Periwinkle Flowers

Oh Mamma Mia!

2012-01-31T12:21:00.002-05:00

If you are interested in taking in a fun musical performance, Tanenbaum CHAT school is performing Mamma Mia this week. We've loaned them some props from our wedding pieces- see if you can spot our urns and bridal bouquet!

The play runs today, Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm. Contact the school for more info and tickets.

At The Shop

2012-01-26T16:46:00.004-05:00

After getting our orders out this morning I had to tackle the remaining painful year end bookkeeping things I've been putting off. I am surrounded by files and boxes and receipts.

Erin was kept busy making some special invitations for an extra special event we are planning to say thank you to our wonderful clients as part of our ten year anniversary celebration.

We've selected some adorable containers for our next menu (Spring!). All of these made the cut.

And we set up our Valentines Day window ( yes, that's right, it's that time of year already). The window display is awesome, if I may say so myself. We have a special surprise coming, hopefully next week regarding this particular window display so stay tuned.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2012-01-25T15:19:00.003-05:00

Erin went out to market today and now the fridge is filled with spring again. Snaps, gerberas, agapanthus, trachelium, pink tulips, roses, freesias, kermit mums and spider mums, and these hyacinth:

I just love how hyacinth look when they are tight like this, so textural and funky :) We also got some of these:

Aren't these ranunnculus gorgeous? They are all soft shades of apricot and pink, like creamsicles! Yummy.

-----jess

The Ultimate Birthday Flowers

2012-01-23T15:51:00.006-05:00

Today is my birthday. You know what? I'm taking home some lovely blooms for myself tonight, it is one of the little bonuses of being a flower shop owner :)

Flowers at home on a regular basis really is one of those luxuries in life that make so much of a difference. If you have someone with a birthday coming up and you'd like to give them the ultimate treat of a regular bouquet of flowers delivered to their door, then the Periwinkle Flower Of The Month gift is what you are looking for.

Each month the recipient gets a beautiful bouquet of that month's most gorgeous seasonal blooms delivered to them (work or home). All you need to do is give us a call with all the pertinent info and we will schedule in the deliveries for you. You set the dollar amount and the frequency and duration (for example, $50 every month for a year, or $65 sent every two weeks for six months- your choice). We can bill all pieces up front, or if you prefer we can charge monthly as each order goes out, onto your credit card. Just imagine how delighted your friend will feel each month when their delivery arrives!

-----jess

A New Member Of The Team

2012-01-20T12:27:00.003-05:00

This is our new co-op placement student from Seneca College, Claire. We're so excited to have her working with us as part of her floristry program. Erin and I have many memories, some of them fond, of our co-op placement days so are eager to make a good impression.

I thought I'd get Claire to tell us a little bit about herself:

Q. Why did you decide to take the floristry course?
A.I took a co-op in high school at a flower shop in my hometown and my mom is a landscaper so I've always been around flowers.

Q. What is your favourite part of the course so far?
A.The practical part, actually getting to work with the flowers rather than the theory and books. And of course the field placement part :)

Q. What's your favourite flower?
A. Orchid....or a calla! There are so many to choose from.

We've put Clarie to work already, she's doing a great job planting up spring bulb gardens and making some designs for the shop display,. This afternoon we tackle the fridge- cutting, cleaning and sorting through every stem in there, as we do every couple of days.

-----jess

A Little Bit Of Spring On A Winter's Day

2012-01-19T14:47:00.003-05:00

We've tweaked our design menu to show the spring things that are coming in, as well as our Valentines Day special designs- we'll have the website updated with it all soon, but you can see the entire collection here on the blog by going to our winter/spring menu page. The shop displays are getting switched over too. We've also started working on a fun video project that we'll be sharing with you soon. And even more exciting than all that- we have a co-op student from Seneca college coming to do her work placement with us, starting tomorrow. We are going to try not to scare her too much:)

-----jess

With Deepest Sympathy

2012-01-18T10:56:00.004-05:00

January is a tough month. Emotional. I can't tell you how many times Erin and I cry our eyes out at the shop in January. January is always filled with the sadness of loss as many of our clients lose a loved one at this bleak time of year. Our days have been filled with making large flower filled funeral pieces- to console those left grieving and to celebrate the life of those that have passed. Speaking to those who have lost someone is heartbreaking, hearing about how loved their mother was, how cherished their daughter was. Heartbreaking.

Erin and I want to send out a message of deepest sympathy to all those who have lost someone recently. Our hearts go out to you at what is the most difficult of all times. We are so truly sorry for your loss.

----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2012-01-17T15:05:00.003-05:00

Erin went to market this morning so the fridge is filled again with lots of spring- hydrangeas, anemones, freesias, tulips, gerberas, wax flowers, roses, alstromeria and snapdragons. We also filled up with planted spring bulbs including mini daffodils and muscari.

We had several large pieces go out today for a funeral so have been busy getting those out, and now it's on to Valentines day planning!

-----jess

More Stylish Wedding Inspiration

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

The wonderful bridal inspiration blog stylemepretty has put together an online magazine of it's favourite featured weddings from 2011. It's a beautiful read. If you are planning a wedding it will fill you with new ideas. If you aren't, it's still nice to while away some time looking at pretty things! take a look here.

-----jess

A Little Romance

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm going to finish off this week with a little romance for you. Take a seat and watch this youtube video of a very sweet groom who completely surprises his bride-to-be by organizing her entire wedding for her in secret. Everything she wanted is there, all the details and all the friends and family. She thinks she's going to a retirement party and that they will be eloping a few weeks later. So sweet :)

-----jess

Let In Some Early Spring

2012-01-12T11:16:00.002-05:00

Even though it is definitely NOT spring since we are only mid January, our Ontario growers are pumping out all the delicate and pretty blooms of spring that we love here at Periwinkle.

Why not send someone you know a little breath of fresh spring air with our "Spring Thaw" design- a rectangular tin planter filled with miniature daffodils, muscari and hyacinth? There is even a mini chalkboard attached to pen a small message of encouragement as we in Toronto get ready for our first winter "storm" tomorrow:)

Spring Thaw is available in store or for delivery, $50.00 per.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2012-01-11T16:47:00.001-05:00

Here it is!

----jess

Some Nice Press!

2012-01-10T16:21:00.003-05:00

An interview we did last month with a local press reporter for the Town Crier newspaper has been published- Erin tells how she got started at a young age in the floral world, while I sort of...got caught up in it in my 20's.

check it out online here

So nice!

