Beer & Coffee

Green wall!

There are few things that I love more in life than plants, but a good beer and amazing coffee definitely rank up there. After busy month of wedding prep, job changes, new relationships, and crazy heat, I was more than ready to disappear for a couple days and hide out in wonderful beer and coffee Mecca of the PNW: Portland. It. Was. Wonderful. But it was 35 degrees while I was there, so it wasn't so much of a reprieve as an intensification of the conditions back home in Vancouver.  Oregon has long been one of my favorite places to venture off to when I only have a short window of leisure time, though generally I find myself in tents along the coast, trying to avoid as many fellow tourists as possible. I've passed through Portland a couple of times, but have never spent more than an hour or two on the outskirts of town, in Powell's. This time I wanted to enjoy the city and spend some time there. The hotel was booked, Hotel Modera right downtown (randomly it had terrariums--with sad fake plants--in the lobby and a lovely exterior green wall to welcome me), and all other plans put aside. Vacation! 

Me, playing with the lovely foliage

It was lovely. I went with one other person, and we pretty much just ate and sauntered around the downtown core, and of course did some tax free shopping. There was even a showing of "Grease," the sing-along version, in Pioneer Square the night we were there, so of course we sat down and enjoyed the show. And sang. I don't sing well, so perhaps be thankful you weren't there. By sheer chance, the Redhead Event was happening in Pioneer Square on our second day. My people were calling me. For those of you who may not know me personally I am a Ginger, born and raised, so of course I had to go check it out. The Redhead Event was a mass gathering of fellow natural Ginger's in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for number of natural redheads gathered in one place at the same time. The number to beat was 1255, and from what I last heard the unofficial count was between 1300 and 1600 Gingers. Unfortunately I was unable to be counted officially because I did not have a photograph of myself as a redheaded wee child, but nonetheless it was neat to see so many of my kind together. 

The remnants of a stop by Stumptown

But here's the thing: I spent too much time wandering Powell's, eating at food carts, drinking coffee, frolicking through flea and farmer's markets, ogling the vegetation (seriously, always a major distraction, as anyone who travels with me knows oh-so-well), and sipping on tasty wines...that I had not one delicious drop of beer. Not. One. And I am a Deschutes girl, so please understand that my heart broke a fair bit over my absentmindedness. Oh well, guess I'll just have to go back. Shoot darn! Next time, Hawthorne. 

Carrots, in such wonderful rich tones. Makes me want autumn!

Unknown plant! Help! Hebe or para hebe I presume: soft hairy foliage, small profile, geometric

Dahlias were EVERYWHERE! And I was happy. 

Beautiful coral tones.

Almost impossibly hard for me to leave this pitcher plant behind. Look at that colouring!! Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

I have never seen a carnivorous plant like this before! 

Crazy carnivorous plant. Little hungry bubbles...

Beautiful trees.

Everywhere!

The hotel entrance. 

Artichokes in the market. 

Love & Marriage

If you have been following my  blog, you know that I recently had the opportunity to do the flowers and decor for a wedding for some friends-of-a-friend of mine. I had such a blast doing it, and everything came out beautifully! I took a few pictures of the prep and behind-the-scenes set up and have posted them below. Hopefully they tide you over until the professional photos are ready. Special thanks goes out to Curt, Daniel, Lou, Jaron, Melissa, and Carissa for all your help and inputs; to West Coast Wood Slabs and Jason for their beautiful pieces and the use of their shop; to my incredibly tolerant roommate Tyler for letting me turn the house into a flower shop/craft factory for the past two months; to the folks down at Southlands, the Flower Factory, and Whole Foods; and to Sarah and Wayne for letting me take part in their special day. Alright, now for the pictures. Enjoy!

Cuttings for the bouquets and button holes: sedums, echevarias, flowering origanum, senecio greyii

The flower selection: lisianthus, seeded eucalyptus, dahlias, native sword fern, dusty miller, freesia, baby's breath, eryngium, echinops ritro, gerba daisy, roses (defoliated for petals).

