Phantom Floranista Weekly

Polish it up

2011-08-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

There is something oddly satisfying about polishing silver… Maybe it’s the instant gratification of taking something from oxidized to shiny in less than two minutes. Or maybe it’s just seeing a bunch of bling bling in your house after you’re done. In any case, it’s an obsession of mine, so today I busted out the silver polish, and went to work on a tea set I had purchased at a consignment shop 4 years ago. After self-indulging in my OCD silver polishing habits, I decided to use the silver tea pot, coffee pot, and dish as containers for this week’s floral arrangement.

A little spit and polish goes a long way! ;)

The SF Flower Mart was bursting with all different types of Dahlias. Since I have a weakness for Dahlias (especially in crimson) I grabbed a bunch, along with a couple stems of blooming Artichoke, some Queen Annes’ Lace, and Sedum. The floral palette I chose had a very English-summer-in-the-country feel to it, and fit perfectly in the containers I had just polished up.

Varying heights in centerpieces help add to the visual interest

The moral of the story is, get creative with your containers, and NEVER say “no” to your Nana’s silver tea set, because no matter how modern our lives have become, you can always reuse vintage items in a modern way!

Best Mom Contest!

2011-05-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

For the past week cyberspace has been flooded with love-letter-status-updates for “The Best Mom in the World!” Profile pictures on Facebook have been changed to show photographs of millions of lovely mothers, and I have to say it truly is heartwarming.

This year, I was commissioned by a soon-to-be dad and very good friend to create two mother’s day floral arrangements; one for his lovely lady, and one for his lovely mother. So, off to the flowermart I went where I picked up a two bunches of pink Snap Dragons, one bunch of pink Wax Flower, one bunch of Snow Flower that had been enhanced in the color department to give it a very light purple hue,two bunches of Crespedia (Billy Balls), and two black bowl vases.

These arrangements were begging to look whimsical yet to have an organic look and feel to them.

Since these arrangements were going to be picked up, I needed to create a safe way for them to travel in the car without the vases breaking. So I decided the best thing to do would be to dress up the boxes that the vases came in.

Tools: Boxes, Wax Paper, Scissors, Tape, and Ribbon

I cut the flaps off of the boxes, wrapped them in wax paper, secured the wax paper with scotch tape, and tied ribbon around them… Voila! The prettiest carrying case you’ve ever seen!

Happy Mother’s day to all the “Best Moms in the World”!

Cook Off!

2011-04-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

We had a one of a kind cook-off at Phantom Floranista headquarters this weekend! Spanish cuisine vs. Persian Cuisine. Everything was absolutely delectable! Gazpacho, Paella, and Persian Sour Cherry Rice were just a few of the dishes that we devoured during the course of an 8 hour ordeal!

As you all know, every time we have an event at HQ, I go all nuts with the flowers, and this event didn’t prove to be any different. I allowed myself to go a bit crazy with the floral budget and ended up spending $44.00 dollars on flowers at the SF Flower Mart. Purple Pride of Madeira, purple Anemones, Waterlily seed pods, some green filler, and finally a couple of bright yellow bunches of Crespedia completed my shopping list.

I pulled out a couple of vases I had used for past events, and decided that I would create a tiered look by using one 12” tall vase, and one 5” tall vase for the center of the dining table that all the food would be served.

When putting together an arrangement that is in multiple vases, be sure to think of the design as something that could work separately in two different rooms, but also something that will look good together on one table as a center piece. Juxtapose placement of focal and accent flowers to create interest, and finally don’t be afraid to be bold!

"Can" Do!

2011-04-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

I enjoy collecting cans and tins. They have a multitude of functions, and are really fun and easy to dress up in different skins.

I sauntered over to the San Francisco Farmer’s market this weekend, and paid $22 dollars for 3 bunches of Rununculus, and 2 bunches of Tulips. These flowers bring complete spring joy with all their color and texture.

Once I got home, I gathered my tins, cans, left over ribbon, and wrapping paper, and started to play dress up. This is the part that I love getting creative with. Mixing and matching papers and ribbons to my heart’s desire to come up with some fun designs.

A word of caution; some tin cans are not sealed, so make sure you test them before you dress them up to avoid any leakage or spillage. If the tin cans are not sealed, you can create a simple lining with a ziplock bag and a rubber band:

Once the cans were dressed to my satisfaction, I started to play with the floral array that lay ahead of me.

The moral of the story is, with a little bit of mix and match, you too “can” create great arrangements for any occasion!

Norooz Pirooz

2011-03-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Spring is here with promises of longer days, an awakening of the earth from its winter slumber, and with it another “Norooz” (Persian New Year). Norooz is celebrated among people of Persian descent on the first day of Spring and is a tradition that dates back three thousand years.

On this day, Persian families gather around their ‘Haftseen’ (Table of Seven S’s), embrace the New Year together, while the children await the crisp money bills they will receive from the elders in the family. (I have to admit, I still await that last part just as impatiently as when I was 7!!!)

Each item that is placed on the Haftseen table has symbolic significance, and embodies all things good and pure. This year I chose the following Seven S’s for my table;

1. Sonbol – Hyacinth flower – Symbolizing the coming of spring

2. Sabzeh – Wheat Grass – Symbolizing affluence

3. Somaq – Sumac – Symbolizing sunrise

4. Seer- Garlic – Symbolizing medicine and health

5. Seeb- Apple – Symbolizing beauty

6. Sekke – Coins – Symbolizing prosperity

7. Serkeh – Vinegar – Symbolizing old age and patience

Other items that are placed on the table include:

· Painted eggs – symbolizing fertility

· Lit Candles – symbolizing enlightenment and happiness

· A mirror – symbolizing truth and the reflection of the real world

· A book of poetry such as Rumi or Hafez, or a religious text such as the Qoran or Avesta
· A bowl of gold fish (no, not the crackers) – symbolizing life and the constellation of Pisces which the sun is leaving while making its way into the constellation of Aries.(I didn't have the goldfish on my table this year, since I'm not so great at taking care of pets ;) )

This year, I decided to create a mini Hyancinth and Wheat Grass garden as my Haftseen focal point. I placed my flower pots and wheat grass pots inside a mirrored tray, and packed it in with Spanish moss to help cover the plastic pots. Afterwards, it was time to adorn the tray with some white pearl strands to give it a little extra umph.

After the Hyacinth garden was placed on my mirrored coffee table, the rest of the Haftseen items found their place. With a little re-adjusting here and there, the table was set and ready to receive friends and family.

I hope that this new year fills your homes with laughter, your bodies with health, and your hearts with love! Have a glorious new year! Norooz Pirooz!

Cupcake-scape

2011-03-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

I've been on a baking binge lately. Italian Chocolate Almond cake, Berry Cobbler, Pear Tart, and Red Velvet Cupcakes have been regulars. I take pleasure in reading recipes and figuring out what I can do to change them… Yes, I have bastardized Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Cupcake recipe to perfection, and I’m damn proud of it!

