A few flower-sending guys have been requesting for bouquets that are more affordable and less bulkier to carry around. To answer that, we’re introducing a new range of floral products- the mini vase bouquet series.

There is nothing really ‘groundbreaking’ about these bouquets. The flowers and designs are essentially the same as their ‘bigger’ counterparts in the vase bouquets series.

They are just, well, smaller

There’s a new addition to our Vase Bouquets Collection - LeFiores’s Seasonal Lilies!

The same tender loving care applies!

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) recently held its 24th International Air Cargo Forum & Exposition (ACF 2008) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center last week. The Air Cargo Forum is the world’s biggest biennial air cargo industry event that rotates every two years between Europe, Americas, and Asia.

I was assigned to design the floral centerpieces for Emirates Sky Cargo and Mercator, the IT division of the Dubai-based Emirates Group. Emirates had one of the most impressive stands at the convention centre, where they built up a 2-storey display booth complete with reception desks, bars, and meeting rooms.

To complement the Emirates’ logo, the color theme of the floral centerpieces for Emirates Sky Cargo is red, white, and green. For the reception desks and bars, I’ve used a mixture of tropical crab claws, red gladiolus, white dendrobium orchids, and some fatsia japonicas in elegant frosted glass vases.

As for the meeting rooms and coffee tables, the main flowers used were red roses, carnations, and Casablanca lilies. The overall look and feel of the floral designs that I wanted to achieve was understated elegance. I refrained from using fancy vases of different colors and shapes, as I wanted the focus to be on the flowers and the round clear vases helped complete the look.

On the left (below): Small round centerpieces for the tables. The texture of the full-bloomed carnations enhanced the visibility of the tiny hypericums.

On the right (below): One of the floral displays for Mercator, a blend of golden ramsies and green dendrobium orchids, and fatsia japonicas.

I just returned from the land of ancient ruins to oversee a non-profit project. The Kumomo Tree Project is the private donor for two schools in Kampong Cham at the Batheay District, approximately two hours drive from the city of Phnom Penh.

The Rural Schools Project was initiated by the American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) in 1999, and the project allows private donors to build schools with matching funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for the kids and youths in rural Cambodia. To date, over 400 elementary and junior high schools have been constructed in most of the rural areas in Cambodia.

Most villages in the rural parts of Cambodia do not have access to clean water, electricity, and proper health care. One can hardly imagine how these students learn under such harsh conditions. At times, the weather can be so hot that it cracks the very earth and on the other extreme, major parts of the villages are flooded during the rainy season due to poor irrigation.

Imagine studying in a classroom without fans with an extremely dry weather out there. Forget about air-conditioner as there won’t be any electricity supplies at all. School works and readings must be done before the sun sets, unless candles or oil-lamps are used. Such are the life of the kids in rural Cambodia today.

In comparison, the youths in Malaysia are extremely lucky. We should all be grateful for everything that we have and learn to give to those who are more underprivileged than us. There’s no doubt that education is the best gift one can pass on to the next generation, and every little help from us can help these kids change their future.

To learn more about this project, please visit the official AAfC website at www.cambodiaschools.com.

Calling all beauty lovers out there, in conjunction with the opening of Miel, I have a booklet filled with cash vouchers to give away to one LeFiores’ reader courtesy of Miel Boutique @ Desa ParkCity.

The booklet consists of:
a) One RM50 Cash Voucher from Miel Boutique, valid til 7 October 2008
b) One RM50 Cash Voucher from Nailz Studio, valid til 20 October 2008
c) One 50% Discount Voucher from Tranquil Touch Beauty & Day Spa, valid til 15 October 2008
c) One RM50 Cash Voucher from Chrome Head’s Hair Design, valid til 31 December 2008

All outlets above are located at Waterfront @ ParkCity, except for Chrome Head’s Hair Design Studio.

So just leave me a comment, and I will mail you the booklet on a first come first serve basis!

Am please to introduce the LeFiores Designer Cards. These cards are hand-painted by our designers. The idea is to reduce paper wastage by not pre-printing too many cards which might get “discarded” once they are out of fashion.

The watercolor design above is painted on high quality 200 GSM acid-free watercolor paper.

Some plants back in my garden.

Green & White Anthurium Plant

Close up shot of the green anthurium, my all time favorite. I’m not sure if this plant is a hybrid of some sort, because the flowers are in white and green color. There were some red anthurium plants beside them too, but the red ones are not as “photogenic”.

Commonly known as Pitcher Plants or Nepenthes, its name originated from Old Greek, meaning “soothing grief”.

The Pitcher Plant is a “member” of the Carnivorous Plants group that feed on insects. It has a pitfall trap which is filled with sweet nectar to lure insects e.g. flies, moths, beetles, or ants into its trap.

Another shot of the plant.

Have a great weekend!

The bouquets are finally ready and “deliverable”!