christmas dolls, wreaths, lovely things...

how cute are these little beauties - they are so cute, and the children adore them. Decorating our new little white trees in the shop, they are truly perfect!

Mossed door wreaths - gorgeous, just beautifully simple



Newsletter for November... and christmas!

Well with Christmas just over 6 weeks away, we have put away the pumpkins, tidied away the cream and pink wedding ribbons (until next spring) and are getting out the christmas flowers and sparkly bits that are looking good in the shop right now. Check out our latest newsletter regarding new opening times for December and a catch up on what has been happening in the shop.

http://www.bloomingperfect.co.uk/documents/novembernewsletter.pdf

bulbs in November....

a little early i may hear you say... but the hyacinth bulbs were available a few weeks ago and we held off buying until now. They are great potted up in just about anything, mossed over with some fluffy green carpet moss. They make great long lasting gifts and look pretty sitting just about anywhere. We have ours potted up in reclaimed wooden boxes and zinc.

seasonal door wreaths

it really doesn't have to be christmas to enjoy a seasonal wreath on your front (or back, side, porch) door. Today we created a gorgeous wreath of vintage pink hydrangeas and roses, scabiosa bitterball heads, aliums and berried ivy. The results are just lovely on a gorgeous sunny day like this. We are offering these in various sizes (10" up to 16") and you can just choose your colours to match the door!

table decorations for the children...

Wednesday and Thursday saw us at the shop with children aged between 4 and 11. The girls really enjoyed the table decoration class session. They cut their foliage, soaked the oasis, and started to create their masterpeices! The results were brilliant and all those who attended did a wonderful job. We finished off the afternoon with cookie decorating - not sure how many left the shop uneaten!

sunflowers

not sure if i really like them, but they seem to cheer people up when they come in and look at them! i shall give them a try and see if it makes the customers smile...

What did we get in today...

The sun was shining through the picture windows of the little shop. Couldn't resist getting the camera out and taking a pic of this gorgeous red hanging amaranthus. Looks perfect on it's own - i love it!

and some gorgeous little candles in the shop, we have more coming as stocks are running low! provence scented candles in beautifully wrapped lilac paper - the perfect gift (for yourself perhaps).

autumn is coming...

well it certainly feels very autmnal today so we have some rather gorgeous seasonal blooms in the shop today. Artichokes! amazing!

and some gorgeous little succulents - they last and last (even i haven't managed to let them die yet) and we have them in super little wooden market boxes

oak leaves in the brightest autumnal shades - perfect on their own!



Open Day! Friday 16th September

It has been quite a journey, but with a day to go, it's taking shape and we finally have some flowers in the shop to sell. They are just gorgeous this week, with amazing organic locally grown varieties, including scented stems of basil, zinnia, dahlia, amaranthus and celosia, to name a few.  We open our doors this Friday, from 9.30am and are looking forward to seeing everyone!

and moving in...

a sneak peak at the shop so far - still lots to do, but with the helping hands of my wonderful dad, and my lovely husband, we are getting there slowly but surely! Mirrors going up on walls (with rather too many holes, well hidden) to a display counter at the front.... now we just need to get painting!

Still lots to do, but fingers crossed we will nearly be there next week!

So long old mill!

well the day has come, I have finally moved out of the old mill and moved to pastures new! It certainly feels strange looking in the old place without any furniture! I shall miss the cats, the ducks, the free growing moss and woodland foliage and ivy. I won't miss the damp, the dark, the flooding and the freezing temperatures!and i will be pleased to be somewhere a little warmer come November...the heater has packed up!

A day in Brighton...

Yesterday I spent the day at "Miss Moles Flower Emporium". A beautiful shop rammed with gorgeous flowers, the most unusual bits and bobs, and even more interesting customers... Babs opened her doors nearly two years ago with her wonderful flower shop and has been an inspiration to me whilst I have been beavering away with plans for the shop. Thank you to Barbara for all her help over the last few months, her patience and advice, and above all her friendship!

If you go to Brighton, swing by and pay the shop a visit - you won't be disappointed! You may even catch Babs.... she is a very busy girl!

A new shop!

as some of you are aware, I shall be opening a flower shop in Groombridge this September. This is very exciting news for me, and there have been many months of planning and preparing for the September opening. The shop is located at The Black and White Shop, The Green, Groombridge. A perfect setting with lots of easy parking right outside, with more parking at the rear of the shop. We hope to open the second week of September, if all goes to plan. I shall send out a reminder of the opening night, but keep your eyes peeled!

