Our Inner Lives

Have you checked out Becky's tumblr Archaic Youngster yet?  Because it is awesome. 

Click here.  And besides an awesome tumblr, Becky has one of the most fabulously, crazy, bohemian homes I've ever been to.  And we're all going over for a party pretty soon.  So stay tuned for photos.  And I can't believe I haven't blogged about her house before.  Wait and see.

Passionflower painting by Piet Mondrian 1908 - image via archaic youngster

Making Friends in New York

Another reason I go to shows (besides as previously mentioned finding you the good stuff) is I get to meet some interesting people. Like my new pal Miles (above) who I met at Laura Zindel's booth. Turns out, when he isn't helping Laura at her amazing booth at the gift show, he's a freelance florist in Manhattan. Miles specializes in flowers for film and t.v. and did the flowers for among other things, Sex in the City and Ugly Betty. And immediately we are bonded, because, despite the semi glam of his resume, I know just how flippin much work it must have taken to do what he did. (Three people working seven days a week for six weeks to do Sex and the City flowers). He knows I know. Then, of course, we are double bonded, because, despite the fact that I have not covered my forearms in tattoos based on Laura Zindel's drawings, we are both huge (as in HUGE) fans of her work.

And we are both completely taken with her new designs.  Here's a sneak peak above of one of my faves:

an owl skull with feathers and eggs.  Stay tuned for lots of great new Laura Zindel designs arriving at Passionflower in October including mushrooms, wishbones, chicken claws and other high fabulousness. 

Something Lovely to Serve With

Well I think they're really designed to show off appetizers and food in a most lovely fashion, but they show off the air plant pretty well too.  Judy Jackson white stoneware pieces in the softest, smoothest, matte white glaze. 

Interview with Poppy & Moe -

 Oh my gosh, everybody's talking about a nip in the air and fall just around the corner.  Could it really be so?  Is summer almost over?  We took the summer off doing First Fridays but now since September's coming right up, we're thrilled (beyond) to have Sabrina from Poppy & Moe as our featured artist.  Assuming of course she's made it back from Burning Man.   She'll be bringing it with four brand new tee designs.   Lila did a little interview with the duo where they dish about fashion, trends, and sustainability.  Enjoy!

 

Q: What were your inspirations for the new designs?

Sabrina: The  2012 collection was inspired by the 1960's bad girl. We were drawn to a vintage rocker chick look; feminine but edgy. She might ride a Triumph motorcycle, make daisy chains and listen to Black Sabbath. In this collection the art is simple yet very detailed and stands out uniquely in a world of mainstream graphic tees. We have eight new designs this fall, four will debut on the First Friday Art Walk; simple single color prints. The other four which will be out in the stores mid October, will be multi color prints of two to four colors.

Q: What do you think is trendy for fall/winter this year? How is that
incorporated into your new designs?

 Sabrina: Dark/dreamy art, black, loose fit, burnt red and orange, grey tones and vintage elements.... we incorporated all of those in to our new collection however we usually ignore the trends and create what we think is fun and looks cool.

Q: Can you tell us about the new shirts you're using, and what made

you decide to change them?

 Kelsie: Our new shirts are a super soft blend of cotton and modal. They are a beautiful slub fabric that is made here in the United States. Producing in our own country is important to us and we are really excited about the fit and feel of these high quality shirts.

Q: How does Poppy & Moe integrate sustainability into its business

model and product?

Kelsie: All of our art is still hand printed in house using water based ink and environmentally friendly printing products. All of our shirts are now produced in the USA, which means nothing we use comes from another country. We love that we can offer this to our customer, because it ishard to find in the world of fashion.

Q:  Any big plans for the future of P & M?

Kelsie: Grow our international business! We have more stores in Japan than all of our other stores combined. We hope to produce more styles and offer a bigger collection of USA made goods.

All photos courtesy Poppy & Moe.....and these pics are from last season's collection because the new designs are really debuting (like first time ever seen in public) on First Friday.  So come by Sept 7th for some fun fashion, bubbly , good cheer, and enter to win a new tee!

Make your own Shadowbox

I wanted to share this very fun photo one of our customers sent us of  a shadowbox she made for her parent's 60th wedding anniversary.  She used old photos and memorabilia mixed with some new things.  How many Passionflower items can you spot?  I spied 7 not including the beautiful glass box.  What a great, one of a kind gift to make for someone.  I kind of feel like I know this couple just from seeing what's in the box and I'd really like to know what the backstory on that little whisk is.

Some Fun Display Ideas

Yes, I go to the gift show to find all kinds of wild and wonderful things to sell at the store.  But I also go because, every now and then, I run across a fabulous display idea.  Like this lovely little tissue paper dress on a mannequin.  Simple, clever, and pretty: my kind of display.

