Sarah, Author at jojotastic

A Textural Centerpiece Made of Spring Vegetables | DIY

March 24, 2020August 27, 2020By SarahPosted in DIY, flowers

A quick note: It’s been challenging to balance sharing posts about coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and also posts that inspire you to try new things. We concepted, photographed, and wrote this post before the outbreak, but decided to share it today in order to help take your mind off things. I always want this blog to be a source of inspiration and information, so I really appreciate you continuing to follow and support Jojotastic during these uncertain times. — Joanna

One of my favorite things about working with Joanna on these floral DIYs is all the crazy ideas she comes up with. A few examples include the peonies overflowing from the window of a vintage BMW and the floral installation we hung from the light fixture in her dining room — both of which took tons of creative vision on her part and were easily two of my favorite floral projects ever. When Joanna shared her idea of a flower arrangement made entirely of spring vegetables, I was pretttty skeptical. I went for it anyways and it was so much fun… and also a creative and practical challenge that I enjoyed tackling. After a bit of trial and error, we were both really pleased with the results!

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A Pastel Hued Modern Flower Arrangement for Valentine’s Day | DIY

February 7, 2020August 27, 2020By SarahPosted in DIY, flowers

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day in your house? I love any excuse to celebrate, but my floral business usually consumes most of February 14th, so this year we’re planning a cozy evening in. I’m breaking out my Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking cookbook and I’ve already bought a lovely bottle of Italian wine that we’re really looking forward to.

I’ve shared a few Valentine’s Day-inspired tutorials in the past, including these pretty bouquets perfect for giving your bestie and this centerpiece to adorn a table for two. So this year, Joanna and I wanted to change things up and try a modern flower arrangement that felt more like an installation. The result is dramatic and unexpected — but still easy to recreate yourself. Here’s how!

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Rustic Foraged Evergreen Centerpiece | DIY

December 11, 2019August 28, 2020By SarahPosted in DIY, flowers, holidays

What did you think of Joanna’s holiday tablescape yesterday? Personally, I love the festive simplicity of it. The holidays always come with so much bling and sparkle, sometimes it’s nice to embrace a palette cleanser and tone things down, ya know? I think there’s so much beauty in that. Today, I am sharing a foraged evergreen centerpiece tutorial that’s so simple and easy to recreate. With Joanna’s Scandinavian woodland Christmas theme in mind, I knew the primary goal was to have our centerpiece be a little reflection of the forest. After all, here in the PNW, that isn’t hard to achieve! In fact, all of the greenery we used was foraged, except for the juniper.

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How To Make a Modern Christmas Bough | DIY

November 25, 2019June 9, 2021By SarahPosted in DIY

I always love a good wreath for the holidays, but this year Joanna had the great idea to try something different, specifically a bough (as in “deck the halls with boughs of holly”). I love the way this holiday decor option still incorporates all the natural elements of a wreath, but offers a different shape to work with. A Christmas bough can stand on it’s own on a wall or door, but can also sit atop artwork or a mirror, adding holiday charm to any space.

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A Modern Thanksgiving Centerpiece with Dried Flowers | DIY

November 20, 2019August 28, 2020By SarahPosted in DIY, flowers, holidays

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is just over a week away. How are you preparing? When I’m creating flower arrangements in the fall, I really enjoy incorporating the beauty of the rich golds and browns and the crispy textures of dried foliage and florals in my designs. I used to balk at dried botanicals as I mentally categorized them with bowls of potpourri and lace doilies (all of which have great potential in the right context). But now, each autumn I’m more and more inspired by the beauty they exhibit and I think they can actually be used to create a very modern Thanksgiving centerpiece!

BTW, I’ll be hosting a wreath workshop on December 3rd at OOLA Distillery in Capitol Hill. If you live in the Seattle area, we’d love for you to join us. We’ll be making wreaths from blue spruce, cypress and juniper to create a unique, fragrant beauty to adorn your home for the holidays, all while sipping on hand crafted hot toddies featuring OOLA spirits. Click here for more details and tickets.

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How to Make a Hanging Floral Installation with Dried Botanicals | DIY

October 23, 2019August 28, 2020By SarahPosted in DIY, flowers

It’s been a while since Joanna and I collaborated on a floral tutorial here on the blog, mostly because of how hectic her life has been this year! So when she shared with me the concept of sharing a hanging floral installation, I was 100% on board and so excited to execute it. Usually my day-to-day floral work involves artisanal bouquets for a subscription service (more on that here!), so stepping outside of the box is a treat.

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9 Flower Arranging Tips from a Floral Designer Pro

January 31, 2019August 31, 2020By SarahPosted in flowers

I’ve been obsessed with florals for as long as I can remember. I am someone who has always keeps fresh flowers in my home. Now with my professional florist business, I can encourage others to do the same. You can imagine just how many flower arranging tips I’ve collected over the years — and long before I became the professional floral designer behind The Stemmery! Now that I work with flowers all of the time, I’ve learned even more about how to create a beautiful arrangement at home and how to care for your flowers to help them live as long as possible. Joanna asked me to change things up and share my favorite tips instead of sharing a floral tutorial this month.

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