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Episode 118: Marsha Parker                      

(inter)National Lonely Bouquet Day

After weeks of tragic news and sadness from Texas to Boston to Oklahoma, I’m feeling a need to find a way for us to use our flowers to show the world some love. I think I found a great opportunity to do just that…and I’m so excited to share it with you today. Meet Emily from Fleuropean

emily fleuropean

She founded the Lonely Bouquet and has now dreamed up the first (inter)National Lonely Bouquet Day. I’m hoping some of you will be inspired to join me in participating on June 30th. Welcome Emily as she shares her vision with us…

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“Hi there fellow flower enthusiasts! I’m Emily, founder of Fleuropean and lover of flowers. I was incredibly honored when Amy approached me with the idea of dedicating a post to the tale of the Lonely Bouquets. After seeing the devastation left behind in the wake of the Oklahoma tornado, Amy saw the story of my floral adventures as a way to encourage members of the floral community to give in the way that we know best… through flowers. I’ve long been a lover of everything flowery and sweet but only recently became enthralled with tending to a garden of my own. Over the past two years I’ve added lots of interesting plants, tubers, and seeds… so much so that I quickly outgrew my initial idea of growing enough garden goodies to keep my interior looking fresh and full of flowers. Seeing bunches of blossoms certainly puts a smile on my face, so I pondered the idea of giving away little gifts from my garden. After all, what’s better than making someone else smile? I mulled over several options ranging from knocking on doors and running away to making arrangements for locals nominated by loved ones. Nothing totally tickled my fancy until I awoke suddenly one morning with a huge smile on my face. The Lonely Bouquet!

The very next day I set about cutting flowers from the garden, arranging them in recycled glass jars, printing out little “take me!” tags, and driving them to the local village. Admittedly, my first attempts were complete failures. Apparently a bus stop on a sunny Sunday afternoon didn’t quite get the high traffic I was hoping for! Over the past year I’ve fine-tuned my flower philanthropy skills and become a more seasoned spontaneous-flower-distributor. Sharing something you love with unsuspecting strangers is one of the most amazing experiences. Making someone smile with surprise at happening upon a bouquet seemingly meant for them… nothing beats that! A small and simple action can sometimes have far-reaching effects.

On Sunday the 30th of June, I’ll be over-seeing the very first (inter)National Lonely Bouquet Day. The basic idea is to encourage flower lovers and garden enthusiasts around the world to take part in a bit of flower philanthropy. I’ll host a gathering here in my garden before heading out to distribute all of our arrangements… maybe you’d like to host a small group in your hometown? If you’d prefer to work solo, that’s totally fine too! I’ll provide a bit of advice (although the concept is pretty simple), a template for the “take me!” tag, and a forum for sharing all of our pictures and stories. I think you’ll be thrilled to find that spreading a bit of flower love will fill you with great warmth and happiness… and of course make some lucky locals happy too!”

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I love following Emily’s blog. I can’t get enough of her photos of unsuspecting people finding the Lonely Bouquets. I want to cheer when someone actually smiles, picks up the bouquet and takes it home. Mission accomplished!

fleuropean 551782_400252926706268_977045029_n Aachen, Germany

fleuropean 942094_508879455843614_821719927_n Maastricht, Netherlands

fleuropean magenta-4

fleuropean stamp-2

fleuropean lonely-bouquet-sf-17-of-19

Will you join the mission on June 30th? Start collecting jars and taking special care of your garden! More details to follow…

Thanks, Emily!! Brilliant idea…

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  1. Michael says:

    I have done a similar thing in our small town and love the idea! I will certainly join the movement on June 30th!!!

  2. Emily says:

    Thanks so much for sharing, Amy! I’m so glad to have found a new like-minded friend from all the way across the world 🙂
    xx Emily

  3. Lisa says:

    Although my garden is small as of yet, I’m all in!

  4. I am in for sure! I love it!

  5. melanie says:

    my friends at Dragonfly in Healdsburg CA invite friends to drop by on Thursdays and help arrange flowers for the food bank. What a lovely way to use the abundance of their garden, and a chance for friends to visit.

  6. I will join the movement! Such a beautiful thing to do! Not only am I a professional florist, but we also have an “urban meadow” in front of our shop in a busy downtown area and we love to hear how cheered people are to see our meadow in the middle of the city. We have lots to share just from the urban meadow alone.

  7. Botanique says:

    I love this!!!!!

  8. Janet says:

    I love this idea!

  9. Beth F-S says:

    Ill definitely be getting involved, I think it’s a beautiful idea!

  10. What a great idea!

  11. Jeanette says:

    Lovely idea Emily, I’m in! Thanks for sharing Amy.

  12. I would love to do this! I will round up some friends to help me in this endeavor. I have a big garden filled with plants to cut and have lots of gardening friends.

  13. kenju says:

    What a fantastic idea!!

  14. I think this is a great idea and will be promoting this in Melbourne, Australia – and taking part myself, of course !

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