Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 2:46PM These two are fun. You can tell just by the photos, right? Be sure to hop over to Katherine O'Brien's blog to see their engagement session---hot stuff! For their wedding, it was to be a just-before-the-holidays, cozy party of 50, at the newish, amazing downtown venue Palazzo Lavaca. Click below for all the details and eye candy.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 11:46AM Jackie contacted me several months back and was interested in having a bouquet for a courthouse wedding with her man Thomas. We met and talked flowers, succulents and wintery colors. Then, not too long after our initial meeting she wrote to say the plan had changed---they'd be having an intimate wedding at Zilker Clubhouse, a little Austin gem tucked back in the hillside with a sweeping view of the city as ceremony backdrop. It is the perfect spot for a small wedding. Jackie and Thomas had around 25 guests attend their celebration, and the day was filled with hand made touches and sentiment---like the fur stole Jackie is rocking in the photo!--A "something old" AND "something borrowed from Thomas' grandmother. (We girls had a little laugh over the "scandalous" fur--it was grandma's! Waaaaay before things like animal rights had cropped up! It's VINTAGE! And, fabulous, so there.) They had one long, happy table we loaded with some of the season's finest--it was gorgeous! Click below for more details & photos.
Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 7:12PM
I have been simutaneously looking forward to and putting off this post for weeks. Writing a "Year in Review" feels like a monumentally overwhelming task! That kind of task goes against the vibe I've been channelling for the coming year-- a combination of maintaining calm and balance in all things, working smarter not harder, focusing on some real goals, and all in all, approaching every interaction with energy and positivity! I've never been a New Year's Resolution kind of girl. And, technically, what I'm feeling doesn't have as much to do with resolve as it does with resonance. Making resolutions feels like acknowledging that something needs fixing, and as I've been bopping around town proclaiming "Happy New Year!" to passers by, I've been feeling quite the opposite. I feel solid. I feel refreshed and ready for all that lay ahead. It is as if a wave had been building this past year---full of momentum and growing as the months progressed to finally hit land in an "a-ha!" moment. You see, all the parts are already here. Everything I need to be a successful business woman, mama, wife, friend--is already here--and though I'd be lying if I said I'd mastered the skill of balance in life and work, I do believe I am reaching a point of Zen on the matter.
Friday, December 7, 2012 at 9:37AM Early this fall we travelled to Southampton, NY for our cousin Catie's wedding. Both sides of my husband's family were originally farmers on Long Island, and the majority of the family is still located there. It is incredibly beautiful in a way so different from Austin. For me, Austin's beauty is kind of dishevelled and quirky--a mix of bright neon, iconic wild flowers, and eclectic architecture. Long Island's beauty is sweeping and striking in a whole different way--it is organized and manicured with its tall privet edging the pristinely landscaped yards and the rooftops meticulously lined with slowly weathering cedar shakes. It is always a treat to make the trip out there. It sometimes feels like we've stepped---mary-poppins style--into a painting (or the pages of Martha Stuart.)
This wedding was special because it was our family. My daughter finally fulfilled her long-time wish of being a flower girl. (It's HARD watching your mama craft all these frilly wands and baskets and halos and never being the one to play with them!). We stayed for nearly a week and had lots of time to visit and even a chance to jump in the ocean--in September!
Catie and Luke are the sweetest of couples. So attentive to one another, and kind and thoughtful. It was exciting to be a part of the wedding--it had been a long time since I had done wedding flowers for a family member or a friend! And, as you can see below, Catie and Luke have impeccable taste. Here are just a few of the shots from the day. Images provided by Toni Robertson Photography.
From the top: Catie and Luke after the ceremony. Catie and her ladies (that's my little one posing in the middle!). Under the tent. And a shot of the cake--which was made by the famous Kathleen King of Tate's Bake shop.
Monday, December 3, 2012 at 1:41PM It seems only fitting to follow up my Notes From the Garden post with some pictures of these fabulous herb gardens I made for Ellen & Gerard's wedding at Mercury Hall in mid November. I loved that the couple wanted to do something different than the usual floral arrangement, and loved it even more that they'd be gifting the pieces to their guests to take home and care for, as well as using them as the decor for their brunch the following day. I tell ya, one of the hardest things for me personally about the floral industry is the fleeting life of the beauty I create, and the environmental impacts of it all. We are always recycling, re-using, re-purposing, and trying to source as much of our product as locally as possible--but it never feels like enough! We made 25 of these herb gardens. All of the herbs were grown locally here in Texas, and the containers we planted them in are a recycled fiber board. Even with the added floral accents, we barely had any scraps to compost--yeah!! The bride loves thistle, so we tucked some of that in there along with some chamomile daisy and a lovely variety of marigolds grown in Blanco, Texas on the Arnosky Wildflower farm. Our herbs were a mix of dill, sorrel, lavender, rosemary, sage and pineapple mint--they looked wild and lovely, and smelled amazing!
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