Just for fun: Apothecary Vignette

I’m excited to say that Joe and I are finally moving into our new home tomorrow! I’ve been scouring craigslist daily for awesome *affordable* furniture that fits our eclectic, cozy, world-traveler style. This antique teak apothecary cabinet from Southeast Asia made my heart flutter and I knew I needed to have it! At 250 bucks, I consider it a steal. Sure, it’s a little bit wobbly, the drawers get stuck, and it’s got some nicks and scratches, but it’s the most treasured piece of furniture I own. I mentioned before that I was working on a Thailand inspired arrangement in honor of my trip. Well, I decided to make my apothecary cabinet the centerpiece of the arrangement. How cool would this be at a funky wedding with pictures of the couple displayed on the shelves?

My golden yoga frog. How cute is he?

This celedon bowl of floating flowers is inspired by the beautiful lotus bowls I saw everywhere in Thailand. I chose florals that mimic the petally, geometric shape of lotus flowers, since I can't find them here in the states. That big white flower looks like a gardenia or camelia, but is a composite flower made of tiny spray rose petals glued together.

A delicate celadon bowl filled with bright, funky flowers, including dahlias, craspedia, ranunculus and camelias.

Love this golden partridge, and recycled glass hurricanes with jade colored rocks. Wish I could say these are all souvenirs from Thailand, but they are not. Head to Pier 1 for some amazing nick nacks!

I even stuffed some of the apothecary drawers with playful florals.

It’s amazing how inspiring a piece of furniture can be! Thanks to my hubby Joe for taking pictures of my random flower arrangements all the time

Picking out a Bridesmaid Dress

I will be the florist AND matron of honor in my beautiful sister’s wedding in August. She is marrying the sweetest, most uplifting and respectable guy in the world (besides my wonderful hubby). Jenny-lyn is a girly girl just like me, and definitely wants pink (bright fuchsia and softer shades) to be the color of the day, accented by clean black and white details. Sounds fab! Even more fab is the fact that she’s letting us all pick out our own bridesmaids’ dresses. All 5 of her bms have completely different body types, styles, and budgets. I’m by far the shrimpiest and perhaps the most girly of the group. I’m willing to splurge a bit on the dress, since I will most certainly wear it again.

Me and my sis. No, we're not twins! I'm the shorter one with the lighter hair in case you are wondering.

The only rules Jenny-lyn gave us:

• Must be conservative enough to wear in a church for the ceremony.
• Must be black (Yay! Totally rewearable!)
• Must be cocktail length.
• Must be thicker fabric, like satin (nothing too flimsy or flirty).

With these guidelines in mind, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect little black dress. Here are some of the contenders:

#1. Love the pleats! ABS via Bloomingdales

#2. So classic and tailored. ABS via Bloomingdales.

#3. This Tadashi number is soooo cute, but is the lace on the chest a little too risque? Tadashi via Bloomingdales.

#4. This one is the most "me", but the fabric might not be sturdy enough for my sis's approval. We'll see. Anne Klein via Bloomingdales.

#5. Sooo stinkin' cute, but too short. I'm a little shy when it comes to exposing my knees and my short little legs. BCBG via Bloomingdales.

#6. I've never rocked a one shoulder dress, but I wouldn't mind giving this one a whirl. Wish it was a little longer! ABS via Bloomingdales.

#7. Last but not least, this amazing satin frock by Keemia. In black, it would be simply gorgeous. Keemia.

I’m leaning toward 1,2,4, and 7. Which one do you prefer? Have you spotted any other little black dresses that I should check out? Thanks for your help!

Flower Market Flurry

I get a ton of emails from aspiring florists and DIY brides asking where I get my flowers.  I have a great local wholesaler who can get me almost anything I desire at fabulous prices, plus I’ve been working with him so long that we’re buddies now. He knows what I like, and understands that I’m a bit anal, especially when it comes to the quality of flowers for my brides.

But when I really need something exotic or want to see everything laid out before me, I head straight to the LA Flower District, a flower lover’s paradise and the biggest flower district in the US . The LA Flower District is one of the many reasons I’m so grateful to be a Socal girl.

I thought it might be fun to share my typical flower mart experience. It’s not terribly exciting, but it’s an important part of my job!

-I like to go super early on Wednesday mornings, while it’s still dark, before there is any traffic. I love that I can park in the metered spots for free. I like to be in and out while the crowds are still really thin, before the nearby fashion district action gets started.  I get to snatch up the freshest flowers and have time to chit chat with the vendors before they get swamped with customers. I’m not a morning person, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

-This morning, I kiss my hubby and dogs goodbye at 3:05 am. I’ve got my thermos of English Breakfast Tea in one hand, and my flower checklist in the other hand. I’m proudly wearing my membership badge, knee high uggs, cargo pants, and thick scarf. For California, it is so cold lately!

