Community Flower Studio Inc.

04/09/2026

Spring has sprung! Perfect time for growing new plants from seeds. Follow these simple steps to unfold the MAGIC in the Plant Kingdom! Share your experience in the comments. 🪴😁👍

04/09/2026

Lilac Hyacinth is so elegant and fragrant. Spring bulbs are blooming.
Share your stories with us.

04/09/2026

RUOK? Day (Thursday 10 September) is just around the corner. 💛

This year, our team will be hosting our RUOK? Week Pop-up Stall on Sat 12 Sept outside Little Giant Roasters Willoughby

Our bright yellow-and-black display, big “RUOK?” sign and beautiful yellow blooms hopefully will catch the attention of passers-by.

Our CFS volunteers will invite people to choose a flower stem and “Petal-it-Forward” — a small gesture of kindness that can open the door to a meaningful conversation.

What better way to start asking “RUOK?” than with a beautiful flower?

This year, I hope we can dwell a little deeper on “RUOK? and beyond.” Asking someone if they are okay is important. But what happens when someone is not okay? Are we prepared to listen? To stay connected? And perhaps, most importantly, to look beyond the individual and ask whether the environment around them needs to change too?

I’m sharing an excerpt from my article, “RUOK? and Beyond: Asking ‘Are You OK?’”

“The burden of change cannot always be placed on the person experiencing exclusion. Sometimes, the environment needs to change too.”

Let’s make this RUOK? Day more than just a question. Let’s make it the beginning of a connection.

Mayor Tanya Taylor Ingrid Robertson Tim James StreetWork Sarah Royds Councillor Anna Greco Ingrid Robertson Christina Chun Jenny Coverley Phearry Vorakorn Michelle Barry Michelle Di Benedetto Councillor Jam Xia

03/09/2026

Spring is in the air! Admire these new shoots! Check out new lives near you.

31/08/2026

It took 4 days for the blooms to open up. Observing Nature helps us slow down! What have you been observing lately?

29/08/2026

Hyacinth's fragrance is divine! We grew 2 bulbs in the same pot. Try it yourself.

29/08/2026

Spring is in the air! Purple Tulips & Yellow Daffodils are perfect for the 2 designs.

28/08/2026

Hammering Flowers on Tote Bags: when creativity got a little wild!

Finally, the brand-new workshop that two high school students, Karen and Henry, co-designed and co-produced with me came to life last Saturday! Henry did some fascinating research into the evolution of tools — from stones to metal hammers.

I jokingly told the group:

"You are about to travel back in time! You will turn fresh petals into natural dyes and create a unique pattern on a cotton tote bag. This bag has been treated with a secret soymilk formula to enhance the absorption of natural dyes!"

And then the hammering began!

The noise level from banging was loud, but the laughter was even louder!!!

Some participants spontaneously broke into dance moves, taking their hammering-flower experience to the next level. Two friends even synchronised their hammering so perfectly that it sounded — and felt — like an Asian drumming performance!

Later, one of them told me that they felt safe enough to "act a little bit wild" in this creative space. They truly 'let their inner child out to PLAY!"

From the very beginning, Karen, Henry and I hoped that this workshop might attract more teenage boys to experience creativity as a stress-free strategy — and perhaps as an alternative to screen time. But what happened went beyond our imagination.

28/08/2026

CFS’ Petal-it-Forward campaign was first launched in November 2021, after the second COVID-19 lockdown was finally lifted. Since then, our team has given out more than 600 posies and individual flower stems, spreading a little kindness and connection throughout our community. 🌼🌹🌻

Through the Return & Earn Scheme, supported mainly by empty cans and bottles collected from Little Giant Roasters Willoughby, we have been able to create a small budget to purchase local roses from a farm in Dural (except during Daffodil Week). Supporting local growers is one of our ongoing sustainable practices.

This has become such a heart-warming story for Team CFS. 💛

A big thank you to Mayor Tanya Taylor for helping spread the word about CFS and our Petal-it-Forward campaign!

For this year’s R U OK? Day/Week, Team CFS will be handing out yellow roses on Saturday 12 September to encourage people to start a conversation by asking, “R U OK?” — and then following up with these three important steps:

LISTEN → ENCOURAGE ACTION → CHECK IN

Drop by, say hello and share your stories with our friendly volunteers. Let’s use a simple yellow rose to open the door to a meaningful conversation. 💛🌼🌹🌻

🌼 A little known fact about me… when I was very young I decided my name was Daffodil and, for a while, refused to answer to anything else. 😂

Bibi Chan from Community Flower Studio Inc. knows this story, so she popped by this week with some beautiful daffodils for Daffodil Week.

What she didn’t know was that I was having a particularly tough week personally. Her timing couldn’t have been better. Sometimes a small gesture lands just when you need it most 💛

Like so many of us, cancer has touched my life too. Having recently lost a beautiful friend, these daffodils felt particularly poignant this week.

Thanks Bibi. You made my week. 🌼

And a little plug while I’m here - Community Flower Studio has some upcoming workshops supported by Willoughby City Council. Well worth checking out!

27/08/2026

The colours of these blooms are so vibrant. We used them for our hammering project.