Celebration Planning - To Wood Flower or not Wood Flower…

In July 2021, I got engaged to my best friend. I love flowers, so naturally that was the first thing I started dreaming about! I’m a believer in our outside (visual) world reflecting our inside (mental) world. What I mean by that is that I believe that the world we touch, smell and see should reflect our feelings, hopes and dreams. I wanted to tell the story of Victor’s an my love on our wedding day and I knew the flowers had to reflect that. I researched fresh flowers, meandered over to artificial (silk) flowers and finally stumbled across wood flowers (This is also an origin story). The summary below is meant to help you make a decision on what kind of florals you might want on your wedding day!

Fresh Flowers: Fresh flowers are timeless. The Romans and Greeks were the first documented to use bouquets in weddings. The bouquets were comprised of herbs and spice flowers believed to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. For cultures that didn’t have access to bathhouses and showers, the floral bouquet was used to not only bring luck, but also to mask body odor. Queen Victoria was the first one to use wedding bouquets for their aesthetic appeal as she popularized giving flowers to show love to a potential partner. But enough of the history - fresh florals as always in and bring a beautiful, timeless quality.

Pros: Fresh flowers look just like that - fresh flowers. The smell and visual cannot be replicated. In reference to my last post, fresh flowers also die, and therefore not adding to the temptation to hoard. That being said…

Cons: Fresh flowers die. They can wilt and are more delicate than their plastic or wood counterparts. Fresh flowers are also heavy and can be harder to hold for extended periods of time. Fresh flowers can also be more pricey (but that really depends on a ton of factors). Going back to the death thing… that also makes it harder to preserve the things you might want to have forever, like your wedding bouquet (mine proudly sits in our bedroom, reminding me of our enchanted evening).

Artificial Flowers: The first artificial flower is believed to have been developed in China over 1500 years ago and made of silk. It was a popular practice to wear these silk flowers in the hair as they were not only more durable, but also provided options outside of seasonal constraints. As trade between Eastern and Western cultures increased, so did the spread of silk flowers.

Pros: Silk flowers are more durable than fresh flowers. You don’t have to worry a about wilting or preserving. There are also an abundance of silk flower rental options out there for the couple that wants to minimize waste and post-wedding storage. Renting or buying silk flowers can be a cheaper option and you don’t have to stress about wilting/damage. What’s more - these flowers can be repurposed after you wedding day to make home decorations (like wreaths) or make for excellent guest wedding gifts (grab a centerpiece on your way out to remember our special day)! The boutonnieres also make for great Christmas tree ornaments in the future!

Cons: The biggest con of silk flowers is that they don’t look like real flowers and they have a stigma. In modern times, most silk flowers are made of polyethylene or polypropylene to make them more affordable. Fun science fact - it is difficult to dye any polyolefin (hydrocarbons whose molecules contain a pair of carbon atoms linked together by a double bond like the two listed) because they are hydrophobic (hate water) and dyes tend to be water based. You get the problem. This leads to many more cost effective artificial flowers to have muted hues.

Wood flowers: Wood flowers are made from the sola or shoal plant (technically known as Aeschynomene) or tapioca (cassava). The bark of the plant is removed and made into sheets. Sometimes the bark is left on to allow for multiple tones and increase the “real” look of the shaped flowerers. They are the newest artificial flower type and, in my opinion, here to stay.

Pros: Wood flowers give you all the pros of artificial flowers listed above. They are lightweight, can be more cost effective, and last forever, giving you a memento that will never die. ln addition - they absorb color beautifully and are hand painted, allowing you to customize your florals to exactly what you’d like. Wood flowers offer a unique visual as well. They can be made to look natural, rustic, modern, contemporary… you name it. You can take a peony and really adapt it to any style you might want. Like artificial flowers, they also make for great guest gifts, can be made into other home decorations (pictures frames, wreaths, shadowboxes, Christmas ornaments), and give you easy forever memories.

Cons: Wood flowers tend to be slightly less durable than silk flowers but more so than real flowers. This means that packaging them and transporting them requires a little more finesse. Not to worry - wood flowers still provide quite a bit more durability than their natural counterparts, but it’s worth mentioning that they are not compressible and therefore less popular on the rental market.

