Falling Leaves...and Snow?!

Well, it's only October 8th and snow has already been flying!  Fortunately, it was Up North and I have yet to see it with my own eyes.  Although, this doesn't surprise me because I remember a few birthdays being celebrated with snow-covered trees!  Hopefully we can avoid snow in the next couple of days so I won't have that memory as I embark on year twenty-two.  Time flies, I am still young but I am starting to feel older every day!  Perhaps it's the pile of responsibility I have taken on this summer which makes me feel this way.  At least I was able to make it North before the snow, and it was gorgeous.  I mean who wouldn't love being out on Lake Vermilion surrounded by God's glory and beautiful fall colors on a 70 degree day?!  Well, if that statement didn't make you jealous, I bet the photos will!

As for floral design, well I must have still been on weekend time because I forgot to take photos of the students work.  Not to worry, I did a little bit of designing myself this week so we can talk about that instead!  The students created an isosceles triangle design in which they focused on creating a dimensional design.  Although the arrangement was only one-sided, we didn't want the students to create something flat and static so we really encouraged them to consider their stem placement and how they are angled. 

For my design,  I used some of the remaining materials left over in the cooler.  These flowers and/ or foliage were used for the flower and foliage ID section of the class.  Since flowers are purchased by the bunch, and we only used one stem from each bunch there were a lot of left over materials.  We have been trying to utilize these materials in other designs, because nobody wants to waste flowers!  However, these last few materials haven't proven useful yet.  I chose to use the following materials: salal, ming fern, mums, stock, lilies, and bells of Ireland.  It's a very vibrant color palette and reminds me of my bedroom at home.  I love the combinations though and I am really happy with the turn out.  I haven't been able to design in awhile so it felt great to be working with cut flowers again!

What do you think? Hopefully you like it, because someday I would like to be doing this for a career, I love it so much it wouldn't even feel like work.  I also spent an afternoon with some great friends and beautiful fall colors of Wisconsin.  Now, I am not a huge fan of this state because, well obviously it's not Minnesota.  I hate to even admit it, but it was absolutely stunning.  We went to the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI and the drive was fantastic.  Fall colors, rolling hills, freshly combined fields - I'm really a small-town girl at heart.  We also had a wonderful tour, it was very interesting.  Did you know the Leinie Lady maiden Indian figure's profile (in their logo) represents the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin and her feather represents Lake Superior?!  Pretty cool!  Not to mention, we got to stock up on Leine loot and taste some of their latest concoctions.  My favorite was the mix between Berry Weiss and Stout called the Black Bear.  It tasted more like chocolate raspberry cake and dessert rather than beer!

Today in floral design, we will be making corsages and boutonnieres.  I am really excited to see what all of the students come up with!  Maybe there will be some left of materials for me to practice design again, cross your fingers.  Until then, bundle up and enjoy the weather before it really gets chilly. 

Finally Fall

I am happy to say I've been able to relax a bit since last week's post.  Not to mention, it's finally fall and my favorite time of the year!  But, before we get to that excitement, let's go back a few days and recap Floral Design.  This week, students created a circular design somewhat similar to the 'recipe' design of an FTD Blooming Bounty Bouquet.  There was a little excitement with one student adding and a realization that we didn't have enough materials anymore.  However, once again we learned to adapt!  They did a great job working the available flowers and they all created different, unique designs. 

 

 

 

 

 

We used a different color scheme from last year, too.  My favorite is the above photo because this student used all green and purple elements and left out the peach carnations.  Obviously, these are my favorite colors so there is no question why I like this best!  All of these photos show the creativity of the class, each design is unique with its own elements of interest.  One thing we wanted them to really focus on was covering up their mechanics.  Mechanics are the materials used to hold the design in place like floral foam and waterproof tape. 

 



 

 

I enjoy adding in photos from my own designs last year, too.  It is fun to compare the two designs and see what sort of things have changed.  Personally, I like the color scheme of this year's design better!  Perhaps because I am the one in charge of picking out the materials.  I took my first solo trip to Koehler and Dramm for this design, too.  It was a bit stressful at first because there is just so much commotion, but I handled it just fine.  Plus, if I ever have a question I know there are a lot of friendly folks willing to assist. 

 

 

 

 Sometimes it's tough for me to just go and pick up what I need.  I always want to check out everything and see what's new.  Then again, I can't stick around too long because my fingers start to go numb pretty quick roaming around the chilly coolers!  I do love it though, I can see myself twenty years from now traipsing around finding exactly what I need for my clients and their floral needs! 

