Fleur

Mollie Makes Magazine

Fleur Inc — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:41:10 +0000

One of my dearest friends, Jessie from Simply Jessie Photography and I work on very simple shoots from time to time. They’re my favorite kind. A real couple, simple styling and a few sweet kisses. Naturally I was elated when Jessie contacted me to share that a photo shoot we worked on together from last year was going to be featured in Mollie Makes Magazine! You might remember this adorable couple, Leanne & Gordon, from the Elizabeth Anne Designs feature inspired by heart shaped cookies, peonies, anemones and her fabulous red hair.

I was even more delighted when we discovered how absolutely darling the magazine is! Serious cuteness with wonderful tutorials (A cactus pincushion?!!) and inspiring couples. Making, doing, and loving! Some of my favorite verbs!

I don’t want to give away all the goodness, so here is a little shot of the first page.

And some additional Valentine inspiration, that didn’t make it into the print, but knew you’d enjoy anyway.

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What are you doing for Valentine’s Day? This weekend I’m pulling out my paint brushes and canvas for a little surprise. I’m glad that Davey rarely reads this blog, so he won’t have a clue of my plans. I’m excited for the Valentine shipments to arrive. Something sweet is definitely in the air.
xo

Indie Wed with Fleur & Greatest Expectations

Fleur Inc — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:04:00 +0000

A week ago we participated in Indie Wed, a really fun bridal show in Chicago. Fleur shared a booth with our dear friends Greatest Expectations, basing our look on a wintry theme. We were thinking snowy castles with crystals and lace. Blues, ivory, cream and grays with touches of a natural woodland brown. We stayed away from the rustic trend, and kept it warm with glow and sparkle. Our lovely friend Jaclyn Simpson took some wonderful photos for us!

Caleb and are are honestly quite a little camera shy, we think the booth behind us (also featuring Sugar Chic Designs and Ruby the Fox) is way better looking.

The neutral colors make us really so happy to be around. And we were very excited that so many attendees enjoyed the display, commenting on the cotton accents.

The overall look was a little bit magical and a little bit elegant.

Our bridal bouquet was wrapped with a maypole ribbon trimming.

A few bleached peacock feathers and lovely lace ribbon and delicate doilies were scattered among the collection of blooms and candles.

A crystal canopy draped across the doors that Davey and I picked up from The Rebuilding Exchange. We painted them and made them stand on their own, creating an intimate backdrop. We’ve really been into magical moments lately. Giraffes wearing bonnets, fancy tea parties with a fox and a loon, children’s books and mysterious mirrors.

It was a fun day, a long day, an inspiring day and an overall great day. We loved meeting so many couples, hanging out with our friends in the industry and just getting down with some creativity. Thank you to everyone who visited our Indie Wed booth!!!!

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These days we’re catching up on a lot of paper work (right.., it’s not all creativity over here, sadly), and starting to sharpen our pruners for valentine’s day. Reds and rubies, blush and fuchsia, chocolate and plum. Garden roses and sprays, tulips and ranunculus. We’ve ordered our favorite floral goodies and are anticipating the shipments arriving. Whether you’re looking to bring out your inner vampire with blood red roses and dark accents, or your soft and romantic side with ranunculus and gloriosa lilies in milk glass, it’s going to be pretty no matter what.

Winter inspired shoot

Fleur Inc — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:45:49 +0000

During December we were very lucky to create some flowers under the design of Katie from Jayne Weddings. It was a dreamy, almost sad vision. Simply Jessie caught the moments so beautifully. Today it was featured in Ruffled Blog!

Below is one of our very most favorite images! The gown was designed by Mignonette Bridal.

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Above, the beautiful and slightly dramatic paper design is by Ruby the Fox.

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Thank you so much to everyone for all their hard work on this afternoon! It turned out so beautiful!

xoxox!

Billy Ball Place-card holder

Fleur Inc — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:10:05 +0000

Indie Wed is this Saturday, and in the spirit of DIY, we thought this is a great opportunity to share a little project from this past Summer. Lily Red Studio, Soiree Wedding & Events and ourselves created a whimsical & adorable, billy ball place-card holder!

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You can read all the instructions & how-to at Elizabeth Anne Designs!