Wiring up the bridal bouguet: lisianthus, dusty miller, succulents, eryngium, echinops ritro, flowering origanum, dahlias, freesia, and a monster tillandsia xeographica. 

A fern frond and dahlia for the ladies in the wedding party to hold, and the bridal bouquet. A happy bucket!

The groom's button hole: tiny tillandsia, echinops ritro, seeded eucalyptus, senecio greyii, succulent cuttings. Backed with hand coiled silver wire, and wrapped in jute twine.

A more feminine look for the female friend who officiated: flowering origanum, seeded eucalyptus, echinops ritro, echeveria cuttings, and senecio greyii.

For the men in the wedding party: eryngium, echinops ritro, echevaria cuttings, seeded eucalyptus, and senecio greyii. 

And the same ingredients for a handsome man on the bride's side.

Setting up the ceremony site! The small and intimate gathering of about 25 friends and family took place at the gazebo on English Bay.  

Two arrangements, set atop stunning salvaged yellow pine side tables flanked the alter. White organza drapes gentle billowed in the sea breeze, really adding to the beachy-and-vintage romantic vibe. 

Alter arrangements: lisianthus, dahlias, gerba daisies, sword fern, eryngium, seeded eucalyptus, passion vine, dusty miller, succulent cuttings echinops ritro.

Cute bunches of sword fern, baby's breath, and eryngium wrapped in jute adorned the aisle-side chairs.

The guestbook table, a.k.a. my potting table, all cleaned up and and staged with various ferns and an agave from my collection, a succulent terrarium, and a few trinkets from home. 

Some antique window frames and old orchard crate planted with ferns and pennstemon welcomed guests to the wedding. 

A close up of the plants in the crate. 

The ceremony.

The view.

Part of the centerpieces, inspired by Studio Choo's "Flower Recipe Book." Craspedia mounted in small slices of salvaged arbutus.

The craspedia cuties from the side.

Last minute details for the reception! Recycled San Pellegrino bottles stuffed with seeded eucalyptus and leucadendron joined the craspedia pieces and small mason jars with LED tea lights on the tables.

Another picture of one of the alter arrangements. 

And the other....

A close up of the flowers and textures.

The guestbook table, a close-up.  

Weddings & Moving Forward

Well, the wedding has come and gone, and boy was it fun! I haven't worked so hard on such an important project since University. In the week and a half leading up to the wedding, I am pretty sure that I had not one thought in my mind that didn't have something to do with the wedding! But the best news is that all of the hard work paid off and the Bride & Groom were ecstatic  and for that result I am more than happy to sacrifice sleep and relaxation. I don't have time to do a big write up about the wedding today, but I promise to have something up in the next couple of days. Keep checking back! 

In other news...I've moved on from Southlands Nursery. It was a pretty unexpected and bittersweet change, at a very chaotic time, but it felt like the right move. That is not to say that I am leaving the plant world; in fact, I am hoping that this move will open up more time and opportunities to expand and commit to this little side business of mine. Maybe there will be more weddings and events to do down the road...! But I would like to say this, a wee homage to the characters that work at Southlands Nursery: in the year and a bit that I worked there I learned more about plants and gardening craft than I think I could have ever learned in a school setting, from mentors who geek out about plants as much as I do. Gord, Grant, Evan, Barry, Brock, Graeme--each one a lovably ridiculous character in love with the plant world. And I got to work for Thomas Hobbs, a man who has impeccable style and quirky tastes like no other, and is fellow Prairie descendant who has created a life so full of successes and generosity and passion for his craft that it is inspiring. Southlands will always hold a very special place in my heart, for all that it taught me, but more so for the individuals who so dramatically impacted my life in such a short amount of time.

One of the arrangements for the wedding, complete with Thomas Hobbs dahlias.