---jess

People Say The Nicest Things

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

(These photos are from way back when, just a few years after we first opened. They are sitting in a folder on my computer titled: old shared pictures/goofy shots of jess and erin/not too bad. Ha!)

We've been getting such lovely messages as we begin celebrating our ten years in business last month that I wanted to share a few with you:

"Congratulations!! I remember well when (my son) was born (last month turned nine) and I needed centerpieces for his bris at our synagogue but didn't want to spend a ton on the "holders". You guys came through BIG TIME for us and we have been loyal customers ever since -- because great service, demeanor, philosophy and flowers beget loyalty every time. You deserve ongoing success!"

Robin S., Toronto

"It is amazing that you have had your shop for 10 years, wow! You girls both work so hard and do beautiful designs, congratulations to you."

Carol H., Toronto

"Congratulations guys! That’s just amazing. Where does the time go? There aren’t a lot of stores on Avenue Road that can lay claim to having 10 years there. I know that it has taken LOTS of hard work and patience to get to where you are now. Keep up the great work. I love your arrangements and wish you many more years of happiness and prosperity on Avenue Road. "

Lisa R., Toronto

Erin and I are blushing here folks....keep 'em coming :)

-----jess

(with apologies for the weird formatting and fonts - I can't get blogger to change them in the post and am done trying!)

Enjoying The Weather?

2012-01-07T13:20:00.003-05:00

The weather today is gorgeous- really, considering it's the first week of January, it's so nice to have sun, and temperatures above zero. One of our regular clients was in today and we chatted about how lucky Toronto is with weather and I mentioned the ribbing I get from my family about it. They all live in the Ottawa valley area and have been snowed in since November. These folks lived through the ice storm. Any mention of snow in Toronto always has them yelling "call in the troops" in reference to the famous winter Mayor Mel Lastman did just that after a blizzard. Our client told me about a funny fake news report she remembered seeing that made fun of Toronto and snow so I googled it! It is from the Rick Mercer show. Enjoy.

-----jess

Get Your Bridal Bouquet For Free!

2012-01-05T13:29:00.006-05:00

(Photo of one of our 2011 brides, courtesy of the super talented celine kim photography)

To help celebrate our ten years in business, we are having a wedding booking blitz for the month of January- All the details are here on our wedding blitz info page, but basically if you book your 2012 wedding with us this month you can receive your bridal bouquet FREE- obviously some restrictions do apply, check out the info page for all the small print. Don't hesitate- call us to book your consultation right away so you can take advantage of this amazing deal!

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2012-01-05T13:17:00.002-05:00

We are starting to get back to our normal routine here at the shop, after the holidays and some time off- now it's back to work and gearing up for the next few months, with our wedding booking blitz ( more on that in an upcoming post), our winter to spring menu and of course, planning for Valentines Day.

As you can see, the flowers from our local growers are changing to spring now too ( I love that we get spring in the shop three months ahead of the outside world :) ) Our market run today has filled our fridge with alstromeria, hydrangeas, garden lilies, roses of various colours, spider mums in lime green, hypericum berries, bright gerberas and some gorgeous purple anemones, as well as yellow and pink tulips. Even more exciting- the potted spring bulbs are back - we are making up our menu samples and can't wait to plant up some muscari, mini daffodils, hyacinth and dwarf tulips.

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 25

2011-12-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

December 25th

We made it- December 25th is here! Thanks for tuning in to our Christmas countdown. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

We are closing the shop from December 25th to December 27th, opening Wednesday December 28th to Saturday December 31st 10 am to 3pm, then closed for New Years until Tuesday January 3rd 2012.

We would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy holidays, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

all the best, Jess and Erin

Countdown To Christmas- December 24

2011-12-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 24

Tonight's the big night- if you've got kids that want to know where Santa is so they can get to bed in time, take a look on NORAD's official Santa tracker! Find it here.

Sleep well!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 23

2011-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 23

Today's envelope for our advent countdown is a link to the Barefoot Contessa's site where the celebrated chef shares her perfect Roasted Turkey recipe. Take a look here.

Do you have a time honoured family secret to the perfect turkey? Share with us here or on our facebook page!

----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 22

2011-12-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 22

Today's countdown envelope is a reminder to make sure you have your Christmas centerpiece ordered....call us!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 21

2011-12-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

December 21

Today's envelope tells us to head downtown for Kensington Market's annual winter solstice parade. It all starts on Augusta avenue in the market ( that's just west of Spadina ave, south of college) at 6:30 and features a lamp lit walk. Check out the market's website here for more info.

What a beautiful way to mark the year's longest night!

----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 20

2011-12-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 20

Today's envelope on our Christmas Countdown is another GIVEAWAY!

Leave a comment on this post or on our facebook page telling us your favourite Christmas colour combination and we will select one at random- You have until Thursday at noon to comment, and need to be available either Friday or Saturday for delivery, and must of course live in the GTA.

Countdown To Christmas- December 19

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 19

Today's advent envelope holds a reminder that this is the last day for mailing your local Christmas cards to guarantee arrival by December 25th. The Canada Post website also shows there are some very festive Christmas stamps available too, to add a little flair to your greetings- just get them in the mail box by the end of the business day!

The countdown continues tomorrow.

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 18

2011-12-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 18

For today's envelope we have our bright and colourful winter design called "Neon". If you find all the red and green christmas a little overwhelming, and need to break out of that box. this is the one for you! A thick glass pot with saucer in a lime green tone with hot pink gerberas, orange roses, lime green berries and painted green pine cones will add a dash of pizazz to your holidays!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 17

2011-12-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 17

Today's envelope on our countdown calendar is another fun thing to do here in Toronto. Blackcreek Pioneer village is having its Christmas by Lamplight program today and tomorrow. Guests get to stroll around the village admiring the Christmas festivities and decorations, all lit by old fashioned lamplight. You can choose either just the lamplight walk or the walk with dinner reservations as well. Check online for ticket information. If staying up late ( the walk is 6:30 to 9opm) doesn't work for your younger kids, there are some great daytime activities they'd enjoy too, like taffy pulling, chestnut roasting and more- take a look here for the daytime activities this weekend.

More advent fun tomorrow- we're nearly there folks!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 16

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 16

Today's advent envelope holds a picture of one of our winter menu features- "Sparkle". A collar of boxwood surrounds a mass of white blooms, all set into a silver pot. At just $45 this is a perefect hostess gift for that holdiay party you are going to this weekend!

