Loda

Stationery card

2011-11-09T19:38:00.001-05:00

Initial Wreath Christmas Card

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She strikes again!

2011-03-25T10:54:00.002-04:00

My coworker is amazing at decorating cookies, you can see her other work here. This morning she gave this strawberry themed birthday gift to another coworker. I thought the idea was just too cute not to share.

A pot to grow strawberries in with adorable strawberry cookies baked by her.

Bringing in the New Year in Style

2011-01-02T20:53:00.013-05:00

CHEERS TO 2011!

It was the day before New Years Eve and I got a voicemail from my good friend Ashley with two suggestions on what we should do for New Years, option 1 was to come over to our house and make dinner and option 2 was to research going out somewhere, and at the end of the VM she said, but I like option 1 better... and how could I turn her down since she offered to do most of the cooking.

Since I wasn't going to be cooking I used my time to pull out my china and crystal. I haven't used it in a while and I was getting the itch to pull it out, and why not it was New Years Eve after all!!

It was a small intimate group, just the 4 of us and Virginia. It's hard to see but Virginia helped her dad picked out the yellow flowers from Whole Foods when he went to go buy the craft brew, I love having a daughter!

While picking up the beer Chris picked up a dozen oysters and shucked them himself, I made him crush the ice in the blender to make it look pretty, he wasn't too happy about that extra step.

As the main course Ashley wanted to make Lobster potpies from a recipe she found in her Cosmo magazine. The only thing Ashley asked me to make was a salad but I wanted to make it a 4 course meal so I also added a soup.

For the first course Chris picked up clam chowder pre made from the deli section, it was very tasty and so easy, just heat and serve!

For the second course I made a pear and brie salad with candied pecans with a white balsamic dressing.

The yummy finished product! In Ashley style she monogramed them, only the "H's" turned out, the W's were unrecognizable.

For the finale of the night Ashley saw these desserts on Oprah and really wanted to make them, champagne cupcakes with champagne frosting and strawberries soaked in champagne. YUM!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T13:07:00.010-05:00

....and now it's time to take down all the Christmas decorations. Decorating my new home this year was a lot of fun.

Although my sister thought I was crazy, I knew when we purchased the house in April that I would be hanging wreaths in every window. I found these red glitter bows at Michael's and I loved how they sparkled in the sunlight.

We had these stocking from a few years ago but this year I added our initials by cutting out the letters from felt. I couldn't find a matching stocking for Virginia so we got the "my first christmas" stocking instead. We also enjoyed a fire for most of the holiday season.

Our tree came from the famous Sextons in McLean, fraser firs are my favorite...and now I'm sad the holiday season is over and we have to take it all down. From our family to yours, we hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and cheers to 2011.

2010 Christmas Card

2010-12-12T19:03:00.001-05:00

Peppermint Dots Christmas Card

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Briar Patch Bride

2010-12-08T22:13:00.017-05:00

Back in October I had the pleasure of doing a wedding out in Middleburg at the Briar Patch. It was one of my more unique weddings and I really loved how the whole wedding turned out. Please check out Kristen Garners Blog for the entire wedding. But what many brides don't see is what goes on before you are handed the bouquet or see the flowers on the table. When the flowers are delivered all the stems are cut and the flowers are placed in water to rehydrate. We also have to take inventory to make sure all the flowers we ordered arrived and are in good condition. Not often but sometimes they send use the wrong item and it's our job to make sure we catch it in time to have them send a replacement. For this wedding I ordered 6 bunches of orange mokara orchids but only 5 came along with a random "ugly" color which I absolutely could not use, if we catch the mistake within 24 hours we get a refund, if not, it's our loss. Some flowers have to be wired to hold up in the bouquets, these orchids went in the bridal and bridesmaids bouquets. To ensure all table arrangements look the same, an assembly line process is set up. My sister Elise is becoming very skilled at helping. The corsages for this wedding were made of white Dahlias and Red James Storie orchids with a slap bracelet, which has become very popular. I have started labeling the boutonnieres because often times after I pin them all on there are extras that no one knows who they belong to, when they are labeled it's easy to see... the father of the brides still needs his etc. Transportation is always a concern, getting the flowers safely to the event is our top priority. After many ideas we have concluded that stapling the box the vase comes in to a piece of plywood works best for us, it also makes it easy to carry the centerpieces inside, all we have to do is carry the entire board. After we dropped off the flowers my husband, sister and parents all went a mile down the road to Chrysalis winery and relaxed after a weekend of hard work.

