Local Color Flowers On Debra Prinzing’s Slow Flowers Podcast!

Debra Prinzing, for those you don’t know, is one of my flower idols! She has an amazing career as a garden writer and recently published two AWESOME books called  the 50 Mile Bouquet and Slow Flowers.

             

I don’t know Debra, not in person, not yet…but I  KNOW her. We share a passion for local flowers and local flower farmers. The work that she is doing to bring attention to American Grown flowers and the people that grown them and the people that design with them is truly inspiring.

Recently, Debra started this really cool podcast called Slow Flowers which you can subscribe to/download on Itunes.  It’s a wonderful look at the American flower industry including farmers, designers and enthusiasts. Listening to these interviews is definitely a treat and makes me feel part of extended community of amazing flower folks.

This week’s podcast features none other than Local Color Flowers! It was such a treat to talk with Debra and share the story of LoCoFlo with her listeners. If you want to give a listen, you can go to Debra’s website or you can find it on Itunes!

Thanks for listening!

Vacation to Maine = Shopping Trip for LoCoFlo

By Irene Donnelly

I went to Maine last week for Vacation. Ellen, always ready to pounce on opportunity, gave me some spending money and a quest to find all things milkglass, mason jar and cans.  In other words:  vessels for the shop.   

We speculated that Maine would have mountains of killer finds.  I can't speak for Ellen but I imagined Maine as this rural, out of touch place for cheap desirable antiques. A place where I would be able to find warehouses full of Americana that no one found valuable except me.  In reality the vintage landscape was comparable to Baltimore and my quest did not exceed my pillaging expectations.  However, I did learn some valuable lessons. 

Frist, the Flee Market is king for treasures and deals.  Check out the ridiculous items my partner in haggling and life found.

Secondly,  if Flee Markets are going to be my main source for finding vessels in the future, I had better work on my negotiating skills.  It was rough having to go through a financial debate every time I was ready to buy.  The process made me feel iky inside and I didn't get my usual "I found a something really sweet!" high.  It made me miss my thrifting days in Baltimore. It made me think…"price labels…  what a convenient innovation."  I will never take seeing something I like with a price on it for granted again and kudos to me if it happens to be half price day at the Value Village. 

Then again, some sellers I encountered were just easier to make a deal with than others.  For example I got all of these early 19th century medicine and elixir vials for a steal.  Great for a grouped arrangement!

I also found this half gallon Blue Masson Jar for $5.  That was a real deal considering, the quart sized go for about $12 and don't have the pretty glass lid.

Back to nightmare haggling. This woman owned a junk shop on rt. 1 in Maine.  I think it was call All in the Family or Family Antiques but who cares.  She claimed she owned an antique store but her display could have used improvement and imagination.  The words of Carol Caggian0, "perceived value" are currently flashing above my head.  Again, it was a junk shop where everything I picked up  was not quite right and over $12.  Oh my! Way over of my self imposed budget of $4, per vessel.

I did however manage to score these two unmarked cheese boxes.  Haggling ensued and two days later the night sky displayed a magnificent blue moon.  Strange coincidence.

Finally, it has recently become my mission to convert all the rustic Americana folks out there from Masson Jar to Cans.  I mean, just look at the awesome graphic quality's in the labels.  Imagine all the fun we could have displaying complimentary flowers in them. The humor!

Farmer’s Market Design Class at Local Color Flowers

Our first Farmer’s Market Design class was a huge hit! What could be better than a design class focused on locally grown flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables…with local snack…and visits from farmers?

As folks arrived, they were greeted with snacks and coffee from some of our favorite farmers market vendors including Zeke’s Coffee and Chez G. Once everyone got acquainted, the class started with a welcome from Laura Beth of Butterbee Farm.  We were super excited for folks to meet some of the growers who grew the flowers for our class.

After I demonstrated some of the design techniques we would be using, including using chicken wire instead of floral foam and how to use fruit and vegetables in arrangements, the students were ready to begin.