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge And More

2011-12-15T14:51:00.002-05:00

I missed taking a photo of the fridge yesterday, so here it is today- lots of lovely winter flowers.

Aren't these gerberas in shades of pink adorable?

Our Advent Calendar is looking great- we see so many people standing reading all the entries, which is very nice and makes us smile! Only ten more countdown days left!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 15

2011-12-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 15

Today's countdown envelope wants you to get pumped about Christmas, and what better way than with some great upbeat Christmas music? Check out this amazing Youtube video by musician Sean Quigley. It's going to make you get up and dance! And if you are here in wet soggy Toronto, it will make you really yearn for some snowy weather:)

see you tomorrow!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 14

2011-12-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 14

Today's envelope of our Advent calendar tells us that you can learn how to make the perfect bow, to add some panache to all your Christmas present wrapping! Play the mini movie above to see me make a simple multi loop bow (apologies if the sound is tricky, but it is my first movie :))
This technique was taught to me many many years ago when I was a florist in training!

see you tomorrow for more calendar fun.

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 13

2011-12-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 13

Today's Advent envelope is a DIY! Inspired by these images that I clipped to my pinterest board (what? You don't know pinterest? Well, ask me about it some time!) I'm challenging you to make your own snowglobe.

(image: marthastewart.com)
(image: myblackbook)

I followed the basic instructions found on the Martha Stewart website for this, but with a couple of modifications.

I of course did this with my trusty sidekick Patrick.

You need a clean glass jar with a lid that screws on tight, a small piece of sand paper, glitter, a figurine of some sort (we used a penguin) that is plastic (not metal which would rust), and clear drying epoxy (we used press-tite contact cement on the advice of my hardware store owner, who told me epoxy smells very strong and is kind of toxic so he wouldn't recommend using around my little helper). And also a bottle of glycerin ( we found ours in the first aid aisle of the drugstore).

First you need to rough up the inside of the jar lid.

Then glue on your figurine. We also added extra glue around the rest of the lid and spread glitter on, to make it look more ice like.

And then you have to wait for the glue to harden and set, which for us was about 15 minutes.
Then you fill your jar with distilled water and put in a hint of the glycerin (I know, Martha was a bit ambiguous about how much glycerin. We possibly used too much, because our glitter globbed a bit!), Then sprinkle in the glitter and screw the lid on tight.

Voila!

I'd love to see how your snowglobe works out- share a photo with us here on on our facebook page!

-----jess

Edited to add: the globbing I mentioned went away after a few hours, and the globe now works perfectly! Yey for DIY.

Favourite Online Magazine- New Issue Out Now

2011-12-12T16:08:00.004-05:00

Our fav Toronto based online decor mag Covet garden has it's latest issue out now. Beautiful and inspiring as always!
check out the latest issue of covet garden here.

I'm looking forward to the next issue- it features the family of a west end Toronto shop owner, artist and creator that has a blog called Bookhou at homeI follow.

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 12

2011-12-12T11:18:00.002-05:00

December 12

Day 12 of our Advent calendar countdown, and today's envelope is a handy reference for the main types of Christmas greenery we are using in the shop this year.

And an extra little gift for you- a handy tip:

Christmas greens will cover your hands in sticky sap that doesn't easily wash off. Pine is the worst for this. No problem, use our floral shop method- pour about a teaspoon of cooking oil into the palm of your hand and then massage all over your hands, making sure to rub well wherever there is sap. Then pour some liquid soap on and wash your hands as normal. the sap will have disappeared, AND you will have soft holdable hands!

see you tomorrow!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 11

2011-12-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 11

Today's Advent envelope is a fun thing to do in Toronto. Head on down to the Harbourfront Centre at Queens Quay for a FREE skate on Toronto's largest outdoor rink. If you don't have all the gear they do have rental equipment, including skates for children. There is an indoor change room with lockers and washrooms as well as hot food and drink available at their rinkside restaurant.

So go on, get out there and have some fun today!

see you tomorrow for more countdown fun!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 10

2011-12-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 10

Today's Advent envelope is a reminder to spend some time watching those favourite Christmas shows- you know the ones. Recently I watched "Rudoph the Red nosed Reindeer" with my son and as always it was a sweet reminder of childhood. We're also planning on seeing "Frosty The Snowman" and also a newer Christmas movie "The Polar Express" What are your Christmas classics? Share with us here in the comments or on our facebook page.

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 9

2011-12-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 9

Today's advent envelope says to make your won marshmallows! I've wanted to do this for ages and am surprised to see how easy it actually is. here are links to a few of my favourite marshmallow recipes online.

The always knowledgeable Martha Stewart has a great recipe that also shows how to cut them out into snowflake shapes, with tips for keeping them from sticking together.

SmittenKitchen blog has a good recipe here, that also includes a funny story about getting all gummed up in gooey marshmallow strings, which is how I imagine this working out for me too!

Here is a good looking recipe, except that it calls for a candy thermometer- which I don't have, but maybe you do?

The Ezra Pound Cake food blog has a very easy looking recipe, but again needs a candy thermometer. Can I borrow yours?

So there is your Friday night activity all set and ready to go- let us know how it turns out, here or on our facebook page. I'll show mine too, unless things go terribly terribly wrong!.

Check in tomorrow for day 10. Be Merry

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 8

2011-12-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 8

Today's envelope on our Advent calendar is all about giving! We're walking down to our neighbour, Short and Sweet cupcakes and buying some of their delicious cupcakes for our friends on the street- just to say "thanks" for being so great and to celebrate the spirit of the season. Who are you going to give to today?

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-12-07T15:10:00.003-05:00

The fridge is done- filled with great winter goodies, including...

green skimmia! Isn't it gorgeous?

Don't forget that you can win a beautiful amaryllis plant from us today- head on over our facebook page and make a comment or leave one on this morning's blog post.

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 7

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 7

Well look-y here! Today's advent envelope for day number 7 has a picture of our "Winter Favourite" design- a planted amaryllis bulb set in a tin pail with decorative moss and Christmas ornaments. And guess what else?

It's a GIVEAWAY!

That's right! We're giving away one of these Christmas classics- just leave a comment here or on our facebook page telling us about your favourite Christmas tradition . We'll pick a comment at random and send the lucky person an amaryllis plant. You need to be within the GTA and able to accept delivery sometime between tomorrow and this coming Saturday, December 10th.

Be merry and see you tomorrow for day 8!

