Lunchbox Specialties

My current obsession is with the Bento Box Lunch trend popping up everywhere! For those that have missed me the memo I'm the mom of two boys that are growing what seems like a inch every day. As with everything that I do I want things to be fun, lively and creative for my guys.  You only get to be a kid once so why not have a little fun here and there.

The Yumbox Lunch is what I currently have my eye on for my 4 year old. All of the compartments give you a multitude of options to create a healthy lunch box with good portions. TC (as he will forever be known) suffers from several food allergies at the moment so lunch or heck any meal is a challenge in our house. So, to make it enticing for him to eat this mom/dad has their work cut out for them.

http://www.yumboxlunch.com/
Seriously what  kid would not want their sandwich made into a Pirate or a Fish!

Outside of the mission of finding the perfect Bento box I'm also on the hunt for all of props for the box. One thing you don't want to have is a chocking hazard in your son/daughters lunch box. I've seen the traditional tooth picks that are swords or varying colors but I don't know about your 4year old but my 4 year old would likely lance himself or his little friends with any sharp items in the box.  Pinterest has taught me that when looking for the right skewer for your box lunch you want to go with longer skewers made of plastic that are easily reusable and NOT a choking hazard.... CLEARLY. Cookie cutters and even play dough cutters are also great tools when coming up with fun designs along the way.

I'll be sure to post some fun food designs along the way as I believe presentation is EVERYTHING!

Gift Beautifully,
Msqrddesigns

Shaking off the Cobwebs

Its been a long time since I've posted here and it seems that I was actually on to something and gaining a little momentum in 2009! Lots of updates have happened since this blogs inception. Several years of marriage, 2 kids, 2 homes a partridge and a pear tree! Full re branding on the horizon but Msquared will live on!

New Developments coming soon!!

Updates!

Sorry to say I don't have any updates to offer. My Floral Design class has ended and I don't have any upcoming prospects. I think I will be spending this time honing my craft, building industry relationships and marketing M Squared Floral Design. As you can see I'm thinking of changing the name from MSQRD to the more formal M Squared Floral Design. I fear the letters are getting lost in translation. I am hopeful to put together a summer photo shoot so that I can get some promising shots of my work for my website. That's about it for now.
Love ya mean it!
M2

Wedding April 2009

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of providing the bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets and grooms boutonniere for my a lovely MD couple. The bride chose a very feminine yet contemporary palette of pale pink and chocolate. The brides bouquet consisted three varying shades of pink roses, miniature pink calla lily's and stephanotis. The bouquet was accented with pearl detail and rhinestone flower jewelery. The bridesmaid bouquets were pink and white carnations accented with pink roses. The grooms boutonniere was a simple yet classic white rose with stephanotis accent.

I learned a great deal by doing this wedding. It was an arduous two process with many ups and downs however I believe the final photos speak for themselves.

All photos courtesy of Roxie Photos. Special thanks to Memoire Events Wedding and Event planning service. Thanks LADIES!!!

Inspired by the Sea

I am in phase 3 of my floral design class. Our latest assignment was to create a full table scape of your own design. The only information we were given was that the flowers would be green and white. The rest was up to you. My immediate thoughts were YES! I can finally bring my vision to life. It is often difficult to convey my true vision when confined by the stipulations of the instructor but this was my chance to show what I was really made of.

I drew my inspiration from different shades of sea glass, green apples and sail boats. Sounds that an unconventional pairing but that's me! The arrangements utilized the quite contemporary jade roses, classic cream vendala roses, baby green hydrangea and hypericum berries. I utilized a aquamarine charger with a classic white base plate to pull together the design. I engulfed the table in a white chord reminiscent of what you would find at any nautical destination. For a bit of pop I scattered fresh green apples throughout the table scape to accent the jade roses.

Let me know what you think!

Slacker

OK.
Now, I was on a good roll there for a while but I have now fallen off the blogging band wagon. I am hereby resolving that I will put forth an earnest effort to blog at least once a week. It is my hope that I will have more to show and tell come February when my Floral Design class starts up again. For those of you that actually follow my rants and raves I sincerely apologize for my deviant, slacker like behavior :-)

2009 here we come

A new year has come upon us. What will your legacy be in 2009? Lose 10lbs, start that business you've always wanted, enter a new career, plant a garden, return to church????

Whatever you want to do this year I challenge you to follow your wants, dreams and desires. I am learning that you never know what the future may hold for you. There are many miracles out there just waiting for you to claim them. I have faith and I hope you do too!

Love ya, Mean It!
M2

Intorducing I Love Sweet Eats!

