2 comments about Flower Arranging.

1. In this tiny (and relatively inexpensive) book, you will find all the technical information needed to work with fresh and dried flowers. It is jam-packed with illustrations and examples. I find myself returning to this book time and time again. If you are looking for one source with detailed techniques to work with flowers, this is it! This book is perfectly complemented by Judith Blacklocks' Teach Yourself Flower Arranging, which covers the style and design aspects.



2. I hoped to find a step by step guide to flower arranging and instead I found an extensive list of flowers (fresh and dried) without any practical explanation on how to arrange them. The full book is about flower arrangements theory.Flower Arranging

No comments about Wedding Flowers: Twenty Romantic Themes and More Than Sixty Beautiful Floral Creations for a Very Special Day.

3 comments about Paula Pryke's Wreaths & Garlands.

1. Super book of ideas. Very colorful. IN great shape and shipping was timely.



2. What can I say I am a big Paula Pryke fan! So far every book I have purchased by her I have adored and this one is no exception! Her expertise in her field is beyond compare and I always find something new and exciting in her work and it gets my creative juices flowing. She is just one of the best in the field of floral design. You just can't make a mistake by purchasing any of her books, so buy with complete confidence that you have just purchased a treasure. I know I do. Thanks Paula for being so skilled in your profession I look forward to each new book and discoveries of older releases.
   Sincerely,
   Deborah Loisel



3. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE BOOK. I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE MORE INFORMATION OR PICTURES. MAINLY THE BOOK IS USING REAL FRUITS TO MAKE THE WREATH. NOT WORTH THE PRICE.

2 comments about Tasty Tables.

1. Buy this book for inspiration but not help on execution. The beautiful photos will arouse an advanced, artisic, table-setting eye, but you should be already adept at assembly. I discovered a few simple concepts that I can execute -- such as blowing out Easter eggs and using them as small vases. But many of the arrangements and centerpieces are much too complicated to attempt without instructions.
   
   Not to be picky, but these tasty tables often leave no room for actually serving food. Van Wesemael's arrangements often dominate the table, making them more suitable for formal charity dinners with wait staff, than dining at home. Overall, the designer's European aesthetic is sophisticated country, working well in both city apartments and country getaways. The designer frequently combines flowers with vegetables, a favorite concept of mine.
   
   Here's a link to Van Wesemael's lovely website [...]



2. This book was just ok. The photos were blurry and it was not what I expected. I gave it to a friend.

No comments about Wedding Cakes and Flowers.

1 comments about Wreathmaking for the first time (For the First Time).

1. This book contains some of the most extraordinary weaths I have seen! The projects are fun and easy to create.

1 comments about Victoria Flower Style: Arrangements for Every Occasion.

1. Flower Style is the perfect book for anyone looking to create beautiful arrangements for their own home. Diane Wagner the author has laid out this book perfectly with easy to follow instructions and illustrations. This is a fun gift for anyone who loves flowers and the flower photography is amazing!!

1 comments about International Annual of Floral Art 06/07.

1. This book is inspiring! It set my mind reeling with the possibilities in this medium! I like it so much I have ordered last year's book and can't wait for it to arrive. I was also delighted to see a sense of humor emerge in some of the designs! Floral art can express more than love, apologies and sympathy. This book is eye-opening!

5 comments about Fast Flower Arranging.

1. Jane Packer could not have made this book any easier nor user friendly!! Our sorority cancelled the florist we hired for rush when we found this book. We did all the flowers ourselves and they were stunning!! Great for a coffee table book as well.



2. I have just discovered this book and I really appreciate its presentation. The arrangements are really fast, simple and beautiful through their simplicity. This books clashes with the traditional books on the subject which aim sophistication or grand effects at a high expense. The introduction about the most used flowers is short but clever. Skimming through the book is very inspiring. I don't think it as a coffee table book, but as a resource for inspiration for daily arrangements. And I like the fact that most arrangements presented here are not made with 6 dozen of flowers. I have just made the first arrangement with daffodils (4 USD worth), a small terracotta pot and moss. The result is gorgeous.



3. I once flipped through Jane Packer's Complete Guide to Flower Arranging while in a bookstore. It was a nice book, but it didn't inspire me enough to purchase it. This book, however, seemed to be getting rave reviews so although I couldn't find it in the store, I took the chance to order it. What a surprise! A beautiful book that exceeded my expectations. Much better than the Complete Guide to Flower Arranging, this has some very modern and all easy-to-create arrangements. As a floral designer, I sometimes pick up books here and there for inspiration to use in my business. However, lately I haven't found much to inspire me. This little book is superb. Some fresh ideas to get me restarted (and to get all those budding and would-be designers started). Kudos to Jane and her photographers.



4. I absolutely love this book! The arrangings are very easy to recreate. They are modern, unfussy and colorful. They show the difference between putting flowers in a vase and decorating with flowers. It just takes a few minutes to go from the former to the latter, as Ms. Packer demonstrates in this book.



5. I purchased this book based on the other reviews and am sorry I did. The seller I bought it from provided excellent service and fast shipping. The book itself is a huge disappointment. Based on the other reviews, I expected the book to contain great ideas and stunning arrangements. It has neither. I do not recommend this book.

5 comments about Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arrangement.

1. This is a clearly written, well thought out explanation of the basics of Ikebana. The photographs demonstrating the combinations of materials, and their height relative to each other, are great as examples for beginners. Many ikebana teachers don't speak English well, so this book is useful for a cross reference for something you were taught in class. One problem - there are many schools of ikebana so the book has to be quite generic in its explanations, which is not necessarily how your particular school may approach a certain principle. But again, as a study supplement to a class, it works well.



2. I got this book to go with Origami Flowers by Hiromi Hayashi. Reiko Takenaka does a good job explaining how to make an arrangement that looks like the pictures, with step by step instructions and clear diagrams. Some of the containers seem to clash with the flowers, and some of the special occasions arrangements are lost in translation for someone not intimately familiar with Japanese culture like me. My only real criticism, however, is that the book does not really explain any principles about why and how and what looks good - it's more a menu to find an arrangement that looks nice in the picture and repeat it.



3. The problem with this book is that most of the shown arrangements are plainly not beautiful. They don't look balanced as real ikebana should look, containers don't seem suitable for flowers, color combinations are not always harmonious, and in many cases it is not clear why this is called ikebana at all. There are some pieces of useful information such as diagrams, tools, and tips, but I don't think it reasonable to buy the book for those 10 pages (like I did).
   There is a really great book on ikebana: "The art of arranging flowers; a complete guide to Japanese ikebana" by Shozo Sato, but it is out of print I am afraid. For examples of good ikebana look at these sites: http://www.nihonkoryu.org/, http://homepages.stmartin.edu/fac_staff/elias/index.htm, http://www.ikebanahq.org/



4. I teach classes in regular floral design and needed something to be a little different and this was it.



5. I am a newcomer to flower arranging but I want my arrangements to look professional. This book is perfect for people like me -- the author tells you exactly what you need, what tools, what equipment, what plant and accessory materials, and then shows you step-by-step where to place each piece of the arrangement. I have varied my plant materials and accessories according to what I could find in my area, and the arrangements have been stunning. A book that explains the philosophy behind Ikebana would complement this book.