Dear Silk Flower Enthusiast,

If you haven’t already noticed, AmazonFoliages.com has recently undergone a complete redesign.  We thought the old website was good, but why settle for good when great is just around the corner!  AmazonFoliages.com still has all the useful features as before such as Keyword/Item search, Volume Discounts and Color Pictures for every item.  But now, along with the snazzy new look, AmazonFoliages.com has great deals on select items up to 40% off posted right on the home page, every day.

A special offer for you!  In celebration of the new look and as a thank you for your ongoing support, AmazonFoliages.com would like to present you with a coupon for 15% off to help empty your Wish List.  So if you’ve had your eye on that 6.5’ Artificial Birch Tree, or want to get a head start on Halloween and Autumn Decorations, now would definitely be the time.  Type the code NewSite0709 into the coupon field during checkout and your discount will be applied to all products not already on sale.  Coupon code ends 8/7/09 so act fast!

More great deals!  There are only two days remaining until the end of our Mid-Summer Preserved Topiary Sale.  With a life span between 8 and 20 years, these perfectly preserved plants have been hand trimmed and arranged by silk artisans.  Enjoy 25% off the following items:

Table Top Set – Bronze
40” Natural Juniper

20” Double Ball
50” Natural Juniper

30” Ball Cone
40” Spiral

30” Triple Ball
50” Double Ball

We at AmazonFoliages.com pride ourselves in offering the best and largest selection of artificial flowers andtrees, preserved plants and trees plus much more.  We thank you for your business and support, and we strive every day to provide our customers with the best buying experience possible.  For questions and comments please feel free to contact us anytime.

Yours truly,

AmazonFoliages.com Team

You’ll find some great decorating ideas on how to use artificial plants and trees around your living spaces in a great article by Barbara Thornburg in last Saturday’s LA Times. While they don’t have the entire article online, they do have a great photo gallery that you view by clicking on the image at right or at the end of this article. However if you can get your hand on a copy of the full article, all the better.

In addition to profiling how a talent agent has “spruced” up his terrace, she also offered up the following tips to do up your “Artificial, Intelligently”:

• Don’t use artificial versions of plants that wouldn’t normally be found in the environment you plan on placing them
• Display plants that are appropriate to the current season
• Looking for inspiration? Take a walk in nature to see how the real thing grows for ideas on how to arrange artificial plants
• Don’t be afraid of manipulating the plant to make it look realistic based on your meanderings above
• Create your indoor garden using pots of various shapes, sizes and colors. Their example was to make it not look like you got everything at one place at one time.
• Buy “pretend” plants just as you would for a regular garden. Choose them for visual interest with a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

His space utilizes a mix of bamboos, grasses, succulents, bromeliads, sansevieria, ferns, orchids and more. Although the designer behind putting together this look for Adam Isaacs wouldn’t reveal his sources, you’ve already found the perfect source for all of these items! They also explored vegetables, phalaenopsis orchids, and more!

Online Gallery: [ http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-0207-isaacs-pg,0,1455613.photogallery].

Check out this YouTube video for great ideas on how to have a little more fun, and perhaps even raise some money for charity, using silk flowers.

Simple, yet vibrant and oh so pretty, this 24 1/2 inch tall arrangement of 36 beautiful Freesia flower stems in a crystal clear classic vase holds just enough acrylic water to give a realistic and classic look to this artificial flower arrangements.

Envision this statuesque arrangement as the focal point on your kitchen island.   Gather the family around and chat about the weekends events and even your 8 year old son complements you on the arrangement.  Now THAT is some arrangement if even an 8 year old notices!

As the year moves on you will see words like Gardenesque, Modern, Exotic and Classic to describe different flowers and arrangements.  This elegant Freesia arrangement falls within the “Modern” flower arrangement category and comes in red, cream, orange and yellow.

Combining the many assortments of artificial Freesia flower stems in colors ranging from white, yellow, orange, rust, orchid (and many more) with other arrangements will add texture and a kiss of fun.  I used to marvel at the live Freesia plants my mother-in-law displayed in her kitchen.  They always seemed so delicate.  Artificial freesia still have that delicate look but believe me they are very hearty and will last for years.

Vase Dimensions: 10.5" H * 6.5" W                                                                               Price: $231.38

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I would love to hear your comments on this pick of the week.  Good, bad or just plain ugly in your mind; all opinions are welcome.  If you would like to see one of your favorites from our website featured here as pick of the week just say the word.  Please use the comments link below and tell me what’s on your mind.

Not ready to drop $112 bucks on a Bloomers Baby Diaper Cake?

Why not construct one yourself to have the most talked about gift at the next baby shower you attend?

Start with a dozen silk flowers, a hundred disposable diapers, some decorative ribbon and a decorative platter so mom gets something out of it too. Still don’t want to spend that kind of money? Do like grandma used to do and wrap a piece of cardboard in aluminum foil and use that for the base.

The choice of ribbon and flowers will determine the “flavor” of your cake. Pictured above is a Groovy looking set of cakes using artificial daisies. You can give it a tropical or Hawaiian theme  by changing the ribbon and using silk gladiolas or faux hibiscus. You could go classic using some of our artificial roses or get the safari look using some colorful peony flowers. Mix some silk mums with a fun print ribbon and you’ve got a great modern look to your diaper cake.

The Trend911.com blog has this great tip about getting Scarlett Johansson floral the look for less…

The interesting point of this post is in the shoes. Take your favorite silk flower, cut the stem off and hot glue the flower to a clip-on earing stud. After the glue has dried, you can snap it onto your shoes like you’ll see in the snap of Scarlett at left.

