Polish it up

There is something oddly satisfying about polishing silver… Maybe it’s the instant gratification of taking something from oxidized to shiny in less than two minutes. Or maybe it’s just seeing a bunch of bling bling in your house after you’re done. In any case, it’s an obsession of mine, so today I busted out the silver polish, and went to work on a tea set I had purchased at a consignment shop 4 years ago. After self-indulging in my OCD silver polishing habits, I decided to use the silver tea pot, coffee pot, and dish as containers for this week’s floral arrangement.  

A little spit and polish goes a long way! ;) 

The SF Flower Mart was bursting with all different types of Dahlias.  Since I have a weakness for Dahlias (especially in crimson) I grabbed a bunch, along with a couple stems of blooming Artichoke, some Queen Annes’ Lace, and Sedum.  The floral palette I chose had a very English-summer-in-the-country feel to it, and fit perfectly in the containers I had just polished up.

Varying heights in centerpieces help add to the visual interest

The moral of the story is, get creative with your containers, and NEVER say “no” to your Nana’s silver tea set, because no matter how modern our lives have become, you can always reuse vintage items in a modern way! 

Best Mom Contest!

For the past week cyberspace has been flooded with love-letter-status-updates for “The Best Mom in the World!” Profile pictures on Facebook have been changed to show photographs of millions of lovely mothers, and I have to say it truly is heartwarming.

This year, I was commissioned by a soon-to-be dad and very good friend to create two mother’s day floral arrangements; one for his lovely lady, and one for his lovely mother.  So, off to the flowermart I went where I picked up a two bunches of pink Snap Dragons, one bunch of pink Wax Flower, one bunch of Snow Flower that had been enhanced in the color department to give it a very light purple hue,two bunches of Crespedia (Billy Balls),  and two black bowl vases.

 These arrangements were begging to look whimsical yet to have an organic look and feel to them.

Since these arrangements were going to be picked up, I needed to create a safe way for them to travel in the car without the vases breaking. So I decided the best thing to do would be to dress up the boxes that the vases came in.

Tools: Boxes, Wax Paper, Scissors, Tape, and Ribbon

I cut the flaps off of the boxes, wrapped them in wax paper, secured the wax paper with scotch tape, and tied ribbon around them… Voila!  The prettiest carrying case you’ve ever seen!

Happy Mother’s day to all the “Best Moms in the World”!  

Norooz Pirooz

Spring is here with promises of longer days, an awakening of the earth from its winter slumber, and with it another “Norooz” (Persian New Year). Norooz is celebrated among people of Persian descent on the first day of Spring and is a tradition that dates back three thousand years.

On this day, Persian families gather around their ‘Haftseen’ (Table of Seven S’s), embrace the New Year together, while the children await the crisp money bills they will receive from the elders in the family. (I have to admit, I still await that last part just as impatiently as when I was 7!!!)

Each item that is placed on the Haftseen table has symbolic significance, and embodies all things good and pure.  This year I chose the following Seven S’s for my table;

1.       Sonbol – Hyacinth flower – Symbolizing the coming of spring

2.       Sabzeh – Wheat Grass – Symbolizing affluence

3.       Somaq – Sumac – Symbolizing sunrise

4.       Seer- Garlic – Symbolizing medicine and health

 

5.       Seeb- Apple – Symbolizing beauty 

 

6.       Sekke – Coins – Symbolizing prosperity

 7.       Serkeh – Vinegar – Symbolizing old age and patience

Other items that are placed on the table include:

·         Painted eggs – symbolizing fertility 

·         Lit Candles – symbolizing enlightenment and happiness

·         A mirror – symbolizing truth and the reflection of the real world

·         A book of poetry such as Rumi or Hafez, or a religious text such as the Qoran or Avesta 
·         A bowl of gold fish (no, not the crackers) – symbolizing life and the constellation of Pisces which the sun is leaving while making its way into the constellation of Aries.(I didn't have the goldfish on my table this year, since I'm not so great at taking care of pets ;) )

This year, I decided to create a mini Hyancinth and Wheat Grass garden as my Haftseen focal point.  I placed my flower pots and wheat grass pots inside a mirrored tray, and packed it in with Spanish moss to help cover the plastic pots. Afterwards, it was time to adorn the tray with some white pearl strands to give it a little extra umph. 

After the Hyacinth garden was placed on my mirrored coffee table, the rest of the Haftseen items found their place. With a little re-adjusting here and there, the table was set and ready to receive friends and family. 

I hope that this new year fills your homes with laughter, your bodies with health, and your hearts with love! Have a glorious new year! Norooz Pirooz!

“Stick ‘em in a Vase”

You’re probably wondering why I fell off the face of floral earth for the past few months, and the simple answer is that I've been doing some soul searching. I had to disconnect for a while in order to put puzzle pieces together. Did I figure it all out?  No. but I will. In time.

We’re heading towards spring in the northern hemisphere which allows us to look forward to some of the most luscious species the floral kingdom has to offer. Pussy Willows and Tulips are a classic harbinger of spring, and I managed to grab a bunch of each during my “essentials-stock” shopping trip at the local SF Costco for a total of $19.73. (Costco is definitely more expensive in flower prices than the local Farmer’s Market or the San Francisco Flower Mart. However, they carry local/sustainably grown flowers and offer a good size bunch.)  