This weekend was a gloomy one here in San Francisco. With the rain coming down steadily the cold stalls at the flower market weren’t exactly calling, especially since my cupboards were chock full of all the necessary ingredients to make a batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing. Mmmmm… So, I got to baking, and about an hour and a half later I had two dozen cupcakes staring up at me in all their caloric glory going: “EAT ME, EAT ME!!!!” Well, I am happy to say that I beat the urge to gorge on all of them simultaneously, so I decided to play with the cupcakes as a centerpiece.

Main platter full of cupcakes

use different glasses/candle holders at varying
heights as bases to add interest to the setup

“Sweet-tooth tables” are all the rage recently. Most weddings these days will have a candy station, while some will even have cupcakes instead of wedding cake. If you have an upcoming afternoon tea party, a book club gathering, bridal shower, or even a baby shower consider setting up a cupcake-scape of your own. It’s a less expensive alternative to flowers, and everyone will enjoy eating a cupcake or two (maybe three…ok, Four!)

Since I can’t send each one of you lovely readers a cupcake, I’ve decided to share the recipe in hopes that you too will have as much fun baking and decorating as I do.

Chemical Make-up:

Cupcake Ingredients (all organic):

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2-3 tsp cocoa powder

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs

2 tbsps red food coloring

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients (all organic):

8 oz cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Lab Process:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake papers (about 2/3 filled)
Bake in oven for about 25 minutes. Test the cupcakes for “doneness” with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean, it’s ready!
Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Mix:

a. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluff

b. If you don’t actually have a frosting cone, use a Ziploc bag that has been pierced on one corner as a frosting cone and apply your desired frosting designs

c. Sprinkle on some chopped pecans and BON APPETIT!

“Stick ‘em in a Vase”

2011-02-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

You’re probably wondering why I fell off the face of floral earth for the past few months, and the simple answer is that I've been doing some soul searching. I had to disconnect for a while in order to put puzzle pieces together. Did I figure it all out? No. but I will. In time.

We’re heading towards spring in the northern hemisphere which allows us to look forward to some of the most luscious species the floral kingdom has to offer. Pussy Willows and Tulips are a classic harbinger of spring, and I managed to grab a bunch of each during my “essentials-stock” shopping trip at the local SF Costco for a total of $19.73. (Costco is definitely more expensive in flower prices than the local Farmer’s Market or the San Francisco Flower Mart. However, they carry local/sustainably grown flowers and offer a good size bunch.)

After lugging my weekly groceries up the stairs to my apartment (ok, didn’t lug them up the stairs...I used the elevator…just wanted to be dramatic) I started to think of ways to show case the gorgeous flora I had just purchased. After much thinking on how to design them, I decided that they didn’t need to be designed at all. They were so beautiful in color and texture that all I needed to do was ‘stick ‘em in a vase’ and let them show case their beauty without fussing with them.

Spring in my living room

A perfect accent piece for my console

The Pussy Willow picks up on the Venetian Mirror details

A single Tulip accents the larger vase in a chic votive that was gifted to me by a lovely friend

After three months of intense soul searching, I had an "aha! moment" today while putting together flowers; There is no need to plan and design everything…gather your goals, let life ‘stick ‘em in a vase’ for you, and appreciate the splendor.

Oh, Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T21:39:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite scenes during the winter months is that of barren trees in the midst of ice and snow, while little birds flit from branch to branch. This year I decided I would recreate this winter scene in my living room with a slightly modern twist.

So what if I told you that there is a new form of Christmas Tree that is re-usable yet not made of plastic, and costs only 35 dollars total? Crazy talk? Absolutely not!

Tools of the trade: Manzanita branch, floral oasis (for dry flowers), A square ceramic vase, one bunch of Cedar branches (Cedrus deodora….for you horticultural nit-picky types), and ornaments (in my case, little red birds and crystal garland)

I stuffed the base of my black ceramic vase with floral oasis, placed the Manzanita branch in the center and secured the sides of the branch with more oasis to make sure it doesn’t topple over. Once the base was ready, I covered it with some moss and Cedar branch to give a full look. Finally it was time to place the little red birdies in the branches and to hang the crystal garland at varying lengths to give it that icy feel.

I placed my tree on my black consul in the living room to make sure it doesn't poke anyone in the eye, while giving more height to my Christmas tree. A few candles here, a little Cedar branch there, and my recreated winter scene was complete!

Tip: After Christmas you can store your potted Manzanita tree away for all different seasonal holidays. Remember that just by changing the base foliage and ornaments on the tree, you can make it a decoration for any occasion.

How are you decorating your tree this year? Send me photos of your Christmas trees for a holiday spread of Phantom Floranista’s “Favorite Things”! Email your photos yasmine@nafisdesigns.com to get a place on the upcoming holiday blog…

Thankful

2010-11-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a holiday that revolves around food, food, and more food (in addition to the occasional drunken family member that makes it an awkward time for everyone… yep, you know who I’m talking about!).

All joking aside it is a time to be thankful that your loved ones are near you, and that you are able to spend precious moments laughing and enjoying each other’s company (while sneakily gossiping about the hideous turkey print sweater that your Auntie has on....emmmm... uh.. seriously, why she would buy something like that is beyond me!?!?!)

The table setting for this day of feasting is as important (if not more important) than the bird itself. One of my dearest family members always says “it’s all about the presentation!” and I couldn’t agree more, as the presentation is half the experience.

Early last week I received an email from resident SF Foodie Nimisha Ghandi of Club Dine In! to collaborate on creating the picture perfect Thanksgiving table centerpiece. So, on a sunny yet crisp Fall morning I gathered my $50.00 worth of Viburnum leaves, California Pepper Plant, Bright Orange Cockscomb, Pomegranate Bush bundle, candles, and ribbons and headed over to Club Dine In! HQ to set a gorgeous rose wood dining table. When I arrived I was thrilled to see that the host had set out a large pumpkin, mandarin oranges, decorative garland, maize husks, and other knick knacks to incorporate into the design.

As we chatted away, we each took on different aspects of setting the table, I snipped, tucked and placed flowers and foliage while Nimisha helped wrap recycled cans and yogurt tubs in wax paper that were to be used as our vases. An hour and a half later, Nimisha’s husband walked over, took one look at the table and said: “I feel like we should be inviting Mayor Gavin Newsom over for Thanksgiving! This looks awesome!”

The perfect blend of simplicity and sophistication!

Don't throw out your wine bottles. Save them to use as candle holders!

Knick knacks from around the house (i.e. decorative balls) help fill in gaps

This centerpiece is fully recyclable/compostable! (Some parts are even edible!!!)

Mini Apples and Pears are perfect accents for each place setting

As I finish typing up this entry, I am thinking of my loved ones near and far, and am thankful to have them all in my life. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for your presence in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Bon Appetit!

Urban Glamor

2010-11-15T23:39:00.000-08:00

The Sir Francis Drake hotel is smack dab in the middle of San Francisco, around the corner from the historic Union Square, and right next door to Saks Fifth Avenue (the mother ship of all high fashion!). Sky scrapers, Tourists, cable cars, shopping, and gorgeous display windows surround this beautiful hotel built in 1928. When I received an email from a lovely bride-to-be about designing her wedding flowers at this venue, I was jumping out of my skin. This was going to be the perfect mixture of urban living and glamor!

