Winter Market /  by Julie Greco

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. With one holiday rush under my belt I am ready to start tackling the upcoming holiday season.

Petals & Stems is happy to announce that we will be participating in the Evergreen Holiday Market being hosted by Vendor Queens in partnership with Evergreen Brick Works.
The holiday market will take place on for 2 special dates in December. The 14th and the 21st and I could not be happier to be a vendor.

As the day quickly approaches so has my excitement level. On the list of goodies I’ll be hosting at the market this year are: hand woven holiday wreaths, door swags, lovely table arrangements utilizing natural elements of the season and of course my famous soy candles in a variety of 4 select scents!

Lovely bunches of seasonal florals will also be available for the picking. 

Bespoke and handmade; each piece holding its own element of show-stopping uniqueness.
Come check us out, the farmers market at Evergreen will also be on and I’ve heard that there will be lots of live music and entertainment to set the mood.

Don’t miss it.

Muahhs
Jules

Check out our Google+ invite while you're here

Could Life Be Any Sweeter... /  by Julie Greco

This year will definitely go down in the books as one of the best. Not only did I marry my best friend, I was inspired to start my own business.

On passion and a glass (many) of wine, Petals & Stems came to fruition. It's hard to begin to believe what 12 months and some hard work has achieved.

I am extremely humbled by the response and continued support I have received this year from friends and family and I Thank you for fueling this confidence you all have instilled in me on the daily - you are truly wonderful.

Officially, Petals & Stems is "1" today, and what an utterly amazing year/feeling it has been. Such great feats have been accomplished in our one year of being in business. To say the least, we've built relationships and been a part of some absolutely great memories that will forever be remembered and make me smile giddily for many moons to come.

Those who know me, know that I have always been a realist with a great imagination and a great lustre for life...(always close to the edge but never over.) However deciding to start Petals & Stems was different; my adventure into the floral world took all the eggs (so delicately placed, one by one) in my basket and together we finally went over the edge, knowing the outcome would be magical.

Starting a business is a decision that requires the ability to know you can, and I did. I am committed, I am passionate, and I have been blessed with the gift of floral design.
Following my passion for floral artistry is something that I will forever be proud of.

Although I've worked my butt off this year, it's hardly felt like a second of work...I know it sounds cliché, but it's the truth and that's what I'm sticking to.

In the words of...Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Every artist was first an amateur"... and this year sure did bring its opportunity to learn.

Mastering hydration, hand-tying bouquets...coupling corsages were no small feats, rather large victories.

Please note, on the record, that some flowers have given their life to this learning process, but with patience and practice the number of them has gone down.

So I say, cheers to letting the learning process continue and my love for flowers continues to grow. The opportunities are endless.

The card read...
"So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life's a great balancing act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, in deed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed). The infamous Dr. Seuss...

Happy 1st Birthday to my sweet little business "Petals & Stems" thank you for giving me the courage to follow my dreams and the ability to be surrounded by folks who are inspired by my work. Each day continues to amaze me and I am so excited to see what the future has in store for us!

Signed: XOXO Jules

Mary, Mary, Mary… Dilemmas, Decisions, and Dollars /  by Julie Greco

It was certain that being a florist I would create my own bouquet for my wedding day, accompanied by the bouquets my six bridesmaids would carry. The dilemma I faced was - who would create the rest of the floral design for the big day?

Naturally, I am crazy enough to have thought I could’ve done all the floral design and be the bride, however the realist in me knew that this was slightly advantageous ’ as there wasn’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything.

Frantically I went out and sourced a few designers whose work in the Toronto floral industry I admired. After my 2nd consultation with a couple of the designers I knew I wasn’t really getting what I was looking for as well as the flowers that I had set my heart on. As a florist, our taste in flowers can be somewhat expensive…totally referring to my wild obsession for garden roses.  And our ongoing obsession with perfection.

After searching the city for a few weeks I found Mary. She resides in a little shop called Lavender Rose Flowers nestled in the Scarborough Village. I have to say if it weren’t for Mary, my vision would not have been captured so perfectly.

When I told Mary the flowers I wanted she giggled thinking I was kidding. When she realized I wasn’t, she looked at me more seriously, and said “OK” and we went to work. Picking a mixture of greens that would complement the centerpieces nicely. Salal because of its reasonable price (such an underrated foliage), Ruscus because of its finesse and ability to be manipulated, and lastly Nagi for its soft, delicate texture.

That night jumbo hydrangeas along with Juliet Garden Roses, Secret Garden Roses, Lisianthus, a countless amount of Majolika sprays and all my favs’ were ordered. I couldn’t believe how perfectly my vision was being captured.

I am definitely a person who gives credit where credit is due and I have to acknowledge the amazing job that Mary and her team accomplished for my big day.

