Amanda's Creative Florist

Even a job as lovely as being a florist has its tough parts....

2012-01-25T06:02:00.000-08:00

Flowers...such happy, cheerful, spirit lifting beauty. One of the very few things in this world that the majority of people will look at and feel even that little bit happier.

Every now and then a florist comes across a job which truly touches the heart. 9/10 it's funeral work. We recently had the honour of creating some sympathy designs for a friend of ours. A lot of florists find comfort from creating those farewell designs, and although we definitely felt it our duty, more so than usual, to create the perfect floral tribute, it certainly was a tough one to get through.

Funerals are a hard time on anyone, but especially to the family that has lost a loved one. Arranging the funeral is a very difficult thing to do and is very personal to each individual be it hymn choice, church choice, prayer choices etc... that also includes flower choice.

It's not until you have to say good bye to a loved one, or until you have to make one of the final gifts for the family, that you realise just how comforting flowers at a funeral can be. Whether it was her favourite colour of rose or his favourite flower to grow in the garden, it has a personal meaning between you.

Here are a few tributes we've created for families to give to their loved ones.

To see more of our designs and to keep up to date with all our shop goings on go to Amanda's Creative Florist

The hand-tied bridal bouquet....Yay or Nay??

2012-01-19T03:28:00.001-08:00

If you open up the majority of wedding magazines, whether it filled with dresses, crafty idea's or wedding flowers..... 90% in fact i'd go as far to say that 99% of the bouquets in those magazines are hand tied bouquets.

Massed roses, massed hydrangea, peonies roses, textured posies of roses and thistles, roses and ranunculus. Round round round round round. That has it's place as we mention further down, along with a picture posted of what looks like a hand tied bouquet, but is actually an all wired bouquet!

What a lot of brides to be don't always realise is that there is a whole world of bouquet styles and shapes out there and these hand-ties don't match with every style of dress.

Our pet hate....large floaty dresses with ruffles and lace..with a dumpy hand tied bouquet. What does that do for the over all look of the dress? Nadda, zilch..nothing. All the eye is drawn to the hip area.. and there is stops.

The bouquets should elegantly highlight the shape of the dress, the details in the dress, the height of the bride and the build of the bride. The bouquet should work with all those so your eye follows from your face, to the bodice, to the flowers, to the legs, to the dress hem and then back up.

So if you don't go for a hand tie you have to go for one of those big bulky trailing bouquets...right?? WRONG.

The term shower bouquet traditionally means the oval shaped bouquet, which, yes, used to be bursting with foliage and carnations ( Not that there is anything wrong with carnations, Check below for a gorgeous bouquet made mostly from carnations! ) Chrysanthemums and gyp.
Today though it's a whole different story. Wire frame, vine frames, feather frames, crystal frames....masses of flowers or very little flowers.

These bouquets will have to be heavy then and uncomfortable to hold? Wrong again. Infact, you'd be surprised at how much easier it is to hold a trailing bouquet made on the right handle to suit your grip. We attended the Weigh Inn wedding Fayre Sunday 15th January and so many brides commented on how light and easy our shower bouquets were to hold.

Below you will find a collection of shower bouquets and trailing bouquets. Some what you might expect, some a little different to you're normal design.

We're not saying the hand tied bouquet is wrong in all cases. Not at all. Knee length dresses have been very popular the last year or two and hand tied designs work amazingly well.

We just think that some of the magazines out there need to work a little bit closer with professional florists, working in the industry to give brides the right informational on not only flower styles but actual flowers ( One magazine once named a lisianthus head as a rose and so often we find they have the wrong variety of flower named).

I always suggest to brides to come to speak to me, that if they do look at the magazines, get colour idea's, find flowers you've maybe never seen before but never to read the descriptions of what is actually written about the design.

So please bare in mind, when you first start that fantastic journey of planning your wedding flowers, that there is so much more available out there. Just because you don't see it in the magazines, on an online search or in the celeb wedding pages in gossip magazines, it doesn't mean that you're perfect wedding bouquet is not available to you!

Check out our facebook page for more bouquet designs and ideas http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amandas-Creative-Florist/44514682367
xxx

Welcome to 2012....The year of the Creative mind!

2012-01-05T08:38:00.001-08:00

Well here we are...2012! Who'd have thought it?? So first off...we hope you have had a lovely holiday season!

