grosgrain fabulous!

My dear friend Heather is always full of good recommendations and good advice. So when she posted about a new blog, I quickly checked it out. And folks, it is the cutest, THE CUTEST I have seen in a long long time. From what I can gather, Kathleen (great name, huh?) sews these amazing outfits (works of art!) and then photographs her daughter wearing them. And this isn't just a craft project and a polariod- these shoots look like they are ready to be in magazine. Her daughter is a great poser, she uses amazing props, and her photography is pretty impressive too. And then she GIVES IT AWAY! It appears that is the whole purpose of her blog. So check it out and try to win something amazing from another amazing Kathleen!

sophisticated and edgy....

and a little bit sexy. That is what was requested. I think that chocolate dahlias, chocolate dianthus, ruby ranunculus, and golden tipped red tulips were definately all of those things!

top ten

Long ago, Jairus and I started a tradition of Top Ten Favorite things. It has been way too long. So J, this is for you! These are in no particular order, I can never fully commit to something as structured as that!

10. Gardenias- Thank you Grammie for loving them, and teaching me to love them too!

9. The music of my childhood- CCR, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, The Doors, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Crystal Gayle, Billy Joel, Linda Rondstat, and so many more. I love to rock out to these classics and I love the memories that come with that!

8. HGTV- I am OBSESSED. No really. My favorite is Hidden Potential, Devine Design, Curb Appeal. Oh wow, I am such a dork.

7. My cutie Grandparents- There is no one better than them. I can't wait to go visit soon!

6. "&" Ampersand- There is significant personal meaning behind this symbol to me, but I LOVE the way it looks too! Something I have been a little obsessed with lately.

5. Vacations- To see family or to go to the beach nothing is better than a few days dedicated to being away from real life. And being able to come back refreshed. Yay for Vaca! (These pics are places I have been or want to go. I didn't take any of them.)




4. Old friends- Aren't they the best? Never having to explain backstory, or who Aunt Margie is. I love keeping up with old friends.

3. Color- I LOVE COLOR! All color. I love using colors; bright, pastel, white. I love using interesting color combinations; yellow & black, cobalt & fuscia, aqua & red, teal & orange. Well I could go on. Alot of these could go either way; be careful how they are used! J Crew does an amazing job of using unsuspecting combinations, as does Anthropologie, my favorite store.

2. Viburnum- I have used it as much as I can this last month while it is semi-affordable and in peak season. I LOVE viburnum; all by itself, or with ANY flower. It pairs so well with anything, and has such a whimsical feel to it, and I love the green, of course! I love the way my thumb turns black from pinching the extra leaves off. I somehow forget this every year!

1. My sister- What is better than a sister? Yes we drive each other crazy, but really, I am so proud to call her my own. She is SO beautiful, SO talented, SO SO SO funny. She is a brave girl, who takes care of things I didn't know a 19 year old could. I am so grateful for my baby sister. Those of you who have the honor of knowing her, know exactly how amazing she is.

breakfast at tiffany's

For our Mother's Day brunch theme, I was trying to think of what mom's want for Mother's Day. All women love diamonds, right? So eventually, it turned into Breakfast at Tiffany's, the classic movie with Audrey Hepburn. So...diamonds and pearls and crystals along with Tiffany blue linens and white flowers. Classic!

The lobby arrangment was SUPER tall and so it took two photographs to show it all! We used painted white branches with hanging crystals, hanging votives with LED candles, silver glitter butterflies, and pearls in the bottom of the vase. I really had a hard time with this one, I wanted to put more crystals and more pearls. I had to hold back!
As the guests entered the room, they were welcomed to Breakfast at Tiffany's and the women were treated to a Tiffany's box with a suprise inside; dulce de leche dark chocolate truffles resting on a bed of little "diamonds". So cute! Way to go Summer for making the amazing truffles!
The long tables had several vases down the lenght of the table with "diamonds" scattered around.
All the centerpieces were small little glass cubes with white spring flowers and a collar of lamb's ear. (Chloe always remembers the names of flowers, but not quite. After she was putting the centerpieces on the tables, she came up to me and told me how much she loved the goat's foot. So close, yet so far away!)

purses

The theme of the party was purses, and they asked me to make flowers for the food table...so...I made purses out of flowers! I think they turned out pretty cute!

wedding preview

Doing a wedding in Sedona, Arizona has been on my List. You know the one, I am sure you have one too...the-things-to-accomplish-in-life list. May 24th, 2008 I cross this off my list. I made a sample centerpiece for my super cute bride Missy this week. She is getting married at the beautiful resort L'Auberge. I can't wait to see it all come together!

why I love Arizona

Loving these succulents Monique potted up in these simple glass cylinders with river rock!

We had so many parties and centerpieces last week, and they all went out the door faster than I could photograph. The succulents are for the sunset patio at Troon, so they weren't going anywhere!

wedding toast

I saw this wedding toast video and had to share it. It will make you laugh and cry. Make sure you have a few uninterrupted minutes for this, it is totally worth the time! click here

earth day

Happy Earth Day!!! I still haven't gone to bed yet, so it still counts for today, right? Here are some images I took while visiting Huntington Library a month ago while is Southern Cali with my dear friend from high school, Lisa. We had an amazing time, and I literally had to be drug out of the premises. I think these images are very appropriate for Earth Week!

For any of you that know me, you are now rolling your eyes at my obsession. with moss. and ferns. and all things green. Check out my new green thing, I am in love all over again!

There are lots of fun things going on this week, so check back for fun pictures of pretty things! :)

kilpatrick wedding

Another wedding for the books! When meeting with the bride, she told me she liked pink and bling. So we just went from there...crystals in the bridal bouquet, on the tables, at the ceremony, and pink everywhere, from the flowers, to the napkins, to the chair sashes. The cake was made by the talented Summer Ormsby, Pastry Chef at Troon. Another beautiful job well done.

I realized as I was putting these pictures together that I hardly get a picture of the bridal bouquet for myself! I always rely on the professionals to get those shots. New goal for weddings: take shots of bouquets! The bride's bouquet was so beautiful today, I can't wait to put the professionals on here. I am really excited for these...Emily Estephan was the photographer today, so I know they will be amazing! Enjoy this sneak peak! :)