The first time I met with the bride, it was obvious that we were on the same wavelength. She wanted centerpieces with sculptural branches, and was envisioning dark purple, cream, and yellow as her colors. After seeing the two gorgeous rooms in which the couple was having their ceremony and reception in, my creative juices were flowing and I started to sketch out the entire mood of the event in my head.

The Ceremony: The ornate and high ceiling in the Franciscan Room along with the decadent floor to ceiling Navy blue draperies called for a lot of height in the altar arrangement. The table where the candle lighting ceremony was to take place was the focal point of the room and was flanked by a trio arrangement of curly willow, white calla lilies, and roses which flanked either side of the table.

The Bridal Party: The bride’s bouquet and groom’s boutonniere were in dark shades of purple, while the bridesmaids and groomsmen had bright yellow rose arrangements. Parents and grandparents of the bride and groom were each given a deep burgundy orchid boutonniere to set them apart from the rest of the bridal party.

After the ceremony, the guests sauntered on upstairs to the Empire Ballroom where they were greeted by a forest of jewel adorned Manzanita branches potted to perfection in a bed of white Hydrangeas and Lisianthus.

The bride and groom’s sweetheart table was the focal point of the room and was decorated with a Grape wood branch, Eucalyptus leaves, white Freesia, Purple Lisianthus, and couple of floating candles. This was the perfect complement to the bride’s bouquet which sat in a vase on the table.

As my brilliant team and I were finishing the final touches to the centerpieces, the pastry chef rolled out the gorgeous cake for which we provided a floral topping.

Another successful wedding,and another happy couple and we’re ready to take on the next special event! Congratulations to Susan and Christopher!

Crimson Dahlias!

2010-11-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Over the Summer I had the opportunity to do flowers for an awesome Bride and Groom that were having a very intimate and beautiful ceremony at Mt. Tamalpais. When the bride contacted me again to put together a few arrangements for the reception she and her hubby were hosting at Café Du Nord, I was super flattered!

If you haven’t been to Café Du Nord in San Francisco, it’s a classic SF joint that hosts all sorts of awesome bands and events. With its dark woods, and red accents, it has a very speak-easy/ prohibition era feel to it.

Crimson colored Dahlias were the flower du jour! Other flowers that the bride wanted included: Crespedia (Billy Balls), Succulents, and Fig Branches. I threw in a bunch of white/green Hydrangea, and some green filler to help fill in the gaps. (I hope you’re all memorizing these plant names, as I will have a pop quiz at some point…. ;) )

The main arrangement was tall as it was going to be the centerpiece to the buffet.

The Bride asked for a small bouquet that she could hold on to for some of the special moments at the reception. She was provided with a classic Nafis Designs yogurt tub holding vase for the moments that she didn’t want to hold on to her bouquet.

The Groom received a small boutonniere made of a couple of Billy Balls, a Quail feather, and a sprig of green filler.

After all the arrangements were complete, there were enough flowers left for an accent arrangement that could either help amplify the table centerpiece, or could be set aside as a separate arrangement.

Project Jack-O-Lantern

2010-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ok my little Ghouls and Goblins; it’s time for your favorite holiday! Halloween!!!! Get out your knives, and start carving your Jack-O-Lanterns.

I have a little confession to make…I spent $50.00 on this week’s arrangements. I couldn’t help myself! IT’S HALLOWEEN!!!!! My favorite time of year!!!!! Surely you can understand?!?!

So here is what $50.00 bought me at the SF Flower Mart: Three Medium Sized Pumpkins, a huge bunch of Red Robert, dried Reeds, two bunches of Rice Stalks, and a bag of dried Water Lily Seed Pods.

Utensils: Pumpkin, sharp knife, metal spoon, two yogurt tubs, and a bowl to hold all the goop that comes out the pumpkins.

How to make a pumpkin vase:

1- 1- Cut a circle around the stem of the pumpkin that is equal to the diameter of the top of the yogurt tub. You can be very precise about this and measure it, but I just eye-balled it. What’s life without a bit of human trial and error, eh?

2- 2- Empty out the goop inside the pumpkins with the metal spoon, and be sure to scrape the insides well to ensure that your pumpkin lasts a while.

3- 3- Once the pumpkin is emptied out, slip the plastic yogurt tub inside so that the rim sits right at the opening of the pumpkin.

4- 4- Pour water into the tubs, and start to get creative with the flowers. A good way to gauge how you’d like your flowers to be placed in your vase is to know how and where you’re going to use the centerpiece. This will determine the shape of your arrangement; tall and columnar, spherical and short, or natural and sprawling.

For those of you that haven’t carved a pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern before, here are some easy tips on how to carve one:

1- 1- first two steps are identical to the pumpkin vases

2- 2- Once you have your hollowed out pumpkin, using a sharpie pen, draw your design onto the pumpkin and with a sharp paring knife cut outside the drawn lines until the pieces pop out.

3- 3- Place a tea light inside the pumpkin, and light it up!

Once the arrangements were complete, I took them down to the courtyard and set them up beside the fountain to help accent the entry. Happy Halloween!

Spicy!

2010-10-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

Fall is truly here. Crisp weather, wind, rain, boots, jackets, scarves, and the turning of colors! Just the right atmosphere for a cup of tea, a blanket, and a lovely flower arrangement on your coffee table to help you day dream about far away places while it’s gloomy outside…

This weekend I took my soon-to-be-married Cousin to the Flower Mart. We bundled up, got in her comfy car, turned up the seat warmers, and with lovely warm bottoms made our way down 6^th Street. The Flower Mart had picked up the Autumnal vibe, and everywhere we looked we saw pumpkins, corn husks, hay bales, and wheat stalks.

After much ooh-ing and ah-ing over pretty flowers we picked up a bunch of Milkweed (possibly one of the coolest looking plants out there), 2 bunches of Orange and Yellow Chili Peppers, and 2 bunches of a tall yellow grass that I don’t know the name of. (Any horticulturists out there that can help me out?)

I’d saved a few large jars that I wrapped up in some gold wrapping paper, and adorned with ribbon and twine to make my vases. Jars can prove to be better vases sometimes as they are not as malleable as plastic tubs, and don’t need reinforcement (rocks) in their base to weigh them down.

Once the vases were ready, it was time to spice them up!

Tip of the day: After touching Chili Peppers make sure you don’t touch your eyes. Been there, done that. Not fun!

Dreaming in Colors

2010-10-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

I had a very strange yet beautiful dream a few nights ago. No, I won’t be giving details, and no it wasn’t a racy dream, so please get your minds out of the gutter! Thank you. Moving on… What I will tell you is that there were soft pink tones, yellows, and hues of orange involved, and this week’s flowers were inspired by them.

I hadn’t bought flowers from Whole Foods in a while, so I figured it’s a good time to see what my budget could buy me there. Whole Foods has quite a variety of flowers, however the prices are marked up by a lot, and the number of stems in each bunch are not that many. Therefore, I’d say it’s a good last resort/running late/must-have-flowers place to go to.

For $24.65 I was able to purchase a bunch of light pink Stock, some pink Rodanthe, and some orangey (is that a word?) pinkish Cosmos with yellow centers.