-Today, I have 3 projects in mind. No weddings this week, but Valentines Day is coming up and I’ll be making some sweet arrangements for family and friends. I also need pink-toned flowers and succulents for my Thailand-inspired arrangement which I’ll be making this afternoon. Lastly, I need lots of teeny tiny mini-baby flowers for a super secret “miniature” project I’m collaborating on with a fabulous calligrapher. You’ll see what I mean soon.

-I get there and do a once over of the entire market, asking for prices and making mental notes of who seems to have the freshest pink dahlias, yellow ranunculus, fuchsia freesia, etc etc etc.  I have my favorite vendors, but I’ve been known to make several rounds before buying anything. I’m like a shark doing donuts around its prey before the big kill.

-The flower mart can be kind of intimidating (it was to me at first!) but the people working there are actually so sweet, helping me carry things and offering me freshly brewed coffee. Today I noticed how cute it looks when they wrap up my flower bunches with crisp newspaper and string. Simple pleasures! This inspired yet another project which you’ll see shortly! The wheels are always turning.

-Then I go on a buying spree, filling my cart to the brim with gorgeous florals. This can take hours, but I finished today in an hour and a half. I then carefully load everything into my cargo van. I never in my wildest dreams pictured myself driving a big ol’ cargo van by the way.

-As a reward for my hard work, I end my trip by ordering breakfast at Flower Market Operetta. They serve up delicious egg white and veggie omelettes and homefries. The owner tells me I look like her daughter. “You have the same face, big eyes, and the same big booty!” She really said that to me. I’ll take that as a compliment

-I return home at 6:30 am, just as the sun is rising and turning the sky crazy colors.

-Hubby and puppies are still softly snoring in bed. Their day is just beginning, and I’ve already accomplished so much! It’s a wonderful feeling. Then I remember I’m so not a morning person, kick off my uggs, and hop into bed for a quick nap before tackling the rest of my day.

The Land of Smiles

Our two week adventure in Thailand was nothing short of amazing! Thailand sure knows how to bring on the spice- with their delish food, colorful clothing, beaches, and mind-boggling architecture.

The highlights:

The beaches! Koh Phi Phi, an island in the South of Thailand, is even more stunning that I imagined. You might remember it from that crazy Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach”. I was on a quest to find perfect white sand and crystal clear water and I found it there! Too bad we had to share it with hundreds of tourists.

My toesies sure loved that powdery white sand.

The famed Maya Bay.

Sunset on Railey beach.

I’m not a fruit person, but I daily (sometimes twice daily) endulged in fresh banana, mango and papaya smoothies sold by the street vendors. The street food was absolutely the best.

We met up with a missionary family who is working hard ministering and preaching in their small village of Phra Putta Bat. The short time we spent with them, we learned so much about the Thai people and culture. Their 2 year old, Joshua, was so adorable.

If you’ve never experienced a thai massage before, you must! They make you do crazy yoga stretches while they massage your muscles with their hands, elbows, and knees. I cringed in pain when they dug their heels into my thighs, cracked my back and pulled each toe out of the socket, but I was left feeling renewed and refreshed.

While Joe was out mountain biking, I got a hot pink manicure and pedicure, and a facial treatment where yoghurt, honey, coffee grinds, mango slices and chocolate were rubbed all over my face. I have no idea how effective this facial was, but my skin was baby smooth afterward.

On my birthday, Joe and I climbed over 1200 stair steps leading to a temple at the top of a mountain. Being afraid of heights, this was a huge accomplishment for me!

Here we are, sweaty, exhausted, but victorious!!!

Also for my Birthday, we stayed in the most incredible resort on Tub Kaak beach. The beach was completely isolated and uncrowded. Sometimes Joe and I were the only ones out there.

Our resort smack dab in the middle of the jungle.

The people were so friendly and hospitable. If Joe and I looked confused or lost for more than 5 seconds, a good samaritan would ask us where we were trying to go and sometimes personally walk us there.

Riding the water taxi through the canals in Bangkok was super exciting. Bangkok is often called “The Venice of the East”.

We visited the flower mart in Bangkok. I was totally in my element there! Lots of fragrant jasmine garlands, marigolds and chrysanthemums, and rare varieties of orchids.

A flower market kitty.

Hand-strung jasmine garlands.

My new favorite flower, the lotus. I love the thick folded petals. Very peony-like. Isn't God an artist?

We had an 8 hour layover in Seoul, Korea where we enjoyed real bi bim bap. My dad is from Seoul so it was pretty special to be there, even if only for a short time.

This trip was inspiring in so many ways. They call Thailand “The Land of Smiles”. What a cool thing to be named after! They really have fun while they work, laughing and joking, not taking work too seriously. While weddings are serious business and can be quite stressful, I never want to stop having fun while I work. I need to pump up the 80s music and really enjoy the time I have with my assistants while we create beautiful florals.

I am also pumped to create a Thailand inspired floral arrangement, which I’m working on right now and will be blogging soon! It’s inspired by these amazing water jugs filled with lotus and goldfish. We saw these everywhere.

Now I’m back home, refreshed and ready to rock my 2009 weddings!