-----jess

At The Shop

2011-12-06T15:48:00.003-05:00

The GIANT advent calendar in our window is starting to look very festive as we open each day's envelopes- are you following along? Each day there is something new, you can catch up here on the blog or you can "Like" us on facebook to follow along there. See the short person in the reflection on the window in the photo above? That's my special helper today, who is off sick from school and being such a trooper!

Also, just wanted to remind you about this;

Our annual food drive is on, and when you drop off some food we will send you along with a beautiful bloom to say thanks.

And lastly, very exciting news here on the north Avenue- we have a new neighbour. Anna K has opened just across the street from us. Looks like they've done a fabulous job renovating the space.

check in tomorrow for the next envelope in our christmas coutdown.

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 6

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 6

Today's envelope on our Advent calendar asks"what's your favourite Christmas music"?

I've got a soft spot for big band Christmas songs- here is my son's favourite one, "Silver Bells" by the Glenn Miller orchestra:

But there is of course the always cool David Bowie and Bing Crosby who collaborated on the classic Christmas song "Little Drummer Boy":

We want to know what YOUR favourite Christmas music is- please feel free to let us know, here or on our facebook page!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 5

2011-12-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 5

Today's envelope is a reminder to donate to our "Flowers For Food" drive. It's so simple and you get something great back from us. Bring in some non- perishable food items to the shop and we'll send you on your merry way with a beautifully wrapped bloom. That's right, you get a free gift for donating. We collect all through December and donate all the food to Second Harvest, a fantastic organization here in Toronto that we just can't support enough. The folks there collect unused food from restaurants, grocery stores, you name it and that food gets made into delicious hearty meals for folks that are in need. They have all sorts of good programs going on around the city, visit their website here to find out all about it and how you can help even more. And for those folks who follow the blog but aren't here in Toronto, please donate to any foodbank collection in your area- winter is hard enough to get through without going through it being hungry.

See you tomorrow for more Advent fun!

-----jess

Countdown to Christmas-December 4

2011-12-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 4

Time to shop for more gifts! Make you way down to the One Of A Kind Show at the Direct Energy building to catch the last day of , well- one of a kind gifts. There's something for everyone here, and the place is filled with an amazing array of talent, you'll need the whole day to take it in.

More countdown tomorrow- check in for Day 5. Be Merry!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas-December 3

2011-12-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

December 3

In today's envelope we find Periwinkle's own winter menu feature "Mother Nature". Going somewhere special this weekend? Maybe a Christmas get together? Well, pop on in and pick up one of these beauties to make sure you get invited back next year. A simple wooden cube holds an aromatic mix of winter greens, pine cones and berries with an earthy accent of birch bark pieces. A sweet yellow feathered friend peeks out from among lime green (eco-label) roses. This piece will get the holiday mood going without screaming "Christmas". Visit us on line at periwinkleflowers.com or pop by the shop to grab our "Mother Nature" design today.

Tomorrow is day 4, come back and see what we find- Be Merry!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 2

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

December 2nd

Visit the Lowes Toronto Christmas Market, on from today to December 18th at the Distillery District, here in Toronto. A family friendly experience, you can stroll through this European style Christmas festival and enjoy tasty winter eats and drinks, listen to Christmas music, see Santa's reindeer, meet the big guy himself, and most magical of all (to me) take a ride on a wonderful vintage style Ferris wheel. If it's snowing when you go it is truly a breathtaking site to see from above this beautiful reclaimed factory aglow with lights , filled with happy people and holiday cheer.

Stop in tomorrow to see what's on for day 3 of our countdown- Be merry!

-----jess

Countdown To Christmas- December 1st

2011-12-01T09:28:00.000-05:00

December 1st

Did you know your kids can write to Santa through Canada Post? And the best part is that he'll write back! You can find all the details here on Canada Post's website. And even better than that is Santa now has an email address so you don't even have to snail mail if you don't want to.

When I was a child my siblings and I used to write out our lists and my Dad would hold them above our coal fire and let the updraft pull them up the chimney to fly off on the breeze to the north pole. But Santa certainly never replied to those, so I think this way is more exciting!

Mail off the letters to Santa Claus c/o North Pole, H0H 0H0. No burnt fingers necessary.

Check back in tomorrow to see what's in envelope number 2 of our Advent Calendar.

-----jess

Happy Anniversary To Us- Celebrating TEN Years

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Big news everyone- Tomorrow, December 1st 2011 we mark our tenth year as a store. We can't believe it, time really has flown. Ten years ago we opened our little flower shop just two doors up from our current location on Avenue road. Our business has certainly evolved since then as we've come to carve out our niche in a very competitive market. Erin and I have some exciting plans ahead for the next year to help us celebrate this milestone. We kick it all off tomorrow with our December "Countdown To Christmas" that will include some great flower giveaways, and will continue into the new year with special anniversary events and blog posts so stay tuned for that.

I thought you might like to see how things looked when we first opened all that time ago in December 2001- for the first few years we kept a scrap book all about the store. Erin kindly scanned a few pages for me to share with you:

See you tomorrow for Day One of our special Advent Calendar!

----jess

Bat Mitzvah Flowers On Sunday

2011-11-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

I drove into work early yesterday to set up a Bat Mitzvah at a nearby synagogue. It was strange being out and about when it is still dark and the roads are so quiet. Had it not been pouring rain I would have seen the sun rise. The tables each had five individual glass cubes set in the center: two with hydrangeas, one with a pink gerbera, one with a soft pink rose and one with a hot pink spray rose. They looked great against the hot pink sequined tablecloths.

There were two large pieces for the sanctuary, that will be moved to the buffet table after the service this morning.

I also had an order for a surprise anniversary party being picked up the same morning at the shop:

I was really pleased with these, the two toned calathea leaves really made it look funky don't you think?

-----jess

Weekend Plans?

2011-11-25T16:39:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow, Saturday November 26th you need to head downtown to Nathan Phillips square for the 45th annual cavalcade of lights. Can you believe, 45 years? There is the tree lighting, fireworks, a concert featuring Jarvis Church, Kellylee Evans, JRDN, Justin Hines and singer Victoria Duffield. (it's ok- I only know the first one on that list too!) And then, to top it all off there is a free skate party on the outdoor ice rink. Awesome way to spend a Saturday night. Everyone loves fireworks. Get out there.

