Slow and Steady

It's afternoon on Tuesday and I can't guarantee I will post this until tomorrow or maybe even Thursday. I have been procrastinating on a few things around the office. Not proposals or anything for my sweet clients, but more like, numbers, reports and the overwhelming steps towards the future of Foxglove and our "other" projects.

We are working slow and steady on our flower community growing project with our partner and friend Christine. Being a small business owner, it's hard to figure out the best way to expand and what is the most efficient way to expand financially. It's easy to let my heart take off with all of the things that I want to accomplish with Foxglove, all while ignoring that annoying voice that is very relevant, telling me to tread lightly and cautiously. Since we are still a young floral studio I am spending a lot of time this year educating myself on not only new floral design, but also the business side of things, which is half the battle.

Christine and I met a very nice man in Wisconsin not to far from Seth's lake house on Lake Geneva. He is an organic heirloom tomato farmer now, but has been a pilot and fireman and a business man previously. How we were lucky enough to meet this man I don't know. I feel like he is an angel. If not to everyone, at least to me. Christine and I have surrounded ourselves by some amazing people that want to help and support us in learning to grow and use our own flowers and though we can't jump in to the deep end as fast as we want, we have been given the opportunity to start this new project on the right foot. Bill, the angel, is knowledgable and has this will to mentor. I think what I am most excited about with him, is to have another farmer friend. It is such a small world, flower farmers, real food farmers, animals farmers, that it is exciting to meet and get to know these people that work so hard for such a great reward.

My grandma, if she read this, would probably think I was crazy for wanting to get my hands dirty. She grew up on a farm in IL with her 5 brothers and the stories she tells would keep you entertained for days. I am surprised they all made it off that farm with all their fingers and toes and lives...

Regardless, I look forward to sharing this journey with you as it unfolds. It will be a slow walk, but steady and strong. If anyone knows of a lot in the city that we should look into for flower growing, let us know! That is the step we are on at the moment. Finding the land in the city that would work for the project has been a bit of a challenge.

We were honored to be on a Style Me Pretty feature last week. We worked with such a great team of friends on this shoot and I hope to work with them again. It is inspiring to collaborate with other like minded people. I think that is why we try to do so many photo shoots.  It's a fun thing to do and allows for a different kind of creative space.

Photo by Kate Weinstein

Photo's by Kate Weinstein

 I will share images from some past events when I get back from the Little Flower School workshop next week. That's the next big thing on my plate and I am so looking forward to going to a different area that's new to me. Inspiration nation with like minded people and new surroundings. We received a note today that it will be outside most of the time. It has been awhile since I was able to work with flowers out in nature. I haven't done much traveling lately and realized recently, that travel inspires the hell out of me. Hudson Valley is a gorgeous area and all kinds of creative companies are popping up around there. Hope there is a chance to explore the area a bit while I am there.

Also, look at June! Studio babe is getting so big, but even more, I kind of wanted to steal her outfit. That whole day she just rocked it. Seriously cool baby and excited for her and baby Bohn to get into trouble together.

This has been posted today, so at least I didn't procrastinate to much! Happy Earth Day, folks.

At least it's a Thunderstorm and Not Snow

I am ok with grey and chill, as long as it involves a perfect Spring thunderstorm in the morning. I have been having a really hard time sleeping lately and this grey, cold, damp weather helped me sleep like a baby. It is not helping me get through the rest of today, but it gave me a good start.

We have some exciting upcoming projects and happenings, but they seem to never come. Spring is dragging her feet, which makes everything seem so far away. I finally got my hands on some local ranunculus that ended up being perfect little things, duh. Thanks to my friend Jeanie. She amazes me and inspires me all the time. Looking forward to hopefully seeing her soon. It's been to long.

This weekend I am hosting a lunch for some woman that totally inspire me and have been feverously trying to figure out what to cook. I have to stay One Part Plant... which can be hard for me, because I eat everything.. almost. Cheese, grapes and wine I could live off of forever, but it wouldn't be a very healthy existence. Thanks to my friend Jessica it will be at least a healthy weekend.

I have to watch what I eat now which has never been anything that I am good at. Seth and I are expecting our first baby in August. I never really thought that this day would come but it has and it feels so bold and matter of fact. It's exciting to wonder who this little person is, what he/she likes to do, eat, watch, listen to. I used to be afraid of kids and lord help me I am still afraid of birth and everything that is part of it. But now there is nothing I can do to get around it. It will happen and we will have a new amazing human at our dinner table.

 I only know of a few other florists, the ever so talented Sarah Winward and my friend and amazing flower girl Meg Catherine, who have cute as a button kids and I was at first afraid, what about Foxglove? But then I look around and see so many mothers that are kicking ass at their jobs, passions and families and this brings me to the conclusion that it will only enhance Foxglove. It really is a miracle, like holy shit! My body can make a human? That's crazy cool.

I wonder if he/she will like flowers... could they be someone that could run this joint someday, after I am beat up from all the years of shlepping flowers from one place to the other? If not, it's ok.

There is a feeling of being trapped inside lately. It's something I think all of use are struggling with right now in Chicago. These are elevated by the sad state of the weather, but looking at peoples flower farms and bright sunny arrangements, fields of lush wide open land and mountains is a tease and destroys my perception of Chicago just a little bit. I just bought a new lens for my camera and decided to test it out on the studio and realized  I need to get outside. It's time to find my own mountains and fields of flowers. Soon enough, I know, but the ants are in my pants.

Time to go eat one of those donuts that the Rent the Runway peeps left behind. I am real good at this healthy eating thing.

It's Already April

You guys, it's been crazy how long it has been since I posted here. For that I apologies. I need to get better at keeping up here. I love this space and find that it always gets pushed to the background.
I am hoping with a few changes I will have more time to write here.

In the meantime things are always moving for us. We hired our lovely Ali Summers a few months back. Super excited to have a new teammate that is going to help grow the business and keep us moving strong. I got to a point where everything was just to much and as most who run their own business, we can't do it all. Ali emailed at the right time and boom, she has been a dream to have and I am lucky to have someone that will be able to hopefully run this baby like a well oiled machine!

We are working with the online retail spot Strolby to get our curated products out into the world a bit more. They contacted us awhile back about being part of their Chicago branch and we were super excited. Especially after we saw all the great people and shops we would be in company with! You can still shop at our Apothecary + Supply. But Strolby is also a great way to bundle lot's of gifts together for one big shop attack.

We have a new product that we are SUPER excited about. My friend Laura from Gilt City introduced me to Cocovit and I have fallen in love. 100 % pure coconut oil and she has an amazing story behind where this oil comes from.  If you would like to pick some up head over to our shop to get some. It's a dream. And stay tuned to the shop, we have a lot of new items that will be popping up, like planters, ceramics and plant hangers!

This year I decided it would be the year where we get some more hands involved, grow the business and most of all educate myself not only in floral design, but also in the real business of running a floral studio. It is an investment, but I finally bit the bullet and will be attending The Little Flower School's Master Workshop at the end of this month. I am looking forward to spending 3 days with other like minded florists and learning from two florists that have inspired me from the very beginning. This will make our way of doing things easier on us and our clients and I couldn't ask for a better educational setting.

Photo by Sarah Ryhanen

Plus I get to stay on this amazing small goat and chicken farm, while attending the workshop in the Hudson Valley area. I mean, cute goats and a 100 year old farm house, sounds good to me. 

I am going to make a more conscious effort to keep things going on the blog. As I sit here and stare at tax stuff, knowing that I am avoiding them, by writing here. But hey, everyone needs an escape from the realities of business sometimes right?