Bellevue, WA Florists

Bellevue Flower Shop News

Retired educator, florist Sylvia Richardson dies at 76 - Richmond Free Press

Sylvia D. Richardson loved the color purple. And the bubbly woman who brimmed with enthusiasm infused that color into her dual roles as an educator and a florist. During her tenure as principal of Bellevue Elementary School, Mrs. Richardson turned the historic building in Church Hill into a purple palace. She had the school’s entry door, hallways, classroom walls and building floors painted her favorite color. Purple also was the color of the house on the corner of Brookland Park Boulevard and Edgewood Avenue from which she operated a floral business, Bouquets by Sylvia, for nearly 25 years. “Purple was her chosen color because the color signifies royalty, and that was how Sylvia carried herself and also how she treated everyone with whom she came into contact,” Adeline Clarke, a longtime friend, wrote in a tribute.Mrs. Richardson died Monday, March 18, 2019, of complications from a fall at her residence, her family said. She was 76. Family and friends celebrated her life at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church on Tuesday, March 26. Born Sylvia Juanita Duncan in Cheraw, S.C., she came to Richmond to teach after graduating from Bennett College. In a career that spanned 37 year... http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2019/apr/05/retired-educator-florist-sylvia-richardson-dies-76/

Another gay wedding case that could go to the Supreme Court. This one's about flowers.

Ferguson said in a statement.Curt Freed, left, and his husband Robert Ingersoll, after a hearing before the state's Supreme Court on Nov. 15, 2016, in Bellevue, Washington.Elaine Thompson / AP fileBoth the state and the couple sued after Stutzman, the couple's longtime florist, arguing that she was in violation of a Washington law that makes it illegal for businesses to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."Discrimination based on same-sex marriage constitutes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," the Washington court ruled last year.Stuzman, a Southern Baptist, said providing the flowers would violate her religious beliefs and "her relationship with Jesus Christ.”She also said the law violated constitutionally protected right of free speech, asserting the flower arrangements were a form of artistic expression. Phillips had said the same about his wedding cakes."The decision to either provide or refuse to provide flowers for a wedding does not inherently express a message about the wedding," the Washington court ruled. "As Stutzman acknowledged at deposition, providing flowers for a wedding between Muslims would not necessarily constitute an endorsement of Islam, nor would providing flowers for an atheist couple endorse atheism."It also rejected her claim that the law violated her religious freedom, because it applied to the general public and was not targeted at any particular religious practice.In Monday's Supreme Court ruling, Justice Anthony Kennedy suggested that future cases would be necessary to settle the broader debate between religious rights and discrimination."The outcome of cases like this in other circumstances must await further elaboration in the courts, all in the context of recognizing that these disputes must be resolved with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs, and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market," he wrote. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/other-gay-wedding-case-could-go-supreme-court-one-s-n879906

How Newport Became the Most Exciting Beach Town in New England - Travel+Leisure

English peas, roasted beet salad with ricotta, and spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil. The next morning I woke up early to meet up with Rizzo on Bellevue Avenue, Newport's fashionable main thoroughfare. She was tending to the floral arrangements at La Forge Casino Restaurant. A Newport institution that overlooks the grass courts of the neighboring International Tennis Hall of Fame, it is undergoing its own transformation. "New owners took over here a few months ago and started replacing the dusty tchotchkes and pink tablecloths and frozen food," Rizzo explained. The menu has gone from nachos and quesadillas to burrata from Narragansett Creamery and locally grown squash blossoms stuffed with house-made ricotta. Rizzo was combining some big, architectural monstera leaves with a bouquet of gladiolus and sunflowers grown on a flower farm just north of town.From left: A surfer arrives for an afternoon session at Sachuest Beach, a.k.a. Second Beach, a local favorite; guests at Castle Hill Inn, a historic Newport estate, take in the view of Narragansett Bay.Brian W. FerryRizzo's penchant for loose arrangements and unexpected combinations — instead of the hydrangeas and rose balls that were once de rigueur in a place like Newport — has proven popular. Because the town is one of America's premier wedding destinations, she's especially busy in summer, but she is in demand all year long. From La Forge Casino, we walked a few doors down to the Audrain Automobile Museum, another of her clients, which showcases some of the rarest and most precious cars on earth. (Another automotive palace, th... http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/newport-rhode-island-beach-town

