Happy Holidays with Cookies and Flowers

Merry Christmas Eve!  These are a few of my favorite things, as I've mentioned.  We've been pretty busy at work prepping for the holiday season with lots of yummy, fragrant things...

I didn't get to make a gingerbread house myself this year, but the pastry department was busy making 3.  They still had time to make a little ginger friend though.

Then in the hall I found some beautiful orange roses that we ordered for an event.

Then back in the kitchen the rooves had been iced and chimneys added.

Over in the office we'd had a delivery of dozens of white roses.

Then it was candy time in the kitchen.

And I went to the conference room to get the green, white, orange and pink roses, and the pink and white peonies into water

and when I got back to the kitchen there were some little trees too.

And lots of cookies!

And sprinkles!

And then the houses were done and ready to be packed

and delivered to the parties

along with all the little cookies.

Later I walked by L'Olivier Floral Atelier, which I'd visited in the spring and their fluffy pink and purple trees, a fun twist on the holiday.  Best wishes for a Merry Christmas this weekend!

Last Holiday Craft Fair Review

Went to the last spree of holiday craft fairs for the season last weekend.  When we were in Brooklyn we were within walking distance of FOUR different events!  First, here was a little friend who got stuck on our window sill for a little while.  I guess he was just saying hello. 

In downtown NYC we went to a special Holiday Pop-Up sale with Liddabit Sweets (got a "Slurtle", a drunken turtle with beer caramel, potato chips and a dark chocolate shell) and CookieBar (got World Peace Cookies from Dorrie and Josh Greenspan -- oh my gosh, were these amazing, I almost walked back after I finished one).

Saw some Snoopy ornaments in a window near Chinatown.  I have a Peanuts Christmas collection, so I was tempted...

First stop in Brooklyn was at the Lyceum where we went to a great fair in the spring.

Then to the the Brooklyn Craft Central's Legendary Holiday Market in 2 Locations: #1 was the Textile Arts Center.

I totally want to go back there for a class or an event sometime soon now that I know how to get there.

Cool, pretty stuff, including the best quote on a tote bag ever: "I knit so I don't kill people", haha, love it.

Then to Littlefield Performance Space.

And then over to the gifted holiday market of the Brooklyn Flea at Skylight One Hanson.

What a breahtaking space!

At a wedding this summer some of the original tables from when the building was a bank were used in the dining room (photo by Boutwell Studio).

The Big Social Holiday Market takes the Hester Street Fair indoors on Mulberry Street.

And last, but not least, the Jersey City Craft Mafia held a Holiday Market too!  Phew, busy season...

Amaryllis Arrangements: Done!

I posted about the prep for these amaryllis arrangements and this is about building them: first I had to choose a container.

Then started with the pepperberry as a base to give it some structure.

Then started adding greenery, leaves and the flowers,

filling them in and making them look plentiful.

But I wasn't happy with the tall vase so switched to a fishbowl to give it a different shape, so this was the prototype.

But the arrangements were going on round tables, so they had to look nice all around, so back to work:

and then there were nine!

Tomoko from the pastry kitchen tied the bows so beautifully since she used to work for Jacques Torres!

Then packaging: foam crates and bubble wrap.

And they made it to the event just fine.

It was a satisfying night and I walked down Fifth Avenue smiling.

Amaryllis Arrangements: Prep Day

Although I was planning on using mistletoe for my next project, another opportunity came up to make table arrangements for a client's event.  So, I visited the space to get some inspiration and then it was back to the flower market for more research...

I wanted to find just the right greens.

And some kind of texture, maybe berries or something, hmmm...what are these...?

Some branches would also be good

and the room has a lot of gold in it too.

I really didn't know what these were!

But was told these were wild cucumber.  Not quite right for this, but amusing nonetheless.

I had to resist the phalaenopsis orchids I usually get

even though the pink hues were amazing but I needed a holiday theme instead.

And no flowering kale for me that day

no poppies either

and I had to tear my eyes away from the peonies and roses 

because I was here for the deep red amaryillis

and chose some sturdier evergreen branches and these leaves (mental note: need floral i.d. guide for sure)

and some beautiful pepperberry.  I got enough for 9 arrangements and hauled it all back to the office...more to come in Part 2!