hand-tied

leaving the shop happy....

welcome back

so glad you've returned! everybody loves the sunshine...especially me.  {image from here}

in like a lion and out...like a puma

it feels like it's been raining forever and i am beginning to wonder if like sugar, i will also melt in the rain.  but i am thankful for these three things: 1) i have a home and shelter; 2) it's not freezing outside; and 3) rain showers bring beautiful flowers, trees, plants and gardens! {images from here, here and here}

crocus grows in brooklyn

walking through the neighborhood...

a favorite's favorite

today is my bff-sister's grandma's 97th birthday.  she loves all sweets but vanilla ice cream is her absolute favorite.  

happy birthday grandma!  wishing you many more sundaes!  xxx {image from here}

shoptalk

lilac

white cherry blossoms!  you know i heart blossoming branches...

leucadendron

parrot tulips

seeded eucalyptus

 ranunculus

riceflower

 eriostemon

                                                                                                                                                                                                                derrick raphael

the shop this week...i love, love, love it all.  and note the new setup! x

the market

we have a little more time before local peonies are available.  i have some in the shop but they're imported, i.e. a wee bit dear.  but i snapped a photo of this beauty at market this morning...the tulip peony.  i'm beginning to believe that peonies mixed with anything equals perfection. {bottom image from here}

p.s. if you want me to have them in the shop, just email me and i'll order them straight away!

shoptalk

an arrangement from last week.  can't really go wrong with a white and green palette. 

on golden rocks

all this talk about tables and creativity...i've long admired new arcadia glassware.  what i didn't know was that they're based in the borough of kings (that's brooklyn baby).  their 2009 collection includes these charming rock glasses inspired by florals.  so now i've brought the conversation full circle...

let the conversation begin...

this was the conversation starter from creative mornings -- i chose to be a dining table.  why you ask?  well, food is another passion of mine, one that i've been extremely judicious about sharing here for fear that this blog will quickly become about food.  but i digress...  i was fortunate enough to grow up in a home where we shared every evening meal (and many mornings too) at the dining table.  i like dining tables and all they represent -- togetherness, comfort, nourishment, entertaining, conversation, beauty, love -- all values that i consider really important.

and dining tables are often the creative centerpiece in homes, when entertaining, at events and weddings.  so many elements come into play...the table itself, the chairs, linens, the silverware, glassware, china, candles, flowers, the food.  they have this transformative quality that in my business, i relish and appreciate.  and they are personal, not only in their design, but also in the mere fact that they bring people together.  so yeah, i'm totally a dining table.

creativity

everyone has to fill up creative tanks every once in a while and mine was definitely replenished last friday.  i attended creative mornings, organized by swiss miss and this month's guest speaker was maxwell gillingham-ryan of apartment therapy.  maxwell was humble, down-to-earth and inspiring.  and the message that resonated most to me was the notion of being of service and of value.  he started apartment therapy, the design firm and eventually the blog, to provide people with the tools to create beautiful, organized, functional and safe (i.e. like a sanctuary or haven) homes.  he spoke about the need for business to be personal.  and i got me to thinking about kat flower and what i strive to be for my customers and readers.

at my core, i am a lover of beauty, the simpler, the better, and to me, flowers and nature embody that.  their loveliness has inspired everything from works of art to fashion and design to culture.  i have long cultivated my love of flowers and decided to become a florist to share that passion with you.  my appreciation and admiration of flowers and all their incarnations is deeply personal to me.

nature is creative -- the variety of color, shape, texture, design, if you will, and all its combinations.  i am in constant awe of how adding or removing one element will completely alter a composition.  i love working with that unpredictability.

all this to say that i hope that comes through here.  obviously one of my purposes for this blog is to market my business.  and although i'm not trying to save the world, i do want to be of service and value to you.  to communicate the love and respect i have for flowers, their creativity, their ubiquity but rareness, their ability to inspire and affect our moods (usually in the best possible way) and how lucky i am to work with them.

i could go on and on but let me just say thank you for following me and continuing to read about kat flower.  it truly means a lot to me. xxx 

{the above image of dusty miller really illustrates creativity to me.  its shape, its velvety texture, silvery green color and its ability be one more than the other depending on the juxtaposition.  it's a fun element to work with and i am using it this weekend for a wedding.  so be on the lookout for the photos next week!}

and it's macaron day!

march 20th is not the first day of spring but this year, it's also macaron day new york.  join the fun and visit a participating shop for a free macaron.  yummy!  {image from here}

p.s.  they make a lovely and delicious wedding/party favor.

welcome spring!

                                                                                                                                         derrick raphael

lovelies, it's the first of spring and i don't think i've ever been so happy for the change of season! spring brings rebirth, renewal, anticipation and hope.  i am so looking forward to its promise, its fever and all the green. x

shoptalk

it's an absolute gorgeous day today and the weekend will be beautiful too!   i'm springing it forward with this gorgeousness.  

lots to choose from -- buy some just 'cause. x

sweetness

as i was cleaning and conditioning the peonies this morning (yes, i have some in the shop maintenant), i came across this tiny bud.  and it made me smile so much that i thought i'd take a picture of it.  isn't nature grand? x

snail mail done right

everyone that knows me knows that i am a lover of the hand-written note, card, letter...i'm sure i've blogged about it.  every detail is deliberate, from the paper or card i choose, to the pen and even the stamp.  i went to the post office yesterday and picked up these.  i love them and love the robert motherwell quote on the top: 'the function of the artist is to express reality as felt.'  you can order them online here.

can you eat sunshine?

it's a beautiful day in brooklyn and i just had the most amazing navel orange.  it was like eating sunshine, truly.  random, i know but thought i'd share.  
{image from here}

fine art

dutch photographer viviane sassen's current exhibition at danziger projects.