A Colorado baker, a Richland florist: Do religious beliefs justify discrimination? - seattlepi.com

Stutzman, left, a Richland, Wash., florist who was fined for denying service to a gay couple in 2013, smiles as she is surrounded by supporters after a hearing before Washington's Supreme Court in Bellevue, Wash. The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, has unanimously ruled that Stutzman broke the state's antidiscrimination law. Stutzman said she was exercising her First Amendment rights, and her lawyers immediately said they would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decision. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File) A Christian baker in Colorado, who wouldn't craft a wedding cake for a gay couple, took center stage before a divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, in a case that will decide whether religious conviction can be a basis for discrimination.The baker has a counterpart in Richland, Wash., florist Barronelle Stutzman, convicted of violating the state's anti-discrimination law after she refused to provide flowers for the same-sex wedding of a long-term client.The case drew an unusually long 90-minute argument before the Supreme Court and more than 100 amici curiae briefs.Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, author of seminal gay rights opinions, appeared likely the deciding vote.With the Trump administration arguing the case of baker Jack Phillips, Kennedy asked whether Phillips could have put a sign in the window: "We don't bake cakes for gay weddings." He described the administration's argument as offensive to the "dignity" of LGBTQ people.But Kennedy took Colorado officials to task in their treatment of Phillips, saying: "It seems to me the state in its position has been neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillips' religious beliefs."  The justice suggest...

Bellevue florist is growing business to help community - KMTV - 3 News Now

BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) - “Well as you can tell purple is my favorite color,” said Sjn. The purple hair has become branding for Rachel Sjn’s Bellevue business The Purple Orchid. “We opened February 2nd of this year,” said Sjn. Sjn says she may view the beauty in flowers differently than most, but there is a reason for that.  Her uncle was murdered when she was five. She says life is precious; everyone needs to stop and smell the roses.  “Sometimes I think I have a morbid sense, you know life is fleeting and to enjoy the beauty while it is here and if you don't enjoy it, it is gone,” said Sjn. The florist loves brightening lives in the darkest of times.  Recently, Sjn started a “Vases for Victims” program.  She is asking for the public to donate any unwanted vases to her shop.  Also, for every dollar donated she will double that in form of a gift card to her shop.  This way she can give the victim’s families of violent crimes free floral arrangements.“I am ju... http://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/bellevue-florist-is-growing-business-to-help-community

This Wedding Arch With Flowers Created a Picture-Perfect Backdrop - Washingtonian

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Contactless flower delivery ensuring Mother's Day smiles despite outbreak - The Courier

Geneva Curren. Curren has a past with flower shops in Washington D.C., New York City, and operating three shops across Arkansas and Chicago. Her knowledge of flowers stems from her childhood in visiting her family in the South where she would spend hours and hours picking wildflowers.While the company’s main objective of creating designs that inspire and bring joy to the recipients, the employees are trained to help with selecting the best flowers for you. Under this circumstance, Curren said, “Working as a florist has been wonderful, challenging, exhausting, inspiring, hectic, fun, maddening, and fantastic!” Orders as of right now are piling in for Curren and her staff, causing everyone to feel overwhelmed. As it is described as part of the job as a florist, understanding customers mean well and only want to stay local. With a minimum of $75 for fresh arrangements and $40 for plant deliveries, Halsted Flowers plans to make multiple rounds a day for their customers. Even though hours of operation are limited each day, the employees are finding themselves working around the clock in order to finish their customer’s requests. Delivery drivers are out until late in the night and up early in the morning to make their rounds and to clear out the shop to make room for more orders. Saville Flowers: https://savilleflowers.com/ Phone: (847)864-0632Halsted Flowers: https://halstedflowers.com/ Phone: (773)883-8600... https://codcourier.org/13169/features/contactless-flower-delivery-ensuring-smiles/

