be bop

We've been be-bopping all over the place the past week and haven't had a chance to share our latest! Last weekend, we put on an amazing wedding and reception at Smith Hall. You may have seen our pictures on facebook. This week has been jam packed with meetings for new projects and planning florals for various UA-related events this weekend (rush, A-Day, meetings, graduation party planning) and more engagement showers (and future weddings...!).

We also had a major breakthrough in the shop: baby's breath. Call us flower snobs, but we cringed at thought of having it in our shop. We needed it for the wedding last weekend to make a sweet halo for the flower girl. It turned out beautifully and we decided to let down our guards (and elitist flower-designing values) and try it in an arrangement or two. We're not ashamed to say that a chic container filled with a big baby's breath bouquet is just lovely.

image via Real Simple.

sunny

A polka-dot relief vase filled with moss, sunflowers and bright roses could cheer up even the gloomiest day.

orchids and lilies

Not your typical orchids and lilies! Orange Mokara and Mini Dark Pink Callas made it through the weekend's five events and are happily brightening our office.
In other news, we've been working on a charming little DIY project this evening for a ladies garden club presentation tomorrow. Can't wait to share it on the blog!

tip from the MOB

Last night, the MOB (a.k.a. Mother of the Bride) gave us a little tip we'd never heard before. To clean all of our favorite funky-shaped glass containers, pour in a little rice, hot water and bleach then swirl to clean. Works like a charm!

pink ice protea

We received some awesome Pink Ice protea today. It's not the first bloom that pops in mind for wedding florals, but we'll be using them for a gorgeous arrangement at the reception this weekend. Given their extra long life span, we'll try to scoop them back up for the shop after the party. Aren't they cool?!

february flowers

Our flowers for Valentines Day and the weekend events have been rolling in all morning. The workroom (pictured) looks like Spring has sprung and with the sun shining, the MCD team has a little pep in our step.

If you haven't placed your vday order, call us ASAP! 205 464 0488

weekend showers

Flamingo pink and Robin's Egg blue were our inspiration for the celebration of a mom-to-be and her growing nest. Check out the buffet table, above - who can resist the flamingos?

Many thanks to Mary Keeley McAllister for making our dreams of a photo booth come true.

pinky

Pantone announced the color for 2011, and we couldn't be more tickled...especially on a cold, rainy, January day. Pantone 18-2120 Honeysuckle pink is the hue of the year. We've already seen it popping up among tastemakers. From high fashion to interiors, we love a punchy pink pop.

The experts at Pantone explain, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.” Speaking of summer, we're counting down the days until the solstice, and it's exactly 21 weeks until June 21st. Coincidence? We think not!

tour de noel

The Arts 'n Autism Home for the Holidays home tour is tomorrow! Here's a snap shot of Matt's trunk this morning...we're polishing off the odds and ends of our decorating adventures. We anticipate droves of folks to come out tomorrow - it's an event not to be missed!

sarah bernhardt

Just about every lovely lady we know adores peonies (the Sarah Bernhardt variety is pictured above). We have a grand order arriving in early December to send along to a few lucky folks who have been given a Flower of the Month membership as a Holiday gift (more on that soon - for immediate details, feel free to call the shop at 205 464 0488). We also have a handful of special customers who have reserved a few stems. Let us know if you would like to get in on the action...these beauties only come around every once and awhile!

florida friday

A snapshot from last Friday. Matt Clinton Designs intern Karrie fearlessly guides two grand arrangements to the Sky Boxes before the Florida game. Gorgeous red roses, white dendrobium orchids and palms...we added towering red ginger to the arrangements on site. It's a feat to get the large-scale arrangements up to the boxes, but they make quite an impression on football fans. If you've got a Sky Box or a tail gate that needs a fresh edge for homecoming, feel free to give us a call!

think pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Matt Clinton Designs is offering a special on pink roses and pink rose arrangements in honor of the cause (also in honor, Matt wore a pink shirt to work today!). Send a pink "happy" to someone you know and we'll take 10% off.

A UA sorority kicked off their Think Pink campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness with a bbq on Friday. One of the two fabulous arrangements we did for the event is pictured above. The pink rose we used is called Topaz - they were some of the grandest hot pink roses we've seen in a long time!

fall flowers

Yesterday's autumnal equinox marked the first official day of Fall! We're using a beautiful fall palette for Matt Clinton Designs' Friday deliveries (one arrangement pictured above). The colors were inspired by changing leaves...just a few more weeks until Tuscaloosa's trees start turning. Check out our facebook album featuring a Fall cocktail party where we used branches and foliage from the home owner's yard. Just gorgeous!

workin' for the weekend

Home game weekends are a reminder of how lucky we are to be in business in Tuscaloosa. If the traffic on campus doesn't deter our friends and clients from coming to the shop on a Thursday or Friday before the Tide plays in Bryant Denny, they're sure to find us working on floral arrangements bound for private parties, UA events, fraternity and sorority houses, Sky Boxes and, last but not least, tailgating tents on the Quad.