Seasons & Change

The Carnivore, Refined: A hardy pitcher plant and lovely cloche

Talk about an amazing summer! I've been living in BC for six years now, and I can't remember there being as consistently beautiful weather as we have been having. The only complaint I can muster about the endless heat and sunshine (a rarity here in Vancouver...) is that my garden has never been more thirsty! Oh well, survival of the fittest right? There are a few wonderful things happening in my garden right now too: my dahlias are beginning to bloom, and my dear friend Louis gave me the most amazing Pindo palm (two actually, as it has a wee baby palm accompanying it) for my birthday! And, to my sheer joy, the beautiful blossoms on my olive tree are now turning into little olives. I love olives! I eagerly await the moment they finally ripen. I planted a couple of raspberry canes in the Spring, and even they are producing fruit. One of the canes is for black raspberries, which I can only describe as the love child between a blackberry and raspberry: creamy smoothness of a blackberry with the joy of a raspberry. If only there were more than four berries! Next year. 

Foraged from my garden. A practice test for the wedding

I can not believe that it is already the end of July--where has this month gone?! It's been a very busy one for me, hence my absence. Most of my time has been spent getting everything in order for the wedding next month. I have never planned a wedding before--I have only ever been to a couple of weddings--and I have never done cut flowers before. And in all honesty, I'm not really the wedding kind of girl. But I must say that I have been thoroughly enjoying figuring out the decor and flowers for this wedding. I am confident that it is going to be an absolutely lovely affair; completely organic, relaxed and informal, but meticulously put together and as close to professional as I can muster. The pictures included in this blog post are of a couple of the things I've been working on for the wedding. The terrariums I'm doing up are super simple and very natural--single specimens of plants (mostly ferns) and moss. I have some cute little battery-powered LED string lights that I am going to wire into a couple of the terrariums to help add to the intimate, romantic woodland feel of the reception. Basically it will look like the terrariums are miniature forests filled with fireflies. Ugh, I am so excited to see everything come together! 

The Spotlight: An asparagus fern 

On top of wedding planning, I have been inundated with terrarium orders as well. I love it! I went through a moment of creative exhaustion about a month ago--caused by over extending myself and not nearly enough coffee--but thankfully it was short lived. I must admit, I have FINALLY realized that it can be tricky to find a good work-life balance. The things we learn... 

The terrarium raffle for JJ Bean is now entering it's last week! So, if you've been putting off buying those tickets, get on it! JJ Bean Alberni has been killing it for ticket sales (they're my peeps!), so chances of winning are best at the Fraser St. location or the Marine Building. Remember, the proceeds go to the upcoming JJ Bean/Habitat for Humanity trip to El Salvador! I'll post the winning names for each store here, but we'll also be giving the winners a happy little jingle on the telephone. I'm looking forward to seeing the terrariums finally going to a good home.

Well, for now, that is all. It is far too nice of an evening for me to remain indoors so if you'll excuse me, it's nature time! 

JJ Bean & TPD

Alright folks, the day has come! You can now enter to win a Tomlinson Plant Design Terrarium at THREE JJ Bean cafes in Vancouver! My terrariums are at my home store on Alberni & Bute, at the Marine building over on Burrard & Pender, and at our newest little shop over on Fraser & 27th. Tickets are $1 each, 5 for $3, or $5 for an arms length! So cheap, and all the proceeds go towards the upcoming JJ Bean/ Habitat for Humanity trip to El Salvador. In short, buy tickets. Buy lots, and buy often. The raffle is open until July 31, so the winner will be announced August 1. If you need to be coerced some more, below are photos of the terrariums I've made, and the locations where you can enter to win them.

Fraser: Dracena, Schefflera, big ol' tillandsia, and a tropical I have forgotten the name of...

Alberni: Super cool fern, selangenella, croton, and tillandsia

Marine: Rex begonia, golden selangenella, boston fern, and tillandsia. 

