What a Year!

This year has been a roller coaster. After Halfyard Designs moved, we were faced with the LOOOONG process of simplifying! This year that has been my mantra. Simplify, simplify, simplify!

To start that process, we decided to flush the business of what wasn't working. We took a look at the market. There are A LOT of decor companies in the lower mainland. And quite honestly, I don't want to compete with that, especially in the linen department. So, we sold off ALL of our chair covers, sashes, runners and overlays (of course keeping a few for my fabulous dinner parties!)

Since doing so, my life seems so much more organized and definitely less chaotic! Everything is in it's place.

Now, I still carry glassware and arches and such. I just decided to get rid of anything not floral related. I figured, flowers are my passion, so why not make my entire business my passion. Which is exactly what I did!

So, what has Halfyard Designs been up to? Well, the highlight was definitely the BC Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony! Way back in March, I was approached about doing the centerpieces for the Banquet, thanks to a plug from photograher Erin Gilmore (who is also the editor and creator of Aislewalk Magazine!) I was immediately interested, as I love sports! Especially hockey, and knowing Trevor Linden and Roberto Luongo would be there was a BIG plus! So, I was brought on board, and with the help of a few associates, it went off without a hitch and I have a fantastic photo to prove it!












Another highlight, which I can't speak too much about, is the photo shoots for Aislewalk Magazine. All I can say is WOW!!! The floral shoot was fabulous and you'll just have to wait to get your 2012 copy. But trust me! It is SO worth the wait!

Moving is finished!

OK, so after a hectic 2010, we decided to find a new home, personally and for the business. We bought a house in August and as of January 15 2011, Halfyard Designs has a new permanent home.

With the stress of moving, we were able to get rid of a lot of mismatched or defective inventory. So, 2011 will be a new start not just in a new location, but with what we are going to be offering our treasured clients! As well as our branding!

Contact us to book your complimentary consultation today and check out the new office! Looking forward to another great season!

BC Aboriginal Business Awards

Halfyard Designs has been nominated for a BC Aboriginal Business Award!

For those who don't know, I am a proud Tsimshain business owner from Terrace, in northern BC. I know it sounds cliche, but to be even recognized is a great honor. We'll keep you posted!

Jackie and Russell Tie the Knot!

Last week Halfyard Designs had the pleasure of working with a very sweet English couple. Jackie came to me last season when working on a wedding set up at Brock House. We immediately clicked. This was followed by a consultation in which we came up with the perfect vision for her wedding and her mainly European guests. The count I heard in the end was 50 to 40 Canadians! Impressive!

Initially, I met with Jackie and her Mum. We decided on a natural West Coast theme, to show her many out of town guests the real beauty of BC. The natural setting of the Brock House grounds were complimented by ferns, willow and touches of white flowers.

Jackie and Russell, I had a fantastic time working with your vision. Best of luck to both of you!

ALOHA!

It's that time of year! Time to relax before the onslaught of weddings! OK, onslaught is probably a little dramatic, but at the end of a long day of designing and prep work, that's what it feels like!

So, my husband and I decided that we need a vacation before the wedding season starts. It clears my mind and totally relaxes me. But when you decide to go to Hawaii, in my profession, it's hard not to think of work. Our first time to Kauai in March of 2008 we said no work talk. Then we discovered the Allerton Gardens in Poipu, on the south side of Kauai. What an amazing garden! If you know me, you know I'm no gardener. But these were flowers and foliage that I have always dreamed of seeing in person, in their natural habitat, growing in tropical soil! Heliconia, palms and orchids! As a result, I couldn't not talk about work! We're going again in 3 weeks for 2 glorious weeks. So, in anticipation of this trip, I thought I would share with you what we experienced at the Allerton Garden last March. We were told there is even more in bloom in May, so we are very excited! Enjoy the pictures. If you ever have the chance to go to Kauai, I highly recommend this garden!

Heliconia is one of the flowers I was most excited to see!

