Grow Your Mind!

The 2011 class schedule is here! These are the classes I will be teaching at Sprout for the next two months.     The aim of the courses is to share our skills and philosophy on floristry and horticulture. We limit class sizes to 6 students in order to provide individual attention.  

We are located at: 44 Grand Street (Bet Kent & Wythe) Williamsburg, Brooklyn 

To sign up for a class email nyfloral@sprouthome.com

picture credit to Musubi 

Sunday, Jan 9th 12-1pm Flower Class: Winter Blossoms, Branches, and Succulents

We'll demonstrate the art of texture and form using winter blossoms, woody branches, and wired-in succulents. Students will create a hand-tied winter bouquet or vase arrangement they take home. Fees are based on the type of flowers and containers used and are estimated at $65 - $150.

Sunday, Jan 23rd 12-1pm Terrariums

We’ll demonstrate the steps for building a terrarium. Options include high light cacti/succulent, low light fern/moss, carnivorous plants, and no maintenance terrariums. Students may bring their own container or purchase one at Sprout. Fees are based on the type of the terrarium and materials used and are estimated at $35 - $250.

Sunday, Feb 6th 12-1pm Flower Class: The Art of Bouquets

Learn how to create two types of hand-tied bouquets for yourself or a special friend. We’ll demonstrate the techniques for making a small wildflower posie bouquet and a more uncommon sculptural bouquet. Fees are based on the types of flowers used and are estimated at $65 - $150.

New Year New Orleans

More often than not my most memorable trips are the ones that encapsulate all the five senses. New Orleans easily checks all these boxes.

Whether you get tickets to a jazz club, hear a street performer, or in one of the countless bars, you will not leave New Orleans without hearing music. Chances are it will be an excellent musician.

I spent a few years living in the south studying Historic Preservation; with that being said I have some certainty that Louisiana's Creole architecture and the influences from the French, African and Spanish is the most complex and elegant vernacular tradition in the US. You can see it, touch it and smell the walls of this city.

I guess you could lick the buildings too but I would save that for the food. Good lawd all that Creole & Cajun food! Mind you there is a subtle difference between the two. 

I could go on and on about the romance, intrigue and wonder of New Orleans but just go. Go and see it for yourself , if you have already been go again & then again. 

Merry Christmas!

Sometimes great gifts come in the form of words more than objects.                                                          

It's especially great when such happens at a time when you need it more than you realized.

The holidays can be overwhelming finding the best, most appropriate gift for those you love. The process can easily turn into a burden, getting lost in the reason for giving. When I can think of nothing materially I want, and when I do give myself or receive these things the tinge of excitement fades all too quickly. Unlike kind words or bits of encouragement that can make you float all day, and push you further endlessly.

Hilaria, Kathryn, Alice, and all of my clients thank you for the finest gifts of all, your encouragement.

 Happy Holiday's and to a fantastic 2011 for us all.

 ...and secondary to sweet words of sentiment are flowers, then maybe food, and well come to think of it jewels does the trick too.

Small But Mighty

...is all I can say for the latest terrariums i've been whipping up for the holidays. 

This one measures a mere 5" in height with a 1/2" opening

If you too would like to flex your terrarium skills what you need is:

1. Charcoal & Gravel to be placed on the bottom to act as drainage

2. Soil

3. A tiny plant with roots

4. Chopsticks to help manuver your tiniest of openings

(If you are less inclined to make your own we have oodles of them at Sprout Home)

* Give your terrarium bright but indirect sunlight, too much sun will cook your tiny plant!

P.S.  Any of you know the Guinness Book of World Records for tiniest terrarium? 

Look Who's Back

well hello, welcome back poppy

you were missed...

here is my post from last December, an ode to my poppy obsession.  

If You Like Flowers, You Must Like Pretty Things

...and if you like pretty things you probably have love for the ballet. 

 So that is precisely why you should see Black Swan, not to be confused with the book my husband is reading by, Nassim Nicholas Taleb ,  who know's maybe the two correlate in some way.