-----jess

(photo from the city of toronto special events page)

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-11-24T16:01:00.002-05:00

Fridge is filled- roses (in white, lime green, two tone yellow with red, and a lovely soft pink), white hydrangeas, white poms, orange lilies, green spider mums, gerberas in various colours, hypericum berries, chincherinchee, and some nice chunky cut amaryllis. Secret section is also filled to overflowing for several events and special orders we are working on for the weekend.

-----jess

Stylish Wedding Inspiration

2011-11-22T15:43:00.003-05:00

Winter means wedding consultations for those of us in the flowers game. Most brides choose to marry in the warmer weather, so they do all their planning now in the cold and dark of winter. It's nice to think about warmer sunnier times! Here are some of my favourite blogs for wedding inspiration. I've already been married many years and have no intention of going there again, yet I still find these sites full of sweetness and love. Take a look for yourself!

Once wed

Ruffled

Style Me Pretty (we've had one of our brides featured on this fab blog, you can see the post here)

Enjoy some sweet dreams of romance and warm weather!

-----jess

(photo is of one of our lovely brides from years past, Kathryn)

Our Winter Menu Is Here!

2011-11-21T13:47:00.004-05:00

The shop is all christmassy- lots of hanging mercury glass ornaments and our winter menu containers are all set up ready to go.

We also got our December window ready- we're doing an advent countdown this year and it's going to be lots of fun. Every day we'll count down by opening one of our envelopes to reveal a fun surprise- we've got great tips on Christmas fun around the city, some DIY posts, giveaways and wintery ideas so make sure you check in daily here or on our facebook page to see what's new each day.

Our winter features are up on our website now- you can find our seasonal pieces here and our specifically Christmas pieces here. I can't believe I'm saying this, but now all we need is some snow to get right into the winter spirit!

-----jess

Do You Love MistleToe?

2011-11-17T13:21:00.004-05:00

There is a serious mistletoe shortage in Toronto this holiday season. As in, there isn't any mistletoe in Toronto this holiday season. Apparently, there is or has been an ongoing drought in Texas, which is where our commercially grown mistletoe originates, and so- a shortage. While trying to corroborate this information today I learned a lot about mistletoe. It is a parasitic plant. It is spread by birds, who eat the berries and help the seeds get to other trees. Once on those trees the mistletoe seeds attach themselves and then begin to establish a new mistletoe plant. They draw water and nutrients from the tree they attach to, and this does slow the trees growth and in some cases leads to the end of the tree. However, new research has found that certain trees prosper with mistletoe on them because the mistletoe attracts birds that in turn help the trees to spread their seeds also. I found a great article on wikipedia that was really helpful. And take a look at that mistletoe in the photo above- isn't it beautiful? Wow- what a lovely plant, even though it is considered a major invasive pest in some areas of the world!

(photo from Elie plus via wikipedia)

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-11-16T15:25:00.002-05:00

Fridge is filled again. And we're working on some really fun marketing ideas, including our December window display- can't wait to share it with you!

-----jess

More Wedding Loveliness

2011-11-14T15:24:00.003-05:00

I was just taking a break and cruising a few of my favourite blogs when something caught my eye. On the lovely blog Bonjour!, written by a talented Toronto photographer named Celine,I saw a post about some wedding photography she did. Boy, that bride looks so familiar. Wow, she really does.....wait a second- Periwinkle worked on the flowers for this wedding! How exciting to see these photos. The couple, Kate and Matt, are adorable. Nicest folks you could ever ask to work with. So take a look at the post here to see how perfect the entire wedding was. Seriously.

-----jess

A Spring Wedding

2011-11-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

As promised, today I'm sharing some adorable photos that a bride we worked with in April passed along to us.

Here is the lovely lady with her bridesmaids:

The handsome groom's boutonniere:

A fantastic shot of the bride with her bouquet as the ceremony began:

The ceremony and reception was at the Capitol Event Theater here in Toronto. We lined the aisle with these stunning pieces:

Karen created such a lovely event for herself and new husband, and we wish her all the best!

Here is the charming couple:

Hope you enjoyed that remembrance of spring- so nice to revisit on a blustery November day.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge And A Hint Of Tomorrow

2011-11-09T14:14:00.004-05:00

Another market day and the fridge is filled again with lovely late fall blooms.

We had a nice visit from an April bride, who brought in some photos of her day for us to share, which I'll be doing in tomorrow's post but they're so good I wanted to slip one in today to give you a hint of what you'll see tomorrow!

So pretty!

-----jess

Sneak Peek At Our Upcoming Winter Features

2011-11-08T15:04:00.002-05:00

We've been working hard getting our new winter designs ready. There's something for every occasion of course, with some hits of Christmas in there too. They'll be in store and online soon. Get ready winter, here we come!

-----jess

Something Nice To Think About As You Start Your Week.

2011-11-07T13:27:00.003-05:00

I found this fabulous video via one of my favourite blogs (where I while away time I should be doing something else with) called Whatever. Came away feeling grateful for all the little wonderful things that make my life AWESOME! Take a look and start your week with a smile.

-----jess

Weekend Plans?

2011-11-04T10:16:00.003-04:00

Make your way down to Exhibition Place this weekend and enjoy Toronto's Royal Winter Fair. The farming celebration runs from Nov. 4th to the 13th, which is good because you'll be hard pressed to take it all in with just one visit. There are plenty of things to wow the younger kids, such as a petting zoo of adorable farm animals, the super dogs show and some fun musical acts appearing on stage, but the grownups will find much to keep them occupied too- celebrity appearances, wine tastings, cooking demos and more. Don't miss out on one of Toronto's finest winter traditions. Check out the Royal Winter Fair's website here for all the details.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-11-02T15:39:00.003-04:00

Lots of colour in today. Love it. Won't show you the secret section, but it's filled with winter blooms and greenery, things like pine and boxwood. We're working on our winter menu features. Just walked to Starbucks to get us a caffeine fix, and they have their Christmas decor up already. Not quite there yet, mentally, but am trying to channel snow and wintery weather to get in the mood for the designing. Hard today, because it's a balmy 18 Celsius out this afternoon. Lovely stuff for November. Hope you all got to enjoy it.

-----jess

Some Party Pics

2011-11-01T13:07:00.003-04:00

We did a small Bat Mitzvah last week, and as you can see it involved many of Periwinkle's favourite elements....

Lots of bright pink and deep orange, with playful feathered butterflies everywhere.

Fun!

-----jess

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T11:37:00.002-04:00

These spooky pieces went out on the weekend for a Halloween party.

Delightfully spooky!