Happy Birthday Elise

2010-10-27T10:15:00.005-04:00

My sister, Elise is a CPA and when I asked what she will be doing for her Birthday she responded "working late" so I thought it was only appropriate to give her a cupcake with a calculator on it. Elise, I hope you have a wonderful Birthday at work.

Carnation Wedding

2010-10-10T08:18:00.016-04:00

Back in May I did an almost all carnation wedding, the bride loved carnations and like most other brides this season she loved the color purple. I did a lot of purple weddings this summer but each one was unique and different, this bride paired purple with ice blue. Unfortunately I never got any professional photos back from this bride so you will all have to suffer through looking at mine.

Bridal Bouquet

I tried to get the bride to include other flowers but she wanted all carnations. I actually really love how it turned out.

Bridesmaids bouquet

My arrangements are the ones on the far left and right, they are completely out of scale for this church and I'm sure people were confused why there were also yellow ones under the altar (one is missing). The ones under the alter were provided by the church and I kept asking the altar attendant who was putting them out, are you sure the bride wants these? and they assured me the bride was ok with it, I hope they were right.

The caters trucks got extremely lost getting to the reception so they had a lot of their wait staff sitting around doing nothing, so my Dad (on the left) asked one if he could help carry in the centerpieces.

I like to place my own centerpieces, that way I can take one last look around and make sure everything looks ok, so I waited for the truck to arrive and the linens to be put on the table. I wish I had a photo with the whole table set, she had pretty silver chargers.

What do you do when your bride asks for a cake topper and you show up and find this? Hmmm... I ended up tearing apart my cake topper and placing flowers on each tier. Only to have the the cake lady (a co-work of the groom who was also a guest) come waltzing in after I was all done. She said, oh I didn't know what to do with the top of the cake so I just threw a bow on it, we can take it off. I was in SHOCK, no we couldn't, I just disassembled my topper and stuck all the flower on the cake. I think I made the flowers a little heavy looking but I wanted to make sure the bride got her money's worth of flowers since she paid for a topper. I kept telling the cake lady, please explain to the bride I didn't want to take the bow off and ruin the cake.

In the car

Table arrangements ready to be put in the car.

My Dad is great at transportation and staples the boxes the vases come in to a board so they don't slide around.

In the cooler: corsage, bouts and the brides bouquet next to a bridesmaids bouquet.

Welcome Virginia Abigail

2010-08-06T12:11:00.005-04:00

She's here! She came on July 3rd at 2:49 am, which yes... that means she's more than a month old! She was a big baby at 9lbs 8 oz and with the great support of my coach (my loving husband) we made it through 9 hours of labor with no drugs. Chris and I took 12 weeks of The Bradley Method to prepare for the birth, but no matter how many classes you take, nothing prepares you for that moment when they hand you your baby and your whole world changes. I am loving motherhood and we feel so blessed to have Virginia in our life, some mornings I'll spend the whole morning just snuggling up with her in bed thinking how did I get so lucky to have this little angel in my life.

At 5 days old we got these photos taken by LitteMoonPhotography. It's amazing how much she has changed in the past month, I'll make sure to post more photos later.

40 Weeks

2010-06-28T06:55:00.005-04:00

I'm officially due TODAY! We've pretty much finished up everything we need to. We hung these Alphabet cards in her nursery this weekend and all we are waiting for is the bedding to arrive on Wednesday (it was on back order for months).

The mobile is hung.

The mural is done above the changing table.

The Bookshelf is built (I still have a few finishing touches left to put on it).

So Grateful

2010-06-09T11:40:00.012-04:00

A few weeks ago my friends Ashley and Ranchel threw me a wonderful baby shower, I can not thank them enough for all the effort they put into it, they truly outdid themselves and it exceeded my expectations. . Here are just a few details:

Ashley made the wreath and hanging tissue balls, I thought they were so adorable.

Peonies from a local grower in Great Falls (this was the only thing I did, the girls did all the rest)

Diaper cakes made by Ashley and my sister, Elise, how adorable and useful:)

So creative, sugar and cream in sippy cups with baby spoons!