This amazing tree is a Monkey Pod tree! One of the coolest trees you'll ever see!

And of course there are orchids!

Gorgeous! I love texture!!!

A view from the bottom of the hill. The bougainvillea was just starting to bloom. Next month they will be flourishing!

Another gorgeous orchid! I believe this is a catelaya.

A view of the canopy of Allerton Gardens. In the foreground is Bougainvillea. To the right is the African tulip trees, which are considered weeds. They're everywhere! If that's a weed, I'll take 10!  

Some more stunning orchids!

And of course, a hibiscus! This one was about the size of my hand!

I just LOVE the texture and colour of the bark!

New in 2010!!

So, this year Halfyard Designs is taking on a new venture. More to come soon!!!

Brotherly Love

So, after my sisters Terrace wedding, we came home to do the wedding show, which was a huge success! I knew my brother was getting married but once the wedding show was finished, I realized that his Red Deer wedding was only 6 weeks away!

So, after talking to my future sister in law, I was told the colours they wanted and that's it! The rest was up to me! That's the great thing about family. They totally trusted my judgement. So, we did a mix of yellow dendrobium orchids, cream hydrangea, green berries, green mums and yellow roses, to go with the brown and deep teal.

It was a fantastic day of giving them what they wanted and going beyond their expectations. It was great to be with family and close friends to celebrate yet another addition to our family. Congrats Randy and Jenn!

Brock House Wedding Show!!!

In October, Halfyard Designs had the opportunity to be a part of the Brock House Wedding Show! As always, it was amazing! Such a unique bunch of vendors that I am ecstatic to be a part of!

Some of my favourite vendors included 'I Do' Wedding Photography (my dear friend Barbara Casey), Sweet Thea cakes, and of course Gail and Kim of the Brock House Restaurant! The event was very successful thanks to the hard work of all the ladies at Dreamgroup Productions!

Here's to another successful year, in 2010!

Sisterly love!

In the third week of September, I got a phone call from my sister who said she was getting married in our hometown of Terrace. I said, "That's great!" She said she was getting married at Thanksgiving! I said, "You liar!" She wasn't lying!

So, I had three weeks to come up with decor and flower ideas. Megan let me know that all she wanted was the colour turquoise. She has seen my work and worked with me before so she trusted me to do whatever I wanted! Ha! So fun! Right away, I thought of a wedding I did in May of 2008, that incorporated turquoise and peacock feathers, which I absolutely loved. So we settled on turquoise, purple, jade and chocolate brown. And it was emotionally beautiful! After the groom missed his flight due to Air Canada's Jazz's entire computer system going down, they were able to get him a flight to Smithers, where he was able to drive into Terrace. So, we started 2 and half hours late! But he got to Terrace and it all made for great stories!

Megan and Dallas, it really was an honor to be able to work with you on your wedding. We laughed, we cried, we almost lost it (almost!) but it turned out great and I wouldn't change a thing! Congratulations to my sister and new brother in law!

Anthony + Julie

So, another September 5th wedding! This one was special because the bride connected with me on Facebook of all places. I went to school and graduated with Julie in little old Terrace BC. When she asked if Halfyard Designs could do her Shaughnessy Golf Club wedding, I could not say no. She was a fellow Terracite after all!

Julie and Anthony live in San Jose, so we did a lot of our 'meetings' through the wonderful internet! She chose some beautiful colours and made great choices in flowers! And her attention to detail was shown throughout the venue. They had a wine theme going on, so their place cards for each guest stood on an individual cork. And each table was named after a varietal of grape! Very creative! But my favourite, which had nothing to do with wine, was the candy table! It was sweetly amazing!

The day of the wedding was even more special, as I was able to reconnect (albeit very quickly, as we did have 2 other weddings to set up) with a few more old high school classmates.

Congratulations Julie and Anthony! Thank you so much for asking me to be a part of your so important day!

* I'm not going to post all the photos, since I'm going to use Julie's wedding as a feature on my website. Stay tuned!