     

First they chose their vessels and they they chose their flowers.

   

Midway through the class, we were lucky enough to have a visit from John McKeown of Locust Point Flowers,  another one of our amazing farmers as well as Mr. Reid, of Reid’s Orchard, who grew the grapes we used in our designs. It was great to hear about flower and fruit farming in our region.

Toward the end of class, it was time for tweaking arrangements, gentle critique and final flowers before we took photos.

Finally, the finished products!

  

 

 

Thanks to everyone that came out to our class! Thanks to all the farmers that provided our flowers including Butterbee Farm, Hillen Homestead, Capital Flower Growers and Locust Point Flowers.

Special thanks to the AMAZING Ana Isabel Photography for these amazing photos.

To see more photos from the class, check out our flick page.

To sign up for our next Farmer’s Market Design class, check out our Class Page.

Martha Stewart’s American Made Contest! Vote for Local Color Flowers today!

Local Color Flowers has been nominated for Martha’s Stewart’s American Made Award in Design! It’s pretty exciting to think that we are in the running with “makers” all over the country doing such amazing work.

This is a big deal. If Local Color Flowers receives the most votes in the Design category, not only will we WIN but we will also be able to show the world that it is possible to have a successful floral design business using 100% locally grown flowers! No chemically sprayed roses or floral foam needed!

Though we’ve got the nomination, we still need the votes. That’s where you can help. Each day from now until September 13th you can vote for us up to six times by clicking here!  Voting is easy, and our competition is tough, so every single vote is going to count!

If just voting isn’t enough for you, don’t worry. There are even more ways to show your support! Forward this message to your friends and family. Share our Facebook videos and posts. Film your own video telling people why they should vote for us. Tag us, Pin us, walk down the street and shout about us! The more people hear about our nomination, the more votes we can get!

Cat Rapped Endorses Local Color Flowers

Local Color Flowers wants to put Baltimore and Maryland on Martha’s map! If we win this award, we will be sending an important message to America. We will be proving to America that small businesses can really make a beautiful difference in their communities when they choose local products, follow green practices, and support their local economy.

Let the voting begin!

Butterbee Farm Needs Your Help

Our friends at Butterbee Farm are expanding! Many of you may be familiar with Laura Beth and Butterbee Farm. They are located right here in Baltimore and they have been providing us with beautiful flowers all season.

During their first year of production, Butterbee Farm has been leasing space from Whitelock Community Farm in Reservoir Hill. While they love being part of the Whitelock Community, the amount of space they have to grow on is really small.  After much searching, Butterbee Farm has found a new home in Baltimore County. The space is sunny, has great soil, great drainage and a good spirit.

To help them expand, Butterbee Farm is embarking on a crowd funding campaign.  Here is a list of some of the items they need:

• a tool shed: $1,000

• a deer fence (deer pressure in the area is pretty intense): $1000

• basic tools like hoes/a precision seeder/harvesting knives: $1,000

• soil amendments, compost, and initial tillage: $2,000

• Water meter accessibility and drip irrigation (the most sustainable kind of irrigation): $2,000.

• Potting soil and seeds: $2,000

• Labor: $1,000

• Liability insurance and LLC status: $1,000

As an entrepreneur whose business depends on flower farmers, I’m proud to be able to help support Butterbee Farm in their expansion. If you are an entrepreneur, a farmer, a lover of flowers or just a generous friend, please consider contributing to Butterbee Farm’s campaign.  They have some great gifts for your contribution including design classes with Local Color Flowers! Spread the love! Support local farmers!

Summer Bouquet Class

Summer Bouquet Class: By Carling A.W. Elder

Friday morning, I got to do something really fun. I got to go to my work, and not work at all! Yesterday morning, I was lucky enough to attend a Summer Bouquet class at Local Color Flowers taught by my talented boss Ellen Frost where I got to sit back, play with some beautiful local flowers, and revel in being a student again.

