Surprise....

Orange Orchids in The Boudoir

I have a client who lives in a fabulous seaside home in West Van...sometimes.
Most of the time she lives in Santa Barbara.

Burgundy Oncidium Orchids...

grace the sideboard in the dining room of her West Van Home.

But she is only here every few months for a week or two...

This was an installation that involved 20ft. ladders, 3 of us, and 6 hours....

Grasses, Ferns, Echevaria & Aloe fill a ledge below a skylight on the second level of this modern home built into the landscape

Here's the surprise.........These are all artificial.

Although artificial flowers and plants are not my thing particularly, I am very familiar with great suppliers of a high quality selection that I will bring in on a custom order basis. In addition to my background in designing set decoration flowers (which often need to incorporate fakes along with fresh) we also provide artificials for the real estate industry in display suites and sales centres. Interior designers or private clients are always welcome to come in for a consultation. Photos of your rooms can be emailed to hilarymilesflowers@shaw.ca & we will call you to book a consultation.

Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, you just have to fake it...

We're Having A Heat Wave...A Tropical Heat wave...

Lola

I am NOT complaining about the heat.....as a native of Vancouver, I am just a bit of a whiner sometimes. This is Lola passed out in the backyard enjoying the current heat wave. (She is a native of Mexico of course)

If any of us could get as comfortable as our dogs...even for a day...can you imagine?

A Midsummer Nights Dream Wedding

The colours of midsummer (late July and early August in Vancouver) are blues and purples. From the lightest sky shades to the deepest jewel tones of Sapphire and Amethyst. Some of the most beautiful local flower choices are Delphinium, Hydrangea, Lisianthus, Dahlias, Sweet Peas, Roses and Lavender.

The Head Table

A row of 6" square vases filled with Hydrangea, Lisianthus, Sweet Peas, Roses, Orchids, and Raspberry foliage.

The Pew Markers

Silk covered cones filled with a mix of blues & purples

The Church

Flowers framing the Bride and Groom

Pew Marker

These can be moved to the reception.....

NEW & EXCITING NEWS

We have new suppliers of oranically & locally grown heirloom Sweet Peas and French Lavender which are both fabulous right now! Look for our Sweet Pea availability leading us right into in Autumn, as our grower is planting now for the Fall harvest....The Lavender farm will also be supplying us with fresh and dried French Lavender, and locally made Lavender based soaps, scrubs, oils, and creams.

Reliving the Madness....Fantastic Challenges!

I have been recently talking with Sandy Walker (Set Dec) who is working on the upcoming feature film "Farewell Atlantis", starring John Cusack. While talking about the new film, we had some laughs reliving the challenges faced on one of the last films we worked on together - Fantastic 4 - Rise of the Silver Surfer.........

Bolt' em down boys....

Lola overseeing the production of the flowers...

Behind the Scenes....

This set was for the wedding of the 2 main characters, and had to stand for over a month in October in Vancouver...now, there is a challenge for a florist! Notwithstanding a helicopter crashing into the set, and a human fireball.

Never a dull moment!

ps: "Farewell Atlantis" may prove to have it's challenges too! Stay tuned....

Eureka!

Well, It's been a little bit busy....

Full House

This order was for set dec for an upcoming episode of the third season of the Sci Fi Series "Eureka" (www.scifi.com/eureka) which will air on August 19th. We also worked on props for this episode, but in the interest of discretion as the episode hasn't aired yet won't post any photos as they may give the plot away.

Extra work tables are in use, these arrangements are big and there are a lot of them... Lydia is almost hidden entirely behind the arrangement on the bottom left ( the white apron)

This Arrangement was designed to be destroyed...
Sometimes when I am designing flowers for the film industry there are unusual circumstances that require the flowers to be a wee bit more durable....I have worked on flower arrangements that have had motorcyles crash into them and/or helicopters fly into them. Guns, Bombs, floods, fire...pretty much any untoward situation you can imagine. In these situations the arrangements are usually composed primarily of artificial flowers with fresh foliage and a few fresh flowers, arranged in an unbreakable (or breakaway, depending on the scene) vessel. There are always duplicates or triplicates of each arrangement to allow for extra takes of the scene. In the arrangement pictured above, the only fresh components are the greens, the red Roses, the yellow Cymbidium Orchids, and the Casablanca Lilies....all else is as fake as the unbreakable faux stone fibreglass urn they are arranged in!

ps: Eureka is so fabulous to work on...Eric Gerlund & the set dec team are the best ever to work with. I have worked with Eric & his team for over 10 years on various TV Series, including Poltergeist: The Series; Millenium; Smallville; The Dead Zone; and for the last 3 years, Eureka

Always, Always, Always, a Huge Pleasure!

Goodbye Bill Vince

White Rose Wreaths

Last week, Bill Vince passed away at the much too young age of 44. Nominated for an Oscar for producing "Capote" starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, he was a much loved fresh talent that will be missed not only by family & friends, but by the film community worldwide. He recently completed "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" starring Heath Ledger in his last role before his untimely death last year.

Classic and Beautiful White Orchids & Calla Lilies

It has been our pleasure for the last year to provide the floral decor on a weekly basis at Infinity Features, a screening theatre for the film industry in which Bill was a partner. His memorial was also held here at 319 Main Street where his family wanted beautiful masculine masses of white flowers...Phalaenopsis Orchids & Calla Lilies. He loved boating with his children, so we also used seashells in the base of each clear glass vase.

We all wish Bill's family peace during this time, and our very deepest sympathy on the loss of such a talented, respected, and loved man.

Rest in Peace Bill.