Black Swan is a visual masterpiece,  the physically driven, horrified face of Natalie Portman gives a fragile stength-ridden performance of a young woman striving for absolute perfection.

 Her inner demons translate into her mother played by Barbara Hershey, ballett director Vincent Cassel, and her nemesis/black swan enticer "Lilly" Mila Kunis.  All of the supporting cast hit a brilliant mark.   

 ..and we  certainly don't want to forget to tip our hats to the incredible costume designers & sisters Rodarte. 

This artist sketch courtesy of Rodarte shows design for the "Demon" ballet costume in the film "Black Swan". (Rodarte/AP)

Tucson & Latest Acquisition

arid, big sky, saturated in color, with radiating sun

 still love you AZ

Dad's been busy with his 71,000 square ft museum 

I acquired this 5'x6' sized painting by Sean Paul Pluguez  American, b. 1979

 

This should look spectacular in our 800 square ft apt.

Bouquet of the Day

Ok, there you go. 

 

Now get on out of here and eat some turkey!

Heading Home

I'm getting pretty excited to go home.

My head is buzzing with excitement, in these remaining days before I go home I keep thinking about the movie "Can't Buy Me Love"  Circa 1987 Did you know it was filmed in Tucson. ? So was Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, but whatever I'll tell you it's my highschool reunion,  and i'm just going to admit it and say i'm excited. 

If you need a Can't Buy Me Love recap, Cindy steals her mothers white suede dress (complete with fringe) to wear to a highschool kegger. After a disastrous scene where her friend spills red wine on the dress, Cindy attempts to return it to the store and would have to pay $1000 to replace it- Ouch.

Lucky for her  Ronald comes to the rescue, it gets messy but ends as all teen comedy's end. 

 With love

Weekly Flowers for Private Clients

I can not think of anything more wonderfully decadent than coming home and being greeted with fresh flowers throughout your house. 

Private clients, you are the best. 

 

Bouquet of the Day

"Damn  that''s pretty, " said the guy picking these up today.

 

Sprout Home

Ohia's Rainbow Earth

My 6 year old niece Ohia drew this beautiful picture of herself surrounded in colors and calls it "Rainbow Earth." She told her mother "the colors said they love me and took me to the moon when I was sleeping in the hospital bed."  

For those of you who don't know about Ohia, she is a medical marvel having recovered from countless surgeries and two near fatalities. 

My sister believes Ohia "has seen God and Angels in the form of colors." I think so too. 

Good Causes

My buddies over at Marc Jacobs are involved with a pretty cool non for profit called Arts Connection. The mission of the organization is to help make the arts a more essential part of children's education. Since many public schools have cut funding, Marc Jacobs along with other designers have donated portions of sales to suport funding for afterschool activities in dance, music, theater and visual arts.

I was asked to make an arrangement this past weekend for the entrance for Bloomingdales on 59th & Lexington Ave for Fashion Industries have HeArt!. These students made drawings of handbags and I was very impressed! Honestly, my college portfolio next to these kids work looks more amature...

Bouquet of the Day

Made for Sprout Home Brooklyn 

Garden Clubs In Virginia Are Not Messing Around.

...or certainly not at this particular club in Alexandria, VA where I had the esteemed opportunity of giving a presentation. My topic was, "Floral Design: A New York Perspective" followed by a lesson in my style of arranging. I have never held such a captive audience! The women were incredibly gracious and the hostess lives in the finest house in Old Town, Virginia. Just stepping in the front door made my mouth salivate as my Historic Preservation degree came flooding back. 

What differenciated my floristry from these women is they compete for ribbons in various design categories spending thoughtful time and energy creating one unique arrangement under various guidelines. Unlike the flower business where you are dealing in high volume, customers, but alas much more flexibility in design. (Work vs Hobby)  I do think we mutually learned from one another, and this talk made me realize how much I enjoy a captive audience, all eyes on me please!

