Minis !

Last ones, I promise !! But if you're going to tote a Poinsettia to your next dinner party -- how perfect are these little guys ? A sweet single bloom in a reusable votive. Festive, cute, unique. Happy Friday -- hope everyone has fun weekend plans ! xo

PS. Can I say about all of these guys, that one of my favorite parts is the way the the reds and pinks bleed into the green ? Just so imperfectly lovely. And so ends Poinsettia Week ;)

Pink Cluster.

Okay yes. These guys are more commom. But I have always loved them. And if they're sharing the stage with White Glitter, Ruby Frost, and Ice Punch and holding their own in the greenhouse... they're doing okay for themselves.

Ice Punch.

Don't these delicate petals look hand painted with white gouache or water color ?
The electric pinky-red seeping through,
leaving milky white strips along the veins--perfect in their randomness.

(PS. Happy December ;) )

Ruby Frost.

More Beauties.
White Glitter's neighbor.
Meet, Ruby Frost.

White Glitter

I've never been one for Pointsettias. I love all Christmas decorations, and the tackier the better if it means spirit + childlike joy. But in all honesty I've always found Pointsettas to be horrific. The tin wrap on the bottom, the plastic suffocating large red blooms smushed together. Ick.

This weekend I was won over.

Look at these beauties. To be matched only their name.
White Glitter.
Pointsettias.

Coral Bouquets

In keeping with my New England coast theme, I passed by a local flower shop yesterday and saw these crustacean-turned-blooms. This shop tries very hard with these ladder displays, and some come out as really cute seasonal displays (pussywillow bent into hearts in February ?), while some are major flops and just look tacky. This one stopped me in the pouring rain though and had me snapping pictures. I'm sure part of it is that I enjoy any use of seashells and coral, but I thought they did a sweet job with this one two. A perfect July bouquet.

Happy Summer Solstice + Im back !

HI FRIENDS ! It has been a while, but I had a very long short month of class ( they weren't fooling when they called it an intensive ).

Today is our official start to summer + the longest day of the year ( but if yesterday wasn't summer, I'm scared for what's ahead ). Soak up every minute of this natural light. I was bustling down the street the other day and this rusty old chair + cardboard sign stopped me in my tracks. Free flowers ?! For me ???? I was so happy to pick out a white rose and smell it for the rest of my walk. What a thoughtful great way to get rid of your dying blooms + to get people to notice your shop ! Happy Monday.

Happy Monday.

Friday I came back to New York, hopefully on a more permanent, steady basis.
I took a quiet train up, snuck into my apartment, and discovered that I had these beautiful ( what do I even call them ? Piece of art ? arrangement doesn't seem to live up ) flowers.
They're so beautiful they could make me cry--really.
They were a welcome home present from one of my very best friends.
I love its weeping eggplant colored tulips,
its high reaching wild flowers,
and its huge bursting blooms.
I had to talk myself out of the apartment all weekend cause I didn't want to part with them, even for a second.
I hope they cheer your week as much they are mine ( although you can't sniff how glorious they smell too ).

Thanks friend.
Flowers by The very talented Sarah at Saipua.

My Apologies

to the darling that did come home with me from Terrain last week. How could I write a whole post about Terrain and their succulents without mentioning this incredible little thing ? Have you ever seen a succulent ball ? I had not. But l love love love. Look at all the greens in here. You would never notice how blue some are if it weren't for the limes and hunters. And look how perfect and tiny some of these friends are. I can't wait to hang him and watch him grown.

Sweet Succulents.

