Thanksgiving Feasting at Passionflower

From our neck of the woods to yours. Blessings on your meal.

Happy Thanksgiving Day November 2009

Sandy Raney as Weather Barometer

How do they make that herringbone pattern? Sandy's wearing vintage fur.

Brrr.....it's getting cold outside.

Osage Oranges add Something Special to Flower Arrangements

These big bumpy inedible, green fruits are great for floral design. Long lasting and almost indestructable, we are lucky enough to have a local source though I confess I have never seen one growing. This year the harvest was timed perfectly and they are super beautiful. Here we stacked them in a tall slender vase. The water magnifies them a little. They can have a very modern appeal.

And then they can go all earthy and organic. Here Julianne used them with some angel vine twig as an accent at the base of an orchid.

And here it became the focal point of an arrangement that is all foliage and fruit....

Who says "flowers" always have to have flowers in them?

Deer Fern, Hydrange Foliage, String of Pearls, Osage Oranges, and Lichen make a rich arrangement.

The Venus of Willendorf Visits Passionflower

This isn't exactly mail, it didn't cross my desk, but it did cross our doorway. I love it when people bring me strange things.....Strange in a good way.

Here our friend Ann Gordon was showing off her potato which I think looks a lot like the Venus of Willendorf.......Did you know that this 25,000 year old figurine (not the potato) has fans on Facebook? Click here for more info on the Venus of Willendorf.

Bella Notte Pillowcases Get A Little Lovin'

Here's a beautiful little bedding study in purples and lavenders.

As I studied the photo, something was bothering me.

Hhhmmmmm.......

Uh Oh - that pillowcase looks a little bit like a tic-tac-toe board.

Merchandising 101 - all bedding needs to be steamed or ironed.



Stay tuned for more merchandising 101.

Lane County Farmer's Market - Adieu

Passionflower is two blocks from our local outdoor Farmer's Market. Here's my bounty from sometime last summer. Eremurus (Foxtail Lily- do you see the foxtail), Callas, Monarda, and Golden Yarrow. Lucky the florist who can buy this two blocks from their shop.

It's a funky, slightly crowded, market with the usual amazing farmer's market greatness - stands of greens and roots, honey, and vegetables....and new in the last year or two, a great
bakery stand from Hideaway...

But I am always on the prowl for the strange........and different-

Did you know you can buy mushroom growing kits down there? You take home these big plastic bags of spores and sawdust (and other stuff) and whoa......oyster mushrooms....and you can eat them.

Here's some pink ones....I love this color pink.....so fleshy.......

I can sense a little inspiration kicking in.....I want to use these in flower arrangements....not sure how they would hold up for a couple of days....

Probably won't be using these voodoo lilies in anything. But then again, you never know.

Here are some beautiful lily bulbs.....They remind me of some vaguely succulent type flower.


And last but not least, I was happy to be able to buy my canned tuna from a guy who caught it.....better get busy eating tuna if I want to use those cans for flower arrangements.
I will miss the downtown Farmer's Market until next year.

Fall Wedding Flowers at Passionflower Design

Designing with flowers and plants is a big part of every day at Passionflower. I don't show nearly enough of the fabulous floral work that goes out our door. That is because I never think the photos do the flowers justice -ever.... but I guess I'll get over that and just start showing them . I think of the pictures more like records, or ciphers , or memory joggers of a particular floral moment in time.....They are ten thousand times more beautiful in person-

Really had fun with this wedding.....an older couple....they met on a Christian Singles Site. I loved that. Both of them came to the floral consultation. I loved that too. She was wearing a shimmery silver dress. We started to think of the wedding like mixed metals.

The palette was dusty and peachy and silver and coppery and browns.

Metallina Rose, Brown Mini Cymbidium,
Brunia, & Chocolate Eucalyptus.

Christmas Ornaments Come to Passionflower

A little taste of Christmas Goodies.....in our front window.....now.

Some Details from Barb Campbell's "First Friday" Show at Passionflower

A few details from the colorful world of Barb Campbell's ceramic work.

Everything tastes better when it comes from this magical teapot.

I'm still not sure wether she calls these Pinkies or Pixies but they are little flower frogs - that become miniature gardens. People loved these.

And the sipping cups were very popular.

Some details....

A Peek into our Jewel Box at Passionflower

Hints of Christmas at Passionflower Design

We need an organizing principle, a way to think about our displays as we plan what we are buying and how we will show it......We called this one "Opulent Nature" and we made long lists of all the things we could incorporate into it while still leaving room for it to evolve as we put it together....

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Chandeliers & Champagne Glasses & Wine Goblets set in a bed of mossy branches seemed obvious (in a good way)... for our Thanksgiving/Christmas display. I like it all sparkly
but earthy too. -Then we added finger sponges and fan coral....suddenly we have a leitmotif..."Opulent Nature" became
"Shipwrecked in the midst of Christmas Dinner on the Titanic"....

Flashbacks to the past.

And hidden treasures from the sea.

Passion Fashion at First Friday Artwalk

One thing we love about First Friday is it brings out people in their finery....

It seemed to be an orange kind of evening.

Vintage coat belonged to her grandmother.....

And look what else was out for First Friday?.....the first tulips we've seen in a long while...

the bulb growers have learned to trick the seasons a little bit....we now see tulips and ranunculus
in the fall. These are locally grown in Philomath....

Barb Campbell Ceramics at Passionflower Design

Sometime, I think I am getting wiser in my old age. With 3,000 square feet of store to merchandise (that's trade talk for making it look good), it can be a challenge. Especially this time of year with loads of new merchandise coming in. And we always want the front window to look extra special.. Realizing I don't have to do it all (that' s the older/wiser part), I asked Barb Campbell if she'd like to "do" our front window for her upcoming First Friday Artwalk Show.....

She was gracious enough to agree.

Here's a photo of Barb and her husband Javier when we first started talking about this idea last summer....they came and took some measurements. We repainted the floor....and then last Thursday they came and set up. I think of it as an artist driven installation.

Here's a night shot of part of the window from the outside.
Everything is sitting on an old drafting table.

The same table from the inside of the store. I like how it looks like you're peeking into the artist's private space. It's how I might imagine Barb's studio.

And in this spilled cup above, the artist is perhaps telling us some of her thoughts and feelings about color.

Here she muses on the utilitarian nature of the vessel. Plus I love all the tools many of which appear to be handmade. There's even a porcupine quill in there. I think she bought that at Passionflower!

And in this teapot we find a craftsmanship so strong that it can be used in the service of playfulness and whimsy.

And what is this beautiful assemblage laying here? Be still my beating heart.

A color xerox, a handmade brush , a pen drawing,
a natural part, and a clay object. I look a little closer. The clay piece looks like a seed head or a sieve. I can't tell if the natural object (that's around 7 o'clock in the photo above) is the handle of a pumpkin or a tiny antler. I think the little object attached with string to the end of the brush is a stamp Barb uses in the clay. I am enchanted. It is man and nature in some mystical conversation.

And finally a view from the top.....this window is so much richer and fuller than these photos can convey. If you like what you see, I encourage you to come take a peek in our window.

Or better yet, visit us for First Friday where Barb will be showing an entire table full of her beautiful pots, vessels, teapots, and more.....