Summer wreaths

A lovely lady ordered a summer door wreath this week, for her golden wedding anniversary. When i delivered it to her door, she was delighted and I asked if she was having a party, and she said she wasn't it was just for a small gathering of family and friends. I thought what a lovely thing to have on your door in the summer, and any excuse to have one, in fact you don't need to have a reason - just something to brighten up the door on a lovely sunny day!

so exciting...

i have been tweeted... is that the correct term? i have only just got used to Facebook, and now a new thingy to try! I was delighted to hear from Sarah who married in June and kindly forwarded on some amazing shots of the wedding flowers... enjoy! and thank you SO much Sarah xx

Sarah got married at Langton Church, and then had her reception at Buckhurst Park - the most romantic and wonderful venue. Thank you also to Damian Bailey for the wonderful photography.

A wet day in Wadhurst

Oh how the rain just came down on Friday, and we really did feel for the bride. But Saturday was certainly an improvement, not perfect, but a relief to see some sunshine during the day (and a rainbow I'm told on the pathway leading up to the wedding breakfast - how perfect). Amy went for an English garden theme (the gardens were magnicfient, thanks to Sue and Ron who look after them with such care and attention) and the marquee looked beautiful with hesian runners on the tables, and a rather unusual seating area of hay bales which looked so enticing after a heavy day's work! Some pictures for now...

overflowing pots of hydrangea, peony, rose and gyp - so pretty

a nice old milk churn, in keeping with the country style

more English country weddings...

well it's certainly been a busy few weeks gone by, and June looks to be the busiest month for weddings here in Kent. Last weekend saw us at the wonderful and most beautiful Buckhurst Park near Withyham, just outside Groombridge. The bride (the lovely Sarah) looked fabulous and we have had a sneak preview at at her professional photographs - amazing! I will post some of them when i have begged Mr Damian Bailey for a few pics. In the meantime, here are some less professional ones from moi....

The church benches were lined with cream jugs, overflowing with sweet smelling peonie, freesia and blue scabious

Bridal bouquet of rose, peony, and the beautifully scented lily of the valley

Bridesmaids posies of delicately soft pink rose, with ivory spray rose and scented freesia



bird cages

well they are certainly in demand again this season for summer weddings. Here we crammed them full of sweet smelling peonies, roses, freesia, and pretty gyp to fill around the edges. They were used as table centrepieces, alongside tall silver candelabra - the room looked beautiful.

at each end of the room we decorated the mantelpieces with seasonal flowers incuding peony, hydrangea and lots of trailing foliage and eucalyptus. The bride and groom wanted to include the letters of love in the design - it looked so good with the mirror reflecting behind it.

sugar pinks and creams

last weeks wedding was a lovely soft pink and vintage theme at the lovely Hotel du Vin. The bride carried a bouquet of white rose, bouvardia and white hydrangea. It looked so lovely and fresh.

Bridesmaids had posies of soft sugar pink and cream roses - so pretty.

and some more of that wedding

The table centrepieces were mirrored fish bowls overflowing with hydrangea and viburnham snowball, with little clusters of pretty gyp to fill those gaps. The bridesmaids posies were lilac rose with bouvardia and eucalyptus.

lots of weddings done, and still lots to do....

some gorgeous blooms are around at the moment. Last weeks wedding saw us at a private castle in Kent, just beautiful, and the bride looked stunning. her bouquet was delicate and filled with lily of the valley, stephonosis, and freesia amongst muted tones of rose and bouvardia - the scent was just amazing! The church was full of peony scent, even her lovely mother, Suzanne, noticed the scent and the flowers - and she was on another planet at that point (she tells me!)

The cake was rammed full with pretty gyp, vintage pink rose and spray roses. The cake maker did a magnificant job with the flowers, it took ages!

Thank you Anita for doing just a wonderful job, you clever lady.

Saturdays wedding at West Heath in Sevenoaks. Another lovely lady, Joanna. The roses we used in the table centrepices and bridesmaid posy were new: quick sand - the palest pinky earth tones were just fantastic. White hydrangeas - yes, even in April!

Fridays wedding was at the most beautiful thatched cottage in Shipbourne. The bride and groom were just delightful, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them both. Thank you to Trish and Tony for your kind words: Wanted to say the flowers were “ Blooming Perfect” absolutely stunning, a real shame they don’t last forever! From the porch, kitchen, my bouquet down to the buttonholes, which I haven’t seen the pics but hear they were presented beautifully.  You helped make our day one of the best, thank you...

what a manic weekend here! 2 weddings and mothers day gone mad! This was the busiest mothers day for most florists in the south east to date. Due to it falling a little later than previous, flowers were more reasonably priced, and much more varieties available. We saw some beautiful scented stocks, viburnham snowball, and gorgeous roses in the palest of pinks and sand shades. A few pictures from the weekend.

A filled rustic basket of muscari bulbs - what a wonderful gift to give on mothers day.