Saturday was the big “Auction Gala” of the Wings in the City butterflies – held at the St Louis Hyatt at the Arch this past Saturday evening.  Anyone who has been anywhere around St Louis this past month or so has seen the butterflies decorated by local artists (many sponsored by local businesses) on display at parks and shopping centers as well as in the City of Clayton, downtown St Louis, the Loop and the Central West End.

Walter Knoll Florist was proud to provide floral decorations for the affair.

 

Floral Gateways

 

 

 

 And now for some of the butterflies . . .

Auction proceeds benefitted the Art Therapy services of Wings, the BJC Pediatric Hospice & Palliative Care Program.  Wings in the City is sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, Inc , Centene and Emerson

Saturday, Sept 25! Benton Park!

Check out last year’s pictures on this blog from October 2009

Be there and get a square!

Walter Knoll Florist has some special surprises for you at the Home and Garden show this weekend at the America’s Center in downtown St Louis.  Look for the Hawaiian Shirt Gang!

IT’S A PALM TREE EXTRAVAGANZA!

Phoenix palms, windmill palms, European palms, dwarf queen palms, fox tail palms

We even have Giant LED lit coconut palms!

Come see our approx 25′ tall Washingtonia Palm!

Several of our palms have special “show” pricing -

Phoenix Palms, regularly $699 in pot, on sale at the show for $499

Come see Flo and ask for a Walter Knoll Florist Gift Card

Flo is dressed to the nines for this show!

Tell her Di sent you!

There’s a NEW holiday tradition being added to St. Louis’s social calendar this year! “Holiday Magic” comes to America’s Center, December 4-6, and it promises to be an exciting and entertaining event for families and shoppers. Enjoy wood carving demonstrations and hands-on crafts, a dazzling light show with over 40,000 holiday lights choreographed to holiday music, and a full-scale indoor carnival.
And best of all . . . Walter Knoll Florist will be there with a special treat for children . . .

It’s gonna be great – we’ll have hundreds, maybe thousands of white poinsettias for kids to paint – as well as protective gear to keep their little outfits tidy – so come on down and get in the Christmas Spirit!

As we prepare and set up our booth for the big show we are also installing over 75 real live Christmas trees around the center-complete with lights!

And our booth will have lots of fully decorated trees and ideas as well as special “show” pricing – there will be ornaments and garland and wreaths and swags you can buy and take with you and we will also have on display our Holiday Arrangements (you may have seen them on our Holiday Unwrapped 2009 brochure we mailed out last week) – so come on down, bring the kids (and $5 of course-proceeds benefit Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club). Tell ‘em Di sent you!

Speaking of poinsettias – you know it’s an old wives tale about them being toxic, don’t you? Well, although we don’t recommend you eat them, they are NOT poisonous.

Here is a pic of a poinsettia painted by a 73-year old!

How about a blue or purple poinsettia?

Can’t get down to the Convention Center this weekend? Don’t despair – visit our garden center at California and LaSalle and see all our poinsettia varieties – here’s a sampling!

Last week we had a great girl scout troop come in to learn about flowers and flower arranging! They all had a great time and so did we! You can bring your troop in for a field trip! Just click on our bus tours link
or call Chuck or Matt at 314 352-7575. I’ll be watching for you!

Greetings

After a week of bone chilling rain here in St Louis, the clouds parted and we were blessed with a perfect sunny day for the Benton Park Chalk Art Festival. This 11th Annual Chalk Art Exhibit, Competition and Festival in the Benton Park Neighborhood was held in Historic Benton Park at Arsenal Street & Jefferson Avenue on and around the award winning Strolling Bridge. Walter Knoll Florist was pleased to help sponsor the event – Walter Knoll Florist Gift Cards were given to the first 25 paying adults. For $20 each adult entrant got a pair of cotton gloves, a box of brilliant colored chalk and a piece of the sidewalk! Kids were $1 and received free treasure bags. Viewing of course was Free!

Sponsors

Kids are free

Young and old alike got into the act and everyone had a great time.

Even Uncle Rich got into the act - He's just a big kid at heart.

