With a childhood spent in her mother’s flower shop and over 15 years in the floral industry, owner Jill Rizzo remains completely charmed by the fleeting beauty of seasonal flowers. She has a list of loves for every time of year, but the ones closest to her heart are the tiniest.
Jill was literally raised in a floral studio…her Mom, Aunt and Uncle all owned different flower shops/nurseries in Rhode Island where she grew up. Determined to be an “artist” rather than a florist, she graduated from Parsons School of Design in NYC with an illustration degree. She moved to San Francisco in 2003 to try life out west and fell in love with the natural beauty of the Bay Area. After managing a gallery-style floral and design shop for six years, Jill finally made the realization that her art form could indeed be flowers and founded the wildly popular Studio Choo with partner Alethea Harampolis in 2009. They developed their uniquely accessible style of arranging with an emphasis on local flowers, plants and foraged natural treasures.
Author of the best-selling floral design book "The Flower Recipe Book" and "Branches and Blooms", Jill returned to Rhode Island in 2015 and Wild Season Florals (Studio Choo East) was born. During the growing season, she seeks out the best available local material by working closely with a small network of flower farmers and nurseries. Specializing in floral combinations with distinct color palettes, unusual foliage and textures, and show-stopping blooms, her signature "fresh from the garden" style has quickly found a home amongst Newport's more traditional arrangements.
Jill’s third book, The Little Flower Recipe Book, is now available! Pick up a signed copy of Jill’s newest floral design book through our website and find inspiration in the tiniest of arrangements. Packed with beautiful photographs by Maaike Bernstrom, this book is the perfect gift for floral enthusiasts, gardeners, artists and lovers of miniature!
THE LITTLE FLOWER RECIPE BOOK
The best things come in small packages! Beloved florist Jill Rizzo (coauthor of the bestselling Flower Recipe Book) is back, and this time she has turned her attention to charming miniature arrangements. Projects are organized seasonally, and range from a thimble-sized vase of pansies to a tiny teacup holding a bundle of zinnias to a bud vase with a single Japanese anemone. All told, the book contains over 100 easy-to-follow recipes: ingredients lists specify the type and quantity of blooms needed; clear instructions detail each step; and hundreds of photos show how to place every stem.
The featured flowers include varieties widely available at florists or farmers’ markets as well as tiny treasures found sprouting from sidewalks and walls, clipped from the landscape or garden, or pruned from common houseplants. The book also includes ideas for unexpected vessels (dollhouse suppliers are a great source for miniature vases!), a flower care primer, and all the design techniques readers need to know.
BRANCHES & BLOOMS
(Originally published in hardcover as The Wreath Recipe Book)
Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo, authors of The Flower Recipe Book and founders of Studio Choo, provide more than 100 step-by-step projects to make with flowering and leafy branches. In the spring, readers can create a cherry blossom bough or a centerpiece of lilacs and olive branches. In the summer, a garland features sage with pomegranates and citrus-colored strawflowers. In autumn, wreaths are made out of magnolias and rosemary. Winter highlights cedar, pine, and juniper, yielding unexpected table settings and new wreath shapes. Also included are hundreds of step-by-step photos, as well as tutorials covering basic techniques, sourcing, and care information.
THE FLOWER RECIPE BOOK
Flower arranging has never been simpler or more enticing. The women behind Studio Choo have created a flower-arranging bible for today's aesthetic. Filled with an array of stunning, easy-to-find flowers, it features 400 photos, more than 40 step-by-step instructions, and useful tips throughout.
The arrangements run the gamut of styles and techniques: some are wild and some are structured; some are time-intensive and some are astonishingly simple. Each one is paired with a "flower recipe"; ingredients lists specify the type and quantity of blooms needed; clear instructions detail each step; and hundreds of photos show how to place every stem. Readers will learn how to work with a single variety of flower to great effect, and to create vases overflowing with layered blooms. To top it off, the book is packed with ideas for unexpected vessels, seasonal buying guides, a source directory, a flower care primer, and all the design techniques readers need to know.
