bff gift guide

Steph and I always exchange a little something every year... jewelry tends to be a go to for us. This year I may switch it up... or not.

Clockwise from the top:

Snakeskin wallet | lucite wine rack (because, together we can put back a few) | gorgeous book |ring | silver throw pillow, a gal needs a little extra sparkle in her life | bracelet | flowers | cozy knit throw to curl up and watch good bad tv | cool earrings | weekend sweater | scarf

guy gift guide

GIFT GUIDES THIS WEEK!

This guy-gift-guide is, of course, inspired (and approved) by SG. This year it’s more of a wish-I-could-afford-gift-list, none the less… These are a few of the great gifts I would love to give SG.

Clockwise from the top:

Trapper Jacket | Portable music player for our parties... great for the summer and being outside | Scotch and Soda Checker Shirt | Cool car books – because all I can afford is the latter | New light for bedside table to read car books... This one from Style Garage is my fav! | Warm scarf | Cozy throw to cuddle ;) | Winter cardigan | & in honour of our mutual Ryan Gosling crush, his shades from Crazy, Stupid Love and gloves from Drive

More gift guides to come this week!

winter peonies

I love peonies! And while they do tend to remind me of the spring, I love that you can get them at this time of year too, imported from South America. They look beautiful in all the seasonal arrangements I'm doing right now, like big fluffy white snowballs. The best looking blooms this fall/winter season are typically available in late November, but they're still available right now. Get in touch to place an order this week.

Red & white ranunculus available from my studio for orders this week too!

 

december 1

Goodbye November… and Welcome December! 

It’s perhaps a bit of a contradiction – because I really don't like the winter and hate being cold  BUT Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year! I love everything about it! The music (which I have secretly been playing in my car since mid-November), the decorations, the treats, the wrapping, the Christmas movies, the parties and get-togethers, and the time with family. It really is such a special time of year. 

This Christmas is even more exciting for me. It’s my first holiday season running Sweet Woodruff full-time and I am loving it! All the orders for holiday arrangements and holiday parties have me working away in my studio filled with cedar and pine (smells SO good) and surrounded by buckets of beautiful fluffy white peonies and and deep red amaryllis, bright red holly and ipex berries.  

Yesterday, just in time to welcome December, it snowed and covered the Sweet Woodruff in our garden. Looked so pretty. Let the Christmas countdown begin! 24 days to go...

homes for the holidays

A few weeks ago I got a kick-start to the holiday season and participated in the Unionville Homes for the Holidays House Tour, a charity event that raises money for two local charities: The Varley-McKay Art Foundation of Markham and Breast Health Centre and Cancer Clinic at Markham Stouffville Hospital. The Home Tour teams local designers who decorate a home and then open their doors to over 2000 visitors. Since 2002 the event has raised over $500,000 for its charities!

Having volunteered for this event in the past, I was truly honoured to be asked to participate this year as a business owner. I also had the great fortune of being paired up with an incredible team of designers, store and generous home owners, who were all a pleasure to work with.

Sometimes I don’t know how I would get things done if it weren’t for my amazing friends and family… so of course a BIG HUGE thanks to a whole slew of people:  P&G, Tim, Pat, Steph, SG, the Homes for the Holidays Committee, Fran, and the lovely ladies from La Belle! It was a great and successful weekend – and I was so happy to be able to donate my time to such worthwhile charities.

on that note

While I'm certainly no papertalk press (a design crush of mine... check them out their stuff is gorgeous!). These cute little notes (handmade by yours truly) come complimentary with your floral order. 

Don't see your sentiment here... I have others like:

 missing you today     thinking about you      thanks so much!

delivered: sweet little bowl

 

 

I delivered this to MRS a couple weeks ago, a sweet little bowl of all my fav flowers of late:

white anemones, blush pink ranunculus, leucadendron and little succulents

I'm loving these sweet little bowls and taking orders for them now... Starting at $65 (This one shown, $75 including the sweet glass bowl vase)

Delivery available across GTA

delivered: a little house warming

viva las vegas

My little bro suggested a bit of brother-sister bonding and an impromptu midweek vacay… So this afternoon we are flying to Nevada for three days of viva Las Vegas! I’ve never been, but I’m kinda looking forward to all the glitz, glam, and gambling. And you better believe I’m packing my faux fur and chandelier earrings a la Sharon Stone in Casino. See you Monday... when I'm sure I'll be many dollars poorer and at least 12 hours more tired! :)

earrings | heels | glasses | clutch

sharon stone in casino

looks from shopbop lookbook

martin scorsese's casino  

earrings 1 | earrings 2 | necklace | clutch

delivered: pop of colour

 

to market, to market

I’m often asked where I get my flowers from... The wholesale flower auction is one of those places. On those mornings my day starts off pretty early (usually around 4am and for anyone who’s wondering – no, I’m not a morning person and yes, waking up to the moonlight is as painful as it sounds). By the time I’m up, dressed, caffeinated and out to market it’s usually about 5:15am, just enough time for my favourite part - to peruse all the flowers we want to buy before the auction starts. So many beautiful choices! I always need to restrain myself and keep from buying one of everything! By 6am everyone is in the gallery and the bidding starts.

The auction itself is pretty cool, all the flowers come out on trolleys and are paraded through the gallery as everyone bids. Everything is done electronically (and for a newbie the bidding is FAST!) The auction can last anywhere from 2.5 to a daunting 5 hours before big holidays (Valentine’s Day is a red and pink madhouse).

After all the flowers have been purchased, they get sent to a massive warehouse where they are sorted for the vendors, then loaded into vans and shipped off to the stores. It’s actually an amazing journey for a flower – a rose growing on a bush in Colombia on Monday could be on your table by Tuesday night… it’s incredible really.

sweet W loves: stripes

I know, stripes have been everywhere for a while… But I don’t care. I still love them. And some things never go out of style. They’re so fresh and classy.

Photos:
1 via 4men1Lady | 2 via House Beautiful | 3 via londonlisbonite

4 Stella McCartney sweater photo via Cup of Jo | 5 Shopbop | 6 Stella McCartney

Interior Photos via Elle Décor and emmas designblogg