did someone say there was a royal wedding

apparently there was a wedding on today in westminster, or somewhere thereabouts. you may not have heard. if anyone gives a fig what i think, here it is...

kate looked ravishing. dress was a winner.

bloom-wise, although i loved the whole natural, seasonal, local vibe of the flowers i have to say i was a bit disappointed. i know in a recession and with times being hard, maybe reigning it in somewhat is probably going to be more sympathetic to national sentiment but for me personally i was hoping for something a little more thrilling i suppose. similarly, the bouquet was elegant and an appropriate choice it just didn't particuarly excite me. the trees were cool though.

i am not generally a fan of v. beckham but i thought she looked amazing today. dave just gets worse. and princess bea too,  i know everyone is slamming her for that hat but i thought she rocked it.

that is all. 

a floral ABC

i can't remember when or where i picked this book up but it's one of my favourites. elizabeth cameron wrote and illustrated it for her grandchildren with the aim of instilling in them a love of british wild flowers. it's so lovely. i adore the way the illustrations often creep over the pages and the rambling way in which she writes.  

studio toogood

i am totally salivating over the work of faye toogood. the woman is a visual genius. 
*all images studio toogood

weekend weddingness and generosity

treacle tarts for breakfast and coffee on free pour, it can mean only one thing: wedding season is in full effect. 

flora and i went on our inaugural road-trip this weekend. we covered some distance (england and scotland), chased some tea-lights around the country and listened to music real loud. it was fun. i got to see a private viewing of the bride and groom's first dance rehearsal which was quite a treat. they had it down pat. i also was working with the most breathtaking lilacs i'd seen in a while, the size and density of which was just like a hydrangea. credit where credit is due, you lilacs were something else.

i gave some flowers to a stranger yesterday. her reaction was quite moving. a random act of kindness is a powerful thing and it felt so good i think i am going to do it more often. i may incorporate philanthropy into my business plan. maybe i could be like a florist version of robin hood but without the robbing and misappropriation of goods. 

flower giveaway!

i'm back in glasgow. been working like a nut for the last three days and i'm feeling slightly delirious. it's easter, i've got some easter eggs to eat and i'm revving up for the royal wedding. in light of all the above i'm feeling generous of spirit and am giving away a bouquet of flowers to one lucky glasgow reader. leave a comment below to win. you can comment for yourself or if you want to nominate someone else who deserves it then that would be nice too...

one

in a previous life i used to work in london at a tv production company. i went out too much, worked stupidly long hours for a complete nutcase and worked on shite like this. i'd say i probably wasn't all that happy around that time. i wish i could have told my 20 year old self that things would turn out good in the end.

lotte and bloom turned one last week. i'm heading into a 72 hour wedding marathon tomorrow and i couldn't think of anything else i'd rather be doing. see you on the other side.

rhubarb cake

i swear this is the best rhubarb cake you will ever taste. this recipe is fast becoming something of an urban folk legend amongst my girlfriends in glasgow. if you've got any rhubarb now or anytime soon then get to it. julie cooper i thank you from the bottom of my heart for introducing me to this little piece of heaven.

rhubarb sticky cake

ingredients:
180g butter
180g caster sugar
3 eggs
180g self-rasing flour
pinch of salt
2 tbps milk
450g (ish) rhubarb
1 tbsp demerara sugar

topping:
50g butter
90g plain flour
25g caster sugar

1. heat oven 190 degrees
2. grease and line 24cm round cake tin
3. cream together butter and sugar. stir in eggs gradually and fold in the flour and salt. add enough milk to give a dropping consistency
4. turn the mixture into the tin
5. sprinkle rhubarb into mixture
6. mix together topping ingredients into a crumble mixture
7. sprinkle topping onto the cake mixture and rhubarb
8. bake for 40-45 minutes
9. eat this puppy warm

flowers in pop: how not to treat your gladioli

introducing my newest assistant

slowly, slowly catchy monkey

due to a series of frankly unlikely events, i only had approximately 20 minutes to cut and condition 100 stems of cherry blossom last week before i had to fly out of the door for a site visit. now i don't work in a shop anymore i don't have to employ the speed that i once did on a daily basis and can drop the pace slightly to focus more on the design. secateurs were flying on this occasion though, and am delighted to report i've still got it, chums.

from now until the wedding i'll be trying to coach them through, to be open and in full pomp for the day i need. it's quite an art tell you.  if you could not blow too early i'd be very grateful, cherry blossom. yours in anticipation, lotte. 

rocking the florals, poolside

*italian vogue

delivering wedding flowers in style

800 miles later and i'm now back in glasgow with this gorgeous old black london cab. filled to the brim on the journey back with urns, ribbons and new glassware for the months ahead this taxi is going to be filled with flowers all summer as i ferry back and forth to venues setting up weddings. i can't bloody wait.

so long my little allotment

now i'm living on the other side of the city and since work has gotten so busy i've been putting off the realisation that i just don't have time for the upkeep of my allotment anymore. this makes me so sad but plot 25 deserves more than i can give it just now. it's not a decision i'm relishing though as i've been up there starting to clear my stuff out from the shed. 

these pictures are from a couple of summers ago on the wildlife plot. i used to love taking the girls up there. i could bore you rigid with allotment photos, but i won't do that to you. i'm going to miss you though trinley brae.

in other news i'm off to london tomorrow. going prop and vessel shopping and then picking up something very exciting - lotte & bloom is getting some smart new wheels baby...

r and r on lockdown

last week i could tell i was getting pretty ill. after making it to the finish line after the wedding i left the venue and went straight to the doctors who told me i'd got shingles. i've had it before, years ago, and i know it's a sure fire sign i'm doing way too much and need to slow the hell down.

so we headed off to the country - not before spamming around 1,000 people after unsuccesfully setting up an apple mail auto reply. i'm so sorry if you were drawn into that whole debacle i sincerely apologise.

we stayed here, visited a stately home, ate some insanely good food and drank good wine. i had lie-ins! and afternoon naps! all good my friends. 

the short life of cherry blossom

i just saw this short film by miranda july. when the cherry blossom comes every year the beauty of it makes me gasp. once upon a time i lived in japan for a year and taught english to high school students pretty terribly. my friends and i would head up to tokyo on a weekend, go to japanese clubs until 5am and then sleep on the circle subway line until the trains started running again back to the city i lived in. i honed my already burgeoning love of good sushi and i discovered the unbridled joy of riding a bike everywhere in a city. when the cherry blossom comes every year it reminds me of my japanese time and i love it.

pastel flava part two

for big mama love from little mama

because i know you read this.
happy mothers day.
i love you mum xx

a bit pastel

i've been working with a army of pastel flowers today. even my choice of sweets for the day matched, unplanned! how about that...the devil, as they say, is in the detail. 

pictures of the flowers i actually made to follow soon but now i need to attend to a gin and tonic. it's been a long day. if you need me i shall be resting in the drawing room.