Flowers in Real Simple July 2011

Hello flower friends!
Nicolette did a flower story in the July issue of Real Simple. The gorgeous photos are by the extraordinary Martyn Thompson. There are some really lovely photos* and lots of arranging tips. You can check out the article here or be sure to grab one at the newsstand!
Hope you are surviving the heat!

*this mostly green arrangement is my favorite. there are endless possibilities with all green arrangements. have you ever made an arrangement with all greens?

blue, bleue, blå, 蓝色, blu, sininen, 청색, asul, синий, azul, ブルー, أزرق

Some blue details from our Blue Color Workshop...

Bella Donna Delphinium

Tweedia

Amsonia

Bella Donna & Columbine

Scabiosa

Passion Flower

One teeny tiny forget-me-not

There are many more beautiful students arrangements on our Flickr.
Happy Fourth of July weekend!

Peonies!

Hello! Hope everyone is surviving this heat wave in NYC. Let's try to remember a cooler, breezier time...when peonies were just starting and wearing a scarf was still an option.

Here are some beauties from the Peony class.....

We'll be taking a short break from classes while we get through our busy wedding season.
But do not fret! We are scheming, brainstorming & organizing new class ideas and exciting travel/surprise guests/spaces/vases. SO MUCH!

We may even have a couple pop up classes this summer......

;

The most fragrant flowers...

Peonies have arrived just in time for our Fragrant Flowers class next week!

The above photo is the "duchess de nemours" variety. So heady and sweet.

Amazing.

Next week we'll be mixing fragrant peonies with many other of Spring's intoxicating fragrant flowers. Lilac is at its peak, delicate lily of the valley abounds, rose geranium, garden roses, muscari, tuberose, herbs and so much more!

Fragrant Flowers

Wednesday, May 18th
6:00pm-9:00pm

NY Botanical Garden -Midtown

$250

Register HERE!

Hope to see you!

Happy Mother's Day!

What a beautiful spring day!
Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful mom's out there!

Today I'll be setting up my annual Mother's Day flower stand in Williamsburg!
Come by for a made to order bouquet, pick up a few stems for yourself, or just come say hello!

Hope to see you!
xo Nicolette

Today! Sunday, May 8th
12-5pm
160 n6th street
(just off Bedford Ave, next to Shoe Market)
Brooklyn NY 11211

New Class: Color Study in Blue

A different kind of blue

Saturday, May 7th 1:00-4:00pm

$250

It happens that of all the blue flowers, many of the sweetest are only in season for a short time in the spring. Muscari, forget me knots, iris, blue bells - all exemplary in their azure hues - all at their peak in May. In this class we will take a look at these unusual specimens and combine them with other spring beauties like lilac, peonies, spirea, agapanthus & dogwood to create moody, watery arrangements fit for Picasso's blue period. This class is open to all levels.

The class meets at Nicolette's studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

50-52 Dobbin St

Brooklyn NY 11222

***

All classes are limited to 10 students, unless otherwise noted.

Clippers will be provided and are a gift to take with you.

Of course, class will finish with a refreshments.

Payments accepted through paypal.

To sign up or ask questions email us at hello.flower.school@gmail.com

New Class: Spring's Bounty

Spring Bounty

Sunday May 15th, 1-4pm

1:00-4:00pm

$250

One could easily argue that mid-May is the best time of year for flowers. Local ranunculus coming on strong, the start of peony season (Clare de Lune - an early peony that will make you swoon), an onslaught of lacey spirea, the season's first blueberry, crabapple blossoms, sweet pea shoots and hellebores. We'll combine a myriad of specimens to fashion a delicately sublime centerpiece for the table in a white-washed footed terra cotta urn.

The class meets at Nicolette's studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

50-52 Dobbin St

Brooklyn NY 11222

***

All classes are limited to 10 students, unless otherwise noted.

Clippers will be provided and are a gift to take with you.

Of course, class will finish with a refreshments.

Payments accepted through paypal.

To sign up or ask questions email us at hello.flower.school@gmail.com

New Class: The Peony

Our Annual Ode to The Peony
Sunday, May 29th, 1-4 pm
$250

Our most requested workshop, here in it's third edition. We ask in every class about student's favorite flowers and the peony is by far the most popular response. Why? Well you don't have to be a master florist to know it's because peonies are freaking gorgeous. Few flowers can compare in fragrance, flounce, femininty.We'll have tons to play with at the peak of their blooming season. Varieties such as Coral charm, Sarah Bernhardt, Festiva Maxima, Bowl of Cream, George Burns, Red Charm, Duchess, and others. We'll learn how to work with these show-stoppers and practice making arrangements using lilac, lamb's ear, nigella, scabiosa, clematis and a slew of other late spring blooms.

***

All classes are limited to 10 students, unless otherwise noted.
Clippers will be provided and are a gift to take with you.
Of course, class will finish with refreshments.

The class will take place in the Saipua studio at 147 Van Dyke Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Payments accepted through paypal.
To sign up, (or ask questions) email us at hello.flower.school@gmail.com

April showers..

Hello friends! How is it already mid- April!? Sarah & I are knee deep in wedding season but don't despair we're nailing down some dates for a few new classes. stay tuned..

There are still a few spots available in our Fragrant Flowers class May 18! This will be in midtown folks! Did you know that some tulips have a scent like honey? We'll have tuberose, hyacinth, lilac, tulips, muscari, jasmine, sweet peas, roses, carnations, narcissus, stock, rose geranium and so many more. Register over at the NYBG.

