I have nearly reached the 1-year mark since we transformed the front corner of the yard into a garden patch. Last year we missed the early Spring planting, so in the ground currently are: eggplants, basil, green beans, tomatoes, zinnias, and nasturtiums.  The winter was interesting in that it was actually quite cold, consistently.  I had a hunch that the winter season was going to be my finest.  I imagined huge fluffy kales and sweet pea vines climbing 10 feet skyward.  Totally wrong on both counts.  Instead, the garden has mimicked the general pattern of Austin---with everything I sowed in a pretty nuetral state throughout the winter months, and them suddenly bursting forth in the early days of Spring (which in these parts means March.  The ryhme "April showers brings May flowers" doesn't exactly apply here.  It's more like "February gloom brings March blooms") 

Living room wedding!   A while back, Emily had an artist friend paint a rainbow on her blue living room wall.  With an intimate group of their favorite folks, they decided to get married under the rainbow "arch."  Floral for the day was throughout the house-- tiny pink bedside table pieces, a pretty kitchen table piece in Emily's adorable strawberry bowl, and a few coffee table stunners to spread the color 'round.  Fun, sweet, simple.

 I'm going to jump the gun on this one.  I can't wait to see the professional images--but mostly, I can't wait to share this one! Here is a bit of truth:  Mother nature is finicky, and the ruler of my land.  That is the bottom line as a floral designer.  That being the case, there is often an element of improvisation (read-- substitution), or the occasional round of calls to every floral supplier within a 500 mile radius in order to show up with the best version of what your client is expecting on their wedding day.  In this instance, there were some "hope fors" on Virginia's floral ist--namely, green eyed anemones, poppies (preferably peach tones) and peach ranunculus.  We got all three--in fact, we get the very best version of all three a bride (& designer) could  ask for.  When the poppies started to open (they arrive still in their fuzzy pod casing, their color a possibility of anything along a white/peach/orange/yellow/pink spectrum) the amazing CORAL color-- of which I have NEVER encountered in my entire floral career--began to emerge in force.  It was the perfect accent to the palette we were working with!!  Next, the peach ranunculus arrived--- a hybrid variety of epic proportions which was in fact the most beautiful soft romantic shade of peach on the planet.  The result of all these elements was stunning-- and I was thrilled to deliver it to this flower loving bride.

As a floral designer, travelling to California feels a bit like making the journey to Mecca, or the Taj Mahal, or the Vatican.  It is a magical land where temperate climates allow succulents to grow bigger than your head, and walking down the street you may spy a variety of flora you have only ever encountered previously wrapped in cellophane in your wholesaler's cooler.  I may have already mentioned how in Austin I often have urges to jump people's fences in order to raid their landscaping for floral tidbits... Well, if I lived in California, I am pretty sure I'd become a professional floral poacher, stealth in my black jumpsuit, shears in hand as I zig zagged across town lopping tufts of silver dollar eucalyptus from the treetops and clipping crocosmia from the roadsides.  I swear, its pracitcally begging to be taken home with you!

 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.

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.