Snap! and Chat with Joyce at Stoneblossom Florals

This is the first of our new snap! and chat series, where we get to know all of the fabulous people that we work with all year... florists, caterers, dj's, coordinators etc. etc.

We thought it would be fun to bring you a little "inside information" on some of the best in the biz! No surprise that we start our series with the lovely and talented Joyce Holland of Stoneblossom Florals.

We are long time admirers of Joyce, not only is she an amazing artist- but she is also kicks butt as a business owner. We have often considered WWJD (what would Joyce do?) when making decisions for our own business.

Let's go in and see what she's up to...

Here's the inside of Joyce's meeting space, which she recently renovated. It's very cozy and appealing. Did you know that before Joyce started her floral business she worked in Interior Design? She attributes this background to the way she approaches an event now... she designs "from the ground up," meaning she visualizes the event as a whole... linens, lighting, place settings etc... before she designs the flowers.

Fun fact about me (Mariah)... I went to school for journalism. Here I am as a hard hitting reporter!

Joyce's favorite part about her job? ... her clients! I asked her what inspires her most and she said... "The essence of the person in front of me! I try to really get to know that person, and understand what they like and don't like. On the production floor we take that inspiration and run with it!"

The most satisfying thing about her job? "I do love the initial consultation, because I love to get to know people... but my favorite moments are on the 'day of' when I deliver the bouquet or they see their venue decorated for the first time and I know they really love it. "

What are a florists favorite flowers you might wonder...

"The sweetest flowers are in the spring, I love Peonies, Renunculas, and Lilly of the Valley. I really love the sweet, petite flowers... and also the flowering branches.

My other favorite time of year is the fall. The flowers of that season are rustic and hardy. I love vines, berries and the muted colors in oranges and golds."

Recently, Joyce's amazing work is featured in a new hardcover coffee table book by Sylvia Weinstock called, Amazing Cakes. The photo on the right is from her highlighted event at Rosecliff Mansion in Newport.

Joyce's familiar brand... and lovely letterpress business card. See more of her fabulous work by clicking here: Stoneblossom

Stay tuned next week for another installment of Snap! and chat....

Joyce, thanks for your time and candid remarks! We look forward to seeing you this summer on the circuit!

Have a Happy Holiday!

Puppy information

Just a puppy update. I have had a few inquiries about Indy's breeder and here's her contact information if anyone is interested in a Siberian Husky in the future.

The breeder is Alice Watt and her website is www.Kossok.com. You can view all her dogs here. Alice is fantastic and has beautiful Huskies. We visited her kennel/home several times and she keeps the place very clean and all the dogs look very happy and healthy. She competes regularly and most of her dogs are champions. She has a few puppies remaining from the same litter as the one Indy was in. We could not be happier with Indy! She is wonderful! Siberian Huskies are beautiful dogs, but a word of caution to anyone interested. Though they are beautiful, they require a household who will walk/run them regularly as they have tons of energy. Huskies are also VERY smart... almost too smart. That said, they can have strong personalities and require either an experienced dog owner or someone who is willing to invest a large sum of their time training their husky pup early on. I am home all day everyday, so it has worked out perfectly for Matt, Indy, and I. She is around people all day, so she doesn't get bored. A bored husky can be a destructive and disobedient husky. With tons of energy, they need an outlet to release this energy. You must give them chew toys, but expect some of your belongings to become chew toys when you are not watching them. Because huskies are so pretty, you have to be careful with your husky as they are often stolen. Seriously! People love their look and theft is common. When I was growing up with a husky, someone attempted to steal him by dragging him into a car on the side of the road. He refused... thankfully!

Some of the benefits of owning a husky: No "doggie" odor. Indy never smells, even when wet (you all know what a typical wet dog smells like). Huskies don't shed much during most of the year if you regularly groom them BUT they shed a ton about twice a year when they blow out their undercoats (you only need to bathe a husky a handful of times a year as they are fastidiously clean). Huskies are very clever and hilarious and you will always have fun with them. Huskies are also great with everyone, even kids and babies if you socialize them well early on... they are a happy breed, but do not make good guard dogs as they love everyone. Indy is a sponge and super quick to learn. The one thing is that huskies get bored easily if not challenged, and will sometimes choose when they want to perform tricks.

Overall, we are 100% satisfied with Indy and her progress. She is a total goof and so much fun to play with. I hope this post is helpful! Please email me at info@twigsandhoney.com if you would like more information on this fabulous breed of dog.

More Deluxe Albums!

We just got a few more albums in today and wanted to share with you. These are our deluxe silk covered albums which come with a presentation box in the same fabric and an accent ribbon. They are really beautiful! So if you are looking for something special, this is the ticket...

All of our albums have 'flush mount' pages which means that the photos are all printed on one page and then that print (on real photo paper) is mounted flush to all the edges.

The flush mounted album should not be confused with a 'coffe table book'. A coffee table book is printed on different kinds of paper, but not actual photo paper. The pages are available in different kinds of thincknesses but most often are like a really thick card stock. There are always new albums coming out so this description probably has a lot of variables nowadays.

We have also had a lot of canvas prints coming in, it's so fun to open the boxes when these arrive.
I want to have every photo on canvas, they just look so cool! This one is for Leah and Matt, I loved that they picked a more artictic photo for their wall. It's very moody.

Winter blizzard :: Brrrr...

