Why do we lead such stressful lives? We seem to gather our meaning from being busy. Honestly, I've never been this person, I've organized my life in such a way that I don't have to be busy. I also never wanted to be in debt. It seems we are a busy, in debt, unhappy culture and we live our true lives on the weekends. I've also  been content not attending "college" but every time someone asks me if I have a degree or what college I am learning Nutrition through I have to tell them that I didn't go to college and that my Nutrition course is a certification; this usually leaves an awkward pause in the conversation where I know they are internally questioning of the validity of my life. I wish we didn't define people by how much they work, how much money they make and where they got a degree. I've successfully run my own floral design business for 5 years, learned plant medicine at The School of Traditional Western Herbalism and in October I will be a certified Nutritional Therapist. And guess what; I am in zero debt. 

Let me segway into something else. Lately, I have felt overwhelmed, it happens every summer in high wedding season. Have you ever thought about what wedding vendors go through? For me, I am in a triple threat kind of situation, I've got my creativity on display to be scrutinized, I have to be organized and successfully run a business/keep track of documents and money, while having meetings, taking deposits, planning out details, ordering flowers at the right time, picking them up and then delivering all by myself. Lastly, I am dealing with the high emotions that run around weddings. TRIPLE THREAT. I am a creative, emotional person, not a businesswoman. I am dirty, hairy and covered in goat hair, I am not a fancy wedding florist. I get so stressed out by events sometimes that I wonder why I even do this job! I've had this feeling for over a year now…but I had to push forward. Don't get me wrong, I love floral design, I just don't like the stress of everything else that comes along with it. So, I think it's time. Johnny and I are buying land this year and moving out of Portland. We plan on starting a farm/retreat center and I will focus more on my Nutritional Therapy. 

So there you have it, I am phasing out of Forest & Field Floral Design. It feels good to say. I may start it back up when I can grow some of my own stuff on our property but for now, I am done. I'll be finishing out the rest of this wedding season and begin focusing on getting clients for Nutrition as well as doing some retreats and workshops. (this doesn't mean I won't consider doing some weddings, cause I definitely will.)

Let's lead lives that invigorate us. Let's lead lives that don't oppress others. Let's lead lives that aren't filled with stress and obligations. Let's be simple, let's be wild and free. 

I love elopements. Even as someone who makes their money off of larger weddings I have a huge spot in my heart for small intimate ceremonies. I've seen too many brides stressed out and unable to actually mentally and emotionally experience their wedding day. Eloping takes all the pressure off, it takes away all the fluff and all the worry; it is true, intimate and real. So when people ask me to do flowers for their elopements I have a hard time saying no. They truly are my favorite. 
So today I wanted to share a recent elopement with you. The marriage of Laura and Matthew.

Laura wanted me to make her a crown, boutonniere and bouquet. She asked for white and blush with elements of the forest mixed in. I purchased local Tulips, Roses and other filler flowers from the market and I foraged the rest! My aunt let me cut white Camellias and Japanese Pieris from her garden and I went into a nearby alley way for some Cedar and Ferns.

Congrats to Laura and Matthew! I loved being a part of their little ceremony. So beautiful.

For the photographers blog post go here: 
http://www.herandeverything.com/2015/03/02/matt-laura-elope/

I got to do LOTS of garlands this summer and I loved ever second of it. This particular garland was fully foraged, which is always the ideal.

I got to make bouquets with lots of texture, something I also love.

Oh my goodness! What a summer. I haven't posted anything in a while because...well, I was busy doing 20 weddings. That's right, this summer was off the hook. I look back and can't believe I actually did it, all by myself. I'd like to share a few of my favorite shots from the summer and the stories behind them:

I delivered a wedding {close by} on my bike!

I did weddings at some of the most gorgeous locations! Like this one {Mt. Adams}

I fully foraged my own bouquet for my vow renewal ceremony in July on the way up to our location. This was on the side of the road.

I added some new herb bouquets to the mix. Here is the Immunity bouquet.

I used in season flowers for all of my arrangements. Here we have hops, dahlias, roses, bay leaf, and blackberries. Photo: www.anthemphotography.com

I got to do smaller projects, like this anniversary shoot, with awesome people, like this lovely lady from www.birdsandhoney.com. Photo: www.anthemphotography.com

I sold a fully dried bouquet to a bride on Etsy!

