Jewel Box

Which Way

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Sat, 26 May 2012 15:34:00 +0000

So much to do, so little time.....not in an overly pressed for time, slightly frantic type A kind of way, but in finding inspiration at every turn kind of way.....I want to garden, and hike, and do art and yoga, and cook and read, and make great birthday cards for my friends, and clean my closet (yes I really am inspired to clean my closet) and finish the passionflower website (more on that later) and have an amazing store, and all that has just not left too much time for blogging. And now I'm off to a weekend in the woods with no internet access. Scary!

Passionflower's Pop Up Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:03:00 +0000

What exactly is a pop up shop you might ask? Well in my more cynical moments I might tell you that it is the retail side of corporate America co-opting the small independent , or in a more mellow moment I might say it's a great opportunity for a small independent to gain exposure to a wider audience. And then I read about something where a restaurant gives a small independent florist the opportunity to set up a little shop on a holiday - say like Valentine's and it just seems so win -win for everyone. It's fair to conclude I got all fired up when I saw pictures from this pop up shop by Brooklyn based florist Ariel Dearie. And I thought, "Let's do that!".

Now it's true, I already have a flower shop....I don't need to do a pop up....but I really liked the idea of putting a table out on the street and creating something small and simple (and beautiful and uplifting) as part of our downtown cityscape. And I love the "here today, gone tomorrow" nature of the whole proposition.

So an idea was born, and Sarah made this fabbie sign (first photo above) and now she's going to run with it and we're going to have a little pop up every Friday in June (weather dependent). Some days it might be DIY body flowers, or things we gathered from our gardens in milk bottle and mason jars or well you'll just have to wait and see. This is the kind of thing that just gets my energy up - so happy.

All photos from Passionflower but Sarah made the sign with a page from NY based photographer Deitmar Busse's great book Flower Power

In the Deep Woods Follow Me

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:18:00 +0000

One of my goals this year is to spend more time out in nature..I mean we live so close to it here in Eugene ..So, I've been to Alsea Falls a couple of times and Mt Pisquah and out to Coyote Spencer Wetlands, a piece of land recently purchased by Mckenzie River Trust. And, you know, the more time you spend outside, the more wonderful things you experience. It's just the law of averages. I've seen purple butterflies and a hummingbird's nest already this year plus tons of beautiful wildflowers....all of which has re-awakened the amateur naturalist in me.....

I have been geeking out with plant I.D

Like this is the year I'm really going to learn my ferns. So far I'm pretty confident about sword, licorice, deer, & maidenhair. And I'm learning the difference between bracken and lady ferns. (Isn't that just a great name, "lady fern"? Don't you just love her already?) Stay tuned for more dispatches from the world of ferns.
And click here to find out more about McKenzie River Trust and their conservation work.

Prom Season

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Here's a fun little boutonniere we made with a parrot feather, eryngium, and a funny little allium whose name I can't remember....I thought the blue pins added a fun touch... I really like doing tiny hand work....it's a kind of god is in the details moment.

Birds of a Feather

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:13:00 +0000

We had a customer who raised birds and she used to bring us all these amazing feathers.....(come to think of it we've had a few customers who brought us feathers, one woman had a flock of wild turkeys and always brought these crazy big beautiful turkey feathers)

They'd come all packed together and I would cherry pick and high grade and divide the feathers into little packets for various uses..... every time she came in , my heart would skip a beat waiting to see what she brought us. And then she moved out of town .....

And I notice I miss her feathers, especially around now when we find ourselves doing lots of work for proms....But I am grateful for all the awesome customers we've had over the years who have brought us so many fun things to play with.

Some thoughts on the Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:03:00 +0000

OMG, we have been having some beautiful, world class weather these last few days here in the Pacific Northwest. It is as if we are being rewarded for all those grey, rainy days which we have totally forgotten about as we are reveling in getting our vitamin D, evening bike rides, and outdoor dining. I have turned off the heat and cleaned off the deck....houseplant liberation is not far behind. And to be clear, these are not the bright, piercingly blue skies of a gorgeous day on the east coast, or the deep warmth of a tropical Mexican sun but rather the every leaf and every blade of green grass is at total attention singing some harmonic hosanna of thanks for the glorious world we find ourselves in. It's that good. Which perhaps might inspire you to come down to Passionflower and check out all our new spring and summer clothing in the upstairs annex and find yourself something as wonderful as the weather. Dare I say it, summer is really on it's way. (P.S. Sorry for the little adfomercial at the end, but I think I sequed into that in a fairly charming manner.)

photo courtesy one of our great vendors Bryn Walker - handmade clothing from Berkeley Ca.