In Need of Some Serious Zen

Another busy week has ended with a more relaxing one on the horizon (hopefully...)!  This week, students created a Japanese 'Zen' Design, except it clearly wasn't able to affect me appropriately.  My schedule is on serious overload.  I do enjoy being busy though, it helps me keep focused when I most need it.  Back to design though, I must say this was one of my favorites from taking the course last year.  I enjoyed the simplicity of it yet it's capability of still being a stunning conversation piece.  Minimal materials were used and the concept of negative space was heavily emphasized.  Before the students got to designing, they first got a look at the materials which will be on their 'Flower I.D. Quiz.' 

I arranged each other the materials in order by the way they appeared on the handout, something which seemed like the logical thing to do.  However, Neil noticed it and complemented my organization.  I attributed this characteristic to my mother which was a surprise to him, clearly he doesn't know her as well as I do!  They did have a chance to meet last year when mom tagged along on our class field trip to Koehler and Dramm.  He thought she was quiet, which is odd considering I have never seen her so excited as that day roaming through the flower coolers. 

Oh, and how could I forget I had take my organization a bit further and make new labels for all of the bud vases.  The prior labels didn't all match and some did not even exist, so why wouldn't I make new ones? (And attach them with pink raffia to add an extra touch!)  I also showed off each vase to the class, and I am still working on my public speaking skills.  I got especially nervous attempting to enunciate a few of the scientific terminologies.  I feel like I am getting better though, slowly working up to leading lecture and lab by myself in a few weeks!

Next up were the designs.  Once again, the students all did a wonderful job.  There is really an array of creativity and it's great to watch it all unfold.  Plus, it freshens up my views and gives me the opportunity to check out some new thoughts and ideas.  As I looked back to compare my design from last year to this year's design, it was fun for me to compare and contrast differences.  For instance, this year when Neil and I went to market there were no galax leaves available.  So, we simply had to improvise.  It reinforced in me that things aren't always going to work out the way you hope or intend, so sometimes you just have to work with what you have and go from there.  A lesson which can come in handy in more than just floral design!

 

 

I was also able to fit in a trip to the Como Zoo & Conservatory, too.  It was a beautiful day to visit, and I have missed that place.  Como is one place that I can always go when I am having a tough day, it always seems to make me feel better and brighten my day.  And no surprise there, flowers are one thing that can always make me smile.  Unfortunately, it's not that often that I am the recipient of a beautiful boquet so I settle for a mini retreat to Como instead.  Being back for the first time following my summer at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens really brought on some reminiscing.  For instance the North Garden at Como is very similar to CBG's Costa Rica exhibit.  I miss those days spent chatting with Mark and enjoying the commotion of birds and butterflies amongst the lush, tropical plants. 

Now, it is Monday and time for a new design again.  Hopefully my next blog finds its way to you a bit sooner than this one!  In theory it should considering I have a relaxing, catch up weekend planned but then again things don't always go as planned!  So until then, enjoy this lovely fall weather because before you know it, it will be snowing (oh wait, it already was once at home!)

Diving In

Last week, I began my first official day as the HORT 1013: Floral Design Teacher's Assistant.  I spent the beginning portion of the day cleaning up our classroom and well doing what I do best: organizing.  I started off in one corner of the room and am still currently making my way around.  Organizing the ribbon cabinets was by far the most challenging task, as it was a bit frustrating to untangle ribbons which had previously been thrown into the cupboard haphazardly.  Oh well, if anyone could accomplish such a task, it would be me.  And naturally everything is now also color-coded.

I've still got a list of tasks to finish up my deep clean, but that will have to wait until sometime this week.  Life is sure keeping me busy and what I wouldn't do for a few more hours in the day!  Thankfully, there have been no major stress explosions.....yet.  During class, we went over the basics of lab procedure, how and when to harvest flowers, and the basics of design materials.  Form, line, mass, and filler flowers were discussed with examples to show the students what each term relates to in terms of flowers.  Next, it was off to the University of Minnesota trial garden to begin our first design.  Students were instructed to pick flowers of their choiced based on the requirements of 3 line materials, 3 mass flowers, and 1-2 fillers.

Back in the classroom, Neil and I both gave demonstrations on creating a bud vase line design.  I wasn't expecting to be giving a demonstration to 19 curious faces on the first week of class, but I did.  It may have not been my best attempt at speaking in front of a group, but hey it's a start.  My biggest struggle was working with the materials while trying to enunciate exactly what I was attempting to do.  When I work, I normally tend to cut the chatter and focus on my design.  This is definitely something I will work on improving for future weeks.  And naturally, the materials I was working with were not cooperating the way I had hoped!  I will take that as a lesson in learning to work with what you are given - something important in floral design as well as life. 