Most of my guest painted a onesie for Peanut, some were better than others, let's just leave it at that.

After is was all over I got to relax and enjoy some time with my friends, Ranchel and I go way back to middle school and Ashley and Kristen and I met in college through ADPi.

I also want to thank my sister who wrote down all the gifts and helped "hurry" it along since apparently that's the most boring part of a shower and no once wants to sit there for hours.

Good Belly shot, she's a big one!

I also want to Thank everyone who came to the shower and brought a gift for Peanut, Chris and I are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and we can't wait introduce Peanut to you all.

One of the most special gifts we recieved was this handmade quilt from Chris' family. Each Whinnie the Pooh character was hand stiched from 4 generations of women in his family. The Pooh Bear was done 10 years ago by his Great Grandmother, it is a tradition in their family that each great-grand-child recieve a blanket for their children, I know Peanut will love hers!

Peanut's Home

2010-05-28T07:00:00.001-04:00

So a week after the conference we closed on Peanut's Home!!!! I still haven't unpacked half the boxes because I've been busy studying for my last architecture test which is this Tuesday. I also have one last wedding on June 5th to do before she arrives, so after that get ready to see her adorable nursery which is currently an empty room. We love you Peanut and I promise it will look adorable before we bring you home, even if I only have less than a month to pull it off.

Chris outside the bank holding the big fat check you have to bring to closing, we were so scared it was going to blow away in the wind on the way over.

Awesomeness!

2010-05-25T10:07:00.006-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post about JSConf, I booked a wedding the same weekend, so while Chris was busy as a Pirate doing JSConf I was busy as a bee home alone arranging flowers for this wedding. And when I say home alone I mean no one else helped me on this wedding with the exception of my sister and future brother-in-law showing up a little early to help with last minute touches and delivery on the day of the wedding. I don't want to reveal too much information because I don't know what the rules are about this kind of stuff but this wedding will hopefully be featured in a magazine in a couple of months.

All photos were taken by Katie Stoops Photography

The bride and groom came to me with this magazine spread as inspiration. They wanted something different and unique, not one rose was used in the design. I love it when brides bring inspiration because it helps me get an idea of their style and expectations however I always warn brides I do not copy or replicate designs, I take what they like about the inspiration and make it my own unique design that reflects the bride and groom.

Survival

2010-05-24T12:10:00.005-04:00

It seems like I have abandoned my blog, and yes in some extent I did but only because I felt like I could barley keep up with life let alone updating a blog.

The last time I left you all was right before JSConf, the conference that Chris and I put on back in April. Although it was well worth all the effort, leading up to the conference I wasn't sure if we were going to pull it off. This year I accidentally booked a wedding the same dayas the conference so I was MIA for most of the first day. My incredible husband really did most of the work and I can not say how proud of him I am.

Here he is all in his Pirate get up, which still to this day I don't understand why we made the theme Pirates, but it seemed to work and everyone loved it.

...and again just before it all started hanging out in our awesome Presidential Suite at Hotel Palamar surrounded by a tons of boxes full of swag.

All the swag that I had made: t-shirt, program, bag, nerd merit badge, and coffee mugs and beer mugs from two of our sponsors.

The best part of putting on this conference was that my work had no idea I was doing all this in my "free" time. This video was filmed on my lunch break the Monday after the conference.

"Game Room"
Chris and I now own Rock Band that we purchased for this room.

... baby loading

2010-04-13T15:17:00.002-04:00

This arrived in the mail yesterday, it was a surprise gift from Chris for me to wear at the conference this weekend! So cute! Only 11 more weeks and she'll be done loading:)

17 More Days!

2010-04-01T12:51:00.002-04:00

Along with buying a house, finding a renter, studying for my structures test and meeting with brides, Chris and I have managed to plan another JSConf which is just two weeks away. Things are coming along great and we just received the badges, wow did I marry a geek or what!

Third Trimester-27 Weeks

2010-03-29T07:50:00.003-04:00

I'm 2/3 of the way through! And this weekend we went and picked up the crib (not by choice but PB called and was like can you come get this out of our wharehouse) Surprisingly we can't fit a baby in the car but we can fit the crib box in the car. For now the boxes will be hanging out in our living room until the big move. I can't wait to start sharing the progress of the nursery, we only have 3 months left to pull it off.

