Take Flight....

Anthropologie: Metamorphosis - The Making of Our Earth Day Windows 

from Anthropologie on Vimeo.

Ohhh..Those creatives over at Anthropologie make my heart sing..

I have a sweet sweet spot for the Monarch... 

You see..

Every year on our little island..

those lovely winged beauties..

lay their tiny white eggs in our fields..

yellow and black striped caterpillars emerge..

mint green chrysalises are formed..

and

then..

delicate flashes of orange, gold and black..

flit, fly and dance through our golden stalks of hay..

Then as quickly as they arrive..

with tiny suitcases in hand..

they head to Mexico...

 Image by Chocolate Creative Design

from Papillon post

Happy Weekend!!

Image by Parker Fitzgerald Florals by Amy Merrick

Kinfolk Magazine

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

I know it's the month of May..

But..

Today felt a little like Christmas...

A very special package arrived on my doorstep this morning....

Image by Chocolate Creative Design

For all my followers...

You definitely know by now that I am obsessed with gardening...

Normally, I buy ALL my flowers and vegetables for planting at our local garden center...

But this year..

This year is different....

White Flower Farm is still considered local as it's based in Connecticut..

But..

It's like buying a pair of Louboutins.. 

In my case..

only for special occasions..

Ok Ok Ok...

I'll tell you what's in the box...

Only THE finest, THE most glorious and THE most beautiful dozen Dahlia tubers one has ever seen...

You see...

besides My loveliest of Ladies,

Miss Yumiko Fletcher of Hana Floral Design..

(image by Adeline and Grace)

 There are 3 other floral designers whose work I greatly admire...

Miss Amy Merrick

(obsessed with her blog)

Miss Nicolette Owen of Nicolette Camille

and

Miss Sarah Ryhanen of Saipua

 So what is it about these 4 extremely talented women that has inspired me so??

Well..

They all share the same style...

They all LOVE Dahlias...

Maybe they too wasted countless hours viewing a gazillion slides in numerous Art History classes only to be inspired by the Dutch Masters...

Perhaps...

But I have to say...

There are 3 even lovelier ladies who were creating arrangements within the same genre WAY before the previous ladies were even a thought in the universe...

The Ladies of the Big House on Island Farm...

Image by Chocolate Creative Design

I wrote a POST about them last September regarding their dedication and cultivation of the Dahlias in the garden...

But I really didn't describe to you what wonderfully talented floral designers they all are...

If one is lucky enough to walk into the Big House during the summer, you will be immediately greeted with the most divine works of art..

Dahlias, honeysuckle, dill flowers, sweet peas, berries, roses and numerous other floral & fauna meticulously gathered from the Island gently sway and dance from vintage copper and iron frogs in breathtaking pewter compotes.

They had me at hello...

I was hooked by their magical abilities...

They allowed me to watch...

To take in their secrets...

In fact...at a mere 11 months..

They allowed the Monster to have his first gardening experience..

THE planting of the Dahlia tubers in May...

Crawling through the freshly plowed garden and covered from head to toe in dirt he found joy in the empty dahlia barrel from where they overwintered...

Nervous that I had now maybe ruined my chances at learning their secrets...

Fear covered my face...

But...

Giggles emerged...

Lots of giggles....

He may not have been baptised in a church...

but he was most certainly baptised in the garden at the Island...

So now...

In just one short week...

we will be planting our own dahlias...

we will be arranging our own dutch inspired creations...

and

we will be carrying on the traditions of the Ladies of the Island..

Be Safe, Plant a Garden and Have a Great Weekend!!

Sea for Two....

 

 They say patience is a virtue...

sadly it is one virtue that I don't have...

I just finished up Katie and Joe's wedding suite and instead of waiting months I decided to pick up my camera and shoot away...

Inspired by vintage block prints, the sea and of course my favorite Island..

Island Farm on Elihu Island..

We created a suite that was both whimsical and alive with color.

With the addition of the word tomfoolery...

I think we can guesstimate that this will be one fun party!!

 I honestly can't wait to see the lovely Miss Adrienne O'Connor of Ruffles and Tweed work her magic for their big day!!

She's teamed up with Jamie Collins Photography, B & M Catering Co, Power Posse Productions, Sperry Tents and Country Portables for a fabulous evening!!

Question is...

what would your favorite dance song be?

all images by Chocolate Creative Design

Glitter Giveaway...

House image by Anna Sawin Photography
Design by Chocolate Creative Design

 Yup..you read it right...

This is first EVER Glitter, Glue and Fireflies blog 

Glitter Giveaway!!!

The Lucky winner will receive his/her own custom Christmas ornament shown exactly like the one designed for Amy and Tim!!

 This is all you have to do...

Post a comment below and magically you have been entered!!

(only comments on blog..Facebook doesn't count)

The giveaway ends at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, October 29th and

The winner will be announced Tuesday, October 30th!!

Good Luck Everyone!!

Happy Weekend!!!!

Image by Adeline & Grace

flowers by Hana Floral Design

Deirdre & Jay, Island Farm on Elihu Island 9/13/08

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

Nothing makes me happier in the late summer/early fall than a bridal bouquet filled with dahlias...

Dahlias are the last tell tale sign of summer in the garden..

For me, they are like fireworks..

the last hurrah of sorts.. 

a beautiful colorful explosion in your hands..

At the Island, the ladies have carefully and meticulously cared for the growing and the cultivation of dahlias in the garden.

Growing dahlias is certainly a commitment...