I can't even begin to explain the horticulturalist portion of the club, that goes over my urban apartment lifestyle. Pretty sure I figured out something I want to be involved in (maybe when I retire?) In 30 years I'll be sweeping up all those blue ribbons. 

It's raining a lot in New York these days...

...but i have tidbits to remind me why I struggle to live here. 

Dear Pina Baush, 

Thank you for searing your vision into my subconscious. 

Pina Bausch at BAM

GO SEE IT IF YOU LIVE HERE. 

Bouquet of the Day

What does one do when you encounter an unexpected visitor from the editor of French Elle? Suck in your tummy and try your best at little french antiecdotes like, "tres chic!" 

Back To School

Please don't misinterpret the title of this post, no I am not enrolled in school.  I go to the school of hard knocks- that's life. Some of my friends really are in school, but lets imagine for a bit all of us are going-Ok? We get new fall fashions, buy a "school" bag, and we can't wait to reconnect with all of our pals. Our grades no doubt will slip a bit since we have so many notes to pass and phone chats.  Don't worry we will make it up before report cards. 

Now, let's say we are on recess in the park and a new bunch of uber cool girls come to school. We could  A.) Feel threatened and revert to our already established girl click or B.) Introduce ourselves, tell them we think they are neat, and hope we don't get blown off this early in the school year.

Readers, I would like to introduce you to a few of my new blogging friends. 

Trish & Maureen, Domestic Construction. I went to college with this dynamic design duo and our friend glue Heather, from I Grew This made a move out west. Well shoot... we got each other so let's grab a beer when you get back! k?

Cindy Loher A.K.A Cynthia Gray. Thus far the two if us have a 3 year working relationship and a mutual affinity towards peanut butter pretzels. Since we are working really hard we DO NOT GAB ALL DAY but when I do make it home I like transport myself into Cindy's writing marvels. 

Kara Schmidt: Illustrator & Art Director for Free People. Kara & I met while studying in France. Since that distant summer Kara has literally circled the globe, she now does it for her job on fashion shoots. Don't get me wrong, I love my what i am and do,  but occasionally when you encounter that person and get the tinge of, "god what am I doing? I want to be just like her" Jelousy in it's highest form of compliment, not yuck but YES! I would pull some Whoopie Goldberg "Ghost" and I transport myself to Kara while she is on one of her many travel adventures beautfying the world with fashions I want (correction) need to buy.

 

 Now, I know this is a lot to keep up with so I made it easy for us and added them to my "Like Minded Friends" sidebar-See!

P.S. Don't forget to put rollers in your hair tonight, it's picture day tomorrow. 

Classic Cars

Impractical and irresistable my dreams of having a car in Manhattan would have to be for a classic one.

My dad once had a 1959 Silver Cloud Rolls Royce back in the 70's, he bought it for $3,000 bucks.

I can't really share on the memory of the flashy classic since it existed before I was born, when the family grew so did the frivoltiy of the Rolls. My parents opted for more practical wheels, a horribly ugly Mazda mini van carted us around, not an illustrious two toned Silver Cloud Rolls Royce.  poor me. 

I can daydream and see my younger thinner father and mama cruising around in our dusty desert town of Tucson, Arizona so oddly elegant those two.

The closest I will be getting to my classic impractical car is digging out those photos and framing them in an obscenely expensive frame. 

Oh yeah, and here are some bouquets i made for Sprout.   

The begging will promptly resume for a BMW 2002 

A Moment of Solidarity

September 11, 2001

I signed the lease of our first apartment July 2000, the contract a bitter first taste of what it meant to be adult, our patch of space, our gateway into New York City.

That 4^th  was spent with boxes of my belongings as company, slept on the floor and watched fireworks reflections from the skyscraper windows, the boom sounded strong and magnificent. I felt completely alive.

 

What I heard, saw, and smelled the following year on that September morning took all that I believed and saturated the focus to such an extreme and shifted it in every which way.

I cannot think to further explain what 9 years ago today is, but I’m still here and feeling completely alive New York.