Edible arrangement

Recently I drove up to Connecticut to spend a day with my pal Frances Palmer. I've told you about her before, and my admiration is unchanged. Her work is still deeply inspiring and her friendship even more so. (And that's a lot.) 

She made me an astronomically delicious lunch, and we sipped wine and poked around in her garden. I clipped some treats and while she worked on the wheel, I arranged in her vases. We talked about business and boys, the importance of bookkeepers and the class we want to teach together in November. Having creative, successful women to encourage you, well, it's everything.

 
 

Her garden was rioting with heirloom tomatoes and the first of the season's dahlias. I was struck with how the warm colors coordinated so darn nicely with the new oxblood colored pots Frances has been throwing. Her porcelain work is always top tier and I'm particularly struck by these new ones. The color is so good for flowers. She said the glazing process is quite challenging, the color is created by copper and often comes out to the kiln with a mottled effect. 

This one is amazing, and I'm going to dream about that dahlia for weeks to come. See more of them here. When I left, she loaded my truck up with a bucket of dahlias and a brown paper bag of tomatoes. Bunches of lemon verbena and a handmade vase. I pinched myself as I drove back home- I'm truly lucky and not just because she stuffed me with homemade caramel ginger ice cream. But she did that too, and wow, I'm still reeling.