Meet Lydia. Inspired by the moody set, she loves all things dark but prefers not to be called goth. The Lydia collection features a combination of muted and moody hues and is inspired by those embracing the darker side of love.
On Apricot
Since my dad had his stroke, we’ve been having a hard time finding a new home for Apricot. In that time, we bonded with him and have decided to make him our permanent family member… He’s loud, clingy, and so very annoying, but he’s also sweet, loving, and highly entertaining.
Sun conures live a very long time, so let’s see how we can integrate this little being into our crazy lives… stay tuned!
In the meantime enjoy photos from this cute shoot and set designed and photographed my talented friend Doan Ly of A.P. Bio. Her and her crew are so sweet and talented.
Ladies of Leisure
Story time: Nevena and I have been friends since college. We never had a class together, but our lockers were next to each other and we became fast friends. We’ve seen each other go through career changes and life ups and downs and here we are, two business owners making our own rules. Last night our worlds collided and her new wine brand Ladies of Leisure sponsored our Great Big Holiday Workshop. Cheers to almost two decades of friendship. Love you to the moon and back and I am so, so very proud of you.
Holiday Collab w/ The Musket Room
We’ve teamed up with our talented friends at The Musket Room for a decadent collection of gift offerings.
The Gardens: A Hudson Yards Exhibition
The Gardens, an interactive sculpture exhibition commissioned by Hudson Yards kicked off in September, the same weekend as my father’s stroke. We had the chance to refresh it this week and I’m happy with the way it turned out. Experience the four pillars of discovery: sight, sound, scent, & light. Take in a moment of calm, inhale the scents of lavender and eucalyptus, zen out to the sounds of crashing waves in our rose quartz pools and explore the virtual portal through QR codes while enjoying the tunes we curated just for you!
A few months ago, Azad asked me which direction I wanted to take Flower Bodega in and I said: “I want to be invited to create our own exhibition.” Here we are… pinch me.
Many thanks to our friends at Hudson Yards and Auster Agency and to our flower friends who rallied through the night with us to create this experience. We love you!
Seth Meyers: Cuco Set Design
In honor of Día de los Muertos, I got to design an ofrenda-inspired set for Cuco’s performance on Late Night w/ Seth Meyers! Sculptures made of marigolds, roses, smoke bush, carnations and agonis framed Cuco and his band while moody pillar candles set the vibe. If you haven’t already, please go watch his music video for “Under the Sun” it’s SO GOOD!
We are blessed to have many cool opportunities but I often move through them so quickly that I rarely get a moment to be really excited. But being on set here in the iconic NBC building and getting to sneak a peek at the SNL set was beyond! I was so pumped!
Life Update
Life update: my father had a stroke 3 days ago.
We’ve been heads down (read: slammed/ buried/drowning) with work for NYFW, a wedding, a major exhibition (more on that later), and another installation for tomorrow. As a small business owner, it has been impossible to leave our commitments to be by his side and that has been very tough on my spirit.
I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to execute under this pressure- navigating this family stress, flower / supply shortages, shipping delays, last-minute changes, client deadlines… still living through a pandemic…..
I’m also extremely grateful that we’ve had these opportunities to showcase our art through the medium of florals. I’ve put my all into every project over these last two weeks, my candle is burning at both ends and I’m fueling myself on passion for my craft. Our team has worked so hard and I’m grateful for their positive spirits and energy. If I owe you an email, thank you for your patience and grace while we push through the finish line. We’ll see you on the other side. 🌸💓
NYC Go: Rising Star in Latino Community
Wow, super honored to be featured in the roundup of NYC Go’s Rising Stars of the Latino Community!
I hosted the shoot at the Loft and it was such a fun day, filled with inspiring stories and really dope people!
Azad put Rondel onto so much good Bushwick food, Stephen Contreras is a next level photographer! And Mirna Jose, a friend I met a decade ago, was the onset HMUA!
Rhino Dude
I got my start as an ad sales assistant at Complex in the Marc Ecko building on 23rd street where the rhino was an ever present icon for the entire brand. Having opportunities to work on events during my *spare* time led to a promotion and the creation of their first event-focused role. From there, I produced events, concerts, festivals, launch parties, videos, commercials, documentaries + more. Eventually I was over working with rappers 😩and wanted to work in the beauty, fashion and immersive space. That led to a role as a sr. production manager at Refinery29. It was there that I really fell in love with flowers, branding and storytelling. Thinking about this little rhino dude and how he encompasses my career made me nostalgic. From the Ecko rhino logo, the pink femininity of my R29 days and, of course, flowers. 🌸💅🏼💓
What totem do you keep around that reminds you of where you started?
Imposter Syndrome & Crippling Anxiety
A lot can change in a week. Just 7 days ago I was feeling defeated and ready to pack it all in. Nothing felt like it was going right, I felt uninspired and had a major anxiety episode right before loading into an important flower project. I wanted to give up last week. But I didn’t. It’s not easy to pick yourself up and power through it, but it’s possible. I chose to turn this week around and ended it feeling reenergized, inspired, and excited. I met so many new people and talented creatives and can’t wait to share what we cooked up. Shift your mindset and you can accomplish anything you want. You can choose to wallow in self doubt or power through to the other side. This is called growth ladies and gentlemen. ✨
