Daffodils + food coloring = Pretty science

Remember using food coloring to "color" daffodils when you were a kid? I always thought it was amazing. I recently picked a few blooms to show the kids. 

I'm not sure how amazed they were but I still think it's pretty darn cool. 

Have you never done this? Go pick a few daffodils before they are all gone! Fill a vase with water, add a few drops of food coloring (I have the best luck with blue and green), trim the stems to allow for better water absorption and wait a bit. I think it will also work with daisies and carnations. 

Next experiment — try for two colors.

A picture worth a thousand cliches

There is a mini gladiolus that grows next to the stairs. It was there when we got here. It doesn't seem to have been planted with any plan in mind. It just appears, well away from the flower bed it should have been planted in, and blooms quite nicely year after year ...

Or it would have bloomed quite nicely if someone hadn't stomped it. Completely flattened. I don't know who so I can't lay blame. I was just sad it wasn't going to share its beauty this year. But then, Mother Nature again showed she's not a force to be messed with. Out of the flattened stalks, one stem reached high to bloom. Sure we've all have good days and bad days, but that doesn't mean we can't make do and do our best. Bloom where we're planted. Stop and smell the flowers. Look for the silver lining. Good things come to those who wait ... yada yada yada.

(Insert your own tired cliche here.)

Let them eat cake!

My friend Vivi is getting hitched. So I pulled out my wedding magazines and have been drooling over flowers and cakes and especially, flowers + cakes! 

I cannot find an online picture of my favorite wedding cake off all time (pg. 249 Martha Stewart Weddings Winter/Spring 1998). But my friend Laura had a cake that was very similar so she shared this pretty picture.

Here's a more exotic, colorful version.

Can't really tell in this picture, but I think those are raspberries. 

Would be very easy to change to roses.

Here's a picture of our cake. It was the only one I could find but I'm sure there are better pictures somewhere. On top was a simple flower arrangement in a mint julep cup. I guess it would have been nice to have the cup monogrammed. Notice the cake had two layers, chocolate and vanilla. Chris is a big chocolate fan (budget tip: by incorporating chocolate into the cake we cut the cost of a groom's cake). To the right is a big platter of chocolate leaves to go with the fall theme. The cutie is my cousin Kathleen. She's now in high school!

Here is the cake from the most recent wedding I attended back in November. 

It does not fit the floral theme, but I wanted to include it ....

because it had the cutest little bride and groom birdies!

Cake tips for the bride? Want to vote for your favorite?

To see even more bright and colorful wedding goodness, you can find me on Pinterest. 

What I see

Welcome Spring!