A Good Mama

I gotta say...that I LOVE my Mama.  She's not perfect.  But she's a good Mama and a sweet Mama, and a true blessing in my life!

One of the things that inspires me the most about my Mama is that she made choices in her teenage years to live a life different than how she was raised.  Although, I know my grandparents loved her, they were both alcoholics and life growing up for her and her brothers and sisters was harder than I can even imagine.  She didn't know what it was like to have the kind of mother that she became for us.  She chose love instead of resentment, and forgiveness instead of bitterness...and taught us to love too by her own example.  She's generous and gentle and kind to strangers.  She's patient, not controlling or demanding but she's also one of the strongest women I know.  She knows that there are some things that need to be said but not all things are meant to be said.  She loves.... big and wide and open.
She did not choose the same path that was set before her but made choices that changed the generations to come.  How can I not live everyday grateful for that?

My son picked this sign out for me at Creekside Abbotsford  a few years ago and gave it to me for Mother's Day.  I love it.

Us Mamas can get hard on ourselves sometimes so it is a good reminder to me that I can't be a perfect mother, and I can't raise perfect kids but I can give them my heart and do the best I can to be a good mama.

So thank you Mama once again and all you other mamas out there....blessings on you for all that you do for those around you and keep on being a good one.

Diamonds are Great...but really, Shoes are a Girl's Best Friend

In our culture, shoes are important.  You can tell alot about a person by the shoes they wear.  I love cute shoes!  And....if you're a girl, then I'm sure you've done this too, but I have been willing on many occasions to endure several hours of pain just to wear uncomfortable cuteness to complete (in my opinion) my cute outfit!

My favorite pair of shoes right now are the most adorable (and comfortable-- bonus:) ballet flats ever!  They look sooooo good with jeans (and I'm very much a jeans kinda girl) and they even look good with my pajamas, like the ones I'm wearing here...

And...I can't help it...when I put them on...I just feel a little bit sassy:)

But I must confess,  I wasn't wearing my red sassy shoes when I made these pretty little things:

For all you Divas out there...

I have to admit....

I was wearing my crocs.

I Heart the Art...

I had a ton of fun making this for my beautiful friend Debbie at  4Cats Art Studio in Abbotsford.  She dropped by the shop to let me know that the kids were learning about Gustav Klimt who in my opinion is probably most famous for his painting "The Kiss".  Of course, I would have to say that, because I have a copy of that one hanging in my living room.

However...the kids are actually painting their renditions of another famous painting that Gustav painted called "The Tree of Life".

Which makes me want to drop by the studio and check out the canvas of some of our young and aspiring local artists.  Young art ALWAYS makes me smile...and inspires my creative joy!

So here's to my good friend Debbie at 4Cats Art Studio in Abbotsford, all the kids at the studio, and Gustav Klimt of course...

Sweet Wedding Memories and a little Family history...

Family weddings have a special place in my heart.  They can also be the hardest because they are emotionally involved.  If you are in the middle of planning a wedding you totally know what I mean! And us girls...well...it's significant and we're emotional.  But it's totally worth it!  And you know that too, so hang in there, the best is yet to come!

So here's a little glimpse into one of our family weddings from several years ago.
My sister-in-law, who was the Bride, and who is very creative, and very organized and knew exactly what she wanted, designed pretty much everything herself from the invitations to the centerpieces to the favors.  But I got to do the flowers with the help of my sister, who is also an amazing floral designer down in Washington (and you can see her gorgeous work here ).

Since the rest of the family did not live near the wedding venue, we got to stay in a hotel and do wedding flowers on site at the Brides house of course, and it kind of felt like one big party!
So, after the rehearsal and a fabulous dinner, here we are, my sister and I.

Designing on the patio on a cool summer night.  I'm sure there was a glass of wine sitting on the table out there somewhere.  So.... I don't get to do that very often but it's right up there with "cooking" in bare feet, with a glass of wine and an apron, which I LOVE to do!

My beautiful sister-in-law and her good (and handsome) man.

I loved the Mokara orchids in her hair.

And of course, I love this baby girl, who made a beautiful flower girl, if I say so myself:)

And this one, who I'm stealing a kiss from, who has just now turned 16, and still brings joy to my heart.

Flowers for the Girls...

and Flowers for the Guys.

And one of my favorite things...a gift from the Bride to her Bridesmaids on the day of the wedding.