I’m always quick to tell anyone who asks that one of the best things about designing with local flowers is the ever changing variety and availability of the flowers. Each week, there are different colors, textures, shapes, and scents to examine and explore, and it keeps floral design from ever becoming boring or static. I love the challenge of working with new materials each week, and I always feel it’s my responsibility to the growers to make their flowers shine in each design.

For the class this week, there was basil, celosia, mountain mint, lisianthus, gomphrena, zinnias, sunflowers, and marigolds to choose from. The mint and basil smelled fresh and sweet, and the multicolored zinnias lit up the studio table with their brilliance. We each got a silver or white, low footed bowl to use as a vase, and quickly filled it with a ball of chicken wire to create an eco friendly support structure for our arrangements.

As Ellen explained the basics of floral design, we passed a golden marigold around the design table and stuck our faces into it, delighting in its earthy scent. I watched the excitement on the faces of my classmates as they learned how to cut stems on an angle, the importance of foliage and texture, and the benefits of buying local flowers. As I choose green and orange flowers for my design, I watched others gravitate towards their favorite colors of purple, red, and yellow. Once we had chosen our flowers, we each grabbed a pair of clippers and, as Ellen likes to say,  “Dove in!”

 

My friend Julie accompanied me to the class. When we got home, she asked me “Was it useful for you?” wondering if I found the class helpful since I’ve been doing floral design for a few years. I answered with a resounding “YES!” At yesterday’s class, Ellen’s teaching, summer’s  fresh flowers, and the basic elements of floral design, gave me a deliciously strong shot of inspiration. While creating our summer bouquets, I saw my classmates awaken to the joys of floral design, and I thought about the many reasons I love floral design so much.

At yesterday’s design class, I realized that no matter how good a designer I ever become, my goal is to always approach floral design with a beginners eyes:  with enthusiasm, with curiosity, and with a desire to learn. 

In other words, I will forever strive to be a student of my favorite artform, floral design.

MAKE TRIBE

Make Tribe: By Carling A.W. Elder

A few weeks ago, I met up with two lovely ladies to join a discussion about how Local Color Flowers could help grow creative conversation in our Baltimore community by teaching a terrarium class. As Lindsay Hite and Jessica D’Argenio Waller shared their vision for their newest project, Make Tribe, I grew more and more excited. Make Tribe would be a series of seasonal workshops for the sole purpose of sharing expertise, forging relationships, and feeding inspiration, and as we chatted I thought,  “It’s happening!” This event is already encouraging creative conversation between us, and it hasn’t even begun! Naturally, Local Color Flowers jumped at the chance to partner with Make Tribe.

As Lindsay and Jessica had explained, each Make Tribe event would be lead by a creative professional or “Partner” who wanted to share their expertise, but it wouldn’t be a class or lecture where you merely heard about their artform. Each event would be a workshop where you worked with your hands, got dirty, and took home a souvenir and a new skill. These parameters were of course a perfect fit for a terrarium class, and for Local Color Flowers since we love getting our hands dirty!

The day of Make Tribe’s inaugural event, I showed up at the venue with trays of gorgeous locally grown succulents from Farmhouse Plants and Flowers in Brookeville, Maryland. Lindsay and Jess had the venue decorated to perfection with pretty signs, hanging garlands, chic cocktails, and Make Tribe souvenir booklets.

 

Three long tables were set up in the middle of the room lined with supplies for building the terrariums. Waiting at each place setting was a different glass vessel, and as guests trickled in, they claimed their favorite one.

 

I loved sharing my knowledge of terrariums with all the creative spirits who attended this event. The enthusiasm of every participant was supportive and infectious, and the conversational  manner of the class opened the door for many questions, comments, and new friendships to form. Everyone’s personalities shone through in the terrariums they created; from which color succulents they choose, to the shape of their vessel, to the figurines and accents they added.

Special thanks to Lindsay Hite of Make Tribe for these beautiful photos. To see more photos from the class take a look at our flickr site!

It was truly wonderful to see such creativity blossoming all around, and to play a small part in bringing Make Tribe to life.