Christmas is here!

All of the stress has finally come to an end. I am officially on my way down south to Florida and have all of my gifts bought, wrapped and all the cards have been written. Even though at times the Christmas season in a flower shop can be extremely stressful, in the end Christmas just isn't the same without it. Just keep in mind to avoid cramped malls for your last minute gifts and to shop local! Merry Christmas everyone!!!

A touch of color!

Although I wish floral design was about always doing things you enjoy it's not always the case. I'm sure that any artist feels this way whether you are a painter, tattoo artist or interior designer. But those customers who really push your boundaries are the ones you learn most from in the end.
Sometimes we just need to step outside our comfort bubble in order to explore new techniques and styles. For me this concept really hit hard when I had to switch from doing tight posy, bridal-like bouquets to a very gardeny, open, wild style of design. At first I was extremely reluctant to switch over but over time it began to really grow on me and I have come to appreciate the "gardeny style" so much more than the "tight posy style".
As I've mentioned many times before, the other design concept that I am troubled by is bright and contrasting colors. Although I always push for a "tone on tone" subtle palette there are many people out there who just love bright colors. My next step towards a more colorful palette has become whites and greens with a "pop" of color which I actually find quite pleasing in the end.

My Dream Home

This beautiful home has just gone up for sale in Australia. The owner just so happens to be the writer of one of my favouriate blogs; http://beachvintage.blogspot.com. I admire her so much and can only hope to have such a beautiful home that just filled with little homemade projects that she has made with her daughters. 

I have so many aspirations in life and anyone of my close friends could tell you that I have every detail of my life planned and have done so since I was a pre-teen. I think its always so good to have something to work towards and set goals for yourself. 

The Flower Auction

One would think that I am crazy to wake up at 4:45am on my one day off to go buy flowers but I absolutely love it. Upon arrival we quickly run around to take a look at what is available and pick out what we want. Shortly after an announcement sounds to tell us that the auction has begun and we take our seats.

In front of us we have a little keypad that has two very important buttons; "A" and "B". In front of us we have two clocks which correspond with the buttons. When the auction begins there are two tracks which begin to pull carts of flowers through. Usually on side "A" there are cut flowers and on side "B" there are plants. In order to stay organized we keep a list of the cart numbers of the things we want and once our carts come up is when the fun begins. So lets say you would like to buy a bucket of Lisianthus which is on side "A". Clock "A" will start off at lets say a price of $5.00 a bunch and begin to go down at which point you have to hit button "A" in order to bid on the bucket. The trick is to get the lowest price possible however you do not want anyone else to get the bucket before you do. Sometimes you jump the gun by accident and pay way to much for something or sometimes you don't bid quick enough and aren't able to get something that you really needed. Once the cart has passed through the bidding area the tracks stop and the staff put stickers on the bucket which has your seat number on it so that you are able to find everything once the auction is over. No matter what I find the auction fascinating and it is such a rush. Not to mention seeing the thousands of flowers in is definitely a nice way to spend a morning.

Sadly, Some Go

One of the most important things about being a florist is that you are a part of every major occasion in one's life. Whether it is a birth, wedding, birthday, celebration or sadly even death, flowers are usually part of the equation.  Being a good florist is about creating a piece that says something about who the client is and this ability is particularly important when it comes to creating a piece to remember one's life.

This piece in particular was for a gardener. 

Happy Hanukkah!

I must say I much prefer a "Hanukkah" palette of blues and whites much more than red, white and green. These pieces turned out so well with the touches of blueberry which have a metallic blue hue. The combination of blues and whites are just so classy and peaceful. Can we please change Christmas colors to something a little more pleasing rather than fire hydrant red and white?

Who will you kiss under the mistletoe?

Okay so maybe I lied.. It's not actually mistletoe. But they are indeed little kissing balls that I have been making non stop! Real mistletoe is unfortunately quite unattractive and poisonous so these little posies of greens work just fine.

Tis' The Season

Apparently I am not the only one who is excited for the Christmas season despite what I have heard! I rode my bike past this wonder the other night and it was somewhat nostalgic. When I was in my early teens my grandmother rented out the basement apartment in our house and would always decorate our house to the nines for Christmas. I'm talking blowup snowmen on the lawn, constant caroling playing outside and lights everywhere. Seeing as I was at that age where what people thought of me was the most important thing in the world I was mortified by this grand festive gesture and wouldn't let any of my friends come over for the whole month of December. But now, I look back and think of those memories every time I see an overly decorated house and think about my family and what a nice memory it is.

