Tiger Lily and Fair Trade Sports

Fair Trade Sports.





We've seen the exposes about baseballs and footballs made by child labor in Haiti. Seems like a big contradiction to have our 8 year-old Little Leaguers trying to wack a sweatshop baseball made by 8 year-olds in Haiti.


Tiger Lily is now carrying a selection of soccer balls, basketballs, footballs (American) and frisbees created by Fair Trade Sports (http://www.fairtradesports.com/). The quality is first-rate, and even better, their products are Fair Trade certified, vegan, and union-made. Most of the equipment is made by adult labor in Pakistan, using latex from ecologically managed rubber plantations. Emblazoned with the logo, "RESPECT," these balls carry their message where people are serious about their sport.

Stop into our store on Cedar Lane in Teaneck to see our new line of Fair Trade Sports balls and frisbees. Or check out FTS's website and blog for more information. Play on. Fairly.

Spring Greetings from Tiger Lily!

Spring Greetings from Tiger Lily.

(Or Tigers and Lilies.)

The daffodils up are blooming in front of our store, and the forsythia is coming out across the street by the bank. The whole shop smells like hyacinth, and it's definitely not Tim's cologne. Spring is for real.

We are busy preparing our orders for Pesach and Easter, both coming up next week.We have many new Fair Trade gifts at both of our stores, and we're now carrying at least five different varieties of Ecuadorian Fair Trade certified roses. We are the only floral retail shops who are doing this in the entire NY/NJ metro area.

We are happy to offer complimentary delivery for centerpieces or other floral orders for Passover or Easter (-- a $10 value on orders over $35.) You can honor your dinner hosts or family with a centerpiece arranged with the freshest flowers available outside your own garden. And buying Fair Trade means that the families of flower workers in Ecuador also have reason to celebrate.

Call us now to set up your delivery for next week. Or visit us at either Encke Flowers (281 Queen Anne Road) or Tiger Lily (569 Cedar Lane) in Teaneck.

We look forward to seeing you.

Happy Spring!

What we mean by "floral sculpture"...

This image from our portfolio is an example of how floral design is consistent with the principles of sculpture. Some artists refer to this work as "ephemeral sculpture." (We prefer to limit this term to site-specific sculptural works that make use of indigeous flora and found natural objects.)

Like any successful sculptural piece, there must be a coherent design concept, and in interplay of space, form and inferred energy.

I think this particular arrangement "works" for these reasons. The gravity of the black base and dense foliage is an anchor point for the opposing energies of the tulips reaching to the left, and the white roses and dried wheat grass that lift upwards to the right. The curly willow occupies or envelopes an extent of vertical space that also anchors the piece along a centerline that allow the decided leftward pull of the tulips. There is a kinetic tug-of-war going on along this axis that creates excitement for the viewer, and encourages the eye to travel to each of the elements around the circumference of an implied orbit. The yellow gerbera at the center of this miniature galaxy is the focal point, but it is rivaled by the cluster of wheat grass reaching directly towards the viewer. There is harmony in the assymetry.

Artisan Emporia Fair Trade gifts now on sale at Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily welcomes Artisan Emporia to its roster of Fair Trade gift vendors.

From Artisan Emporia's website: "Our mission is to bring unique and beautiful products from artisans all over the world to North America. We work with innovative artists and cooperatives from many different countries to bring you one of-a-kind creations that are exquisitely designed and handcrafted. We work closely with our artisans to ensure that the products are of the highest quality using environmentally sustainable practices. We employ the standards of Fair Trade as articulated by the Fair Trade Federation to ensure that the artisans we work with receive an honest and fair price for their products while sustainably preserving their cultural traditions. Artisan Emporia also seeks to provide maximum transparency between our artisans, and you, the purchaser. To this end, we proudly document our work and travel across the world to share with you, in the hope that together, we can make a lasting difference in the lives of artisans through our purchases and cultural understanding."

Recycled Paper Products, RPP, is a green company that repurposes paper waste into fun animal and exquisite flower shapes as shown in the photo to the right. RPP uses only waste paper – newspapers, magazines, and telephone books – in addition to dyes and household wire to create these inventive, colorful, and practical designs. RPP uses the inspiration it gets from the exotic plant, insect, and animal life found in Southeast Asia to design its products.

Started in the poor Bangkok neighborhood of Din Daeng, RPP currently employs 30 women, many of who are single mothers or in low-income households. In 2003, RPP was honored at the IFAT (the World Fair Trade Organization) Biennial Conference for its “best new adaptation of traditional designs and skills.” Some members of RPP are pictured below:


Within the next few months we will be hosting truck sales by Artisan Emporia and other Fair Trade and American crafts vendors. If you would like to be notified about these events at our shops, please contact us to be put on our email list: tigerlilyflower@optonline.net.

Be well.

Fair Trade Roses! You could just eat them. (Actually, since they're organic, you probably could...)

Wow. These are some of the most beautiful roses we have ever had in our shop. And they come with a Fair Trade label on every stem.

This means that they were raised organically, and 13% of the farm's gate price was returned to the workers for education and health care for them and their families.

Our Fair Trade roses come to us direct from the farm in Ecuador through One World Flowers. We are grateful to Alaina Paradise from One World who is working hard to make Fair Trade flowers more readily available to consumers. You can order direct from them or stop by our stores in Teaneck (Encke Flowers or Tiger Lily) to see what roses are supposed to look like!

(Cartoon courtesy of onebean.com)

Doghouse Extrication Service

If you somehow didn't manage to take care of business on Valentine's Day, we are here to help you.

Encke Flowers and Tiger Lily Flowers are now online with an exclusive Doghouse Extrication Service. Armed with our full array of flowers and fair trade gifts and chocolate to pry you out of the toughest jam. Come see us in Teaneck or visit us online!

Valentine's Day Stimulus Package

Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post. (Brilliant red gerbera daisies, with some guys talking.)

Taking Leadership: Let flowers be a part of your personal Valentine's Day stimulus package.

At Tiger Lily Flowers, we hope to be a part of your very personal Valentine's Day Stimulus Program. (The flowers and gifts part, that is. For the rest of it, you're on your own.)

Stimulate away!