A trip to San Francisco’s Flower Market this past weekend made me realize I need to brush up on my flower arranging skills. Don’t be fooled: the art of arranging is a skill and takes a lot of trial and error. I had to walk away and take a little breather when my hydrangeas wouldn’t stay put in a tight arrangement (…so I walked Cheese Plus and purchased some snacks #emotionaleating):

Lately, I’ve been feeling inspired by Los Angeles-based floral designer, Yasmine Khatib for her simple and ethereal arrangements. A few of her designs from around the web:

I will not attempt to mimic her designs until I take a flower arranging class. A few to look into if you’re interested as well:

• San Francisco: In Water Flower School 
• New York: Little Flower School
• Interested in taking an online class in the comfort of your own home? Nicole’s Classes have rave reviews.

And lastly, my top vase picks at the moment:

• An inexpensive mint julep vase is a must-have.
• Handmade in Sausalito, I love everything from Heath Ceramics. These bud vases are great for sprucing up your office or living room (fun fact: many of Edith’s original pieces live in the permanent collections of museums such as the MOMA and LACMA).
• Simon Pearce’s Woodbury Flare Vase is a classic.
• Mason Jars: you can never have too many.
• Pretty pale, jade vase for peonies.
• Feeling whimsical? Try this Gideon Bowl from Flora Grubb Gardens (owner of this San Francisco garden shop’s real name is Flora Grubb- kind of amazing). We have these cool air plants in our office:

Happy Tuesday! Stop and smell the roses.