Sunny Days are Here Again

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:59:00 +0000

I've been back from Mexico for a little over a month now.....and it's funny how traveling stays with you....and what things stay with you and what things you forget.....which is why I have become a fan of keeping a travel journal (for the things you forget).....and how pictures can have a way of shaping your experience and what you remember...and since it is such an over the top beautiful sunny day here in Eugene, it reminded me of Mexico and I wanted to share this collage. Click here to go to our Art Trips to Mexico blog and get the tiniest taste of what we did.

Put a Bird on It

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:40:00 +0000

I am really loving these giclee prints on wood by California artist Matt Adrian.....They're arresting. They make the eye stop.

They are small but they pack a whole lot of punch. One customer made a wall of them in her bedroom.

He paints the bird on a solid sort of moody atmospheric ground.

It's like having our own little aviary at Passionflower. And, for the record, in case you haven't noticed, I am a fan of putting a bird on it.

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:26:00 +0000

Floral is continuing to rock my world......

Sarah posing with beautiful hair garland she made.

Sample for a bride taking it to her hair stylist today.

New Bedlinens

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:11:00 +0000

It's springtime which puts me in the mood for freshening things up.....you know opening the doors and windows, shaking out the rugs, cleaning the windowsills, and I always like to change out my bedding a bit.
So I'm on the prowl for some new pillowcases. These beautiful linen ones from Violet Hill Home are strong contenders. They come in lots of yummy colors.

Celebrating National Arbor Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:24:00 +0000

Earth day has come and gone but there's still lots of wonderful things you can do for the planet.
And what we've found is that in the act of "doing good for the planet", you're actually doing good for yourself. Those are the kind of win / win things we love around her at Passionflower.

In furthering our mission of "making the world a more beautiful place", we're encouraging you to come out and do some shopping this Friday April 27 which is National Arbor Day. We're giving 10% of all friday's sales to the Friends of Buford Park. The friends have been instrumental in advocating for recreational area that is home to native plants. If you love Mt Pisquah, then you love what the friends have been doing. Click here to find out more about the friends. And if you'd like to really celebrate may we suggest planting a tree for National Arbor Day. Click here for a pretty good article on things to consider when planting a tree in your yard. Also click here should you like to see what Lady Bird Johnson had to say about the importance of native species.

A Taste of Passionflower

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:12:00 +0000

More fun with Picasa....which is this photo organizing plus photo manipulation program you can download free from Google. And even I, have managed to kind of, sort of, navigate my way through it. It's pretty intuitive and I have become hooked on making these collages. This one I kind of think of as the earthy, organic side of Passionflower. Plus I just discovered all these crazy ways to change color etc....this could be very dangerous when it comes to time management.

Favorite New Book at Passionflower

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:39:00 +0000

Thanks Mindy Carpenter over at the Papaya Blog for turning me on to this new book The Art of Instruction from Chronicle Books. It's full of old botanical and natural history charts used to teach sciences in days gone by.....especially love the ones with black backgrounds like they've used on the cover. There is a wealth of material here for anyone into collage work or nature based art. Or who just wants to look at nature from a different perspective. Or who would like to stir the imagination of a child. Remember they are instruction books after all.

And said same book displayed open. Which I think is an underused way of displaying books. At home, I like keeping a favorite book on my sidetable and opening it to a different page each day. Because one shouldn't just judge a book by it's cover. Right? Even thought I definitely did in this case. Happy surprise to find it so beautiful inside.

My Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:48:00 +0000

Someone stole my iphone from my bag in the backroom of the store which I'm pretty much so upset about I don't really want to talk about it except to say, "when you get an iphone buy insurance". Which I did not.
Which means I don't really have any new photos to show you (since my iphone has been my camera as well) so I culled this from some old collages I made. I am not sure exactly what I'm going to do since I really, really don't want to fork out $650 for a new phone. Little did I realize how dependent I have become on that little metal box.

Susan Goodwin Jewelry at Passionflower

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:08:00 +0000

We are really looking forward to our visit from the amazing Susan Goodwin......First Friday in May from 3 -7....Susan will be up from her home in the Santa Cruz mountains to share with us the latest creations to spring forth from the creative well that is her genius. Just when I think it's all been done, and how many ways can one really design with a single pearl, Susan will show me that the well is deep. We'll also be unveiling work from her new collection Signs and Symbols.

