Nicole, my love

Flowering for friends is a real joy in this work. I'm likely heard complaining about it, but in that deep-down-I-really-mean-it-way, I feel kinda proud to create environments and beautiful things for wonderful friends. I spent a few days up in the Berkshires a couple weeks ago turning a pretty barn into a PRETTY barn for my dear college friend Nicole's wedding. Oh, Nicole's + Kevin's wedding. Right. He was there too. Details.

I dragged ALL of my college friends in attendance into the mix - teaching them how to make garlands, hang candles, play with ivy, and other random, weird things we florists do. They ran with it. Rocked it. And made the space look even better than I had hoped.

**Big, enormous, huge thanks to my wonderful friend Hannah who has been the biggest help since my first gig back in PDX life. Always lighting candles with me, cheering me on, hiding buckets, finding me glasses of wine. She's even able to rope her bf Josh into helping these days. Hannah, I love you. Also appreciate the generosity of the lovely Ariella for her endless help, support, and encouragement. She pointed me in the right direction in so many ways for this event (and so many others). And to Sarah for being my hype guy, having just created a beautiful event in a nearby Berk town a few days prior. And thanks Nicole for marrying your Kevin. LOVE you two. (Big love fest post. Excuse.)

***Also, thank you Kenyon College for hooking me up with all these badass lords 'n ladies.

Pyramids

September and October are really testing my flower strengths. I decided to fire myself the other day during a low moment of endless bucket scrubbing (seemed like a higher road than quitting). That evening, my inbox popped up an email from a future client whose event I am SOOOOO excited for, giving me the official thumbs up that she'd like to move forward with Peartree. I re-hired myself. Who am I kidding? I love this shit. Bucket scrubbing included. {Ok, i'm really not joking here. I find this cathartic sometimes (note: not every time). This mindless, necessary, important (SO important), routine task. I have this ritual of making organized pyramids around the studio of all my clean buckets to let them dry. This seems obvious (right?), but I separate them by kind - down to separating the ever so nuanced different types of black buckets, and then I build them as high as I can and watch my masterpiece drip bleach water dry. Though nuts, it's my symbolic final chapter of an event. I can officially put one event to rest and get my brain in gear for the next. By making bucket pyramids. Obviously.}

I also have this new issue of having to try on the flower girl's head wreath before I pack it up for her. I could say that I'm double checking that the wreath doesn't have any holes in it, but that's a lie. And we're here to be honest. Also, I'm really sorry that I keep making them for my head size. Working on it. 

SATURDAY NIGHT!

I have a Sunday wedding this week. I was going to say that it's been a while since I had a Sunday wedding, but then I remembered I had a Sunday wedding last week. That's a pretty good indicator of where my head is at right now. I'm feeling a strange hybrid of complete exhaustion and an adrenaline buzz that won't quit. Not totally sure how I've been able to get up as early, as often, or work as late as I have in the last month, but I guess I'll ride this out. (Key is to not ask questions.) It has been the perfect storm of wonderful clients and the most incredible teams which improves this whole no sleep, living on bagels, shlepping bales, driving half asleep equation BIG time.

Hope all of you are out eating, dancing, listening to great music, and enjoying your Saturdays!! 

today

Yesterday and today were pretty special making and making in the studio and driving around the state and city of New York hopping from event to event. Before this feeling fades into Monday, I wanted to pause and acknowledge that for the first time in a while, I felt really great at the end of an event day. I'm my own worst critic. It's bad. I tend to hate everything by the time the event is fully set up. But today, and certainly because our team was incredible, all the details down to the tags for the boutonnieres made me smile. Lucky to know and work with such gems. 

