Laura Jane Wood

Artful inspirations and everyday meanderings through the eyes of an artist

June 14th, 2010 § 1

More and more couples are taking a green approach to their wedding day, trying to incorporate elements that will last and not go to waste at the end of the night. A great way to achieve this is to have a living centrepiece.

I have a wedding in August where we are doing planted orchid centrepieces with green moss and curly willow. A little trick with curly willow, when you get it, give the stems a fresh cut and put them in a bucket of water for a day or so. Chances are they will sprout tiny light green leaves. So pretty!

Enjoy,
♥ LJF

June 4th, 2010 § 0

A few weeks ago we celebrated our niece’s first birthday!
I created several colourful floral arrangements for her in pink, orange and green, using baby food jars as vases. It was a first for me as well, as it was a traditional Korean Tol Ceremony. We used the flowers as a backdrop to the ceremony with all the various symbolic elements included. The taking of the perfect picture seemed to be a very important part of the event. It was a lot of fun and we were able to get several great shots of precious little Enid in her adorable (Tol-bok) outfit, although she tired of her cute little hat early on.

Later that day we set up another table with various items: like a book,
a stethescope, a mouse for the computer, a bundle of string, paint brushes, etc. and let Enid loose to choose which item she prefered. She chose the stethescope first, so Doctor Enid it is!

May 31st, 2010 § 1

Well it wasn’t so long ago was it? Ah prom night…
I remember. I wore a vintage dress I found in Gastown, Vancouver.
Such a special night!

I think things are a bit different now though. Girls post pictures of their dresses so that no one else can get the same one, they get their hair and nails professionally done and rent limos for the night. Hmmm, maybe not so different….

Well I had the privilege of making a floral hair fascinator for the daughter of a friend of mine who was off to her prom the other night. I find it refreshing and often encourage women to wear flowers in their hair instead of around their wrists or pinned to their dresses. I have always been a fan and in fact, I did the same for my special night!

Enjoy!
LJW

May 22nd, 2010 § 0

Hello my blog friends! If I still have any…
I know I know, it’s been ages since I last posted. So so sorry! Well I do have a few good ones lined up for you, so hopefully that makes up for my disappearance??

Lately I’ve been pretty swamped in my studio balancing both wedding season and the painting. I wanted to give you a glimpse at life in my studio this last weekend as I prepared the flowers for my niece’s first birthday party! The palette was pink, more pink, spring green and orange. It turned out really pretty and perfect for a little girl’s first birthday!

Absolutely love love love my new studio setup! I even have a cot underneath my table to help keep me there longer.

March 23rd, 2010 § 1

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The ability to bring floral design into the art world is difficult. Azuma Makoto, a Japanese artist, has been able to do this with great success. Makoto stopped playing guitar for his Fukuoka-based band and moved to Tokyo to explore the possibilities of artistic self-expression in flower arrangement. Azuma is forging an innovative new bond between botany and art. In 2001 he opened his own boutique, Jardins des Fleurs, to serve a more exclusive clientele in Tokyo’s Ginza district.

“I don’t make ‘things,’ but works of art. Each one is different. I can’t make the same thing twice.” – Azuma Makoto

Enjoy
LJF

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March 8th, 2010 § 0

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Anyone who knows me, knows about my little problem… I really really LOVE to shop. I like pretty things, what’s wrong with that?? Well recently we (Toronto) were the proud recipients of two Anthropologie stores!!! Such a happy day when I first walked through those doors for the first time… happy, but cautious… this store is bad news for my bank account!
Anthropologie does pretty so well. Check out their catalogue for March, I really love their styling!!
When I was younger I would always be making wreaths and flower arrangements for my very long hair. Yes that really was me, I sewed my own clothes and only wore dresses when possible (on jean days).
These hair arrangements are so pretty! Can you imagine how beautiful a slightly toned down version of this would be for your flower girls, or even the bride??! So, so romantic!

♥ LJF

February 28th, 2010 § 5

What a great day to be a Canadian! I have never experienced such patriotism. Canada not only got the most Olympic gold medals, winning gold in both women’s and men’s hockey, but broke the record for the most golds EVER in Winter Olympics!!!!

Have you been noticing the flowers that have been presented during these Olympics? Well I have!

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I’ve been looking closely trying to figure out what they are. After doing a bit of research, I discovered that they are arrangements of green spider mums in the centre, surrounded by layers of monkey grass, aspidistra leaves and hypericum berries.

The story behind the flowers…

The bouquets come from Margitta’s Flowers and Just Beginnings Flowers in Surrey, British Columbia. They were chosen from over 58 other florists in B.C.
The designer of the bouquet and owner of Just Beginnings, June Strandberg, teaches floristry to women who are recovering from addiction, have left prison, or have been victims of violence. During these Olympic games they have made over 1,800 bouquets!

What a great story! What a great county! I ♥ Canada!!!
LJF

February 25th, 2010 § 1

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What a great idea! We should bring this to Toronto, we definitely have enough potholes!!

