Call Up A Girlfriend: Seattle Northwest Flower & Garden Festival starts Feb 14-18

Details Home & Garden @detailshomeandgarden Booth in 2023 

I want to invite you to the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, my favorite event of the year. The show is in the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle from Weds Feb 14 - 17 from 9:00am - 8:00pm, Sunday Feb 18 from 9:00am - 6:00pm.  

Let me start by saying that the show is grand, imagine if Willy Wonka was into flowers. It has 20 huge show gardens (with an estimated 30,000 forced plants & trees trumpeting spring), a City Living section where designers focus plants & plans that urban dwellers can use to maximize their garden life. There's a huge plant market, a quirky Vintage Market and a staggering number of vendors selling art and design pieces. I'm going to expound on it below (and during the show) but it is an unreasonable feat and that is what makes it so fabulous. The show is all indoors and designed to inspire. This year I have been asked to judge 2 of the prestigious awards given and I can't wait to get at it.

This year’s theme is “I Love Spring.”  Built by the region’s best designers and landscape professionals, these show gardens are a breath of fresh air.  The outside is brought indoors. Green grass, blooming trees, flowing water, camellias flowering and a carpet of bulbs in bloom – it is the reassurance of spring that we all need in February.

Hartley Botanic Greenhouse

Each year I spend hours walking the show and then when I need a rest, I soak up knowledge at seminars covering everything from caring for succulents in the Pacific Northwest to How to Transplant & Root Prune for Healthier Container Plants. The breadth of content covered in the seminars is staggering and more than half of the speakers are GWA (now known as GardenComm) members. Impressive. The coursework available is like a "garden university" and I want you to look at the schedule a head of time and really plan which day suits you best. Here is a link to this year's seminar schedule. Pick a class, any class, they are all free to attendees.

An unexpected part of the show is the Vintage Market—booths crammed with up-cycled and vintage items, often planted with primulas or violets to give them a je ne se quoi. Charming and fresh, this section of the show inspires us all to work with what we have, to create meaningful and storied displays in our home. Last year I bought bundles of paper-wrapped pussywillow branches and an aqua drinks pitcher. You never know what you'll find and that's the fun.

Another neat event each day at 11 am is called Container Wars. Skilled garden experts take each other on in a healthy container design competition. Presented by Cascade Water Alliance, Crescent Garden, Corona Tools, and Sunnyside Nursery, Container Wars is hosted by Seattle's beloved gardening columnist and television host Marianne Binetti. Be sure to make your way over and watch Container Wars live to get great tips on planting your own container garden.

As you look ahead to the show, you can book a slot at Blooms & Bubbles presented by Debra Prinzing of SlowFlowers.com. During each session, a floral designer teaches a flower or plant inspired hands-on design workshop. Debra answers questions and encouraged the designers to share tips and tricks during their segment. The crowd loves these events and I encourage you to wander over and watch, even if you haven't booked one of the classes.

Wanna shop more? There are garden retail booths galore, merchandised to within an inch of their lives. I am so proud how (in just 72 hours) they can create a store out of thin air. My favorite booth is Ravenna Gardens and I always buy from them to give show them my love.

And how about pure plants, bulbs or citrus trees? Don't forget, there is a whole plant market dedicated to selling specific varieties orchids, houseplants, dahlia tubers, succulents. It is wonderful.

I will be judging Tuesday (yay!) and then supporting the show vendors and speakers on Weds & Thursday and then on Friday we have our GardenComm Regional Meeting & Post Show Happy Hour. Plus I've got a large group of Junior League of Seattle members meeting up with me to see the show for the first time. It's going to be a big week! Please look for me and say Hello. I always carry one of my ANA Delight totes, so you’ll know its me. 

ANA Delight magazine bags

My hope is that my words reach you. That you call up a girlfriend and make time to attend the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival this year; I know that you will love it and you must share what inspired you. 

I hope you have a wonderful growing season ahead of you and may the internet connect us like far-flung cousins until we meet again, hopefully at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. 

#NWFGF #seattle #gardenshow #plantcollector #beautyofeverydaylife #gardener 

Northwest Flower and Garden Show: Save the Date Feb 22 thru 26

Mark this on your calendar: Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle, Feb 22-26. I attended last year and it was a whirl of delight. 

I also found a new tribe. In my life in Michigan, very few of my peers had gardens or practiced flower arranging. I had a huge rose garden, a cutting garden, herb pots, container gardens, you name it. I loved it every day, but I didn't have many people to talk to about it, let alone get advice.

When I attended the Northwest Flower and Garden Show Press Preview and Twitter "Tweet Up" last year, I was overwhelmed with the kindness and community that exists between garden writers. 

I entered with a long history of blogging about things that make people happy: color, sugar and flowers are my favorite topics. I make day bags that feature a Delight magazine cover. It is my imaginary magazine that I design using my photographs and article titles to create something that I would want to read. I call them Delight Totes and I carried one that featured roses to the Northwest Flower & Garden Show last year.  

My Delight Tote was a great conversation starter and it lead me to connect with some wonderful garden writers. They included me in discussions, introduced me to other writers, invited me to sit in on a Garden Writers of America meeting (loved it!) and encouraged me to jump into this world with both feet. Most of the people that I met were longtime friends with the other attendees, as a result of this country's vibrant garden industry. 

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show serves as a writing reunion of sorts, bringing like minded people together to talk about their favorite things: plants, flowers, vegetables and Mother Nature herself. 

Most of this tribe are garden writers for magazines, newspapers and their own blogs; Many had expanded their work into writing books and giving lectures on horticulture (many were speaking at this show, of course!); All of them went out of their way to make me feel welcome. 

What is interesting is that we had so very much in common (I also blog, speak to large groups, have written books and love gardening), but I am also out of my depth the minute someone refers to the Latin name of a plant. 