My Little Furry Friends

Meet Cisco-Kid and Taco my little fury friends who can throw quite a fiesta! I don't think there is anything I love more than these two little guys. (don't tell my boyfriend) They are literally the best of friends, always looking out for each other. They even wrestle and it is probably the most entertaining thing to watch; a sumo wrestler v.s a ninja. I don't know what I would do without them and what they would do without each other.

A Late Farewell to Fall

There are certain palettes that are quite seasonal and exceptional and as fall is finally concluding I will certainly miss the array of burnt oranges and smokey pinks.

Such a Privilege...

I always took for granted the abundance of unique flowers I have had such a privilege of working with on a daily basis. Designing really is much easier and fascinating when you have absolutely every color of flower available at your finger tips. Not to mention that during garden season I was free to wander in the secret garden to pick some wild and unique blooms you would never be able to find at market. 

Defiantly my favorite fall palette which includes rosy sedum and blush hydrangea which I was able to salvage from the garden center in early fall.

This arrangement is just bursting with little floral wonders! The roses are all fantastically fragrant garden roses and the snowberries are blushed perfectly. 

This was actually a bridal bouquet for a very "woodsy" couple. Her husband to be literally went out in the fields to hand pick buckets of fresh Queen Anne's Lace. However i must say, my favorite part of this bouquet would have to be the Foxglove which I had hand picked from the garden center. What a magnificent spotted beauty!

Antique Cycling

As an avid cyclist (still riding in the snow) and an antique hunter I was blown away by this amazing find. This stunning cruiser was made out of bamboo from top to bottom from the chain guard to the fenders to the woven bamboo seat. It was just stunning! How nice it is to simply walk to the end of my street and be able to go antiquen' untill I drop. Oh do I love Parkdale!

Week Olds'

Although it is quite sad that some flowers don't always find homes it certainly is nice to get to take home countless amounts of flowers that are not quite "sell-able". The number of times I have sat squished on a streetcar with a bouquet that is half the size of me on my lap, my lunch bag between my legs and my purse under the bouquet is countless. (quite a funny picture I know) But once I arrive home I am thrilled to fill my house with tiny posies.

White & Greens

No matter how you put it together it is extremely hard to make whites and greens look bad. It is such a soft crisp delicate palette that is undeniably timeless. For us "tone on tone" folk green and white will always hit home.

This bouquet was actually my first bridal bouquet which I am quite proud of.

This must be the biggest arrangement I have ever made.

Although this is a sympathy piece it is not at all your typical three sided mess and is actually quite elegant if i do say so myself!

The Myth of the "No Budget" Clients

Once in a while, quite rarely I have gotten a customer who will just tell me "Do whatever you want and I don't care how much it costs." However, it is even more rare to get a customer who gives you the most beautiful container and requests my absolute favorite color palette. Lucky little me!

Flowers From My Sweetheart

Lucky little me to have such a sweet boyfriend that surprises me at work with a gorgeous bouquet. It is hard to train a man to do such things especially when you yourself are a florist. The thing is guys... us florists like flowers so much that we do it for a living! Just because were around them all day doesn't mean we appreciate them any less! This is my second bouquet that my sweetheart has gotten me from Coriander Girl which is defiantly my favorite florist in the city besides the shops I work at of course. 

Little Survivors From Florida

This is the second little caterpillar that I have found this year that is native to Florida. Both of them had traveled all that way from down South on either a plant or some cut Evergreens through thick and thin. Our first friend which arrived sometime in July was fat green and healthy. Through some thorough research we discovered that he would soon turn into a beautiful exotic moth. The second one pictured above came around the first heavy frost this season and was fully frozen when he was found. We brought him inside to show everyone how beautiful he was and shortly after he defrosted and began to move once again. 

The Melissa

I have found the most amazing new little store on Queen West; The Melissa. Located at 1080 Queen St. W. right by Dovercourt is where you will find this wonderful treasure. It was a big coincidence that the owner is actually a frequent shopper at Sweetpea's and I have sold her some bulbs a couple of times. Here are a couple of amazing finds that I have recently purchased from her and also a little craft project that her store inspired me to do.

A lovely peachy pink hat box which was originally from New York,

.. and last put not least this little hanky which I sewed onto my pillow. What a quick and easy way to add  to any boring old pillow.

