Bastian+Skoog is featured in the new South of Canada

There's a new weekly online magazine in town, South of Canada, and this week we are featured as part of their Valentine's Day edition. Read more of our Valentine's tips and general musings here.

Radar Favorites

"Best flowers ever" are how we are described by Jen Knoch in her virtual concierge service, Radar's, What's the Deal listings. Check out her recommendations for other great local and independent Valentine's Day events, ideas and retailers including our friends at pH OREM, Mitrebox Framing and Chowgirls.

Bastian+Skoog is featured on Stuff I ♥

We were just informed by our friend and sweet bride, Carla Fahden, that Bastian+Skoog is featured on Stuff I ♥, a blog by the super stylish Quinn Risdall. Thanks ladies, for keeping us in the know!

It'd be a great day to place your Valentine's Day flower order

Valentine's Day breathing down your neck? We've got you covered. If you'd like to order flowers for your sweeties please place your orders with us by Friday the 11th. Arrangements start at $50 plus tax and delivery (but wouldn'tcha like to see what kind of luck you'd have with a hundred?) Delivery is $12 within the metro area, or pick up from our studio if you'd prefer. 

Give us a holler with this essential info by Friday the 11th: 

+ Name, address and phone number of recipient 

+ Date you would like delivery (Sunday is not an option. If you want flowers delivered on Monday the 14th we MUST have your order by Friday the 11th.)

+ Credit card number

+ Billing name/address/phone/email

+ Sentiment for card (we can hand write your specific request, or we can include a fancy pre-written one from our amazing calligrapher, Queen Quills)

+ Any flower and/or color requests (Smart kids don't buy roses on V-day. Trust us on this one)

+ Amount you would like to spend before tax and delivery ($50 minimum)


If you'd like to see more of our work, check out our site.
If you need hand holding, have special needs, or just want to say "hi", dial us at 612.333.6450.
If you trust us implicitly, just drop us an email with the above information to studio(at)bastianskoog.com.  Something fresh and fabulous will be delivered wrapped in our signature sexy black paper, and you'll get all the credit.
If you know people who might require prompting for this sort of thing (i.e. spouses, clueless coworkers), please forward or re-post/tweet this message.

 

Out of Town Honeys?

Do you have an out-of-towner who deserves something gorgeous for Valentine's Day? We'd like nothing more than to set you up. Bastian+Skoog is part of an elite wire service that allows us to arrange for delivery of flowers (that meet our high standards) across the country. Phew. One less thing to worry about. Contact us for details.

Our Words of Valentine's Wisdom on City's Best.

We got a foxy write up in a Valentine's Day article this week on City's Best. Oh Lord in heaven, did I really use the word 'harbinger'? Ugh, yes. Yes I did. Nonetheless, it's a lovely little blip of our tips for buying flowers on Valentine's Day and very kind words about our studio from Kristen Aeikens.

Aren't our Cosies Cosy?

We promised you sneak peeks of our handknit cosies, and here they are. #swoon  A hug for your vase and clearly something you never knew you needed. Until now. 

And will you take a look at the little cards? Our mind-blowingly great in-house calligrapher Emily Snyder, the queen of Queen Quills, is creating squeal-worthy sentiments that we can attach to our arrangements for you.

Handknit Valentine Cosies

You may not yet be thinking of Valentine's Day, but we at Bastian+Skoog are already up to our eyeballs in it. This year we are employing one of our favorite crafty ladies, Bertie (AKA the mother-in-law of the Skoog), to design and handknit delicious vase cosies for our Valentine arrangements. Flossy magenta mohair and superthick undyed wool are just a couple of options adding gorgeous texture and psychological warmth to our already optimistic fresh flower arrangements. Foxy, Scandi, modern, unexpected: stay tuned, we'll have sneak peeks of the finished designs for you soon.

Bastian+Skoog is on the teevee

We escaped what could have been major public humiliation with this teevee appearance for Metromix on KARE 11. Big thanks to the charming Chris Kallal for making it (relatively) painless and easy and to Taylor Carik for his tireless promotion on our behalf.