I think it was my Delight tote covered in flowers, that reminded everyone that we were indeed kindred spirits. I can't wait to attend the show this year and see what surprises and conversations are in store for me. Last year I was "just visiting" as I built the framework of a new life out West. Now I'm here for good and I'm ready!

#NWFGS #Seattle #Garden

The Power of Cute: A True Story that Proves my Theory

I can prove my theory about "The Power of Cute."  I believe that things that can be cute, should be cute.  I know from experience that people respond to beautiful colors, pretty pictures, unexpected touches.  

The power of cute is when you add a touch that people notice and appreciate, even value more because of the effort you made.  Cute is free.  It is the difference between making cookies in the shape of a watering can, instead of a circle.  The cookie cutters cost the same, the effort to make a cookie is the same, but one harnesses the power of cute; the other does not.

Okay, my story...

Because I make Delight Totes (day bags that feature my magazine covers), I have the artwork I created for many gorgeous magazine covers. Here are some displayed on the wall in my studio.

I decided that the Delight covers would make awesome luggage tags.  I printed them to fit inside small laminated pouches and included only my name and phone number on the other side.  They turned out really...cute.

When Dan and I were leaving on our trip to Dallas last month, we had 4 suitcases and 2 carry on bags.  I put my new Delight luggage tags on in a hurry and when I pointed to a bag and asked Dan, does that one "have a tag" he said yes.  When we got to the airport, I noticed that it did indeed have a tag, it was just an ugly old red plastic one that he had written on with a Sharpie pen to update the phone etc.  Not cute, but it was accurate and would do the job.

We checked our 4 black non-descript bags: 3 with a Delight tag, 1 with an old tag.  The polar vortex snowstorm was in full steam that day and we couldn't fly out.  Some flights did make it out (it was -14 degrees), but it took us three trips to the airport to finally get on a flight (that actually took off) for Dallas.

When we got to baggage claim in Dallas, we were looking for our 4 bags that had been "in the system" for 4 days without us.  The computer said that they had made it to Dallas days before we did.
Baggage claim had at least 300 bags in rows and sections waiting to be claimed.  It was a mess.  We walked up and down each row and couldn't find any of them.  Alarmed, Dan went to the luggage claim woman and showed her our claim checks and the "arrived in Dallas" printout.  She looked at the name on the paperwork and said, "I know where they are!" and rushed into the little glass office.

She returned rolling the first of 3 bags.  The only bags she had pulled aside and kept in her office were our 3 bags, tagged with Delight.  We thanked her, but said their was still one missing.  She was surprised and helped us look bag-by-bag through the other 300 pieces of luggage.  We finally found the 4th bag (tagged with the plain tag) among the masses of bags. We were relieved, but I couldn't get over the fact that the Power of Cute had given three of our bags such special attention.

Same black bags.  Same flight.  Same "priority yellow sticker."  The only difference was my pretty luggage tags.  They somehow sent a message to this women that I cared about my bags and the contents.  They "stood out" to her and she treated them accordingly. 

That is the Power of Cute. 

Paris: Shops, Sweets and Streets

(Want this tote featuring the Musee D/Orsay clock? You can order one on Etsy!)

You will be hearing a lot from me about Paris is the coming weeks.  The final draft of my book, Paris: Delight in the City of Light is at the printers (yea!) and you will be able to buy a copy here on my blog very soon.

Right now I am working on press releases, a marketing strategy and promotional materials.  Wahoo! 

I have worked on this project for two years now and for those who love Paris and have been keeping an eye out for this book release, I'm sure you'll think it was worth the wait! 

Soon you will be able to hold my view of Paris in your hands and read all about the Shops, Sweets and Streets that I love.

Delight magazine totes

I am in love with my new DELIGHT magazine cover!   Do you know about my imaginary magazine called (Ana) DELIGHT? 

Let me explain the concept in a nutshell. My philosophy is to "look at what you love." I love my photography. I love magazines. I love graphics. I love things that are both beautiful and interesting. I decided that I would rather carry a daybag that looked like a beautiful magazine, than any old leather purse with no personality.

I started to design what my magazine would look like, if it existed. I named it ANA Delight (I sign "ANA" on each bag). I use my photographs, build a magazine cover around it with graphics software and add the "article titles" that I would want to read. I think it is the ultimate in imagination and modern design. The tote is made (by me!) entirely of paper, plastic and tape.  I have this design available for sale in the blog sidebar. Enjoy!

I Want Candy

A few years ago, my husband went on a business trip to Luxembourg. When he and his colleagues were talking about what to bring their wives back from the trip, he mentioned that I had asked for some candy.

The rest of the trip, the guys kept pointing out fancy chocolate shops to him. "Here's one" they'd say, "This one looks good." But he never bought any.

Finally near the end of the trip, they happened into a grocery store - pay dirt! He loaded up on the candy you see here.

"Really?" they asked, "That's what she wants?" He didn't know quite how to explain that it was the color and foreign language on the packaging that I was after, not the actual candy.

I hadn't met his team, so he tried to explain that I love packaging and wanted to photograph the candy wrappers, design a magazine cover around it and turn it into a DELIGHT tote. You get it, right?

Herb Pot

I love love love having an herb pot just outside my kitchen window.

It makes it easy to add a sprig of rosemary to roasted potatoes, some basil to an heirloom tomato salad, even a "bit of green" to a bouquet of flowers.

Every year my Dad and I plant strawberry pots with our favorites (pineapple sage, lemon thyme, chocolate mint) and tend them all Summer long.

I even designed a day bag (click "Delight Totes" button on link) called "Herb Appeal" in honor of our tradition. The leading article is:

"Pot + Water + Sunlight = Herb Appeal"