Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Celebrity weddings, and special events are gorgeous, over-the-top, and create dreams of grandeur for those who aspire to have a celebrity-esque event. However, celebrity events come with a celebrity price tag. Thankfully there are ways to create the look of a celebrity occasion on a less than celebrity budget.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend – Centerpieces dripping with Swarovski crystals are exquisitely elegant but does anyone ever check for the Swarovski label? If you answered no, then you are in luck. Décor creations can be draped with glass crystals at a fraction of the price of those famed Swarovski glittering pieces of wonder. With the right placement of glass crystals accompanied by the right room lighting, even the Material Girl herself won’t be able to tell the difference.

Choose your flowers wisely – Choosing flowers that are out of season or on the pricey end can dramatically increase your budget. Instead, check with your local florist to see what blooms are in season. Instead of Peonies, which can be quite pricey, choose a garden rose which will have the same full look as a Peony at a fraction of the price. Try using hydrangea where you can. This stunning bloom can cover a large area so you won’t have to use as many.

Making it different can make the difference – Instead of having centerpieces that are all statuesque and towering in their beauty, create some contrast in the room. Typically the taller the centerpiece the more expensive it will be, so have a select few tables feature these pricey beauties while other tables feature low arrangements showcasing similar floral arrangements. This will create a beautiful density to the room that any celebrity would be proud of.

Be green and reuse – If you are planning a wedding, use some of your ceremony arrangements as table centerpieces. No one will notice the reuse of the arrangement and just think of the money you can save. For example, a beautiful arrangement used as an altar piece can be reused as a topper to a tall vase or as a spray on a buffet table.

Whatever your budget may be, make sure and explore your options. The look of a celebrity event can easily be created on a budget, you just have to be creative. Your team at Embark Floral is ready with creative ideas to make sure that your event fits both your budget and your style.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Unlike a nice dinner or a special moment, preserving a memory is as easy as drying your flowers and pressing that timeless rose for posterity.

Drying and pressing flowers creates another opportunity for enjoyment in decorative crafts, precious gifts and tasteful decorations.

The process for drying flowers usually takes a couple of weeks, provided that conditions are at their best. Hanging flowers upside down in a warm, dark and dry environment will prevent the blooms from rotting while the place void of light will retain the colors.

Before inverting your flowers, remove extraneous leaves and put the blooms in small bunches held together by rubber bands, string or yarn.

The flowers should start to feel dry to the touch after two or three days. Check on them using the same time interval.

If you’re lucky enough to have a garden full of blooms, when you pick them makes a difference when the goal is to have dried flowers. Pick them first thing in the morning when the dew is gone. Also, if picked just previous to fully blooming, some flowers will open more while simultaneously drying.

A dark, sealed container makes for a good repository for the dried flowers until they’re ready to use.

Pressing flowers is another easy process to preserve and further utilize nature’s beauty and bounty.

Start by placing flowers on top of a layer of cardboard, newspaper and tissue paper. Be sure none of the flowers are touching or hang out of the tissue paper.

Lay pieces of tissue, newspaper and cardboard on top of the flowers until all the blossoms are under wraps. Top off the stack with a telephone book, brick or stone.

Your flowers should be ready in two to four weeks.

The summer days will be sweeter knowing that you’ve turned beautiful flowers into a lasting memory.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Long held as a symbol of strength and endurance, the oak seems a worthy object to compare to our fathers.

In advance of Father’s Day, the two share qualities admired by many.

Nations have chosen oaks to symbolize their countries for their longevity. Oak branches adorn the coat of arms for Estonia while the oak is the national tree for the United States, Bulgaria, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Serbia.

Oak leaves are important symbols in the armed forces, as any officer will tell you. A major or lieutenant commander earns a gold oak leaf while a lieutenant colonel or commander gets a silver oak leaf. Also, oak leaves, acorns and sprigs comprise different arrangements for each branch of the service.

The oak is an important tree, providing housing, food, and protection for birds and animals. Many different species of oak trees can be found all over.

Just like the oak, fathers also provide housing, food and protection, not for birds and animals but for their children and spouses.

For many men, the strength and longevity of the oak is something to which they aspire. Just as oaks need to be strong and majestic, fathers -- along with wives – need to withstand the storms of life and thrive and grow for the sake of the family.

Like acorns under an oaks canopy, a father must watch as its vulnerable offspring learn to put down roots and thrive on their own.

In his epic work Self Reliance, writer Ralph Waldo Emerson artfully captured the comparison between a father and an oak and subsequently, a parent and a child.

“Is the acorn better than the oak which is its fullness and completion?,” Emerson wrote. “Is the parent better than the child into whom he has cast his ripened being?”

For those who understand the strength and longevity of a father, an oak stands as a symbol familiar and fully alive, no matter what the age of the child.

Honor your father with a floral arrangement from Embark Floral that can be shipped anywhere in the world. Call us at 713-468-2440 or go to www.embarkfloral.com

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Initially held as a remembrance for fallen Union soldiers, Memorial Day has since been embraced by a nation to honor all Americans making the ultimate sacrifice.

In Waterloo, N.Y., a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff.

Due to bad feelings leftover from the Civil War, many Southern states initially refused to observe the day, which was first known as Decoration Day.

The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in 1866 was approximately 5,000 people. Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition kept at many national cemeteries.

Columbus, Miss., held its own observance in 1866. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves of Union soldiers, women who came to honor Confederate dead placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.

The holiday was first referred to as Memorial Day in 1882 but became more common until after World War II. The United States government named it Memorial Day in 1967 and made it a federal holiday in 1971.

Families and friends of fallen service members take part in a remembrance scheduled for 3 p.m. locally. The American flag usually flies at half-staff from dawn until noon.

Due to John McCrae’s immortal poem, Flanders Fields, the poppy endures as a tribute to those who have given their lives for freedom. The custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.

This Memorial Day, honor the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country with flowers of gratitude. You can show your appreciation with patriotic bouquets of red, white and blue flowers.

Call Embark Floral to send flowers anywhere through Teleflora at 713-468-2440 or at www.embarkfloral.com.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Mom’s been there for you on every birthday and every big milestone in your life.

For all the messes that she’s cleaned up, mom deserves more than just hugs and a brunch that dad pays for. Think about what she really enjoys and come up with an appropriate gift.

Since 1914, Mother’s Day has been recognized in the United States. Anna Jarvis started calling Mother’s Day the second Sunday in May beginning in 1907 to honor her mother, who had died two years earlier. President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional resolution establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

According to her obituary in the New York Times, after this country accepted her idea, the West Virginia native turned her efforts to other lands, and at one time it was estimated that 43 foreign countries observed the day.

Her successful campaign for Mother’s Day paved the way for jewelry, candy and flowers to be given to mothers everywhere.

Still, there are many other opportunities to make history with mom.

For a career-oriented mom, dad and kids can help out by doing the small things like cooking her homemade dinner or doing all the things that she’s told you to do but never have done.

A mom with a green thumb would probably appreciate a new set of gloves, even though she might say she can get another year out of that old pair.

Send love anywhere with Teleflora and Embark Floral. Please call us at 713-462-3261 or order online at EmbarkFloral.com. We ship anywhere!