Design Inspiration: Sympathy Flowers

Two weeks ago I got the sad news that my boss' grandmother had passed away. Ironically, it's sad moments like these that made me love flowers. As I got older I recognized that only flowers could deliver all that my heart wanted to say in these moments.

Since I had already given my boss a BITA bouquet before, creating a real flower bouquet felt right this time. I decided to make two bouquets, one my boss and one for her mother, since both of them had lost such an important person in their lives. To create these I took a visit to the LA flower market  where an entrance fee of just $1 gives you access to rows and rows of floral vendors. The market is open to the public early in the morning and is even just a fun place to see so many beautiful flowers! It can get a little overwhelming though, so I make sure I have some decisions  about the types of flowers I'm going for made in advance. This time, I walked in knowing I wanted the arrangements to be white mixed with soft, comforting color(s). After I got my flowers, I purchased the  glass vases at Mosketels, a giant arts & craft store in the floral district. 

Although these were born out of a unfortunate moment, putting these together was extremely inspirational. Giving a handmade bouquet is a wonderful gesture for any occasion and I hope you all are inspired to try your own soon!

-Ji

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A Swell Summer Gift!

We are sooo excited to share this month's gift feature with you! Ji and I stumbled upon this gem while having some girl time after a meeting or what we like to call a "creative product peruse "which really just means  an excuse to check out awesome boutiques and be inspired by new products we see. And of course shop!!! These super fun S'well water bottles not only look amazing but are perfect for keeping your drinks cool this summer. They are great for exercise, a picnic, a walk around town , at work or what sold us was that the largest size (25ml) can hold a full bottle of wine and keep it cool  for 24hrs. Need we say more?!  This is a perfect summer or year round gift, as they also keeps drinks hot and don't sweat or leak. You can check out all the great styles and perks of these bottles here! 

Canadian Gift Guide

Bikini Bird 

S'well

July Maker Feature: A Heirloom

This month we are featuring a wonderful maker whose creations are perfect for summer parties or year round gifts.  A Heirloom is a Brooklyn based design shop that creates beautiful, wooden kitchenware.   This shop is run by former architects and husband and wife team Amy and Bill, who made  each other customized cutting boards for their wedding and then decided grow their unique product into the design shop that we truly adore.  Ji and I love their USA and state shaped cutting boards, but any A Heirloom  high quality creation is sure to spice up a food presentation!

State Cutting Boards

Hardwood Cutting Boards

Cocktail Muddler

Double Bamboo Skewers

One Step At A Time

Whether your to-do list is full of positive or not so fun things,   it is  so easy to want to give up and yell "HOW AM I GOING TO DO IT ALL!!" or get so overwhelmed you do nothing and distract yourself from what is really important, also known as  procrastinating.  Whenever I feel like this I remind myself to be grateful for all the things I have on my plate. All the opportunities and responsibilities you have are gifts to learn from. Some people would love to have some of items on your checklist that you keep putting off.  Also, never underestimate where small steps can take you. Be patient, achieving your goals is never as far away as it seems. Use this month to get ahead, even if it is one step at a time!

North Magnetic Pole

June Maker: Owl Kill Studio

This month we are featuring Owl Kill Studio a design studio we've fallen in love with for their beautiful jewelry. Ji and I both are June babies and serious jewelry lovers. I knew one of their necklaces would be the perfect gift for Ji  because of its simple, neutral colors but still fun and eye popping design. Owl Kill Studio is based out of Brooklyn, New York and is a one woman shop led by Adelia Sugarman. All of her items are handmade and as much as possible she uses "locally sourced, vintage or discarded materials to use in creating our wares." Owl Kill Studio promotes sustainability in all of its designs and Ji and I are sure you'll love not only their beautiful jewelry but beautifully designed houseware!

Adelia's Beautiful Studio!

Asymmetrical Vintage Beaded Necklace  (this is the one I got for Ji!)

Leather Hexagon Coasters

Beaded Vintage Key Chain

Fun Summer Party Hostess Gifts

This week we want to share one of our favorite fun summer hostess gifts.  I love gifting a unique dish for that person's next get together! Gama-Go, a company that "designs gifts with personality" ,  has some of my favorite unique items for light-hearted summer party gifts.  They  began as  a small  silkscreen printed t-shirt  shop in San Francisco in 2001 and have since grown to a design shop for gifts that will for sure make you chuckle. Some of my favorite Gama-Go dishes are below!

