Hello!

Today I am so happy to introduce Emily's blog. This the third blogpost of my new series about flower blogs after Floresie and Love n'fresh flowers. Emily is writing about her love for flowers in her beautiful blog Fleuropean - the power of flowers, but I met her online first through her great project called the Lonely Bouquet, in which I participated at the beginning of July.

Here comes the interview, with some photos from Emily. I really love her dreamy style. What do you think? xxx Elodie

Who are you and what are you talking about in your blog?

Hello Elodie (and all you other flower fans!)! My name is Emily, and I am an avid gardener, aspiring florist, flower philanthropist and dedicated blogger. As an American living abroad in Belgium, I first began to blog (Fleuropean) as a way to share my daily adventures and everyday life stories with friends and family back home. Soon I found myself in the midst of a small cyberspace community where I feel free to practice my three passions (photography, flowers, and writing). My love for flowers and gardening has also inspired a project dedicated to spreading the unique joy of flowers throughout the local community. It’s called The Lonely Bouquet, and everyone is welcome to become a part of the movement! I love nothing more than being outside, snapping pictures, and playing with flowers… so if you visit my blog, that’s probably what you will find.

Where does your passion for flowers come from?

To be honest, I don’t really know. I’ve always been attracted to the aesthetics of colorful displays… boxes of pastels, aisles of ribbons, eye shadows and nail polishes lined up on the make-up display counters. I suppose that rows of rainbow-colored flowers and color-coordinated bouquets appeal to that same enthusiasm for aesthetics. While growing up in Northern California provided pretty awesome exposure to the raw beauty of nature, I didn’t exactly grow up in the middle of a flower farm. In fact, due to their busy lifestyles as single, working parents, both my mom and my dad made use of professional gardeners. Despite a marked lack of interest in heavy labor, my mom would often tuck a small flower behind my ear, plop me down between the hydrangea bushes and ferns, and talk to me about the various names of the flowers in our garden. I suppose that the opportunity to constantly interact with the surrounding environment fostered a deep sense of respect for and interest in the miraculous ways of nature… which, naturally, led to a love for flowers.

What inspires you?

Nature. Watching a tiny seed sprout its first leaves, grow into a small plant, and produce armfuls of flowers all summer long…. and to know that you played a small role in that process. That, to me, is one of the most inspirational experiences.

What is your favorite flower?

Oh dear! What’s a girl to do… being asked to choose between so many of my best friends. If push came to shove, I would have to say that sweet peas are my most favorite flower of all. Their fragrance combined with their tireless effort to produce flower after flower all summer long has led to a love affair that is bound to last a lifetime. Tied for second are garden roses and dahlias.

Which other flower blogs are you reading regularly?

I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a lazy internet user. I love spotting fabulous photos on Facebook and clicking the links that my favorite sites share. I drool over the pictures posted by The Blue Carrot, Jo Flowers, and ForageFor (among many others)… and often click over to visit Studio Choo, Design Sponge, Botanical Brouhaha, Floresie, and (naturally) Madame Love.

The Lonely Bouquet on facebook: www.facebook.com/thelonelybouquet Fleuropean on facebook: www.facebook.com/fleuropean Website: www.fleuropean.com