Tweaking and customizing and changing.
Is there such a thing as catching up on paperwork? Sometimes I finish everything in my pile, and for about 7 to 10 hours I hear nothing. I sleep on those nights. Finishing up the paperwork tomorrow, because I am one of those morning people. We’ve been wondering a lot about what’s going to happen with the Nato Summit this weekend. Thankfully none of our projects are downtown.
After a friendly chat with a florist, I explained in very broken french that I was a florist in Chicago. We briefly talked biz, and then I picked out my blooms. When I was finished he grabbed a bunch of lilac for me as a gift! I was so touched by his generosity and greatly enjoyed walking back to our apartment carrying the large bundle of blooms. When you carry flowers like this in Paris, everyone smiles at you. To be honest, everyone smiles at you all the time. Especially if you are the first to send them a big ol’ grin. The entire stroll back home I pretended I lived there.
Earlier that day we had walked past a different boutique and in the window I noticed a pair of pruners unlike any I had seen before. They were made from Oak that fell during a storm in Versailles. The sheers themselves handmade and sharpened. An heirloom pair for anyone with a subtle true love for blooms. Using them for the first time, I was surprised by how special it felt.~~~
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May Day was our last full day in the city. Florists and street vendors sold lily of the valley on every corner and the city was alive and vibrant. Not wanting our blooms to fade away, we brought them down the street, to some friends we made, in honor of their holiday. We sipped champagne and watched the sky change color on our 9th evening before we headed home to pack. 
(P.S. Happy Derby Day & Cinco de Mayo, today!)
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The Curry Cruiser came along and created some custom deliciousness in the form of curry tacos for the party!!! This super-fantastic Indian street food will soon be coming to a store near you!!
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(Above photo from Jaclyn Simpson)
And to wash it all down, we had Three Floyd’s Pride & Joy!
(Above & remaining photos below from Jaclyn Simpson)
Late March I flew into Boston. Davey had bought me a plane ticket for my birthday to visit my closest friend, Jess. That may have been those most amazing, selfless gift in the world. A year and a half after her move, I teared up a little at the airport when I saw her. Sometimes I’m sappy like that. We didn’t do very much, mostly we walked around her neighborhood, drank coffee in the morning, talked and caught up and listened. I miss that girl. True friends like this do not come around very often.
I wish I could call her tonight and make plans for yoga class tomorrow evening (I don’t even like yoga, although I did give it my best shot). Jess is one of those friends who is so understanding. So thoughtful and so kind. She’s a dreamer and romantic, a photographer and a dear friend. I had a clear head out there. Friendship, the ocean and salt water air wear well on me.
On an unrelated note, this last image reminds me a lot of Jaws. Love blue & yellow. This week is Fleur’s 10th birthday. I say this with a sigh. A decade is quite a long time. There are days I think it feels like only one year, and days it feels twice as long. I just spent the last hour looking through iphoto… what a journey, what a road. We thought it was time to celebrate.
Join us April 12th from 4-8pm.
We have savory nibbles from The Curry Cruiser, delicious sweets from Truffle Truffle and there will be beer from 3Floyds* to wash it all down. Can’t wait to see you. We’ve painted and remodeled in honor of this, so come on by to take a peek.
xoxox
Thank you so much for believing in us for 10 amazing years.
*with id, kids!
Last night I brought home a few extra bulb plants. My landlady is very particular about her backyard garden. I’m not allowed to plant anything, and if I leave a terra cotta pot outside, she will add more flowers to my mini garden. Resting on the railing is a window box that I hung last year (after requesting permission), so I thought with this unseasonably warm weather it would be nice to grow some hyacinth & muscari. Digging in the dirt calms me, it’s good for the soul, I like dirt under my nails. Halfway through the flora meditation, she came out and decided to help me. She robbed me of my garden moments. I can’t say I wasn’t slightly bitter.
This cold has me foggy and slow, and so rather than continuing to work on my accounting duties I began considering travel plans. A happy little diversion. Cities to explore, roads to walk, and tonight it was rivers and ruins. Bannerman’s Castle to be exact. Flooded & falling apart, a small island in the Hudson River. Over grown with foliage and mystery. Tendrils and vines climbing through the decrepit, possibly haunted walls. Such a curious place, and thanks to Shaun O’Boyle for capturing the above image. You can see more of this historic, floating mansion right HERE.
Today while processing we were talking a lot about color and a lot about meals. Caleb mentioned the beauty of french lentils. (This photo is taken from HERE)
A film about Kelly Marie of Fleur, by Tom of XO Pictures
P.S. Part two is coming shortly. The second was a surprise that I had no idea about, and today it brought me to tears.
Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Although there was no snow, we did enjoy quite a bit on our escape up north. Train rides, old hotels, surprise appearances in supper clubs, lobster & steak. Too many sugar cookies, lots of toasts and hugs. I’m sitting here on the eve of New Year’s Eve, listening to Zoe Keating play the cello. Another year is over and many tonight are considering the past, writing resolutions and thinking about the future. I’m one of them. 