I had kept a few terracotta pots from an arrangement a couple weeks ago, and since they had holes in the bottom, I filled Zip Lock bags with water and placed them inside the pots. Voila! Vase lining on the cheap! Now, THAT’S what I’m talking about!

A few chops here, and couple plucks there and my flowers were ready to be placed on the dining table amidst some Gourds and Squashes I had kept from my dinner party a couple of weeks ago. My visions of pink, orange and yellow were now a reality. Who says dreams can’t come true?

Festival of Flowers

2010-10-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

I got an email from the founder of Club Dine In! last week (a fantastic source for information on health, fitness, and fun in the SF Bay Area) in which she let me know that there would be a FREE festival of flowers happening right in my back yard! Super exciting!

The setting; Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption , a 1970’s modern building designed by local architects John Michael Lee, Paul A. Ryan and Angus McSweeney. Concrete, marble, glass, and high ceilings made the inside of the building a whole lot more majestic than the outside. From the outside the building looks like a large washing machine agitator, and has been nicknamed by locals as "Our Lady of Maytag.” Sorry, I’m not one for 1970’s Architecture… some of the stuff looks like it just fell out of the tornado that took Dorothy to Oz! (Ok, that’s it for my rant on Architecture….on to flowers….)

The festival celebrated the 40^th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, and welcomed “some of the most renowned floral artists from the Bay Area and beyond.”

Here are some of my favorites from the festival:

Harvest Moon

2010-09-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

Persian parties are all about food! How much to make, how many people to invite, and how much to eat are down to a science!!!

I have vivid memories as a child of the smell of saffron, rice, butter, and all other things yummy wafting through the air whenever my mom would throw a dinner party. And this past Friday was no different. Khoresht Beh (Quince Stew), Tarragon Chicken, Ghorme Sabzi (Lamb Stew with aromatic herbs), Saffron Rice, and to-die-for Koofteh Tabrizi (Stuffed Meatballs) were on the menu. All the fall flavors and the gorgeous Harvest Moon in the sky inspired me to go a little autumnal on this week’s arrangement.

I headed down to my local Trader Joe’s where they sell organic/ locally grown flowers, and for a total of $21.50 I was able to purchase some decorative Gourds and Squash and three pots of “Pin Cushions”. (The cutest ground cover I have ever seen)

I had some of left over flowers from last week’s arrangement that I decided to take apart, cut up, and re-use, along with some lentils from my cupboard, and some mini apples I had purchased from the farmers' market last week.

It was time to hit the storage cabinet, to see what I could find to place all these pretty fall colored items in. Out came great grandma’s old tea cups (used as mini candle holders), a few vases I had from a wedding last summer, and one of my Ikea canisters from the kitchen counter top. Mission Harvest Moon was in full swing;

Remember, centerpieces don’t always have to be done with flowers; you can get creative with fruits, veggies, and yes, even legumes! Happy Fall & Buon Appetito!!!

Baby Bloomers & Bloggers!

2010-09-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

I have no idea where to start…. There is news; A lot of it; And it’s all good!; And then of course we have flowers to talk about too…. Hmmmm…. Ok. Let’s start with the flowers and keep with the tradition.

I was contacted by a fellow blogger Nimisha Ghandi, creator of Club Dine In! to help her put together some flowers for a baby shower that she was attending. She had a $30.00 budget, and the color palette was Green and Purple.

The shopping list: Green Spider Mums, Purple-ish/Pink Spider Mums, Green & Purple Hydrangeas, and some cool looking purple branches as an accent.

Nimisha was really into using the trademark Recycled Nafis Designs yogurt tubs as her vases. So, after some great conversation, securing wax paper and white mesh with recycled rubber bands, cutting stems, removing leaves, placing flowers, and tying ribbons, the arrangements were ready to go.

Ok. DRUM ROLL PLEASE..............

Phantom Floranista will now be blogging for….. wait.for. it…… YAHOO! & BAY AREA BRIDE GUIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!! SOOOOO EXCITED!

As of this Wednesday, I’ll be posting floral wedding tips on Bay Area Bride Guide every Wednesday, and will also have a piece on Yahoo! Local starting the end of October!!!

I want to take a moment to thank all of you lovely people for reading this blog (which will continue to grow), and following my weekly notes about yogurt tubs, wax paper and latin flower names! I seriously couldn’t have done this all without you guys! YOU ROCK! Ok. Enough mooshy gooshy talk… get back to recycling those yogurt tubs, PRONTO!

Architect + Landscape Architect = Love!

2010-09-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, it also probably means that they’ll have a killer house and gorgeous back yard, of course!

This wedding was a true pleasure to work on. The bride, an Architect by training, and the groom, a Landscape Architect, had a great eye for design and knew exactly what they were looking for, but were totally open to suggestions and changes to help their dream wedding come to fruition.

At our first consultation meeting, the bride said to me: “I’m so torn, because I want a really streamlined, modern, and architectural wedding, but then again, I’ve been dreaming about the big white poofy wedding since I was a little girl!” I assured her that there were plenty of ways to bridge the gap and make it look absolutely stunning.

The colors were Yellow and Grey; a fantastic combination for this young couple’s modern wedding at the San Francisco Art Institute. The greys worked in concert the modern concrete architecture of the building, while the yellows added the right touch of color to help soften everything while being super cheerful and pretty.

Every bride has a favorite flower, or at least a flower that really speaks to her personality. This bride’s was “Billy Balls”, otherwise known as Crespedia. It has a Canary yellow color, spherical head, and tall slender stem that gives it a lot of character.

With the main flower in mind, we started to chat about all the other flowers that would complement the Billy Balls while keeping everything modern, fresh, yet classic. Our list quickly became: Billy Balls, Brunia, White Freesia, White Star of Jerusalem, Fiddle Sticks, yellow Mini Calla Lilies, and Curly Willow.

The Bouquet: Modern, streamlined, yet full of texture and spunk.

The Boutonnières: A couple of Billy Balls, a sprig of Brunia, and a Fiddle Stick made the boutonnières fun and also made them pop for all the men in the bridal party.

The Corsages: Classic

The Bridesmaids Bouquets: Calla Lilies, and Billy Balls completed the bridesmaid look. Simple and sophisticated.

The Altar Piece: At our first consultation, the bride mentioned that she wanted tall branches with Billy Balls attached to them for her altar piece. Two large vases, 100 lbs of tumbled mirror from Builders Resources, a bundle of Curly Willow and a couple bunches of Crespedia later, we placed the altar pieces on two stressed wood pillars that the groom had hand made himself and it was ready to receive the lovely couple and their entourage!

After the ceremony, the altar arrangements were moved downstairs and flanked either side of the wedding party's table.

Another wedding, one happy Architect and Landscape Architect later, and I am even more energized and dedicated to making more brides' and grooms' floranista visions come true! Congratulations TuAnh and Dave!!! (oh, I may have to hire you both in the future to help me build my dream home! ;) )

Women's Quarterly

2010-08-29T23:03:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine asked me a very important question this weekend: “What gives you inspiration for your designs?” It took me a few seconds to really think of the answer, and I realized that I have a tendency to find a primary flower then find other flowers that would look good in concert with it. This is exactly what happened at the flower market on Saturday morning.

