So romantic

This arrangement is so classic and romantic and would be perfect for a wedding, bridal shower or even a baby shower really.  

Pastels

Sometimes all you need are some soft pastels with a hint of a gorgeous peony to brighten your day.  

April florals

I'm so sorry I'm behind on my blog.  Here is an arrangement and bouquet I did in April in mauve, white, and burgundy.  I love the color combination, it's so rich and elegant.  And, I really can't get enough of astrantia.  It's seriously one of my favorite flowers right now.  

DIY garden-inspired centerpiece for spring

Spring is in full bloom here in Chicago and I am loving seeing all the beautiful tree blossom and lilac in my neighborhood.  People often ask me how they can use their garden flowers to create an arrangement.  Well, last month I did a demonstration at the Macy's Flower Show on just that.  Hope you enjoy the video!  I'd love to see photos of what people create, feel free to post them in the comments!

Here is the photo of the finished product and another I did shortly after with the leftover florals.

Mauve mockup

Had a lot of fun putting together mockups for an upcoming wedding.  

The installation

Putting together the installation for the Macy's Flower Show took a lot of time and planning, but it was totally worth it!  With the help of my amazing assistant, Julia, we finished the install in 3 hours.  Of course that was after a few hours of putting together the base flowers and the tree trunk, but who's counting.  Here are a few photos I took during the install so you can see how it was all constructed.  

Please excuse all the background clutter

My amazing assistant, Julia, hard at work

All done!

America the Beautiful - Macy's Flower Show Chicago

If you haven't already made it out for the Macy's Flower Show at the Macy's on State Street, you should!  It's amazing!  They have completely transformed the event space on the 9th floor into a breathtaking look at the varying landscapes and flowers of the country.  And, while you are there you should stop by the cosmetics department (on the main floor) to see the installation I did.  It'll be up until Saturday, so hurry!!  Here's a few photos of the installation.  My next blog post will have more photos of the actual install and more details.  I had SO much fun putting this together, hope you love it!

I should add that all of the flowers and greenery used in the installation are native to North America.  The cherry blossoms are a tribute to my late grandparents who recently passed away and to many of my family members who have served our country in the military.  Let it take you on a visual journey of a field of wildflowers in the spring time.  

Macy's Flower Show

Mark your calendars, the Macy's Flower Show it coming up and The Petal will be there with a demonstration on creating your own spring centerpiece on March 24th (12 pm).  I seriously have to pinch myself every time I think about it, I am truly honored and ecstatic that Macy's asked me to be a part of the event this year!  Hope to see you there!

I'll also be doing a floral installation on the main floor next to cosmetics that'll be up for 3 days (March 24-26th).  The theme this year is America the Beautiful and the idea of the installation is to transport you to a field of wildflowers.  No more spoilers, you'll have to stop by to check it out!

Hello March!

Spring blossoms

One of my favorite things about spring is seeing all the beautiful blossoms on the trees.  I wish they could stay all summer long.  And although it isn't spring yet in Chicago it is somewhere so when I saw these amazing plum blossoms  I needed to have them in my home.  Only one more month to go, but at least in my house it feels like spring!

Happy New Year

Hurray for 2016!  I'm seriously so excited for all the beautiful weddings coming up this year that are on my calendar.  I thought I'd share a sneak peek at the inspiration behind some of them.

Berry tones

It may be the new year and a new pantone color, but since I forgot to post this from the fall I'll post it now :)  Berry tones are perfect for the fall and winter.  They are rich and gorgeous. I put together two large arrangements filled with berry tones with a hint of purple for balance this fall that I loved.  Unfortunately, my photos didn't turn out the best, but I wanted to share anyways :)

Fall wedding

I'm excited to post the photos from a wedding a did back in October for a fantastic couple.  Sarah Postma Photography did an amazing job capturing the gorgeous couple and made The Petal look good too!

Baby shower

I can not control my excitement for becoming an Auntie for the first time.  Is it the end of January yet??  It'll finally be my turn to spoil a little cutie!   And my kids can't wait either, which is even more fun to see.  They are finally going to have a first cousin.  

As I wait and wait and wait for the little sweetie to arrive I needed to throw a girlie baby shower for my sister-in-law.  It was so much fun putting everything together.  I definitely had to control myself not to go overboard, so I thought a little bit is ok :)  

Instead of doing traditional games for the shower I decided to teach everyone how to make flower crowns.  It was SO much fun!  

Finally got to use my new screen as a backdrop.  LOVE IT!

My sister makes the best cakes!

The happy mom-to-be

Flowers all prepped for flower crowns

My daughter modeling the crown we made at the baby shower.  

Making flower crowns

2016 Color(s) of the year

For the first time the pantone color of the year for 2016 will be two colors: Rose Quartz and Serenity. The colors represent society's increasing acceptance of gender equality and fluidity.  Amazing!  So, not only are they two beautiful colors, but the meaning behind it is so near to my heart.  Can't wait to use these gorgeous colors next year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I decided to do something a bit different for Thanksgiving.  Instead of the traditional orange tons I went for burgundy and berry tones.  It created such warmth at the table, I just loved it!

Fall was in the air...

I'm super behind on this blog post...oops!  Although it's technically fall, we were blessed with a few inches of snow yesterday which quickly changed the seasons for me from fall to winter.  But, if we don't look outside we can still pretend it's fall right?  

Well, I'm going to :)  That said, last weekend (when it was 60 degrees and gorgeous) I dressed up my mantel to prepare for Thanksgiving.  I love the colors of fall leaves and wanted to bring that color and vibe into my home.  The candles gave a perfect glow.  All I needed was a good book, a cozy blanket and a cup of coffee to enjoy.

The photos are here!

Thanks to Maggie Russo Photography for the incredible shots of a wedding I did in June!  There were so many excellent photos I couldn't choose which ones I liked the best, so I decided to post all the ones I loved :)  

Another congratulations and thank you to Lauren and Joe for including The Petal on your big day.  Such a wonderful couple, wishing them all the happiness together.

Chandeliers

I'm currently OBSESSED with greenery right now, I just can't get enough of it.  So, to go along with my obsession I thought I'd do a blog post showing you my favorite chandeliers adorned with greenery.  Some have flowers and some are just greenery, either way I just love how effortless they are.  A few of the fresh floral chandeliers I've seen, although gorgeous, take it to a whole other level. Myself, I think simple and elegant is the way to go.  Not too much and not too little.  

This is my absolute favorite!  Photo from: Style Me Pretty

Photo from: Southern Weddings

Photo from: Brides.com

Photo from:  The Natural Wedding Company

The photos have arrived!

Love it when I see an email from a photographer with photos from a wedding I did.  The photos just bring everything to life.  Here are the highlights from the wedding I did in June.  Thanks so much George Street Photography for sending these over!