the end.

**THE UNEMPLOYEED BROOKLYNITE - you won, but alas no email attached to your profile - email me right away and we'll get something pretty out to you this weekend, promise.

I've been burning the candle at both ends - as usual, and finally I pay the price; a spring head cold. Sadly now my employees know that I am not an invincible robot. good god, i'm HUMAN!

I am very sick. Have set up camp in bed with a bottle of vitamin C, a dirty dog, my computer, a glass of gingerale and box of puffs plus. The phone rings, I ignore it. Lost in researching sheep husbandry, or in perusing Ariella's new website. I barely finish some sorbet and throw the dish back at eric who has sweetly brought it to me. I'm DYING! I lost a nostril in the night!

Time to make clear my last wishes. The second time in my life I've made such a list, though none the less sincere - the first was at the age of 10 and included an itemized list of who should receive which compact disc..
i digress

Elyse: I leave my begonia collection, dear to my heart and thriving in its 3rd year. beware of the rex's - always they are near impossible to sustain - I think you'll find Angel Glow, and Red Fred two lovely new additions, and of course Snow Bound and Black Truffles; endless fun.

Aaron: I leave my jewelry collection, less the earrings, but with the clip-on's. I've sadly given up on you every piercing your ears and can't justify..

Jen: My books, which are a modest, dusty bunch - several of which are yours including a lovely navy clothbound Ginsberg anthology which I borrowed from you 10 years ago. And also my small tea set including the blue and gold pot - I loved the times when you'd show me how to brew the perfect pot of tea after your time in London, and we'd smoke cigarettes and listen to pj harvey

Eli: Naturally, my bakelite, my jadite, my vintage mixing bowls. For future use after the age of tunafish

Nicolette: That scalloped neck lyell top you've always wanted. and the earrings that aaron is not getting.

Jessica: The iitalla candle sticks, I don't think you ever got any from the family - and my seashells from vieques.

Josh: my records. remember you gave me King Crimson? a record that changed me somehow

Kim: my journals. i miss you.

Chris: my waterford glasses along with any gin left in the house

My mookie: Nea, and everything else...wow this is getting INDULGENT!

ONE LAST THING I HAVE TO GIVE AWAY! To you my dear reader! My last flower arrangement; which I will drag myself down to the studio now and lovingly make for you...comment to win it delivered to you tomorrow...

the kids are alright

I worked up front in the shop today - first time in a long while. The girls and Eric took most of the day off, to watch basketball and rest up for a very nutty week ahead. It was nice to be alone and to ring people up for soaps...show off all my new begonias.

I guess I wasn't alone - I had Nea and Otis around, a very loud welcoming committee for anyone brave enough to open the door and come in.

Tomorrow we start a big installation of plants and flowers at the Anthropologie in Rockefeller center...I'm curious to see how it turns out and will snap some pictures to share...also we will be doing a pop-up shop there starting Wednesday, so all you mid-towners can visit Saipua without hauling yourselves to Brooklyn. You won't get to see the kids though...

September

I wait all year for autumn. September is my favorite month because it means October is coming, and October is actually really my favorite month. Like most women, I like to think I'm complicated.

In Australia it's practically September now but strangely, they still call it April.

I digress -
What a delightful surprise to come across these pictures from a wedding we did last September at The New Leaf Cafe. Cosmos, Dahlias, Coxcomb, Chamomile...

[Cora - these are flowers you can use for your tea-tin arrangements at the end of August....]

Remembering to practice everyday; I took some time out a few days ago to make these flowers and pictures, just for the hell of it. Have a terrific weekend. Don't forget the magnolia blossoms at the botanical gardens, calling your name.

My old boss and mentor, Ranae Gillie is in town and it's making me incredibly sentimental today...

flower giveaway

#42 takes it! And Stephanie - I DID receive you're beautiful necklace, and we've been passing it around the studio taking turns wearing it - many, many thanks!

da-da-da-da-DA! Nothing like a flower give-away to chase the nuclear winter post! Comment before 6pm to be entered to win some flowers delivered to you tomorrow in Manhattan or Brooklyn...