Some folks thought out of the box

At first glance - flowers, second glance - Dog Paws

4th place is this wonderful pyramid image

This one is going to pop out of the sidewalk

2nd place:

Mike poses with his eye in the sky

Image stolen from a TV tray by yours truly

This young fellow was enamored with the buildings in drawing 17 - he did a great job

First Place was this great jack-o-lantern ghost art

by St Louis' own famous local artis Phil Jarvis

Lots of picture taking going on

And somehow I pulled off winning 3rd place!

fini

I’m ahead of the game this year – hoping to have dozens of knitted gifts to give –
Here are 5 hats I’ve made since mid August or so

Wacky Hats

I especially like these two, so if you see someone wearing something like this, ask them if Di made that hat!

Cool you say? No, very warm!

Please don’t ask me for the pattern! I figure them out as I go along or I copy a previous pattern from one I have made.

Are you perhaps not so nimble fingered and wondering about holiday gift giving? Walter Knoll Florist can solve that problem! Call us about our holiday corporate gift giving ideas! We’ll have beautiful poinsettias, wreaths (decorated and plain – live and everlasting) as well as a whole line up of holiday floral bouquets! After all, we’re Walter Knoll Florist, Your Personal Florist Since 1883 Call us at 314.352.7575 or toll free at 1-800-341-ROSE (7673) WKF.COM

We received this wonderful card from the “Look What I Made” Girl Scouts and just had to share . . .

Three Little Pigs

What could be better than salty buttery puff pastry wrapped around a little sausage or hot dog? These are easy to make, there will be very few left over and if there are leftovers, they reheat well.

Ingredients:
1 package Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry sheets (thawed)
2 1-pound packages of mini hot dogs or cocktail sausages (Hillshire)
Grainy Mustard
Egg Wash (egg mixed with water to seal edges and paint tops

Drain the wieners well in a colander and dry them well with paper towels. As you are dying them, poke each one just enough to pierce the skin with a fork or several times with the point of a sharp knife.

Unfold and smooth out a sheet of thawed puff pastry on a lightly flowered surface (do not roll the dough thin or manipulate it much or it won’t puff as much as it should – keep second sheet wrapped until ready to use)

Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough

Divide the dough into 3 long strips then make 7 rectangles of each strip (use pizza cutter) and then cut the rectangles on an angle to form triangles.

Put a little grainy mustard in the center of each triangle then roll it around a dry weenie, sealing the point to the base of the triangle with a tiny brushing of egg wash.

Space about an inch apart - they will puff up

Space and inch or so apart on a parchment lined baking sheet, then lightly brush the tops lightly with egg wash.

Bake in preheated 400F oven for 20-22 minutes or until as brown as you like them. Remove from sheet pan to a paper towel laid over a cooling rack.

Serve hot with more mustard for dipping.

These reheat well at 325F for 8 or 10 minutes.

Hey! Who Stole A Weenie?

One package of two sheets of pastry makes about 100 – or 2 pounds of mini weenies.

A great party snack, they are good hot or at room temperature.

Speaking of Party! Are you ready for your New Year’s Festivities? 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of a telescope! So drink a toast to Galileo and the skies this December 31!

Galileo Galilei (surely a big fan of Pigs in Blankets!) Painting by Giusto Sustermans

Don’t forget to take or send ahead some flowers to your New Year’s Eve Party!

This tree is in the Lobby of the Metropolitan Square building in downtown St Louis (Located at 1 Metropolitan Square).  This year the tree has been transformed to tell the story of the history of St Louis. Included in the ornaments are 32 large, custom luminaries that were hand crafted by Walter Knoll Florist.  These luminaries show a pictorial history of St Louis.  The luminaries are made from Lexan, a clear polycarbonate that has been cast into tubes that then have historical images from St Louis’ past displayed with back-lit illumination.  Images featured include Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson,  Lewis and Clark, The 1904 Worlds Fair, Charles Lindbergh & the Spirit of St Louis,  the construction of the St Louis Arch and many other Saint Louis historic moments.

Standing at over 45 feet tall, this is the largest Indoor holiday tree in the St Louis area.

The Christmas tree in the lobby of the Metropolitan Square Building

This year we added a podium and a book with copies of the images and a description of each photo.

The Podium and Picture Book feature LED lighting

Some Close Ups of the Luminaries

Many of the images came from the Missouri History Museum and  several from the personal collection of Mark Allen from Anmar Photography.

If you are out looking at holiday decorations this season, it is worth your time to go by and see the biggest and best tree in St Louis. The Metropolitan Square Building tree is a great backdrop for a holiday photo.

This tree was assembled and decorated by Walter Knoll Florist and we manufactured many of the decorations as well.

If you would like to ask Walter Sr a question about the decorations click here.