Chocolate Cymbidium

Several cymbidium varieties fall into what I call “chocolate”…such an interesting flower to me…

image via From Hello to Hitched

image via Hazelnut Photography

image via Blooms by Martha Andrews

image via JL Designs

By the way, have you ever tried to send flowers to a man? Most florists really don’t get it…add a pack of Cheez-its in a mug or a six pack of beer to a regular mixed bouquet…and that makes the flowers masculine. Right…

Now…take a look at the JL Designs arrangement above…PERFECT! Masculine and appropriately named the Hipster…

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for visiting the Brouhaha this week…you know how much I love it when you visit!

Crazy For Kale

I’ve always loved kale…looks like a giant rose with gorgeous veining and ruffled petals…white/green or purple/green…so glad to see it used in these unique bouquet combinations…

…with peonies…or are those garden roses?

image via Sweet Monday Photography

…with tulips, ranunculus (love the deep wine) and anemones…

image via Style Me Pretty

…with moss…these really look like roses in the basket arrangement…

image via Sarah Yates Photography

…have to look a little harder for the kale in this one…my eyes are glued to the succulents…notice the ribbon grass…amazing and unique use of plant material…

image via Anne Marie Photography

…with vivid hydrangea, muscari and moss…

image via Our Labor of Love by Heidi

…with my favorite hydrangea (antiqued) and peacock feathers…

image via Heather Saunders Photography

Your thoughts on kale? Anyone used it? I’ve noticed a slight cabbage scent occasionally when using kale in the Texas heat…but not enough to deter me from using it. Anyone else notice that scent? Maybe it only “cooks” in Texas heat…

The weekend is in sight and I’m discovering some really fun post material in some places “off my beaten path”…can’t wait to share it with you…  

Simply Roses

As exciting and interesting as some flower combinations can be, I will forever love roses…no need for fillers or fluff…

image via Megan W Photography

image via Absolutely Loved

image via A Creative Mint

image via Yvonne Design

image via Floral Artistry

image via Martha Stewart

image via Wild at Heart

image via Jeff Greenough Photography

image via Enchanted Florist

image via Marlin Munoz Photography

  Anyone else love monobotanical bouquets of roses? Some people tell me they don’t like roses because they’re overused…I think they’re just overcombined (I just made up a word!) with other flowers…sometimes beauty is in simplicity…

Happy Wednesday…in a few hours!

Ring Bearers And Flower Girls

Isn’t it fun to see something a little different? Not your usual pillow and white wicker basket with a few droopy petals…

image via Megan W photography

image via LaFleur Weddings

image via Marlin Munoz Photography

image via Bliss Flower Studio

image via Branching Out Events

image via Millie Holloman Photography

image via Nancy Liu Chin Designs

image via Salt Harbor Designs

image via Jen Kroll Photography

image via Salt Harbor Designs

 

And finally…the ring pineapple…bet you’ve never seen one of those before!

image via Yvonne Design

Hope you have a great Tuesday! So glad you stopped by today…

over the river & through the woods

Let me just start by saying how lovely it is to have a female visitor for once! My brother's friend is in town and she graciously agreed to accompany me into the woods this afternoon for a little photo shoot. Isn't she darling?

I. Absolutely. Love. NOT. Being. In. Front. Of. The. Camera. Love. Love. Love.

Speaking of love, these lovelies will be up in the shop tomorrow morning so check in soon if you like what you see.

strawberry jam

I finally did it! The strawberry jam hath been made and boy is it tasty. If you decide to try out any of the kitchen projects I've been listing lately, this is it. I snagged it from The Anne of Green Gables Treasury I mentioned the other day. All it takes is two simple ingredients, strawberries and sugar.



Chop the tops off 2 cups of strawberries and toss in a pot with 1 1/3 cups of sugar. Heat slowly until the sugar begins to melt. Then bring the mixture to a boil and stir frequently for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. You'll probably have a light pink foam on top. Scrape this off then pour the mixture into a pan. Cover and let sit overnight. Grab a jar and pour the jam in for storing. Strawberry jam!



I'm no jam expert, but I would say making jam this way you'll want to eat it up in a week or so, as it won't keep. But seeing as this makes about one jar, you shouldn't have a problem! It's quite tasty as a topping for that shortbread I made the other day.

Color Inspiration: Mandarin, Pumpkin, Persimmon

…no words to describe how much I love this photo…

image via Flowers on Mars

…orchid and muscari…

image via Branching Out Events

…dahlias in a Ball jar…

image via Jessamyn Harris Photography

…classic roses…

image via Adrienne Gunde Photography

…roses, callas and hypericum berries…love the color of these callas…

image via Our Labor of Love by Heidi

…ranunculus and tulips…and I think I see a succulent…

image via Crosspollination

…red hot poker plant…at least that’s what we call it in Texas…

image via Veranda

…viburnum, ranunculus, parrot tulips, sweet peas and kumquats…gorgeous…

image via Salt Harbor Designs

…lilies, callas and hypericum berries…and a trend I adore…matching bridal shoes…

image via Simply Bloom Photography

…rectangular glass vase + beautiful flowers = instant love…

image via Marlin Munoz Photography

…callas with a hypericum berry cuff…

image via Flowers on Mars

…this may be my all-time favorite** orange bouquet…orange ranunculus and turquoise ribbon…

image via Flowers on Mars

**yes, I realize I say something is my “all-time” favorite at least once a week…but, really…so many amazing flowers…what’s a girl to do…I have to get my point across…that I REALLY love this one (since I obviously love them all because it’s my blog and I chose my favorites to share with you)…

Hope your week is off to a great start!

oh my! love charles vintage giveaway

Happy Sunday morning to you! I wanted to spice up this lovely lazy Sunday with a little mystery giveaway from the adorable Lily over at Love Charles. Lily not only runs the vintage clothing boutique, Love Charles, but also an inspirational blog of the same name. In fact, at this very moment she is having a sister giveaway over on the Love Charles Vintage blog.

Our Love Charles mysterious vintage goodie bag giveaway features the bright and sunny hue, yellow! However, if you're not a yellow gal have no fear, just head over to the sister giveaway where you can enter to win a more subtle gray-themed mystery bag.

Here's a sneak peak of what the lucky winner is in store for...

Entering is a simple as can be, just have a look over at Love Charles Vintage and let me know your thoughts on the shop. This giveaway is open to folks in the US and Canada only. Sorry my international loves, I'll have something for you soon. Promise! Giveaway closes midnight CST on August 1.

For extra entries, feel free to do the following and remember to comment for each...

Follow this blog. +1
Follow the Love Charles Vintage blog. +1
Follow DalenaVintage on Twitter. +1
Follow Lovecharles on Twitter. +1
Become a Dalena Vintage fan on Facebook. +1
Become a Lovecharles fan on Facebook. +1

Whew, now how is that for extra entries!? And I almost forgot...Love Charles is offering 15% off purchases made during the giveaway with the code Dalena15.