Spring is Here!!

2010-03-27T08:24:00.003-04:00

The center piece I made for my sister's House Warming Party.

One of my favorite spring flowers is the Daffodil, my mother always had them growing outside our home and I love driving down the highways seeing them in huge masses. They are surprisingly very inexpensive, even cheaper than carnations yet I think they look so elegant. The arrangement above was made out of 100 stems from Trader Joe's which cost me a total of $15, that's $1.50 a bunch!!!

I actually purchased 150 not knowing exactly how many I would need but it worked out great because there were still 30-40 that didn't open all the way, once they finish opening I'm going to put them on my nightstand.

I covered a trifle dish with chicken wire to help me form the dome shape.

And then worked my way around with flowers until I got to the top, it was very simple!

We found Peanut a HOME

2010-03-18T16:36:00.006-04:00

We put an offer on a house on Tuesday and it's now official, they accepted!!!! Chris and I are very excited about this home and we can't wait to be rocking our baby on the front porch this summer. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the inspection and appraisal go smoothly.

Ms. Peanut's "room"

2010-03-08T12:09:00.005-05:00

A couple of weekends ago I was warned by a mother with a 1 month old that it would take 3 months to order a crib. I was in shock and didn't believe her until we went to Buy Buy Baby and sure enough they said 8-12 weeks for delivery.

Let's just say we left from that store feeling overwhelmed and having no clue what we wanted. The following week I received the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and saw this adorable crib for a great price!!! This weekend we ventured out to the actual store to check out the quality and we ended up purchasing both the crib and changing table!!! and they had both in stock! (take that new mom who waited 3 months for hers) the only problem is.... remember that tiny car we have... and that 1 bedroom we live in.... transporting and storing was a factor we didn't plan on. For now they are holding the furniture at the store until we are ready to pick it up. Peanut, I hope we get a home soon so I can set up your adorable crib!.

Cupcakes and Happiness

2010-03-04T12:59:00.004-05:00

Dear Ms. Peanut,

Now that we know you are a girl I've had so much fun imaging how life is going to be with the 3 of us. You are going to be our little princess and Daddy's little girl and we are so excited that we get to meet you in only a few months.... Ahhhhhh only a few months until you get here and I feel like we have made no progress. We just found out today that we didn't get the house we thought we were going to bring you home to and I'm just afraid we are running out time before you get here. Please know your Dad and I are trying hard and even if your stroller is on backorder or we can't find a daycare without a year waitlist we will still love you no matter what. When I felt down today about how behind we are, I went to Oh Happy Day's blog and saw these adorable cupcake kits, I couldn't help but think, someday I'll be able to make them for you and you will just smile back and say "thanks mom, i love you" and it won't matter what house we are in or what stroller you got pushed around in, I'll just look at you and think I'm the luckest girl ever to have you in my life.

I already love you so much

Mom

It's a....

2010-02-10T20:06:00.002-05:00

.........GIRL!!!

Halfway!!!!

2010-02-09T18:59:00.002-05:00

I hit 20 weeks yesterday and yes I look huge!! We found out today the sex so take a guess if you already don't know and I'll reveal it tomorrow!

Will we ever find the ONE!

2010-02-01T13:00:00.014-05:00

Please ignore my last post, it seems we may have gotten a little too excited. The seller came back with almost no counter offer to our offer, so we decided to walk away. The house needed too much work for the amount we could pay for it. So this weekend despite the snow we hopped in our tiny little car and headed for the open house signs. The first one on the list was a cute town home in North Reston that Chris found, Chris convince me if we buy a cheap town home we'll have more money for expensive gelato, he did have a point so I went along even though top on my list is a garage and a yard. Thank goodness Chris hated it!!!! It was tiny and had nothing Chris wanted, so he said what next, I then read out the other town homes in the area and the prices, he said forget that, let's just go home. WHAT, I wasn't letting him give up! I said well... there is this one house in McLean that we could go look at, he said great let's go.

As we pulled up to this cute little bungalow Chris said, OH, a carport, I need to drink.... you see when we look at the listings together he plays this game, every time he sees a house with a carport he drinks, haha very funny except it's not because 50% of the homes have one and by the end he's drunk, lol. Anyway, he get's over the idea of a carport and we proceed into the home. Before entering we are very optimistic, Great Location, MCLEAN!!! Great schools!!!! Cute neighborhood!!!!

