Yule logs become a feature for Rosalia floral shop

When Robin and Robert Adams moved to Whitman County in 2005, Robin was invited to decorate Ditzy's Coffee shop. Among the decorations was a flower arrangement with a chunk of log as the base. Robin's mother had an eye for flower arrangements that Robin had always admired.

“Her arrangements were beautiful and made me want to do it,” she said.

In a short time the Yule Log, as she now calls the creation, was sold, but was soon returned with complaints from the wife of the buyer on its poor workmanship.

Instead of being disheartened Robin took it as a challenge and worked to improve her design. The improvements seemed to be working as she continued to design and sell them, and five years ago she decided to attend Spokane Community College.

Two years ago she graduated with associate degrees in Greenhouse/ Nursery Management and Floral Design. Robin admitted that going to college when she was old enough to be everyones mother, including some of the professors, could prove awkward, and she struggled with the computer and math classes.

She felt she got extra help for those same reasons. Like any good businessperson, she continues her education to keep her designs current.

Robin opened her shop, Robin's Nest Floral Design in Rosalia in October of 2016. The business "hit the ground running" and is always busy no matter the time of year.

Located at 524 S Whitman Ave. in Rosalia, Robin's Nest Floral Design is open on Monday afternoons 1:30 to 7 p.m. and Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Robin is confident in her work and enjoys sharing her talent. She'll even help a person make their own wreath from scratch using her wreath making machine.

“Anybody can come in on open days to make their own wreathes,” she announced.

“I really try to use all natural stuff,” said Robin. She can sometimes be seen along the side of the road and in ditches getting cuttings from bushes or trees, or behind her house collecting pods, pine cones and conifer branch cuttings.

She also gets feathers from hunters, wheat from local farmers and wood for her yule logs from downed trees.

Robin takes great pride in her yule logs.

“I don't think anybody else does those,” she said. Her yule logs use a log base that her husband had cut the sides and bottom smooth and drilled a hole in the center to hold candles and other decorations.

Robin emphasized that the wood is pristine. The bark from birch can be pulled up and worked to enhance and give form or layers to the piece as well. The Yule logs can be decorated for any season, and can be returned to her for five dollars off the next design. Some people have had the same log, going through a variety of different designs, for all 14 years she's been creating them.

The yule log is an old tradition from Europe with pagan roots. Associated with Christmas or the winter solstice, the log was a symbol of renewal and continuity, where a new log, generally enormous in size, would be brought in and the remaining bit of yule log from the past year would be used to light the new log.

Robin also does smaller log designs that she calls yule puppies. She feels they make great gifts for teachers, and fit well on desks.

To order one, people can call her at home at 509-285-5203 or on her cell phone at 509-263-3674.

Robin also has pieces for sale at Crossett's Food Market in Oakesdale, where she works Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Monday mornings.

As always, Robin will be donating a yule log to Tekoa's Empire Theater for their Christmas celebration Dec. 8 where it will be displayed and raffled off.