There were a sincere lack of blog updates last year we apologise for that! Between the shop, competitions, weddings and a whole lot more on top something had to give and unfortunately the blog suffered :(

Not this year though! We are determined to bring you regular updates on events, weddings and all things floral.

Most recently we had the chaos which is so fondly called "Christmas" lol. Well ladies nd Gents it was a record breaker for us here at Amandas. Our busiest one yet! It was our 6th Christmas too..can you believe it? Where does the time go?
Lots of lovely orders going out as well as being collected. Early mornings and late nights but it seems to have all been worth it with the feedback with everyone telling us how much they loved their flowers.

We also had a special inclusion of our charity design. Something a little different to help out our heroes at The ABF Soldiers Charity. With your most generous donations we raised £222.41 for this worthwhile cause.
Our window was also decorated as a reminder who are away fighting at Christmas, those who never made it home and for anyone missing a loved one at the Christmas period.
So a big thank you for all your donations and your lovely comments.

So whats in store for 2012? We've already secured some new contracts, our first big event is this Saturday followed by the weigh in wedding Fayre on 15th January where we will be showcasing some gorgeous bouquets and arrangements. If you're planning getting married this year, next year or any time in the near future, you'll definitely want to come a long a look.

Amanda has another few workshops lined up where she will learn even more to keep you all in the loop with modern trends and designs, as well as a weekend away helping some of the worlds top International designers to produce a floral wedding magazine as well as designs for other publications within the Fusion Flowers web of wonder!

Valentines is our next big date on the calender so stay tuned to see what gorgeous designs we come up with for your valentine!

Don't forget to follow us on facebook to keep even more up to date on our daily goings on at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amandas-Creative-Florist/44514682367 or look for us on twitter, AmandasFlorist

So here's a fabulous 2012 for you all, and to creating the most gorgeous flowers for you all to take home and enjoy! xxx

RHS Chelsea...SILVER MEDAL!

2011-06-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well Amanda made that horribly long drive all the way to London to take part in the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year competition and came home with a silver medal!

The Chelsea flower show is one of the most prestigious flower shows in the world. Amanda was delighted to have even reached the final 16, but to come home with a silver medal just blew her away!

The finalists were asked to design and construct a Jockeys silk, to be worn on race day.

Amanda created a bodice of layered "punched out" aspidistra leaves, side panels of silver leucedenron leaves. A circular panel and a flowing collar were created from woven grasses, built up layers of flower material and foliages. Finishing touches were added with little cut out clovers from Eucalyptus leaves and also a few green diamantes for a bit of sparkle.

" I don't think it will ever really sink in. It was such a long build up to it, from qualifying in October, to receiving the brief at the end of March, then the two days travelling, two days constant work on the piece with only a couple of hours sleep in between" Amanda says " The buzz of the show was amazing, not just in the great pavillion but all over the show ground. I am delighted that I got to see the gardens as well especially Dermots Sky garden..that was fantastic"

Amanda would like to thank everyone who wished her well, sent good luck cards and also for all the support from everyone, she says it was a real boost being all the way down there knowing that everyone was behind her raring her on! The cards she has received since has been astounding..she's running out of room to put them all up!

We're going away!

2011-05-20T07:37:00.001-07:00

We are so so sorry about the severe lack of updates to our blog lately. Between weddings, funerals, day to day work and Chelsea prep there just doesn't appear to be enough hours in the day.

We promise after chelsea we will be back on track with regular updates!

For now though, please note that the shop will be closed for a week. Starting from Monday 23rd May through to the 30th May. We will re open on Tues 31st May as normal.

This is so that Amanda can compete in the RHS Chelsea florist of the year competition and the famous Chelsea Flower Show.

Thank you so much for your understand.

If you urgently need to contact us, please use the e-mail address below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Amanda@amandasflorist.co.uk

We had to go that extra mile....

2011-02-25T04:29:00.000-08:00

We always go that extra mile for our customers! In January though we had to push the boat out just that little bit more than usual!

Amanda's sister got married at the end of the month so there was no pressure on creating the perfect designs for Tanya and her big day!

Tanya opted for a perfect pomander of blue hydrangea and steel berry with a little trail of Ivy. The pomander handle was an Austrian crystal necklace which belonged to their late great Granny.
The soft delicate heads of the Hydrangea were perfect against Tanya's soft ivory dress.

The bridesmaids ( Amanda included) carried floral muffs. Perfect for that winter weather which thankfully stayed away for the day. The framework was made from a fleece material, covered in layered Stachy leaves, wires wrapped in lily grass and then decorated in Blue hydrangea, blue muscari and steel berry.