B+S lands in the Secrets of the City Mother's Day Guide

Our favorite know-it-all Kate Iverson listed Bastian+Skoog in Secrets of the City's Secrets to Mom's Heart: Mother's Day Guide 2009. Check our her exhaustive list of fresh ideas on how to treat your mom. Whether it's a recipe for "Heart Attack Potatoes" or a field trip to secret local sanctuary, the amazing Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, she's got just the right idea for your mom.

Call Your Mother

This Sunday, May 10th is Mother's Day. Guess what -- she'd really like some flowers. Guess what else -- Bastian+Skoog can set you up. Near or far, we'll arrange something perfect for your most significant other (ask us about long distance orders, and we'll say "yes we can"). We'll also have extra special hand-tied bouquets available for sale at Surdyk's in the cheese shop if you've waited too long and are embarrassed to call us (you know who you are)...

And before the emails start coming in, yes, that's Liz's momma in the middle. And yes, she's cooler than your momma.

Mayday, Mayday!

How freakin' cute is this May Day basket we delivered today for one of our brides (from one of our favorite grooms)? Oh how we wish that someone had sent us these. Hyacinth, stock, and sweet peas made for the most luscious and fine smellin' basket -- enough to make anyone's nose gay (get it? nosegay? hehe). What a nice holiday. Can we all get it together next year and send some springtime sweetness to someone we dig on May Day? Yes, let's.

Chicks Dig Flowers.

Passover and Easter are upon us. Are you entertaining? Are you being entertained? Do you need flowers? Of course you do. Whatever you require, we'll set you up.

Bastian+Skoog Studio is available for local deliveries of fabulous centerpieces ($50 and up). Wanna treat a long distance loved one? We have been asked to join a fine flower consortium (a fancy-pants FTD sort of thing), so you can now have Bastian+Skoog style sent across the country (and the world!). Please place your orders by Friday. Our hand-tied bouquets are also available in the cheese shop at Surdyk's Liquor Store ($15-35).

My Cheeky Valentine

As many of you know, we held a contest where we invited out clients to create the cheekiest sentiment for their Valentine's Day flower order. The winner of the contest received their flowers for free. While we had several quality submissions, there was a hands down winner. Originally, we were going to announce the name of the winner and keep the sentiment private, but with only a little prodding our winner is kindly letting us repost his card here for your enjoyment and inspiration.

Tied up in knots
a bite on the shoulder
i tugged at her hair
e’re my heart ‘gan to smoulder

‘twixt sheets, silken black
lo! - a spank on the bum!
nervous.. am i naughty?
mayhaps too tame?
mayhaps ho-hum!!

then, a crash!$%
my friends,
- a cloud of smoke! -
i hung from the ceiling
prisoner,
to gravity’s heavy yoke

and in this moment she approacheth
e’re my moment of despair
kisses to my forehead
gentle strokes to my hair

she cackled with delight
bit hard on my lip.
candles and oils…
- hey-o! what’s with the whip? -

t’would kiss her
would i could
like a great prince of yore
be kama to her sutra
make her cry out “more! more!”

my situation you see, was desperate but not dire
distance it seemed, sparked my heart’s russian fire

and so, i waited,
bound but still brave
to plot Act II
self cast
as Handsome Knave

So it will go,
through months and years
the drama will unfold
many climaxes - few tears

and as I gaze to the West
I wait for a sign.
for the curtain to rise,
‘tween me and
my heart’s rowdy Valentine.

Secrets of the Sweethearts

Our studio was mentioned by Kate Iverson for Secrets of the City's Valentine's guide. We liked it so much we're reprinting our writeup here, but do check out the entire article for other sweet finds including our cupcake dealer, Sheela, at Miel y Leche.

LOVE IN BLOOM

Forget the red roses this year -- that's been done. If you want your gesture to be original and memorable, we suggest thinking beyond the baby's breath!