I did a wedding where most of the elements were foraged on the property the day of!

So there you have it. Becoming a wedding vendor from scratch is a scary thing. Start by interviewing someone already doing it and see if it's something for you!

-Bailey

It went from that, to this:

          It seems to be a trend in my life; taking on large commitments at a young age. Not only was I engaged at 19 and married at 20, but just one year later I was starting my floral design business; and it wasn't necessarily a fluid beginning. Maybe fluid like a river if I was tossed into it, unexpectedly, from the shore. Now, I wasn't totally ill prepared. I did take a floral design course and have the florist from my own wedding help me on my first wedding; but the rest was learning as I went along, which can be totally awful sometimes. I had to learn the entire floral industry pretty much alone. I remember being treated very sweet by the floral wholesalers when I first started coming in to the market. There I was, a 21 year old newbie trying to fumble my way through a Costco-sized warehouse, through rows and corridors, wondering where the cut flowers even were, not knowing where to pay or whom to ask questions. Thankfully a few wholesalers took me under their wing, even when I messed up on large orders in the beginning. Their patience and eagerness to help is the only reason I stuck with the business.
          A few of the thing I wish I would have had from the beginning that I encourage anyone interested in vendor work to do are:
-Someone who is an expert in the field to shadow or apprentice. 
-Ideally, this person would be your style idol, if not, find one to be inspired by.
-Record keeping, my small business taxes would have been way less stressful if I had started with good record keeping.
-Setting time barriers with work, especially if you work out of your house like me. It's hard to get away from "work" when it's always right there. I put restrictions on when I would check my email and work on planning/budgets. This has given me some sanity.
-Failing eloquently. You're going to fail, mess up and totally tank it sometimes. Keep communication open with clients, but don't overwhelm them. Don't wait until the last second to tell them something isn't going to work out for their wedding or event. Apologize and offer refunds if something unexpected happens. I also preface a lot my meetings with the possibilities of their flowers not being available due to season or weather and ask what their back up choices would be if they are specific in what they desire.
-Being brave and exploring avenues. It's only been in the last 2 years that I started breaking out of the flower market and into foraging and asking other farms to cut stuff. My designs have changed drastically because of this.
-I'm sure there is a ton more, but for now this is where I will stop.

Some photo's representing my journey. This is where I began:
And while not bad, it's no longer my personal style, I've found my style over time.

As most people know, I don't have a store front for Forest and Field. Though the only time I find myself wanting one is during major holidays where people are buying flowers for family and friends. A month before Mother's Day I came up with idea of doing a pop up shop. Luckily I know the folks at Townshends Tea here on NE Alberta street; Johnny and I take care of the garden in their back seating area. They are always so gracious with letting us use their space, so when I came to them with the idea they were immediately on board.

Johnny quickly built me a display table where I put bunches of wrapped flowers while other arrangements we displayed on stumps and our old wooden ladder. I was so pleased with how it all turned out!

And of course, as always, I used locally grown flowers along side foraged greens.

It seems in this day and age everyone is a foodie, a photographer and an artist. It's also a time where small local businesses are supported over large corporations, at least in my neck of the woods. Something that's wonderful about having so many creatives in one place is that we get to collaborate and do not only meaning events but enjoyable ones as well. Here is another one of those events. 

To learn more about this workshop click on the logo. 
In a nutshell:
Kali of Bird is the Word will be sharing a recipe with you to make.
Kira of Kira and Matt Photography will be giving tips on photographing food and flowers.
And I will be sharing local foraging tips as well as doing a floral arranging 101.
Food, Florals and Foliage will be provided.
You must bring:
Yourself.
A vessel for your arrangement.
And some sort of picture taking device.

Hope to see you there!

I had the pleasure of creating some wild and romantic designs for a wonderfully sweet couple; Brittany and Trif. I met with these two lovelies at the tea shop near my house while they were visiting from Seattle. We sat down on a velvety green coach over some steamy tea lattes and talked about their upcoming union. We decided on loose and wild bouquets with a romantic color scheme and succulents. I loved their style and I was so excited to be able to create something for their day. These two are so cute together; just look at these pictures captured by the talented Alex Herbig Photography: