wreath class

Thanks my friend Sharon for telling me about a Fall Wreath Class at Minted!  Yes, you know Minted, the place where you get invitations and holiday cards.  They now have a darling store in SF and offer classes.

I attended the class with my friend Madeline, who bought my wedding dress (more on that crazy story later!), Sharon, and about 8 other lovely ladies.  We were led by Heather Lee of Hello Flowers.  She taught us how to use the wire in different ways for the different options.  She suggested only using part of the wreath as the branches look beautiful for fall.  Perhaps a half moon.  She usually starts at 12:00 and works her way to the right, overlapping the wire and stems of the flowers just placed.  (this sequence did not feel natural to me.....I started at 8:00 and worked my way from there.......follow your gut!).

I went for a neutral palate with soft fall colors.  We built the wreath on a grapevine wreath.  I used fall maple leaves, pinecones, straw flowers, another white flower that felt like straw-forget the name!, and the things that look like olives are eucalyptus pods.  I actually ended up paring down the wreath when I got home as I realized it was a bit too busy.  I look forward to giving this wreath as a gift to a very special friend!

flowers claire marie

People in SF do weird things in our garages.  My neighbor has a garage full of weights and uses it as a gym.  Another sweet man down the street uses it as his artist studio.  They both leave the garage doors open, and you can see what they're up to.

This photo above really made me smile, as you can imagine.  I was on a walk in Inner Richmond in a residential area, and stumbled upon this wonderous sight.  A garage door open, I hear some French music, then I see the ladies at work with peonies.  Such a beautiful moment!  

The florist is Flowers Claire Marie.  I have not worked with them, but their website is gorgeous.  Some photos below of their work.  Thankful for this special memory which I took as a sign that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be in life right now.