Mothers Day: double the cray of V-Day

Hellooo!

Has been a wee while since I've posted! 

Let me start with...Mothers Day! This year I tackled my third Mother's Day! Boy it was a big one! Def the most challenging and successful one for me yet! 

MD takes the cake when it comes to floral events. It's the biggest and busiest day for most florists and is in my experience so far. Surprisingly to some, it's even bigger than Valentine's Day!

Lots of people have recently asked me about what it's like working as a florist on Mothers Day, and all I can say is "crazy!" I have worked and organised some big events back in my hospo days, but let me tell you, something such as running a Melbourne Cup event for a fully booked restaurant of boozy, rowdy punters ain't got shit on working as a florist on a day like Mothers Day! 

Now I could give you a run down of the entire day, however that could end up with this post becoming a novel! 

It takes a massssive amount of preparation, organisation and manual labour go into catering to a special occasion like this. Not to mention the insane amount of flowers that are needed! 

I really can't even begin to explain how huge of a challenge it is and how ridiculously busy it is. 

It's hard yakka alright! It is exhausting and can be stressful at times but I love the fast-paced energy, hustle and bustle and teamwork that comes with it. 

I love that Mothers Day is such an important occasion in our society and if you've read my post "Say it with flowers" then you'll know how symbolic flowers are and gifting them can be. 'Scuse the cheese but it really is all about bringing joy and happiness to people, spreading love and beauty. This could not be more true on Mothers Day!

Gotta give a shoutout to all my florist friends for their MD grind! Mad respect! I hope you all killed it and recovered well and your poor old hands got treated to a much deserved mani! 

I was pretty stoked to finish the MD mayhem and head off on holiday across the ditch to lil old (inserting Kiwi accent here) "Nu Ziland."

Great timing right!? Perfectly planned.

I've just returned after 10 days in the motherland. I ate about 200 feijoas and got to enjoy a beautiful autumn in all its glory. 

More about my trip on my next post! 

Til then.. 

Thank you for reading!

Like my man Yeezy said..

 💗 💗 💗

Ps! Here is a photo of me and my amazing Mum.. 

The early bird catches the worm...

The other morning I actually sprung out of bed with such eagerness and gung-ho and it was 4.30am! Yikes! I was excited.. I was off to hit the flower markets! 

I actually don't get to the flower markets as often as I'd like to, so any time I do, it's always special. 

If ya haven't been to the Sydney Flower Market before, let me tell ya, its pretty spectacular. 

While most of us are still ZZZing in bed at 5am, the day is already underway at the markets. It's rowdy and there are people buzzing about everywhere. It's another world. An absolute feast for the eyes and nose. I especially love the hustle and bustle of it all. It's so alive and magical and I'm always surprised how everyone is so friendly and chatty so early in the morning! 

Thursdays aren't a big market day so it was really chilled, which I didn't mind. It was a great chance to have a good old nosey around, without rushing.

I was reminded about flowers that I had completely forgotten existed or hadn't seen since last season. And there's always something I've never seen before.

This trip to the market was just for fun. I wasn't after anything in particular or buying for a special occasion. Just for myself really and whatever took my fancy.

Oh boy did I find some goodies! 

Highlight of this market visit: Errythang, but esp. dwarf pineapples and hanging amaranthus.

Low: Wearing white converse! Doh!

Check it out for yourself...

THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM.. AFTER COFFEE THAT IS!

IF ONLY YOU COULD SCRATCH N SNIFF!

FAAAAVES 💖 💖 💖

PIMP MY RIDE!

"THEY SEE ME ROLLIN'... "
NOT JUST FOR YOUR NAN!
(SHOUT OUT TO MY MATE/FELLOW KIWI/WORKMATE SOPHIA FOR
TAKING THIS SNAP OF ME! THANKS FOR JOINING ME AND BEING 
JUST AS EAGER! I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE MARKET ADVENTURES WITH YA!)

MARKET DELIGHTS.
TULIPS, ROSES, EUCALYPTUS, AMARANTHUS, CARNATIONS,
DAHLIAS, DWARF PINEAPPLES, BLACK PHILODENDRON LEAVES.

TUTTI FRUTTI CUTIE!

VOILA!!!

THANKS FOR READING!

🌷 🌷 🌷

"The earth laughs in flowers."

Just wanted to share some colour with you all...

Maybe you've already seen this (it is a couple of years old now) or maybe you haven't..

SONY created the dopest marketing campaign for their 4K TV and created an explosion of colour over a town in Costa Rica, with 8 million flower petals erupting from a volcano!
It is totally epic! Ultimate Flower Power!!

It made me think of this quote...


"The earth laughs in flowers."
                              - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

💖 💖 💖

image via http://www.orangejuice-etc.com

Feast your eyes here...