We're in our second season working with the stellar team at Game Day Tents to bring their clients a fresh approach to top-notch tailgating. Each home game we get an early start to deliver flowers to the tents. And, although we're night owls over here at Matt Clinton Designs, there is nothing like the energy on a Saturday morning during football season to get us revved up for Fall. Roll Tide!

rushed week

This week is one of the busiest weeks of the year at Matt Clinton Designs: Sorority Rush. On top of orchestrating parties for a few houses throughout the week and preparing for Bid Day flower deliveries (and a wedding this weekend), we have boxes of fun new merchandise trickling in from market.

One of our new favorite additions to the store is the NEST candle line (fan them on FB). From Moss and Mint to Moroccan Amber, the fragrances are fabulously fresh and a much welcomed addition to the shop. NEST is also launching a diffuser line this fall and we'll have them in stock in about a month. Diffusers are great for dorm rooms (no candles allowed!) - almost as great as a Trina Turk clad dorm room.

While we're on the subject of Rush and dorm rooms, we must plug our Bid Day flower delivery. Orders are pouring in. If you haven't called us yet, pick up the phone ASAP!

seedy fashion

Matt Clinton Designs is always on the look out for inspiring floral designs and our most recent obsession hails from the most fashionable city in the world. Paris celebrated nature's finest designs last week when John Galliano debuted Christian Dior's floral-inspired line during the Haute Couture fashion shows. His elegant, thoughtful, drop-dead gorgeous creations gave a whole new meaning to floral design. In addition to watching flowers day and night, through every stage of bloom, Galliano also studied up on Irving Penn's and Nick Knight's photography. Couture is all in the hand-sewn details and we couldn't be more impressed with the fabric to petal transformation. And the shoes!!!

We pulled the image from Style.com – check out a fab article and the rest of the show here.

Beautiful clothing aside, we're wondering what the French fashion house did with the gigantic Parrot Tulips used as runway décor after the show...

bright brides

Weddings may be the most stressful of all the events we do, but hands down, they are our favorite. A garden-inspired wedding ceremony and reception we recently designed at North River Yacht Club had several extraordinary homemade touches added by the bride and her family. Pictured above is her creative spin on the traditional bride's bouquet. Heirloom and vintage pins on delicate lace were a nice way to accent elements important to the theme of the wedding. The altar and buffet florals we designed were inspired by the lush colors – rich purples, creamy whites and all shades of garden green – in the fabric the family brought in for the table linens. Take a peek at more images from the wedding from photographer Kelly Cummings of Spindle Photography.

without a hitch: stitch witchery

After A long jaunt on the coast for a wedding and photo shoot, were back in the studio. There's much to share about our adventures in destination wedding world, but for now, we wanted to take a break from plugging our floral designs and give a little DIY lesson on how to make your own table runners.

We used these for a Bridesmaid Luncheon at Cosmo's restaurant in Orange Beach, AL. Check out an this article on the establishment from Tuscaloosa Mag. We came across the fabric at Old Time Pottery (the infamous craft/home accessory store on steroids – it can be a little overwhelming, but you never leave without a good find). You'll need about four yards of fabric, Stitch Witchery, an iron and a pair of scissors.

Start by cutting the length of fabric in half to give yourself two two-yard pieces. Then, cut the width of each piece of fabric in half. Following the directions on the Stitch Witchery package, create a two inch seam along the underside of the fabric edge and fuse it together by ironing over a length of fabric tape in the fold of the seam. Repeat along the two long lengths and one short width of the fabric. Along the other short width, create an even-angled point. To do this, fold the corners of the width down over the back of the fabric to meet each other. Seal the seam with Stitch Witchery. Voila!

Props to the Bride for this lovely image.

magnolia

Pardon the iPhone image, but we had to share this shot of a freshly harvested magnolia. They are about to burst into bloom across Alabama, so keep your eyes peeled and your snips ready!

and here's to you, mommie dearest

We're prepping flowers for mothers and graduates this weekend, and thought it would only be appropriate to pay tribute to one of the greatest movies ever made, The Graduate (although paying tribute to Mommie Dearest was a close second). We'd prefer to wake up in Mrs. Robinson's Hollywood Regency style house from the 1967 classic. The bold black and white stripe, animal prints, futuristic mod furnishings and and a killer bar scream timeless glamor. And the SCUBA suit!

As for this weekend's flowers, we received several gorgeous rose varieties, pure white hydrangea, fabulous Casablanca lilies and rich greenery to create beautiful, glamorous arrangements for the dearest mothers and eager graduates we are honoring this weekend. (It's not too late to get an order in for delivery!) Which leads to us to wonder...would you rather be sending Mother's Day flowers to Mrs. Robinson or Joan Crawford?