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

I've discovered a new feeling surrounding the finishing of big jobs.  I've been talking with my dear friend Sooz about the ramp up before jobs: The adrenaline starts to increase, the sleeping shortens, the anxiety grows, the confidence blooms, the materials come in, the work starts, it happens. And then it ends before you can even snap a good pic. But the ramp down is perhaps more painful. It's like when you were a kid and you wait and wait for Christmas morning or your birthday and then the day after said events, everything is status quo again. Everything just is again. I'm sure I'm doing this explanation an injustice, but the point is, it's helping me focus on the parts of the job I truly adore.

1: I love when all the flowers are in the studio and it's time to make and make and make. I love every part of the first 5 arrangements. Seeing it come together, allowing flowers from farmers* in 10 different parts of the region to comingle in one arrangement. Seeing how that splurge item was totally worth it and how that other splurge item is just in there to make me happy. (Or a reminder to review my dwindling profit margin.)

2: I really enjoy when something happens that I didn't forsee. For example, some colors blend in a way I hadn't expected. Or a last minute grab ends up stealing the show: Case and point - these purple scabiosas that Bernadette from the River Garden threw it to my order for kicks. 

3: I enjoy making things in the studio I know won't transport well. It's a sick joke I play with myself. But one I won't stop playing. The love in a puff in the arrangement below couldn't possibly stay positioned as is, but whatevs. Put it there anyway. I like a good on site challenge of fixing every single centerpiece. Joke.

4: I've learned Fridays are the best. It's a making day. I have all the hours in the day and no more running around. Beers are in the fridge and friends/freelancers are in the studio. Encouraging texts keep coming in from best friends, brothers, ok - mostly from my mom. We're cracking jokes and catching up while we arrange. Pizza deliveries are endless, baked goods from Emily are divine, and we have time. TIME! Man, what I wouldn't give for some time on site.

5: I love when Brides smile on their wedding day. When they love the flowers we make for them. When they appreciate the insane work we've put into it all. When they hold their bouquet. When they get married!!! I guess I'm a sucker for romance at the end of the day.

This weekend Peartree was at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. A place I've wanted to work since back when I was making flowers in PDX. It felt really special to be there. The agriculture center is an unparalleled resource in our area, and Dan Barber is really helping to steer the farm to table food movement in an important direction. 

So now it's Tuesday. The studio is clean. I finally made my bed. On to the next...

*This includes: Robby's dahlias, Anna Mack from the Berkshires, Serene Green for the fruit branches, Bernadette + Luke from the River Garden, Fallon and her Garden Valley Ranch roses, and Norman from Peterkort to name a few.

blog embarrassment

I can't believe it's nearing the end of August and I haven't tended to this here blog in nearly two months. Summer. Wow. I'm so sorry! For some reason, my procrastinating tendencies really pop up when it comes to blogging. Here's hoping there are 2 posts a month till the end of the year. If you put it out there....

Anyway - summer has been wonderful. I've been to California TWICE! Utah to help the lovely, talented Sarah Winward with a mega monster event. Sag Harbor almost every week to kick it with all kinds of Lubells (including the most wonderful + cutest niece and nephews). There have been train rides up coasts, long drives in serene places, countless ocean swims, so much good food, a million beautiful flowers, cold wine, cold beer, more flowers, plenty of zipcars, and even more rides in the convertible. It's been a pretty darn good summer. And it's not over yet! Gonna hold onto every little morsel it's got.

spring haze

There's plenty to catch up on here. Spring is happening. With fury. I haven't slept much, been drinking too many earlyyyyyyy morning Starbucks, (it's the ONLY coffee place near me open before 7am - don't judge) been lifting a lot of heavy crap, running around town, driving to Montauk, East Hampton, New Jersey, Dix Hills, on repeat. A lot. Wedding season. It's so funny. We emerge from the winter slumber and turn into the most highly productive, caffeinated, amped, excited flower people. I both dread and live for this shit. When you're in it, you feel like you can do anything. Sometimes I think if someone caught me at the right moment, I'd be able to make an urn arrangement and perform surgery in the same hour. Exaggeration? You get the idea. So... there are lots of pretty images to catch you up on, but let's start with the last couple days first.