This technique is great for adding a little bit of spring to any outfit as you can apply your new flower clip to belts, headbands, backpacks, necklaces, or whatever else strikes your fancy!

Got any other ideas on how to kick up your fashion for spring with silk flowers? Drop us a note in the comments section below. We’d love to hear how you are using versatile silk flowers in YOUR life! 

With the Holidays behind us and Spring just around the corner, the urge for something a little funky to adorn your living space shifts into high gear with the first pick of the week for 2009.  This simply elegant, yet oddly unique,  Calla Lily arrangement is sure to catch the eye of all those who pass by.   I can visualize this arrangement in my entryway, reflecting off a mirror strategically placed behind it to ensure all angles can be enjoyed.  Now if I can just get Husband to replace the recessed light in my entryway with a spotlight my dream vision would be complete. 

This spectacular Calla Lily Silk Flower arrangement stands over 24" tall and comes in pink (shown) as well as cream and yellow.   The stem of the leaf gives an unusual twist (pun intended), while the acrylic water keeps this arrangement in perfect position and enhances the appearance of reality.

The MSRP is $91.00, we normally sell this item for $73.88, however, right now if you receive our newsletter and use the coupon code you can purchase this arrangement for the low, low price of  $62.80!

To sign up for our newsletter all you need to do is create an account on our website at http://amazonfoliages.com/createaccount.aspx

I would love to hear your comments on this pick of the week.  Good, bad or just plain ugly in your mind; all opinions are welcome.  If you would like to see one of your favorites from our website featured here as pick of the week just say the word.  Please use the comments link below and tell me what’s on your mind.  

In addition to our previously announced sale on Holiday items between now and December 16th, we’ve decided to sweeten the pot and put a few more of these fabulous products on sale through the end of December. And if that weren’t enough, we’re going to give you free domestic shipping (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) to boot!

On sale, you’ll find a 30 inch Ball Cone topiary, a 30 inch Double Ball topiary and a 30 inch Triple Ball Topiary for the unheard of low price of $125.99! These fabulous topiary trees are made here in the good old USA and have a normal MSRP of $224. That is almost $100 of the normal retail price!

Like your topiaries with a little twist? Well we’ve got our 30” Single Spiral topiary also on sale for only $143.99 which is almost $80 off the MSRP

Looking for something bigger? Well we’ve got you covered. You’ll find that the 40” Natural Juniper tree is also available on sale for $143.99 which saves you even more when you consider it’s normal retail price is $223.00.

And if you hurry, we’ve still got great savings on our preserved Bonsai trees, Cone & Berry Globes, Country Topiary, Rose & Hydrangea arrangements, Holiday Berry Tabletop and Centerpieces and a 4 Rose & Salal Cube. All of these special holiday items if ordered between now and the 16th of December, 2008 will be shipped for free (same caveat applies as above) AND you’ll get it in time for Christmas!

So don’t wait in either case or you might just miss out on the best savings of the year!

Designing for the holiday season doesn't need to be a difficult or expensive process. Stick with simple, and be creative!

Choose simple flowers to decorate with. Use silk daisies, silk roses, silk alstromeria, etc… in autumn colors like red, orange, yellow… A simple floral bouquet as a centerpiece always adds class to the table.

If you are looking to "class it up a bit", finish it off with a gold ribbon! Add in small tea light candles around the room and table in dark red and white for that special touch of elegance.

Tired of the same old boring place cards? Try using what nature gives you right in your own backyard. Go out and grab some interesting leaves in bright colors, grab a silver pen and add the names of your guests! These make very innovative and inexpensive place cards that will give your table that Fall feel and be something thatyour guests will talk about until next year.

 Want to make something unique this year that you can use all year round? Try this easy idea as featured at CountryLiving.com. Grab some small Styrofoam balls in assorted sizes and get an assortment of artificial daises in autumn colors. Now cut the stem of the fake daises down to about 1 inch to 1.5 inch. And simply stick the stems into the Styrofoam balls so the daisies cover the entire ball. Place around the table or add some string or ribbon to hang from a chandelier. These can be used as accents around your house to add color all year round.

You can also easily make an interesting arrangement using a medium size pumpkin cut in half and hollowed out. Fill the pumpkin with Styrofoam. Get some artificial roses, artificial daisies, artificial cabbage roses, whatever flowers interest you. Cut the stems down to about 3 inches in length, start sticking and placing the flowers in the Styrofoam however you would like. Make it dense and make it interesting! Add in fake berries, twigs, leaves, whatever will give it the autumn feel. Finish it off with adding a few small pumpkins and/or gourds around the table and room to tie it all together!

One last simple design idea: grab some more tea light candles and measure the base of the candle they should be about an inch wide. Next, take some mini pumpkins and drill a small opening the size of the candle so it sits well in the pumpkin. Now you have attractive little candle holders that you can use on your table or around the room.

Most of all have fun with your designs! Make them your own and stand out from the holiday crowd of traditional decorators. As always, we encourage you to check out our comments section below. Give us feedback, tell us your designs, and add in photos. We would love to hear from you!!

Preston Bailey presented this great idea on how to create a Halloween center piece on the cheap in his blog.

This is elegant and creepy!
You can make your own at home easy and affordably.
Get yourself some silk flowers, black spray paint, a glue gun, ( of course) and some other fun things to throw in like spiders or snakes, this list could go on forever.
As you can see I used some extra butterflies and birds I happened to have.
We broke the butterflies in half and let some of the green of the birds to show through to make it extra creepy.

You can achieve a similar effect using any of our silk flowers and some viney-grass to hang down.

If you have ideas on how to create great items with our products and would like to share them, please use the comments section below to share with everyone.