Sambuca’s Leap In The City

Again, the wedding professionals here in Nashville are rocking my socks off. Sara of Fete Nashville and Michelle of Burlap and Brooches invited me to take part in a phenomenal event thrown at Sambuca's super fabulous loft event space. Leap In The City...the night was phenomenal, the leaptinis, linens, lighting, music (by someone I really really love, Mr. RTL himself), food, dessert, too much goodness to talk about. AND the turnout was ridiculous, it was so loud, I'm almost positive this cold I caught is because I had to lean in so close just to hear what people were saying, whoever gave it to me, thank you. Take a look at this list of vendors, they've all got a special place in my recommendation list heart, shout out to Gregory Byerline for the photos, and since he is much better at blogging, check out his take on the night here!! They are all invited to my birthday party, because I want it to be this cool. And for that photo I will get a box to stand on or learn to lean to the left!

Lilacs, Ranunculus & Modern Vintage

I feel pretty blessed here in Nashville. The wedding world has opened up its arms and given me a big hug, especially these ladies. I first met Becca of Modern Vintage on a lunch date, we both got lost, and ended up having the best tacos I've had since moving to the south. I'm sure I was making "these are the best things ever" noises and probably freaking her out, but I must not have too much because then she introduced me to her partner Jessica a few weeks later. They asked me to make something pretty for their table at the Pink Bridal Show in Murfreesboro, and it helped that they had a super sweet palette and design going. These planners man, they make my life a breeze, it's really quite nice. Spring had sort of smiled upon me the day before, so I couldn't resist the lilacs, they remind me of spring as a little girl.

Show & Photo

First shout out goes to Angela Disrud,phenomenal photographer and lady! I have literally lost time chatting away with Angela, next thing I knew it was 3 hours later. Angela popped over to capture some shots of flowers I did for a trunk show at The Bride Room. Which happens to be a spot I could sit and swoon in for hours, would someone I know get engaged so we can go wedding dress shopping! Thanks to the ladies at the Bride Room for having me and to the talented Angela for the very cool photos. You make my work look good.

Sunshine in January

"...and frosts are slain and flowers begotten, and in green underwood and cover, blossom by blossom the spring begins." -Algernon Charles Swinburne

Last month I had the pleasure of putting some pretty flowers on the tables at the Nashville Wedding Planners Luncheon. These ladies got it going on and I feel so blessed that they let me take a part of their fun day. Best part, mid January, the sun was shining, 7o degrees shining! Now, mid february, I'm positive we didn't skip over spring, but for a moment there I could have sworn we went straight from this thing Nashvillians like to call winter (where's the snow!?!), to summer. I was shivering cold inside and had to keep running out into the sun to warm up. Second best part, I got to watch a hand full of the planners, walking away, arms full of my flowers, I love when they don't go to waste, I only have so many spots in our home to put a left over centerpiece.

Chelsea + Deron

"Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud..." - e.e. Cummings

This lovely couple had this poem read during their ceremony by the brides sister, I especially love the "bud of the bud" part! Chelsea and Deron's wedding showcases a great way to focus a small budget.  We picked the pieces that were the most important to the bride and her family and substituted a less expensive flower everywhere else...babies breath.  A time old classic, often over looked, was the sweetest addition to this eclectic, fall, vintage affair.  And the babies breath halo...hello beautiful! I'm not sure any other girl could have pulled off this gorgeous vintage dress the way Chelsea did, absolutely stunning!

Letters To A Young Florist

My "Rilke's"

It dawned on me today while working on a wedding for my new favorite florist in Nashville, that I have been oh so blessed to have worked for some of the best of the best in the floral world.  For starters, my mother, she gave me the most important ingredients, hard work, a killer eye for detail, creativity & passion.  For the past 7 years I worked all the way from Idaho, west to Central Oregon, down to Sunny California and over to Music City.  One of my favorite things about working for different florists is you get a taste of how each designer goes about the same thing. Take for instance a halo, you would be amazed at how many different ways there are to make one.  And that is the beauty of floral art, it really is an art form, you have a backbone of knowledge which is vital, but when it comes down to putting it all together each artist does it the way that works best for them.  I'm lucky because I get to take all the ways I've seen it done and mold it into what works best for me, of course with my personal splash of love and artistry on top! So for now do me a favor and take a peek at these ladies (sorry gents).  They are all A+ in my book.

www.bluedaffodilflowers.com
www.mulberryrowfloral.com
www.katebakerflorals.com
www.brocadedesigns.com

The Pansy

"Sell Your Cleverness & Buy Bewilderment" - Rumi

A teacher I quite like, opened my eyes up with this quote from Rumi.  I like to think I am a pretty bewildered person, I've been known to watch leaves fall, squirrels tiptoe across power lines & smell every flower on a walk. Nature watching is in my blood, I can't help it.  So for me this teaching came as something different.  I tend to get so caught up with new loves, or my favorite bloom of the moment that I can overlook the beauty of a tried and true bloom.  So for me today is about finding the swoon moment in something I pass over all the time.  My mom's favorite, at least I would hope so since she has them tattooed on her leg...the pansy.  Never one of my favorites, but today that changed, I am bewildered, seriously, I mean how could you not.