I recently joined a group named Women’s Quarterly; A fantastic group of smart and professional young women that gather once every 4 months to discuss a topic that is pertinent to our society and gender. Every time they pick a cause and through a prize drawing raise money and awareness for their non-profit of choice. This week I was asked to donate a couple of floral centerpieces to Women’s Quarterly as a prize to help raise money for GoInspireGo.

So, back to the inspiration for this weeks’ design; I found a really neat looking succulent that had deep purple and green leaves, and without any hesitation I decided it was going to be the centerpiece for this week’s centerpiece… (is that grammatically correct?)

Shopping list: Succulent, Peruvian Apple, Bells of Ireland, flowering pink Sedum, pink Amaryllis Belladonna

Price: $27.00 (I know, I know, I splurged. But it was worth it… I promise!)

This week’s vases consisted of two left over florist vases from a wedding I had done earlier this summer. With my vase and rocks ready to go, and the gorgeous succulent as my muse, I started to put the flowers together.

To help cover up some of the unsightliness of the flower stems I attached a piece of white ribbon to the mid section of the vase to help it look nicer.

Now, for some really cool news! I made a great connection today with the manager of Bay Area Bride Guide, and have agreed to blog for them! SUPER EXCITED! Stay tuned for the developments!

Vase Couture

2010-08-21T22:17:00.001-07:00

It had been a long time since I had pulled out all the odds and ends in my kitchen to dress up some Yogurt tubs, and pickle jars. So, this week, I decided to create a Haute Couture line of vases with whatever leftover wax paper, wrapping paper, ribbons, plastic mesh, and twine I could find.

My sweet sister came to me last week and said she’d like to add to the $20.00 budget so that I could have double the buying power in order to create more floral centerpieces to leave at doorsteps in the neighborhood this weekend. So, with my $40.00 in hand, I headed to the SF flower mart and came back with some gorgeous green and pink Hydrangeas, pink Amaryllis Belladonna, and bunch of gorgeous silvery green Lambs Ear.

I took about an hour to “dress” my vases, in their couture gowns:

Once the vases were ready, they needed a little “hair and make-up”, so the flowers came in handy. These flowers were practically ready for Ascot!!!

Right as the fog lifted in our neighborhood, my mom, sis and I set out to leave flowers at our neighbor’s doorsteps in hopes that they would put a smile on their faces.

One of the best things about dropping off flowers in the neighborhood is the chance to meet wonderful new people, like the couple I met today that were gracious enough to thank me for “making the neighborhood pretty.” Great to meet you Libby and Ed!

$80 Wedding

2010-08-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to a bride that was looking for a bouquet and a few other arrangements by a great San Francisco artist whose mother owns a flower distribution shop at the SF Flower Mart. (If you ever need fantastic roses, you MUST check out “Sunshine International” )

The bride and I spoke over the phone a couple of times, and we went through her special day. The wedding was going to be intimate, with a total of 6 people attending (including the bride and groom) in the foothills of Mount Tamalpais. The bride had antique blue Hydrangeas in mind as her dress had silver accents on it and she felt that the blue hue would look nice against her dress. She also mentioned that she likes non-traditional flowers, as she’s not a very traditional person, and was adamant that we use the signature Nafis Designs yogurt tubs wrapped in wax paper as her vases! A truly low cost, environmentally friendly wedding!

Total material cost: $80.00

Shopping list: Antique Blue Hydrangeas, Green Hydrangeas, Fig Branches, Sedum, Bells of Ireland, Star of Jerusalem, White Roses, Scabiosa Seed Pod.

The bride’s bouquet was made up of Star of Jerusalem flower, Sedum, Green Hydrangea, Blue Hydrangea, and Scabiosa Seed Pods, and was wrapped with light silver satin ribbon at its base.

The Groom’s boutonniere was crafted with three Scabiosa Seed Pods and some interwoven silver wire.

There were enough flowers left over for three really full arrangements that could be used as alter pieces, and or table arrangements.

Once again, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get some great looking flowers that will leave a lasting impact in your wedding photo album!

Tip of the Day: If you want Hydrangeas to be in full bloom for your event, place the flower head in cold water and watch the blossoms burst open!

Short and Sweet

2010-08-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

This past week was “capital C” CRAZY! Consultations, meetings, contracts, design sketches, you get the picture… So as a result, this week’s blog will be short and sweet…..

Shopping List: King Protea, Sedum, and a green fuzzy cool looking flower I don’t know the name of (if anyone knows it, holler at me!)

Cost: $19.50

Purpose: Accent piece for the living room console as we have guests coming to town this week and wanted to have a little something extra in the house to make it look pretty.

Vase: Black florist vase that I had kept from last year

Ok. Time to get some Zzzz’s… over and out.

Aloha!

2010-08-03T22:41:00.001-07:00

I take a fantastic Pilates class in Russian Hill with a one of a kind instructor, Lisa Chow. Last year Lisa had an open house for which I designed a couple of debut centerpieces. One of my fellow classmates, “M”, had seen these arrangements and had kept Nafis Designs in mind for her California backyard wedding reception.

“M” and her man got married on the Garden Island of Kauai, Hawaii and were looking to keep the same vibrant floral vibe going for their reception in California.

The flowers: Bright Orange Roses, Orange Asiatic Lilies, Orange Dahlias, White and Pink Calla Lilies, Heleconia, Ginger, New Zealand Flax, Curly Willow, and Ti Leaves.

The Setting: A lovely home in San Anselmo,CA; four dining tables on the front lawn with turquoise and deep eggplant colored linens, a few cocktail tables by the swimming pool in the back, a bar table, and a buffet for the yummy food.

Since the reception was outdoors, and there was high possibility for wind in the evening, the Bride wanted to make sure that the arrangements were relatively low in height or that they were heavily weighted at their base to ensure that the vases wouldn’t tip over. We filled the base of the taller vases with black river rock, while the shorter vases were wrapped in Ti leaves and filled with floral oasis.

With the variety of flowers, the garden setting, and the smell of delicious food wafting through the air, M’s poolside reception was like a little piece of paradise! Aloha!

The Grinch meets Big Bird!

2010-07-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Dr. Seuss came rushing to my mind the minute I laid eyes on the “Dianthus barbatus Green Trick ‘Temarisou”. The flower looks like it would only grow in Whoville, or that it could have given birth to the Grinch!!!! (it would definitely explain all the green fuzz) It is a green pompom looking flower on a stem that looks like the stem of a Carnation. To compliment my new green furry friend of a flower, I picked out some rather fuzzy looking yellow Sunflowers and some cool looking soccer ball like flowers that I don’t know the name of. I finally knew what it would look like if The Grinch and Big Bird got together!!!! They’d make a good couple if you ask me!

Cost: $20.00

The majority of the flowers went into an arrangement that my Mom had asked me to put together for her friend that she was going to visit for brunch.

Since I had some company coming over for dinner, I decided to make a very modern and sleek arrangement as a centerpiece for the table with the remainder of the flowers. After rummaging around the house, I decided to use wine glasses, two candle holders that were given to me as a gift, glass bowls, and other glass containers I found as vases for the flowers.

