Peach

pendant lamp from Everything Begins, peony photo, graphic, jill stuart dress, dress, sparkle shoes, kate spade satchel, diamond

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season! As 2012 approaches we look toward the next season and what Spring will bring. Along those thoughts, we've been inspired lately by a color that we think bridges the holiday crave for sparkle and the need for the soft tones of spring...
You may call this color peach or nude or a mix of pale pinks and apricots, whatever you call, we love it!
Here's a bit of end of season sparkle mixed with the fresh face of the coming spring... enjoy!

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The holidays are a great excuse to add a little extra sparkle to your everyday... here are some bright and shiny inspirations to get you in a holiday mood...

Last Minute Holiday

The holidays are in full swing and for all of you who perhaps still need a little last minute inspiration, we've pulled together some of our favorite finds, freebies and inspirations like these free printable labels from eat, drink, chic.

Make a delightfully tasty treat and package in a jar... functional and adorably rustic. Check out these jar friendly recipes from Under the Table & Dreaming for your holiday baking.

Cute printables from the pretty blog  for you mason jar gifts.

We love etsy for handmade gifts. For that special girl on your list, a little style savvy glam goes a long way... love these chevron earrings from Moorea Seal on etsy.

We also love to give a present of learning... a workshop is a great way to inspire creativity throughout the coming year. Check out some of our local favorites for workshops and classes...
San Francisco Center for the Book
Press : Works on Paper
SF Baking Arts

Once you've found or crafted the perfect gift you just have to wrap it up and make it pretty! This image has been pinned and re-pinned a hundred time but I think its originally from Style Me Pretty... but we love it for a little packing inspiration....

Holidays

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Hope you all are enjoying all the season has to offer...

DIY Glitter Table Numbers

Made these gorgeous glitter table numbers today with a few simple craft store items...
Found this amazing new glitter spray called Gitter Blast by Krylon at Arch. You have to get the glitter blast line, I was blown away by the saturation, coverage and sparkle!!!! I did 13 table numbers and bases with just one can.

Start with wooden craft letters from Michaels about 2.99 a letter. If you can find paper mache ones that would work too.

Hot glue the numbers onto these little wooden plaques with a beveled egde about 80 cents a plaque, also at Michaels.

Do a light to medium spray of regular gold spray paint. I just did this as a precaution so as not to use as much glitter spray. I may not have even needed this base coat, but its good for any missed spots. Once base coat dries its time for...

GLITTER!!!!! Spray on the glitter blast. The paint goes on thick and covers beautifully. It dries quickly too and doesn't shed! Seriously this is the most amazing glitter spray ever.  One tip is it sprays on kinda foamy. Dont' spray too close or you get little bubbles or drips.

These would be great in letter stoo for a birthday, anniversary, new years party etc... think 2012 in glitter!!!!!

Happy Holiday!

Came across this image by Rifle Paper Co. Thought it was a good sentiment for the season... hope you all are enjoying your holiday weekend!

Amy & Keith

Amy & Keith were one of the most delightful couples we've worked with. They and a small group of friends flew down from Canada for an intimate ceremony at Hans Fahden Winery followed by a reception at Kelham Vineyards. Their photographer, Anna Kuperberg just sent over some shots from the wedding and they are beautiful... thought we'd share this beautiful late summer wedding with you.

                         

 floral & decor  : Atelier Joya 

 photographer : Anna Kuperberg
 planner : Plum Events
 venue : Hans Fahden & Kelham Vineyards

First Kiss

Do you remember your first kiss? The feeling of butterflies in your stomach, then the rise of your pulse and the sudden plummet as you're swept up into someone's arms... the anticipation of your lips touching, then the soft and tender kiss that follows. The feeling of a first kiss is something that is unique in its wonder. We think that when a bride sees her wedding, she should experience something akin to the feeling she gets when she first kissed her husband to be... the nervousness in anticipation, the thrill of the adventure and glimpse of all the possibilities the future holds...

Happy Hauntings

wishing you Happy Hauntings!

Pumpkining

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Fall has so much to offer in it's seasonal florals, fruits and flavors. Rich autumnal palettes of reds, oranges, ambers and even deep purples grace farms, fields and flowers stands. A trip to the pumpkin patch offers gourds in yellows and greens, pumpkins in every hue of orange and every shape from tiny and round to large and voluminous. Despite the offering of golden yellow and bright orange, we can't help our love of pure white pumpkins. These pale gourds look so classic for any Fall event. Place them down a rustic wood table as a quick and modern centerpiece, stack them in towers on your doorstep, tie a name tage on the stem of a little one as the perfect place setting... Whatever your decor for the season, these all white beauties look clean and sophisticated while still setting a tone for the season.

Florals

We spend a lot of time with flowers. We thought it would be fun to show you some of our favorite ways the beauty of botanicals informs other aspects of our lives. Flowers inspire artists and designers to create bold prints, glamourous fashions, object d'art and even outrageous accessories. Whether you love the chipped floral teapot of your grandmother, a simple still life you picked up at the flea, a pair of faded socks or a well worn pair of shoes, relish in the beauty of a small floral object you treasure.

Autumn Approaches...

