Anemones and ladybug

Scored these beautiful anemones at the market recently, and they came with a hitchhiker! These flowers were so pretty, I think I took over 10 pictures. It's like when you see an amazing sunset or vista and can't stop snapping shots. SO looking forward to spring and all the flora that comes with it!

Paris Flower Market

I love a good flower market. I also love Paris. Their flower market did not disappoint! So many aisles of beautiful blooms and options, and even some animal artwork here and there. When, oh when, can I return?!

Not your everyday vegetable

Whenever I'm at a farmers market or grocery store and see an unusual vegetable, fruit, or flower, I just have to take a picture. I mean, what does one do with this crazy thing? It looks more like something you'd use in a table centerpiece rather than something you'd cook and eat. The sign read "organic romanesco." Maybe in the cauliflower family? I must do some research...

Customer appreciation

Earlier this month a calendar fan sent me a photo of their 2018 JAKE & META calendar perched atop their kitchen counter. I was so flattered! Not only is the calendar front and center, but it's adorned with beautiful flowers. Love it. Thank you!

Flower District NYC

The Flower District in NYC never gets old. On a daily basis you can find row after row of beautiful fresh-cut flowers, potted plants, driftwood, cotton stalks, evergreen garland, flowering vegetables (like the artichokes pictured above!), branches with fall-colored leaves, branches with no leaves, cactuses (cacti-?), and on and on it goes. You name it--all lined up. And ALL will find a home. This is part of what amazes me about the city: there are so many people in NYC, it seems as though none of this volume goes to waste. And another thing I noticed: I was not the only one taking pictures. So beautiful!

The flower above is featured in our 2019 calendar and in our new note cards as seen below :)

2019 Year in Bloom

Our 2019 calendars are in, and we are so excited with how they turned out! This year's theme is Flowers of the South Pacific, and with so many beautiful flowers in that part of the world, it was hard to narrow it down. (Maybe a future year will be part 2...) We hope you'll love it!

Buddha's hand

There are definitely some bizarre creations of nature out there, and in my opinion this is one of them. Having never seen this before, of course I had to stop and take a picture when I happened upon it in the market the other day. "Buddha's hand" fruit. There was only the one. What on earth does one do with one of these? I must investigate...

Peppers at the Raleigh Farmers Market

While at the Raleigh Farmers Market the other day, I spied this row of very colorful peppers. Peppers always make for good photos, and these did not disappoint! The rich, warm Fall colors are right on cue as well.

Matilda's bouffant hairdo

Check out this clever flower vase! This beautiful dinner plate dahlia grew in my friend's flower garden, and when she saw it had some missing petals she said, "I have just the vase!" Boy, was she right! It's as though the flower grew knowing it would be plucked for this adorable little vessel. I have lovingly named this pairing "Matilda"—don't know why, she just looks like one to me.

Congress Park, Saratoga

This past fall I made a trip up to Saratoga Springs, NY, and the fall colors were gorgeous. Beautiful red geraniums surrounded this fountain just inside the main entrance (a previous post featured this fountain in the snow). Quite colorful and eye catching. 

Gardenias

Beautiful gardenias fresh from the garden, and boy, do they smell amazing. Their delicate, sweet scent takes me back to my childhood. We had 2 prolific bushes in the backyard, and my mom would cut fresh sprigs and place them throughout the house until the blooms ran out. She even traveled with some one time on a plane to come visit me, and they survived! So lovely.

Editorial feature

Thank you Caroline Kennedy, Editor-in-Chief at Gifts and Decorative Accessories, for featuring our Freesia note card in the Botanical Bouquet editorial this month. Very exciting! We agree that "flowers never seem to go out of style" and love offering a large selection of colorful botanicals for these wintry days.

Welcome December

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that December is off to a beautiful start! Sunny and high 50s in our neck of the woods. Still hoping for snow at Christmas...

Gift sets

We are now offering JAKE & META gift sets of our popular mini desktop calendar plus our beautiful botanical note cards. You can choose from 6 different note card sets to accompany the calendar:

Freesia-Camellias

Orchid-Cosmos (pictured)

Cucumber Blossom-Impatiens

Gladiolus-Zinnia

Oleander-Petunias

Tuberose-Wild Azalea

They're easy to wrap and easy to mail and make ideal presents for family, friends, coworkers, clients, party guests, teachers, hostesses...

2014 Calendar

Our 2014 "Year in Bloom" mini desktop calendars are now available! This year's calendar features flowering vegetables, inspired by a close family friend who told me about the flowering artichoke. I had never seen one before, and it's very interesting looking. This year's calendar really pops, with lots of purples and greens, and a southern pinkeye purple-hull pea from my brother's garden. Check it out at JAKEandMETA.com!

Well into autumn

Happy October!

Where did summer go?

Happy September! This month greets us with trailing antique rose as we say good-bye to the warm summer months that seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. But fall is around the corner (my favorite time of year), and the holidays are on the horizon. Plus, the JAKE & META 2014 "Year in Bloom" mini desktop calendar will be out this month, so stay tuned!

Happy Mother's Day!

From my mother-in-law's garden.

Flowers and butterflies in Audubon

While at the Audubon Gardens in Louisiana we saw many beautiful flowers, and on this one bloom we spied a monarch butterfly. It's challenging to capture the beauty of nature, but I have tried with this butterfly birthday card (the wording can be modified to contain your own message). I could probably spend a year drawing just butterflies, in their infinite variety.

Audubon Gardens

On a recent trip to Louisiana we visited the Audubon Gardens in New Orleans. What a gorgeous day we had, as we rode the St Charles Streetcar to the beautifully landscaped gardens that were in full bloom. At one point, the fountain you see here had 2 Labrador Retrievers circling it, trying to get at the mallard ducks who were paddling around. I think those dogs would have been at it all day if their owners hadn't pulled them back.