Icy blooms

A beautiful idea from Elegant Bride...sparkly vases, carved and molded from ice, filled with icy white blooms. I would love to watch how the arrangements changed over the course of the event as the vases melted and opened up. Flowers doing performance art sort of.

Rue La La

Happy Monday!

If you haven't heard of Rue La La yet, it's such a find! They offer designer "boutiques" everyday, where you can get great deals from great lines (they've recently been doling out Sevens, Citizens, BCBG, Elie Tahari, Gucci etc.). The reason I'm pimping them out here today is that their current boutiques are Nicole Miller and Nicole Miller BRIDAL. They have some gorgeous dresses in the $300 price range--my favorite is the top one pictured, and looks exactly like a custom Oscar De La Renta dress one of my brides had made last year (she worked for ODLR, so he just whipped her up a custom dress! Can you image?).

You need to have an invitation to join if you aren't a member, and it doesn't cost anything to join. I think they just want you to feel like it's exclusive and hoity toity. I'll be glad to send you an invite if you e-mail me a request (ajohnson@fioreblossoms.com). Rue La La only keeps each boutique open for a day, so if you want in on the Nicole Miller deal, let me know right away.

So, go celebrate the spectacularly bad economy by getting a screaming deal. I'm celebrating today too--that I have a wonderful new man in my life. He is a friendly and patient CPA that is about to get my taxes wrapped up for the year, and a new plan in place for next. Which leaves me feeling pretty snazzy!

week in review {march 27.09 edition}

I've read Lobster and Swan forever, but just realized Ms. L&S also has a blog titled Record the day. Gorgeous little daily collages of the ephemera of life. I wonder if I could ever get myself together enough to do this with all the detritus I seem to accumulate.

What to do with all the mushroom birds floating around my house, drawers, studio etc. Via absolutely beautiful things.


Exquisite florals from Takashimaya NY via Little Pheasant.

Anna...you took the words right out of my mouth! Amen Sista!

I'm longing for my garden. These gorgeous photos by Anna Kern via Purple Area didn't help.

Two purple and green weddings this weekend, and I'm celebrating...the last weekend with two weddings in the same day. New policy, new light feeling! Have a good one! --Lex

Jewels

A few quick pics from Melissa's wedding last weekend. What fun to work with bright jewel tones on a grey, blustery Seattle day. Anemones, tulips, nerine lilies, hydrangea, ranunculus, roses, berzillia berries, cymbidium orchids, and seeded eucalyptus.

And the finished invites for my sister's lingerie shower I'm co-hosting on a Florida beach next week (!!!).

(#24) Just a glimpse...

of the dried peas for E.J. (with tall Bells of Ireland stalks) and K.R. (with Manzanita branches "blooming" with green and burgundy cymbidiums). Hope you girls like it! AND...there are more pictures here of this beautiful wedding, including the wedding crasher shown below. At least he knew enough to match the color scheme perfectly!

Photos by Laurel McConnell, decor by Bella Signature, via Married & More with Michelle.

Hanging Votives

This morning I've been dealing with a hanging votive shipping snafu that resulted in a shortage of 80 hanging votives for this coming weekend. After a few moments of panic, an extra cup of coffee, and a 20 minute Baby Einstein video that saved my life with the younger (fussy and sick) set, I found excellent directions for do-it-yourself hanging votives from Justin at Nettleton Hollow. Here they are...and thank you, thank you, thank you Justin!

Now I need to run off and put some more Baby Einstein on if I'm going to get through this week.

Materials:
Votive Holders (that open as they go upward - straight cylinders won't work);
Floral Tape
Fine Wire
Wire Cutters (or heavy scissors).

Directions:
1. Wrap your floral tape (or masking tape, although you'll probably have to sacrifice that votive holder) around the top of the votive holder. This is CRUCIAL for a happy votive-making experience - it helps keep the wire in place as you wrap it.

2. Wrap the wire around the top of the votive a few times, then bend each end backwards so it stays in place. Note that once you are finished, you coil will sit lower on the votive than here, so keep that in mind when you are wrapping. Cut the wire from the spool, and slide the coil off of the votive holder.

3. Wrap the ends of the wire back around the coil to keep the coil from springing apart.

4. Attach the handle by simply wrapping the ends of a length of wire around opposite sides of the coil.

Photos and directions from Nettleton Hollow.

Week in review {March 20.09 edition}

Love this wood slice walkway that Katy Elliot spotted at the Portland ME flower show.