You guys.
I have a problem with succulents.
I know it hardly makes me original, but I just love them so much I want to pick up every little guy I see and cradle him in my arms.
I avoid doing this as it would lump me with the many crazies I watch everyday. We're talking the crazies that do things that remind me why New York City is so funny :: You literally are never alone unless you draw your curtains and hunker down.
Otherwise your neighbor, doorman, people on the street, someone, sees what you're doing.
I notice it most when I'm sick, or crying, or generally the bad things -- because you think 'if I lived in the suburbs I could go from my house to my car and barely cross paths with a single soul. No one would have to know I didn't shower today, or that I have tears running down my face, or that I woke up with this huge zit.'
Instead, you just know Al the doorman or your corner deli attendee is thinking, 'she had a late night. or why has she only left the apartment once in two days ?'
And what I think about this is that most give up. Most New Yorkers unleash unlike any other population in the US, and all crazy antics are fair game.
Now someone visiting from Vermont might think 'Why and HOW does New York house so many nut cases ??'
But the truth is they're in your town too sweetheart. We just air the dirty laundry in public because we have no choice. We set one toe on public property and there are 20 people within 3 square feet.
You all do it behind closed doors with neighbor Betty peeking through the hedges to ensure you've got as many issues as her household.
But clearly ( very clearly ) I digress.
I was cradling succulents.

So instead of cradling them ( holding this one last antic back ) I take pictures thinking 'Oh, I'll put this on the blog ! It's so sweet.'
But the truth is, if I put every picture up, I'd have a succulent blog. Which could be interesting if I was some gardener extraordinaire, but I can barely keep a cacti alive ! These should be no-brainers !!
But I'm working on it. And I read somewhere the difference between a green thumb and a black thumb is that a green thumb tries to learn from their mistakes and a black thumb doesn't care.
Dare I call myself a green thumb ???
So while I've deleted countless succulents off my camera picture gallery I had to share these beauties. I saw them last week at Terrain with my mom.
They literally made me ache they are so sweet. I love their tall pots, their colors, and their forms. I sat in front of this outdoor table, and well, sort of did cradle them ( am I disproving my own anthropological point ?)
They are too perfect. I wish I could have taken all four home, but I have to keep learning from my mistakes first.
Hacking away at that green thumb one baby succulent at a time.

Single Buds

They're hardly new to the scene, but I just love the impact + ease of single bud vases on a table. What a beautiful simple alternative to big arrangements that can go from right to wrong so quickly. And given a few beautiful stems, you need barely any creativity ! Above is my Easter table. My mom gave me beautiful little single bud vases for my birthday from Terrain, but all you really need is little jars or old medicine bottles. Or remember the S + P shakers Sunday Suppers used ? They have a great presence and gives a little bit more attention to the detail, like the beautiful edging on the Ranunculus below.

Spring Fresh.

Does anything smell fresher than Hyacinth in early spring ?

Or the beautiful Magnolia trees that last in bloom barely over a week ? I love the names Hyacinth + Magnolia too. I bet whomever named them was careful to pick sounds that equaled their looks and scents.

And how pretty is this Easter bouquet a friend brought to dinner last night ? Made my day :). Thanks Al. Hope everyone had a very happy Easter with loved ones.

Tuesday Tea Parties!

Yesterday in my floral class (yes, flowers have been on the brain because of this, sorry if it's an overkill on the posts) we were taught a simply wrapping method. It uses sturdy waxy leaves and raffia to cover the "mechanics" of a glass vase, or just to hide a cheap vase for that matter. Oasis showing (spongy material florists use)? Coffee can holding your flowers? No Problem. A little extra greenery and you are Miss Fancy-Pants. My teacher pointed out that obviously you could uses any number of materials for the covering. Even less limber objects can be used... like what you see above! Veggies are the perfect covering for little vases. I set out to buy Asparagus as a test run to share with you. But once I was there in the middle of the produce aisle of the market I was overwhelmed with options. Carrots? Snap peas? Celery? Rhubarb?? Endless! And all very tempting. My greedy little fingers couldn't stop at Asparagus, but I cut myself off at five. As you see above my overflowing arms headed for the checkout with Scallions, Green Beans, Snap Peas, Collards Greens and Asparagus ;).