I think that when you are in the market for someone that does the same work you do, you can imagine that as a florist it was very difficult for me to hire another, cut from the same cloth. She captured the beauty I was looking to find for my big day and I am extremely thankful and grateful for Mary and her team, one for capturing my vision so well and two, for allowing me to be involved in the entire process.

“THANK YOU” to Mary for helping me create 24 beautiful table arrangements for my big day.

XOXO
Jules

Behind the Scenes... Business & Besties /  by Julie Greco

In life we are blessed to have one person that just gets us from the inside out. I'd like to say that I am remarkably blessed, because not only do I have one, but I have many great friends supporting Petals & Stems on the daily. I have extremely talented ones too and from time to time I think it's important to acknowledge the amazing people that have contributed to the existence and livelihood I like to call Petals & Stems.

Meet Marcus, the man behind helping build the Petals & Stems brand, best friends for over 15 years.

Through all my crazy ideas and tissue paper business plans over champs, I'm glad I have such a supportive and tech savvy bestie to help my creative vision come to fruition.
Marcus, "The Master Web Creator!!!"

Being Italian, I can say that I am extremely passionate when I speak...and how I speak for that matter. I'm sometimes abrasive and I talk through my hands, like most Italians do, who are passionate about what they are talking about. I generally don't stereotype, however this one is not too far from the truth ;)... I digress lol

The process is quite simple: while describing what I would like to have done to the site, or a vision I have, it seems that with the waves of my hand, and a few descriptive words, he is able to go away and turn my mumbles, sketches, hymns and haw's into an absolute stunnerie'. To say the least, not only is he my bestie, he moonlights as a web magician. All kidding aside, he is great at web and content development.

Although these hands were made for crafting and design, the brand image would not be anything close to where it is today if it weren't for Marcus. For those of you who have aspirations to build a site, grow your business to the next level or get information on how to maximize your SEO (right ?!?! Ha)

Trust me when I say, all you need is a few glasses of champs, two hands and a little Marcus in your life to help build out your vision (msg me).

Thank you Marcus for getting me and my vision and creating something that I couldn't have dreamed up any better.

I love you!
Jules Xoxo

Springtime Showers and Dainty Fresh Flowers /  by Julie Greco

Hard to believe that just one week ago today I was amongst my Family and Friends celebrating my Bridal shower. The memory fresh as If I was still living the day; a day in which I will never forget.

Being a florist I had a dream of the prettiest daintiest bridal shower I could think of. 

The Theme: Chanel with an intense side of floral extravaganza.

The Games: Guests enjoyed the build a bouquet station filled will an abundant array of flowers and fillers. Not to mention the Chanel inspired fragrance bar where guests got to build a signature scent

The Flowers: All flowers were provided by yours truly #petalsandstems, from processing to placement to sheer enjoyment of being able to love my work, I could not have been more pleased by the outcome. 

Thank you to everyone who made this day as special as it was. I could not have dreamed it up any better. Big thank you to my friends, family and "My Mother" for creating an amazing everlasting memory for me. 

Peace, Love and Florals, "Always", 

Jules xoxo

Graciously Ranting the Good Rant /  by Julie Greco

So, I don't blog, but from time to time I guess a few neat things happen that I want to share with my lovely following and a blog post (more like excited rant) seems fitting. This my friends is one of those times!

Over the past few weeks, I've gotten to do a number of arrangements. A few were for love and a few for just because, all made with one objective in mind...the recipient. I am happy to say that I put so much thought and effort into my work that when the Fl'art (floral art) gets delivered, and I see the look on the recipients face, I then know I've been successful in making something truly special for my clients.

Oh boy, if my flowers could talk, I wonder what they would have to say lol...probably that I'm slightly neurotic and extremely process oriented. Yes people, flowers are a process. You didn't just think those pretty little things last as long as they do without a ton of TLC. That would be a nugatory!

I am excited every time I get to create something and get to be a part of the special moments in peoples lives. I know I've said it many times before and I'll probably say it many times more that I am truly blessed to have such an amazing following, but I am. The fact that people actually care what Petals & Stems is up to, is A-mazing!!!

I am super stoked for this weekend in particular. On the roster for this weekend are a few arrangements, crowns and bouquets for a wedding scene in a cute upcoming indie film...thanks to @shopbicyclette who presented this fabu request to collabo with her on this awesome opportunity. I can honestly say that I've been obsessing all week over what flowers I'm getting, how they will be placed, the vessel they will be held in and how it will all come together in the end.

Is this still a blog, or borderline novel?!?! Sadly I feel like I'm still ranting the good rant lol but I thank all who are taking time out of their schedules to read along and share in my excitement with me.

I'd also like to note that one of my very good friends and her husband became first time aunts and uncles this week and I could not be more happy for them! Congratulations are in order @alkerr and @ivykerr. So in addition to all the movie madness I will be working on something super special for little baby Eva. I'm thinking something that says welcome to the world little one, you're going to love it here :)

Stay tuned this Saturday to see what the end results are!!!

Peace, love and flowers always!

Jules xoxo