Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Perfect Palette - Philadelphia Wedding Magazine: Spring/Summer Issue 2010
Even though the weather is brutal, and we were digging ourselves out of snow over Christmas - Spring is in the air! The Spring/Summer 2010 Issue of Philadelphia Wedding is warming our hearts. MODA was up to the challenge of being assigned the "blue" bouquet. There are very few natural blue flowers, and we took it as an honor to be selected for this particular color palette.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Top of the Tower
Stacy & John tied the knot at the Top of the Tower in Philadelphia. These gorgeous shots were taken by their photographer Heather Fowler. She captured their fun personality and personal sense of style beautifully! Check out her blog for more awesome shots of this wedding (and if you have kids or super cute dogs for that matter check out her portraits too!)
The Bridesmaids all carried pocketbook style bouquets that included Paphiopedilum Orchids, Scabiosa Pods, Antheriums and Galax leaves to compliment their chocolate brown gowns. Stacy opted for this gorgeous modern bouquet with the same selection of flowers.
John works at the Kimmel Center, so they were able to get a few dramatic shots inside.
And the CAKE! You have heard about me and this confection from past postings so I will spare you my spiel...however... Charm City Cakes baked a tribute to John's dog Arnie, with a cake version - his Mom surprised him with it! His face was priceless. The Food Network came out to video tape it too, it should air in March!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
MODA botanica's Second Anniversary
Saturday, December 12, 2009
5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Please join us for a glass of bubbly as we celebrate MODA botanica's official second anniversary in our current location!
Check out our holiday items and ring in the New Year with us! We have decked the halls with cash an carry items for the month and are happy to announce our holiday retail hours. So if you see something you like or if you need a last minute hostess gift, we are ready for you!
Swing by or give us a call:
Wednesday's - Friday's: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday's 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday's: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
We also have a few more dates available for Custom Holiday Decorating - so if you are feeling overwhelmed or just need a professional to decorate your home, tree or office for the holidays we can help!
Monday, November 23, 2009
PWP Project Launch at Washington Square
Well it is officially, OFFICIALLY underway - let the snapping of photos and flashing of bulbs begin! The PWP together with Philadelphia Magazine publicly announced the winners at a party hosted by Washington Square on Wednesday November 18th. All of the "Business Partners" of the project were invited to come share the big news with Caitlin and Rodney. The couple is one step closer to home, now stationed in Germany. So their family rallied and we got a change to mix and mingle with them at the party.
We were delighted to attend (who doesn't love a party?) and to be in such good company was fabulous. Nicole Brennan from Lovely Girls Events is their wedding planner, she and I had a chance to catch up. Nicole is located in Delaware and has known Caitlin since their High School days!
Speaking of lovely girls... Nicole and I had a lot in common and look forward to working together soon!
Did I mention mingling with great people? Caitlin and Rodney call each other "Waffle" so the signature drink was a "Waffletini" - no syrup, thankfully, just a funny name to a sweet tropical blue cocktail! Over such said adult beverage - Bailey and I ran into a few more lovely ladies. Like Beka Rendell from Innove Events (who had some super nice things to say about us on her blog recently, thanks Beka!) and Marnie Cullen (no relation to the New Moon Cullens!) from TableArt.
MODA botanica did the flowers for this party as well as donating a portion of our services, should the couple like to have them as floral decorators for the wedding itself. The couple has a "Seaside theme" that they will bring to Winterthur for the big day. So we took the opportunity to drive up to NYC and dig throught the market. Armas and I found this funky piece of drift wood that we thought would evoke a touch of their theme.
But the star of the arrangement is the Snow Queen Protea...so beautiful...so soft!
You know you want more...here you go:
Catching up with Vanessa and Amanda from Two Paper Dolls was fun too - they have such great style. Bailey and I chatted it up with them. They do beautiful work. Talking about letterpress got me itching to do some more printmaking.
Note to self: sign up for studio time at the Fleisher!
We were delighted to attend (who doesn't love a party?) and to be in such good company was fabulous. Nicole Brennan from Lovely Girls Events is their wedding planner, she and I had a chance to catch up. Nicole is located in Delaware and has known Caitlin since their High School days!
Speaking of lovely girls... Nicole and I had a lot in common and look forward to working together soon!
Did I mention mingling with great people? Caitlin and Rodney call each other "Waffle" so the signature drink was a "Waffletini" - no syrup, thankfully, just a funny name to a sweet tropical blue cocktail! Over such said adult beverage - Bailey and I ran into a few more lovely ladies. Like Beka Rendell from Innove Events (who had some super nice things to say about us on her blog recently, thanks Beka!) and Marnie Cullen (no relation to the New Moon Cullens!) from TableArt.