 

 

 

 

 

In my bud vase, I used some ornamental grasses as my line material, three sunflowers for mass flowers, and some beautiful yarrow as a filler.  It was really fun for me to actually get to make a design, as well as see what the students were creating.  I can already tell we have a lot of creative minds in the class, and they will be great designers!  It was also fun for me to look back on my designs from a year ago and compare/ contrast the differences and new skills I have developed in that time period. 

 



For instance, last year's design appears to have too much visual weight and is lacking sufficient amounts of negative space.  I was much happier with this year's design, even if I faced some struggles along the way.   I am especially looking forward to the upcoming week's design because it was one of my favorites last year: Oriental Line Design. 

Back to the Books

Well, as you can all tell it was a busy week hence the lack of new posts.  Judging from the chaos already ensuing, it may be stressful but I am looking forward to the many exciting things both new and old happening in my life this summer.  It's great to be back on campus and seeing so many familiar faces around, but I must say I still miss my days at CBG, Presti's Bakery in Little Italy, and all of the summer nights spent on the shores of Lake Erie.  Those are all memories now as I move into this next exciting chapter of my life.  Our University of Minnesota campus is looking as beautiful as ever, too!

On Tuesday, I celebrated a milestone - my last first day of class.  It was bittersweet but exciting for sure!  My course load for the semester is rather varied but interesting.  I can already see myself spending a lot of time typing away at my desk with lots of writing intensive work.  With a cup of PG Tips tea next to my computer though, I am prepared for any writing challenge to come my way.  I will also be getting my hands in the dirt during my Plant Production course.  I imagine I will be spending some time in the greenhouses throughout the semester, too. 

I am looking forward to my two new work positions as well.  I already started work as the Communications Assistant for College of Design Student Services.  It's been a couple of days, but I already know I am going to love my year and working closer with a few of the staff.  I am so fortunate to be working with such great people who are truly interested in helping me find my strong qualities and allowing me to use them creatively.  I have yet to begin my position as the Floral Design Teacher's Assistant but I was able to meet with the instructor, and I am really anxious to get started.  He is interested in making sure I get the most of my experience, and is willing to let me offer suggestions, demonstrate arrangements, and even teach a few lectures!  I may be a bit nervous for that last part, but I feel like it will be good for me to break out of my comfort zone. 

Before the week began, I was taking in the very last of my summer excitement.  I spent a few days enjoying the Great Minnesota Get Together.  I especially enjoyed my afternoon at the Minnesota Wine Country building.  I enjoyed trying some of the MN grape variety wines from the various wineries across the state.  Minnesota's wine country is quickly expanding and I am looking forward to checking some out in the near future.  I must say my favorite was definitely the Raspberry Wine Slushie!  Oh and how could I forget to mention I also got my photo taken with the infamous McNaughton Cup.  I can't even begin to explain how excited I am for the upcoming Gopher Hockey season. 

 

 

Tomorrow will be my first day as the TA for Floral Design, so I am excited to start sharing those adventures with everyone.  Hopefully I won't get too far behind in blogging with everything else happening in the next few weeks.  Until then,  enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

 

 

Home is Where the Heart Is

It's hard to believe it has already been almost a week since I finished up my summer at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.  As much as I miss Cleveland and CBG though, I have never been more happy to be home.  Although I could have done without some of the heat (90 degree temperatures decided to follow me to MN!).  I've enjoyed time spent with family and now I am looking forward to my drive back to Saint Paul to be with friends and prepare for my final two semesters as a Golden Gopher. 

Monday evening was spent relaxing at home.  Dad and I also went on a four-wheeler ride.  Oddly enough, after being around these machines for so many years, I have never driven one myself until this week.  Once I learned, it really wasn't that difficult at all especially after all of the machinery I operated this summer at CBG.  It was so wonderful to experience solitude again, and simply be in the middle of the woods with barely anybody else around. 

After a long drive from Ohio, it was so nice to be home again.  I spent all day Tuesday in the kitchen, something I had definitely been missing over the summer.  I love to bake and cook, but it's been months since I have had a good baking day.  Fortunately my Papa had lots of apples picked which either needed to be dealt with in the kitchen or taken to the deer in order to distract them from Mom and Dad's garden.  Well, their garden is going to have to suffer because I was baking up a storm!  At the end of the day, I had made two apple pies, two loaves of apple bread, a German apple cheesecake, and homemade applesauce.  Plus, I cooked a delectable steak dinner for Mom and myself.  Our dinner even included some of the veggies picked from their garden.

