Celebrate in Color at Asteria Florals!
For most of my life, my birthday hasn’t been a big deal.
As a summer baby, I never got to celebrate at school with my classmates, and birthday parties were sparsely attended because folks tend to do this thing during the summer. I think it’s called “vay-kay-shun”? I’ve never heard of it, but apparently it’s all the rage in Europe.
After a couple summers in lockdown, I was lonely and felt as though my life were passing me by. In the midst of my Pandemic-induced fugue state, my birthday fell so far to the bottom of my priority list that I literally bought myself the wrong candles one year…I forgot what age I was turning and bought incorrect number candles to go atop my grocery store cake. How embarrassing.
My sister-in-law, Jazmin, is so good at celebrating. I blame her really nice mom who is also really good at celebrating. True story: in college I was dating a guy and I got a “CONGRATULATIONS FOR GETTING A BOYFRIEND!” card in the mail from this woman who was, at the time, my brother’s girlfriend’s mom…So like I said, that family likes to celebrate and now they’re my family, too, so I guess after 25 years of being in these women’s orbit they’re starting to rub off on me!
One thing that always gives me pause when I feel the itch to invite people to things is the very real truth that people are busy. In my wacky little brain, it can feel selfish or self-indulgent to invite people to take time away from their lives. I have to work hard to counterbalance that worry by reminding myself that I LOVE being invited to parties and I can’t be alone in that feeling, after all!
Even still, if there’s one thing about me…I’m going to try to optimize my time, and YOURS! For example, my Book Club (The Sacramento Book Burrow, what’s up!) is a place for members to not only discuss books and share ideas, but also plug their businesses & passions, share needs, and offer professional advice. It’s a networking group that likes to read. I’m feeding two birds with one scone, here.
So to celebrate my 39th birthday, I wanted to adopt a similar model. If I were going to ask ladies to spend a valuable Saturday with me, I was going to make darn sure that a few things happened: I wanted to feed them, I wanted them to have fun, I wanted them to learn & be creative, I wanted them to walk away with something, and I wanted to promote the people around me that I find inspiring. When I laid it all out, I knew exactly what kind of birthday I wanted:
A FLOWER ARRANGEMENT MAKING CLASS AT THE STUNNING ASTERIA FLORALS HOSTED BY OWNER EMILY PENNINGTON!
Emily’s shop is not only an active floral studio, it is a gift shop featuring gorgeous and unique products from locally-owned, women & Queer businesses. Emily, herself, is a local, twice-over entrepreneur with a passion for creating connections within her community and being hospitable.
The birthday party was two hours spent hanging out in the shop as a venue, essentially. Emily allowed me to bring in snacks, and when it was time to begin the class she was not only an excellent instructor, but also a perfect hostess - encouraging us to make a mess, be creative, and see whatever bouquet we made as nothing short of beautiful. When it was time to depart, she helped each of us create a whimsical paper wrap for our flowers and then stored them in her fridge while we enjoyed a meal down the street.
10/10, no notes. Would recommend.
Emily and her incredible staff offer loads of classes and services.
So next time you’re looking to celebrate yourself or someone you love, the next time you want to spend time with a loved one doing something creative, and the next time to you need to shop for flowers, I hope you’ll consider Asteria Florals. It’s a gem, and so are you!
