Matalida's Bloombox Review
““The butterfly is a flying flower, the flower a tethered butterfly.””
I struggle with a decent amount of anxiety in normal times, let alone during these days of COVID and teaching from home. I worry about the state of the world, the people in my life, and the embarrassing thing I said six years ago. It all piles up for me and is never ending. There is no question that teaching from home has certainly added to my stress pile. As it turns out, teaching to a screen is way more exhausting than normal in person teaching which by itself would drain me on most days. I feel like teaching from home induces my fight or flight responses from time to time. Needless to say, I am always searching for ways to deal with it.
To break the relentless staring at my screen, I felt like I needed something beautiful and new to look at periodically as I continue to teach remotely. I hate clutter, so buying objects would not work. I decided on incorporating more fresh flowers. There is nothing better to lift your spirits than fresh flowers. Unfortunately, not having been blessed with a green thumb, I can’t just go out in my backyard and pick them any time it strikes my fancy. Luckily, I stumbled upon a great company here in the SF Bay Area called Matilda’s Bloombox, and they deliver year round.
What a gem it is! They buy locally sourced fresh flowers that support small farmers. They are very conscientious about how important buying flowers from growers during this COVID time period is because no one is buying flowers for big events, and the flower business is suffering along with so many other businesses. When I buy these flowers, it makes me feel like I am doing something for the greater good and helping others to have a measure of financial security during this time period.
Matilda’s delivers the flowers to your door in the San Francisco Bay Area and also in Austin and Houston, TX. Bonus: they have gift deliveries ($39 + Shipping) available in the same areas. The best part is that is not a subscription; you get to select what weeks you want your flowers delivered. They give you a preview so you can decide if those flowers would work for you.
Bonus, Matilda’s Bloombox also educates you about what the flowers are and where they are grown. Just so you know, Bloombox does not just deliver your basic everyday kind of flowers. The variety is truly amazing and an education in itself. Each box comes with a beautiful mini-poster (suitable for framing, IMO) with an illustration, name, and a bit of information about each flower. She also provides detailed tips on how to arrange them. All you need to do is provide the vase. In addition to the written tips, Bloombox also provides a video with the founder of the company (long story, but the owner is Emily who named her company after her daughter Matilda) personally showing you how to make beautiful arrangements. Added bonus: I now feel that I can artfully arrange flowers like a pro.
These weekly flower deliveries bring me so much joy and have calmed my anxious thoughts. They last for a few weeks (hint: as long as you remember to change the water), and I love the way that they make my house smell - a feast for all your senses!
Since Matilda’s Bloombox is a small but quickly growing company, they don’t spend money on advertising. They rely strictly on word of mouth. If you want to check them out, here is my referral link.