I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to a fellow baker and family friend. Khalia Spivey native Washingtonian and Howard University Alum has began her own booming baking business servicing the local Raleigh Community. Ms.Spivey offers a diverse repertoire of of classic baked confections to suit any and all palettes. from seasonal breads, cobblers, cookies and cakes. Did I mention that all of the I love Sweet Eats items are offered at VERY reasonable prices.

If you are ever in need of something sweet please be sure to keep her in mind!
Check out her newly launched website for detailed pricing and information.

http://ilovesweeteats.com/

Did I mention I bake...

For those of you don't know I am a self proclaimed cake connoisseur. I love cake. However, I do not love all cakes I have been told that I am a cake racist as I discriminate against certain frosting and fruit fillings. I am not sure where this love began but it has developed into a slight baking talent. Most girls dream of their wedding dress yet I dreamed of cake. Standing at 6' tall and my husband at 6'7 I knew I needed a big cake. Thankfully the staff at Sugar Bakers in Baltimore were able to make cake dreams come true with a four tier butter cream confection with approximately 200 white and cream roses between the tiers. It was a absolute show stopper!
Now, my creations are by no means as grand but they definitely leave a impact! My specialty cakes for the past few years have been my "One shot over the top Rum Cakes". These cakes have become a family and friend favorite. My newest edition to my repertoire is the Baileys Irish Cream cake(do you notice a trend).... A true blogger would share the recipe but I just can't do it. Its a secret that only I know. Sorry :-)

If you have any recipes that you want to share with the world please post a comment and share your secrets! BTW my cakes are for sale for a nominal fee.

My Floral role models

Now, there have been many people in my life who I would love to be like. Mom-the eternal optimist, Dad-the social butterfly, Sister-the fashionable one, Husband-Best all around and many others who will likely be mentioned at a later date. However I thought it would be beneficial to those of you out there to understand where I would love to go with this Floral and Event Design business.

First up we have David Tutera http://www.davidtutera.com/. David Tutera has become a phenom in party planning working with such clients as Star Jones, Antonio Pierce, Jennifer Lopez, and Al Gore to name a few. He can now be spotted on WE TVs "My Fair Wedding".

Next up is Preston Bailey http://www.prestonbailey.com/default.htm. I have no idea how he can accomplish these outrageous floral sculptures but I LOVE them. He can make a dog out of flowers.. FLOWERS. When I grow up I want to be like Preston Bailey!

Both of these men have taken something which is seemingly so simple and catapulted it to a place far beyond the average persons imagination. These are no longer just flowers or centerpieces. Its a mood, a feeling, a vibe, a statement.

**All images courtesy of Preston Bailey and David Tutera websites**

Tropicals

In my floral design class we have ventured into the world of Tropicals. Last week we did our first arrangement utilizing only tropical flowers. I have to admit that I was a little nervous creating this arrangement as I tend to favor more contemporary monochromatic designs where I can intermingle a variety of flowers within the same color palette. However, I was quite surprised with the outcome. This piece showcases Birds of Paradise and Dendrobium Orchids.

Pink and Orange Inspiration

Here are few of my Pink and Orange aka Ashleigh inspired floral arrangements. My good friend Ashleigh is one of the girliest girly girls I know. Her favorite color is of course pink with acceptable accents of green. When she began dating her now fiance Todd whose favorite color is orange I figured I would come up with something that could marry the two of them in the form of flowers. I utilizes orange and coral Coses with pink Carnations, Gerber daisies and Asiatic lilies. I am in the process of coming up with her bouquet design for their September 2009 wedding. Stay tuned for what may come...

My own wedding

On August 1, 2008 I married the man of my dreams. During the always arduous wedding planning process the design of the day was constantly the bane to my existence. I think we wen through a total of 5 "feels" for the wedding only to end up with my original design aesthetic of modern. clean, and contemporary. For the floral centerpieces we came up with one green submerged cymbidium orchid for the rectangular tables and clear stem vases with one cymbidium and black river rocks. Now, with every brides day everything doesn't always turn out as you would have liked. In my case I envisioned a abundance of votives to go on the table(and by the way bought approximately 7 votives to go on each table)and yet when I entered the ballroom I see 4... 4 votives. Not my vision but at that point what was I to do.

I will freely admit that I was not interested to heavily in my bouquet other than the fact that I wanted it to be white and cream and in a dome shape. Many people did not understand my vision and wanted me to add in colors but you be the judge and tell me if my all white bouquet worked.

All of the million decisions and design ideas are what have catupulted me on this journey. Who knew gettting married could lead me down this path of self discovery.

Welcome!

Greeting to all that have found your way here today! My name is Monica Miller and this is my first shot at the world of the blog. On this site you will find my transition and transformation into a event and floral designer. At this point I am still a novice but I am working and learning as much as I can from whomever I can. I am open and willing to take advice, criticsm from all areas and avenues so please feel free to share your thoughts.

Love you. Mean it!