shine, and they are beautiful to behold. look at some of these examples of how the supporting cast of the flower world is enjoying the limelight.

here, a table runner is made of magnolia leaves, and a single leaf serves as a simple placecard. 

{via style me pretty}

lots of leaves replace the traditional floral topper on this gorgeous cake.

{via adventures in cooking}

minty green garlands lend definition to this dream-like ceremony altar.

{via style me pretty}

this time, garlands are draped from the tented ceiling.

{via jesi haack design}

overhead arches are filled with branches and foliage.

{via the white company}

green leaves peeking through white peonies add contrast and interest in this bridal bouquet.

{via southern weddings}

these bouquets pull in fern fronds.

{via southern weddings}

lavendar and olive leaves adorn a simple white cake.

{photo by amy & stuart photography via bridal guide}

what a sweet idea: olive tree saplings as favors. 

{via the pretty blog}

a loose leaf wreath denotes a bride's chair.

{via green wedding shoes}

a bayleaf garland dresses up this drink table.

{via elizabeth anne designs}

now that you're inspired, start with this:

a beautiful and simple diy magnolia leaf garland from the sweetest occasion.

and for more gorgeous ideas on how to use leaves, visit the wedding party, who first tipped me off to this trend on pinterest. as they mention, a bonus here is the budget-friendliness. leaves offer a lush, modern aesthetic at a fraction of the cost of flowers. who doesn't like that?

easter in pictures

hi friends!

i'm pretty tired right now (it's a good tired), and i'm definitely in a lemon cake coma, so i'm not really planning to add much commentary to this post. but i wanted to share a photo recap with you of our easter celebration!

first, can i just say that church was awesome. harvest knows how to party. and though i was absolutely in love with my whiteware/ ceramic bunny/ candy-colored egg centerpieces, they could all burn for how much i cared about them while i was worshipping the risen Savior, Jesus, at the 9 am service.

k. now that's as it should be. on to less important stuff, in completely random order:

and finally, here are a few photos i snapped while i was getting everything ready:

if you have any questions (cake recipe anyone?) or thoughts, or want to share a link to your own easter celebration (or your own anything)...i'd love to hear all in the comments below.

happy easter monday!