Little Shirley's

This is a photo of the inside of the florist shop that has been here for 50 years. Shirley worked for the original owner until she purchased it and giggled her floral designs into our lives for years and years. This dear business has honored all our family occasions with beauty and love. Birthdays, Mother's Day, weddings, funerals have all been festooned with their contributions, thoughtfully in tune with the one they are celebrating. It helps of course that Shirley was my Brownie Troop leader when I was in elementary school so our families were in touch and that her daughter, Diane, was my age. (Still is! Funny how that works :)

It is now owned by Diane, who is a delight and a joy to visit. We laugh and reminisce and remember our moms with much warmth and rolling of the eyes. Our families were filled with characters, as families are, and it is a breath of comfort in an otherwise hectic day to walk in to Diane's pretty, quirky shop and reconnect to long ago days that otherwise might be forgotten. Sort of centering, reminding me that this part of my life is transient, will also move into the background to be built upon and eventually be replaced by something morphed out of this current circumstance. I can tell how things are going generally if I find that thought comforting or bittersweet. But always there are friends, like Diane, that travel with you and continue to hold onto the threads that entangle you from birth to the grave. Some of those threads have been darker but most have been light filled, some even shimmer as a result of a particularly fine inspiration.

The photo depicts my latest addiction, these rainbowed little vases that happily open their mouths wide for one or two little posies. I bought a small round shiny red one for me when I went in to get a birthday gift for a work colleague. I couldn't resist it! It was staring me down with a comical tiny green air plant poofing out the top of it, just willing me to love it. And I did, instantly! I wanted to carry it everywhere with me! It looked like an overly enthusiastic strawberry or a shocked radish. I bought two more for the two women that work in my classroom and popped air plants into theirs as well. It was so much fun that I went back and purchased 2 more for my friend, Rita, who has been through the mill lately. The small round ones are called Pebbles, the tall svelte ones are called Pods and the ones with the flared mouths were the originals, Little Shirley's. Their story is below and I include it here because I want never to forget it, want to honor Shirley and Diane and our shared past, congratulate Diane's daughter, Lauren, on founding this wonderful company and pass on to you what I think is a loving tribute combined with can do spirit. We can all relate, I know, as Blip is about beauty and learning but also greatly about the sharing of love. I am continually surprised at the depth and breadth of this wonderful group of individuals coming together to form, for some, the most loving family they have known. And I am proud of this connection, deeply moved by your stories and genuinely consider you important members of my world.
Thank you all. xo

Our Story
I’m sure you have someone in your life that is your inspiration. My grandmother Shirley Larson was that person for me. When she was diagnosed with cancer, I decided to do something positive to honor her. I began to raise money to support cancer research and patient services, but I didn’t want to do it the old-fashioned way. I believe that giving people a tangible gift in return for their donation would make them feel more connected to the cause, and Little Shirleys, were born out of this idea.

In 2009, I took a leap of faith, (always encouraged by Grandma Shirley!) and opened my own ceramics studio in hopes of continuing to raise money for important causes and carry on the legacy of one of the most amazing women I will ever know.