Tip: Sometimes, less is more. So don’t be afraid to use only one flower in a vase/container as a centerpiece or an accent.

Raven’s Eye Design

2010-07-25T21:56:00.001-07:00

It’s always great to see what else is going on in the floral world in and around the Bay Area. Last week a dear friend of mine, Jaime Scott of Raven’s Eye Design, emailed me some fantastic photos of an eco-friendly wedding that she recently designed flowers for. Below is her description of the lovely event and photos of her creations;

The Setting: Secluded Redwood Grove in the Oakland Hills of California, July 2010
The Couple: Seventh Grade Math Teacher/Facilitator for Youth Sports and Activities; Both have a passion for bicycling and resource conservation

The bride had a very relaxed attitude toward the flowers and the groom was fine with whatever flowers the bride chose. My bottom line instructions were to have colorful flowers with no icky stink. And of course, stay within their budget.

I had the flexibility to choose and arrange their flowers as an expression of their personalities. They are both earnest and unpretentious people that have the ability to light up a room when they enter.

Red was the color du jour. The flowers had to resonate in the shadowy redwood grove. I was told the groom has a fondness for tulips.

The flower palette would be red Dahlias, yellow Sunflowers, orange Tulips, and seeded Eucalyptus. This combo would provide color contrast against the forest backdrop as well as a diversity of complementary textures. Swatches of fabric from altered bridesmaids' dresses were used for the bouquets.

For containers, we re-used an assortment of glass jars. Guests were encouraged to take the table arrangements home, with or without the container. Any leftover containers went into the recycling bin; flowers left behind were composted.

Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy….

2010-07-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a rare sunny summer day in San Francisco, and from the minute I stepped foot into the Flower Market and took a look at all the gorgeous Dahlias that lined the stalls, I immediately went back to my teenage years; summer days by the pool at my dad’s cottage, the sweltering heat of Tehran’s environs, and my mom adoring the Dahlia’s that the Gardner had planted and her saying “I love Dahlias!” All of a sudden Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong’s voices crept into my head… “Summmmmertiiimmmeee and the livin’ is eaaaasyyyy…” Ok, I’ll spare you the “text singing.”

As the seasons change, so do the colors at the flower mart. The summer season is known for warm tones that embody the sun and its entire splendor, and by gosh did all the vibrant oranges and reds in the flower selections represent that warm summer vibe!

This week’s design revolves around Dahlias and Mums.

Price: $17.00!!!!

Since it had been a while that my alter ego “Phantom Floranista” hadn't left flowers at the doorsteps of SF residents, I decided that I’m going to do a summertime strategic delivery to small businesses in North Beach. I grabbed a recycled “Pavel’s Yogurt” tub, and a Trader Joe’s hummus container, wrapped them in some wax paper, secured them with rubber bands, and started play with the flowers.

For the smaller arrangement I created a mini bouquet, secured it with a rubber band, then placed it in the container to prevent it from falling apart.

Tip: when you have very leafy flowers, make sure you remove leaves from the part of the stem that will be in contact with the water. Leaves contain all the food that a flower needs to grow, however when it sits in water, it rots, hence killing your flowers much faster.

¡Viva España!

2010-07-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

For 125 minutes on Sunday July 11th,2010, the entire world stopped, put their differences aside and watched while the Netherlands played against Spain for the most prestigious title in football! It’s no fun to watch the final of the world cup alone, so what better way to join in on the universal enjoyment than to have dear friends come over to cheer, chant, and root on our favorite teams. Low and behold SPAIN won, and I won the bets I had placed! OLEEEE OLE OLE OLEEEEE!!!!! WOOHOOOO!!!! Ok. Now that I have gloated about winning my bets I’m ready to move on… Glad I got that out of the way…. On to flowers.

The San Francisco Farmer’s Market was all a buzz on Saturday. Strawberries, apricots, oranges, nectarines, anything and everything edible you could ever want could be found, including awesome deals on really great locally grown flowers. I decided that I had to support my Spanish boys by designing this week’s floral arrangement around their country’s flag colors.

Shopping List: Yarrow, Crocosmia, Poppy Seed Pods
Cost: $19.00

This week’s arrangement ended up going into a black spherical vase I had purchased last year for a gig I was doing. Its round shape was perfect to show case the Yarrow as the main flower, and the Crocosmia and Poppy Seed Pods as accents:

When it’s all said and done, it’s the love and energy of dear friends that make a party special, so here is a shout out to all my peeps that made World Cup 2010 a super experience…oh, and to those of you who lost your bets, I accept cash and checks. Thank You & Viva España!

Epic Love

2010-06-30T22:29:00.001-07:00

My friends “M & J” had known of each other for years, but had never really “met” till two and a half years ago when a mutual high school friend of theirs formally introduced them. Well, guess what? They ended up getting hitched!

I got a text message from the bride-to-be about 6 months ago, asking if I’d be a bridesmaid in her wedding, and also if I’d do the flowers for the bridal party. I said “yes” to both accounts, and we started to brainstorm about colors and textures for her arrangements. She was going with a Spanish theme and her colors were red and black. Don’t worry; it wasn’t a goth wedding…

On a crisp Saturday morning in May, the lovebirds met me at the SF Flower market where we walked around pricing flowers and getting a feel for the textures that “M” had in mind for her arrangements. After a couple of hours we had the floral list: Red Roses (Freedom), Red Freesia, Black Schwartz Calla lilies, and Red Aranda Orchids. This selection would give us great rich colors, and really soft/lush textures.

Once we were set on the floral palette, I got to designing and decided that the bridal bouquet would be the main focus with the most color and texture; the groom’s and fathers’ boutonnières would be constructed of one Calla Lily with a fiddle stick accent; the mother’s corsages would be one Red Rose bloom with some accent greenery; and finally the bridesmaids would have simple bouquets of red roses.

About two weeks before the wedding, I got a text from “M” asking if there was anything I could do to help make the fountain in the courtyard where their ceremony was being held look pretty. She sent along a photo of what the Spanish-style fountain looked like and a photo of a decorated fountain she had seen somewhere else. After consulting with my CIO (Chief Inspiration Office – AKA: Mom), it seemed like the best course of action was going to be green garland with white floral accents. We had a vendor at the flower market hand make some fresh green garland for us at 3 dollars a linear foot and we bought some white Freesia that we assembled in bundles and attached to the garland as accent:

Let’s get down to numbers! “M&J” had a firm original budget of $500.00 set which I was able to meet in raw materials cost for all bridal party flowers, in addition to rose petals for her aisle and all the tables. After “M” decided on a few frills for the fountain, we had to add on another $120.00 for a grand total of $620.00! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is possible to do wedding flowers for under $1000.00 and also have them look great!

I wish my dear friends “M & J” the best in their “Epic Love” and hope that it leads them onto an even more “Epic Life”! Love you both! Congratulations!!!!

Tip: Brides-to-be; make sure you have a tossing bouquet that is separate from the bouquet you walk with down the aisle. This way you can dry/preserve your original bouquet as a keepsake from your special day.

Hydrangea Mania!