The Groom and best men wore thistles with Muscari and hydrangea to match the blue with the brides bouquet and also the bridesmaids.

In the church the alter was lit with pedestals on either side and sphere arrangements on the alter with ivy trails and candle lights.

At the reception giant "snowballs" of massed gypsophlia were the table centers. Based on a mirrored plate and decorated with Diamante pins.

We think its safe to say that Tanya's wedding flowers certainly a different feel to any weddings that we have created before, and even though Amanda was more than ever set to ensure that these wedding flowers were perfect for her little sister, that she really enjoyed the challenge!

Flower classes.

2011-02-25T04:21:00.000-08:00

Here at Amanda's we enjoy running casual flower arranging classes. We take it all as a bit of fun but still learn you how to make gorgeous displays using materials you would never think of using.

At the moment we are running our second term in Bettyhill. The ladies come every Wednesday night for two hours for creative laughs and giggles!

We also run classes in Wick and we are looking to expand to area's further out.
If you would be interested in any of our classes give us a call on 01955 606743.

Check out some of the picture's below to see some of the creations the ladies have enjoyed making.

Valentines day 2011

2011-02-11T11:22:00.001-08:00

Well it's February already and we're all geared up and ready for a busy weekend. We have a shop full of gorgeous flowers! Velvety grand prix roses, Lush avalanche roses and much more to choose from!

VAT increased at the start of the year...but for valentienes only we've frozen our prices! We've kept our prices the same as last year and if that wasn't enough if you order 12 red roses we are even giving you free delivery!!

IT DOESNT STOP THERE! Oh no!!
For red rose orders, we are including free chocolate! yum!! For every single red rose,3 red roses and 6 red roses we are giving you a free bar of dairy milk chocolate! For every 12 red roses we are giving you THREE FREE bars of the yummy stuff!!

Don't fancy red roses? Don't worry! We have a vast selection of other colours and other flower varities stocked up and ready to WOW you're valentine this year.

For quality and exceptional style and design you really don't want to visit anywhere else this valentines!

xxx

Here's to 2011!

2011-01-12T02:20:00.000-08:00

Well...can you believe it....2011 already?? There must be some greater force out there that is speeding up time?

We would like to thank everyone for all their custom and support during 2010. The recession wasn't easy on anyone and we are ever so great full to those who continued to order flowers, buy flowers etc from us during this period.

2010 was an eventful year for us here. We had our largest wedding season since we opened, we gave the shop a face lift outside and redecorated inside, Amanda qualified for The RHS Chelsea flower Show, She won 6 pices of silverware at the Caithness County Show, Amanda also received two bronze awards in the International Designer of the year competition run by Fusion Flower Magazines.

2011 looks set to be even busier with shop work, weddings, Chelsea, Fusion flowers competition, teaching, project work and hopefully some courses as well, to as always, keep us up to date on all the latest techniques used in the flower world.

Our first big event of this year however, is Amanda's sisters wedding at the end of this month. We are so excited about getting to create some amazing floral designs for Tanya...we'll get some pictures up as soon as the big day has passed!

Yup - we are most definitely looking forward to 2011 and we hope that you'll enjoy it all with us

If you are on facebook don't forget to follow our page there too! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amandas-Creative-Florist/44514682367

Christmas Deliveries.

2010-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

We're dreaming....of a not so white Christmas here at Amanda's. As much as wakening up Christmas morning surrounded by the cold white stuff is fantastic, we'd like it to disappear so we have clear roads for our deliveries.

We hope that you will understand that we will do everything we possibly can to ensure that your flowers arrive on the day of your choice.

We would just like to say however, that if the weather looks to break again we will deliver orders earlier to ensure that every one gets their flowers before Christmas.

Orders are still being taken for all orders whether they are local deliveries, Caithness Deliveries and National Deliveries. International deliveries are dependant on where they are going to now, so just give us a ring and we will organise those gorgeous christmas gifts for you.

Remembering your loved ones this Christmas.

2010-12-16T12:47:00.001-08:00

We all have people dear to us who are no longer with us. We remember them always but especially at this time of year.

We were asked by our customers to create different designs for the cemetery this year. Not only items that are unusual, bright and colourful but also made from fresh material that will last the winter weather.

Traditional holly wreaths are as usual, available for collection, ordering and also delivering if braving the snow is a little to much for you. Gorgeous holly on a mossed based.
Favourites also include holly sprays and holly posies as there are many people who would rather stay away from wreaths.