We’re SO excited for Indie Wed! It’s our first year we’re participating, and we’ll be on the first floor. We’re sharing a booth with Greatest Expectations! And you’ll also want to see our Inspired Creations Contest booth on the 2nd floor, where we teamed up with SQN Weddings & Events, Courtney Callahan Paper & Simply Jessie Photography (with special appearances by Femme du Coupe & Truffle Truffle)! Plus, you’ll see some bouquets and blooms throughout the space, at our friend’s spaces! Make sure you stop by & say hello to us!

Something blue

Fleur Inc — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:50:36 +0000

We *love* the color blue over here. All of us. We daydream about varying shades of turquoise, ocean, periwinkle and stormy blue. And we were SO excited to use our vintage, blue glass vase collection in this lovely September wedding! Thank you SO much to Veronica Hinojosa Photography for these gorgeous photos!!

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phone photos

Fleur Inc — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:09:48 +0000

We keep forgetting to bring the camera to the boutique and take photos. So it has been a lot of phone photos. Instagrams and all that. And we’ve been making so many pretty things, lately. And we’re remodeling. Each week something different is happening. It’s been fun listening to people stop in and say, “Something’s different…”. Just wait. We’re preparing for the decade celebration. It’s going to look like awesome town.

Here is an arrangement Caleb just designed.

And we can’t get enough of this mamma & baby.

We’ve been meeting with so many couples, planning 2012 and two, 2013 weddings. Talking & typing and creating isn’t so bad now that it has snowed & this is our view.

And we’ve been nibbling on sandwiches made with cheese from here.

We’re slowly restocking on gift items. Porcelain amazingness, glass piggies & mice, two of our favorite paper lines (one made in Logan Square) and jewelry. Holy shit, the jewelry. And we just started ordering our Valentine’s Day flowers. Some of our favorites.

XO Pictures

Fleur Inc — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:04 +0000

In 2011 I met a truly lovely couple. I liked them immediately. They have spunk and a great sense of humor. They’re sincere people, kind and motivated. They’re honest and hard working, and I immediately felt comfortable around them. Simply put, Tom and Jenny from XO Pictures are some of the most talented people I’ve met. I’ve actually re-written this post about 6 or 7 times, not quite finding the proper words to describe them or their art. They create films, but not just any kind. Tom sees something deeper than an interaction or moment in time. He films life and all the pieces around it to make the viewer understand something bigger than just a license of the every day. Here is one of two films Tom created about myself and Fleur. Click on the link below, and enjoy his rhythmic and beautiful interpretation of Fleur. And Tom, thank you, thank you, thank you. I have no idea how I can ever repay you for such a gift.

A film about Kelly Marie of Fleur, by Tom of XO Pictures

P.S. Part two is coming shortly. The second was a surprise that I had no idea about, and today it brought me to tears.

Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Ain’t got no sunshine

Fleur Inc — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:19:52 +0000

Today is the first snow of the season, and we all are welcoming it with wide arms and big smiles. It’s pretty today. It makes us want to drink champagne and eat marshmallows with chocolate. The roundabout across the street is covered in fluffy goodness, and it’s been a relaxing day enjoying the view while we work on proposals, updates and emails. And just to contrast the grey and white afternoon, we thought we would brighten up the mood a teeny bit (for those of you raising your fist to the falling snowflakes) with a beautiful wedding from this past summer. Enjoy these gorgeous photos taken at West Loop Studio by Jamie Davis of Greenhouse Loft!

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The West Loop Studio no longer exists as a wedding venue, but was closed for quite an exciting reason. The amazing people who owned/ran the space (Steve & Jamie) just opened the doors to The Greenhouse Loft! It’s a very unique venue, housed in a sustainable community, promoting eco-friendly weddings. And if that’s not enough to catch your attention, take a look at the space right HERE! And they’re willing to take the photos for you (info HERE!). We’re looking so forward to be working with them in the future. Congratulations!!!

Megan & Mike

Fleur Inc — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:51:56 +0000

This past October was one of my favorite weddings to date. Yes, I said it. I know I should be non-biased, but this wedding, the family, the vendors, the venue.., everything was just great. I was so thrilled to be a part of Megan & Mike’s day, AND I’m even more excited to have become friends with them as well! Megan is the talented, lead designer of Ruby the Fox. Custom paper goods and lovely design. You can see her work at Indie Wed, the end of this month!

