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The Spirit of Autumn, Florified

I’m writing this blog with a big ol’ Darth Vadar-esque respirator on my face. Not because it’s almost Halloween and I need to practice obtrusive breathing, but because my house is making me miserable. My house has revolted against us and sixty some years of homeowners who neglected some much needed home improvements. We’ve basically spent the last two months rebuilding a good chunk of our house. And today is clean up day. The day my dear house’s tears of construction muck are wiped away, her newly insulated surfaces polished up, and given the big “Your gonna be okay” pat on the… wall.

The last month’s house challenges have sent me and my house into a state of depression. The kind that can only be comforted with episodes of Glee in bed (the only room that is unaffected) and bad food choices (specifically flour tortillas fried in butter until they are 30% black). Yum but not so healthy. But big changes that shake up routine in some areas, seem to shake up other areas. And out of this period of chaos has come… well, more chaos of the good kind. In desperation to get away from my house, I’ve finally moved my biz to a bona-fide workshop. It’s still not open to the public, but dedicated and outfitted for making some event magic. It’s in Lake City and I couldn’t be more excited about it. With some publicity from Floral Design Magazine and more in the works, we’re finally ready to give Lola Floral a loving kick in the ass it needs to make our moving and shaking less like spastic gyrations and more like a funky new groove. An updated business vision, a comfy new ‘thinking chair’, and some exciting new projects are all building up the excitement. AND my sister had a baby girl. So hooray! Wahoo for happy changes and wahoo for fall because isn’t that what fall is all about? Or was it about the hokie pokie? hmmmm….

And what better day for rebuilding/ restarting/ new beginnings than a crisp, sunny fall day. It is perfect here in Seattle. My favorite kind of day that would only be made better if I weren’t hacking drywall out of my lungs. And really, what better flower arrangement to celebrate all this than this one here. Local and organic through and through. So textural and welcoming you could scoop it up and give it a nose nudge…. or strap a collar on it and take it for a walk….. or dab some silky, frothy, steamed milk foam on top and slurp it off…. Maybe my respirator is also restricting oxygen intake.

Purple kale, by the way, is a rockstar for floral arranging. I also used it in wedding flowers last night. Of course, before using, trials were run. After leaving a leaf out in my warm workshop for 24 hours – no water, the kale was still as turgid as ever. No wiring needed.

This hanging amaranth is so amazing. Thank you to the local flower farmer’s coop for bringing us such wonderful, unusual plants. And for the asian pears. I swear I ate two! And for the brownies on Wednesday.

That is pink snowberry back there… (eeeeeee!) I love it. I also love it in your yard so you should plant it. Then you can invite me over and we can admire it together. I will bring warm cornbread….

All right, time to spiff this place up. This fantastic arrangement is available for groping at Brown’s Coffee. The coffee will inspire you too.

Tags: asian pears, black, celosia, concrete container, dusty miller, eucalyptus, fall, floral arrangement, fruit in flower arrangement, green, grey, kale, limelight hydrangea, magenta, pink, purple, ranunculus, snowberry, symphoricarpos, table centerpiece, wedding flowers, yellow

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Categories Brown's Coffee Flowers, Floral Design, Green Weddings, Weddings

Bridal Brain- Part Two- Alliums and Jackie Robinson

29 Jul

If you’ve been following my blog, then you know we are taking a little brain break. And since the brain is taking a siesta, might as well let some emotion take over….

…so totally not related to my flowers, are speeches, and words that I really like and usually make me cry….

Like this speech from Jackie Robinson titled “Free Minds and Hearts at Work”

At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion, when the National Anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else. This is organized major league baseball, and I am standing here with all the others; and everything that takes place includes me.

About a year later, I went to Atlanta, Georgia, to play in an exhibition game. On the field, for the first time in Atlanta, there were Negroes and whites. Other Negroes, besides me. And I thought: What I have always believed has come to be.

And what is it that I have always believed? First, that imperfections are human. But that wherever human beings were given room to breathe and time to think, those imperfections would disappear, no matter how slowly. I do not believe that we have found or even approached perfection. That is not necessarily in the scheme of human events. Handicaps, stumbling blocks, prejudices—all of these are imperfect. Yet, they have to be reckoned with because they are in the scheme of human events.