 After lugging my weekly groceries up the stairs to my apartment (ok, didn’t lug them up the stairs...I used the elevator…just wanted to be dramatic) I started to think of ways to show case the gorgeous flora I had just purchased. After much thinking on how to design them, I decided that they didn’t need to be designed at all. They were so beautiful in color and texture that all I needed to do was ‘stick ‘em in a vase’ and let them show case their beauty without fussing with them. 

Spring in my living room

A perfect accent piece for my console

The Pussy Willow picks up on the Venetian Mirror details

A single Tulip accents the larger vase in a chic votive that was gifted to me by a lovely friend

After three months of intense soul searching, I had an "aha! moment" today while putting together flowers; There is no need to plan and design everything…gather your goals, let life ‘stick ‘em in a vase’ for you, and appreciate the splendor. 

Thankful

Thanksgiving is a holiday that revolves around food, food, and more food (in addition to the occasional drunken family member that makes it an awkward time for everyone… yep, you know who I’m talking about!). 

All joking aside it is a time to be thankful that your loved ones are near you, and that you are able to spend precious moments laughing and enjoying each other’s company (while sneakily gossiping about the hideous turkey print sweater that your Auntie has on....emmmm... uh.. seriously, why she would buy something like that is beyond me!?!?!)

The table setting for this day of feasting is as important (if not more important) than the bird itself.  One of my dearest family members always says “it’s all about the presentation!” and I couldn’t agree more, as the presentation is half the experience.

Early last week I received an email from resident SF Foodie Nimisha Ghandi of Club Dine In! to collaborate on creating the picture perfect Thanksgiving table centerpiece. So, on a sunny yet crisp Fall morning I gathered my $50.00 worth of Viburnum leaves, California Pepper Plant, Bright Orange Cockscomb, Pomegranate Bush bundle, candles, and ribbons and headed over to Club Dine In! HQ to set a gorgeous rose wood dining table. When I arrived I was thrilled to see that the host had set out a large pumpkin, mandarin oranges, decorative garland, maize husks, and other knick knacks to incorporate into the design.

As we chatted away, we each took on different aspects of setting the table, I snipped, tucked and placed flowers and foliage while Nimisha helped wrap recycled cans and yogurt tubs in wax paper that were to be used as our vases.  An hour and a half later, Nimisha’s husband walked over, took one look at the table and said: “I feel like we should be inviting Mayor Gavin Newsom over for Thanksgiving! This looks awesome!”

The perfect blend of simplicity and sophistication!

Don't throw out your wine bottles. Save them to use as candle holders!

Knick knacks from around the house (i.e. decorative balls) help fill in gaps

 This centerpiece is fully recyclable/compostable! (Some parts are even edible!!!)

Mini Apples and Pears are perfect accents for each place setting

As I finish typing up this entry, I am thinking of my loved ones near and far, and am thankful to have them all in my life. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for your presence in my life. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Bon Appetit!

Spicy!

Fall is truly here. Crisp weather, wind, rain, boots, jackets, scarves, and the turning of colors! Just the right atmosphere for a cup of tea, a blanket, and a lovely flower arrangement on your coffee table to help you day dream about far away places while it’s gloomy outside…

This weekend I took my soon-to-be-married Cousin to the Flower Mart. We bundled up, got in her comfy car, turned up the seat warmers, and with lovely warm bottoms made our way down 6^th Street. The Flower Mart had picked up the Autumnal vibe, and everywhere we looked we saw pumpkins, corn husks, hay bales, and wheat stalks.

After much ooh-ing and ah-ing over pretty flowers we picked up a bunch of Milkweed (possibly one of the coolest looking plants out there), 2 bunches of Orange and Yellow Chili Peppers, and 2 bunches of a tall yellow grass that I don’t know the name of. (Any horticulturists out there that can help me out?)

I’d saved a few large jars that I wrapped up in some gold wrapping paper, and adorned with ribbon and twine to make my vases. Jars can prove to be better vases sometimes as they are not as malleable as plastic tubs, and don’t need reinforcement (rocks) in their base to weigh them down. 

 

Once the vases were ready, it was time to spice them up! 

Tip of the day: After touching Chili Peppers make sure you don’t touch your eyes. Been there, done that. Not fun! 

Dreaming in Colors

I had a very strange yet beautiful dream a few nights ago. No, I won’t be giving details, and no it wasn’t a racy dream, so please get your minds out of the gutter! Thank you. Moving on… What I will tell you is that there were soft pink tones, yellows, and hues of orange involved, and this week’s flowers were inspired by them.

I hadn’t bought flowers from Whole Foods in a while, so I figured it’s a good time to see what my budget could buy me there. Whole Foods has quite a variety of flowers, however the prices are marked up by a lot, and the number of stems in each bunch are not that many. Therefore, I’d say it’s a good last resort/running late/must-have-flowers place to go to.

For $24.65 I was able to purchase a bunch of light pink Stock, some pink Rodanthe, and some orangey (is that a word?) pinkish Cosmos with yellow centers. 

I had kept a few terracotta pots from an arrangement a couple weeks ago, and since they had holes in the bottom, I filled Zip Lock bags with water and placed them inside the pots. Voila! Vase lining on the cheap! Now, THAT’S what I’m talking about! 

A few chops here, and couple plucks there and my flowers were ready to be placed on the dining table amidst some Gourds and Squashes I had kept from my dinner party a couple of weeks ago.  My visions of pink, orange and yellow were now a reality. Who says dreams can’t come true?