The second-best flower shop in Naperville, Ill., is struggling to survive. Along with the American Dream. - The Washington Post

Moe Zoyarifor The Washington Post In Naperville, Ill., Jenny Latham is struggling to pay the $3,800 monthly rent for her shop, Celidan Creations Florist. Her mom Karin Jacobs, who founded the store in 1992, passed away last month. Florists dream of spring, when shops burst in a colorful riot of blooms while ledgers pool in black ink. First Communions, Palm Sunday, Easter, proms, charity events, weddings, more weddings and the flowery grail of Mother’s Day.But spring has been brutal for Jenny Latham, owner of Celidan Creations Florist in Naperville, Ill.Flowers are a luxury dependent on the health of other businesses. Ordinarily, Celidan, founded in 1992 by Latham’s mother, Karin Jacobs, supplies churches, restaurants and corporate offices in the city of almost 150,000, west of Chicago. All were closed due to covid-19. Celidan’s front door locked, too. The shop remained open to phone and online orders and was permitted to make deliveries for what has become known in the industry as ring-and-run.Florists... https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/florist-ppp-small-business-naperville-illinois/2020/05/26/65cec788-9a09-11ea-ac72-3841fcc9b35f_story.html

Watch These Six Flower Bloom Events From Your Couch - Smithsonian.com

I want every gallery to be a different color experience, like looking into a kaleidoscope.” National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, D.C. Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. (National Cherry Blossom Festival) With the arrival of spring, the National Mall in the nation’s capital becomes synonymous with cherry blossoms, and this year is no different. Presented by the Trust for the National Mall and the National Cherry Blossom Festival, along with the National Parks Service, Bloom Cam is exactly what’s needed during this solemn time and serves as a way to transport viewers virtually to the city’s lush forest of 3,800 cherry trees that shrouds the Tidal Basin in a canopy of pink-and-white blossoms. The trees have been an iconic part of the landscape since 1912 when Yukio Ozaki, Tokyo’s then-mayor, gifted more than 3,000 cherry blossoms in an act of friendship between Japan and the United States. This year’s virtual festival celebrates that symbolic exchange through a range of online-specific events, including an opening ceremony featuring music by Japanese singer-songwriter Naotaro Moriyama and a tour of the Tidal Basin with a National Park Service ranger. Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands Keukenhof Gardens (yisris - Flickr/Creative Commons) Every fall, gardeners plant approximately seven million tulip bulbs at Keukenhof, considered one of the largest flower gardens in the world. Located 25 miles southwest of Amsterdam, the “Garden of Europe” has been drawing crowds to its prolific fields of blooms since it opened to the public in 1950. While seeing the fields this year is a bit different than in years’ past, the gardens are still drawing viewers, albeit virtually, through a series of videos and other online activities, including colorful posts on the Tulip Festival Amsterdam’s Instagram and Facebook pages. Highlights include a tour with the garden’s managing director, who discusses the different types of tulips (parrot tulips, double tulips, etc.), and a walk around the Willem-Alexander Pavilion’s 1,000 flowerbeds with a gardener who has been working there for more than two decades. In addition to tulips, Keukenhof also features daffodils, hyacinths and other flowers. Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Lancaster, California Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve (Courtesy of California State Parks, 2019) Cruising through Lancaster, a city located about 80 miles north of Los Angeles, poppy fields are a common sight come spring. But one location is particularly fruitful when it comes to the orangish-red blooms: Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Encompassing more than 1,700 acres, poppy blooms carpet the property’s undulating hills... https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/watch-these-six-flower-bloom-events-from-your-couch-180974562/