‘If we planted one of those in every hole, it would be like a forest in the road’
- Pete Dungey

An ongoing series of public installations highlighting the problem of surface imperfections on Britain’s roads.
Project participation welcomed. Please send any images to: info@petedungey.com

February 20th, 2010 § 0

719-outside 719-smogVG3
719-vagabond-aliciaarm 719-vagabond-bluealicia 719-alicazuzu 719-aliciafish 719-greenchair 719-five2 719-weewhite1 719-weeblack1

I ♥ these sculptural foliage pieces by Woolly Pocket! The pockets are made from recycled plastic bottles. They allow your plants to breathe while keeping your walls and floors dry. Can you imagine, an entire wall? Modular gardening in the comfort of your own condo. Your very own installation art piece!

I’m also REALLY loving their styling! Can you catch the Vanessa Beecroft references???

LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE.
Enjoy…LJF

February 15th, 2010 § 0

In light of Valentines and Family Day I thought it would be fitting to discuss the act of giving. Sometimes the simplest gesture speaks the loudest. Valentines Day can get a bit out of hand. Is it really necessary to spend $100 on a dozen red roses to show someone you care? It’s the thought and the way it’s carried out that means the most.

When I was traveling in Japan I saw many examples of these small hand held arrangements, so simple and so adorable! These were being sold for around $5 each. If I had a flower shop I would definitely include a wide variety of small arrangements like these.

Make sure to show someone close to you that you care today and every day in simple ways like this.

Happy Family Day Canadians!
♥ LJW

February 6th, 2010 § 1

Today. The day before my 30th. The very last day of my 20′s…

You know I really wasn’t all that worried about entering my 30′s up until today. I’ve accomplished most of the things I set out to in my 20′s: finding a career in the arts that I enjoy and that challenges me; working as a painter; finding the person I want to spend the rest of my years with; buying our first place together; being able to travel and see more of the world. Check, check, check.

My greatest challenge is that my life as a painter is being quietly pushed aside for all the other things in life that seem to take over. I had once thought that it would be simple to have a dual life, managing all worlds equally. I’m realizing more and more that it is quite difficult to do two amazing things with equal amounts of passion and energy, one is always lagging. This has been my painting for the last few years.

A good friend of mine once told me that talent doesn’t fade, when you’re ready for it, it will still be there. My wish for my 30′s is that I will have more time, more energy and more left in me for my art. Starting up this blog has in part made me realize that my life is filled with so many beautiful and creative things. It has helped me to express this and find new creativity and new ways of working in floral design.

When in Japan these last few weeks I was once again amazed by the attention to detail and amazing sense of design in everything from the display and colour coordination of street food to the perfectly placed arrangement. Traveling opens you up to experiencing these new ways of seeing. I hope to be able to do this more and bring you much inspirations over my next year, my first year of my 30′s. See that doesn’t sound so bad…

Much inspirations to come!
LJW

January 30th, 2010 § 0

Well, I’m still traveling. Currently I’m in Taipei visiting my brother!

I thought I would leave you with a little inspiration for the weekend.
This is a quick and very affordable project. All you need are a few doilies, white paper bags and some gray spray paint. I purchased several doilies off of one Ebay seller so that each lantern could be unique. Be sure to spray a dark enough coat so that the contrast of the lace pattern will show up when lit from within with a tea-light.

I return from my travels shortly and will have much to post about!
Enjoy,
LJW

January 25th, 2010 § 0

Happy Birthday to my Heung!
I’m so sorry that I’m not able to celebrate with you today…
I know you will have a great day with friends!
♥L

(these are just a few pictures from our recent trip to Cuba)

January 22nd, 2010 § 0

Right now I am in Kyoto, Japan and heading to explore the island of Naoshima, an island filled with amazing contemporary art and architecture. I am sure I will have lots to post about when I return!!!

I just want to say, I am so thankful for all of my beautiful and loving friends!
A few days before leaving on my travels I met up with my besties and we ended up talking the entire night until the sun began to rise. As we all grow up and life gets more and more complicated it is so refreshing to know that really nothing has changed even though everything really has. Does that make sense?
Love you guys!!!

My friends and family have always been so supportive whenever I’ve had any art events or openings. Recently I had an art event at my studio where several of my closest friends and family came out. These are just a few of the arrangements I put together for them.

In these I’ve used roses, calla lilies, parrot tulips, berries, freesia, pine cones and my absolute favorite, mimosa. A little bit of colour is much needed during these months!

Enjoy!!
LJW

“I get by with a little help from my friends.”
~ John Lennon

January 15th, 2010 § 4

TheLighthouse

Today I picked up my wedding dress… from the cleaners.
It had been so long since I dropped it off that I almost forgot about it… my AMAZING Lela Rose ‘Light House’ dress!

I knew instantly that I was going to walk down the aisle in one of Lela Rose’s dresses. Her sophisticated yet understated design and her use of non traditional fabrics really embodied everything I wanted in a dress. My dress was the one thing that I really splurged on. But how could I not? It was the most perfect piece of clothing I have ever worn!

I am so thankful for the wonderful people at White who helped me make my agonizing decision between my two chosen dresses (so beautifully named, Light House and The Pond). I by far made the right choice! Thank-you White and especially Andrea Anastasiou for making the experience so enjoyable!!!

All the dresses at White are exquisite, but my favorite choice of course is Lela Rose. Maybe I am biased since she studied as a painter and a sculptor first before entering the fashion world, but really her dresses are so unique and refreshing!

These are just a few of my favorites. I’ve also included a few images of the incredible box that came with the dress, such a nice touch and great for storing all your memories from the day.
Enjoy!
♥ LJW

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Laura Jane Wood

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