MODA botanica did the flowers for this party as well as donating a portion of our services, should the couple like to have them as floral decorators for the wedding itself. The couple has a "Seaside theme" that they will bring to Winterthur for the big day. So we took the opportunity to drive up to NYC and dig throught the market. Armas and I found this funky piece of drift wood that we thought would evoke a touch of their theme.
But the star of the arrangement is the Snow Queen Protea...so beautiful...so soft!
You know you want more...here you go:
Catching up with Vanessa and Amanda from Two Paper Dolls was fun too - they have such great style. Bailey and I chatted it up with them. They do beautiful work. Talking about letterpress got me itching to do some more printmaking.
Note to self: sign up for studio time at the Fleisher!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
PWP Update!: Winners Announced!
It's here! They have announced the winners of the Philadelphia Wedding Project! Congratulations to Caitlin and Rodney! They have an extraordinary story to tell. Both in the Army, they first met in March 2006, having both recently arrived at their unit, the 9th Engineer Battalion.
Check out the winning story as it unfolds! You can track their progress, since Philly Mag has picked up the project as a sponsor there will be blogs, twitters and updates to follow!
Congratulations!
MODA goes to Market
Getting up bright an early (like 5 a.m.) Team MODA headed down to Aalsmeer to meet up with our buyer Tony to check out the Dutch Auction. Armas took the city on again as the driver of our rental car, and we were off. The vast set up was a bit much to absorb - there is so much to take in! Check out the little slide show I put together on the right, its just a taste of what we saw. It was like Willie Wonka Factory of the floral industry. The amount of automation and synchronization is astounding. I am sure the boys will ad some comments soon!
We were in and out all before dawn, first we hit the auction, then traveled across the huge facility (in the car) back to where the packing happens at Tony's place. All of the products get sorted, packed/boxed and routed to the different buyers' locations by trolleys automatically via a bridge, gets packed, and is on our way to us! All before the sun was up!
Then we were off to Wateringen, Nederland to the appointment Moniek had set us up with, the mother ship was calling us home. Now, as many of you know, the Blue Magic Vanda has been MODA's signature flower way before we began showcasing it two years ago. Much like the Green Trick (which by using so much we brought such significant awareness to the local US market that importers were scrambling with the new demand) the Blue Vanda has been used in increasing numbers since we showcased hundreds of them last year at the Philadelphia International Flower Show (see slideshow to the right!)
We heart Vandas.
...so back to our adventure. Armas zoomed across the European motorways and we arrive well before noon. The owner Steef was just as welcoming and as talented as Moniek. His passion for the Vanda rivaled Bailey's neck and neck. His commitment to perfection, attention to detail was inspiring and refreshing. Steef has found his passion, it was clear to see how he and Moniek have become friends. Below are a few pictures of our trip to the greenhouse, the place was huge, the colors so intense - there are more in the slide show to the right!
And these special babies are a few years off but you will delight in them as soon as we can get our hands on them. Still to be named, still to be tested...white Vandas!
We were in and out all before dawn, first we hit the auction, then traveled across the huge facility (in the car) back to where the packing happens at Tony's place. All of the products get sorted, packed/boxed and routed to the different buyers' locations by trolleys automatically via a bridge, gets packed, and is on our way to us! All before the sun was up!
Then we were off to Wateringen, Nederland to the appointment Moniek had set us up with, the mother ship was calling us home. Now, as many of you know, the Blue Magic Vanda has been MODA's signature flower way before we began showcasing it two years ago. Much like the Green Trick (which by using so much we brought such significant awareness to the local US market that importers were scrambling with the new demand) the Blue Vanda has been used in increasing numbers since we showcased hundreds of them last year at the Philadelphia International Flower Show (see slideshow to the right!)
We heart Vandas.
...so back to our adventure. Armas zoomed across the European motorways and we arrive well before noon. The owner Steef was just as welcoming and as talented as Moniek. His passion for the Vanda rivaled Bailey's neck and neck. His commitment to perfection, attention to detail was inspiring and refreshing. Steef has found his passion, it was clear to see how he and Moniek have become friends. Below are a few pictures of our trip to the greenhouse, the place was huge, the colors so intense - there are more in the slide show to the right!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday with MODA and Moniek
Bailey surprised Armas and I with a treat over the weekend, he said "We're off to see the Wizard!" Bailey had emailed Moniek Vanden Berghe, a Belgian designer whom we hold in high esteem explaining that MODA botanica was in town to check out Hortifair, and had inquired if it would be okay for us to check out her shop. She regretted to inform us that she no longer kept a shop (now a gallery) but would love to have us join her at a workshop she was teaching in Antwerp. Not only were we her personal invited guests, but she invited us to have lunch with her afterward!
