Tracy's timeless bouquet shot with vintage-style love

Ashley Kidder of Urban Safari Photography recently shared her first wedding featuring a vintage, matte style and we're smitten with how she captured the bride's timeless bouquet at this February wedding for Tracy & Max.  

"I just love when brides choose simple yet stunning and classic bouquets," says Kidder. "I especially love all-white bouquets. They're just pure and perfect." 

Another one of her favorite details was how Tracy attached the wedding rings from both of her grandmothers on the bouquet, as she still wanted to keep them in the wedding and close to her heart. 

May Day with The Scout Guide: Derby Hat Bar, Photo Booth and more

Featured in Luxe Magazine: Cindy Ollig dishes on Root Down, Gypsy style and living well in Denver

The Petal's very own Cindy Ollig is featured as an Insider in the latest Colorado edition of Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine, which hit newsstands Monday.  

Flip to page 144, where you'll find Cindy dishing on some of her favorite picks for dining, dressing and living well in Denver, highlighting the History Colorado Center, Root Down, Gypset and MCA Denver.

Keep up with Luxe Daily, as Cindy will be contributing more about what keeps her smitten in the city!

Petal Playdate for a Cause: Custom silhouettes, TOVA Designs and support for Big Life

With spring in full swing, it's time for an April soiree and early shopping for mama, as we welcome a Franktown artist who fancies custom family trees and showcase striking jewelry that's adorning the planet. And if you like shopping for a cause and want to help elephants, proceeds from this Playdate will go to Big Life. More below.  

Pop-Up Store 

"If you call them family, I can put them on a tree," says Virginia Rufener-Angus of Creative Family Tree, who designs and prints custom works of any familial relationship and creates beautifully contoured silhouettes. Since being featured on The Etsy Blog, this artist-photographer is catching the eyes of many. Read more about Virginia and get all the purchase details here.

Trunk Show 

If you're looking to turn your style from standard to show-stopping, TOVA Designs will do the trick. Combining metals, stones and fabric, these pieces are made to make women feel confident, beautiful and strong. Launched in Montreal by Michele Luterman, this line has accented Hollywood stars and been featured in magazines such as Style, US Weekly, and Lucky. 

Honoring the legend of MUM 

We'll be honoring moms through an in-store display, but first we need real images to make it happen. Bring in a picture of your mama with your contact info on the back, and you'll be entered into a drawing for a special gift package which includes flowers, a complimentary health package from Much Kneaded Bodyworks, a goodie from Mondo Vino, and more.

Save the elephants!

Unless there is drastic change, elephants in the wild could become extinct within 5-7 years. A percentage of proceeds from this Petal Playdate will go to the Big Life Foundation, supporting anti-poaching efforts and the conservation of East Africa wildlife. 

Virginia of Creative Family Tree talks silhouettes, modern families and her barn-based studio

"If you call them family, I can put them on a tree," says Virginia Rufener-Angus of Creative Family Tree, who designs and prints custom family trees of any familial relationship and creates beautifully contoured silhouettes. And by "custom," Virginia means she caters to multiple spouses, ancestors and descendants in one tree. 

This Franktown artist, who's sheared almost everyone in her small town, has been catching many new eyes since being featured on The ETSY Blog just last week.

We recently caught up with Virginia, our upcoming Pop-Up Store artist to be featured at the Perfect Petal Playdate on April 25. 

The Petal: Tell us about yourself.

Virginia: I’m a native Coloradan, who left for a time to live in Texas and Germany, but came back to the Denver area as soon as I could. I run a small photography studio and family tree business out of my “studio” (also known as the apartment over my barn) in Franktown. All of my work can be seen on my Facebook page.

The Petal: What inspired you to start doing family trees? 

Virginia: My parents have two passions: their grandchildren and genealogy. They are both retired, and they travel around the U.S. in their RV doing genealogy research. They call it "digging up dead relatives." 

I'm a photographer, and I had taken pictures of all eight of their grandchildren. I wanted to give them a gift that brought the grandchildren and the genealogy together and I created my first "photo family tree."

The Petal: How did you get into silhouettes?

Virginia: I was looking for a way to expand my family tree line. I tend to design in blues, reds, oranges, tans and browns. I wanted to design a black and white tree for customers that didn't appreciate my favorite color palette.  

I started work on a black and white tree and took my inspiration from traditional Chinese Paper Cuts and German Scherenschnitte. I came up with a tree based on actual photos that resemble an intricate paper cut. It is a bit labor-intensive, but the result is an intensely personal heirloom.

FAQs about April 25

What does Virginia need from me to make a silhouette? 

• If you'd like a silhouette ready for pick up on April 25, take a side profile picture against a white wall and email it to virginia@raffiaroses.com by April 20. 
• Otherwise, Virginia will be taking side profile pictures at the Playdate and creating silhouettes after the event, which she can either ship to customers or bring to The Petal at a later date.

How can I purchase designs in advance of the Playdate?

• If you'd like to purchase silhouettes or silhouette trees in advance of the event on April 25, Virginia can have your order ready for pick up at the Playdate, but orders MUST be placed by April 20.

Will I be charged for shipping?

• Order through Etsy with the code "PERFECTPETALSPECIAL" and you'll get free shipping!

Local love: The Perfect Petal featured in first volume of The Scout Guide - Denver

Have you noticed the new photo to adorn The Perfect Petal homepage? If you've gotten your hands on Volume 1 of The Scout Guide - Denver, perhaps this colorful spread looks familiar. 

We are so pleased to be featured in the first version of this annual publication, and even more delighted to tell you the story behind it.

Homepage screenshot of theperfectpetal.com

The Scout Guide, a curated book featuring some of the best local businesses a city has to offer, all began in Virginia when Susie Matheson and Christy Ford wanted to highlight the creativity and soul of Charlottesville. 

To them, local businesses are more powerful when presented collectively as opposed to alone. They were determined to capture the passion behind artists, restaurants, shops and businesses that people would proudly display on their coffee table and reference throughout the year. 

Two years after their premier issue was distributed in the spring of 2010, more than 15 cities across the country were churning out their own volumes in 2012, and 10 new cities are on tap for 2013. 

Pictured above is our two-page Scout spread, photographed by the lovely and mega-talented Kristen Hatgi in a Boulder backyard in September of 2012. 

When Denver Editor Cat Tatman set out to curate her first volume, she said that The Perfect Petal was at the top of her list. *swoon*

"I loved working with the ladies of The Perfect Petal for this shoot," said Tatman. "They were all hands on deck for this, as they bring so much energy and excitement to every event that they do."

We adore Cat and look forward to collaborating on some amazing events with The Scout Guide. Save the date for May 1, and get excited for an event this fall, where we plan to collaborate with other featured vendors and businesses from Volume 1.   

Want to keep up with our event details and previews?
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Drop by The Petal and snag a copy!
You can also buy copies online or flip through digital versions.