Gama-Go Food Truck Bowl

Gama-Go California Bowl

Gama-Go Boombox Butter Dish

BITA Quotes Keep Blooming

Lately Ji and I have been showcasing some of our inspirational quotes on our blog posts and are looking forward to creating meaningful and creative products out them. Similar to the fog and downcast that plagues LA in June we are in the  "june gloom-like" development stage of designing and crafting our BITA visuals and other products with quotes. As hard as some parts of the creative process is, they must be embraced because it is all part of creating something beautiful for others to enjoy. We like sharing both all sides our process to keep you motivated when it gets tough!  We will be  sharing more of these in our journey with you and keep you all updated once our new products launch. We appreciate all your support and hope our quotes motivate and inspire you and your loved ones!

Don't Be Afraid Of The Heat

Painting Please! - Leslie David

Summer is around the corner and we are so excited. Summer is a fun time for us since both Ji and my birthday are in June and the summer heat always bring lots of energy and fun times with family  and friends. But sometimes the heat isn't always fun for everyone. Sometimes new seasons can bring lots of anxiety around change. We challenge you this summer to not be afraid of the heat! Take this summer to accept whatever pressures and changes are on your plate with courage, knowing that they are all building blocks for you. Ji and I are challenging ourselves to do each try something new this summer, something really out of our comfort zone and you'll be seeing and hearing about some of that in our upcoming posts.  We'd love to hear of some of the challenges to your comfort zone you are trying this summer!

Meet Our Baker!

If you haven't tried one of our delicious flower and cookie baskets you are missing out on the delicious creations of our partner and lovely friend Sara Tso, the owner of Matchbox Kitchen! Matchbox Kitchen is an all natural baking company focused on sustainable, organic, and zero waste practices. Sara creates amazing cakes and other baked goods with unique flavors highlighting organic California produce in her classic, pared down style.  We've been a fan of Sara's work for a while and were thrilled at the chance to partner up in 2014 for the launch of our first Mother's Day Cookie Gram Basket.  Since then we've done three other holiday baskets with Sara's yummy cookies that have been such a blast!

Sara is also the creator of the LA Cake Club a bi-monthly a meeting for dessert enthusiasts to share and enjoy homemade sweets.  The LA Cake Club has grown to over 75 members and 1300+ followers on instagram in one year! If you are interested in learning more about baking and connecting with other bakers we totally recommend attending a meeting. Sara also teaches class all over LA at different venues so check out Matchbox Kitchen for announcements on classes!

Photo: Ami Martin

Make Your Garden Meaningful!

May flowers are here and we know a lot of people in your life will have gardens that are blooming. Keeping with our motto to Make It Meaningful, this month we wanted to share a gift that will bring inspirational messages to any garden. These painted stones are a great  decorative addition to any garden! You can easily make these yourself or purchase them at shop like Happy Emotions , whose style we absolutely love!

Blooming with May Flowers

I've learned this year that growing pains are only scary if we make them that way. We so easily let our current circumstances overshadow our hope for the future. We instinctively panic in the uncertainty that changes bring. Yet everywhere we look in nature things are going through phases. Some are dark and some are bright, but they all lead to a positive transformation. This month I hope that all the blooming flowers around remind you that no matter what phase you are in, it is a part of the journey to become the brightest and most beautiful you. So keep on blooming and pay no mind to the bumps along the road, its all part of the ride. 

Fall Shedding

Fall is almost here!!!! We are excited but also stunned at how fast this year has gone by! This summer has been a lot about growth for Ji and I as individuals and for BITA. We've learned a lot by challenging ourselves but also taking small steps to get to where we want to be.  We hope that what we've shared about our journey has helped you through whatever your journey may be. We are definitely looking to continue in this trend and to go through some healthy fall shedding. There is something about fall that always feels like a full,  new start. Let this fall be a time for you to  take what you've learned this summer and  really transform into a new and even more amazing you!

Monthly Maker: Specks & Keepings

In honor of Mother's Day this weekend we wanted to share with you the work of an amazing Mother/ Daughter duo.  Debra Weiss (mother) & Hillery Sproatt (daughter) together are  Specks & Keepings ,  a handmade goods shop inspired by the  belief in special goods that comfort and age with us. Specks & Keepings has a strong, unique style that seems traditional but has a modern sensibility that we love. We also admire how they keep the love for design and making in the family!  This Mother's Day we hope you appreciate the interests and values that your mom may have passed down to you and that you continue to bond over them no matter how old you are! 

