spring flowers 101 class results...

This was a night class devoted to spring flowers. We played with different types of daffodils, spirea, astrantia, hyacinth, fritillaria, geranium, muscari, hellebores, tulips, queen anne's lace, goosenecks, and lots more to create large organic looking arrangements in stone urns. So fun...

Looking at these photos makes me miss the spring, it's 80 degrees in NYC today, and I don't do well in heat (and neither do my flowers!!)...

gorgeous cherry blossom class results!

Good morning industrious flower students!
I'm looking at Constance Spry's work this morning. She was sort of the MFK Fisher of flowers...She taught women how simple flowers and foliage plucked from yard and garden could be used inside to brighten the home. I'm crazy about all her work. And it's inspiring me to learn and grown my own flower practice...

Nicolette and I are so busy lately with our own wedding/events work. We have two peony classes coming up that we're over the moon about...and then...what? I had a fantastic lunch with Julie and Nick of Confetti System fame last week and we talked about doing a collaborative class geared toward brides who wanted to make their own flowers and paper favors...we also talked about the end of the DIY wedding movement, so go figure.

There's also a Pink/Copper color class in the works, a class about fall fruits and foliage and we'll definitely be doing a dahlia class...

I want to teach more, but I also have a lot to learn myself...

Sarah

more lilac...and we still have spots left in tomorrow nights class!

We're finishing preparations for tomorrow nights LILAC & SCARLETT WONDERLAND...it's going to be out of this world - the local lilac is just peaking and we're getting in purples, whites, blushes and striated varieties.

There are still 4 or 5 spots left if you want to join, shoot us a line.

Those of you who have signed up, we'll see you tomorrow night!!

[These photos are from some studio work this week...the top picture shows a bouquet with Lilac (Maiden's blush variety) some local ranunculus, cherry foliage, black scabiosa, dogwood and majolika spray roses.
Bottom has purple lilac, ranunculus, fritillaria and hyacinth.]

La la la Lilac!

Lilac season is here and we are so excited to work with these sweetly scented blooms...

We'll have tons to work with in next weeks Lilac color workshop. 6 Spots left!

COLOR WORKSHOP: Lilac and Scarlet

{weeknight edition}
April 28th, 6-9 pm
$250

Every spring we can't get our hands on enough lilac. Dusty, barely-there lavender to deep royal plum - lilac varieties encompass a unique spectrum of the color purple. In this class we'll cover the basics of how to arrange flowers, paying special attention to the combination of the colors purple and red.
***

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 champagne and tea party.

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

new peony class added!

Peony Bouquets
Wednesday, June 2nd 6-9pm
$250 {CLASS IS FULL}

We'll be hauling buckets and buckets of peonies into the studio come the end of May - join us for an evening to learn about all the varieties and ways to employ this floral queen in bouquets and arrangements for the table. Alongside a host of other late spring material such as thistles, delphiniums, columbine (hopefully! - one of our favorite late spring flowers), green blueberry, nigella, ornamental oregano, garden roses, and more. Each student will make an arrangement to take home in a silver julep-cup style vase. Open to all levels.

***

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 prosecco and snacks.

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

from the Succulents Class...

D-D-DOPEST CLASS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
But then I guess we end up saying that about all classes....
We played with various types of ecchevaria, jasmine, carnations, hyacinths, ranunculus, kangaroo paw, poppies, eucalyptus, dogwood, astrantia, muscari, fritillaria and a few other bits.

I still have to post the photos from the Spring Flowers 101 and today's Cherry class which was crazy town also...

Anyone interested in another peony class? We're thinking about adding one for next month - especially interested to know if you'd want a weeknight class or a weekend class...

Fragrant Flowers...

It was such a miserable, rainy day for our Fragrant Flowers Class two weeks ago - but every student marched out the studio with something bright and cheerful...a welcome reminder of warmer days to come. We used lots of fragrant sweet pea, jasmine, carnations, (did you know they smell like cinnamon and clove?!) garden roses, narcissus, lilac, hyacinth...and of course there were some ranunculus for good measure.

Thanks for such a beautiful class everyone!

Tiny Treasures

Hooray! Just two days until the first day of Spring and I'm overjoyed to see eager little Spring flowers forcing their way out of the soil. I'm loving all the delicate bell-shaped flowers that the early spring has to offer. I took a few moments (ok, i was procrastinating..) to enjoy these humble blooms and took some of photos to share! These delicate little bells are perfect for small scale arrangements.

this mini arrangement is only 5 x4 inches!

fritillaria

muscari

snowdrop

You can play with these beauties in our Spring Flowers 101 class! 5 spots left...

Cherry Blossoms are almost here!

Cherry Blossoms
Sunday, April 11th; 1-4pm
$250

In this basics class we'll usher in the season of the Cherry Blossom! In all their bubble gum pink or snow white glory, we'll use the cherry to build wildly lush arrangements that celebrate the first warm days of the year. Focusing on a palette of tonal pinks from muddy tea-stained hues to deep mauves and pale rosey blushes. We'll be using some of our favorite early Spring blooms; the glorious cherry, bleeding hearts, ranunculus, columbine, flowering oregano & heuchera & lysimachia.

***

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 champagne and tea party.

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

Ode to the Peony!

Ode to The Peony
Sunday, May 16th, 1-4 pm {FULL}
$250

Mirror, Mirror on the wall - who's the fairest of them all??