But lets go modern! Lets go a bit more funky and in your face!! Bright blue holly wreaths? Bright pink holly wreaths.... We wouldn't go that far would we? Off course we would!! A wide range of colours are available for colouring the wreath and also for the decoration.

Want to go different but not so in your face? What about our holly stockings? Also available in a choice of different colours. It's a modern twist on a traditional christmas icon.

Snow Joke!!

2010-12-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is such a busy season for sending flowers all over the world. A lot of people order their flowers via large household name companies which aren't florists.
This snow is going to cause so much chaos to all those that have done so.

Here at Amanda's we always suggest that you use your local florist, or a florist in the local are of the recipient.

A lot of the large companies use couriers to send out your flowers. With the current weather conditions, there are going to be back logs, orders being left for days...weeks maybe? Your flowers may not arrive on time and when they do eventually arrive what kind of condition will they be in?

Solution?? Use your local florists. Not only are you getting a professional service but you are also more likely to ensure that your flowers actually arrive.

If you are sending flowers further affield..still call your florist. They will have contacts and associations which can find you the best florist in that area to use.

More Awards for Amanda!

2010-11-12T02:24:00.000-08:00

What a year Amanda is having with her competition work! Silver ware at the local show and qualifying for the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year. Now to top it off she has received two bronze awards for two of her pieces for the Fusion Flowers - International Designer of the year competition.

The competition received hundreds of entries and 88 awards were given.

" I am absolutely over the moon! I had so much fun creating the pieces and working on something different" Says Amanda " To get one award would have been great, but to be recognised for two of my pieces is just fantastic!"

Fusion Flowers is one of the industries leading magazines. It is available world wide and always features work from the world's top designers.

Chelsea Flower Show 2011.

2010-10-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the most famous of its kind in the world and hundreds of thousands of visitors attend every year to wander amongst beautiful garden settings and see the newest trends in design and plant trends.

And Amanda has qualified to compete within the Chelsea show for the prestigious title of " RHS Chelsea Florist of the year"

This is a dream come true for Amanda.
She said: “The Chelsea finalists are not only amongst the best in the UK but are highly rated around the world. I’ve always wanted to visit the Chelsea show but it hasn’t quite sunk in yet that not only will I be there, I will be taking part!”

There are two different sections within the florist-of-the-year competition – the young florist of the year and the florist of the year.

The show lands just three days after Amanda’s 26th birthday, which means she will take part in senior award, which last year had 13 finalists. Amanda, who runs Amanda’s Creative Florist in Wick, won her heat in Glasgow with a 90
/100 mark to ensure her place in the finals in May 2011.

The event will run from May 22 to 28 in the grounds of the Royal Hospital in  Chelsea.

Our delivery team...

2010-10-02T04:04:00.001-07:00

As you know, we deliver flowers personally all over the county.

One of our members of staff loves this part of the job more than any other!

He gets bored in the shop and too cold but when he's out in the van the heating is on and he gets to explore so much of Caithness and even Sutherland!

So if our delivery van turns up outside your door... come out and speak to him, he loves socialising with customers... especially if you have a treat or two ;)

Kobi...

Kobi's Stats.

Age: 5
Favourite food : Vanilla ice cream!
Loves : Snuggling in on the sofa
Favourite walk: The beach

The wedding show 2010

2010-08-18T05:01:00.000-07:00

Are you planning your wedding? Know someone who is? Or would just like a really good afternoon out?

Then you want to attend The Wedding Show.

Being held on Sunday 5th September, in Wick High School. 12pm - 4pm. With a catwalk show with gorgeous dresses, kilts and mother of the bride outfits, starting at aprox 12.30pm.

Entry costs just £5 and we are offering a free non alcoholic drink on arrival.

With a rapid growing exhibitors list, we are currently standing at 28 exhibitors. Wedding dresses, kilts, cakes, flowers, caterers, wedding planners, bands, hand made invitations...the list goes on and on!

Last year was a huge success raising over £1200 for last years charity and we just know that this years event it going to be even better!! This year the money is going to Caithness ENABLE.

If you, or someone you know is planning a wedding... you don't want to be anywhere else!

All over Scotland..

2010-07-27T05:12:00.001-07:00

Did you know that Amanda's Creative Florist doesn't just do weddings and events in the north of Scotland? We do them all over the place!