2010-06-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Every summer my lovely mom comes to visit, and as part of this ritual she has a mini high school reunion with friends that live in and around the Bay Area. Aside from loving to entertain, I get a kick out of seeing/meeting the posse that my mom used to hang out with, and listening to their mischievous stories.

This year she decided to have an early morning brunch. After crafting our menu of, Smoked Salmon/Rye Bread log, Wild rice and Mushroom Frittata, Asparagus and Leek Quiche, Berry Cobbler, and Fruit Salad we set out to buy flowers for the table. Every time we passed by a stand that sold flowers mom would say “Hydrangeas, I love Hydrangeas.” So it’s pretty easy to guess that this week’s flowers are… yep, you guessed it. Hydrangeas!

I decided that this week I’m going to buy flowers from a flower vendor that is a San Francisco landmark; Imagnin Flowers (corner of Geary and Stockton across from Union Square- Right next to Macy’s). Their Hydrangeas were $8.00 a bunch, and because it was the end of the day, the owner cut me a deal, and gave me 4 bunches for $16.00, and a lovely $4.00 bunch of gorgeous green lemon leaves!

Grand Total:$20.00 (no tax!)

Sometimes creating an arrangement with one type of flower (monoculture) gives a bigger impact, especially if a lot of other things are happening adjacent to the arrangement; in our case, food!

FYI: Next week I’ll be covering a wedding that I’m designing flowers for in Sacramento… Get ready for some luscious red arrangements!

The Color Purple

2010-06-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

No, No, not the movie. The Color purple is the favorite color of the birthday lady that I was commissioned to do a surprise bouquet for. Since its summer time, purple flowers are all over the place, and in fact I had so many species to choose from, I didn’t know which to pick!!!! I finally settled on some really pretty and fragrant purple Butterfly Bush flowers (Buddleia ‘Purple Emperor’), deep purple (almost black) Schwartz Mini Calla Lilies, variegated cream and purple Mini Calla Lilies, and white Hydrangeas.

Tools: White floral mesh, purple and white wired ribbon, scissors, rubber bands.

I decided that the bouquet is going to be round and plump, so I started by placing flowers from the inside out making sure that I distributed the different flowers evenly to get a good array of textures and tones. I also made sure that I kept all the flower stems at their original length until I was ready to trim them for their final length.

Once the bouquet was complete, I secured the stems together with a rubber band then proceed to wrap them in white floral mesh, and topped off the arrangement with a striped white and purple bow.

'Friendliest Flower'

2010-06-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

Trivia: What movie is the following Quote from? (The winner gets a free floral arrangement…granted that you live within driving distance. Sorry to my overseas fans ;))

-“I love daisies.”
-“You told me.”
-“They're so friendly. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?”

This week’s shopping venture was the infamous Costco, where you can sample processed foods galore, buy a couch, and also do weekly grocery shopping to feed a whole nation! I had always noticed that they sell flowers at Costco but had never actually bought any there and really wanted to see what my $20.00 budget could buy me, and what variety I had to pick from. The variety was pretty generic and consisted of Roses, Sunflowers, Iris, and Daisies. Since it was a gorgeous summer day outside, I decided to go with the “friendliest flowers”; Bright orange Gerber Daisies, and white Marguerite Daisies.

Price: $18.67 (Score! Under budget by $1.33)

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been saving tomato sauce cans. They’re the perfect size for flowers, and have a lot of potential on how to “dress” them up. I had some left over silver wrapping paper from last year’s Christmas festivities, and a piece of left over Green natural fiber wrapping paper from another craft project that I had worked on. A pair of scissors, and a couple of pieces of tape later, I had my nifty little vases ready for their flowers:

As I was rummaging through my craft box, I found some silver wire that would be perfect as an accent to piece for the arrangements. I grabbed the closest pen in sight, and started to wrap the wire around it to create a coil:

Once the coils were ready, it was time to play with the flowers, and bring the arrangements to life:

Phantom delivery time!

Tip: Gerber Daisies tend to have softer stems and a heavy flower head that tend to droop after a couple of days. A way to reinforce them is to wrap the stems with silver wire to prevent them from drooping.

Go Wild!

2010-05-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to go Au Naturale! So, I packed my bags and headed to Mt Shasta in Northern California with my friends, and spent a weekend in the great outdoors. We hiked along the McCloud River, went out to Lake Siskiyou that provided great views back to Mt. Shasta, and even headed to Burney falls where we hiked among the gorgeous California Native flowers. Dogwoods were in full bloom, the maples were growing green leaves by the minute and the hillsides were covered in gorgeous, pinks, blues, and yellows….

Now for some floral news; I have been collaborating with a lovely young lady that has a blog named Club Dine in! “Club Dine In!’s purpose is to build a strong community of foodies who love to socialize around food and still want to be healthy and fit. Club Dine In! strives to connect local businesses, farmers, chefs, winemakers, mixologists, and fitness professionals to the community in a social environment.”

This Thursday, Club Dine In! is having a fun Happy Hour, and I’ll be providing one of Nafis Designs' sustainable $20 floral arrangements as a raffle ticket prize! Stay tuned on Thursday to see what the arrangement looks like, and to get a play by play on the great Happy Hour that is going to take place.

As I finish up this week’s blog, I highly suggest that you all go a little wild, and take a trip of your own to visit Mother Nature in her natural habitat!

Pretty in Pink

2010-05-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was commissioned to do flowers for a wonderful afternoon tea party in the Oakland Hills by a brilliant Poet, Writer, and Artist, Katayoon Zandvakili. The invitations that were sent out invited everyone to a “Glorious Celebration of Friendship & Beautiful Springtime.”

I had a half hour phone conversation with the lovely host of the party last week, in which I realized that she wanted flowers in pink tones that looked romantic, soft, and lush. I was getting a total English garden meets Coco Chanel vibe; Lots of texture (yet not frou-frou), while mostly monochromatic (pink) with enough tonal variation to make it interesting. In one word: Chic!

So, I set off to the SF Flower market to choose my palette.

Shopping List: Dark pink Peonies, light pink Esperance Roses, white Lisianthus, miniature Ivy, and a box of beautiful little decorative birds.

There were a total of 5 arrangements; 4 of which were to be dispersed throughout the house, and a dining table arrangement. The dining table was going to be the host of some of the most scrumptious looking cakes, tarts, berries, and cupcakes I had ever seen! (It was hard not to lick the icing off the cupcakes while I was working!!!) I decided that the yummies would sit atop a garden of trailing Ivy and the small decorative birds, to allow the cakes to speak for themselves.

We chose clear Chrystal vases for the rest of the arrangements that found their place on a French console situated right by the window with a view looking towards San Francisco, the glass living room coffee table, a side table, and a console off the dining room with a fantastic Buddha statuette.

The party was a total success! Everyone had their cake and ate it too!!!!

Tip of the Day: If you buy Peonies and Roses that are still buds and you want them to open up to full bloom for your event, cut the stems a good 2 inches when you bring them home, place them in luke warm water and add a spoonful of sugar to it. You will have blooming blossoms in no time.