They are tubers so they have to be planted early in the Spring,

constantly clipped to bring new growth during the summer and finally dug up and housed away in the basement in the Fall. 

I love watching the gorgeous Sperry Tent go up next to the garden and it's almost as if they know that it's wedding season..

They seem to straighten themselves up and brush themselves off just in time for the bride & groom to come their way.

Just today, the orange ones seem to smile as Diane & Jason walked by them for their wedding rehearsal..

Happy Happy Anniversary to Deirdre & Jason who also share my love for dahlias, the Island and most importantly family! 

Be Safe, Smell the Flowers and Have a Great Weekend!!

 

Happy Weekend!!!!!

Image by Julie Morawski and Jasmine Balgobin of Carla Ten Eyck Photography

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!!

You may have noticed here on Glitter, Glue & Fireflies that for this past week I have had weddings on the brain...

We have been gearing up over at the Island for not 1 but 2 weddings during the month of September...

There is a lot of mowing, painting, polishing, bed making and weed wacking going on by the best group of worker bees EVER!!

Speaking of Weddings...

The outrageously talented team of Adrienne O'Connor of Ruffles and Tweed

and

 Julie Morawski and Jasmine Balgobin of Carla Ten Eyck Photography

have struck gold as they have been featured YET again on  

Style Me Pretty

for 

Emma & Peter's June Island wedding.

Check out Mark Brown's dreamy film...

it makes me want to twirl in the butterfly laden hay fields...

In fact..I might just have to do that this weekend...

Be Safe, Twirl as Much as Possible and

Have a Great Weekend!!!

June...

Image by Adrienne O'Connor

Embellished by Chocolate Creative Design

Happy JUNE Everyone!!!!

Did you know that June is the most popular month to get married in!

Happy Weekend!!!

 Image by Chocolate Creative Design

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

My lovely fuchsia and soft pink ladies have arrived.....

A mere two weeks early yet they have shown their beautiful 

faces in glorious abundance in my garden..

Which can only mean..

I have a house filled with gorgeous peonies!!

What more could a girl ask for?

This weekend marks the first wedding of the season at Island Farm.

I will be assisting the lovely and talented Miss Adrienne O'Connor of Ruffles & Tweed to bring Jeff & Leah's dream to life!

But whenever my pink & fushia ladies show their lovely faces..

I can't help but recall one of my MOST favorite weddings that I have had the pleasure to design and coordinate...

The loveliest of lovelies..

Miss Sarah & Mr. Christopher Crawford..

 (see how many peonies you can count)

 Images by Corinna Raznikov via Style Me Pretty

It was "The BEST DAY EVAH!!"

(as quoted per Ms.C)

If you can believe it..this wedding was in 2005...

She was one of the first ladies to mix peonies & milk glass...

She is and will always be a creative ahead of her time...

Stay Safe, Pick a Peony and Have a Great Holiday Weekend!!

Fabulous & Creative Wreaths..Part Deux!

Pinecone Wreath via Real Simple

Last year, I did a little post called Fabulous & Creative Wreaths...

Apparently, it was one of the most checked out post to date..

So...I decided a Part 2 was in order..

This time, there are some creative gems but I thought it was also important to list a few store bought favorites for those of us who have simply run out of time!

In the Tall One's family, the wreath is a very very big deal!

When the rooster crows the day after Thanksgiving, the "Aunties" of the Big House on the Island,  get together for some serious wreath making!

First, the tools are brought out...

Second, greens are gathered from the Island or brought from home which are then very carefully placed into piles.

Third, Don't forget those gloves and a few berries..

Fourth, It's always good to have a helper nearby...

Finally....the piece de resistance...the bow!

I feel extremely lucky to have been part of this family tradition...

In fact.... When the Tall One and I were dating...he made one and very very carefully brought it into the city for me....

At that moment..

He literally had me at wreath...

So here you go folks..

Fabulous & Creative Wreaths 

Part Deaux

Natural

Wood Curl Wreath via Garnet Hill

Natural Pod Wreath at Horchow

 Cotton Wreath at Terrain

Kitchen

Chili Pepper Wreath at Elegant Holidays on Etsy

Cooks Herb Wreath at Williams Sonoma

Feather

Pier 1 Peacock Wreath

Garnet Hill Feather Wreath

Paper

 Butcher Paper Wreath via Tip Junkie

Paper Christmas Wreath at Flighty Fleurs on Etsy

Book Pages & Bottlecap Wreath via The Answer is Chocolate

Creative

 Kitchen Wreath via Flickr 

Wish Wreath via Real Simple

 

Let it Snow Wreath via Flickr

Picture Frame Wreath via Just a Blink 

(Thanks Anna Sawin!)

Button Wreath via Factory Direct Craft

Wine Cork Wreath at Must Love Cork on Etsy

Epson Salt Wreath via Addicted 2 Decorating

Fabric

Felt Ball Wreath via West Elm

Felt Flower Wreath at Wreath Inc Gifting on Etsy

Winter Yarn Wreath at Embellished Living on Etsy

Burlap Wreath at The Walnut Street House on Etsy

Bling

 Ball Wreath via Jamali Garden

Sparkle Pinecone Wreath via Garnet Hill

Glass Ornament Wreath via Horchow

Kitschy Wreath via Kitschavan on Etsy

Gold Leaf Wreath via Victoria Dreste Designs

Jingle Bell Wreath via Little Birdie Secrets

So what type of wreath is going on your door this year??