WHY Red Roses are customary on V'Day (and some great alternatives.)

Find out why you see so many red roses on V-day and learn about all the other flowers that say “I love you.”

Elise BernhardtFebruary 3, 2021roses, redroses, vale, alternatives, lang, languageofflowers, floral design, broo, meaningofflowers, #brooklynfloraldesignerComment

The Color Purple

So many meanings for purple. The true color of love…

Elise BernhardtJanuary 27, 2021purple, valentinesday, flowerdesign, gifts, floral design, kamala, languageof love

On the Language of Flowers

Love’s language may be talked with these;

To work out choicest sentences

No blossoms can be meeter;

And, such being used in Eastern bowers,

Young maids may wonder if the flowers

Or meanings be the sweeter.

Elisabeth Barrett Browning

YELLOW!!!!!!

Yellow flowers burst with happiness. They symbolize the bonds of friendship, the taste of success and pride. Joy is also one of the meanings of this flower, as that is one of the feelings the color is said to evoke.

Team work makes the dream work

…In that moment of creating something together, I had that rush that comes when everyone is on the same page, working on the same thing, helping each other complete a task…and making it beautiful.

Team Work Makes the Dream Work.

Giving. Tuesday and in general.

Over the 30+ years I ran non-profit cultural organizations, I was always struck by this apparent bifurcation between the immediate needs that feed the body and the ones that feed the soul. We need both. Yes, food and shelter are key. But to be a human being we need more. We need community, joy, beauty, and a way to express ourselves.

Reframing our gatherings

…there is great joy in preparing a beautiful table even if it’s just for your immediate “pod.” Nothing like a beautiful tablecloth, linen napkins, special china and FLOWERS to make everyone feel special. And right now, as more and more of these months blur together, we need markers in time.

Election anxiety - reasons for it and ways to manage it

… if you are feeling anxious, you are NOT alone. Go for a walk. Smell the proverbial roses. Buy something from a local farmer or merchant. Arrange some flowers. Make a wreath out of real materials (I’m doing a dried flower class on November 11th and I will show you how.) Cook. It is a scary time but we will get through it. We have to. Here are some suggestions from the paper of record. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/31/at-home/election-stress.html

Elise BernhardtNovember 1, 2020walking, planting, flowers, flowerde, farmers markets, unusual foliage, cooking, real flowers, wreaths, be creative, calm

Creation

Elise BernhardtOctober 19, 2020

Home, Borders, and Fall

I generally write here about flowers and flower design in different contexts. This piece may seem a bit off the usual theme although, in my classes I always talk about the importance of “the container” and spiritual practice. So I suppose, this missive is in keeping with my core concerns. I hope you’ll let me know.

Elise BernhardtSeptember 29, 2020#spirituality, home, homelessness, architecture, design, f, floral design, sukkah, sukkot, harvest

Ritual, RBG and (working) life

I believe religious ritual comes out of a human need to give order to things bigger than we are. Birth and death for two. In the case of El Maleh in the Great Hall, I don’t think ritual gets more outsize or more iconic than this.

Elise BernhardtSeptember 23, 2020