Don't know what it's called. Jon remembers it being pulled out for serving holiday meals when he was a kid; maybe holding cranberry sauce and what else? The containers are small and shallow. In the spirit of the upcoming Pave' class I pulled it out from the dark recesses of the closet. You know, the one that holds things that almost never get used. In the past I've looked at it from time to time and sort of winced at it and slid it back in. Too fussy for my tastes. Those fickle tastes, always changing. I don't know if it will get used for food (hmmm. maybe a barbeque?), but I sure love it as a Pave' container.
I made this pretty fast. The anemones left over from another project were springing open and I wanted to catch them. Taping was fast and it shows. So forgive the craftsmanship this time. I wanted it to get from me to you.
Ah Geeze, that sounds a little like the beginning of a eulogy. Sorry about that! No, I just became acquainted with Alice by phone recently. She's sad she can't make it to the Pave' Class coming up soon. So here's some Pave's I made recently to tease all of you into the flower fold and to show Alice.
Yes, a Pave' Class at College of Marin is coming right up!
Pave's are low arrangements of tightly packed flower heads. You've seen them most often made with succulents planted in dirt for a wall hanging or table.These are short flowers heads in water in shallow containers. They are a great little option to have up one's sleeve for a low table, in the bathroom, side table....
There's a long tradition in Europe among other countries for using flowers this way. I found them a little more tricky to make interesting than I expected..Come play with flowers. Who is bringing the chocolate??
Note: Addition to the class: I'm going to do a demo only
of a Valentine Pave in a small heart shaped box with tiny flowers in
honor of the upcoming festival of love. Then we'll commence making Pave's in the container
you brought.
Details:
College of Marin
Feb. 8
Saturday, 10-2,
Fine Arts Building, Room 314
$68
marin.edu/CommunityEducation/schedule
Click on PDF 2 Mb next to the picture of the catalog to view the schedule on under pg. 24 in Home and Garden.
Click on Community Ed Registration Form to Register
Marin County just had it's driest year on record. I tend to start holding my breath with this kind of news in anticipation of this continuing dry trend and it's consequences.
80% of California water goes to farming. While there are many conservation efforts made for/by home owners, it seems to be a much more complex matter for farmers. In a sense that's good news, because so much more conservation is possible.
Some little bits of things from my surrounds. The tomatoes got clipped in November and stuck in water. They ripened and taste like summer. And my new love this year- grapefruit peels.
And Oh Happy Day! Presenting the newest member in my creative family of tools. It's the smallest 35mm type digital, a Cannon SL1. It's still in the evaluation stage as we get to know one another, so far it's a joy and hey- it focuses when you want it to. It's a wonder these new cameras don't give birth; they have so many bells and whistles. Luckily you can keep it as simple or go as crazy as you want.
Ah, Pinestone. This vase came from the dining room of a home on a ranch that Jon's family owned; Pinestone Ranch. It was located just up the pass from Manitou Springs, a small town we lived in many years ago in Colorado. When Jon's mother passed away we had the opportunity to buy it. For many reasons it wasn't a good fit for us then. A road not taken. Though it wasn't for us, it was too bad it couldn't be kept in the family. But what else is life about but change? So here's a homage to a beloved family home in the true west bedecked with the most luscious of local roses, amongst other little beauties. What filled this vase before my time with it?
I didn't expect to be writing about roses in winter. But it is California and there local roses available now that are wonderful. Got to confess; I think the ubiquitous red commercial rose, that tight red bud plunked on top of a ruler straight stem is boring. I was speculating something along the line of the poor roses being held hostage by corporate floral industry interests. Then just before sitting down to write this, we decided to watch a movie made in the 1930's. In the opening scene the leading actress was blocked by a vase of those rose buds. So there's a tradition to this, eh? Could it be that somewhere along the line someone- men or women, wanted roses to stay that in that puritanically tight form? Maybe a fully open rose was just too..... suggestive.
Or maybe I spend entirely too much time contemplating such matters.
These red ones have such heavy iconic associations they are rather challenging to use in fresh ways. This kind of challenge makes this work both hair pulling and really,really interesting.
http://www.terrestra.com/floral/
The Flower and The Vase
Thursday, December 12, 6:30-7:30
30 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley $45.
Here's a link to an event I'm very pleased to be sharing with Terrestra, a new store in Mill Valley that sells many wonderful artisan crafted vases and home accessories. I'm going to be demonstrating some Holiday floral arrangements and talking about the pairing of flowers and vases- kind of a Flower/Vase 101. Registration is limited.
Contact me at maryannnardo@sbcglobal.net or Terrestra to register.
Every year, every season, brings a compelling new interest, a new obsession in working with flowers. I decided to look up the definition of fetish- yes, my interests had gone that far.
Fetish:
1. An object that is believed to have magical or spiritual powers,
especially such an object associated with animistic or shamanistic
religious practices.
2. An object of unreasonably excessive attention or reverence
3. Any object or non-genital part of the body that causes a habitual erotic response or fixation.
Okay, yes for number 2- a little of number 1, but not number 3- well, at least not yet.
This fall my fixations are marigolds, grayed out Ami majus (Queen Anne's Lace, for those who missed that post), echinacea flowers w/o petals and privot berries. I keep using them over and over, trying to get to something, trying to realize something or just trying. But time for that obsession to be over. After this week, no more fall colors allowed. We're straight on into Christmas dream time.
There are two flowers in this arrangement that have no flower petals. Hmmm?
Roses continued: There is a
flower grower in Sonoma County,
to the north of us called Neve Brothers
hp://www.nevebros.net.
They are fourth generation flower growers and have been growing some garden type roses recently, roses that actually open.
This is a relatively new development in the floral industry. Roses are mainly bred to stay pretty closed, never quite exploding into full bloom.
Thanks Neve Bros for getting on board. Growers respond to what people want and people really love the garden type roses that open and have a scent. They are available
at the Marin County Farmer's Market, but sometimes their garden-type roses are only available at the SF Flower Mart.
And this fine little fellow sticking out of this wood vase
is the dried cap of a leek flower. It's a membrane that protects a leek flower
as it grows. When the flower is ready to open the tissue comes off. They are these fragile little shapes; really cool and weirdly endearing. I've had the dang thing for three years.
