Perfection

 

I am contemplating spring,and rebirth, and all new possibilities, and the perfection of the shape of an egg.

I'll be back in the states in a couple of days.  In the meantime, wishing everyone the Happiest of Easters.

photo courtesy calligrapher extraordinaire, Marina Marjina

Why do I love Textiles so Much?

 

Did I tell you we're having a big textile show on First Friday April 5th?  Here's just a little sneak peak in our front window.  It's the slightly crazy side of Passionflower.  And there's so much more to come!!

Kathy Brock will be coming down from Portland with lots of Turkish textiles and jewelry and I'll have lots of goodies from Oaxaca.  Becky calls it our Moorish, Guatemalan Rave!!! PLease join us and if you know someone who loves textiles, let them know. It should be very special.

Which Came First

We love these ceramic egg containers for making little botanically inspired flower arrangements but they'd also be a great way to show off your Easter eggs.

Bring on the Flowers

 I'm still in Mexico, but I hear we're having all kinds of wonderful weather in Eugene and flowers are popping up everywhere....it's daffodil and squill now and soon apple blossom and lilac, oh my.  Which just seems like  a perfect occasion for a new vase.

You know how some people think you can never have too many shoes (well I'm actually one of those people).....or too many tablelinens (I'm one of  those people too).  And I'm also one of those people who believes you can never have too many vases either!  Which is why I'm so happy we just got in a new collection of Eigen art Vases in some yummy spring colors!  Any of these would be great with flowering branches or some long stemmed tulips!

Playing Dress Up

I have a staff that really loves to play dress up - witness the exta cute photo that appeared on Facebok last week.  I always love seeing what they're attracted to and how they put it together.  I see Sarah's wearing Susan Goodwin, Coral & Tusk and Everyday Artifact jewelry in addition to showing off the fabulous Knitted Dove hummingbird sweater. She just makes it all come together! Something about this photo just made me extraordinarily happy.  And I think these would be the cutest sweaters for Easter morning.

Putting on Your Spring Finery

 

It's that time of year again for our Easter Bonnet Contest.  Here's last years winner!  Come in between now and Easter and show off your Easter Bonnet.  We'll post photos and vote and announce the winners at First Friday in April.  And in the meantime, have a most lovely Easter!!!

Happy First Day of Spring

I imagine Persephone was a redhead!  Happy Spring.  

Photo of our friend Amber in a Passionflower headress she wore at her cousin Katie's wedding.

It's like a classical cameo come to life.

It's Been A While

Allrightee, my ever faithful blog readers.  I have completely neglected the blog lately because I've been down in Oaxaca Mexico these last two weeks working with Jill Cardinal our our art making tour.  Let's just say, doing a tour is all consuming and Oaxaca is pretty all consuming too.  I'm feeling a little schizophrenic lately.  Chez Passionflower, Easter brunch is on it's way ,the wheat grass is sprouting  and we've got new linens and candles and all manners of wonderful things to celebrate rebirth and the coming of spring .  And down in Oaxaca, Easter is coming and there is all kinds of somber processions and flagellations and it's hot and noisy.  I love both these worlds and haven't  quite figured out how they go together or if they even do.

Which is why I thought I'd share this picture of the lovely Beckster with you.  Becky feels like the face of Passionflower and here she's wearing an apron called a mandile that many of the indigenous women wear in Oaxaca.  So it's a little like the two worlds coming together.  I've fallen in love with indigenous crafts and textiles and am planning on bringing some back and having a little textile sale on First Friday in April - which is one way I'm trying to bring these two loves of mine together.  I'll have quite a few of these aprons and some super cute ones for little girls.  Plus other goodies too.  Hope you'll be able to join us.  And in the meantime, if you're looking for spring inspiration, come visit the store.

 

Beautiful Peachy Orange Bridal Boquet

 

What a crazy fabulous world we live in.  Here I am in Mexico and I get online and there are these beautiful photos of the bouquets we did for the Luxe Bridal Event.  This might be the margaritas talking, but I am so crazy, proud of my staff.    We did ten bouquets for this event and Sarah took the lead and did all the planning and ordering but all three of us made bouquets and Becky did lots of the ribbon and detail work.

I feel really blessed to have such talented women working for me.  And having a professional photographer take the photos doesn't hurt either!

Photo courtesy Erika Nicole Photography

Almost Ready to Go

 

Did you know I'm going to Mexico?  Oaxaca City and environs to be exact.  You can read all about it here.

It does a girl a world of good to get out and see the world a bit, to shake it up and maybe see and think about things that never occurred to you.   I'm going to make art and seek out some old churches and walk a lot and (big surprise here) do a little shopping.

 

I'm hoping to find a lot of these fun hand embroidered aprons.  Here's Becky wearing one I brought back for her last year!!!  Someone called it a pinafore, which I think is exactly right,   If the shopping gods are smiling upon us, I hope to also have some vintage huipiles (clothing shirts) and cushion covers, and some contemporary table runners.  Plus that certain something out there waiting for me that I don't even know about yet.  But I hear it calling to me.  Stay tuned.  We'll be having a big textile showing on First Friday in April and I'll be showing off my bounty from the Mexico trip.

Pussywillow magic

For some people it's daffodils, for me it's pussywillow - the harbingers of spring.  I guess I'm a little impatient and pussywillows always come before daffodils.  I like to keep  a few willow sprigs in water in my house. And they always send out little rootlets.  Pussywillow, indeed all willows, have lots of rooting hormones in their bark. They're so easy to propogate.  And it feels a little like magic.  Great project for children to take a pussywillow cutting, watch it root, and then plant it!

 

 A favorite customer, who also was a kindergarden teacher, taught me this little rhymer she would do with her class.  She'd ask each  child to close their eyes and would rub a pussywillow down the side of their face  while saying, "Close your eyes and do not peek, and spring will dance across your cheek"....

That sounds pretty good.  I'd like spring to dance across my cheek.

And should you desire to geek out on willows you can read more about them here.