Lifestyle

I wanted to share a just a few of the smiles that were created during a recent Sunflowers for Smile Farms fundraiser.  The fundraiser came about when the owner of Dos Gringos, a flower farm in California that 1-800 Flowers is proud to partner with, reached out to me about some extra sunflowers they had.  It was at the beginning of the quarantine and everything was on hold – but the flowers were in bloom and ready for harvesting!

At the same time, the big annual fundraising event for Smile Farms, Inc. had just been canceled due to the pandemic.  Smile Farms is the signature philanthropic  partner of 1-800 Flowers and my brother Kevin is a farmer at Smile Farms at IGHL.   So, when I got that call from Dos Gringos, I knew exactly what we could do with those sunflowers!

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As if being surrounded by the most spectacular blooms imaginable, the workshop was held at one of Charleston’s hottest event spaces (The Knot 2018 Best of Weddings Pick). The Cedar Room at Mercantile and Mash, located in the celebrated Cigar Factory, is an open and airy space, featuring historic wood columns, hardwood floors, and original elements of the circa 1881 building. The walls consist of rustic brick and floor-to-ceiling windows that reveal a view of the architecturally acclaimed Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

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In honor of the 50^th Anniversary of the “Summer of Love,” I have been bringing “Flowers to the People”! It has been so much fun sharing the joy that flowers and plants bring into people’s life. Here are a few images of a couple of the events that I was a part of!

Nurse’s Appreciation Week

Every year for the last few years, 1-800-Flowers.com has participated in Nurse’s Appreciation activities at Winthrop Hospital. It’s a chance to say thank you for all the hard work that these professionals do every day to take care of those in need. It takes a special person to give so much of themselves. And it takes so little to say thank you!

This year, in honor of the Summer of Love, we created a DIY Flower Crown bar. We demonstrated the various techniques used to make floral crowns from the very simple to the more complicated. Flower crowns are so popular now that everyone was thrilled to learn a little something to be able to make their own or just to get ideas and inspiration for upcoming showers, birthday parties, weddings, etc. Continue Reading…

As every style savvy girl knows, it’s all about the details.  You found the perfect dress but it doesn’t stop there.  Flower corsages have long been a prom tradition but you are anything but traditional.  Need a little inspiration? Check out these cutting edge, trendsetting, floral fashion accessory ideas that are as unique as you are.

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The American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour has announced its 2017 schedule! These dinners are must-attend gatherings that place seasonal, local, and sustainable American Grown Flowers at the center of the table where locally–grown food is served by a farm–to–table chef. 

I was lucky enough to attend an American Grown Field to Vase Dinner at the Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm in 2015, and I still find myself daydreaming about that evening from time to time—especially now, at the end of a long winter, with hints of a spring that is fast approaching.  Seeing the first signs of crocus pushing through the hard ground reminds us that our days will soon be filled with bright blue skies and beautiful flowers in an array of vibrant colors. Continue Reading…

Following on Galentine’s Day and “Ladies Celebrating Ladies,” we have another occasion to acknowledge the important women in our life: March 8^th is International Women’s Day, a global day recognizing the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and marking a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The theme of International Women’s Day for 2017 is #BeBoldForChange.

I have always known the power of strong women. I have had some amazing role models in my family, in my friendships, and in my career in the floral business. I want to honor one of those women in particular: Bobbi Ecker Blatchford. Before Bobbi passed away on February 3, 2017, she had dedicated her life to the floral industry and was a mentor to many.

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In the last week of 2016, I learned about “hygge” for the first time in a feature article in an obscure British magazine called Breathe, which I picked up to help me transition into a new year in a centered and peaceful manner. The next day, there were at least three posts in my social media feeds about hygge. Ah, I’ve hit on a new trend, I thought! This is it: hygge will be the word of the winter of 2017. Let me be the first on my block to write a post about it! Then today I read that our cozy hygge days are over—only to be replaced in 2017 by the younger, cooler Scandinavian relative, lagom!

Whether it’s hygge or lagom, for some reason I am being drawn to things Scandinavian these days. (I just read the book A Man Called Ove over New Year’s weekend and thought it was the sweetest story.) And I am fine with that, because despite their long, dark winters, Danes are known as the happiest people on earth, so they must be doing something right! Continue Reading…

I get to work with some amazing people at 1-800-Flowers.com. They’re the kind of team players who are always happy to help out and who jump at any opportunity to give back. So where else would I turn when I was organizing the Wine and Painting portion of the second annual Golf and Wine & Paint Classic benefiting Smile Farms.

Golf fundraisers have been around forever. They provide an excellent opportunity for corporations to give back to communities while also rewarding employees and clients with a beautiful day on the links. We decided to add a new twist to this year’s event by including an afternoon wine tasting and painting session that would wrap up at the same time that the golfers would be finishing their game and heading back to the clubhouse, where the evening’s festivities included cocktails, awards, a silent auction, and dinner. Adding the wine tasting and painting turned out to be a huge success! It was so relaxing and everyone had so much fun. Our goal was to make everyone feel like I imagined these two women must have felt when I took this photo of them in La Jolla, CA this summer. Continue Reading…