Well that’s me, Kiwi! It’s a nickname I picked up as an artist in San Francisco. The simple way to put is I’m originally from Aotearoa and the iwi (people) of New Zealand are commonly known as Kiwi’s. Where I’m from is not a normal question for me to answer. Born in Australia, citizen of New Zealand, grew up in Mission Viejo of Orange County, spent my entire twenties in the bay area (half the time in the city and the other half in the town) and now based in San Diego. I think the easiest way to put it is I’m a California girl who yearns for her roots in Aotearoa.

Art is what brought me to San Francisco where I attended the Academy of Arts to study graphic design. That degree was earned but not appreciated by my creative needs so I spent a lot of time discovering what I wanted to do. I had always dreamt of being a florist but lacked the confidence in doing so. I had even taken classes in high school to learn and then my desire to pursue that dream went on a very long pause. I dabbled with being a freelance designer, tattoo shop girl, vinyl “dj”, assisting artists, and landscaping.

During my saturn’s return I got a strong calling to be with nature as a career path. I thought originally I would love to move back to Aotearoa and become a flower farmer. I took multiple courses to learn and then the world shut down for a really long time. I was handed the opportunity to work as a maintenance gardener/landscaper to get by. I remember the first day coming home after work and I cried. I never felt more passionate about a career path. Working with plants, designing with plants, and tending to them more carefully than I would tend to myself. I even did herbal medicine studies to further my knowledge with my maori roots to feel even more connected to plants. I started my own landscaping company and things were going great... and then I fell in love.

I met my amazing and talented husband Sergio Hernandez who I give a lot of credit for leading me back to my dream of becoming a florist. I moved to San Diego to be with him and had a chance to start over. I tried to grow and sell flowers but my heart was too sensitive to the many failures that can occur while working with mother nature. But through my pop ups I learned people were interested in my bouquet designs. My husband gave me the nudge I needed and threw my whole heart into being a florist. I took on as many freelancing gigs as I could to learn about the industry and fell deeper in love with the craft. I feel so grateful life lead me to a place where I get to be creative and work with some of earth’s most beautiful offerings. All while making special moments in peoples lives even more meaningful. I hope you let me share this magic with you and your special day.