Picture Purge...

SO MANY PICTURES! Sorry for the long break between posts. I visited good old Idaho last weekend and it kinda threw me off, but I am back to work and normal life so I thought I should update.

The first five pictures are actually from over a month ago when I lost the charger to my camera. Now that I have the chager and can download pictures I thought I should post these, more for my memory and documentation than anything else but none the less here they are.

This is what they call a purse. Just a small simple pave arrangement in a purse shaped vase.
Here is one referred to as a ginger jar. Most of the things mad ein retail have what they call a reciepe basically telling you the flowers to use and generally what the arrangement should look like. It was a great learning exercise but it didn't allow very much creativity.
Just a simple $65 arrangement for practice :)

The two pics above are "villa entries". They are the arrangements that greet the guests that stay in the most expensive rooms in the Bellagio....the villas. They are made in the ugly black containers you see and placed in beautiful vases in the entry of each villa the morning the guest arrives. After only a week or two at the Bellagio they challenged me with one of these and after I got over the fear of its size it was fun.

Now back to present. At the Mirage with Kim again I got to design a great deal these past two weeks. This is one I did for the villas at the mirage. Kim named in the Cyclone :)
The vase totally makes this arrangement. Isn't it cool?

Oh George! This is one of my favorite things to do. We have to cut over 50 things of grass for one of the resturaunts in Mirage. Its great because we just cut and laugh :)

Just a simple arrangement in Executive offices at the Mirage.

the two pictures above are of the bridge at the Mirage. I got the opportunity to help George on change out day with the Bridge and it sure was a lot of work. It was a great experince though. It is right in the middle of the hotel and people are always walking by, taking pics and asking questions but it sure was fun :)

Mirage lobby pieces. I did the tall one on the left. Lots of fun :)
This was yet another one of Kim and I's crazy ideas. And the arremaris was so great to work with again....not. I did what is called a "dutch spiral" (I think) trying to keep it in the center so it wouldn't squish the lilies. FYI a dutch spiral with 3-4 foot flowers is much different than 1 foot roses but it was great and in the end we loved it :)
Simple callas swirled in a cool vase. Callas are so much fun to work with!
Now this is one of my favorites. On Friday I was assigned to go by myself to the Mirage because we were short handed...so I took on all of Kim's rounds single handed. After getting over the fear of it, it was fun. This arrangement goes in the entrance to the Spa. After watching Kim do it so many times I used her amazing work as inspiration and let loose.
And last but not least this is yet another Kim inspired design that I loved doing. We have a fetish with wiring callas on to branches...can you tell :)

So anyway...there is an update for the last two weeks. Flowers are still beautiful and I still love my job...if only life was always so simple. Until next time. xo

So much to offer....

So another week has passed and I can't believe it! You can always determine a good job or activity by how fast the time flies and this internship is zooming by. This week has been great. I got the opportunity to join the crew that goes to the Mirage everyday. MGM/Mirage company owns marjority of the strip so working at Bellagio Floriculture we not only take care of the Bellagio flowers but the Mirage and Treasure Island flowers as well. It has been a pleasure to see the Mirage and enjoy the company of the people that take care of it :) The main lady that I tagged along with is great. Her name is Kim and she really pushes my creativity and I love it. She challenges me with different designs and never doubts my abilities. Since I started there I have done everything from small simple designs to large inticate ones :) Here are a fews pics...

I have learned through working with Kim that in many cases the vase can make the arrangement. In this case it is simple white dendrobium orchids and curly willow but between the vase and the flowers it is beautiful :)

This is what Kim calls a dry enviorment...simply meaning what is sounds like. There is no water. The statment "you learn something new everyday" definitely applies to my internship. I learned that Callas can survive without water for up to a week and sometimes longer. In this arrangement we simply wired the callas to the pussy willow to make cool lines :)

This in one of the few designs that I was given a vase and told to do whatever I felt like...and I love it. I feel like watching some of the experienced designers I work with has taught me so much already and definitely inspired me a lot....and again how fun is that vase?

With Kim it is always an adventure! I love her because she isn't afraid of anything. She doesn't let vases, size or flowers intimidate her and she isn't afraid of letting her creativity run wild. Even when it doesn't turn out the way you expect it to it can certainly be a pleasant and interesting surprise :)

Designing with Kim is a pleasure. This is one of the tables that greets the VIP guests as they walk through the Villa hallways to their rooms. The two smaller designs are mine. I have learned that not only to vases make an arrangment but a simple design can but just as stunning as an intricate one.

Hydrangea and dendrobium orchids...simple and yet beautiful :)

There is Kim in all her glory...she has so much to offer :)

This is one of the first things that Kim challenged me with. And it was a challenge for sure. But she had faith in me and look what I came up with. This is in the womens spa at the Mirage for all the guests to enjoy.

This was my second challenge and a much smaller one at that. Callas have become one of my favorite flowers to design with because they will do whatever you tell them to do.

My contribution to Villa 2 table. Don't you love the vases character?

Well I think that is a pretty good over view of the week. I feel like I have grown leaps and bounds this week and I can't wait for the next. For those of you who love doing creative things whether it be floral design, photography, painting etc...don't be afraid of what you can do and where your creativity can take you. Simply let go and see where you end up...who knows it may be your best work ever :)

Another week in flower heaven...

So another week has passed and I am still loving every second of my internship. This week I was sent on rounds again in all of the luxourious restaurants within Bellagio and on Friday I had the pleasure of going in rounds to Treasure Island which was beatiful as well. I have loved doing rounds and being out in the hotel. And I finally got my hands on a camera and got a few shots of some designs I have been a part of and the gorgeous restaurants I have been visiting each day.

This is the monkey arrangment that greets the guests who dine at Le Cirque...a five diamond restaurant...and I designed it :)

This is one of my favorite arrangements in a restaurant call Circo that I got the pleasure of designing as well.

And this is a restaurant called Jasmines. Isn't it beautiful, it is Japanese food and the theme in the restaurant is butterflies. Those windows look out over the lovely Bellagio Lake giving guests the pleasure of watching the famous water show while they dine. :)

I am still learning a lot and look forward to work each day. This has been an amazing experience so far and consider myself very lucky. Life is great :)