Fight.Love.Live

2010-05-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

“Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life” is the credo of the man that built a beautiful estate in Woodside, Ca; FILOLI. This estate is an historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and is open to the public from February – October. Gorgeous gardens, beautiful hikes into the hills, and an amazing 1920’s mansion are only some of the things you can enjoy there. Whenever I have someone visiting from out of town, Filoli is one of the places that I have to take them, or sometimes when I’m feeling like Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, I make a trip out there and stroll the gardens (No, I don’t dress up in costume!)

I was perusing their website last night planning my next jaunt over there, and noticed they have volunteer opportunities listed on their website for Floral Arrangers. Naturally, I filled out their application, and included the Nafis Designs blogspot, and website address in my email. This morning I received a lovely email back that read:

Hi Y,

I LOVED your blog!! Great ideas for low-cost, quality arrangements anyone can do. That's the Filoli spirit we're looking for in volunteers-- the ability to use those things around us that give ourselves and others joy.

I will forward your message and application on to the Chair of the House Arrangers. She will contact you about the audition for her committee.

I do hope you can make volunteering a part of your floral life. There are opportunities to design and decorate with flowers at Filoli that you will not find anywhere else in the Bay Area.

Good luck and I hope to see you at Filoli soon.

Can’t wait to audition and hope I get picked to be on their team of House Floral Arrangers!!!! WISH ME LUCK!!!!

GO JOE!

2010-05-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

My uncle is one of the most encouraging and kind men I know. While chatting over the phone with him last week he said: “I love your blog idea, and I’ve been following you. I have a question for you though; where do most Americans buy their flowers?”

It took me a split second to respond: “Grocery Stores!”

So, this morning I decided to take a nice brisk walk to Coit Tower with a dear friend (gotta get the cardio workout in), then head to the local Trader Joe’s in our neighborhood to see what my $20 budget could buy me. After scanning the selection of flowers and calculating prices with our fingers, my friend and I walked out with a great bunch of Parrot Tulips, Yellow Asiatic Lilies, and Purple Snapdragons.

(Props to my incredibly talented friend (founder of www.goinspirego.com) for helping me set up the still life photo shoot in the parking lot under the doggie bowl sign!)

The great thing about Trader Joe’s flowers is that they’re great quality and are locally and sustainably grown! Go Joe!!!!

Cost: $20.22 (Yes, I was over budget by 22 cents, however –for those of you that are paying attention- last week I was under budget by 50 cents, so it evens out.)

Tools: Keeping with the theme of what everyone can use that is local and accessible; I started to rummage around in my kitchen to see what I can use as vases for the arrangements. POTS! The rest of the list included a shawl I had in my closet that was the same color as the Snapdragons, rubber bands, and scissors.

I placed the two pots close each other, then wrapped my shawl around them and secured them to the pot with a rubber band around the rim of each:

I then started to arrange flowers in both pots simultaneously to ensure that the arrangement looks in sync and that they don’t look disjointed:

Remember that an arrangement for your table can easily be turned into small gifts for friends, family, or totally random strangers in your neighborhood. Just transfer them to recycled jars, containers, or bottles, wrap them in some left over gift wrap paper or wax paper, slap a bow on it, and you’ve got yourself a lovely gift arrangement.

Off I go to places these ones on doorsteps in the neighborhood…..

For Mom

2010-05-08T16:29:00.001-07:00

“Roses, 5 Dollars” “Tulips, SPECIAL 6 Dollars”, “Hydrangeas for Mom”….These were just some of the signs that were lining the entries to the wholesaler stalls this morning at the SF Flower Market. Vendors were helping customers decide if they should get roses or tulips, while children were picking up what they could from the floor and arranging mini bouquets as they were waiting for their parents to pay. The vibe at the market reminded me of the scene out of “My Fair Lady”. I felt breaking out in song and belting out “Now woooooooooooouldn’t it be loverrrly?” (Audrey Hepburn would NOT be pleased with my singing!)

As I walked among all the gorgeous flowers, I thought that roses and tulips have been done 1,000,000 times over, and that I would work with Kale for Mother’s day. Yes, that’s right, KALE!

So here we go…

Shopping list: Flowering Kale (and you thought I was kidding), Bells of Ireland, Tritoma

Cost: $19.50

Tools: Flowers, Scissors, Recycled Containers, All Natural Wax Paper, Rubber Bands, Raffia:

Step 1: I grabbed a Trader Joe’s Hummus container, a Pavel’s Yogurt container (Low Fat of course), and a couple of Folger’s Coffee/Del Monte Peach Mason Jars and wrapped them in all natural wax paper. To make sure the paper held, I secured them with a rubber band around the top:

Step 2: Since Kale was at the top of my shopping list this week, I decided that the it would be the focal point of my arrangements and made sure that the Tritoma and Bells of Ireland accented it in all the right places:

Step 3: This is the first week that my alter ego “Phantom Floranista” and sidekick sister “Fish” dropped off the flowers at people’s doorsteps with a sign reading:

As I finish up this entry, I’m wishing that my mom was here in the US so I could gift one of the arrangements to her. Seeing as she’s thousands of miles away, I dedicate this week’s blog to her. I LOVE YOU MOM! (P.S. Thanks for all the Kale soup when we were kids…)

Phantom Floranista

2010-05-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

The Mission: To create inexpensive arrangements using recycled materials from around the house that will fill your home with beauty, your heart with joy, and leave a smile on your face.

Every Saturday at 8:00 am (PST) I will be venturing to the San Francisco Flower Market where I will be purchasing between $10 -$20 worth of flowers. I will then arrange these flowers in recyclable/reused containers that accumulate from a weeks worth of grocery shopping, and will design arrangements that can be used as centerpieces for dinner parties, accent pieces for the house, or just a little gift for a friend. I'll be photographing, documenting, and blogging about every step to prove that floral arrangements don't have to be expensive to be beautiful.

Phantom Floranista Project: Once I've shared my ideas with the cyber world, i'll be dropping off the arrangements at random doorsteps in my neighborhood with the hope that the people who receive them will smile. It's kind of like the "Free Hugs" project, except with, well, flowers!

Who knows, maybe I can even inspire you to do the same in your neighborhood....

So, here we go.... Today's inspiration was France. I just got back from a killer trip in Paris, so naturally when I saw the gorgeous French Tulips at the SF Flower Mart, I just HAD to buy them!

Shopping List: French Tulips, Snowball Tree Flower, Water Lily Seed Pod

Cost: $20.00

Tools: Flowers, Scissors, Recycled Containers, Recycled Gift Wrap Paper, Recycled Ribbon:

Step 1: I used a Philadelphia Cream Cheese container, and a Trader Joe's Hummus container wrapped in some saved gift wrap paper, a few jars, and a wine bottle I had kept to create the "vases" that will hold the flowers:

Step 2: I arranged my containers to get an idea of what the centerpiece heights will be:

Step 3: Placement of the flowers is my favorite part. Let your creative juices flow freely, and place your flowers as your heart desires, and VOILA!

Tips:
1) Working in odd numbers is always best. It adds a level of interest to an arrangement that even numbers wont. for example, try to place 3 blossoms of a flower in the same vase instead of 2 or 4.
2)Remember that when you're placing flowers in containers for a centerpiece, you want to keep in mind that the centerpiece will be viewed from all angles, so keep it interesting all the way around.