And speaking of Halloween-

We are closing a little early today at 5pm

so I can get home and go trick or treating with my son, who is dressed as a vampire and looks very convincing until he starts laughing which makes his fake fangs pop out!

Have a frightful evening all.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-10-28T16:31:00.003-04:00

Sorry- the fridge on Wednesday never got photographed, thanks to rechargeable batteries that do not in fact recharge, and yesterday's post never materialized either, thanks to a surprise day off with a flu stricken five year old. So here is the firdge as it is today! Lots of orange in for some Halloween parties we are designing for this weekend.

-----jess

A Little Floral Inspiration

2011-10-25T16:00:00.003-04:00

Anytime I need a little pick me up, I love to visit other flower shop's blogs and websites, especially those that are in completely different growing zones or serve a different market than us at Periwinkle. Here are links to just a few of my favourites:

Honey of a Thousand Flowers, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. A small floral studio that does a lovely loose style.

Floret, based just north of Seattle. This blog is about a flower farm, a nice way to see what goes into the grower side of the business.

The Monkey Flower group, in Napa, California. This floral studio gets to use a totally different type of product than us, so interesting to see.

Hatch Creative Studio, a fab event and floral studio based in NYC.

Preston Bailey- this is Preston's website, which is just amazing to look through and see what he creates for events- he is a designer to the stars and it's easy to see why!

Hope they give you some inspiration too!

-----jess

Weekend Plans?

2011-10-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Halloween is fast approaching, which means you'd better get those pumpkins carved soon. If you want to make a day of it, why not visit Toronto's own urban farm, Riverdale Farm, where they are having their annual "Halloween Hoot Boo Barn" event for children 3-10years old (they must be accompanied by an adult, so make it a family affair!). Kids can visit the farm's pumkin patch and carve their own, and as always there are great wood oven baked treats on sale. The event runs this Saturday and Sunday, October 22 and 23 9:30 am to 3:30pm. The grounds of the farm are perfect for a fun fall hike through the woods, especially with the amazing colours of autumn trees we are seeing this year and don't forget- the farm is on the chopping block with Toronto city council so you may not get another chance. Entrance to the farm is FREE!

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-10-20T16:23:00.002-04:00

I'm barely noticing what a gloomy rainy day it is outside, because here in the shop we've a fresh market crop in- lots of bright colours and bold shapes! We've got alstromeria, mini gerberas, regular gerberas, roses in many colours, hypericum berries, celosia, dahlias, snaps, spray roses, sunflowers ( really, these should be finished for the season by now but they just keep on coming), watermelon mums, ornamental kale, hypericum, hydrangeas and spider mums.

-----jess

Actually, we don't sell flowers. We sell proof of your awesomeness.

2011-10-19T11:26:00.007-04:00

Imagine:

Out of the blue, a delivery comes to your door. You open up and standing there is a delivery person holding a package wrapped with cellophane glistening, ribbons tied in bows and colourful tissue. You open it up and there inside is a delightful arrangement of flowers, that immediately puts a smile on your face. You read the card and see a friend was thinking of you today. You set the flowers on your coffee table and spend the day finding reasons to go by them to take another look. Every time you see them you smile. You feel cool, a little glamorous maybe, but most of all you feel special and you feel loved. And you can't stop thinking of the wonderful person who so thoughtfully sent you these happy feelings just when you needed them.

I can't tell you how many times we've had someone say to us " Don't you think this is the wrong area to be in? There are so many flower shops on this street". The thing is, Periwinkle doesn't really sell flowers. We use flowers to make fun creative designs that we send out for our clients but what we really sell to our clients is proof of being awesome. We help you share with your friends, family and colleagues how awesome you think they are, but also how awesome you are too, because when you send someone the happy feelings they get from your thoughtful gift, those feelings are reflected back to you . Making people feel loved and cared for and special makes you feel loved and cared for and special. Simple, right?

If you just want a quick bunch of flowers to plop in a vase on your table at home, chances are you'll grab one at one of the small corner grocers that dot the area. But if you want to make a friend feel thought of, loved, cared about, a floppy bunch of flowers rolled up in printed paper isn't really going to do it- you need a creative whimsical unique design of flowers, lovingly wrapped with all the trimmings, something you know will have the recipient thinking about you and how awesome you are! And that is where Periwinkle comes in. Now get out there and continue being awesome :)

-----jess

Weekend Plans?

2011-10-14T13:51:00.003-04:00

Do you like scary movies? Me, not so much, but I know I am in the minority with that. An event runs this weekend and next that everyone else except me might want to check out- The Powerhouse of Terror. It looks REALLY scary! It's out in the west end at Lakeshore and Kipling, and is not recommended for kids younger than 10. Which is why I know I'd hate it. Take a look at the website, if you buy your tickets on line you get a discount, and if not take along a non-perishable food item for $2 off at the door.

And thinking ahead to the big spooky night itself, if you are attending a halloween party take along one of our spooky designs as a hostess gift- give us a shout and we'll put in your order.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-10-13T17:03:00.004-04:00

Hope every one had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday? My family and my in laws all celebrate, so we drove to eastern Ontario and enjoyed the AMAZING weather- a boat ride on Otty lake, sitting outside with family for hours, a hike at Mill Pond conservation area and way too much good food. Good times! But now, back to the business at hand- I did the market run today, for a change, and now the fridge is filled again, as you can see above.

And here, just take a long look at these warm sunny dahlias from our always amazing local growers. This may very well be the last week for them as now the weather has turned cold and they are a field crop rather than green house, so a cold turn means their end is nigh I'm afraid.

I know, so gorgeous and just plain juicy looking, right?

jess

Yey Thanksgiving!

2011-10-07T17:15:00.003-04:00

What an amazing weekend it looks to be- sunny and warm, with fall colours in full swing. Thanksgiving is here at last. For the weekend, we are open as follows:

Saturday October 8th open 10am to 3pm.
Sunday October 9th closed
Monday October 10th CLOSED

Open again our regular hours of 10-6 Tuesday October 11th.

We do have some gorgeous fall arrangements made up in the shop, ready for that last minute hostess gift, so don't be afraid to pop by unannounced!

Have a great weekend, don't eat too much and see you next week!

