Fight.Love.Live

“Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life” is the credo of the man that built a beautiful estate in Woodside, Ca; FILOLI. This estate is an historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and is open to the public from February – October. Gorgeous gardens, beautiful hikes into the hills, and an amazing 1920’s mansion are only some of the things you can enjoy there. Whenever I have someone visiting from out of town, Filoli is one of the places that I have to take them, or sometimes when I’m feeling like Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, I make a trip out there and stroll the gardens (No, I don’t dress up in costume!)

I was perusing their website last night planning my next jaunt over there, and noticed they have volunteer opportunities listed on their website for Floral Arrangers. Naturally, I filled out their application, and included the Nafis Designs blogspot, and website address in my email. This morning I received a lovely email back that read:

Hi Y,

I LOVED your blog!! Great ideas for low-cost, quality arrangements anyone can do. That's the Filoli spirit we're looking for in volunteers-- the ability to use those things around us that give ourselves and others joy.

I will forward your message and application on to the Chair of the House Arrangers. She will contact you about the audition for her committee.

I do hope you can make volunteering a part of your floral life. There are opportunities to design and decorate with flowers at Filoli that you will not find anywhere else in the Bay Area.

Good luck and I hope to see you at Filoli soon.

Can’t wait to audition and hope I get picked to be on their team of House Floral Arrangers!!!! WISH ME LUCK!!!!

For Mom

“Roses, 5 Dollars” “Tulips, SPECIAL 6 Dollars”, “Hydrangeas for Mom”….These were just some of the signs that were lining the entries to the wholesaler stalls this morning at the SF Flower Market. Vendors were helping customers decide if they should get roses or tulips, while children were picking up what they could from the floor and arranging mini bouquets as they were waiting for their parents to pay. The vibe at the market reminded me of the scene out of “My Fair Lady”. I felt breaking out in song and belting out “Now woooooooooooouldn’t it be loverrrly?” (Audrey Hepburn would NOT be pleased with my singing!)

As I walked among all the gorgeous flowers, I thought that roses and tulips have been done 1,000,000 times over, and that I would work with Kale for Mother’s day. Yes, that’s right, KALE!

So here we go…

Shopping list: Flowering Kale (and you thought I was kidding), Bells of Ireland, Tritoma

Cost: $19.50

Tools: Flowers, Scissors, Recycled Containers, All Natural Wax Paper, Rubber Bands, Raffia:

Step 1: I grabbed a Trader Joe’s Hummus container, a Pavel’s Yogurt container (Low Fat of course), and a couple of Folger’s Coffee/Del Monte Peach Mason Jars and wrapped them in all natural wax paper. To make sure the paper held, I secured them with a rubber band around the top:

Step 2: Since Kale was at the top of my shopping list this week, I decided that the it would be the focal point of my arrangements and made sure that the Tritoma and Bells of Ireland accented it in all the right places:

Step 3: This is the first week that my alter ego “Phantom Floranista” and sidekick sister “Fish” dropped off the flowers at people’s doorsteps with a sign reading:

As I finish up this entry, I’m wishing that my mom was here in the US so I could gift one of the arrangements to her. Seeing as she’s thousands of miles away, I dedicate this week’s blog to her. I LOVE YOU MOM! (P.S. Thanks for all the Kale soup when we were kids…)