MAKE THIS MOTHER'S DAY SWEET AND BRIGHT

 Matchbox Kitchen and BITA have handcrafted a special gift basket this Mother's Day to help you celebrate the women who light up your life.  Our new basket comes with violet or yellow tulip trios, delicious and festive orange blossom or lemon watercolor cookies, and a handwritten note to the recipient.  Our yummy cookies may last one sitting but our colorful blooms will bring sweet memories for mom year round! The last day to order our baskets is May 3rd. To place an order please go to the mk/bita tab on our website or click here!

BITA x Oh Joy! Spreading Crafting Inspiration!

It is finally here! If you haven't already checked out Oh Joy!'s fabulous new book, you definitely must! And we aren't just saying that we because we are so thrilled and grateful to be a part of it, I promise! If you need some creative, crafty and colorful inspiration for events, gifts or just for fun, this is the perfect book for you. BITA's flowers were chosen as one of the 60 fun projects Joy features, but the project's range from fashion to food to DIY! Congrats to OhJoy! on this amazing project and thank you for continuing to inspire us. We hope you all enjoy the book and continue to find new design and style inspirations this Spring! 

Maker: Mary Delany And Her Paper Flower Garden

This month we pay homage to Mary Delany, a paper artist who paved the way for so many others. Mary's breathtaking paper flower collages have been shown in museums all over the world and continue to inspire us. Mary began creating her mesmerizing paper mosaics at age 72 in 1771, after the death of her second husband. Her paper flower mosaics helped her grieve and have given us elegant works of art, proving that out of the sadness life may bring us can come something new and beautiful for the world. Each of her decoupaged pieces are made from tissue paper and hand colored papers. They all seem to be fully alive plants perfectly poised, full and blooming. Molly Peacock, an amazingly talented poet has published a wonderful book telling the story of Mary's life which we feature below.  We are so grateful for Mary's lovely floral designs and for showing us that art is a true healer of the soul.

FINDING THE BEAUTY OF NATURE IN US

The first time I went camping my friends had to beg me to go. I was a New York girl who had never spent a night outside nor seen more than the few trees around my neighborhood, but going on that trip filled with me a peace I've never felt before. Since then I've made sure to keep do whatever I can to keep it close. It is a feeling of connection and openness as if my soul had found its kin.  I realized that nature and humans come from the same design and have so many variations that are just as beautiful as all the different trees that bring us so much happiness.  A favorite artist of mine, Oriol Angrill Jorda, captures this perfectly. His works reminds me that nature heals the soul because it is a part of our bodies and souls that we must not ever lose sight of.

The Perfect Gardening Gift!

With lots of flowers on our mind this month, we wanted to give you an idea of a unique gift for the flower lover in your life. Pretty gardening aprons are hard to find, but two companies we love are changing that. Hedley and Bennett create handmade, high quality and eye popping aprons that are both fun and extremely durable. We love their dedication to picking the best fabrics and bringing amazing designs to a garment that is often overlooked in those departments. Any flower lover in your life will also love Emily Thompson Florist's apron. As a floral designer herself, Emily offers beautiful denim & leather and canvas & leather aprons. Emily also offers one of kind gardening and floral arrangement accessories that could a great add on for a wonderful gift. We hope you spread floral love this season with these fun gifts!

MAKER: YASMINE FLORAL DESIGNS

This month we are celebrating a maker who loves flowers just as much as we do! Yasmine Mei is an extremely talented LA floral artist whose romantic and diverse arrangements are impossible not to fall in love with. She describes her floral design as "ethereal" and "classic" and we couldn't agree more. Each of her bouquets brings a peaceful "ahh" to my mind and can effortlessly light up a room with sophistication.  We truly admire Yasmine's eye for color and her ability to create such simple but stunning arrangements. With Spring on the way we are excited to see what new blooms Yasmine puts together! For more floral ooo's and ah's check out Yasmine's instagram at @yasminemei!

SPRING PAPER FLOWER WORKSHOP WITH POKETO

Spring time means lots of new dazzling colors and designs! We are happy to announce that on April 11th we are partnering with the amazing Poketo to bring you guys another fun workshop on how to make our favorite spring themed peonies and flower wreaths. The workshop will be at the beautiful Line Hotel on April 11th from 2pm-5pm.  To sign up and find out more info click here. We hope to see you all there and in the meantime if you have questions about the workshop please don't hesitate to ask in the comments  section below!