Things to Do With Your Family in Pasadena
Super Blooms
Laura Williams of Poppy Hill Flowers (poppyhillflowers.com) says the best part of making a flower crown is that once you know the basics, you can just play. She answers our other questions here…
What flowers work best? Anything light without heavy stems, like chrysanthemums. Choose what you’re drawn toward.
What makes a crown stand out? Add a large statement flower just off-center. Choose something that drapes down a bit to frame the face and attach it by your temple.
Any trends you’re seeing? Designers are adding preserved floral elements to crowns. You can use only preserved florals and keep the crown forever!
What did you learn from your mother? The importance of hosting. She taught me to set a beautiful table and she poured hours into her dinner parties because she wanted her guests to know they were loved.
How To: Flower Crown
Time: 30 minutes
- Gather materials: flowers, hemp-covered wire (18 gauge), paddle wire (26 gauge), floral tape, and floral clippers.
- Measure the covered wire loosely around your head. Cut wire, leaving excess so you can twist the ends together to secure a circle shape.
- Strip and trim flower stems to 3 inches. Prepare larger flowers by pushing a 4-inch piece of paddle wire alongside the stem, just through the center of the bloom. Trim excess wire.
- Set the crown on a flat surface and play with various flower arrangements.
- Pick up the crown and one flower. Start tightly wrapping floral tape to secure the stem to the crown. Continue wrapping and adding new stems until flowers are secure and the crown is filled out.
—Jennifer Ashton Ryan
Screens Off
Turn left upon entering Serafina (shopserafina.com) to find the lifestyle boutique’s cheerful children’s salon. Celebrating 10 years on Mission Street in San Marino, owner Corina Madilian describes her approach to the salon as “carrying thoughtful items that inspire creativity and never require batteries.” This children’s gardening set ($22) from Australian brand Heaven in Earth is properly weighted like grown-up tools to foster an early affection for gardening.—J.A.R.
Mom Loves Cake
“In 2020 Mother’s Day happened in the heart of the shutdown,” says bakery owner John Hensley, remembering the abrupt pivot by Lark Cake Shop (larkcakeshop.com) to operate a delivery-only business. “The response from the community was absolutely overwhelming and we delivered hundreds of Mother’s Day cakes that weekend.” For this year’s holiday, Lark’s locations in Silverlake and Pasadena’s Shops on Hill are back open for in-store and pickup services. Lark’s most popular item, its Ice Box cakes and cupcakes draw inspiration from the popular 1920s and ’30s mom hack of stacking wafer cookies with whipped cream and putting them in the new “icebox.”—J.A.R.