So there you have it! Whatever you decide (or combination of) you can’t go wrong. Just think about what you want your story to be and how you want your florals to show it.

The best kind of love is self love - so make your wedding day shine YOU all the way.

Cait

Holiday Enough - How to clear the clutter

When I think about Flora and Fuego - it’s not just pretty wood flowers… it’s a lifestyle. It’s about brining beauty and joy into your life every single dang day. It’s about celebrating whimsy and romance and fun and not being afraid to shine and be that “extra” version of you that sometimes we hide away. Why do we hide? Speaking for myself only - I’m afraid of not being enough. Adult enough. Successful enough. Smart enough. Fit enough. Empathetic enough. Enough enough! UGH! It’s just absolutely exhausting.

Now cue the holidays. It’s pitched as this amazing time to relax and celebrate with family and friends. Memories come back of past holidays. Maybe you were alone, maybe you had a traumatic event, maybe you had the best time of your life, maybe something incredible happened. Maybe all of those things are true and maybe none of them are. It’s a lot of emotions for any human being to process and not only are you processing, but you are doing it in front of an audience. If you have a tendency towards introversion like I do - that’s a lot of pressure. On top of everything else - how can I be holiday enough?!

If you are like me, you might have trinkets from family and friends that have been collected over the years and are each extraordinarily special in unique ways. Where I struggle, especially when I know my home is going to become a holiday hosting center, is how to showcase these unique pieces without looking like a hoarder. Lucky for me, I have an amazing therapist that has helped me learn to proudly shine my true self, and my home has become a reflection of that. She has taught me that I am ENOUGH ENOUGH. Is it a struggle every day? Heck yeah! But so is doing the dishes and taking out the trash. Here are three easy things you can do to help clear you holiday home and mind.

1. Make a special item box. Marie Kondo that *ish (diet version). Does it bring you joy? Does it make you feel comfortable in your space? Does it fit with the vibe you are going for? Then put it out there! If not, don’t trash it, but put it in your “special item” box. This box can be any size that works for your home and contains those special things that you can’t part with but you don’t want out of your life just yet. Revisit it as the seasons change (physically or metaphorically) and pull things out as they bring you joy. Sometimes we aren’t ready to process the emotions that items bring out in us. It doesn’t mean they belong in the trash.

2. Live by the rule of 3. One of my favorite design rules is the rule of three. It basically means that the layout, size and shape of items are more appealing visually and more memorable in odd number pairings over even numbered pairings. If it’s one, three, five, fifty one (maybe too much but I don’t know your life)… the rule of three asks you pick an odd number of things (I highly recommend 1, 3 or 5 but again - live your life) and showcase them. It doesn’t have to be the same thing (see the picture above of the mantle - it’s a grouping of 5 things (one gnome family, two sets of candles, one wood carving, and one horse) that act as a unit of 5. The rule of three also makes you prioritize those special objects. What are the 1 to 5 things you think are most beneficial to show?

3. Do it for you. One of the most important things I’m learning is to make choices that are beneficial for me. That might sound selfish but hear me out. Chose items that mean something to the people living in your home and make you all smile. We all have that person in our lives that likes to make… comments… (maybe it’s your mom, dad, sister, judgy coworker or grandparent). They don’t live there. It’s not their home and you have graciously invited them into your space - a huge act of trust! Pick those things that bring YOU joy. Haters are going to hate and you gotta shake it off (thank you ever wise Taylor Swift!). Selecting items that represent you and your family (read the people that live in your house) and bring you all joy visually is one of the best ways to help process those holiday feelings of enoughness. Your mental goals are manifested in your physical space (UFFTA!).

See what I did there? Rule of the three! But seriously. These are three things I do to help not only survive but thrive during the holiday season. Let’s all acknowledge the societal pressure that holidays bring and how that’s an emotional time for many (good and bad). I hope these tricks help you show your true self and make your home and life a little easier to digest this holiday season.

Remember - the best kind of love is self love!

Cait