Such a beautiful thing that any container can be used right?? Sure I had to empty our some Caperberries and pickles to prove this point but c'est la vie. I realize this isnt the most ideal time of year for this post... Should probably be done in April or May (feels pretty springy), but I couldn't wait a whole 6 months.
So I took my fragile little collard greens and gently wrapped (having cut off the stems), and held them by a rubberband. once my two layers (tall vase!) were in place with two rubber bands I tied ribbon on top and removed the bands. Just like the collard greens can be replaced with crayons or spaghetti (uncooked of course), the ribbon could be twine, raffia, or pipe cleaners. Truth be told I think I would have rather seen twine here -- little less cutesy, but for the demo I didnt feel the need to comb the city or spend the money.
With some of the sturdier items (like the scallion above), I popped the rubber band on first and worked them all under. and with the crooked finicky green beans (so very pretty!),

I was careful to turn the curve in towards the glass in order to see between them less.

And Voila! Im totally picturing these on a spring luncheon or shower table. If you kept more towards the collard greens and autumnal colored flowers they would work beautifully for the holiday season as well. Or twigs and red white and greens coming out -- perfect Christmas! The options are endless. Of course its important to remember these wont keep long. They are not idea for a home display... I think a day or two in the fridge before party-time is about all they're going to last. But I love how sweet and simple they are, and for pennies... Im imagining Martha's Spring Garden Cake on this table, and perhaps some tea sandwiches. Ive been dying to make this cake btw, with all the little marzipan veggies. Maybe this blog is the perfect excuse... Any who - Start planning your next wedding shower/tea party/garden party!

Reconfigured.

I understand cheap flowers a little more -- those suckers last like they're fake. Feels like forever! Four huge arrangements were starting to feel like they were taking over my apartment though. But I hate to waste. So I pulled all four apart. They're nothing fancy. But how much nicer they look in tiny clusters! And the Carnations are sort of pretty as bursts of color... Just goes to show with a little rearranging or a different point of view in life--old is new, tacky is quaint.

Confession.

This confession is a few fold. First of all, no this is not a church like confession, even if the tacky flowers above seem suiting for an alter somewhere (Sorry Lord, I know you don't judge us on our alter arrangements). I have to confess that I am responsible for the flowers above. I am taking a floral class at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. Above you see my "triangular" arrangement made yesterday -- typical of, yes, funerals and alters. But more than the shape, its the actual flowers. And the Lemon Leaf and filler flower (can't remember the name) are an upgrade from last weeks leather leaf and--gasp--baby's breath. I have to remind myself over and over that I am learning principles. Nice flowers come when you know what you're doing and they're not being wasted. But here is the second part of my confession. I'm embarrassed carrying them home! I have now told my doorman, a cashier at a vegan takeout restaurant, and a fellow elevator rider in my building that they are what they are because its a class. Can you imagine how ridiculous one has to be to feel the need to disassociate themselves from carnations? (Forgive me Father for I have sinned -- vanity. Shear vanity.)

But in the spirit of all of the beautiful flowers that are out there I have pulled some recent favorites off the web. Above are teeny tiny baby arrangements in glass salt and pepper shakers done by and for Sunday Supers. Lately I have been absolutely loving that pop of black or navy in arrangements from berries like this or from the center of anemones.

And here is another recent obsession--which I guess was triggered by the fact that they're everywhere right now. Succulents. I used to despise Cacti. Can't get enough now. Here are center pieces done by La Fleur for a wedding I found on Green Wedding Shoes.

Generally I like Bridal Bouquets to be simple and without much color. The dress and the glowing bride should be what is shown off as she struts down the aisle. Above Studio Choo did a breathtaking job of making a quiet bouquet without the simplicity, These colors and arranging are a serious work of art without being overpowering [also spotted on green wedding shoes!]

And I am loving this fresh green and white wreath. I always have fantasies about getting Christmas wreathes, spring wreathes, herb wreathes... and then I never do because they're expensive. And maybe I'm a little biased, but I think this one is fantastic -- feels very ethereal and mayflower, and is done by my mother and her business partner Susan at Bridlewild Flowers.

And I figured something grandiose should wrap this up. I could go on and on. But I'll send with a piece that speaks for itself. And is the majestic beautiful work of Matthew Robbins, who's work is legitimately some of the best (which goes without saying if you often work shoulder to shoulder with Martha). Stay dry today!!