I was happy for 2010 to end, and I entered 2011 just beginning to recover from the plague. Definitely on the way up and out of coughing fits and a very sore throat, but still it was a struggle to regain strength and heal. What a metaphor for the entire year. I had no idea at the time (frankly I’m quite glad I didn’t know at the time) that 2011 was going to bring a year of wonderful things. Amazing lessons, introductions, ideas and family.., all that came to us, demanding patience, physical labor, time and will power. Truly testing my heart and strength. I fell into fits and starts of trying to balance a little time to myself, while running a business filled with non-perishables and emotions. To go to the gym, to make time to read, to work 13 hour days, and to attempt to sleep solid nights. Such was 2011. The year I just hit the ground running.
The boutique is still closed until January 3rd, and I woke this morning feeling a little bit refreshed. In the kitchen, I chased the flavors of honey and clementine while sorting dried lavender and organizing the tea tin. I moved the enamel table to my studio, and the wooden one into the kitchen. It feels better, there is more space where it is needed, and the colors make more sense. The enamel table is so cold, some mornings I hated sitting at it, responding to emails and wishing I lived in California. There are a lot of goals I have for 2012, and this morning I realized that I’ve spend the last month preparing for them.
My personal list of goals are simple. I want to become a better musician and I want to go back to France. I want to cook more, grow my hair longer, become a better photographer and read more about the meaning of trees. I want to work on watercolors regularly and I definitely want to begin painting images of David Austin roses with oil paint. I want to start saving money for the home we buy. My goals for the shop are a little more complicated. They start with simple things, moving and twisting in the spectrum of time and patience. 
I know (KNOW) 2012 is going to be a very good year. Staff is away right now, each are visiting their friends & families over the holidays and I miss them. Do you know the soil that nurtures our peonies and ranunculus? Our helleborus and nodding tulips and geranium? It is Caleb’s creative mind and amazing humor. It is Amy’s tenderness towards design and enthusiasm for all the blooms that arrive in the shop. It is all the girls & guys that come throughout the year, helping us create, moving vases and blowing out candles and relighting them once again. 
Thank you. Thank you to everyone who has supported us for so many years and moments. Thank you for all your kind words, your joy and love for design, your appreciation for beauty and your patience as we run our little/big business. Thank you for another year of being given the opportunity to create, to enjoy, to be ourselves and to be a part of your lives in ways we can’t even imagine, but are ever so humbled by. May 2012 be bright and warm, filled with goodness, inspiration, and joy for the simple things in life.
Holidaze 2011 (You can read about Holidaze 2010 right HERE)
Monday, my favorite day of the week because I’m off. Today was spent wrapping gifts with paper & twine, organizing my little studio room, & looking up photos of baby animals once Davey came back from the music studio. It’s fair to say that I’m his biggest fan (and harshest critic at times), and his dedication to playing has been inspiring for me. These days with the non-stop pace of life, it’s hard to be true and passionate to what you love. It’s also hard to be supportive of the person you’re in love with, and respect their time to do what it is that makes them feel happy and complete. Facing a little bit of stress with the year coming to an end (and what a year, I think this was the busiest I have *ever* been with work, family and other obligations), we almost held onto some silent arguments for more than 1/2 day. But wow… we always talk through it, and understand one another even more afterwards. So, rather than forcing our 1.5 day of seeing one another (damn you, opposite schedules!!!) to an overload of “me and you”, he leaves to play music, I bust out some watercolors. And when we meet up, we both have that sparkle in our eyes, and it’s like we haven’t seen each other in days, and we can’t wait to just hang out (even if it is just watching Law & Order SVU on my laptop).
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We didn’t have time to decorate our tree this year, so it’s just lights. I’ve enjoyed the simplicity. I think keeping things basic can really translate to sophistication. Our little tree arrive partially adorned with mother nature’s touch this year. We found wild grasses and cottonwood tucked into the branches.
Aside from the scent of pine floating throughout the apartment, sitting atop the melodies of us humming some random carols, it doesn’t quite feel like Christmas is less than a week away with this 50 degree weather. Not that I can complain, I love this weather, but I am hoping and crossing my fingers for a little snow come the 25th. We’ll see.
The Farmer’s Almanac does, however, tell us that we’re expecting a cold and wet January & February. So at least I know I’ll still be able to hike at Starved Rock to the frozen waterfalls, and I admit, I AM kind of hoping for another storm that shuts Chicago down for a day (As long as it’s a week before Valentine’s Day, or on the 15th). Shit, did I even just mention Valentine’s Day? Let’s get back on track. Just yesterday I was in The Rebuilding Exchange picking up materials for our Indiewed booth (For those of you who don’t know about Indiewed, it’s the only bridal show I’ll partake in. It’s just a lot more fun than the average show decked out with stephanotis and a whole lot of other weddings “things” that are fine and all, but just not us). It made me excited to start building things. Poor Davey, I haven’t yet told him about my plans for shelving at home so I can have more plants. And then the boutique. Lots of ideas to reorganize this year. Can’t even wait!
This week is going to be nice & easy. We have lots of cute gift items, and I keep forgetting to bring my camera to work to take photos to show you. But Caleb & Amy will wrap them up pretty for you, and kitty will sing you all the Christmas carols she knows, in her best Liza Minnelli voice. And we’ll all hope together, for a little bit of snow. If not for anything else, than to sip a glass of red & watch it fall.
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