Austin City Limits.

No, not ACL.  Even though, I do love ACL so very much and will be posting much about that as it approaches, I assure you.  But the Austin city limits that I am referring to are the actual Austin city limits...And here's why.

I recently took a trip out to California with my good friend, Vonne.  And somewhere between driving up and down the coast to see Big Sur and eating our way through the streets of San Fran, I started to notice the "weeds" on the side of the road.  But these weren't actually weeds to the average (normal) human being... They were calla lilies.  Now here's the thing, I make it no secret that I'm not a big fan of calla lilies.  I think they have become too "popular," and you know how I feel about doing things like everybody else.  But to see them growing on the side of the road, so effortlessly, so nonchalant, I couldn't help but marvel.   Do you know the lengths that some people have to go to get these flowers?  Lots.  And yet there they were, in copious amounts.

But it wasn't until I went to the farmer's market one morning that I truly started to get the point.  There in the sea of organic artichokes and home grown carrots were tents containing buckets upon buckets of some of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen.  Ranunculus in every color imaginable, sweet peas in the deepest, most gorgeous shade of eggplant (Have you ever seen eggplant colored sweet peas??  No, I didn't think so!).   But the real shock value of the deal was that the growers were practically giving them away!  It was then that I started to realize that the flowers that we pay big bucks to have shipped to us are common place and disregarded by the people who see them everyday.  This was shocking... and rather jealousy provoking, I must say!  And if it would have been possible for me to get them home alive, I would have left behind all of my clothes and carried as many of them as I possibly could back in my duffle bag, trust you and me...

But, alas, I couldn't.  So instead, as I sat there on our flight home, with my luggage intact, I began to ponder...  Is it possible that I take our very own "novelty" flowers for granted?  Are the weeds growing along my street worth a second glance?  And so I was inspired.  It is now my goal to make a series composed solely of the flowers I can find walking the Austin City Limits.  This shall be my weekend project.  I'll report back on Monday...

First Thursday: Round 1

This is the first post about what is hoped to become a regular thing here at Margot Blair Floral.  But to get to that story I first have to tell you that we got a shop.  So...

WE GOT A SHOP!!
That's right, a real life, bonafide shop.  And what's more, it's on South Congress!  (For those of you that are not familiar with Austin, TX, South Congress is the immortal street that runs straight through town and is riddled with the best shops, art, food, and weirdness that Austin has to offer.  And we're right in the thick of it.)

Now back to the original point... South Congress has what is called "First Thursday," where on the first Thursday (imagine that) of every month all of the stores stay open past their bed times, street vendors set up to sell their goods, and the city comes out to play and support the arts.  It's fabulous, and oh so very Austin.

So on this last First Thursday, actually on the first Wednesday, I had a breakfast meeting with two of the most lovely and wonderful women I know: Carli Kiene of InkedFingers Fotography, and Jessica Maurer of Three Little Birds Catering.  It was at that meeting that we decided we were going to join forces and take over First Thursday.  And so we did.  We had only 24 hours to plan, yet the result was magnificent.  With the help of Tonya Thomas of The Good Flour, we had ourselves a party that pretty much amounted to awesome people hanging out together drinking champagne, eating glorious food, and taking goofy pictures at the photo booth, all while sharing our passions for our respective professions and giving the world just a glimpse of what we have to offer.  Here's a picture by the wonderful Carli as proof...

**Come out and see us next First Thursday, because there is much more where that came from!**