THE WRAP: When I was in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, browsing the shops on Robertson Blvd. with my friend John, I discovered the POP Phone at Kitson, and it was love at first sight. I purchased the “Retro” handset in red, mainly because I thought it looked pretty swell with my new custom iPhone case from Gelaskins. It feels just like the phones I used when I was young, but it’s more comfortable to have resting on my shoulder due to the soft touch paint treatment! The speaker and microphone work beautifully, and the pickup/hangup button means that I don’t have to struggle with my mobile while accepting or disconnecting calls. Best of all, the POP phone eliminates over 99% of absorbed phone radiation! ❀❀❀❀❀ (out of 5).

I recently designed four bouquets, each representative of a different season, for a marketing campaign. As spring is now upon us in my part of the world, I thought it would be appropriate to share the bouquet that stands for spring! I used some quintessentially “springy” flowers, along with succulents, which are heavily indicative of spring to me. In Southern California, succulents begin to show their offspring in the spring- a single succulent can “birth” nearly a dozen little babies! I love seeing the little succulent babies growing, and when they are big enough, detaching them and moving them to their own little plots of land where they can mature and then reproduce themselves!

Although spring here in Denver is not what I am used to, and it brings with it weird fuzz in the air that makes me sneeze, moody weather changes, and more bugs than I’ve ever seen in my life… there is still promise in the air- promise of grass greening, flowers blooming, sunnier skies and warmer days ahead. After the seemingly endless days of winter, this promise of new life, this burst of color, cannot help but bring a smile to my face. And hopefully, to your face as well!

On a recent rainy day in Oakland, {lovah} and I landed at the Bica Coffeehouse to enjoy an espresso {lovah} and a green tea {me}. It was one of those perfect days in the East Bay, chilly and wet outside, but warm and cozy inside. We sat by the window and worked on our computers (Bica has speedy, free wifi) while watching the rain pound the pavement outside. If you’re in the Rockridge neighborhood and in need of a good cuppa, check out Bica.

Flowers are one of the first gifts that come to mind when we think of our mothers on Mother’s Day, just as we know to give flowers to our lovers on Valentine’s Day or to smooth things over after an argument. The giving of flowers is ingrained into modern culture, and we know that flowers can say “I love you” or “I’m sorry,” but did you know that there is a long tradition of individual flowers holding very specific meanings? Red roses are widely known to say “I love you,” but they can also stand for respect, courage and even embarrassment! Different flowers can have a variety of meanings, both positive and negative, so it’s important to know which flowers to pair together in order to get your true message across.

First published in Paris in 1818, Charlotte de La Tour’s classic Le langage des fleurs first brought floral meanings to the masses. Although meanings had long been associated with different floral specimens, the Victorians, in particular their poets and artists, used the meanings of flowers to convey messages in art, literature, and even in day-to-day settings. de La Tour’s book gathered known floral meanings rooted in ancient history and laid those meanings out, creating a reference guide that we still draw from today. While we no longer attend balls carrying nosegays that can indicate if we are unattached or not, we can definitely use the lost language of flowers to convey meaning through a simple gift.

There are many resources online for discovering the meanings behind various flowers, so next time you’re shopping for a floral gift, do some research first! Choose a color scheme (colors matter- in many cases, different colored flowers even of the same variety can have vastly different connotations!), find out what various flowers in that color scheme mean, and then visit your local flower shop and ask the floral designer if you can choose individual flowers to have made up into a special bouquet.

For a mother’s day gift, you could choose lavender, for devotion. Alstroemeria stands for prosperity- and who doesn’t wish prosperity for their loved ones? Ivy stands for dependance and endurance, both qualities that mothers have in plenty. The pink pixie (or mini) carnation reveals the meaning of a mother’s love, and gratitude, again very apt for such an occasion. And the ranunculus demonstrates radiant charm. While your mother probably won’t know these meanings outright, you can include the meanings on your enclosure card, and it’s a given that she’ll be delighted by the thought and detail you put into such a heartfelt, personalized gift.

Let’s bring back the lost art of using the language of flowers!

Although I definitely consider myself an Angeleno, the East Bay will always be my second home. I was born in Berkeley and lived in Oakland until my mother and stepdad migrated our family to the MidWest. My Dad has remained in the Bay Area, and now my eldest sister and her husband have settled back into the Oakland Hills after years of living on the East Coast. This is the view from their home, and as much as I love Los Angeles, I have to admit that there is no prettier view in the world than this view of the Bay Bridge, the Bay, San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Heaven on earth.

These are just a few of the florals I recently designed for my dad’s 65th birthday party, hosted by my eldest sister and her husband at their beautiful home in the Oakland hills. I chose colors and shapes that coordinated with the design of the home so that the floral pieces looked relaxed and natural in the space, while still adding a touch of festivity for the party atmosphere.

Using a lot of heavy texture, as I always do, I was able to create visually interesting pieces from the larger statement arrangements all the way down to the little mini arrangements that graced coffee and side tables.