Somedays in this industry I like to think of myself as a tummler. According to Every Goy’s Guide to Common Jewish Expressions, a tummler, (TOOM-ler) is someone who is maker of fun, commotion, tumult. Particularly someone who’s always making jokes- that can get the party started. Also, someone hired professionally at a resort in the Borscht Belt to …
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The Garden Club of Charleston
In April, I had the honor of presenting a talk and teaching a class for the Charleston Garden Club. The oldest garden club in the U.S., it is also the largest in the world. We had just enough time to visit the famous sweet grass basket makers of Charleston. Brought to Charleston (which was settled in …
Ice Follies
Here are some stars from a recent perfume event calling for blackberry and orange blossom fragrance and hues. Saint Tropez French tulips, ranunculus and red hellebores with Ice Follies and Avalanche daffodils which are officially the best smelling flowers of all time. This time of year there is much darkness, jump cut between …
Jewel of the Mississippi
Had a dreamy vacation to gorgeous New Orleans last week. Every inch of the city is perfect! This, my first visit back since the storm was also heartbreaking, to see the Jewel of Mississippi at eye level and remember what we all saw from above those many, horrible days in 2005. New Orleans has always …
Orange-red forever
Orange-Red has long been a fixation of mine, it began with my best friend’s style icon grandmother, “Bama” and her orange-red lipstick, worn slightly askew with chunky gold jewelry. It always feels old fashioned and new at the same time, like these timeless showstoppers, african violets, gladiolas and carnations. There is something defiant and fiery …
Red, gold and green…
This month we were finally good and swamped with holiday decorating and events, which I have been wierdy exempt from for the past 10 years in the business. It was something I have been wishing for forever; red gold and green- what could be better?? After wrestling with a massive, rogue tartan bow in 1 …
Cooks’ Tour Flowers
We were honored to provide flowers for the public debut of a house done by our favorite interior designers, Norra C. Marra Interiors recently. Best of all, it was to raise money for Rush Hospital as part of the Winnetka Cooks’ House Tour. The house is a hushed haven of meta luxe textiles, timeless, almost nonchalant …
The Lovely Elawa Farm
We spent a super-fun afternoon decorating the barn at Elawa farm recently. A “gentleman’s farm” built in 1917 for Watson Armour, it is essentially a glamour farm, making it the perfect setting for the winning and ever so glamorous Skirt PR’s 10th anniversary dinner. It is quite the dream scape, boasting a chicken coop …
Ultra Violet
Love all these dreamy blues and violets- this peak season hydrangea comes in so many hues you can just zone out on all the shading in a single head. Cloisonné dahlias and hybrid delphinium resplendent in electric shades of lilac took over our studio…total luxury!
Traditional Home
It’s really exciting to be included in an article about the new fashion in flowers in this month’s issue of Traditional Home. Julia Szabo wrote a brilliant story on how, after “decades of male dominance” women designers are taking the lead with wild, lyrical arrangements and ” … letting Mother Nature show her true colors.” …