I am sure many of you have heard of the crazy Oregon weather, but it has really hit Salem, OR hard as of late. Yesterday, there was about 6 inches of snow on the ground and then it rained, and then it froze to make lovely ice. Yay! Not really. In the evening yesterday, Matt and I were bundled on the sofa and saw a huge explosion outside, only meters from our house. The transformer right outside our house exploded! Seriously! I saw the dark sky light up and felt a huge jolt in my chest. PLUS, it sounded like a rifle being shot off next to my ear. Craziness. I called the electricity company and apparently this is happening all over Salem. The transformers cannot handle the ice and they are just spontaneously exploding. As of a minute ago, over 50,000 people are without electricity. We are still without power. Yesterday night, we lit tons of candles and hunkered down for the night. This morning, Matt took off for work and I bundled up. It is FREEZING in our house, literally!! I packed up my laptop, camera and phone and hiked to the nearest coffee house. It was like climbing Everest. A fresh new blanket of about 6 inches of snow came down early this morning and it wasn't just an easy walk in the snow. When your feet land on the ground, it first cuts through the snow, then hits a hard uneven layer of ice. No fun. Even if I wanted to drive anywhere (dangerous), I couldn't get into my frozen solid car! Here are some photo highlights.

Our snowed in home. Does it look cold? It is that cold inside!

My ice cube Volvo.

That would be my car's door handle, frozen solid. Right about now, I'm wishing I took out my umbrella previously!

My feet... buried.

Desolate streets.

"Mommy pleeeeease... let me play in the snow!" Here are some shots of Indy in doggie heaven. Oh, this was last week, before the lovely powder snow turned to crunchy ice... back when it was still fun.

Indy loved looking at her own paw prints in the snow.

Playing in the snow is tiring!

Chilly nose!

Pouncing!

Regal pup.

Wintery Weekend

Well, I don't know how all of you feel- but I am all set with winter & with snow. I'll take open windows and warm summer breezes any day, thank you very much. My kids on the other hand cannot get enough of it. They played outside all day, all weekend- in fact, I had to call them in well after dark on Saturday. They were "snow boarding" (standing on their sleds) in our neighbors yard, the only guy with a hill in the whole neighborhood... he was nice enough to turn on his outside lights though so the kids didn't crash into the trees.

Here's Vianne and Don - we went to a cool steep hill in Pawtucket where all the kids hang out to sled. Don grew up nearby, so he went here when he was little too.

They're off!

Jacques likes to wipe out and roll down the hill, that's his signature move.

I am not sure if they mean don't sled on this hill, or just don't sled into the pole (if that's the case, good thing they put this sign up because I definitely wouldn't have thought of that)- either way it's a funny photo.

Happy New Year! :: Winter celebration hair piece in the shop right now!

Perfect for a New Year's Eve party, this lovely little number is also great for weddings or everyday. In my Etsy shop today. Enjoy!

Psst! :: New piece to be listed today

In the holiday spirit, I whipped up a lovely piece that I'll post about later today (it's late right now!) and I'll list sometime in the early afternoon in my Etsy shop. It is winter-inspired and a perfect topper for New Year's (hint, hint).

Also, just wanted to say thank you to all the wonderful comments on the previous post on bouquets. The sweater I am wearing was from Anthropologie and the brand was Guinevere. I love that cardigan and originally purchased it for our engagement photos in 2007. The black tank is also from Anthropologie (summer 08)... and the skirt, Target! Mix and match high and low, right? Love it! I have such an addiction to Anthropologie. I need help. I try to counteract this addiction by balancing their pieces with good ole Target and eBay finds. Happy shopping!

Blast from the past... Spring of 2007
Photo credits: Paul Rich Studio

Stella's Super Cute Proposal...

Stella and Shane met with Melissa a few weeks ago about their wedding and much to our happiness, decided to come aboard the Snap! ship. I got an email this morning from Stella complete with photos that brightened my whole day! She said...

"So our story is a little unconventional... Shane & I booked our venue before I had a proposal because I had my heart set on Harkness after we saw it in person, and I've always wanted a spring wedding. I've known since October that "the ring" was coming and even this past week I knew it was coming any day, but I had no idea it would be today! Shane showed up at my classroom before the end of the day and my paraprofessional (I teach kindergarten) said to the kids...

"This is Miss Lee's very special friend and he has a very important question to ask Miss Lee, so put on your best listening ears!" (here's where mariah gets goosebumps!)

Then Shane got on one knee! I was completely speechlesss and in tears! I knew it was coming but I didn't know he would show up at school!

Here is Stella and Shane and her class- how adorable is this? Big kudos for Shane- kids can be tough...they could have booed him off the mats! After all, I am sure one or two of these boys must have a crush on Stella.

Here's Stella and Shane later that evening in the snow- how festive!

And of course, you have to have this shot!


Congratulations on your "official" engagement guys! I think it's a hoot you booked us first!
Do any of our other brides have some fun engagement stories and photos to share? Send them my way, you could be the next to be blogged!

Snap! on the Stands...

The newsstands that is.... If you don't already have a copy, RUSH right out and get one! The 2009 edition of Southern New England Weddings AND Newport Weddings are both out now. Our ad in SNEW features a terrific photo that the lovely and talented Melissa took at Isabella and Dan's wedding this past July. Nice job Melissa!

In addition to our ad in SNEW we also have a great feature from Nell and Patrick's wedding in July. Trish photographed this event.

Carrie and James' Rosecliff wedding was featured in Newport Weddings, yours truly and Melissa were the photographers...

and, Heidi and Otto's Belcourt Castle wedding also had a feature! Trish photographed them last March.

Here I am relaxing at home and reading all about all the fabulous weddings of 2008.


You know, people say my kids look just like me- but I really don't see the resemblance...