Butterflies and the Jade Room

I always have the same feeling just before I hand over a bouquet. 
It's definitely butterflies. Like jumping off a high dive, or seeing someone I love, after a very, very long separation. It's like taking a little piece of myself and giving it to someone else.

Creating makes you vulnerable.
And more than that, sharing past creations bares you to the world.
Sometimes we want people to see us for who we are now, or who we want to be in the future, instead of who we were before. 

I always try to look forward in creating, to build up from where I started. But sometimes I have to look back and remember where I've been.

I met Tessa my first year at BYU. This beautiful, spunky girl with a shining smile often crossed paths with me, as we were dating two roommates in Felt Hall. Looking back on those carefree days, we truly thought we had it all figured out. But life took us down very different roads than we planned that year. She went to Germany and met her husband there, and I went through a whirlwind couple of years in the meantime.

When we sat on her bed and looked at flowers together, our conversation also drifted through those days in Heritage Halls and all of the internal struggles of "figuring it out." And how sometimes your best laid plans just don't end up determining the way your life goes. Our stories shared so many similarities, and she understood. Not only did I love putting her flowers together, but because we talked that day, a little bit of my internal whirlwind resolved. She is in Germany again, but I will always remember her beautiful best day.

4.27.2013

 

The Redhead and Her Bouquet

When I was in elementary school, I met this girl. She had red hair, an eclectic and rambunctious personality, and always wore dresses. We were so different, she and I. She thought I was quiet as a mouse.

I was six years old and went to piano lessons at her Grandmother's house. Once, I was so afraid of missing notes that I hid under the piano bench. Another time at that same house, I put my shoes up against the fireplace while waiting for my sister to finish her lesson, and the plastic of my shoes melted all up on the glass.

Fast forward a little bit to fourth grade. This Redhead and I thought we were queens of the world, because we went in the morning to Mr. Allen's honor choir, and we were the only ones from South Elementary who would go all the way up to the middle school for Big Kids choir and then race back to hang our backpacks together in rainbow hall before elementary school began.

In middle school, we passed notes during class and went to Nerdfest (book club) together. We told each other all about our crushes and all our wild plans for the future. I still have those notes, and we still have those wild plans.

High school came. We drifted in and out of social circles, and there were some bumps in the road, but we always came back to being friends. We somehow always needed each other. We still sang together--the altos--every year in choir, and sometimes in echoing bathrooms when no one else was around. We went to EFY together and fell "in love" with boys--Scuba Steve, Brian P. Later we laid on her bedroom floor, turned off the lights, blasted music, and cried about boys and life in general.

The day my father passed away, she was there. She sat with me on the hill by the side of the high school when I couldn't really face the world. Maybe we talked a little, maybe we were silent. But she was there by my side.

Years went by, we graduated high school and moved on to different colleges. When I got married, she was there again and I couldn't have been happier.

When she got engaged to Rhett Rodgers, I was so happy for her. But could this man handle the wild redhead I'd known almost all my life? Was he the one for her?

And he is.

Creating the flowers that Kristalyn CS Williams Rodgers held on her wedding day meant so, so much to me. She is, and always will be, an amazing and wonderful friend. This is the part where I stop chattering and put in some pictures.

What was in the mix?

Cool water (lavender) roses, Skyline (yellow) roses, freesia, stock, statice, alstroemeria, buplerum (LOVE this one), pittosporum, hydrangea, and succulents. Adored her unique and tasty chocolate cake.

Forgive me for the phone and point-and-snap pictures, but I loved being part of this day.

Until next time!

Becca

 

The Mashup (Concept Boards)

When I'm figuring out all the schematics--the hopes, dreams, and visions--of a floral client, especially when we are doing long distance planning, sometimes I create a Mashup.

After we trade ideas and consider several factors (personality, theme, color palette), I piece together a Concept Board, like a quilt, to show what our brainstorming led to.

Simple as that! The Mashup. Here are some examples:

Send me your event or wedding colors, ideas, pictures, etc. and I would love to craft you a Mashup with floral suggestions.

Love,
Becca

Fresh New Start

Since so many exciting things are stirring up this spring, its time for me to finally share a blog for Rebecca Mansfield Floral Design.

The website, http://rebeccamansfield.wix.com/rmfloraldesign has been under construction for quite some time (due to my slow web skills) but is finally up and running!

When I was surveying the flowers for last weekend's wedding, I realized:

Flowers are like children to me. I check on them at night and buckle them into the car so they'll be safe. And most of all, I have separation anxiety when I let them go. Good thing they go into the best of hands. 

These were the first flowers I ever put together. My wedding day.

 

What's in the mix? 

Osiana roses, white scabiosa, white snapdragons, peach stock, 

green mums, gypsophilia, with a lace and pearl wrap. 

I am thrilled to finally have this blogging canvas to share some of my heart and soul in floral design!

See you again soon,

Becca