We guess it's only natural that people assume that because they are getting married in an area, that it's best to use a florist from there. That is not always the case however.

If you like the style and idea's of a florist, why not just use them? Okay you may have to pay a bit more for travel expenses, but you know the quality that you are getting. Just because a venue may recommend a particular florist does not mean that they are up to the standard that you deserve for your wedding day and you may be quite disappointed with what you actually get. So surely that little bit extra is worth it?

We're almost as far north as you can go on mainland UK, but we have done weddings and events all over Scotland, including as far off as Edinburgh.

So if you are planning a wedding out of your area.. speak to your local florist first and see what they can do to help you.

Check out these images from events further south that we have created.

Flower Show Success

2010-07-21T05:34:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was the Annual Caithness Agricultural show, this year held in Scrabster. In amongst all the cattle, tractors and farmers there is the flower tent.

Amanda first entered the County Show as it is known, at the age of 7. She has entered almost every year apart from those years she was living in Edinburgh.

This year she finally got her hands on the prestigious Best in Floral art cup. She also came away with, amongst others, with the most points in floral art and the Runner up best exhibit in the flower show.

Amanda says " I am absoloutely delighted. I only decided the day before setting up that I was going to enter at all as we had a hectic weekend shop wise, with a total of four weddings the same weekend but I am so glad that I made the effort"

The competition is open for everyone to enter. This years flower show saw an increase in entries from the year before which was marvellous despite the poor weather.

Yummm - Wedding cakes!!

2010-07-13T06:37:00.001-07:00

It's a good job we're not bakers!! Most of the cakes would be sampled and we would spend all day eating!

The wedding cake is a very important part of your day and there are so many ways to decorate it. Did you know though, what there were so many ways to decorate them with flowers? Have a look at some of these gorgeous cakes we had the pleasure of decorating!

Decorating the church, the venue...

2010-07-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

OK - we may be a little bit biast when it comes to having flowers for your big day...but you have to admit..that flowers at the church, hotel, castle, ..where ever you have your wedding ALWAYS give those final finishing touches which make your guests go "wow"

From tall lily vases to bubble bowls, from large cocktail glasses to small tumblers. Having flowers as your table centre not only completes the look of the wedding, but also creates a conversation starter for guests who maybe don't know each other.

You'd be surprised at how many different styles, colours and idea's that can be created for your perfect table centre.

We're not only talking about the reception though. What about the actual ceremony? An empty echoing church can be brought to life with a few simple arrangements.

Take a look at some of the weddings we've done below to see exactly the atmosphere we're talking about.

The world of weddings...

2010-07-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

We are so sorry about the lack of blog posts this past month. It has been so busy at the shop between one thing and another, but mostly with weddings.

This year has been our busiest year for weddings since we opened. All our bride's have chosen absolutely stunning combinations of flowers and styles.

Flowers play an important role in any wedding. Whether it simple bouquets and button holes, or exquisite table designs. Don't forget.. your flowers are in so many of your photo's and are memories for life. Make sure you're bouquet is absolutely perfect for you.

Rainbow Roses make the Daily Mail

2010-05-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

These brightly coloured roses have made the daily mail. They have however got their facts completely wrong - but thats nothing new for a newspaper!

According to them, the flowers are dyed using several dyes in the water. Surely they are clever enough to know what if you mix dyes its just going to turn that horrible brown colour? No... they don't seem to think so!
These roses are actually injected with the dyes. Different sections of the stem feed to different petals, giving the range of colours through out.

They are also claiming that they are now available in Britain for the first time ever. Well any of our customers know thats not true as we've been selling them for a couple of years now.

Apparently these roses are very expensive and retail at £24.99 for just one!!! No. thats NOT true. Yes they are expensive but are around the £4/£5 mark. What we would like to know...is why a single rose is £24.99 but a dozen are £65....?

It's column like these in newspaper that are taking part in slowly tearing apart the florist industry. They don't get their facts right, they have been known to slag us for our prices.

Quality flowers are not cheap...as for everything in life you get what you pay for...perhaps thats why newspapers are so cheap ;)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1282879/Roses-red-yellow-blue-green-purple---spectacular-rainbow-rose-sold-Britain-time.html

Congratulations!

2010-05-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to two very special friend's of Amanda. Kimberly Rosie and Willie Miller were married in Auqamare earlier in the month.
Unfortunately with all the chaos caused by the Icelantic volcano, their families didnt make it out for their big day.

However, friends and family were there on Saturday for a special blessing.

