Blog

A little about what's happening in our big flower world...

Mayday Mayday!

Really...June? What happened to May?

Well, we were caught up in so much fun in May we hardly posted any updates.

So here's our little summary...

We kicked off May with our Dear Mama: DIY Floral Design Workshop. It was such a blast playing flowers with 25 awesome ladies. Their designs were just so beautiful. I was thoroughly impressed. Cannot wait until we hold our next workshop later this summer (keep your eyes peeled for dates). Thank you again to Crystal of Crystal Lynn Photography for shooting our work and giving us photo memories to last forever. You're the best, really.

Here's a few shots of our fun. (click on images to see gallery of photos)

And then Mother's Day came and we SOLD OUT at our Pop-Up Flower Shop held at Merchant & Main. Thank you to Merchant & Main for inviting us to Pop-Up for the weekend. You guys rock and took such great care of us! And a huge thank you to all our loyal customers for coming out and buying your mamas our pretty little designs!

Then we spent a few days in the woods trying to recover with this cutie patootie making ivy crowns, chasing banana slugs, and a whole bunch of hammocking.

Oh and then we partnered up with my sister and brother's company Graphic Expression to enter the Vacaville Fiesta Days Window Display Competition. And we took first place!


And in the middle of it all, we somehow designed and delivered these floral beauties....

So May, you came in hot and you went out sizzling. We are embracing June (the kick-off our wedding season) with wide open arms and look forward to telling you about a few of our exciting new business ventures. Bring it June!

Just a post...

...not even a picture. Just stopping in to chat for a bit on, well, everything.

We have been kinda busy lately. Weddings are in full swing, summer events filling up, planning our workshops, continuing to take new classes on style and esthetic, meanwhile getting out our day-to-day designs. It's kind of magical really. Our house is submerged in flowers and greenery (that includes the little scraps I find in every nook and cranny). It is pretty darn glorious. With this heat, the air conditioning circulates the delicious smell of sweet peas and eucalyptus throughout every room, a real awful problem right? Things we refer to as FPP or "Florist People Problems" which are REAL problems I swear. 

I've heard from many florists that Mother's Day is one big freak-out session. After all, it is our busiest week of the year. But, I am pretty much just plugging along like its just any other week. Just with a lot more flowers & a workshop thrown in there too. Now, talk to me at the end of next Sunday & I may have pulled out most of my hair, dulled all my snips, and lost a few fingers in the thick of it all. 

But really this post is about our people. The feedback & support that continues to pour in is like eating an entire humble pie for every meal. It's just shocking & sweet how living in our home town and growing our little business has brought our support system out from every angle. I wish I could personally thank every single person who has ever mentioned our flowers to a friend, ordered one of our designs, liked or shared our social networking posts, passed along our business card, or even asked how "the flower thing" is going. So here it is...THANK YOU! We couldn't be happier. We are proud to have our little business in this community and love that we are able to give back. Even if it's just through making you smile. Because really, that is the whole reason we do this!

Really though, thanks.

Floral Fun with a Snap!

Thank you to all of our Pollen Mill friends who signed up for the Dear Mama~Floral Fun Workshop! Registration is officially closed as we are at maximum capacity. For those of you who missed out, need not worry our Summer Fun~Floral Crown Workshop is coming up next!

In other news, we have a special guest coming to the Dear Mama Workshop! Crytsal Lynn Photography will be in attendance to take her gorgeous photos of each arrangement...Oh Snap! Attendees will have photos of their bespoke designs posted to The Pollen Mill blog. Crystal's work is nothing short of amazing & we are ecstatic to have her talent join our flower fun! You can see some of Crystal's beautiful shots here on her website: www.photographybycrystallynn.com

Get ready! It's going to be one FUN night!

Come & Get 'Em

We've got flowers and they smell delicious. Come & get 'em!

Only two days left to help support the Orchard School 6th grade outdoor education camp. 25% of all sales will be donated toward sending these kiddos off for a camp experience of a lifetime.

Call, message, or email for ordering.

thepollenmill@gmail.com, 415.710.3358 (mobile)

Our new up-cycled bottle vessels add something clever to the designs.

Boom, lilac explosion.

Boom, lilac explosion.

Magnolia, protea, & lilac...oh my.

It's That Simple.

The Pollen Mill team pretty much fell in love, all over again, yesterday. It was really easy to do with all these gorgeous spring blossoms and a few of my favorite things displayed all together. We staged a photoshoot in the studio for some of our new marketing materials. It wasn't the easiest feat... Ali nearly broke her neck standing on a bar stool while trying to shoot pictures and screw in a light bulb at the same time (insert appropriate blonde joke here). I'm sure I looked just as silly trying to follow shadows with a spotlight. Yep, I was even the gaffer.

Hard to believe, but we came out unscathed with one of the most beautiful shots I could have ever imagined. Thank you to my dear biz buddy, Ali (self titled: Intern 1), for always helping with a smile and contributing so many awesome, new creative visions. You sure are rad.

My little green vintage tool box (aka Earl) is one of my favorite belongings. It was given to me by my father-in-law and I immediately filled it with all my special florist tools and treats. I take Earl, the Toolbox, everywhere my flowers go. As you can imagine, I was so excited when Ali suggested adding him into our shoot. Doesn't he look so handsome?

Orchard Owls For Life

One of my fondest memories as a child was a week spent at 6th grade camp while attending Orchard Elementary School. I will never forget our night hike, wearing Paul Davis' sleek 49ers starter jacket all...week...long, making beaded friendship necklaces, and exploring the tide pools. Even now, I look back on this adventure as one of the most hilarious and memorable experiences. In fact, I loved it so much, I even returned as a 6th grade camp counselor my junior year at Vaca High.

In effort to help build these memories for the 6th graders at Orchard School now, I am offering a special Orchard Owl For Life donation. For each floral design ordered Sunday, March 30th through Friday, April 4th, The Pollen Mill will donate 25% of sales to Orchard Elementary 6th Grade Camp.  With the end of the school year coming quickly and camp fees due this week, the funds are still several thousands of dollars short to get these kiddos out to have the experience of a lifetime.

If you would like to make an additional donation, please make checks payable to Orchard Elementary PTC (mailing address 805 North Orchard Avenue, Vacaville, CA 95688).

Please call 415-710-3358 or email thepollenmill@gmail.com to order your designs today!

Our 6th Grade Camp spread in the Orchard School yearbook. Don't mind my lovely 6th grade penmanship.

Heading off to 6th grade camp with my favorite teacher ever, Mr. Loring Bloom.

OSG For Life.

The Bride and Blooms | San Francisco, CA

We got our little paws on a few photos from the San Francisco Pop-Up Wedding where we partnered up with Bouchon Restaurant. We just love seeing the joy on everyone's faces and our flowers glowing right along side them. Thank you to C+E for letting us be part of your bliss-filled day! We wish you all the best on your forever adventure together.

Dedication Event | Yountville, CA

A few weeks back, we were delighted to work with Ad Hoc in Yountville, CA for a special event. The celebration was complete with autographed cookbooks from chef in dedication of a new trauma center in Santa Rosa.

So what was asked of us?

Small, low to the table arrangements with bright green, white, and orange. A simple yet elegant feel with rustic and modern esthetic all tied in with eclectic blooms. The vessels we selected were quilted canning jars and apothecary bottles to tie-in the down home feel of Ad Hoc's decor.

Our floral designs inlcuded: pin-cushion protea, white snap dragons, dianthus green tick, rosemary, seeded eucalyptus, and ranunculus.