my rituals: floral designer + illustrator nicole moser of bloem hill

I follow a lot of wedding planners on Instagram and Pinterest not because I’m itching to walk down the aisle, but because a part of me daydreams about becoming an event designer. Let’s be real though, I’d be kind of terrible at it. I don’t love working weekends, I crave a regular schedule, and I’m not the strongest of leaders. So you can understand why I like to live vicariously through them.

Writing for a wedding magazine has helped introduce me to more and more of these peops, and that’s how I stumbled upon Bloem Hill, an Encinitas-based floral design studio led by Nicole Moser. Her bouquets range from rustic and colorful to sleek and monochromatic. Luckily for us, she’s happy to impart her wisdom and recently taught a floral design workshop in partnership with Urban Craft Camp. Plus, she’s a San Diego gal through and through, so I wanted to get to know her a wee bit better.

Today she chats about traveling alone, color-spotting, and the next White Flag event. If you don’t know what the White Flag is, you must read ahead.

Name: Nicole Moser
Age: 28
Hometown: Encinitas, CA
Current City: Little Italy, San Diego, CA
Occupation: Floral Designer + illustrator; owner of Bloem Hill

Alone Time
Recently I remembered how much I love spending time alone. Whether it’s taking time to read, journal, pray, paint, walk the harbor with music in my ears, zone out, or arrange with some leftover flowers, I find rest and rejuvenation in solitude. One of my favorite scriptures says, “In quietness and trust is your strength.” Sometimes I just have to get alone and shut it all out. All the noise on our phones, computers, etc. can really distract us from how beautiful life is. In fact, I love traveling alone for that reason! Put music in your ears, get lost, and explore a new city by yourself. You really take it in more and appreciate the little details you might have missed if you weren’t alone.

Spending Time With My Sisters
I have two sisters: one by birth and one by choice, and they’re the ones I plan on winding up with in a rest home, once our husbands kick the bucket. There is nothing like spending time with them, and I know that whenever we hang out it’s gonna get real. It is near impossible for us to stay on the surface because we all care too much about one another. But if we’re not having deep heart to hearts on the couch, we’re probably laughing. They’re two of the funniest, wittiest people I know—prank calls, Bachelor nights (I know), laying out, and after-work workouts are just a few of the things we enjoy doing together. I can’t imagine life without my sisters.

Art time
I’ve recently fallen back in love with drawing and painting. It just helps me unwind. Since I can’t do it with anyone around, it gives me an excuse to close the door, put on some good music, and spend time with myself.

Color Spotting
It’s weird, but happening upon a good color story will really get me excited and inspired. Whether its the accidental color combination of olive and mint warehouse building with bright pink bougainvillaea or an awesome color selection in an outfit that someone’s put together. I love color stories. I snap the photos and save them for inspiration in floral design and painting.

The White Flag
About a year ago, my friends and I started a thing called The White Flag. As our fourth event is approaching, it’s fun to look back on what it’s become of the course of the year. It started in the Moniker warehouse with about 350 people, and it’s grown to 900!! I think people love it because there’s no agenda or secret motive. It’s purely a party for the sake of having fun. We love San Diego and the amazing people in this city, and our goal is to gather people on a quarterly basis to celebrate that. It makes this city seem like a smaller place, and my favorite thing is to watch the connections and friendships that come out of it. Plus it gives us a chance to spotlight some rad local businesses. We have amazing food trucks, coffee roasters, DJs, bands, photographers, and all sorts of companies who get involved. This definitely brings me energy and life. I do it because I love it. So if you don’t already, follow @thewhiteflagsd and join us for #4—our one-year celebration!

Thanks, Nicole! You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.

All photos courtesy of Nicole Moser; first photo by Jackie Wonders