Benefit for Japan Class

We had a terrific group of ladies come out for our benefit class on Sunday. Together we learned about flowers, played with a gorgeous palette of coral, salmons, sienna, rust, and citrus, and created a gorgeous troupe of heady arrangements.

Not only that, but because of these killer arrangements, we were able to send a donation of $2,500 dollars to the red cross today.
Well done, ladies! Thank you!

Flowers used: Poppies, hellebores, "combo" roses, hyacinths, thunbergii spierea, 3 varieties of eucalyptus, ranunculus, silver brunia, "orange prince" parrot tulips, daffodils, fritillaria and tuberose.

New Class Added!

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with a pair of clippers and some champagne.

Sunday, June 17th

1:00-4:00pm

$12,500

By late June we usually have the urge to walk a long plank and fall backwards into open shark infested water. Why not join us? In this in-depth class, we'll share the secrets of arranging flowers at the bottom of the sea. Working in pairs, students will focus on creating lush, seasonal arrangements while tackling the nuances of buddy breathing. Using natural elements foraged from the sea floor, the class will home in on the use of various pearls, seaweed, and pirate treasure.

The class will take place 20 miles east of the Bermuda Triangle.

***

All classes are limited to 10 students, unless otherwise noted.

Clippers will be provided and are a gift to take with you. Students are advised to bring their own spear gun.

Of course, class will finish with refreshments. Can we make a champagne rain under water? We'll sea.

Payments accepted through paypal.

To sign up or ask questions email capt.nemo@gmail.com

APRIL FOOLS!!!

from the Dutch Masters class

Berkeley, California

On the road to the motherland of flowers (and food for that matter) we anticipated nothing less than a bombshell of a class - gorgeous ranunculus from Santa Clarita, incredible local fronds and foliage, food from the master of vegetarian delights and the most perfect, fragrant preserves studio to teach in...

So many thank you's to June Taylor of June Taylor Preserves for so graciously letting us come and use her spotless studio-kitchen, and for teaching me something new about flower arranging. June's art is evident in everything she touches from her meticulously spirited fruit concoctions to the meditative arrangements of rocks and natural ephemera kicking around her shop and studio. We feel so lucky to have a new friend in her, and bags of candied orange peels and rose geranium syrup.

And of course so much gratitude for the catalyst of this project, the wonderous Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks. We are totally spoiled now - if only all our classes could start with a light lunch of buttermild farrow salad with fresh herbs and radishes and splitpea & goatcheese crostini...I hope and feel our collaborations with Heidi have just begun...

AND lastly here's to the amazing group of students who brought with them all sorts of different ideas about color, form, texture and flowers -- see for yourself...

Please take a look at all the arrangements and more photos from the class here on our flickr page!

NEW CLASS: Benefit for Japan Relief Effort

[Japanese Magnolia from our recent trip to San Fransisco where these trees are blooming all over the city.]

April 3rd we'll be hosting a special flower class in which all proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross.

Did you know that the first week of April is the best week of the year for flowers? Non-negotiable! Get with it! By April 3rd we'll be inundated with flowering branches - think spirea, dogwood, and cherry. Add to that all the incredible bulb flowers; fritillaria, hyacinth, the most unusual tulips, plus the strongest sweet pea, the showiest local ranunculus, and the last good anemones of the season. Please consider signing up to learn the basics of the floral arts, celebrate the season, make a beautiful spring masterpiece, and join us in a small gesture of solidarity.

Spring Flowers Workshop

Benefit for Japan Relief Effort
Sunday, April 3

1:00-4:00pm

$250

The class will take place in the Saipua studio at 147 Van Dyke Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

***

All classes are limited to 10 students, unless otherwise noted.

Clippers will be provided and are a gift to take with you.

Of course, class will finish with a refreshments.

Payments accepted through paypal.

To sign up or ask questions email us at hello.flower.school@gmail.com

CALI

We've been up and down the coast of the golden state sharing these amazing ranunculus with you. Here's just one from our first LA class. We're off to set up for our class in Berkeley today at June's beautiful store and studio and Heidi is cooking up some recipes from here new book for lunch!

Can't wait!

We'll have tons of photos to share with you very soon form all three of these awesome classes.

LA Looks

Thanks a million times to Jamie and Jen of Ban.do for giving us

their rad studio and being hilarious and kind and accommodating

and thanks to Kristin from BAKELAB for bringing us the best coconut cake in the world

We have been driving a lot
We have been drinking a lot of coffee
We have been planning more classes and there are lots more pictures from California coming soon...

Willem Van Aelst

While browsing inspiration for this Sunday's Dutch Masters class I find myself coming back again, and again to the lavish, moody & sinuous paintings of Willem Van Aelst.

We've had a last minute cancellation for this class. Would anyone like to sign up for the last spot? Email us to register hello.flower.school@gmail.com.

This is real

Dear Mother Nature,
Thank you for taking the time to Shibori dye these Anemones! I really enjoyed finding these 3 gems in my bundle of 50 stems. I was compelled to photograph them for over an hour. Your technique and style is unparalleled.

Very truly yours,

Nicolette

Happy Valentine's Day!

Three ways to bring flowers home this weekend!

This Valentine's day you you have so many options!

If you're in Red Hook this weekend Saipua has teamed up with HomeMade for an amazing deal that includes flowers AND truffles. Um, yes please.

If you find yourself in Williamsburg this Sunday I'll be basking in the 39 degree weather & making made to order bouquets from noon-5pm on north 6th St. & Bedford Ave.

Come by and say hello!

We have one last spot in this Saturday's Ranunculus class!

Who would like to get your hands on these beauties?

Ranunculus are looking insanely beautiful this time of year! Me and my camera got lost in the layers of petals this morning...