Few flowers make us swoon like the peony. 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 be mixing these bodacious blooms with other spring materials like lilac, lamb's ear, nigella, scabiosa, young (green) blueberry and clematis. Every student will make an abundant summer bouquet dripping in lush peonies! Trust us, we're counting down the days for peony season...

***

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 champagne and tea party.

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

Spring Flowers 101

SPRING FLOWERS 101

{weeknight edition}
Wednesday, March 31st; 6-9 pm
$250


The basics class inspired by the beautiful harbingers of spring. The end of March brings us dogwood, hellebores, fritillaria, sweetpea, daffodils, locally grown ranunculus, pansies and spirea. We'll investigate an early spring color palette of fresh ivories, whites, creams with touches of lavender, mauve and deep violet. Contrasting the small delicate blooms of spring with sculptural dogwood branches, students will create their own woodland-inspired arrangements.

***

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 champagne and tea party.

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

Mother's Day Class

MOTHERS DAY CLASS!
Saturday, May 8th; 1-4 pm
$250 per student

Who better to celebrate the art of arranging flowers than with your mother! We're encouraging daughter/mother teams to sign up together, but this class is open to all. We'll go over the techniques of creating an arrangement with lilac, lily of the valley, peonies, snowball viburnum and a host of other May flowers. Each lady will create an abundant spring masterpiece in a stone footed urn.

***

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 champagne and tea party.

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

the herbal class...

Everyone planted a window box with sage, thyme and rosemary (hopefully you all are being good herbal stewards and keeping them healthy) and made a wildflower arrangement in ball jar using anemones, ranunculus, rose geranium, rosemary, sweet pea, raspberries, andromeda, scabiosa, jasmine and eucalyptus. [Sigh]


...and so there's a little floral preview of spring for you, on a day when it's going to be 60 degrees here in new york!!! Nicolette and I are going to try to find a place to eat lunch outside today while we brainstorm the next set of classes. Thanks everyone for your ongoing support and enthusiasm, Little Flower School makes us so happy...

herbal class update!

For those of you who made the herb boxes, how are they coming along? I brought one home, and mine is doing good. I water it very little - maybe a pint a week. I made nicolette's roasted beets with thyme recipe monday night - and I shall MAKE IT AGAIN:

- diced three small beets, threw them in an oven proof bowl (or pan)
- two pats of butter on top
- 6 or so sprigs off thyme
- just enough water to cover
- a sprinkle of salt/pepper

Baked for about 30 min. at 350 degrees, or until most of the water was absorbed.

Then I tossed them with some greens and a shallot vinaigrette. the key to a good vinaigrette is to let the (very) finely chopped shallot macerate in the vinegar (i like to use champagne vinegar) for 20 or so minutes. then I whisk in a bit of dijon mustard, salt and pepper, then the olive oil in a very fine stream whisking very fast till all is melded. i topped this hot mess with a little goat cheese and toasted walnuts because everyone knows that beets+goat cheese+walnuts is killer!

I still need to go through the photos from the herb class and post them here...

Here are some photos from our mock-up/made for TV class last week...we used lots of seasonal February flowers - anemones, ranunculus, dusty miller, camelias, scabiosa, eucalyptus, quince, etc...
We're putting together more classes for April/May now. We would LOVE to hear you're requests!
Check back later in the week for the new schedule.

LFS Valentines

Good times with roses, ranunculus and red wine last Friday night...

Hellebore Class

[Thank you Amy for running our photo booth again!]

We had a great class on Saturday - we worked with some achingly beautiful hellebores. The cut hellebores have been so fragile this year, so we brought in hellebore plants and had students cut right from them...the results are magnificent! We were so happy with this class...next week we have our vampy-valentine class which I'm stupidly giddy about. Making a special mix tape for it as I type this...

EXTRA! EXTRA!

SPRING SCHEDULE RELEASED! NEW CLASSES!

Roses, Ranunculus and Red Wine
Our Special Black-hearted Valentines Day Class
Friday, February 12th; 7-9pm
$175

Discover your inner vamp while learning to create a sumptuous hand-tied bouquet using a selection of the darkest flowers and foliage. Drawing from a palette of velvety crimson, blood-red and black; create something beautiful for yourself or a loved one.

***

Fragrant Flowers {CLASS IS FULL}
Saturday, March 13th; 1-4pm
$250

This is a Basics class inspired by the delicate fragrant flowers and foliage of early spring. Drawing from a selection of hyacinths, muscari, tuberose, rose geranium, narcissus, parrot tulips and fritillaria we'll discuss basic color theory, proper handling, and arranging techniques. Each student will create their own fragrant arrangement to take home.

***

[Photo by Tara Donne via Real Simple.]

Succulents in Flower Arrangements {CLASS IS FULL}
Sunday, March 28th; 1-4pm
$250

This is another Basics class. We'll demonstrate the beauty of combining succulents with flowers. Using a variety of succulents, air plants, moss and flowers, each student will create their own low and lush garden-scape style arrangement.

***

Cherry Blossoms
Sunday, April 11th; 1-4pm
$250

In this basics class we'll usher in the season of the Cherry Blossom! In all their bubble gum pink glory, we'll use the cherry to build wildly lush arrangements that celebrate the first warm days of the year. Focusing on a palette of tonal pinks from muddy tea-stained hues to deep mauves and pale rosey blushes.

***

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 champagne and tea party.

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

get ready

...playing with hellebores in preparation for our next class HAIL TO THE HELLEBORE!
Also, my friend Alice posted this great site for hellebores on her blog. HOLY CANNOLI those are some incredible hellebores!!!