Until then, enjoy these images of her wedding taken by Clary Photo. I’ve admired Clary’s work for quite a while, and was just thrilled to be able to finally work with her! Enjoy!!

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This wedding was also featured on Ruffled, and you can see even more images HERE!

Thank you again to everyone who participated in this gorgeous wedding, and congratulations once again to Megan & Mike!!

Do you know the soil that nurtures our blooms?

Fleur Inc — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:44:46 +0000

Are you familiar with the place where there is more sky than land?

We’re back home.

Although there was no snow, we did enjoy quite a bit on our escape up north. Train rides, old hotels, surprise appearances in supper clubs, lobster & steak. Too many sugar cookies, lots of toasts and hugs. I’m sitting here on the eve of New Year’s Eve, listening to Zoe Keating play the cello. Another year is over and many tonight are considering the past, writing resolutions and thinking about the future. I’m one of them.

I was happy for 2010 to end, and I entered 2011 just beginning to recover from the plague. Definitely on the way up and out of coughing fits and a very sore throat, but still it was a struggle to regain strength and heal. What a metaphor for the entire year. I had no idea at the time (frankly I’m quite glad I didn’t know at the time) that 2011 was going to bring a year of wonderful things. Amazing lessons, introductions, ideas and family.., all that came to us, demanding patience, physical labor, time and will power. Truly testing my heart and strength. I fell into fits and starts of trying to balance a little time to myself, while running a business filled with non-perishables and emotions. To go to the gym, to make time to read, to work 13 hour days, and to attempt to sleep solid nights. Such was 2011. The year I just hit the ground running.

The boutique is still closed until January 3rd, and I woke this morning feeling a little bit refreshed. In the kitchen, I chased the flavors of honey and clementine while sorting dried lavender and organizing the tea tin. I moved the enamel table to my studio, and the wooden one into the kitchen. It feels better, there is more space where it is needed, and the colors make more sense. The enamel table is so cold, some mornings I hated sitting at it, responding to emails and wishing I lived in California. There are a lot of goals I have for 2012, and this morning I realized that I’ve spend the last month preparing for them.

My personal list of goals are simple. I want to become a better musician and I want to go back to France. I want to cook more, grow my hair longer, become a better photographer and read more about the meaning of trees. I want to work on watercolors regularly and I definitely want to begin painting images of David Austin roses with oil paint. I want to start saving money for the home we buy. My goals for the shop are a little more complicated. They start with simple things, moving and twisting in the spectrum of time and patience.

I want to reorganize our design space.

I want to reorganize the portfolio and begin some excel sheets.

I want to build more relationships with our local farmers and I want more gifts in the boutique.

I want to redo the website, and I want to paint the boutique the color I dreamt the space to be some 6 years ago.

I want to (eventually) write a book, and I’m considering something else that I can’t tell you about, because a talented friend and I are still in the planning stages.

I want to travel more and I want to work on a few weddings in the hills (Do you know I travel for weddings now?). I want to start working on my business plan for a venue. I don’t want to, I am working on it. I’m certainly a dreamer, but I also know that I can and I will, when I set my mind to it.

I know (KNOW) 2012 is going to be a very good year. Staff is away right now, each are visiting their friends & families over the holidays and I miss them. Do you know the soil that nurtures our peonies and ranunculus? Our helleborus and nodding tulips and geranium? It is Caleb’s creative mind and amazing humor. It is Amy’s tenderness towards design and enthusiasm for all the blooms that arrive in the shop. It is all the girls & guys that come throughout the year, helping us create, moving vases and blowing out candles and relighting them once again.

Thank you. Thank you to everyone who has supported us for so many years and moments. Thank you for all your kind words, your joy and love for design, your appreciation for beauty and your patience as we run our little/big business. Thank you for another year of being given the opportunity to create, to enjoy, to be ourselves and to be a part of your lives in ways we can’t even imagine, but are ever so humbled by. May 2012 be bright and warm, filled with goodness, inspiration, and joy for the simple things in life.