-----jess

The Women In Leadership Foundation Annual Toronto Luncheon

2011-10-06T16:56:00.003-04:00

Erin spent the day downtown at a very inspiring conference put on by the Women In Leadership Foundation. The theme was "Passwords to Success", and the panel of five women business professionals each spoke about what their personal meaning of success is. Erin was truly touched by what the speakers shared with the audience, and met with some interesting personalities from Toronto's business world. (She also enjoyed the chance to dress up a bit, since here at the shop we typically wear our uniform of store shirts and jeans :))

We're looking forward to getting more involved with this organization and can't wait for their next event. They also have chapters in Vancouver and Montreal.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-10-05T16:16:00.003-04:00

The fridge is filled again, after a morning market run by Erin. Wonderful fall colour for the upcoming holiday weekend- celosia plumosas, ornamental kale, kermit button mums, dahlias in many colours, gerberas, mini gerberas, sunflowers, berries, trachelium, spray roses,

These stripey beauties ( that leaving me feeling pepperminty :) )

And these stunning roses that I could just gaze into all day.

-----jess

Celebrating A Special Occasion?

2011-10-04T14:38:00.008-04:00

At last, our much worked on and laboured over new "Greetings and Special Occasions" page is up and running on our website.

May I introduce our fabulous birthday designs:

"Birthday Present"

"Forty Rocks"

"Birthday Pinwheel"

Our creative designs for new arrivals:

"Welcome Baby Prince"

"Welcome Baby Princess"

(these come with an adorable sparkly diaper pin accent!)

And our super cute new home design:

"Home Sweet Home"

And last but not least, our happy and bright get well design:

"Get Well Soon, Sunshine"

All of these can be seen in more detail on our website page, here.

-----jess

Weekend Plans?

2011-09-30T10:44:00.004-04:00

This Saturday night plan to stay out late! Toronto's annual free all night art extravaganza "Nuit Blanche" begins at 7pm with over 130 art installations, performances and projects occurring across the city.

Visit the official site here.

You'll find a great app on the site that lets you download a navigation tool to your blackberry or iphone to help plot your route through the evening. And they also map out rest areas where you can take a break, because it takes a lot of energy to stay up all night!

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-09-29T15:57:00.002-04:00

Well, the fridge is finally filled (again), with some beautiful fall blooms:

Hypericum berries, kermit button mums, sedum, roses in red, orange and yellow, sunflowers,celosia, ornamental kale, dahlias in white and orange, freesia, alstromeria and lisianthus.

-----jess

Another Holiday Done!

2011-09-28T17:21:00.003-04:00

Rosh Hashanah begins this evening. It's been a busy week. Our fridge was filled. Then emptied right away. Filled again. Emptied again. And again. We had two wonderful designers, the lovely and talented Leslie and Janice, working with us, as well as Erin's mum who worked at an amazing pace. It takes a lot of work to get that many orders taken and made and delivered, all in the space of a couple of days and we are very thankful to our wonderful staff and delivery couriers, as well as to our clients for again trusting us with their holiday orders.

To all our clients celebrating this holiday Erin and I wish you a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!

-----jess

Web Site Woes

2011-09-26T10:43:00.002-04:00

As is always the way we are having web troubles during one of our busiest weeks! If you've tried to get on our site you may be seeing a white blank page- our server is having issues apparently- so I've put a page on this blog site that has all our current fall menu pieces, including our Rosh Hashannah designs, so you can still take a look when you are deciding what to order.

Click here to see the Rosh Hashannah/ Fall menu page

Our apologies and thanks for your patience

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-09-23T16:20:00.000-04:00

The fridge got filled again, and above you can only see the regular area- the secret section got topped up too! We've had a busy week- taking orders for next week's Jewish New Year ( a major floral holiday for us) as well as working on some fun parties for our clients for this weekend. More flowers will be arriving over the next few days as we gear up for Rosh Hashannah, and we are looking forward to some very busy design days.

-----jess

Rosh Hashannah Ideas

2011-09-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Rosh Hashannah begins next week- We're going to be running at 150% getting all our great fall designs out to help our clients celebrate. If you want to send out flowers to friends or family that can be used on their table, we've a few ideas you may like! Above is our "Pink Blush". A long low metal tray is filled with exotic blooms of cymbidium orchids and full roses, accented with berries, river rocks and a coil of bear grass for a modern twist. ($85 as shown)

Our "Colourful Rosh Hashannah Centerpiece", above, is filled with bright fall flowers that will look great on a long dining table. ($125 as shown).

And my favourite piece is our "Field Fresh" that sits in a grey stone look square container and is filled with bright oranges and yellows. ($125 as shown).

Take a swing over to our website's Rosh Hashannah page to see these designs and their dimension details and other gift ideas.

-----jess

Weekend Plans?

2011-09-16T10:35:00.000-04:00

It looks like the weekend is going to be one of those perfect fall weather ones. Cool temperatures with lots of sunshine. Any plans? If you want to get outside, why not take part in one of the many Terry Fox runs planned in the city? Check out the site here to get all the info on where you need to go and when.

If you want something a little more creative, check out the Queen west arts crawl- find all the details here.

Sunflowers.

2011-09-15T16:13:00.001-04:00

I don't know if you know this about the all star favourite flower of fall, the sunflower, but they are very heavy drinkers. Seriously heavy. They might have a problem. If you receive these sunny beauties, keep in mind that you really will have to top up your water level every day. Without fail. Other flowers will often let you get away with a few days of neglect if it isn't too hot, but not sunflowers. So give them what they need and add fresh water to the vase, and maybe even check the level twice daily just to be sure you can get the most from them.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-09-14T14:38:00.001-04:00

Fridge is done, filled with some really gorgeous things this week! Fall is certainly in the air.

Aren't these grasses amazing? How beautiful they are just as is, en mass in a glass vase.

And these- wow! Erin picked them up this monring and tells me that they are named "giant" dahlias and proceeded to show me they are as big as her head. The dahlia is on the left, just to clarify! (har har).

-----jess

Colour!

2011-09-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

We had a small wedding on the weekend, just personal flowers. It was a nice bright combination of hot pinks and purples with hits of lime green- yum! Above is the brides bouquet. The bride's mom passed away a couple of years ago, so she had us incorporate a small vintage locket with a photo of her mom inside into the binding.

This was the bridesmaids.

And there were also two flower girls, for which we did this:

Start with a ball of floral foam

then start covering it with teeny tiny flower heads.

Keep going.

Ta daa!

Cute, right? Lime green kermit button mums made into pomander balls. We gave them hot pink satin ribbon loops to hold them by.

-----jess

New Covet Garden Issue Is Out

2011-09-12T16:09:00.000-04:00

The newest issue of our fav Toronto based interior and lifestyle mag "covet garden" is out, and I love it! So great to see the creative types at home. The magazine also has a great blog here that is always a good read.