Congratulations to you both on your wedding and also on the lovely news that they are expecting a new member to their family xxx

Weekend with the Designers.

2010-05-18T04:17:00.001-07:00

So we told you all about Amanda's amazing experience with the Fusion Flowers Team.
Alison has kindly forwarded some of the pictures of Amanda's work to us. So we thought we would share a couple with you :)

The photo's were taken by Denis Bradely of Fusion Flowers Wedding Magazine.

Charity Masquerade Ball

2010-05-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

Here at Amanda's, we are part of a group from the Caithness Chamber of Commerce called "Women in Business".

For the past four months the Women in Business group have been busy organising a charity masquerade ball in aid of ClicSargent Caithness and Enable Caithness. It was held in The Mackays Hotel, Wick.

It was a busy evening with all the tickets being sold out! Business' all through Caithness and as far a field as Perthshire were all very generous with donations and prizes for the auction and the raffle.

Everyone looked absoloutely stunning, the ladies in their gorgeous gowns and the men in their kilts and suits.

We are delighted to say, that the current total, with money still to come in and still to be counted is sitting at £3500!!! An outstanding amount money which will hugely benefit the charities.

Well done to all involved - it was most definitely a night to remember!!

Busy Busy Bee's....

2010-05-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

When you think of beehive's you think on two things...
Lots of bee's buzzing around their home busy making yummy honey! OR.... Amy Winehouse's BIG hair!

Flower petals are probably something that you wouldn't expect a bee to be interested in, never mind build a hive from....

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126556246&sc=fb&cc=fp

The chance of a lifetime..!

2010-04-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a very hectic week here at Amanda's. Mostly because Amanda is finding it hard to keep her mind on what she is doing rather than the most inspirational weekend she has ever had.

The Icelandic volcano has caused so much chaos over the past 2 weeks. Planes grounded and people stranded all over the world. It was because of such chaos she got the chance to work with some of the best designers in the floral world.

Many international designers were unable to make it over for the Fusion Flowers magazine's annual photo-thon. It is one of the industries leading magazines, filled with innovative ideas and the most gorgeous designs you will ever see.

Proving that Scotland has talent and that Scottish florist's are up for a challenge, 3, chipped in to lend a hand with designers which had already made it safely to the lovely village of Kippen, near Stirling.

Amanda also offered to "pop" down the road to help in any way that she could.

"Just being there seeing what those designers could do was an experience on its own. These guys are at the top of the game and the bouquets and arrangements they produced were to die for! The concepts, the attention to detail and the work put in can only inspire anyone to push their own boundaries. There are no limitations apart from those that you put on yourself!"

"It was an amazing weekend and I can only thank Alison and Denis Bradley, Sue Phillips, Debbie Gough, John McDonald, Lorna McGuire, Wendy Andrade and John Hosek for taking the chance on a rookie. I have come away with not only completely new out look on the world of flowers but also on myself!" - Amanda.

To have a look at what Fusion Flowers is all about and how it continues to break the boundries of modern floristy take a look at their website.
www.FusionFlowers.com

Using accessories.

2010-04-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

Your wedding bouquet should be special to you. It's there in all your photo's. So when you look back in 10 years time, we want you to fall in love with your flowers all over again.

Our tip - make them personal to you. Include something that represents something or someone in your life. Just because these bridal magazines show a bride with one design, doesn't mean that you have to have exactly that. Add bits, change bits, play around!

Here are some of our designs which have those little details...

The wedding bouquet of your dreams...!!

2010-04-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

So what is the wedding bouquet of your dreams? Hand-tie of roses? Shower bouquet of purple orchids? Something just that little bit different....?

Well here are some of our favourites from our brides over the past 4 years.

Officially the start of wedding season here at Amanda's

2010-04-08T04:00:00.001-07:00

Well that is us, Saturday see's our wedding season well and truly under way. Lots of gorgeous Vanda orchids and Calla's to work with this weekend. This year see's such a vast range of styles, flowers and colours. We just can't wait to get our teeth into each and every one!

So we all know about the bridal party flowers, but what about the guests?

Well... those of you who are attending any wedding are going to LOVE our new designer range of bracelets for wrist corsages. We have a wide range of styles and colours. For those of you who are a little bit more outrageous - what about an ankle corsage, arm corsage or what about a design on a diamanté necklace? The possibilities are endless.

The new range will be in stock from the middle of next week and we can't wait!