Shelly - I'm fine. I actually just needed to take a little step back from work, so I got my nails did, and am going plant hunting today with one of my oldest friends. Elyse Blum; fellow begonia enthusiast, fellow Leo.

nuclear winter

well, it seems i got my winter back. its sleeting here this morning.

i grew up 10 miles from indian point. when i was around 4 or 5 my sister and i were home with my dad when the alarm went off. not realizing it was a test, my dad went berserk trying to get us and some things together to evacuate. i couldn't find my shoes and started crying.

you know, that's just the world we live in. we have a lot of people who require a lot of electricity. i felt guilty the other day because i wanted to blow dry my hair instead of leaving the house with a wet head. what a luxury! people who say they don't want nuclear power? how you gonna blow dry your wet head and leave all the lights on when you walk out the door?

i'm not championing nuclear power here, i'm just tired of people saying we should shut nuclear plants down - an impossible scenario without some serious creativity in current politics.

juicy

One nutty day after another...today I get to go to midtown twice (don't be jealous) fight traffic, flip ones out the window at maniacal access-a-ride vehicles while deanna tears through the streets, flinging flowers left and right. exhibited here; this morning's event. a corporate job in a raw space in the Manhattan Mall.

I like how the construction crew's tags match the flowers. Didn't plan that though.

When I switch lenses, I usually throw up my deuces and snap a shot so I know where the switch happened, but this time it looked sorta nifty:

madness ensues

it was a massive production day

come 2pm, eric brought us snacks. I'm not sure how to say this, so I'll just put it out there; they were double stuffed oreos baked inside chocolate chip cookies.

and i've been at home alone (the first time in months, its incredible!!!!) for the last hour thinking about it, armed with a bottle of wine, linda ronstadt and photoshop

bye!

happy spring, fools

I get real real cranky about spring. People come out of the woodwork and walk around giddy, making happy plans to do things like picnic and go for bike rides. Fuck that, I'm glad that it's sleeting out today. And I'm going to continue hoping for near-freezing temperatures for the next few weeks, while I keep the shutters closed and listen to will oldham on repeat.

That's all.

OK so I might organize a trip to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden to see the magnolia grove because it's going to be in full bloom by the beginning of next week. But thats all.

free flower friday -

Hey Emma! You are lucky number 45 - best send me your contact info so we can get you your flowers!

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the news this morning. I guess it helps to remember that good things are still happening. Small things, daily things. And then I just remembered that today is Thursday; the day we give away free flowers. That's a small nice thing that I am happy to do today.

This arrangement went to a weekly client. I realized that this client has gotten ranunculus in every single arrangement since October. Today I said to Asheley; NO RANUNCULUS! So she made this gorgeous piece. Then I stuck 2 stems of yellow follies in there and sent it on it's way...I know better than to mess with a good thing.

Comment to win flowers delivered to you at your whim this weekend.

California was great, but let me tell you I am effing TIRED and real behind now on work stuff.

It was a whirlwind of a trip, an amazing trip - but a real workout. Traveling flower classes is no joke. Fortunately we only travel to destinations where where there are hot tubs that you can rent by the hour, copious amounts of wine, deep tissue massage, and friends to play you lulaby's on the keyboard from the Tori Amos anthology as you crash on the couch.

We'll get to talking about the three amazing classes over at the LFS blog soon. We met so many people. So many lovely creative people. So many FLOWER people!

We got to spend lots of time with the choos and play with their dogs, universes colliding. How nice to have new friends to plan world flower domination with.

We got to catch up with old friends from college and drink cocktails in backroom bars. Meet all our west coast flower wholesalers in person. Ate at Chez Panisse. Bikerides to the ocean. Oogled the blooming Japanese magnolias in San Fransisco and then watched the horors in Japan unfold on the TV Friday morning at the flower market. (We're trying to put together a benefit class on Sunday April 3rd...more on that as soon as I can find a venue...)