Bastian + Skoog Urban Flower Studio

Liz Bastian and Heidi Skoog are green-thumbed art stars. As owners of the hottest floral design studio in the Twin Cities, these ladies share some very key ideals that include "a hunger for good design and culture (and shoes), modern aesthetic sensibilities, and most importantly, discriminating taste." And these qualities are definitely evident in their unusual, custom floral designs, and their long, impressive roster of high-end clients. For those who hold art close to their heart, an arrangement from the contemporary perfectionists at Bastian + Skoog is equally satisfying to give and to get. But, beware. You'll likely become a regular, scheduling artsy arrangements for business, special occasions, and special people.

Almost Famous

Our flowers are going to be pimped out by the effervescent know it all Alexis Walsko of Lola Red PR. Check her out as she offers tips on foxy Valentine's Day gifts on Kare11 at 4pm today. Image by Dane Cree (danecree@hotmail.com).

Valentine's Day Alert (and a contest for the cheeksters among you!)

Hey friends,

Valentine's Day is a-comin'. If you'd like flowers for your sweeties please place your orders with us soon.

In an effort to keep ourselves entertained and inspire you to greatness, we are having our first annual racy sentiment contest. For the steamiest, cheekiest, cleverest sender, your flower order will be free! The winning sender will be announced, but all secrets and sentiments are safe with us! We won't think less of you if you don't participate, but we just might think more of you if you do.

In world news, Bastian+Skoog can now have foxy flowers delivered across the US through a super chic wire service. Contact us if you've got a long distance love, and we'll give you the details.

Pricing: Arrangements start at $50 plus tax and delivery (but wouldn'tcha like to see what kind of luck you'd have with a hundred?). Delivery is $10 within the metro area, or you may pick up from our studio if you'd prefer.

Timing: Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday this year. Consider if you'd prefer a Friday or a Saturday delivery (flowers are like babies: Minnesota winter means someone must be available to receive the delivery). We can accept orders until Thursday the 12th. After this time you are out of luck unless your bribery skills are exceptional, although we will have hand tied bouquets available in the cheese shop at Surdyk's Liquor and Cheese Shop in NE Minneapolis.


Essential Info:
Name of recipient
Address of recipient
Phone number of recipient
Sentiment for card
Method of payment (call us with your credit card number. If you'd rather pay by cash or check, we can send out an invoice)
Billing address/phone
Any flower and/or color requests (Smart kids don't buy roses on V-day. Trust us on this one)
Amount you would like to spend (not including tax+delivery)
Date you would like delivery (Friday the 13th or Saturday the 14th)

If you'd like to see our work, check us out.
If you need hand holding, have special needs, or just want to say "hi", dial us at 612.333.6450.
If you trust us implicitly, just drop us a note with the above information. Something fresh and fabulous will be delivered wrapped in sexy black paper.
If you know people who might require prompting for this sort of thing (i.e. spouses, clueless coworkers), please forward this info along.

Irresistible: SooVAC's holiday sale event

If you're anything like me, you are still in denial that Christmas is around the corner. Mercifully, Soo Visual Arts Center is here to the rescue with Irresistible, offering fabulous one of a kind art and crafts (without having to go to a mall) by the likes of local gems such as Amy Rice and Jennifer Davis. Irresistible runs from December 17th through the 24th, with a special sales event on Saturday December 20th which will feature our very own Lindsey Borgerson. Her wares will include these sexy maze puzzles packed up in petite little boxes lined with flocked paper -- a perfect stocking stuffer (yes, Dave and Kern, you will be getting them, so act surprised!). If you haven't yet seen her amazing mazes, check out her blog, maze of the day, for your daily fix. And buy a puzzle or a foxy screenprinted t-shirt, print, or roaring fire dvd (approved for asthma sufferers). Skip the mall, support local artists, give an interesting hand-made gift, will ya?

What? You're dreaming of a BROWN Christmas?

Okay. If you insist...

The super foxy Dowling Studio

Attended (and did the flowers for) a holiday party in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater on Saturday. Wow. Fabulous. Gorgeous. Perfect. A totally dramatic and flexible space with black walls, black floors, black linens, disappearing walls, amazing city views and INCREDIBLE lighting. This is simply the hottest space we've seen in a long time. Hot boys not included (big thanks to our unwilling models, Homme and Dave).

Oh, and did I mention the food? How I love thee, Cue.