I found a screaming deal of a dress at Anthropologie a few months ago (I'd loved it for months and found it on the clearance rack marked down 90%!!! For real!) and have been trying to figure out how to add a purple dupioni belt. Of course Diana had the solution. I swear she has some freakishly awesome talent at finding things I love and need, even before I know I need them. How cute is this sash?

Gorgeous details from Ellie + Dave's wedding, featured on EAD. Their Atlanta venue reminds me so much of SODO Park here in Seattle--one of my faves!

Rhubarb is one of my very favorite things on earth. Mine hasn't emerged from the ground yet, but as soon as it does, I can't wait to make this rhubarb and pistachio custard tart. Sounds like heaven. And the ever-so-practical Meg featured a "wedding graduate" this week that wrote a beautiful little essay about her wedding. All that are engaged--it's your homework to read this. It will remind you to "focus on the people", and I LOVE that she decided to just trust her instincts on decisions. When the first venue she walked into was the one, others questioned why she wasn't shopping around more. She said "We're having a party there, not buying the place".

Merry Weekend! I'm off to play with jewel-toned ranunculus and anemones for a wedding at the stunning Seattle Public Library designed by Rem Koolhaas. Sunday will be a crazy-yummy dinner and a musical with friends. In between? Lots of napping I hope.

Happy First-Day-of-Spring!

I'd say the first day of Spring is almost as exciting as Christmas, but it's only 42 degrees and the sky is gushing here. My husband is begging for a trip to Hawaii this morning, and I'm trying to decide what kind of soup to make for dinner. But these little blossoms remind me that it's on the way...

Have your stout and eat it too!

If you are in the Seattle area, take your little Irish self down to Trophy Cupcakes, now through March 31st, for their all-time best selling combination... the Guinness & Baileys cupcake! They also just re-introduced a summertime favorite, peanut butter and jelly. Personally, I'm totally jazzed up that they are opening a new store in U Village--I think I'm going to start holding my consultations there.

And...instead of wearing green today, why not go do something green?

--Lex

A little bit...

from Leanne and Seth's recent wedding at Ray's Boathouse. Next week I'll get Corey Hage's beautiful photos up, but here are a few I quickly snapped.

Good Reads

A few new books hot off the presses! Time to add to your library, or head to your local public bibliotheque. Winter 2009 seems to be never-ending here in Seattle, so I'm dreaming of coffee, Dagoba roseberry, and a great new read in front of the fireplace.

From Colin Cowie; guru of all things chic.

From Sylvia Weinstock, queen of glamorous cakes.

From Jung Lee, uber talented creator of innovative, modern event design. (btw...the FETE website is one of my favorite places to go for inspiration.)

Tomorrow--back to wedding talk! Really!

But today, just going through some photos, and here's what's been going on around here...

Roses, caught in the only moment of sun we've had in a month. Orchids and faux bois. Trellis dreaming for my patio. Sweet boys, caught in the only moment they stopped fighting in a month. There's also been a lot of feasting on chocolate, but I'm not going to show the evidence of that.

(#23) Just a glimpse...

Woke up to snow this morning (yet again!), so remembered this beautifully lettered snowflake envelope I received a few months ago from Tara at Ephemera Press. Of course the card inside was typical Tara--a silly limerick, done in beautiful, elegant letterpress. Check her out if you are in the market for custom letterpress; she does exquisite work, is sweet as can be, and is creative as all get out. (Her site and blog are also just one big ol' pile of letterpress eye candy. Have fun!)

week in review {february 27 edition}

Late again! But better than never...I found a great new (to me) flower blog last week from an awesome lady in Lancashire, England. Beautiful flowers, interesting writing, and I love this mocha and champagne bouquet. (I also really love mochas and champagne, so this maybe affecting things here).

i suwanee found some wacky things I'd like to have. Like the ultimate pillow fight weapon, a giant polar bear bookshelf and a chair that makes you feel like an ant in the grass.

Sarah must have found fritillaria somewhere because there they are, nodding their little checkered graph-paper heads in that sweet bouquet.

Speaking of, what do people use this type of graph paper for? And how?

Great photos of this young house via black*eiffel. Makes me want to shop for furniture, so I won't be looking at that site again.

Had a busy weekend with an event at the Columbia Tower (pictures of the awesome view coming soon) and Ray's Boathouse, dinner at Lark, a couple of fun evenings with friends, homemade pizza, a little gardening, met a great new client...life is good.