To whet your appetite for all things Susan, click here and to see an old post from when Becky & I visited Susan at her studio in Seattle click here.

Image courtesy Susan Goodwin

the Happiness Factor

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:40:00 +0000

It doesn't take much to make me happy. A few blooms from the store, a little something from the yard, and a pretty glass. Okay a sunny day is a usual sure fire happiness pill too....But in the absence of sunny days, I'll take flowers anytime.

What's Going on at Passionflower

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:03:00 +0000

I've been a little busy lately and there are some things I need to get done that aren't qutie getting done like I'd like them to be....but in the meantime I made you this little collage of store shots in the hopes that I might entice you to come visit us. It's been raining a lot and would do us a world of good to see some smiling faces....Plus you might find something wonderful in our sale which goes for another week or so.

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:26:00 +0000

Last Friday was a beautiful thing at the store. We had our Easter Bonnet Contest and there were many a wondrous things to behold. Carolee, not to be outdone by her bonnet last year, came waltzing in as some sort of pagan, Merovingian , Easter princess complete with a poem. Thanks Carolee for helping us fulfill our mission of making the world a more beautiful place.

P.S. Just so you know, I have some fantasy of a huge party on the Friday before Easter with the streets of downtown Eugene filled with live music and bonnet topped folk dancing like dervishes to the sounds of fiddles and accordions while sipping all manner of green and pink drinks. So this could be the beginning of something big.

Click here to see our facebook album of the bonnet contestants. And come down and vote for your favorite one.

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:08:00 +0000

I have a little problem. There are some flowers, I know they just don't last very long. But they are so beautiful during their time. And I keep thinking this is the year I'll discover the secret of how to make them last. And I never do. And I still keep trying. And so my little camellia, hellebore, privet thanks for being you and gracing us with your lovely, if fleeting, presence.

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:08:00 +0000

Sometimes life is feast or famine, drought or flood. Lately it seems there are so many things I want to put on the blog and they just keep coming. Hence two posts in a day because I really want to tell you about this show down the street from Passionflower. Our longtime friend and customer and very accomplished & talented artist Shannon Weber is having a show at Out on a Limb Gallery that opens tonight.

I have always admired Shannon because she marches to the beat of her own drummer and has a singular confidence in pursuing her artistic vision. Plus her basketweaving is just outright, over the top, amazing. Stay tuned for a future post and I'll show you the basket of hers I have sitting in my bedroom - that brings me joy and happiness every time I look at it.

All photos courtesy Shannon's website which you can go to by clicking here.

What Happens the First Saturday in April

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:11:00 +0000

We're looking forward to the full blossoming of the Farmer's Market & Saturday Market coming tomorrow. (do I sense a corn tamale with a pitted plum in my future? or perhaps a Ritta's Burrito?)

Our homage to the market featuring Plenty , best new vegetarian cookbook on our radar lately.

And may we offer you a few containers to hold all your market goodies once they're home? Because we want your fridge to look extra cute too. Complete aside, I have always wanted to do a photo portrait study of people's refrigerators. Hint House Beautiful and Elle Decor......I want to see people's fridge, the nitty gritty, the way they really do it.

click here for past post about the farmer's market...

Wandering around the Store

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Shots from around the store....Bird print on wood from Mincing Mockingbird with vases from Judy Jackson and Middle Kingdom....

Beautiful checker lily plant in a hobnail container.....

And may we say, more hobnail?

Spring Fairy

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:57:00 +0000

It's been way too long since Becky has dressed up our young friend, so she made him a little Easter Outfit complete with bonnet of daffodils. We love him gracing our front window.....Happy Spring!

Easter Bonnet Extra-ordinaire

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000

In case you were wondering what to do with yourself this weekend. Might we suggest working on your Easter Bonnet? Come in showing off your finery between now and Easter and enter to win $100 gift certificate.

photo lifted from Google images, we believe taken at the New York City Easter Parade

Easter Flower Arrangement at Passionflower

noreply@blogger.com (Jewel) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:16:00 +0000

You know you have it bad when you'll drive to Portland to get poppies, when you don't really care how much those big, fat ranunculus cost, they're just so gorgeous you gotta have them, when you find yourself stalking the neighbor in the hopes that you can casually ask them to pick some andromeda from their overflowing bushes.....add some quince, dusty miller, and an esperance rose or two and there's Sarah up at our new lightbox taking this gorgeous photo of some spring flowers she just made.
Would love these for Easter Brunch!