You will need:
First, trim your floral foam
To fit your container. 
Next, anchor the floral foam with waterproof floral tape. 
You may find it helpful to create a grid to help with your arranging too. 
Next, fill sink with water...
Leave your container submerged for 25 to 30 minutes to allow the foam to soak up water. This helps keep your flowers hydrated. Make sure your bouquets are in water while you wait too!
Now the fun part! Start adding flowers. I like to start with the largest blooms, giving each one a fresh cut just before I plunge it into the floral foam. It helps to add one kind of flower at a time. Here, I began with pincushion protea first...
Then added sunflowers...
Then gladiolas, ginger, and finally I filled in the remaining gaps with greenery. 
Here are the completed centerpieces. 
If you water these every day like a houseplant, they will last about a week. 
Add some white tablecloths, candle light, great food and lovely company and you've cooked up a beautiful party! Enjoy!
by Olivia Cockett who may or may not be a distant relative of mine (my grandmother was a Cockett from England). The book is made up published entries from Olivia's daily, war time diaries from 1939-1942. Despite the significant differences our lives have, I'm constantly amazed by how much she and I have in common in regards to how we live our lives, our political views and our social views. I'm so glad I snagged this book from my mom when I was last home (she couldn't "get into it")."
Perhaps a striped duvet set from Dwell Studio to freshen up your bedroom?
I couldn't resist this cheerful place setting from Lacoste & Working Class Studio.
The Red Tent
: Skillfully interweaving biblical tales with events and characters of her own invention, Diamant's sweeping first novel re-creates the life of Dinah, daughter of Leah and Jacob, from her birth and happy childhood in Mesopotamia through her years in Canaan and death in Egypt. When Dinah reaches puberty and enters the Red Tent (the place women visit to give birth or have their monthly periods), her mother and Jacob's three other wives initiate her into the religious and sexual practices of the tribe. Diamant sympathetically describes Dinah's doomed relationship with Shalem, son of a ruler of Shechem, and his brutal death at the hands of her brothers. Following the events in Canaan, a pregnant Dinah travels to Egypt, where she becomes a noted midwife. Diamant has written a thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating portrait of a fascinating woman and the life she might have lived. -Nancy Pearl
: Eating the cake her mother has prepared for her ninth birthday, Rose Edelstein discovers she has a gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the food she prepares. Soon, every bite Rose takes is filled with feelings—not just her mother’s but those of other people as well—and what might have been a gift becomes a burden and then, perhaps, a curse. Because this is a novel rooted in family, Rose will learn that she is not the only Edelstein with a peculiar gift or burden. How she and others learn to cope—or not, as the case may be—is the small, sad story Rose shares. Bender’s earlier work has often been described as surrealistic; however, this novel seems more informed by a kind of magical realism that struggles with transformation and sometimes—fleetingly—succeeds, as in the case of the novel’s vividly realized Los Angeles setting. But the effect soon fades, and the reader is left only with a lingering feeling of emptiness and the realization that sadness tastes a lot like bitterness. --Michael Cart
The Historian: 
Considering the recent rush of door-stopping historical novels, first-timer Kostova is getting a big launch—fortunately, a lot here lives up to the hype. In 1972, a 16-year-old American living in Amsterdam finds a mysterious book in her diplomat father's library. The book is ancient, blank except for a sinister woodcut of a dragon and the word "Drakulya," but it's the letters tucked inside, dated 1930 and addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," that really pique her curiosity. Her widowed father, Paul, reluctantly provides pieces of a chilling story; it seems this ominous little book has a way of forcing itself on its owners, with terrifying results. Paul's former adviser at Oxford, Professor Rossi, became obsessed with researching Dracula and was convinced that he remained alive. When Rossi disappeared, Paul continued his quest with the help of another scholar, Helen, who had her own reasons for seeking the truth. As Paul relates these stories to his daughter, she secretly begins her own research. Kostova builds suspense by revealing the threads of her story as the narrator discovers them: what she's told, what she reads in old letters and, of course, what she discovers directly when the legendary threat of Dracula looms. Along with all the fascinating historical information, there's also a mounting casualty count, and the big showdown amps up the drama by pulling at the heartstrings at the same time it revels in the gruesome. Exotic locales, tantalizing history, a family legacy and a love of the bloodthirsty: it's hard to imagine that readers won't be bitten, too. -Publisher's Weekly
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
: The titular Oscar is a 300-pound-plus "lovesick ghetto nerd" with zero game (except for Dungeons & Dragons) who cranks out pages of fantasy fiction with the hopes of becoming a Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien. The book is also the story of a multi-generational family curse that courses through the book, leaving troubles and tragedy in its wake. This was the most dynamic, entertaining, and achingly heartfelt novel I've read in a long time. My head is still buzzing with the memory of dozens of killer passages that I dog-eared throughout the book. The rope-a-dope narrative is funny, hip, tragic, soulful, and bursting with desire. Make some room for Oscar Wao on your bookshelf--you won't be disappointed. -Brad Thomas Parsons
For Halloween this year, she's decided to forgo a costume and don a mysterious and outrageous Mask . There is something quite sexy about it! (Better than those idiotic cheerleader costumes by a long shot.)
Her rule of thumb when selecting art worthy of Miss "Let them Eat Cake"? The sillier the hat, the better. This Goldfish Chapeau is her favorite, but it was difficult to choose. The Lobster is a close second. 
Fancicul Floral plates are her favorite serving pieces. Add a ribbon and they double as wall adornment!
Elaborate Calling Cards are a flirty way to exchange information without resorting to i-phone bumping.
This Antique Cameo adds a bit of old fashioned frippery and a subtle nod to the past. She wears it strung on a long blue silk ribbon and lets the ends trail down her back. 
Fanciful touches make this Ruffled brazierre
Eric was asking me what it is about non-fiction that I love so well, and I've struggled to answer this question myself. I think I am narrowing in on an answer at last- I have a fascination with fearlessness, devotion and exploration. I love to read about people who felt such passion and love for something that they would risk everything in it's pursuit, and I love to peek behind the veil of their public persona to learn how their journey began. 
makes juicy reading for someone enamored of those topics. Einstein was a household name by the 1930's, with crowds of hundreds of thousands meeting him at train stations and elbowing into standing room only theaters to hear him explain the theory of relativity. He enjoyed playing the role of absent minded professor, but he was also an intensely stubborn, rebellious and sometimes impetuous man.
In reply to my post about the Marlin mailbox in my neighborhood, my mum sent along this photo of a Walleye mailbox in hers. It doesn't get more Minnesotan than that, dontchya know! Send me your funny mailboxes too- I'd love to share 'em!
Her classic trench is indespensible in the London Fog.
And underneath is her Screenprint dress. It's really the perfect thing to wear in this town- whimsical but quite proper too.
This Big Ben Print reminded her of a Madeline illustration and inspired her to take a heli tour of the city. (It was glorious- she felt like Mary Poppins up there!)
At last! It's time for tea. As a devoted Anglophile, she appreciates all the accessories afternoon tea demands, right down to the demitasse spoons.
This swoon-worthy Cake Stand looks even better covered with sandwiches, scones and petit fours. Cheerio!