Its hard to believe with all this warm weather that October is half way over. This morning as the fog rolled in and the crisp air greeted me at the door, I remembered why I love the advent of Autumn...
Cozy nights with a cup of tea and a magazine, walking in the evening twilight, crisp leaves crunching underfoot, scarves and mittens and boots with tights, blankets piled at the foot of the bed, pumpkins and warm treats and all that the Fall season has to offer. Welcome.

Surprise...

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We saw this vintage illustration and couldn't pass up the chance to post it. How fabulous would it be to open the door and find this waiting for you? Everyone deserves a surprise this big every once in awhile... and an armful of flowers can be just the thing.

Love is Sweet... the Video

We recently did the florals and event design for Dessert Darling's (Jenny Alden) wedding. It was full of bright colors, delicious details and whimsical design. Jenny just sent us this beautiful film of the wedding and the intimate moments leading up, all shot by Aqua Vivus... such a wondeful way to capture your one big day and enjoy it for years to come. Check out Jenny's blog for more posts about her wedding. 

Love is Sweet

One of the places where a bride can add whimsy to her wedding is in the dessert presentation. We've designed many dessert displays for events of all kinds. We love a beautifully executed classic wedding cake, a light and airy display of tiny desserts of all sorts, a selection of les macarons in rows of pale colors or a pop of patterns and polkadots with candies in jars of all shapes and sizes. Cupcakes are a current favorite and shops all over the bay will accomodate a tasting so that you can customize your flavor to your event... for a little dessert inspiration we love Miette in Hayes Valley for their delicious macarons, delightful cotton candy and their unique variety of chocolates. The Candy Store in Nob Hill is a great place for sampling unique, high quality candies that would be great for a candy bar. Want something a little more unique? Pop into our favorite, Mr & Mrs Miscellaneous, for the most amazing ice cream you've ever tasted and discuss custom flavor options!

Celebrate

Prepping for this weekend of weddings... Creating a ribbon wall made of pinks, golds and champagnes among other things got us thinking about celebrations, fun and festivity...  Its Friday!
 Do we really need any other excuse to celebrate??? Hello Weekend!

Retreat

We've visited so many sites throughout the bay area for events, and we're so inspired by how the natural landscape interacts with architecture of a space. Many of places we enter are full of California Oaks, wild grasses and sprawling green spaces dotted with cabins or other retreat spaces. While the open doors can be your retreat space, a little cabin or cozy structure can make a great hideaway for two. These are some amazing little spaces that we would love to escape to for a moment of retreat... enjoy!

Summer Wedding

Check out our feature on Catherine Hall's blog. We worked with this talented photographer on a wedding recently and she got some great shots of the event. Check out her post here.

Mock Up in the Studio

Something we offer all of our clients is the opportunity to see their vision and our vision come to life before the event... in the form of a mock up. Mock ups are one of our favorite studio activities. We get to browse the flower mart for pure inspiration, selecting botanicals for their color and textures, and come back to the studio and create a table setting full of gorgeous arrangements and fun props. An excited bride arrives to see a glimpse of what her wedding table will look like. Today we worked on a mock up for a wine country wedding with an Autumnal palette. It was wonderful to see the hot yellows and oranges, and sleek grasses in the studio after a summer full of pinks and whites and imagining the October colors helped deter the heat of the day!

We love what we do and we're so lucky to have the opportunity to work with such talented and generous people on such wonderful events! After lighting hundreds of candles, or placing arrangements just so, its great to have a little fun after a successful event. Cheers to all the people who have supported and inspired us throughout the years. We wouldn't have nearly as much fun without you all!

Mid Day

A little mid day refresher... cool blues, smoky hues, textured wall and falling succulents... how lovely to image oneself in this little corridor...

Lakeside Inspiration

One of our events this past weekend was in Lake Tahoe. The sparkling blue waters, the stones clacking along the shore, the warm summer nights and the spectacular full moon which hung low and golden in the sky, inspired us to put together a little lakeside inspiration board. Enjoy!

Featured in Grace Ormonde Wedding Style

 a few sneak peak pics from the wedding featured in Grace Ormonde's Wedding Style... available at Barnes and Noble now! You can also read the full article on Grace Ormonde's website.

We Heart... Reclaimed Wood

We love the look of reclaimed wood! Its dusty grey hues, warm or cool, bring texture to any space. We use it in event decor, in our studio and in our homes. Pair it with sleek stainless steel for a modern approach or flaky whites and creams for a soft romantic look.  Check out local lumber yards and architectural salvage shops in your area for large quantities. Reclaimed wood is being used in new restaurants, cafes and homes all over... its a beautiful new way to repurpose old materials... and of course, we love that!

Bébé

It is so fun to throw a baby shower! We love the whimsy and bright colors that come to play in a party for a little one to be. Even better, we love throwing a party when mama has a great eye for color and design! This shower we threw for one of our closest and most talented friends... Viola of Chewing the Cud. Her little girl Maika is now a toddler, but we love the look and detail of this shower. Its bright pinks paired with pops of orange and modern patterns will excite and entertain all your guests... its definitely not the kind of shower our moms had for us!!!!

We played up the idea of the circus for the theme of this event... from shape and color to elephant silhouettes, the inspiration for this was fun and a little wild! Check out more pics and the original post on Hostess (with the Mostess) Blog.

... and here's our bébé... Maika :)