And see the behind the scenes for more.

They also did another COOL AF ad but using glitter this time...

Palm trees & warm breeze

All this rain here in Sydney at the mo and the fact that summer is now officially over has got me dreaming of an island getaway.

I'm an absolute sucker for anything tropical (even when it comes to the whole pineapple on pizza debate, yep I'm down for it!)

Tropical blooms are so fun and vibrant and quirky! I love 'em! To me they're all about good vibes and sunshine! They whisk me away to an imaginary paradise, to the palm trees and warm breeze. 

Here's a lil TROPICOOL inspo for your hump day!! A few of my absolute faves...

🌴 🍍 🌴

images- pinterest

Say it with flowers...

A customer told me recently that her young granddaughter had told her that the reason we lay flowers on a grave is "to make dead people smile."
I agree! And I think that's a pretty lovely way to look at it!

I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge that flowers make us feel happy!
It's amazing how the raw beauty or uniqueness of a flower can demand our attention and admiration and make us feel a certain way.
It's even been scientifically proven that flowers improve emotional health! Studies found that the presence of flowers created happy emotions and better feelings of life satisfaction, leading to more positive social behaviour and other positive effects on our mood!
If ya didn't know, the act of giving flowers dates wayyyy back, hundreds of years!
It was a way to communicate and in the Victorian era, flowers were used to send coded messages. It allowed the sender to express feelings toward the recipient that society didn't allow to be spoken aloud! (I've seen some "interesting" card messages to recipients that should definitely not be allowed to be said aloud, ha! )

Delivering flowers is one of the highlights of my job because I get to see the joy and excitement people experience upon receiving a beautiful bunch of blooms! Its sooo nice to see! Sometimes people are so surprised, they don't believe it's really for them!

No matter what the occasion, whether it be a congratulations, the loss of a loved one or simply just because, flowers will always say what words cannot.
I love the way flowers evoke emotion whether you're either giving or receiving them, how they always tell a story and the way they bring people together.
I hope this inspires you to go out and share those positive flower power vibes with the special peeps in your life! Go put a smile on someone's dial, or maybe even your own!

💐 💐 💐

A bunch of Sweet Pea for your Sweet Pea?

From David Austin to Dandelion...

Here are just a few of my fave snaps I've taken along the way...

For the love of it

Hi and welcome!
I wanted to create a place where I can share my love of flowers and creativity as well as my own personal journey as a florist.
I believe everything we see around us is art and nature is no exception.
I am constantly searching my surroundings for inspiration and I love being able to create something in my mind and actually bring it to life, with my own hands.
I just love flowers, I don't know anyone who doesn't!? They are just so bloomin' wonderful! Nature, is wonderful. For me, its not just about the aesthetics of the flower, but also the way flowers make you feel! They can make you feel happy, special, appreciated etc when you receive them. I reckon its an even better feeling to be the one giving them and bringing a smile to someones face. Flower Power!

A bit about me and what led me to become a florist...

I've had an interest and appreciation for nature for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a small city in central New Zealand, surrounded by beautiful farmland, forest and way too many lakes to count. Having that on my doorstep, combined with the inspiration from my parents, meant that a love for nature seemed to come very easily and naturally.
My dad, a keen and experienced outdoorsman (a bit like "Uncle Hec"in Hunt for the Wilderpeople), would often take me along on many of his hunting and camping adventures as a kid, out in the rugged New Zealand bush. My mum was (and still is) always busy around the house, with a new renovation project as well as out and about in the garden, weeding, manicuring or planting. She encouraged me from a young age to help her in the garden.
Mum always had flowers in the house and every so often we would make a special trip to a little flower shop (I wish I could remember the name) that we loved and she would let me choose the flowers, it was always so exciting! It's one of my favourite childhood memories. The whole experience was just so special. I loved the flowers, the variety, the smell, the way the shop looked and watching the florists work their magic.
My grandmother also enjoyed flowers and gardening and Whenever I come across Daphne, Freesias or Erlicheer Jonquils I am always reminded of her. She would often turn up at our place with flowers for mum, including freshly cut stems of Daphne from her garden.
I always admired the work of a florist and thought that it would be something I'd love to do. It was always a thought in the back of my mind but it wasn't until a few years ago that I considered floristry seriously. I had started to get sick of working late nights in hospitality, working my butt off for a job that I wasn't actually passionate about. I decided to bite the bullet and give floristry a go! Off I went to flower school!

I have been working full time as a florist for just a little over 2 years and what an exciting, challenging and fulfilling adventure it has been so far! I am looking forward to starting my own business eventually and can't wait to see where that takes me!!

🌴🌴🌴