The good times and the bad.

2010-03-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

Being a florist doesn't just mean we get to share all the happy celebrations in peoples lives, but we're also there for the sad times.

Funeral tributes are one of the ways people show their loved ones just how much they care about them.

Traditional tributes such as wreaths and sprays will always be the favourites. However we are seeing an ever increasing demand for bespoke designs. No matter what you have in mind, it's never a silly idea and we will always go that extra mile to ensure your idea is incorporated into your design.

Here are some of the bespoke designs we have made at Amanda's creative Florist.

Phew! What a weekend that was!

2010-03-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

Well what can we say apart from a HUGE thank you to all our customers over Mothers day. We were rushed off our feet, ran out of flowers twice and unfortunately had to stop taking orders early Saturday morning. If you are looking to order flowers, we are always available for same day delivery. However, on our peak seasons you are better to pre-order your flowers to guarantee that we can complete your order :)

We're back to normal now though and looking forward to the next few weeks which see's the start of wedding season. During this time we will keep you up to date with what we are doing and show off some of our designs.

Mothers Day. Sunday 14th March 2010.

2010-03-08T01:01:00.001-08:00

It's Mothering Sunday this weekend. We all know how special our Mums are. Those who are with us and sadly those who we miss.

However you want to remember your mum this weekend we are the people to talk to. We have a wide range of designs available. From Planted arrangements to spring flowers in a jug, from carry bouquets in a bag to modern aqua packs. Spring posies to elaborate sprays.

Don't forget that we can delivery anywhere in Caithness. We can also delivery anywhere in the world via our good friends at D2F and F2F and our circle of florist friends.

Ordering your mothers day flowers couldn't be easier. Call us on 01955 60 67 43 or visit our web shop at www.Amandasflorist.co.uk anytime of the day or night.

Brody knows quality flowers when he see's them and knows where he will be buying his flowers from this weekend.

What to do for Valentines day??

2010-02-05T02:13:00.001-08:00

Are you completely stuck as to what you're loved one would like for valentines?? Well look no further...we have everything under control!

Take a look at our product list below, we'll knock her socks off...but the rest is up to you ;)

Single red rose £7.50

3 x red roses with bamboo heart £17.50

6 x luxury red roses £ 35.00

12 x luxury red roses to really "light up her life!" £60.00

Want to really spoil her?? What about one of these amazing packages brought to you by Amanda's Creative Florist, Alternative Vitality, KG events and KCC ( Kirsteen Campbell Catering)

Classic Package
Single Red Rose
Balloon
Cherry Kiss Lip Balm
8 x hand made truffles
All for only £19.99!!!

DELUXE PACKAGE
Organic facial
3 x Red Roses
Balloon
Hand made chocolates
All for only £49.99

INDULGENCE PACKAGE
Super Shape Balloon
12 Luxury Red Roses
Cake and Tablet
Full Body Hot stone Massage
All for only £120!!

TO ORDER CALL 01955 606743. DELIVERY AVAILABLE ALL OVER CAITHNESS. ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY THURSDAY 11TH FEBRUARY

Working with others.

2010-01-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

In a florists line of work, (especially with wedding work) we get the opportunity to work with so many different business' and individuals. Photographers, event planners and venues.....the list goes on.

Here are a few websites from some of the people we have worked closely with.

John Baikie - Captiv8 photography. www.captiv8.uk.com

KG Events - Event planning. www.kgevents.co.uk

Martin Gill - Highland wear. www.blackstairshighlandwear.com

St. Valentines Day.

2010-01-26T05:32:00.000-08:00

The 14th of February. One of the most romantic days of the year. We just love surprising your special someone with gorgeous displays of flowers. Our special recommendation this year is our 12 red roses. With this bouquet you can really claim to "Light up her life!"

Weddings and Wedding Fayres.

2010-01-25T05:11:00.001-08:00

It isnt even the end of January and we've been busy with weddings and Fayres.

Our first wedding of the year saw a classical hand-tied bouquet of white tulips. Absoloutely gorgeous if we may say so ourselves!

Sunday was the Weigh Inn Wedding Fayre in Thurso. As usual we had to do the odd one or two pieces that caught everyones eye! Not only did the brides comment on these designs but also the other exhibitors! It was a very busy day and we enjoyed talking to all the brides to be about all things floral :)

Here's to the start of a new decade!

2010-01-06T07:45:00.001-08:00

Welcome to 2010. We hope you all had a lovely christmas and send our best wishes for the new year.

