In France, close to where my grandmother grew up and where I spent all my summers, resides a family of flower artisans. 

Every year, for as long as I can remember, we would go visit them, marvel at the fields, learn about all they do with the flowers and buy a few things just to support their craft. 

About 3 years ago, I went back. I always loved flowers which is a very basic and common thing to say but as a kid, one of my big frustrations was that fresh flowers always die. 

That is exactly why I loved this place, nestled in the middle of rural France, so so much. Writing that their specialty is drying flowers would be an understatement of the work and skills required. The pictures speak for themselves. 

They cut, prepare, organize and hang up the flowers to dry for months in a special old stone dark room without ever letting the sunlight in. No fancy equipment, no humidity control panel or anything, just years of experience, dedication and savoir-faire. 

Pure bliss and perfection in my eyes. 

For the store, 3 years ago, I bought an outrageous amount of flowers... Not only out of love and respect for them but also to support such an old and traditional practice. 

I brought back all of this is two suitcases... And when I ran out, I was desperate to hear that shipping to Mexico would damage the flowers too much. 

So they taught me how to dry flowers.

They just told me what years of practice had perfected for them. Didn't ask for anything in return but to come say hi next time I was around. 

 

 

 

You will see them scattered around the store and as a poetic detail to close every box and pouch we sell. Since then, I have been drying up our own flowers for the store in my home with some of the techniques I learnt and a lot of improvisation to make it work. I don't grow the flowers unfortunately but maybe someday. 

Nature is truly wonderful. 

Love, 

Margaux 

 

Beautiful packaging is not hard to find, now beautiful and ecofriendly packaging is another story. We are one with Nature and the wild is too beautiful to be littered with garbage...

Plastic is everywhere, it's cheap and durable. I always wondered why so many plastic packages - which are meant to be used only once and discarded- are made to last forever... It makes no sense and is destroying our planet. 

As a store owner there are many challenges that come with finding the right packaging for your brand and stay away from plastic : Your identity, your values of course but also the cost and the availability (locally in my case) of what I desire for my brand. 

It has been a trial and error of course to find the right kind of packaging for Anne Sidora but we are proud to say that we took different measures to avoid waste and to repurpose: 

• We only give away paper bags after asking our customers if they need one. All our bags are made in Mexico by a small family company in small batches. No plastic. 
• All our boxes are also made in paper by the same company in Mexico City with ecofriendly flour based glue called "engruo". No made in China, ever. 

• We carefully curate products packaged in glass and teamed up with a wonderful Oaxaca based company called Xaquixe for our own glass container made exclusively with recycled glass. 

• We invite all our customers to keep our boxes as beautiful keepsake chests and regularly post repurposing ideas for our products. 

 I used a finished candle to plant beans with my kids after placing some rocks in the bottom and some fresh soil on top. 

 

 

 

 

 

• We use fabric and cotton pouch as gift wrapping. The fabrics are always recycled and discarded fabrics from old projects I used to work on when I was sewing for days ( you know, before having kids). The pouches can be reused to storage small items or gifted again. I also love the Japanese Furoshiki gift wrapping technics that I'm dreaming of including more in our store. 

Those are a few initiatives we do to help. It's never enough. But we are getting there. 

With Love, 

Margaux