Hey Girl, Hey!

Hello, World! Welcome to the new website for my business venture/passion project, Pistil & Bloom! My name is Talyssa, and through my business, I promise beautiful flowers, fun times, a real, hard look at what it means to own and run a business and insight to my journey along the way. Along with all the flower things, I also plan to share some other projects related to wedding and events, (like DIY-ing my own wedding invitations) and the late hours, bloopers and sometimes tears it takes to create beautiful things.

You’ll also see my partners in crime, my husband, Ian and our ever-so-animated dog, Badger.

There are always flowers for those who want to see them. — Henri Matisse

Why Flowers?

Why not cupcakes, knitting, lettering or butterfly wrangling? Well, I’m not the best at the first three items, and haven’t attempted the third. I chose to focus on flowers because for the most part, they bring happiness to people and are beautiful! I also have pretty sentimental ties to flowers.

My grandmother was the matriarch of our family, and she loved flowers! She and my grandfather immigrated to the United States with nine (yes, NINE) children in the 1970’s! Grandma was very industrious, and she used to sew her own clothes! I remember she would use these fabrics with different floral prints to make shirts, pants and skirts, and she would wear them together, mismatched and all!

See? I wasn’t kidding! (Yes, that’s me as a kid) There were also rose bushes in their front yard, and the backyard was full of crops from tomatoes and squash, to apple trees and grape vines. I could talk all day about that house, but I digress.

My grandma used to say, “When I die, I’m going to have the most beautiful flowers at my funeral.” Sure enough, my mom, cousin and I made it happen. Through tears and mentions of fond memories, we (mostly mom – she runs a tight ship) made sprays, wreaths and boutonnieres.

My mom is also a floral designer in Northern California, and my site will feature her arrangements when she comes to visit and vice versa! She, too loves flowers. To circle back to the original question, that’s why flowers.

Why Start a Business?

Well, I currently work a full time job, and having been in the job market for some time now, I struggle to find a fulfilling role that allows me to write, communicate, learn and create beautiful things. In the past, I always had a colorful array of side jobs to fulfill my passions. Pistil & Bloom allows me to fulfill all of them, and I’m in great company with the other floral designers and distributors in my area.

Additionally, I have a younger brother with special needs. There will come a day when I will be his primary caregiver, and I love the thought of the freedom to bring him to work and have him help me. You don’t find many opportunities out there that will accommodate something like that.

In summation, that is why I decided to start my flower business. I look forward to sharing this experience with you, and that includes the awesome times and distinctly awful times. Because as beautiful as flowers are, like life, there are tough times hiding behind them, and I believe in sharing that so you can remember that your own life is not defined by the difficulty of your struggles.

To close, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes of all time! A local mall actually added an installation of the quote…