Its hard to beieve that only ten years ago we were welcoming the new millennium. I was only 14, still in school and had a mobile that looked like a brick in comparison to my new one!

Floristry, like the world, evolves. New techniques, new flower varities and most importantly new ideas. After all, if people didnt have ideas the world would stand still.

Personally for this new year, I hope to get a lot more project work done. Using flowers in unusual styles and places, using accessories that you wouldnt normally link with flowers and using a bit of photography trickery.

Below are a few snippets of what, hopefully, has a lot more to come.

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-11-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

Ok so not long to go now. In fact its only 38 days!

So we've started getting ready here at the shop. Whats our favourite part of Christmas in the shop? The Christmas Windows! We may have only just completed this years but you can guarantee that all through the season we'll be planning next years themes already!

We have two windows to the shop front. A smaller window which we tend to always use a fresh flower display and then the larger window which we display artificials, vases etc.

We always have a theme for each window and this years Christmas theme was Ice and Icy blues! The small window we created a "snow cave" with floating glittered roses and lots of other bling. The large window's main feature is our hand made iceberg which is home to a polar bear. Also, the poor snowman seems to have floated away on a piece of floating ice!

Portland Arms Wedding Fair.

2009-11-16T04:40:00.001-08:00

Sunday the 22nd November see's the Portland Arms Hotel in Lybster hosting its 2nd fair of the year. Open to the public from 11am - 5pm its sure to give any bridal party the inspiration needed to create the perfect wedding day.

We will be present along with photographers, event planners, wedding dress suppliers and much much more besides!

See you there!

Reiss Gardening club - Christmas demonstration

2009-11-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday 3rd November Amanda was asked to do a demonstration for the Reiss Gardening Club. Never turning down the chance to show off new designs and unusual flower choices She created 3 different arrangements to the club. All of which can be re-created for use at home or as presents. The champagne bottle decoration proved to be very popular with the audience with several of the club members already planning how they can decorate their own.

Ordering online.

2009-11-04T05:06:00.000-08:00

Ordering online from Amanda's Creative Florist couldn't be any easier!

From our website http://www.amandasflorist.co.uk/ click the tab at the top of the page. That will direct you straight to our ordering page http://uk.direct2florist.com/amandas-creative-florist-90768/ Just select the design you want to send, fill in all the details and hey... that's it. Flowers ordered!

Online ordering is perfect for those who never get a chance to call us during shop hours, live abroad where the time difference can be a pain and for those who don't have time to pop in and see us at the shop.

Here, there and everywhere.

2009-11-04T04:51:00.001-08:00

Although we are based in the coastal town of Wick in the beautifully scenic county of Caithness we can deliver flowers worldwide.

Local deliveries are hand delivered by our staff. We cover all of Caithness and some parts of Sutherland too!

Do you often send flowers down south to your friends and relations? We offer a delivery service that guarantees you get what you have ordered. With specially designed packaging and delivery we make the flowers here in the shop, and the recipient ( anywhere on mainland UK ) receives them the very next morning. Not only can you pick exactly what you want in the bouquet, you can also make it more personal by actually writing the card yourself!

For worldwide deliveries we are members of Direct 2 Florist and Florist 2 Florist. This gives you the option to send flowers anywhere in the world.

So where ever you are looking to send flowers to, we are definitely the people to talk to!

What we're all about.

2009-11-04T04:09:00.000-08:00

Here at Amanda's Creative Florist we bring the world of floristry to the Highlands. With a passion for flowers we take great care with all our designs. We offer a huge range of designs and styles to suit every ones tastes. We pride ourselves on keeping up to date with new trends and accessories to give everything we make the "wow" factor.

Fresh flowers are delivered 4 days a week with top ups in between including a delivery direct from the auctions in Holland.

We also stock artificial flowers, vases, glassware, soaps and bath bombs, handmade cards as well as sundries for the enthusiastic flower arranger.

Welcome!

2009-11-04T03:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and welcome to our new blog!

Well will try to update this as often as we possibly can. Things can get very hectic in the shop over certain seasons but we will let you know what we are upto.

Our blog will consist of photo updates, hints and tips on how to look after your flowers and the odd link or two to websites we think you may find useful and interesting.

If anyone has anything they would like us to blog about please get in touch and we'd only be too happy to help.

Over the next couple of days I shall get a good few posts on of the shop and some of the work we have done. For now however....I shall make like a tree and leave :D