Arjan Flowers & Herbs, our bbrooks member in Piedmont, CA  created romantic, rustic florals for Maria & Shauna’s wedding at Vine Hill House in Sebastopol, CA.

The couple was ecstatic that Mina of Arjan interpreted their vision by incorporating elements that were native to the area, such as berries, apples, and grasses, with gorgeous garden roses and field flowers.

To see more, visit stylemepretty.com.

Matthew Robbins Design unofficially began as “Artfool,” in 1995 when Matthew Robbins and Jack Myers were exhibiting artwork together in San Francisco and needed a showcase website for their collective talents. Partners for 18 years, they began collaborating on events with Matthew covering the event and floral design while Jack handled the various graphic needs of the clients.  Artfool, in New York City,  is a long-time bbrooks member floral studio.

Matthew shares his secrets for creating pretty pastel bridal flowers in the Spring 2013 issue of Flower Magazine.

Thank you to bbrooks member Rose Red & Lavender in Brooklyn, NY!!!

No worries!  We will not forget Mamma!

Long-time bbrooks member Robertson’s Flowers, in Wyndmoor, PA,  has a gift item which gives back to the community, as well.

Through their “Generosity Blossoms Program”, 20% of all sales of this exclusive arrangement are donated to Philabundance in support of their fight to eliminate hunger in the Delaware Valley. Comprised of vibrant whites and classy creams with complementing herbs and fruits is not only stunning but also beneficial to those in need.

Here at bbrooks fine flowers, we also believe in giving back.   And, that is why we have partnered with sites like buy2give, buy2change, socialvest, and shoppinggivesback.  These sites  donate a portion of the  customer’s purchase to a  charity which the customer can choose.

This year, Mother will love you even more for thinking of others too!

bbrooks member Cebolla Fine Flowers in Dallas, TX  offered gorgeous plant baskets for Valentine’s Day!

Featured at left are pink cyclamen and pink azalea plants accompanied by mixed green plants in a rustically elegant twig container.

A wonderful idea for Mother’s Day too!

Administrative Professionals’ Day was originally organized in 1952 as “National Secretaries Day” by the National Secretaries Association (also known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals). It was established as an effort to recognize secretaries for their contributions in the workplace.

It is an unofficial secular holiday observed on the last Wednesday of April. It is celebrated as part of a larger Administrative Professionals Week, which takes place during the last full week of April. In 1998, the name of the holiday was changed from Secretaries’ Day to Administrative Professionals’ day to better represent the full range of clerical positions.

Over the years, Administrative Professionals Week has become one of the largest workplace observances. The event is celebrated worldwide, bringing together millions of people for community events, social gatherings, and individual corporate activities recognizing support staff with gifts of appreciation. In the United States, the day is often celebrated by giving one’s assistant such gifts as flowers, candy, trinkets, lunch at a restaurant, or time off.

Arrangement above is Snowball Viburnum with Forsythia branches  by bbrooks member Flowers Claire Marie in San Francisco.

When Caroline Scheufele moved into an 18th-century villa in the rustic village of Prangins in Switzerland, she was immediately seduced by Lake Geneva, the body of water that is literally at the foot of her garden. “Living next to the lake is a magical experience — the sky lights up the garden and we never see the same shades of green in the trees,” says Scheufele, co-president and artistic director of Chopard, the 153-year-old Swiss firm owned by her family and renowned for its diamond-encrusted watches and luxury jewels dripping with precious and semi-precious stones.

While Scheufele doesn’t design her collections al fresco, she has found much inspiration within the 1,200 oak trees she planted to border her land. To celebrate Chopard’s 150th anniversary, she created a glittering menagerie of jewelry.  The collection includes dazzling flowers, of course!

To read more, see Veranda magazine, March-April 2013 issue.

It’s all about glamour at Claridge’s, and, as it’s a landmark hotel, the flowers have to reflect that unique status, says owner of McQueens, Kally Ellis.

Ellis has been the florist for London’s fashion set for more than a decade.  Her clients include LVMH, Roland Mouret, Christian Louboutin and Alexander McQueen.  The last name is particularly apt since the florist derives its name from its first location on Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch, east London, an old flower shop once owned by the late designer’s aunt.

Ellis’s signature same-flower displays have become a tradmark of any event that is cool enough to know her, and also of Vanity Fair magazine parties.  What sets her apart is that her eye is driven by art rather than convention.  To this day, she doesn’t employ traditionally trained flower arrangers, peferring artistic people with an “eye”.

As seen in Maybourne magazine, Spring 2013

The supply of helium, an inert element with the lowest boiling point of any known substance, has now become so erratic that scientists are calling for a ban on all but the most essential uses – which could mean no more helium-filled party balloons. “The scarcity of helium is a really serious issue. I can imagine that in 50 years’ time our children will be saying ‘I can’t believe they used such a precious material to fill balloons,’” said Peter Wothers of Cambridge University.

“There is a finite supply of this lighter-than-air gas on Earth so if we keep using it for non-essential things like party balloons, where we’re just letting it float off into space, we could be in for some serious problems in around 30 to 50 years’ time,” Dr Wothers said.

The shortage has mainly affected research centres studying the brain using magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanners, which are similar to the MRI machines used in hospitals but need to be topped up regularly with liquid helium (helium super-cooled to minus 269C, just four degrees above the lowest possible temperature, absolute zero).

We at bbrooks take the information found in this January 1013 article from The Independent/UK very seriously.  As of March 2013, we will no longer be fulfilling requests for balloons.

Long-time bbrooks member Cebolla Fine Flowers in Dallas, TX showcases whimsical, yet tasteful, Easter arrangements for this season.

Shown at left is “Easter Nest“, featuring pale peach roses, yellow ranunculus, white hyacinth, and viburnum in a clear glass vase with twig collar and sweetly adorned with miniature bird’s eggs.