35 years ago

Last Christmas Eve, it was my 35th wedding anniversary and this afternoon I went to take a look at my bouquet!

I've found a supplier of lovely paper flowers that we will be featuring in our revamped online shop. Looking at the images and reading how long the "flowers" will last, prompted me to have a look to see how my "flowers" were getting on. I had a posy of dried flowers, grasses and little extra interesting bits. There's a tiny basket, a little dove on its nest and a tiny posy replicating my larger one. Originally, the posy was a sage green and cream but it's "aged" to look quite pretty.

These are some of the paper flowers that I've been looking at today.

 and finally, a pretty flower crown.

Lots more new bits to come over the course of the next few weeks as we ready the website shop to launch - AND there's also a new brand, Maple Leaf Tablescapes, coming with ideas and products for wedding and home tables.

Sunshine and flowers

The sun is shining on the UK like it's not done for a VERY long time! It's glorious - too glorious to be inside, that's for sure.

So let's stay outside with some flowers. Do you know the meanings of flowers? Here's a list of some.

Amaranthus: Constancy and fidelity

Amaryllis: Pride, pastoral beauty

Anemone: Abandonment, forsakenness, sincerity, fragility

 Chrysanthemum: Happiness and long life

 Chrysanthemum (White): Truth

 Chrysanthemum (Yellow): Secret admirer

Chrysanthemum (Red): Love

 Daffodil (a.k.a. Narcissus): Respect, good fortune, chivalry, unrequited love

 Daisy: Innocence, loyal love, purity

Forget-Me-Not: Faithful love and memory, true love

 Iris: Faith and wisdom, inspiration

 Ivy: Fidelity, wedded love, affection

Lilac: First love

 Lily: Purity and sweetness

 Lily of the Valley: Renewed happiness and humility

 Orchid: Love and beauty

Peony: Happiness and prosperity

 Rose (Red): Love and desire

 Rose (White): Purity and innocence

 Sweet Pea: Departure

 Tulip: True love

 Violet: Modesty

 Zinnia: Thoughts of friends, thoughts of absent friends

Interestingly, flower meanings from North America and the UK aren't always the same. This list is from North America. Will do a UK list for comparison.