One of the best parts of blogging is the freedom to set your own creative rules—if your readers are on board, you can take your content in almost any direction. Want to renovate a room? Go for it. Need new work tables for your studio? Build them. Want to experiment with styling and fashion in a shoot? Do that too. That flexibility keeps things interesting.
Recently I’ve been diving deeper into fashion styling for shoots, and I wanted to share a recent session that also combined another passion: flowers. I teamed up with Uber to give a behind-the-scenes look at this shoot and, naturally, to include a few floral shots.
Jeff and I share one car, so I rely on Uber for daytime errands when he has it. Using rideshares took some getting used to—especially planning on shoot days—but now it’s straightforward. In fact, on the day of this shoot Jeff unexpectedly needed the car last minute. He swung by the studio to grab it for errands before our trip the next day, which left Amelia, Kathryn, and me without a vehicle for the day.
We hopped into an uberX—my go-to for short trips because it’s affordable and reliable. On the way I grabbed flowers and assembled a bouquet in the car, then constructed a DIY flower hat while Kathryn and Amelia shot other looks. It was a true multitasking moment.
After the shoot we used Uber again to return to the studio, hauling along my ever-present styling cart. If you haven’t tried saving places in the app, it’s worth it: you can mark Home and Work as favorites so requesting a ride to those spots is faster and simpler.
Side note: people tease me for using a wheeled styling cart and call me “mom,” but it’s incredibly practical for shoots. It’s mobile, sturdy, and makes transporting gear so much easier—yes, I own it and yes, I love it.
So what was this shoot about? The hat. I’m obsessed with hats right now—especially as we get ready for a tropical week away—so I created a little DIY floral hat project to celebrate.
DIY Flower Hat for Summer
This look works with many hat shapes, though I love it on wide-brim hats. My preferred method is to form a ring from floral wire slightly larger than the hat crown, then attach fresh flowers to that wire with additional floral wire. The result is a floral band that slides over the top of the hat and secures around the crown—simple and effective.
Keep in mind fresh blooms—like the coral peonies and pincushion proteas I used—won’t last long. For longevity, well-made artificial flowers are the best choice. For photographic styling, however, fresh flowers give an unmatched vibrancy and texture.
Photography: Amelia Tatnall Lawrence
Model: Kathryn Kelly
Styling: Brittni Mehlhoff
I’ll share more images from the shoot soon, including outfit details and styling notes—there are a lot of photos to sort through. I’d love to hear what you think!
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This post is a partnership with Uber. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Paper & Stitch running.