Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Last year...




This year...




What a difference 365 days makes!


Happy, happy Halloween!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

"Delicious Autumn!"






"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." -- Albert Camus

For me, this quote rings true each year. My heart is embedded in the fall season. I don't know when my love affair with September-November began. While I was raised in CA, I spent a pivotal five years in New England where I learned to drink up the changing colors and embrace the earth's passage into winter. Since then, I can't get enough of this time of year. I purposefully planned two October babies, adding to the sense of celebration in our home. I love autumn and everything it entails.

I'm not a huge home decorator -- think of it as an occupational hazard. (At the end of the day, does a surgeon want to go home and remove a stray appendix?) So when I do acknowledge a holiday or seasonal change, its done simply, quickly, and with little fanfare. This is what my fireplace mantle looks like right now. I probably wouldn't have done even this much had my 5-year old not requested I "make the house beautiful" for his large family birthday party (I know...he's a creative little soul). To do so, we pulled some silver julep cups and mercury glass pillar holders out of inventory. The candlesticks were adorned with fresh orange mum pomanders, and the julep cups were given a quick mass of fresh rose hips. Throw on a few squash and pears, a handful of votives with twine and voila -- all done.

Following those photos are photos of the arrangement I put together for Kathy's birthday. I don't give a whole lot of flowers as gifts (going back to the occupational hazard), but Kathy is one of my favorite people to arrange for. She's got so much style and appreciates the unordinary -- and I know just what she likes! Her rustic-yet-streamlined flowers consisted of two varieties of roses, rose hips, and green and brown hypericum berries in an unstained wood box with just a little bit of moss to finish it off. The colors reminded me of early fall -- right about the time the leaves have started to change and the old and new colors bleed into each other. Fitting, since both our birthdays are at the end of September which is right about the time that is happening in the canyons.

I love autumn, am sad to see it go each year, and always look forward to its return. And this year is no different.

Happy Autumn!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Stacy Revisited












Anna Page sent over a disk full of goodies a few weeks back. Man I love her work!

These are shots from Stacy and Nate's wedding back in May. If you follow our blog, you'll recall this one had us outside in a torrential downpour for much longer than was humanly comfortable!

Stacy and Nate had their reception in her folk's backyard the day before the wedding. A luncheon was held at Market Street the following day after their temple ceremony. As you can see, yes, the flowers do look just as good a day later!

Thanks Anna!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Katy in California preview










We had a great time in California working on Katy's wedding. She and Nolan were married outdoors at Palmdale Estates in Fremont, CA -- colors were fall tones with blue accents, with unruly, textured mixed arrangements on some tables and entwined callas in tall cylinders on the others. The bouquets (for which we are sorely at a loss of when it comes to photos) were beautiful -- a lush mixture of roses, dahlias, berries, chocolate cosmos, safari sunset, fiddleheads, freesia, thistle, bella donna delphinium, and callas for the bridal bouquet, and deconstructed attendant bouquets of freesia, dahlia, roses, and flame callas, all with berries and seeded eucalyptus. No shots of the cake, head table, guestbook table, and other decor pieces...simply not enough time! Plus, the lighting was horrible for amateur photo taking -- much too bright, then much too dark -- so I'll be knocking on the door of her photographer to see what I can get from them and will post those later. A HUGE thanks to the fabulous Alison from Mountain View who assisted Tyler and I with this event. Another big thanks to East Bay Flower Market and Fremont Flowers who supplied our product, provided our work and cooler space, and helped us with delivery accommodations. What a team!!!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Off to California...




Tyler and I are in the midst of packing up our tools in preparation for our flight to California tomorrow. We'll be doing a wedding on Saturday at Palmdale Estates in Fremont. (but don't fret -- we'll find a way to squeeze in a little R&R!) That being the case, I'll be out of the office until Monday, October 20th. I'm having a hard time deciding which clothes to bring -- I'm already used to the crisp fall air and can't wrap my head around the fact that I'll be in 80 degree weather again in 24 hours... Since we'll be busy working, I'll have limited email access but can be reach via cell phone if the matter is urgent.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Dessert buffet? Yes, please!



What are we up to? I promise to pull my act together and start posting photos of stuff we've done lately -- soon. With two little boy birthdays to celebrate and preparations for an out-of-state wedding I'm doing next week in California, I haven't had much time to think about posting -- Still don't, actually, which is why I'm going to forgo Whimsy business for the most adorably delicious dessert table designer I've seen in a long time. (Note: Audrey -- I immediately thought about you when I saw this!)

When I got married a billion years ago (okay, eight!) we were at the height of the "cake buffet" trend. We still see them now and again, but when I did it (yes, I'm admitting it!), EVERYONE was doing it. Perhaps its because it was so much easier for the reception centers to handle logistically which resulted in heavy sales pitches and lower prices? Regardless, it was overdone and usually a big yawner -- a bunch of cakes all in a row with little else to nibble on or even look at. What if you weren't a cake eater? I tried to address that problem by offering fruit and crudites, some shrimp cocktail, a cheese plate, and chocolate covered strawberries. Even so, it was a feeble attempt and one that I try not to think about for fear of lingering embarrassment. These days, brides are getting smarter by providing a larger assortment of sweet and savory items on on their buffet table. When it comes to the sweet, Amy Atlas Events does dessert tables right. If you're in need of a little inspiration, I highly encourage you to visit her site. Not only do her goodies look delicious, but its artfully presented which in my book is even more important sometimes (we eat with our eyes, too, people!).
I'm in love. How about you?

image courtesy Amy Atlas Events