Don't know if it was the footage from the hurricane Irene this last week or what but everything is reminding me and making me miss home...the US. Don't worry not enough to shut up shop and move back, geeze no way. but I miss cooking & crafting with my mom.
I miss laughing with my two best girl friends from school and I long for a Turkey & Swiss sandwich on french bread with a tangy ice cold dill pickle. I know i have been here (NZ) for so long and I am a New Zealander. believe me, I feel the same way about wellington after just a week of being away, let me tell you. But for some reason right now I am missin' HOME hard and it's all i can do not to pack a bag and fly away. Ahhh if only life was like that. For now i surround my shelves at work with things that make me smile and hope any minute my mom will walk through the shop door with a big smile and say "surprise!" sigh

Ooooooh everything is getting a bit of a spiff up around here. The new window decals went up today courtesy of Jack from STIK. And oooo-weee do they look "purty". I do believe i am loving the new logo so much i might have to get one on the car. LOL (my husband will freak!)

I hope you can come into visit the bag you were born to own. Seriously, these beautiful handbags by American textile designer extraordinaire Amy Butler are divine. We also have the beautiful clutches that will make your LBD (lil' black dress) look like a peacock among the pigeons. See you soon.

Wonderful changes around here. Spiffin up for no other reason than it's fun changin things for the prettier:) And check out the new Logo and blog look. I hope you like it and if there is anything you'd like to have on the blog please flick me a comment. Thanks to Mike & Lindy of Dusty & Lulu's for taking my poor attempt at logo design and making it ROCK! You can only do so many things DIY for some things you must have a professional. And other than Mike and Lindy's spontaneous snow angel making they are the most professional crew of designers I've worked with. big ups guys!

This months Lucky Dip craft project was Fabric Origami.

We made them in all sorts of sizes and colours and then used them as brooches, headbands, and even topped gift boxes with them. So much fun to do and a great way to used little bits of flash fabric up.

If you'd like to book for our next craft evening simply message us or book via our Facebook page.

I don't care who you are, if snow doesn't make you smile you possibly are dead inside. I have been in a constant state of childlike wonder since yesterday afternoon when we discovered that it was snowing outside. We have been loving the recent frosty blast and hope for those of you in NZ that you get to experience some too.

This last weekend the hubby and I stole away to a lovely little bach in the wairarapa. The lovely owners of Providore Catering in Martinborough own a lovely place called "The General Store"

Running away on Friday we got to our weekend hideaway just around 2 pm and set out taking in the amazing scenery and warm inviting accommodation. We lit the fire, poured the wine and hung our jackets and cares at the door. (And even napped)

The house is set up among olive groves and slightly elevated so that you can see peaks of other little properties but still very secluded. The complimentary provisions were very generous. We loved traveling back and forth through the neighboring towns sampling the wares and cafes of the region. We had a wicked time at the Martinborough Hotel watching the All Blacks wip the Wallabies and feasted on beer battered fish and chips washed down with a pint of Emerson's Pilsner. The weather was brilliant for winter. Warm sun and lovely crisp breeze. It was hard to leave but had to come back home to our smiling kids and our sulking dog. Thanks Annie for watching the kids. And thanks mother nature for waiting to unleash the hail storm after we arrived home.

Sorry for the delay in posting these pics. It is school holidays right now and madness round these parts. Well actually these kids have been pretty amazing considering the weather and lack of planned activities by Mum and Dad.

Our monthly lucky Dip Craft evening was this last Thursday. We made Butterfly tealight lanterns from old jars and sheet music. The results speak for themselves. We had lots of ooohs and ahs and some made more than one. Thanks to all who came. Its was a blast and i always meeting newbies and seeing all you returning peeps. xx

This last weekend I celebrated my 37th birthday. What a lovely evening it was. With it being winter here in the southern hemisphere my friends and I were seeing less and less of each other due to the cold so decided to have a good ol fashioned Pot Luck. Boy oh boy was it a great idea! For one it was an affordable way to host lots of people. Also, I hadn't realised it but all my friends are exceptional cooks!