A fabric lined beach bag full of surprises and necessities for a full day ahead...hand cream, lip gloss, tissues, breath mints, a bottle of water, a different flower clip on the handle of each one so we could tell them apart (brilliant), comfy flip flops to match our dresses at the reception...and snacks of course!  There may have even been more stuff in there...I just can't remember...but to this day:) I still use the beach bag!  Thanks Auntie, I still think of you, every time it goes with me on a pic-nic or to the beach!

I loved these centerpieces.  My sister-in-law was able to make these weeks in advance and have them at the country club the day before to be put out the day of the wedding.  All we had to do was drop off some orchids to be placed inside.

She had also prepared some matching vases with rocks in the bottom filled with water for the bouquets to rest in, at the head table during the reception.

And there you have it.  My sweet memories of a family wedding.

Cake Boss?

Hmmm...not quite, but it's no secret that I love making these cupcakes...they make me smile.

And it's no secret that I have a fetish for 'sweet' things....

So, of course it's no surprise that I had so much fun

 making this completely fat free birthday cake yesterday... 

To Be Honest.....

Being young at heart can make me afraid of stupid little things sometimes.  It can also make me feel brave and daring...on the rare occasion.  It's no secret that I'm not really the daredevil type but I'll stand up to the truth that I'm not entirely a chicken either.  So when I say that making this blog has stretched me somewhat in the fear factor zone, I'm not exaggerating.  In fact, I wouldn't be working on it now if it weren't for Lily and Rachel, the sweet, talented and lovely girls of Birch and Bird Vintage Home Interiors  and the fabulous opportunity to be a part of their seriously sweet vintage markets...including the next one, Scout Handmade and Vintage Market coming up in May.

They've linked me to this lonely space that I have called a blog and forced my hand to make it a place that feels a little more homey...a little less intimidating (for me:) and a place where you can get to know me a little better and see what I love and what I do.

To be honest, I guess I've been a little embarrassed to hang out here.  It's kind of like buying a fixer upper and living in it too long with out doing a lot of fixing!

So here's the start.  I've spent hours trying to make it pretty....pulled out some of my hair...because I like trying to figure it out myself...and being tired of fiddling with it now and reverting back to a very impersonal template for the time being, have decided to just invite you in for a cup of tea regardless.

My neighbor told me when we first moved on to the street that you have to make memories in a house before it feels like a home...so memories we will make and the housekeeping and decorating will come!

History of a Flower Child....

If there’s anyone to blame for this girl loving blooms...it would have to be my Dad.  He’s been putting little bouquets of flowers into my hands for as long as I can remember.  Even now, it’s a rare week that goes by that he doesn’t stoop low to pluck a bloom off of some fresh growing beauty in his yard and offer it with a smile to his oldest girl.

So it’s no surprise that my first part-time job at 15, landed me in a cute little flower shop sweeping floors and cutting stems.

Originally, from North Carolina and immigrating to Canada in the teenage years, I grew up in the beautiful Pemberton Valley just north of Whistler.  I apprenticed as a floral designer through high school and university and for 10 years had the fabulous opportunity to work and train with designers from all over the world as they came to work with us in beautiful Whistler Village.

I loved it.  Working with flowers is a beautiful thing and working with people in their most significant moments in life can be even more beautiful but when the love of my life and I started a family and my babies came along...they were to die for, and all I wanted was every moment.  

So I stayed home with them for 15 years, and that has been one of the sweetest gifts to me ever.

Then eight years ago my husband and I moved our little family from Sea to Sky Country to the Fraser Valley and made Abbotsford our home.

When I realized last year, that it was time for me to go back to work and the doors for a new venture began to open...I found myself here.  Happily supporting local flower growers as much as I can with a unique and personal approach to floral design and operating out of the fabulously adorable Creekside Country Home Decor in Downtown Abbotsford.

I love using what I know and love, to play a small part in the significant moments of others and that is very special to me...weddings, of course, birthdays, babies and even relationships with corporate clients can be a lot of fun.  However, Sweetnothings Floral Design is probably most famous for the cutest flower cupcakes ever.  And besides the fact that they’re adorable....they represent everything that I believe in.  They’re sweet, they’re pretty and they’re affordable for the everyday woman!  Which makes them the perfect little “Girlfriend” treat.  So I love it!  

They are truly a ‘Sweet nothing’.