Hanky Panky

One of my dear friends,old bosses, and fellow flower children, borrowed out her version of a hanky banner to me for my wedding. After staring at my own collection of vintage hankies for some time, wondering what to do with them, I decided to copy her.  So here you have it, hang it anywhere you choose, from trees above your ceremony site, on your cake table, over the dance floor, feet & feet & feet of vintage hanky goodness. Oh so sweet.

Afternoon on a Hill

"I will be the gladdest thing under the sun, I will touch a hundred flowers, and not pick one!"  - Edna St. Vincent Millay

Well...I can't help but pick a few.  We usually always come home from our hikes with wildflower bouquets sitting on the dashboard, even a quick walk to the coffee shop with our pup usually ends with an armful of twigs and moss.  This was from one of our hikes early this summer in Idaho while visiting family.  Fun note, I became obsessed with a weed I had seen all over the place growing up, something my brother told me is called "skunk cabbage",  sweet how time changes our views on the beauty of things, I thought it looked marvelous in my bouquet fit for the "outdoorsy" bride.

Something Borrowed

"Words of a poem should be glass, but glass so simple-subtle it's shape, nothing but the shape of what it holds" Robert Francis - Glass

I have a lot of brides wanting pictures of what I have available for rentals.  Here is a peek into a few of the collections. Before her flower shop my mom owned an antique store and for as long as I could remember was an antique fanatic.  She went as far as to dig in old dumps, don't judge yet, it's not as gross as it sounds. Before there were dumps, as we know them, homesteaders used to just walk out a few hundred feet behind their homes, years later the yuck has made it's way back to the earth, leaving behind only the good stuff...the antique jars & bottles you pay big bucks for at shops, old dolls, toys, you just have to dig a bit, my mom refers to it as her "dumpin days." Lucky you she has passed it onto me, to kindly borrow out to you. This stuff is smothered in history. A few other collections, our version of a shepherd hook, you've probably seen them for sale on bhld for lots of cash, ours are much more budget friendly, and these cute aspen place markers, we used them at our wedding to label the food on the buffet.

Sunshine Days and Foggy Nights

To pick flowers, to tell tales, laugh away the morning, to drift & dream like a lazy stream & walk barefoot across sunshine days – James Kavanaugh "sunshine days and foggy nights"

I was oh so blessed to spend this summer at my childhood home in beautiful Idaho. There is something quite perfect about waking up each morning to share a cup of coffee with your parents at an age where there is a new understanding of how absolutely perfect they are. Trust me, if you met them you would fall in love! We planted a garden, painted the house, sorted through memories, chopped wood, went fishing, hiked, and one of my faves, my families flower shop and greenhouse. I grew up in a flower shop, when other kids chores were dreadful, mine consisted of leafs and petals. I learned so much from my angel mother, we bounced our floral knowledge off one another, drank endless cups of tea (in her attached tea room) and my brother and father played along when I requested elements we could gather only from the Idaho mountains. A photo journal of a few moments from a summer filled of moments.

Hello World Meet Ode

Ode. An elaborate structured poem, elevated in style or manner to a particular subject, varied, irregular.

I spent a long car ride fumbling around names in my mind, and nothing suited my new venture quite the way I wanted it to. So along came Ode, partially due to my obsession at the time with Pablo Neruda, partly because it makes perfect sense.

I love the written word, I love music, I love theatre, I love poetry, I am a nut for anything art, and cutting stems has been a way for me to keep food on my plate so I can pursue my other artistic endeavors. For me this is what designing flowers is all about. It’s just as a poem, separate words, molded together in the sweetest way…separate blooms molded together in just the right way it will make you swoon. That "ah" feeling we get from a good read that makes us fold over the edge of the page as to not forget it…flowers give us those moments too.

In their best form, closest to their natural form, which is the way I like them, flowers describe nature in an intellectual way, we take something we see everyday in the garden or the park, and we construct them in a way that derives an emotional response. Ode. Nice to meet you.