bouquet of lilacs, 'putamayo' carnations, hellebores, sweet peas and clematis

i'm so tired today i want to cry. this morning was my first morning working out in a really intense way. i was up at 5:30am for a 6:00am soul cycle spin class. pure utter torture. arms. arms. now double time! pedal. pedal. i left the studio with sia stuck in my head -- "hey i heard you were a wild one, ooh...."

and before i pass out tonight, i wanted to share this bouquet. when i have consults with brides, i get a lot of "i don't like carnations" or "anything but carnations". i get it. we largely see garishly colored carnations mixed with baby's breath and leather leaf ferns being pushed out from those big box flower companies -- not so pleasing. but i'm noticing a renewed interest from designers to elevate the carnation's status (see the summer 2012 issue of martha stewart weddings). and i'm buying what they're selling. carnations can look very upscale when accompanied by more luxurious flowers and they're inexpensive. look at this week's bouquet and last week's too. give them a second chance.