Unfortunately Frowned Upon

There are many flowers out there which have been used and abused. Now when flowers such as Gladiolas and Baby's Breath are mentioned most people will scream in horror. But, what most people don't know is how lovely these little misfits can be if used properly.
Gladiolas:
Striking tall friends that make a huge impact for a tight budget. When used in mass they look absolutely stunning. Here are a couple of arrangements I have done for weddings that turned out quite well if I do say so myself.

Baby's Breath:
Stop picturing it alongside a dozen red roses and imagine it in a tight posy all by itself. When you look at the flowers on their own, you notice how sweet each little flower is and how it forms a beautiful white cloud when bunched together. I absolutely adore this bouquet from my favorite florist Coriander Girl who owns an amazing little shop in Parkdale which you must go and visit.

I think there is no need to be a flower snob and we really look at flowers for what they are and find new ways to use them and put them back in their glory.

Leaf Wrap Ties

The more practice I got the easier this became and now I wouldn't tie off a bouquet in any other way. There are many little flowers out there that have really delicate fleshy stems such as Calla Lilies, Amaryllis and Gerbera Daisies which can get easily damaged if you tie off a bouquet too tightly. This little step can go a long way to protect them and looks quite pleasing as well.
- Gather Silal leaves or any other leaves you might come across
- Layer them around the bouquet
- Tie with some twine
Et Voila!

Baby Boy!

A sweet little vase arrangement that I got to make up for a new mummy who has a new little boy. The soft blur Delphinium create such lovely line and give this arrangement a gardeny' feel.

The Pillow Maker

After being inspired by one of my favorite blogs http://adaanddarcy.blogspot.com I set out on a quest to making some lovely floral pillows. I sure found out quick that it is not as easy as it seems to find amazing floral print fabric even in Toronto's Fashion District. I wasn't so sure at the beginning about whether or not my darling boyfriend would kill me for getting such girly fabric but I decided to take the plunge anyway. Luckily it turns out I wasn't in trouble and he actually liked it in the end! Putting my new found sewing skills to the test by sewing these pillows by hand with no ruler I decided to make a stool cover as well, again with no ruler...

Surprisingly it also turned out quite well. Seeing as I had no sewing machine (yet) I was not able to make a hem so i took the left over fabric, braided it and hand then stitched it on to finish it off. Thank goodness for http://.beachvintage.blogspot.com for this fun and easy idea and all of her other D.I.Y projects!

Sweet Little Apron

What a gorgeous little apron I found! After months of searching for the apron that was just right I came across this beauty down by St. Lawrence market one day. I would use this fabric for absolutely everything if I could.

Cobra Lilies

Aren't they fabulous and unique? The gradation from green to red to white it just out of this world not to mention their little veins. The only problem is that at one point, before this flower was cut it was a carnivorous plant which would eat bugs and digest them. Nonetheless, going along with my business as I was giving him and his friends a fresh cut, i cut him a little short and sure enough out come all of these half digested bugs and muck. Lesson learnt!

Toronto Food Terminal

I had my very first trip to the Toronto Food Terminal today and what a cold trip it was. This photo was taken after a visit to the Food Terminal in late August when Mennonite farmers are selling the most exceptional dahlias. In the summer the terminal is packed to the brim with all of the local growers with little stations set up outside their 18 wheeler trucks. However, today there was not even a quarter of the amount of growers were there. Since we did a little over-buying for Christmas some of our little plant friends had to freeze in the back of the pick-up as we rushed back to the store. Fortunately none of them were frostbitten and everything turned out well considering the conditions. Oh again how I long for the summer!

Missing Garden Season

I must admit that the hauling of flat after flat, the 9 hour days of solely watering plants and the constant deadheading seemed so overwhelming at first. Now that winter has really hit us I cannot help but to look back and think of how nice it was to spend so much time outside with thousands of unique plants, butterflies and insects all around me. What better way to spend a summer? But now all I am left with are these warm thoughts as I put on my winter coat and Sorels and dread the long cold winter that awaits.

Color Palettes

Every person has a preferable color palette. I am in love with whites, greens, creams, peachy pink and pale blue or a more tone on tone palette. Although this arrangement has slightly brighter pinks than I would prefer the soft transition between the green in the kale (cabbage) to the pale green roses to the AMAZING peonies sure hits home.