I hope you had a sparkling fourth of July!

I know we all have a loyal, head-over-heels, butterflies in the stomach kind of love for the South. Now think about the kind of love you feel for your very own state. Something undeniable, isn’t it?! Artists on Etsy feel the same way…

via Mandipidy

via tinyowlstudios

via MursBlanc

via fifidudie

The months of May and June seem to be a time of change for many be it a wedding, a birth, a graduation, you name it. Change means turning the concluding page of a really good chapter to then, with a thrill and a hope, find the first page of the next. While it is so exciting to begin that something new, we must allow ourselves to reminisce; allow ourselves a case of nostalgia, if you will. For the grad, newly wed, or whomever you may know facing change at the moment, help them commemorate that last chapter before moving onto the next with this sweet gift made my Nostalgia, organic soaps and toiletries. So precious!

Enjoy the long weekend, dears

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While we’ve been busy bees over here sending you your spring issues and jumping straight into the summer issue, we certainly don’t want to forget one very important detail….

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUTHERN FLOURISH!!

It’s true. The 2011 Spring Issue marks one year for SF. And we want to celebrate with YOU! What better time to reminisce than a birthday? So help us blow out the candles and make wishes come true! Tell us what your favorite articles and posts have been in this wonderful year together! What Southern treats have made you giddy with delight? Just leave a comment below! We can hardly wait to hear!

Another way to celebrate: Subscribe for your anniversary issue and join us as we grow through this next year!!

We’d like to welcome you to Thursday with a little dip behind the scenes with Beth LeonGuerrero, owner of WildFlowers, Inc. in Charleston, SC. With our Spring 2011 issue just around the corner, it is only right that we do so! She just so happens to have a lovely article in our upcoming issue so here is a sneak peek! Isn’t her work just gorgeous?!

How did you get into the field?

I showed an interest in floral design at a very young age, stealing flowers from neighbors’ gardens and arranging them in anything from perfume to soda bottles. I got a job delivering flowers in high school and benefitted from a lot of on the job training. It was only a few months before I was designing full time. I worked at various florists for almost 20 years before I took the initiative to start WildFlowers Inc.

What do you like most about it?

Always being around flowers. Flowers make me happy. Flowers make other people happy. The best moments are when I deliver a Bride her bouquet and she is brought to tears because it’s more beautiful than she imagined. 

What has been your favorite client/project?

There have been many. I always enjoy working on weddings. My favorites though are the clients that just let it go and leave the designs up to me. I truly care just as much about the flowers if not more. I can put more in to it if I’m allowed to use my creativity than emulate some predetermined template. Hint: They usually get a lot more for the money too, because I’m not just designing for them, I’m designing for me. 

What challenges have you faced?

Thanks to word of mouth and referrals my business grew exponentially very quickly. That has been a challenge because I probably skipped over a number of steps that would have been taken following a business plan. Being a creative soul, I have had to recognize my weaknesses in organization and administrative matters and had to teach myself discipline to address them. I’ve had to learn how to reign in my wandering mind from being distracted. I align myself with strong and smart business people to further compliment what I have to offer. 

What advice would you offer someone interested in the profession?

Intern with a business in the industry. There are design classes, but nothing will teach like actually doing it. I never took classes to learn the basics of design, however I take them to learn new techniques or advanced concepts. The best advice I can give anyone going into any creative field, not just floral design, is to know that your art is subjective. No matter how beautiful it is, not everyone will like it. Not all clients can be pleased. Understand that it’s ok to recognize if you are not a good fit for your client and vice versa. The sooner you learn that tough lesson the happier you will be in your business.

What are your three favorite blogs?

1. The Wedding Row
2. The Wedding Chicks
3. Southern Flourish (we like this one too )

What are your top three sources of inspiration?

1. Nature. Walking through the park or woods or along the beach.
2. Found objects and thrift stores.
3. Other types of art. Everything from traditional paintings & sculpture to fashion & interior design and everything in between. I love taking a work of art and interpreting ii in floral design.

Thanks so much for sharing, Beth! We can’t wait to see your article!

All this week, we’ll be highlighting some of our favorites from the Fall issue! First up, we want to highlight the gorgeous work of floral designer Beth and her team at WildFlowers. If you need flowers for any reason in Charleston, we highly recommend this talented lady! You know who else we love? David Despeaux…he shot all of the gorgeous photos from the cover story.

How fantastic do the flowers look next to the invite created by Sarah?! If you love this invite as much as we do, you may want to head over to Sarah’s etsy shop and grab one of your own!

If you thought we loved the monogram around here, you’re right. (Remember this post?) And now this timeless adornment has shown it can indeed keep up with the Jones’s. With a new iPhone app called 3initials, not even your iPhone can make it through Southern hands without surfacing with a monogram.

And VOILA!!

Today is the day! The start to the weekend AND The Romantics hits the movie theater! I don’t even have to see the movie trailer, just this delectable photo shoot the cast did with J. Crew, to know where I’ll land tonight. Shall we remember just how lovely of a pairing it really was? Somebody was brilliant…

Those long weekends seem to come at just the right time, and with it comes the license to chill. It’s hard to resist a good weekend floating on the lake, basking in the sun on the beach, or propping your feet up with good movies and friends at home. What did you do this weekend, my friend? Do you have any cool pictures from the weekend? We’d love to see them! Share them with us on our Facebook page!