Valentine's Day Recap - What a difference a week can make. Last Tuesday we were buried in flowers helping everyone "spread the love". 7 days later, we all are still in the recovery mode. Whew! Take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back. From all reports, this was a grand year for Valentine's Day sales.
Valentine's Day Memories - Thinking back (far too many years to admit) I remember my first Valentine's Day as a professional (using the term loosely) florist. Oh, my! No one ever understands what a day it is until they've been there. Thank goodness for youth and naivety! The two got me through the day in spite of my absolute ignorance.
Live for the Moment - As florists around the world prepare for the BIG day, it is easy to forget today. I know we must be good and look forward, planning and prepping for the "best Valentine’s Day ever" but, what about today? We each have a finite number of days on this earth. We certainly don't want to lose any of them.
Bridal Trends - January was a month filled with bridal shows. It seems like every event space, every hotel and every convention center hosted a show of their own. It was hard to make time to visit each and everyone. I can only imagine how overwhelmed the brides must feel. Thank goodness there were ample cake samples to keep me on a sugar high throughout each visit.
Valentine’s Day - Three Weeks and Counting! The big day is getting closer. How are you doing on the preparations? Last week we discussed preparing a theme for the day. Today, let's look at getting the pieces ready. What "pieces", you ask? Pieces are all the little things you know you need to complete your flower order.
Preparations - Valentine's Day is just a month away! Are you ready for the rush of big flower sales? This year Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday, traditionally a fabulous day for very strong sales. A mid-week holiday is too far from the weekend to allow dinner to replace flowers and recipients will be at work during the day, eager to receive and show to their co-workers just how much “they are loved”.
An Adventure Awaits - The air is bitter cold and the ground frozen. Walking through the neighborhood, the trees are bare and the world is asleep. I often wonder just why I am out walking on this cold January day. Shouldn’t I be inside where it is warm and cozy, candles lit, cocoa at my side and a good book at hand?
Walking - Yes, walking is the miracle drug, cure, exercise…it solves all the problems of the world. OK, I may exaggerate but, walking does make the world a better place. An early morning walk prepares me for work. A mid-day walk focuses the creative soul. An evening walk makes me feel healthy and the night time walk (often at 2:00 am when I can’t sleep and the mind is racing) clears the mind.
Planning for the New Year - Happy Holidays, Happy Solstice and almost Happy New Year. Now that the longest night of the year has past, it is time to celebrate the return of the light. Minute by minute, the days will lengthen. The process of the changing seasons is a gentle reminder that life is lived in minutes, not lifetimes. Tick-tock-tick-tock the time passes; sometimes with such speed that it is truly frightening!
Christmas Roses - As I write this, the world is beginning to slow. The frantic pace of flowering and bowing anything that stands still has ended. The fingers are tired, the feet are aching and the back is sagging. Oh, the life of the florist. At last, all the wreaths are hung, the final centerpiece is delivered, and the poinsettias are gone.
Christmas Countdown - The countdown has begun and time is speeding up. The theory of relativity has nothing on the Theory of Christmas. Days, hours and minutes are sucked into the holiday vortex. Over and over I think, “Where did the time go?”
The Warmth of Candlelight - The long, dark nights of winter make me long for evenings spent in front of the fire with a hot cup of cocoa. Alas, it is not to be! I have the cocoa but, the crackling flames are missing. Without a fireplace in my home, I make do with a “candle-place”.
Festive Christmas Wreath - Oh, how I love getting the house all dressed up for the holidays. The furniture is shifted to make room for the tree. Red throw pillows are on the sofa and holiday candles are ready to light. Once everything is set, the Christmas tree is decorated and a festive Christmas wreath is hung on the door. Now, I am ready for holiday entertaining!
Self-Care for a Happy Holiday - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, New Year’s Eve.....the days are racing by and it is easy to get caught up in the holiday frenzy. The season is supposed to be fun...happiness, love, friends and family. Unfortunately, it is also the season of "too"...too much fun, too much food and too much to do!
The Art of Living - Thanksgiving is a holiday that truly exemplifies the art of living. It is a day devoted to visiting and eating…the perfect opportunity to feed the body and the soul. How often we forget to relax and give thanks as we get caught up in the frenzy of life. Giving thanks for the simple pleasures of life; watching the sunrise, dancing in the living room, listening to the church bells chime...
Nature's Red Carpet - Today as I walked to the Learning Center Mother Nature rolled out a “red carpet” to mark my path. What a beautiful sight! The unexpected beauty stopped me in my tracks. Do I dare walk through? Should I carefully step around? And, of course, where is the camera?!?!
Buy Local - I’ve embraced the “locavore” movement. As best as I can, I search out locally grown food and locally owned restaurants. (Even better is a local restaurant serving local food…oh, yeah!) Add to that “locapour”. Yes I search out local wines made from Pacific Northwest grapes and I drink local tap water.
It's a Beautiful Morning - How do you start your day? Silly as it sounds, this is quite an important question. The morning start sets the tone for the day. You get to decide. Is it rushed, harried and stressful? Or, is it smooth-sailing as you prepare to leave the house?
Autumn Leaves are Falling - David and I were out of town for a long weekend and I am amazed at the changes in just a few days. The leaves on the maple trees that line my walk to work were tinged in red when I left and are now fully bright red. The elm tree leaves are falling like snow and piling up on the sidewalk. Autumn has fully arrived.
Autumn Inspiration - The seasons have changed and it is time to decorate for the autumn holidays. How do I begin? For me, it is a hands-on, tactile process. I open the cupboard and pull out all the linens and lay them out. I gather autumn leaves, pods and cones and start playing...
Gathering Treasures - The equinox has past and the days are shortening. Temperatures are cooling but the sun is still shining. One of my greatest joys of autumn is "gathering treasures"; pine cones, buckeyes, mosses, sticks, rocks and most any textural natural material. This year brought a wonderful surprise! The buckeyes in my neighborhood sport odd coloration.
Autumn Roses - The seasons have changed and soon, the frost will come. The roses have dropped their petals and the plants are “fruiting”. Yes, the hip is the fruit of the rose and yes, they are edible. The rose is related to the apple – look close. Do you see the resemblance?
The Bounty of the Garden - The Autumnal equinox is just around the corner. The term equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). This is the point where the hours of night and day are the closest to equal time. As the days shorten, the saying “there is just not enough time in the day” comes true!
Roses at Work - We all love the beautiful rose. In the garden or in an arrangement, roses are fabulous! Did you know, they are also a hard working beauty? If you’ve visited a vineyard, you may have thought, “How nice! The farmer planted pretty roses.” Nice thought but…. No, the rose is not planted for the aesthetic beauty. These plants have a job to do in the vineyard.
A Last Weekend of Summer - The season is changing. Days are shorter and the smell of autumn is in the air. As we say goodbye to summer, I’ve scheduled one last picnic in the park. The checkered cloth is washed and the invites are out. Potluck it will be with favorite dishes created from the bounty of the garden. The only rule is that it must be homemade.