The Sustainable Florist
Junction Triangle M6P 4H8 Toronto, ON, Canada

MEET YUSUKE Yusuke operates Akai Ceramic Studio, a small, family-owned studio in Toronto, Ontario with his wife Naomi. "I threw a tea bowl on the wheel for the first time in my life at age 13. I was so blown away by that experience that I have continued to create to this day. In my teens, I focused on traditional Japanese and Chinese ceramics; I taught myself the techniques by visiting regions famous for pottery making, and becoming acquainted myself with potters throughou...t Japan. In my twenties, I became drown drawn to American industrial design, especially that of the 1960s, and started collecting pieces from that era. After university, I worked as a designer and buyer of tableware by day, and as a potter by night. At the same time, I ran my own pottery-making classes and continued to make ceramics. After moving to Canada, I was fortunate enough to help potters and occasionally run my own workshops. But those activities were not sufficient to make a living, so I had to have a full-time job." In September of 2012, he was finally able to spend more time on pottery and thus Akai Ceramic Studio was born. "My wife, Naomi, is an architect trained in Japan with extensive experience in designing kitchens and commercial spaces. She has worked on residential houses and cottages for 15 years since coming to Canada. With her architectural background, she brings invaluable ideas to my pottery work, and adds flavor to it. She also works behind the scenes as photographer and web master for the Akai Ceramics Studio." Our Box of Local Love 002 opens for pre-orders on 1/24/21 and you'll find a mini bud vase made by @akai_ceramic_studio inside! Each bud vase is spun and glazed by hand in Toronto, and there will be a few different colours options! Along with the vase are some of our mini stems of naturally dried flowers (bunny tails, statice, lavender). You can find work from Akai Ceramic Studio at @cambiedesign, an online textile and home decor store in Toronto. You can shop Akai Ceramic Studios on @fabrique1840 too! Photo from @fabrique1840 @ Toronto, Ontario

MEET LINDSAY Lindsay is the founder of Majority Jewels, a jewelry company based in Toronto, Ontario currently specializing in sterling silver pieces. My journey in creating jewelry began about a year and a half ago when I began feeling unchallenged and unsatisfied with work. Since childhood, I have been fortunate enough to always have creative outlets to express myself. These activities directed my attention, provided an emotional release as well as served as a distraction... from my stress and anxiety. Now that I was working full time, I felt that I was missing that means of expression and something that I could be passionate about. I wanted to feel the satisfaction of creating something with my hands and be able to share this passion with others. Jewelry came to mind. I took a couple workshops and started more formal education soon after and I was hooked. I loved learning how to manipulate and understand the flames and using your tools to create a tangible, finished product that once started as just a dream in my head. Especially since the pandemic hit, being able to get lost and completely absorbed in something other than current circumstances has truly been a lifesaver. Moving forward, my biggest goal is to create better transparency in regards to sustainability and ethical practices. The jewelry industry has a horrific history in unethical practices including destroying natural environments and the exploitation of workers. This is definitely a long-term goal as I work towards having increased access in sourcing fair trade materials. Overall, I hope to assist in bringing lasting and more positive change to the environment, global and local economies, and to the jewelry industry as a whole. We are SO THRILLED to be offering the first public piece of jewelry from Majority Jewels - The Love Ring. This adjustable ring can be found in our Box of Local Love 001 along with The Bawdy Candle and other handmade gifts. Pre-orders open 01/24/2021! Lindsay will have more jewelry coming soon, so make sure you follow along at @majorityjewels to see her magic @ Toronto, Ontario

MEET DINAH Dinah is the maker behind Atelier Honey, a sex and self positive home decor workshop based in Toronto, Ontario. "During my time in the Army Reserves, I found solace in my space. I'd be away from family for months, and home was where I always wanted to be. In that, I found a love in home decor and interior design. I wanted to grow not only a home decor business but allow customers to create a unique space that's all their own. ... When the lockdown started, I couldn't do what I loved anymore and happily found a new love in chandlery. I wanted to start introducing conversational peices into the mix and started pouring body shaped candles." We are SO EXCITED to be featuring Dinah's handmade non-toxic Bawdy Candle in our 001 Box of Local Love! Made with the sweetest pink colour for Valentine's Day! There will also be a little reminder for yourself or your loved one that all bodies are beautiful even if yours looks different than the candle Atelier Honey creates candles in different skin tones and body shapes, like the Big Beautiful Bawdy Candle and the Expecting Bawdy Candle. If our Box of Local Love is out of your price range, you can always order from Dinah directly at atelierhoney.com Follow @atelierhoney.co to see what other brilliance she creates in 2021 Pre-sales for our Valentine's Day Box of Local Love 001 + 002 open Sunday, January 24th at noon on our website xo @ Toronto, Ontario

BOX OF LOCAL LOVE Treat yourself or a loved one to our carefully curated box of goodies, featuring handmade gifts by The Sustainable Florist and BIPOC makers in Canada The 001 and 002 boxes will be available for pre-order for Valentine's Day on our website soon; stay tuned! ... We will be spotlighting each product + maker in our feed this week leading up to launch so you can get to know them and what they do

Thanks @picjager for giving this bouquet a second life After our collab in the fall, Dani took this bouquet to her engagement shoot and surprised this lovely couple with it! The other two bouquets were deconstructed, all the dried flowers were reused, and the flower petals were dried. ... This bouquet was made with flowers we dried from the farmers at @thelocalflowercollective or flowers that we foraged or grew ourselves. The roses and snowberries were imported (I think? - they were not labelled), but I've made the commitment to use local only going forwards to reduce waste and flower miles

LET'S TALK DYED AND BLEACHED BOTANICALS! For the past two years, I have spent Valentine's Day freelancing for other florists and learning from people I've looked up to in the industry. As valuable as those experiences were, my biggest takeaway was that I can no longer work with dyed and bleached product. This also meant that my opportunities freelancing went from some to none as the only florists in the city I know that do not use floral foam use dyed and bleached botanicals.... For me, the decision to stop using these products has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I hate rainbow baby's breath and bright, unnaturally coloured florals. Instead, it has everything to do with how being around this product makes me feel dizzy, nauseous, lightheaded, and leads to headaches and vomiting. It may seem a little extreme but picture working with your bare hands for hours in an unventilated workspace with red and blue dyes staining your hands and eventually dripping down your arms. There is no way of finding out how these botanicals were dried or what chemicals were used in the process overseas. The chemicals and colourants definitely don't impact everyone this way, but when there is a complete lack of transparency in the process, how is someone like me supposed to work in floristry? PLEASE read the rest of my thoughts on my blog post (link in bio)! It is just a quick 6 minute read and I would love to know your thoughts Thanks for your time #sustainableflorist #sustainablefloristry #dyedbotanicals #bleachedbotanicals #greenfloristry #dyedflowers #bleachedflowers #slowflowers #lowwastefloristry