Ode to my Delivery Driver

              

Our delivery driver the Reverend Chuck Buster, died from complications from cancer on Monday August 13th. Chuck was an elder in the Nazarene Church, married for 54 years to his high school sweetheart, he didn't read the Register Guard because it was too radical and never went to a movie rated anything other than G. He was, as they say, a straight arrow - someone completely trustworthy, which is exactly what I want in a delivery driver. Not to mention he was also a whiz with a map (and this was in the days before mapquest) and almost always willing to take that late or last minute delivery. Chuck had slowed a bit in recent years and was only doing deliveries on Saturdays for Passionflower, and I was never able to talk him into wearing a tux and white gloves for Valentine's Day deliveries,  but I consider myself lucky to have had someone like Chuck working for me for as long as I did.
I learned how ill he was shortly before I left for New York and knew he has just a few months left. Little did I know, it was less than a week. I was out of town and unable to go to his service. We sent some beautiful flowers. We are all a little shocked around here. He was the patriarch of his extensive clan, I am sure, surrounded at death, by many who loved him deeply.  Our hearts go out especially to his wife Eunice who was his faithful and loyal companion, accompanying him on most of his deliveries. He will be missed.   RIP Chuck.

photo of arrow tray courtesy John Derian  

Make your Own Terrarium at Passionflower

Sarah is having a terrarium party!  We were going to call it a class, but a party seemed like so much more fun.  Stay tuned for Passionflower terrarium making, party going details coming in September. 

New Favorite Screen Saver

Well this photo from last weeks wedding wouldn't do what I wanted it to do which was just to behave like all the others and get saved all nice and tidy blow up to the right size on the blog.  Instead, in this case, it got super big and high detail which might have been totally annoying except I got this pretty cool screen saver image out of it......

And this little beauty too. 

Pretty soon I'll get those photo kinks worked out and show you the beautiful wedding pieces made in birch bark logs.

Another Great Shopping Find in Seattle

During the long days journey into the world of creating the website (see previous laments about this endeavor here)  I found myself perusing the web for images to send my designer of things I really dug.  This one from Seattle based Marigold & Mint  just really stood out and seared itself into my brain.  It's so familiar and yet so not what we are used to seeing on the computer screen. Imagine my delight when friend Heather, she of the delicate and distinct eye, took me to their little hole in the wall shop (well actually "hole in the corridor" would be more accurate) at Melrose Market in Seattle.  We found cards and cookbooks and delicate foil garlands from Japan, and porcelain so thin it might break if touched.  I loved it.  Anyone who describes herself as "inspired by....... objects ranging from the scale of a spider's web to that of a star" as owner Katherine Anderson does,  is bound to have a most excellent store. Put it on your list.  And click here to see what Food & Wine has to say about Melrose Market.

Visiting Japantown in Seattle

Seattle was whirlwind buying trip which had to include a little retail R & D and it did not disappoint.  My friend Heather took me to Japantown which is the antithesis of slick and redeveloped.  Parts of it have been lovingly preserved ,parts of it have never changed, and lots of it shows wear and tear. Teahouses, vintage drugstores, cutting edge Asian design,  tourists,  derelicts, oodles of washi tape, bonsai, a great display idea or two and I could not have been happier.  Click here to read what Ibuki magazine has to say about touring Japantown in Seattle.  And definitely put the gallery/shop Kobo at Higo on your retail radar if you like to explore cool stores.

Velvet

I know it's August and we're into deep summer and the grass is yellowing and the ground is dry and cracking (even here in the verdant Northwest) but I am deep in the zone planning our Passionflower fall and holiday sets.  I predict much velvet in our future and it's looking to be lots of teals and plums and purples too.  At least I hope so....all depends on what i kind find out there in the world of good things.

In the meantime, this little touch of purple velvet was fun on these boutonnieres.  Enjoy.

Tillandsia Boutonniere

oops.....no blogging for a while now which generally means I've been deep in some flower world work or I've been traveling.  In  this case the recent blog break meant both. We had a busy, busy but very satisfying wedding week at Passionflower & then I took  a quick trip to Seattle.  Back to the blog and here's a  little photo of a boot (that's floral talk for boutonniere) that Becky made to perfectly illustrate our belief at Passionflower that God is in the details - a saying I have heard variously attributed to Mies van der Rohe, Michaelangelo, & my grandfather. They may have all said it and not sure if it really matters who said it first.  Just like it doesn't really matter that Becky is not the first person to ever use a tillandsia in a boutonniere, what matters is that she did it so beautifully.  Plus, she mixed two kinds of berries - viburnum and hypericum which added that subtle and undefinable "je ne sai quoi" to make this one of my all time favorite P-flower boutonnieres.