 

 

Yesterday was spent on the shores of Lake Superior and as much as I loved Lake Erie, Lake Superior is still well how shall I put it...superior.  We started off in Two Harbors and Flood Bay beach.  The water was a lot chillier however, so no swimming for me.  Next was off to Duluth.  We stopped at Leif Erickson Park to check out the rose garden.  It was stunning, I was so impressed to see all of the roses still flourishing in bloom.  And the black spot is not nearly as rampant as the poor roses at CBG.  We also got to have dinner with my cousin Kelsey, it was great to see her again!  I have missed so many people over the summer, and I cannot wait to see more.  The family Cranium game was even brought up, there were no questions who is in the running for three time champs this year!  Ally, Kelsey, and I are a power team - there is no chance of beating our intuition and matching brainwaves.  The rest of the family hasn't quite accepted this fact, but I guess the truth will soon be revealed as Christmas 2012 approaches quickly. 

 

 

A quick flashback here to childhood days and family trips to Duluth.  I have clearly changed my opinion of flowers from that day judging by facial expressions!  And just as anything I will move on now and all my CBG pictures and memories will always be memories, but I know there are still many more exciting things to come.  In fact, I have even decided to continue my blog.  I may have to adjust the name or description a bit, but I have loved writing so much that I would love to keep at it.  And since I happen to be the teacher's assistant for Floral Design this fall, why not keep going?!  So all of my followers, no need to quit yet!  I look forward to sharing with you my upcoming adventures!

Never a Dull Moment

Today I watched the Cleveland Botanical Gardens disappear in my rear view for the last time (for this summer at least). I say this summer because I am determined to visit again some day! The gardens are constantly changing and evolving so I'd love to enjoy them during another season! I'd especially like to be around for the winter show and orchid show, thankfully I'm a fan of CBG on Facebook so I'll at least be able to enjoy photos!

As far as my last few days at CBG, there was never a dull moment, with something exciting everyday. On Thursday, I got an unexpected call into Costa Rica. The ants had escaped again and Mark had to suck them all up and return them to their home before he could even think about morning duties. I was happy to assist and get everything done before guests began arriving at 10. I also had my exit interview in the afternoon and I was very excited to share my great experiences from the summer! Plus, I was treated to a birds eye view of the Courtyard Garden which was the inspiration for my intern project.

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Friday felt like my last day since nobody else would be around on Sunday. I spent most of the day in anticipation for the arrival of my guests, mom and dad! Once they arrived I gave them a tour of the whole garden including my work areas and the indoor biomes. I enjoyed being able to share with them all of the projects I worked on during the summer. Mom also got to see one of the many wedding parties that go through CBG, even better it must have been British because guest were wearing hats and one man even had on a kilt! We went to Melt for dinner, basically a glorified grilled cheese joint. I've been told by many I needed to try it out, and it was definitely worth it! Mom and I shared one of the sandwiches and I was still stuffed! That evening I also took them to Chagrin Falls and Jeni's Ice Cream for dessert. Dad definitely wins most interesting flavor with sweet corn and raspberry!

Saturday was an early morning for us, because I had lots planned for mom and dad to see! In my typical fashion, I even had a detailed itinerary planned out including our arrival and departure times for each destination.  We did pretty well on timing but I was also flexible to include a few other stops.  First off it was to Headlands State Park so I could show them my favorite beach on Lake Erie, many sunset evenings were enjoyed here.  After the beach, we headed into Ohio Wine Country.  I definitely have a greater interest in wineries than them but they were willing participants and even shared in a tasting with me at Grand River Cellars.  They enjoyed the ice wine just as much I as do.

After Grand River, we continued our wine tour to Lake Erie and The Lakehouse Inn. All I have to say about this - absolutely stunning view! The rest of the afternoon was spent near Ashtabula Harbor checking out the various vendors of the Ashtabula Wine and Walleye Festival. As odd as it is, neither wine or walleye were consumed but we did enjoy some chocolate covered grapes and samples of sangria wine fudge!

The lack of walleye was necessary to save room for the amazing dinner we were delighted to have at Tarsitano Winery and Cafe. The whole evening was pleasant and relaxing with friendly service, incredible wine and one of the most delicious four course meals I have ever had! I might be getting a little excessive on the photos this time but I am a total foodie and everything was too good not to share! We started with a Brie and prosciutto crostini followed by a house salad to share. I ordered the Riesling Rosemary Ravioli with steak for my main course, and I can easily say it rivaled if not beat out the Ravioli I enjoyed during Little Italy's Feast of the Assumption! We ended with a double chocolate cheesecake to share. This was all complemented quite nicely by the Isabella apple cider wine recommended to us by the owner!

And it's finally arrived, my last day as a Cleveland Botanical Garden horticulture intern. The excitement continued as I walked out to do morning duties and met a skunk in the Japanese Garden. Thankfully I didn't startle him because that would have been an unenjoyable going away gift! It's sad and I'm definitely going to miss the garden and it's amazing staff but I'm ready for home. Bring on the 16 hour journey!