Earlier this week I was meeting a friend for a coffee at local favorite, Floriole Cafe.  After too much easy conversation with this fellow wedding planning pal, we knew we had already spent too much time away from our desks and that client checklists and budgets were looming.

On my way back to my car, I found myself further sidetracked by bundles of fresh flowers seemingly spilling from a teensy, chic boutique across the street.  In the blink of an eye, and much to my delight, Epoch {the unusually artful floral design studio} has opened a genius ‘pop-up’ location to serve as a happy retail haven offering seasonal fleurs by the bunch.

Although we have an account at our local wholesale market, I couldn’t leave empty handed.  I found myself surprisingly wooed by an abundant bucket bursting with antique-looking and mottled carnations.  Carns {often getting a bad rap due to their uber-cost-effective nature {and what’s so bad about that!?} and poor design usage in the 80s and 90s} can be perfectly beautiful when used en masse and listen up: layered – often lending the illusion of {more acceptable} garden roses.

Enjoy this simple adoration – on even the tightest budget.