Pin & Post

Just a quick update here: If you live in the Vancouver area, you will soon be able to enter to win one of my terrariums! Some of the amazing JJ Bean staff (including my dearly beloved Maria & Wayne) will be heading down to El Salvador for two weeks with Habitat for Humanity this upcoming November, and now is the time to fund-raise. Keep you're eyes open for the raffle to begin! My

Purple Caput Medusae tillandsia

terrariums will be available at JJ Bean Alberni, Marine, and the company's newest store over on Fraser St. Tickets will be cheap and all proceeds go to a great cause. I'll keep you posted on those details...

Also exciting...I am now on Pinterest! It's been a long time coming. Make sure to stop on by and check it out! I've even set up a few boards of things that inspire me or bring me happiness. I sense that I may get addicted to Pinterest and will be frequently adding to my boards, so make sure to check back often! 

It's a crazy beautiful evening out there, so I think it's time to mix up a G & T and enjoy the patio for a while! Or maybe I'll make a few terrariums up (too many happy options, what's a girl to do?!) Mad love!

In & Out

Aeonium and succulents

I was walking home from work. It was a hot evening, it had been a long day, and I was exhausted. No, I was burnt out. I was listening to Daughter on my iPod and was suddenly completely caught up in the moment. There were some kids jumping through the sprinkler on one of the yards I was passing, and a wave of nostalgia hit me. I had participated in this simple summer activity countless times throughout my childhood, and I recognize it as a mark of summer. Jumping through the sprinkler. Such a simple delight. And then it hit me: I have been so busy that I haven't been enjoying life's simple pleasures enough. Now don't get me wrong, I love being busy and I love having so many projects on the go. But I think that I have been so distracted by the lists of things I have to get done that my inspiration, my joie de vivre, has been suffering. In that moment, I resolved to ensure that I make time to indulge in myself a little more, make more time for social gatherings, and to enjoy the simple things that make me smile (like the fact that my olive tree has blossomed and smells AMAZING). And so far, though my body is still tired (thank God for coffee!), my spirit is feeling much better. 

Cordyline and succulent

I've been busy making terrariums and working in my own gardens, and working my day jobs too. The pictures I have included  in this post(sorry about the quality) are of a couple terrarium refreshers that I have recently done. The life span of a terrarium often depends a great deal on the human factor. Terrariums should last several months before they start to suffer from things such as root competition or water logging, and eventually the whole terrarium may need to be replanted. From my own experience, a terrarium should need the the most attention in the first two or three weeks of it's life. This attention should come in the form of figuring out a watering schedule, making sure the plants are growing/surviving well, and finding the right place for it to call home. After  a few weeks, the terrarium should have sorted itself out. At this point, a certain degree of neglect from the human factor is necessary for its survival--it is its own ecosystem after all. Even God took a step back. This is my method, and it has been working well. I've had my own terrarium growing happily now for just over four months. But, as plants are organic living matter, sometimes they just die. They just do. It happens all the time, regardless of how green your thumb is. If this has happened to you, please note that I offer an affordable replanting service: Succulent refreshers start at $30; Tropical refreshers start at $15. Prices vary depending on the size of the container and the extent of the replanting necessary.

Now for some truly exciting news! I'm doing a wedding! No, it is not mine, but I am completely psyched. This will be the first wedding I have ever planned, so there is definitely a degree of stress, but I am confident that it will turn out amazing. I am planning and setting up the ceremony and reception decor, as well as creating all the floral work (bouquets, boutonnieres, arrangements--of course a terrarium or two, and ton of greenery). So exciting! The best part of it all is that the bride and groom are super laid back and have similar tastes as me, which makes this learning experience MUCH easier. It will be great! The wedding is in August and I will definitely be posting pictures of my work, so keep checking back. 

That's about all for now. The evening looks too beautiful to spend indoors, so I think it may be time for tea and a stroll.