-----jess

Weekend Plans?

2011-09-09T15:41:00.000-04:00

If you are staying in the "hood this weekend, stop by short and sweet cupcakes's new digs just to the south of us- they are having their grand opening at the new location from 1-4pm this Saturday, September 10th. They promise cold drinks, tasty cupcakes, facepainting for the kids and more. Check out their blog here for details.

If you are up to venturing further afield, Toronto's fantastic downtown oasis Riverdale farm is having its annual fall celebration through the weekend, on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3:30pm where there will be:

FARM ANIMALS, CORN ROAST, HOG/CHICKEN CALLING,
CORN SHUCKING CONTEST, COW FLAP TOSS CONTEST,
BREAD MAKING AT THE WOOD OVEN, DISPLAYS
HANDS ON SPINNING-WEAVING,
DEMONSTRATIONS, CANDLE MAKING,
MEET THE FARMERS, GARDEN INFORMATION,
FACE PAINTING & CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES

( that's copied straight from their website!)

Sounds great,and if you've never been you should go this year, because Riverdale is under threat of closure under Mayor Ford's budget cuts.

Have a great weekend, see you next week!

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-09-07T15:05:00.002-04:00

-----jess

Fall Designs

2011-09-06T12:35:00.004-04:00

Since summer is basically over, we're past labour day and school is back in session, our local flower growers have also switched to the fall flowers such as berries, kale, dahlias etc. We've brought in a fresh line of designs filled with all the autumnal goodness. You can see our seasonal pieces on our website here.

(this is our design "Bloom", from our new fall collection available for $50)

We also have the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah coming up at the end of September, which is a very busy time for us at Periwinkle. We've put together some lovely ideas for gifts and for your own table, which you can see here.

(This is "Pink Blush, one of the new pieces we are showing for fall and for the Jewish New Year available for $85)

We are also in the process of changing our greetings and occasions page to show our new line of creative designs for birthdays, new baby, get well soon's and new homes- we will let you know when they are up on the site, but you can see them in store right away.

-----jess

Have A Great Long Weekend!

2011-09-03T14:33:00.002-04:00

We're closed Monday September 6th for Labour Day. See you on Tuesday!

-----jess

Weekend Plans?

2011-09-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Wow- It's that time again- the Air show is on this weekend! So, that's it- summer is officially over!

The show runs Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 12:30 -4:30 pm. It takes place over the lake, and you can easily view it from the CNE grounds, but also anywhere else along the waterfront. You can find out more here.

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-08-31T14:02:00.003-04:00

Erin was at market this morning. Our fridge is filled with local garden lilies, alstromeria, gerberas, cymbidium orchid blooms, green spider mums, blue agapanthus, white spray roses, pink sedum, green dendrobium orchids, sunflowers, leuchadendron, green trachelium, cherry brandy roses (orange with pink), sweet unique roses (medium pink), yellow dahlias and these tropical looking beauties....

Aren't they cool? These are nerines and are a favourite here at Periwinkle.

-----jess

This Week

2011-08-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

No posts at the start of this week- I'm off to the Ottawa Valley for the 88th birthday party of a dear family friend, but the shop is busy prepping our new fall menu and getting ready for Rosh Hashanah which will be here before you know it (end of September) and is our busiest time of year.

See you Wednesday

-----jess!

Wedding Flowers On The Weekend

2011-08-27T13:46:00.005-04:00

This wedding went out yesterday,

and this one goes out this afternoon.

Both of them simple and sweet, just how we like them! Today's wedding includes these:

Rose petals for scattering along the edge of the aisle. Contrary to popular belief we don't buy these as is, we do in fact have to buy the roses fresh, allow them to open through the week and then remove the petals on the day of. Leaving the poor roses looking like this:

Have a great weekend where ever you are!

-----jess

Help Us Win!

2011-08-25T16:50:00.003-04:00

We need your help! We've entered a contest to win a total "signage" makeover from Fastsigns, to help us spruce up our very weather worn store front.

To vote for us go to www.fastsigns.com/contest and find us- we are entry 358 ( you need to hit "next 50 entries" a few times to get near and then scroll down till you find our store front photo and then you can vote for our story.

(there's the store front photo above for you)

You can vote once a day. Each vote puts you in an entry for an american express gift certificate. More importantly to us :) it puts us in the running for our makeover!

thanks

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-08-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

Fridge is filled fit to burst with spider mums in green, pink and orange gerberas, leuchadendron, kermit button mums, agapanthus, lisianthus, delphinium, roses, sunflowers and alstromeria.

The secret section is filled too- we have two small weddings this weekend.

-----jess

Erin's Weekend Of Weddings

2011-08-23T16:05:00.006-04:00

Erin spent her Saturday lugging many many boxes down to the private ferry of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and then unloading them over at their Toronto Island clubhouse. Her good friend Mary Catherine was getting married and not only was Erin attending the wedding , Periwinkle was also providing the flowers.

Each bride's maid was wearing a different colour and carrying a bouquet to match, and the bride carried a bouquet that was a mix of all four.

The centerpieces, which we showed you here after the sample meeting, was a recreation of the lake that the groom proposed at. So romantic, and also so heavy and tricky to transport over a lake on a tight time frame! Erin did a great job as you can see.

We also had the pleasure of making a bouquet and boutonniere for the small ceremony our dear friend Amy had in Hamilton on Sunday, which Erin also attended!

-----jess

Favourite Blog - A Toronto Post

2011-08-22T14:49:00.002-04:00

Our perennial favourite design and decor blog, Designsponge, has a post up today featuring the lovely Toronto home belonging to the owners of GUS*Modern- take a look!

-----jess

Flower Care

2011-08-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

We have a great section on our website periwinkleflowers.com all about how to care for your flowers- take a swing on over and see what you need to do to get the most out of your flowers.

-----jess

Today's Flower Fridge

2011-08-16T16:40:00.004-04:00

The fridge has been filled to bursting after a market morning for Erin. the secret section is full too, as we have two weddings this weekend.

And a sure sign that summer is moving towards over- the sunflowers are huge!

-----jess

Favourite Online Magazine

2011-08-15T16:15:00.004-04:00

The Summer issue of "Sweet Paul" magazine is loaded with great photos and tasty recipes, like how to make your own soda, and delicious summer salads.

The styling in this magazine is always mind blowing.

I mean, seriously- how's that for a salad recipe? Gorgeous. Head on over and take a look.

-----jess