Doris' Diary
Hello Friends! Well, here it finally is, my very first Doris’ Diary post. Thank you so much for following along, I am thrilled to have you here! I just wanted to introduce a bit about myself, how I got into floral design, things I love outside of flowers and what Doris Ione is all about.
On a normal day, I prefer being behind the scenes, in the background, just doing my thing. It’s a bit difficult for me to put myself out there, but here it goes!
I became interested about floral design in high school. There was a shop named Checkerberry’s where I grew up in North Bend, OR. As a senior, we were required to do a work shadow program. I immediately thought of floral design and Checkerberry’s. To make things even cuter, they had a 1970’s volkswagen bug with flowers painted on it for one of their delivery vehicles. Needless to say, I loved the internship! Fast forward to college and I kind of forgot about flowers for a bit. It resurfaced quickly while studying fashion design in California. It was then that I realized while I loved sewing, I much preferred it as a hobby. I wound up moving back to Portland, not knowing quite what to do. It was then that I found a floral design program and decided to check it out. Everything wound up coming full circle as I realized this was the official career for me!
With Doris Ione I aim to create beautiful, heartfelt moments that will be remembered forever, whether they be through weddings, workshops, or special events. I am thrilled to be focusing on intimate weddings and events.
After being in the floral industry for 10+ years, I am thrilled and looking forward to be using my skills and knowledge to make an impact in my immediate community. Flowers are such uplifting little things, I feel like there is so much more to them than simply pretty blooms!
I love sharing what I know and have learned along the way and am thrilled to be able to pass it along to others.
I always love the thought of growing my own flowers and aim to have a small cutting garden in my backyard. Carnations and sweet peas are going to be my first attempts!
I have obsessions with vintage pyrex, murder she wrote, cross stitching, thrift stores and floral print everything.
I am thrilled to have the best partner in my husband, Paulo. The little loves of our lives are our house rabbit Ned Nickerson, named after Nancy Drew’s handsome boyfriend and Caspinha (“little dandruff” in portuguese), our newly adopted senior beagle/cocker spaniel mix.
A bit about Doris
People say that I look a lot like her and I take that as quite the compliment! Doris was a beautiful person inside and out. Everything she did was done with such attention to detail, including her craft projects, sewing, and card making. We all looked forward to her handmade cards for holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. Even her outfits were well thought out, which were always well-coordinated, typically in shades of lavender or blue. No outfit was complete without a handkerchief tucked into one sleeve or into her watchband. She was one of the most industrious people I have ever met, even teaching herself how to sew in order to make my Mom’s clothes as a baby. She continued to make all of my mom’s beautiful dresses, even her wedding gown.
She had a sweet quilt with squares representing each flower of every month. As I am working on making a quilt out of her old fabric, I was hoping to have the same color background as her quilt. I was having a hard time matching the exact color and mentioned it to her. Shortly after that, I received a swatch of the same turquoise fabric with one of her handmade cards in the mail. She had cut out a portion from the backside of her quilt so that I could make an exact match. I still have not been able to match it perfectly, but carry that swatch around with me in my wallet, just in case I walk into the perfect fabric store. It serves as a daily reminder of her thoughtfulness.
A bit about Ione
Eleanor Ione is the most lovely, resourceful, clever woman and I am so fortunate to have her as my grandmother. Everything she touches is made prettier. An unassuming table would be draped with a pretty tablecloth, a simple window accented with a pretty curtain. She had such a knack of refreshing the most everyday things and making them cheerful! She was amazing in the kitchen and always trying new recipes as well as making the family favorite, mashed potatoes with cream cheese and sour cream along with warm rolls. I remember fondly camping as kids and she and my grandfather would get to the site a day or two early and have the most beautiful campsite set up , complete with real plates, a wash station, flowers on the wooden dining table and a fire blazing every chilly morning. She is still crocheting and has made an afghan for everyone in the family as well as numerous friends. I know the basics of crochet, but it is my dream to do it as beautifully and effortlessly as her. I aim to be as steadfast, hardworking and resourceful in my life as she has been in hers.