We are generally not big fans of the dried, but this may have the tides turning. We made a few things as members of the class...
After soaking up her delightful teaching, techniques and tips we were off to lunch and to cruise the market. Where we found all the things we love, as well as all the things we can not have thanks to our big brother: USDA.
We are generally not big fans of the dried, but this may have the tides turning. We made a few things as members of the class...
But the fun was not over there! She took us on an insiders tour to the design firm where she makes and designs custom containers, vases and floral incidentals. Heaven! We had such a great day. Moniek was an absolute delight, so warm and down to earth. She is an artist that truly loves what she does - an it radiates from her. Thank You Moniek! After spending the day together she made a few calls for us, arranged a private tour at the grower who produces our #1 flower: The VANDA.
We bid her 'tot ziens' by the little farm with chickens that Bailey could not resist.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Not to toot my own horn...
Many of you know about my little urban farm tucked away in Center City Philadelphia. My dear friend Michael Persico tooks some pictures of me and my garden (and bees and chickens) earlier this summer, and I am honored to have been featured in Keystone Edge.
In case you wonder what I do on my free time, here the article.
"Niewe bloemen" from Hortifair!
It was surprising to the three of us that the most noteworthy flowers we saw at Hortifair were from rather common genera, that we usually ignore. We only occasionally use Roses, Carnations, Gerberas, and Alstroemaria, but some of the most exciting advancements in breeding have been in these areas. We do believe there are no bad flowers, only poor designs, but with these new items on the market, we might just change our tune on some otherwise "common" blooms.
Hortifair Last Call
There is a ton to see at Hortifair, so we swung by for a few demos and to see if we missed anything one more time.
There seemed to be two main sections: Horti Grow & Trade and Horti Tech. Grow & Trade is where we found most of the new and exciting floral varieties and products that we have mentioned in previous posts. Tucked away in the floral section was a demo area where designers were brought in to showcase their unique talents and to boast the superior quality of "Oasis" forms and products (the sponsor of the showcase arena.) Once they finish the arrangements, they are placed on display for everyone to check out up close - most were inspiring, some not so much.
Seeing the new varieties is breathtaking, especially when an everyday Alstroemeria or rose is 6'tall. Some areas were just from growers promoting their specialty items such as these roses (yes they are that tall) or the Gerbs Armas was checking out...The displays are just as great as the flowers. It was like a mini PHS Flower Show!
But that is just a small section of the show - there were rows and rows of heavy machinery & software to help manage the systems that were fascinating. In between they had the quality test areas where we saw some pretty cool favorites as well. The booths looked like this:
If Freesia always looked like Gardenias, I could really get behind it!
Here are a few things that caught my eye.
This one might be my favorite, it's a mum. The ball variety ~Judith
There seemed to be two main sections: Horti Grow & Trade and Horti Tech. Grow & Trade is where we found most of the new and exciting floral varieties and products that we have mentioned in previous posts. Tucked away in the floral section was a demo area where designers were brought in to showcase their unique talents and to boast the superior quality of "Oasis" forms and products (the sponsor of the showcase arena.) Once they finish the arrangements, they are placed on display for everyone to check out up close - most were inspiring, some not so much.
Seeing the new varieties is breathtaking, especially when an everyday Alstroemeria or rose is 6'tall. Some areas were just from growers promoting their specialty items such as these roses (yes they are that tall) or the Gerbs Armas was checking out...The displays are just as great as the flowers. It was like a mini PHS Flower Show!
But that is just a small section of the show - there were rows and rows of heavy machinery & software to help manage the systems that were fascinating. In between they had the quality test areas where we saw some pretty cool favorites as well. The booths looked like this:
If Freesia always looked like Gardenias, I could really get behind it!
Here are a few things that caught my eye.
This one might be my favorite, it's a mum. The ball variety ~Judith
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Amsterdam Dag Twee
The boys humored me and posed for a few pics as we checked out the town:
The floating flower market had some interesting local treats, like their bread and butter of designs - hand tied bouquets:
On a personal note, here is where I am planning on living (that sleek modern one in the middle)...
...and here is what I am going to put in my garden once I settle in:
And alas, another example of an appropriate use of a cable tie - if its going to show it needs to coordinate and be purposeful...again, the Dutch excel!
The floating flower market had some interesting local treats, like their bread and butter of designs - hand tied bouquets:
On a personal note, here is where I am planning on living (that sleek modern one in the middle)...
...and here is what I am going to put in my garden once I settle in:
And alas, another example of an appropriate use of a cable tie - if its going to show it needs to coordinate and be purposeful...again, the Dutch excel!
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