Butterfly Petals

05/24/2021

I have a fun job. Brought in these lovely ladies from Oregon.

05/14/2021

They’re Dutch, dyed and mauve-ulous

05/14/2021

At my house, the still life is literal.

05/14/2021

Iris are my all time favorite flowers. Bearded iris are razzle dazzle fancy ladies. They’re only available in cut form for a short period of time, usually around Mother’s Day. In my design days, I’d buy myself some as an end of season present. Now that I sell flowers for a living, I’m surprised at how many florists have no idea what they are. They look a little funky in my cooler-tight buds growing very which way, I get asked once a day what kind of flower they are-well here you go, a little sun, a little forage from my yard, and voila, fancy ladies over the kitchen sink.

12/27/2020

Frank Lloyd Wright loved shadow and light play. He called them “eye music” and “nature’s composition.” The spaces at Taliesin West are very carefully placed to catch the light in a certain way, and ornamentation on the exterior and interior cast really beautiful and intentional shadows. I love the funky shadows I cast here while on tour. My kids gave me this glorious Stevie-Nicks-esque shawl for Christmas so today I’m all ephemeral fringe as I walk the space.

12/24/2020

Merry and Bright.



#2020

12/16/2020

A year of pain, change, growth and even some happiness. For those who don’t know, I closed Butterfly Petals, the business I spent my entire adult life creating.

I didn’t know the world would change as much as it has this year, I just felt 15 years was a good round number to end on. It wasn’t the end I wanted, it hurt and it took a lot to let go and make peace with what I considered failure, lack of talent, and so many other complicated feelings.

I became a mom again this year too and quarantine gave me the opportunity to watch babyhood with a whole new set of eyes. Without the pressures of growing and running a business, I was able to be fully present. A gift.

Last fall, I took a little part time job as a guide at Taliesin West. It gave me a much needed distraction while also allowing me to share one of my other passions with the world-my love of all things Frank Lloyd Wright and the beauty of nature, architecture and design.

In March the world caught up with us, I always knew I’d leave Taliesin to have a baby and thought by fall this year I’d have figured out “the rest of my life.” I’d finally make use of that Journalism degree, work for someone else, collect a steady paycheck without the constant fear of financial ruin, stress of managing employees, the crushing pressure I put on myself to make sure I made everything “perfect” for each client, only to inevitably miss one tiny detail-in my mind that meant absolute failure. The mess of networking while being a weirdo in a world of very pretty people...

I didn’t expect I’d get to return to Taliesin. It was a seasonal part-time gig and they closed during quarantine. I was delighted when they called early this fall and told me I’d be welcomed back.

Now I know I’m where I belong. I’ve never felt more at peace and more whole than when I’m here. It’s meditative. We’re juggling what it means to welcome guests to this historic space in a pandemic-but when I walked the spaces again it was such a relief and peace.

It’s been here, this beautifully designed desert experiment for 83 years and it was waiting for me. Just as it was. Beauty and nature not soured by politics, fear or sickness.

In some ways this makes so much sense. My love of nature and my native home led to flowers. My artistic quirky self found a way to express myself in design. I’m drawn to other artists and those unafraid of self expression.

I’m starting to think it’s not a change. It’s a return.

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” Frank Lloyd Wright

10/24/2020

Braved the outside world to help Mommy drop off her ballot.

09/24/2020

My last event was pre-pandemic and of course, pre-little-man. This is only the third time I’ve used this fancy stroller and he was fascinated by today’s trip to pick up design supplies. It’s a bit surreal as my past life and new life crash into one another.

09/05/2020

Frank Lloyd Wright’s mother declared he’d be an architect before he was born.

My son’s middle name is Wright and this is his first interest in a board book...

04/22/2020

I made a lot of big plans this year when we found out this little guy was on the way.

One of those was closing the business I spent 15 years building. I carefully crafted that plan to impact as few clients as possible and to finish just as this guy made his big debut.

Then Covid19 happened and all the plans came crashing down in a matter of days. I still have clients scattered through fall when I planned to be back to working full time in a whole other industry, I lost my other job I loved dearly. We found out we’d have to deliver our little man early due to health concerns...right in the middle of our projected peak pandemic.

For those struggling and my amazing clients grieving their wedding plans- sometimes there’s beauty in the chaos. I had to “lean into it” and actually put into practice all the positive thinking I always claimed to follow while in reality I controlled and fought any amount of chaos so everything could be as smooth as can be and worried about everything all the time.

There is beauty in the chaos and peace in letting go.

For me I’m learning to be grateful to all of this. It brought 6 pounds 7 ounces of joy into our lives at a time where we have no choice but to huddle together and spend all the time in the world protecting him and watching him grow. There’s no deadline, no new job start on the horizon-just us.

Stay safe everyone and thank you again to the support of clients and industry friends throughout the years.

02/05/2020

After fifteen wonderful years, I've made the difficult decision to retire from the industry in Spring 2020. I got the surprise of lifetime when I found out I am expecting my third child. It's a happy time but with some health concerns, it's clear I need to slow down. It's one of many factors influencing my decision.

We do have a few clients on the books through May and look forward to creating gorgeous designs for their events. We will not be taking new clients however.

In the process of closing the business we've already moved out of our studio space in Tempe. I'll be working from my home and borrowing space from friends in the industry when needed. The best way to get in touch is through email.

Thank you to all the couples who trusted me with their weddings and elopements, the folks who welcomed me into their homes for private parties, and the friends in the industry I made along the way. I don't know what the future will bring, but I look forward to it!

Mandi Johnson
February 2020
[email protected]

01/06/2020

12/24/2019

I wish you all the warmth and love this Christmas!