I want to talk more about the coffee. The coffee in California is GOOD. They brew it all cup by cup, serious business, siphons, I'm talking 5 or 6 dollars a cup serious. I had one cup from a place in Oakland called Subrosa and it conjured the old loving feeling of a true caffiene high - the euphoria, the good will, the light giddy-ness I haven't felt since my teens.

Coffee Bar in downtown LA, loved. Cole Coffee in Oakland real good. Blue Bottle - Liked. Intelligensia in Silver Lake pretty good, but a hot guy works there who reminded me of Eric and I liked that.

I'm back!

WARNING! NSFW

God bless internet-scouring assistants. And long live the anthurium.

Free Flower Time

Hello! It's Free Flower Friday again, our favorite day. This installment is brought to you by Asheley and Deanna. Sarah is in California, which is to say we're listening to a lot of Tupac and channeling Sarah's gansta floral powers.

Please leave a comment and be sure to include your e-mail. Hope you win!

hellebores, an arrangement

It's quite early where I am, and as my melatonin levels adjust I find myself here with time to share a little arrangement I made last week. Before it gets lost forever in the black hole that is my iphoto. Do you like it?

I've been inspired so much by our students lately. They often place flowers quite high; sometimes it's awkward and I'll suggest they move a stem or two... other times I'll encourage them to continue, and I make a mental note to remember their wild design. I can't tell you how much I learn about color and form from our students who have never arranged flowers before. It's one of the neatest things..



I know...we need to talk about hellebores at some point. Maybe after I get mine from SanFransisco later today...I'm so excited I can't stand it. Nicolette just got up, the sun is starting to rise, and we're off to the LA flower market to see what's in store for our class tonight.



LA is strange.

Nicolette and I arrived in LA this morning, and by the afternoon we had already driven around the city numerous times collecting supplies for the week's flower classes...

As we were driving, multiple accidents were avoided, Nicolette shouting "look!"

followed by traffic stopped behind us as we oogled JASMINE, LEMONS, CALIFORNIA, POPPIES, LANTANA, BOUGAINVILLIA, WISTERIA, EUCALYPTUS, HYBISCUS, CANA LILLIES

etc...I could go on....

bottle brush trees, red bud...

My friend Sohrab is putting us up in his swanky bachelor pad, and presently we're sipping champagne and sampling his insane record collection..

I'll check in again tomorrow with updates

also

My mom knit these socks for me two years back and today I don't know where they are, which makes me really sad. I'm so tired and damn cranky this morning. I just need to get up, walk the dog, and head on down to the studio to take it out on my flowers. I have a lot of important meetings today and tomorrow, and I just pulled out my one grey hair - should have left it in so they know I'm serious...

April 24, 2009

The florists curse; can't sleep in.
Exhausted this morning and filtering back through my photo library working on my portfolio. Should have kept my hair short. But it's as when you wait a long time for the bus and consider just walking instead... the longer you wait, the more you're invested in waiting.

Currently living in the purgatory of hair styles.

free fritillaria friday

Have I mentioned yet how good March is for flowers? It is an out-of-control-beauty-explosion; eyes rolling back in heads; dizzying; paralyzing...



Come March 1st, its peak season for Jersey grown ranunculus and at the market you'll find Nicolette and I racing around with armloads of them whether we need them or not shouting GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME! Professional right? Not to mention the quince, jasmine, tetra anemones (now so strong and gorgeous), early cherry blossoms....



Fritillaria are coming in strong now too; Melagris, Imperialis, and Uva (as pictured above). These tiny, graceful harbingers of spring are also known as "fox's grape." Hearty in zones 3-9 these small bulb flowers bloom around here in late March through April. You can plant them in quite shallow earth - 2 to 3 inches deep - so they can be nicely layered on top of deeper bulbs like tulips or daffodils.



Anyway I have a bunch of the Uva's in the studio now, so the winner of the free friday flowers gets an arrangement featuring them. Comment to win, and good luck!

[lucky #1!]