Whatever obstacles I found made me fight all the harder. But it would have been impossible for me to fight at all, except that I was sustained by the personal and deep-rooted belief that my fight had a chance. It had a chance because it took place in a free society. Not once was I forced to face and fight an immovable object. Not once was the situation so cast-iron rigid that I had no chance at all. Free minds and human hearts were at work all around me; and so there was the probability of improvement. I look at my children now, and know that I must still prepare them to meet obstacles and prejudices.

But I can tell them, too, that they will never face some of these prejudices because other people have gone before them. And to myself I can say that, because progress is unalterable, many of today’s dogmas will have vanished by the time they grow into adults. I can say to my children: There is a chance for you. No guarantee, but a chance.

And this chance has come to be, because there is nothing static with free people. There is no Middle Ages logic so strong that it can stop the human tide from flowing forward. I do not believe that every person, in every walk of life, can succeed in spite of any handicap. That would be perfection. But I do believe—and with every fiber in me—that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today; and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow.

I believe in the human race. I believe in the warm heart. I believe in man’s integrity. I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that the society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it—and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist.

My fight was against the barriers that kept Negroes out of baseball. This was the area where I found imperfection, and where I was best able to fight. And I fought because I knew it was not doomed to be a losing fight. It couldn’t be a losing fight—not when it took place in a free society.

And; in the largest sense, I believe that what I did was done for me—that it was my faith in God that sustained me in my fight. And that what was done for me must and will be done for others.

Tags: allium, local flowers, magenta, maroon, organic flowers, peony, purple, recycled glass, sage, sedum, table centerpiece, wedding flowers

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Categories Brown's Coffee Flowers, Floral Design, Green Weddings, Weddings

Bridal Brain

25 Jul

A number of my friends are new moms or are pregnant. I’ve observed and heard about the depleting effects farming a mini human has on brain capacity. We call this Pregnancy Brain.

I suggest that perhaps Bridal Brain is something akin.

If I haven’t mentioned yet, I’m getting married this weekend. We’ve taken some pains (well I’ve felt the pain) to keep it simple (ish). Of course since I can’t help but see this as an opportunity to make cute things, this is harder for me than my sweetie pie. Simplish cute things keep sneaking in all over. So now there is a lot of simple things which isn’t really all that simple. And since I am my own client for this wedding, I can procrastinate wedding creation and instead, see Harry Potter again.

I now am afflicted with Bridal Brain. The amount of rooms I walk into without knowing why has increased. I’ve multiple times opened drawers and stared blankly before realizing I wanted to open the fridge. In these instances, I give myself kudos… “Well, Emily, you were right on the opening part.” Bridal Brain has also affected my wardrobe choices. I feel good. Kind of powerful and, well, hot. Which is great, however, it’s a wake up call when you walk by a reflective window and the hotness doesn’t quite make sense anymore…. Oh. One pant leg tucked into sock? Coffee stain on boob? Not hot. And what is this? Paint in my hair? (sigh)

Now I know why when I ask brides a week before their wedding if they are excited, I get a shakey and bewildered, “yeeeessss?” It’s because if this is how my brain is acting now, come my wedding, I may not be in control of my body and words at all. I could flop down the aisle laughing hysterically while twirling to make my unzipped pretty dress get all phoofy and stuff.”La la la- wooooooo–oooooooo-psssshhhhwt”

So, Bridal Brain isn’t going anywhere until next week. I understand that I need to give it its natural crazy space. In the meantime, I will accomodate my temporary lapse in brain power and judgement and will set up a series of blog posts filled with floral arrangements you haven’t seen yet. Why? so I don’t have to think about it. Because whatever comes out now, will be half done and nonsensical. Even more than usual.

So, Harr we blow!

(what? am I talking pirate now?)

Cobra lilies, local millet grass, local organic irises, spotted orchid, local, organic dusty miller, some annual that starts with a ‘d’, and salal plucked from my lovely hill.