On the table we had...

Bay, Butter and Lemon Roast chooks Ala Me & the kids :)

Salad Stuart xox

French Beef & red wine casserole from Josepha & Family (OMG to die for)

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Pasta shells from Fiona (lovely)

Kidney bean walnut cake (sounds odd but tastes like pure heaven) from Tomoko and Arron of Pranah cafe fame

Smoked bacon wrapped meatloaf from Paula (I think i had two pieces yum)

Organic choc loaf with cream & a Rosemary crisp bread both from Katie

Choc chip cookies from Sarah and Zef,

French baguette with aged Stilton from Max and Kate.

Guacamole and tapas from Sarah H.

& Lemon Zest birthday cake from Annie

I highly recommend getting friends around for your next celebration and sampling every ones best. It makes for good community and memories.

Thank you to all my friends and family who made me feel so loved. I am truly the luckiest woman on the planet.

Arrangement of the month! Hope you are enjoying the cold snap if you are on this side of the globe. Today's arrangement was inspired by my frustration with knitting but LOVE of flowers. So enjoy! and keep warm. x

Check out these cute and simple hand tied bouquets From 100 Layer Cake. Colourful and fun and certainly not the norm. You can see more on their site how to accomplish this look. While I am a florist, I have never turned away the opportunity to share with "brides to be" how to achieve a DIY Chic look. And your trusted florist is who you will need to order in the right flowers for your DIY job. So if you'd like to give it a go, pop in sometime and have a chat. Also keep an eye out for our Floral LUCKY DIP classes starting soon @ Juniper :)

If you have an upcoming event did you know you can order our famous $5 posies in bulk with as little as 24 hour notice? Yep. So now putting on that dinner party or event can be stress less and inexpensive too! leaving more for wine budget ;)

What you'll need to provide us with is

1 colour scheme
2 time for pick up
3 over the phone payment

that's it.
Call 04 389 4058

*remember 24 hour notice is needed for this service.

Saying Goodbye.

Saying goodbye is never easy. That is an understatement when talking about the death of a loved one or a friend. This is always a hard difficult subject to touch on but I feel some good can come from discussing these things before we are faced with them. Like birth, death is a part of life that I have had to help customers deal with over the years. Being a florist has with it some really delicate responsibilities that I take very seriously. My job consists of guiding my customer through the selection of flowers that best convey the sentiment but also the relationship with the person being given them. Some people know exactly what they want to give and say. It is in that case that I simply carry out the request exactly as they planned. But there are some who need a bit of guidance as to what to send and say. I am very happy to recommend appropriate sentiments and arrangements if it can help. So when you are faced in your life with having to say goodbye, make sure you are in a welcome comfortable environment. Make sure your florist isn't pressuring you to spend more than you can afford and or making you feel silly for asking for advice on how to word a message. It is your right as a customer to demand the very best service. My customers are a guest in my establishment and i celebrate their achievements and i sincerely grieve with them in their loss. Who ever you choose to help you through that time, when it comes please make sure you feel comfortable and welcome.

Our Winter scarves Sale was so popular we are extending it till MONDAY. But after that it all over. Don't miss out. I have hand picked all these scarves from our importers very best collections so come in and have a play. My Favorite is the crushed linen. Love it in the duck egg blue.

Newtown is buzzing! Our local much loved little op shop "Opportunity for Animals" is now bigger & better and in its new location next door to Fish Fins on Riddiford Street.

I scored amazing deals one of which was a lovely trench coat for my daughter for $8. Seriously if you love op shops and friendly staff then pop in and give them a visit.

Best of all it all goes to animal well fare causes. What could be better.

A total blast was had by all this last week at our monthly craft night. We made ric rac rose rings and hair clips. So much fun and a bit addictive. Give it a go! I had a huge stash of ric rac that was my grandmothers. (don't worry i didn't use it all, we barely put a dent in it ) If you'd like to join our next craft night next month July 21st. just ring to book. 04 389 4058