Unfortunately the second we entered we realized why we could afford this house, it's because the house is only for people under the height of 5'. Sadly this home was not for us or peanut. We decided to call it a day on the house hunt and go test drive cars.

We headed out to the Ford dealership in Chantilly and then realized that we would be near a new development, maybe you have heard of it, South Dakota..... oh I mean South Riding. (Sorry Sarah) The drive out there certainly felt like driving to South Dakota. We decided to see the house first then test drive the cars. We pulled into this charming little home, all cute and perfect with the white picket fence.

I thought, wow, this is so CUTE!!!!! I could just eat it up! In fact they even had cookies for us to eat in the kitchen! Yum, pregnant women love cookies! The home was beautiful and at our price range we could afford ALL the upgrades, wow! how is that possible, a brand new home with all the upgrades for cheaper than the home that only fit 5' people. Then we went into the basement and were standing in the charming wine cellar looking at the map that they had posted, the cookies had almost made me forget where we were, but thank you South Riding for reminding me, location, location, location!!! that is the key to real estate. If you are unfamiliar with the area, Chris is pointing to where we live and at the very edge of the board on the right is the beltway, they couldn't even fit DC on the map:(

Sadly again, this is not the home for us:( I would be spending over 3 hours a day in the car commuting and never spending time with Peanut. Although the home was beautiful, time at home with Peanut is worth way more than any granite counter top.

Dear Peanut

2010-01-25T17:30:00.004-05:00

Dear Peanut,
I promise we are trying to be good parents to you, but I just don't know how we are going to pull this off. This weekend was filled with a ton of to-do stuff to get ready for you, including a baby safety seminar, re-caulking our bathtub and birthing classes, but the biggest one was what we thought was putting an offer on a house. Last night we met with our Realtor to put together our first offer, we left feeling so excited we even went out and treated our self to expensive Gelato!!! All day I have been wondering about if they will accept it and then I see a missed call from my realtor, I quickly call her back and she informs me we forgot to sign the second set of documents and the offer won't go in until tomorrow. I'm seriously trying not to laugh, I really feel like we don't know what the heck we are doing. We are keeping our fingers crossed that tomorrow everything goes in smoothly and we don't' mess up again.
Love your crazy parents!

Wedding Season is picking up

2010-01-20T16:01:00.003-05:00

In the past week my email has been flooded with brides contacting me about flowers!!! But so far I've had to turn down 2 brides all because their wedding is too close to the arrival of Peanut. I guess it was bad planning on our part to have a baby right in the middle of wedding season, however I'm very excited to be having a summer baby!

Worst Part of Waking Up is Decaf in your Cup

2010-01-18T10:48:00.004-05:00

Only 23 more weeks of drinking this stuff! Oh the sacrifices I'm making for Peanut....

Surprise in the Kitchen

2010-01-13T12:49:00.001-05:00

My co-worker strikes again. I think people are too afraid to cut into it, but I'm sure I'll be grabbing a piece once someone make the first move.

Baby on Board

2010-01-12T09:32:00.006-05:00

Some may know some may not, but Chris and I will be expecting a little peanut around June 28th. We could not be more happy and for the past few months have been enjoying the blissful thoughts of having a baby around until reality sunk in last night and we began to panic.

It all started out innocently with a gmail chat to my friend who has a 18 month old, at first we were talking about architecture but then got onto the topic of what baby stuff we are going to need, I casually mentioned all car seats look the same so how hard is it to pick the right one.... she comes back with a link to her favorite one...apparently there is more to research than we thought, do the straps adjust easily, does it click into place easily, does in fit in a shopping cart, then is dawned on me?..... Does it fit in a shopping cart, how about will it fit into our tiny 2 door RSX car? So when we came home from dinner last night Chris and I started to chat about the car seat discussion I had with my friend, he tried to convince me that putting a car seat into an RSX was no problem until he starting googling what would fit. Results came up as NONE, no car seat will fit into an RSX and we couldn't stop laughing about this one guys comment to another couple:

"Grow up, You are going to be a father, so you need a nice 4-door car like a Camry or an Accord to carry your child around. When you are an old guy like me with your kids through college and out of the house, you can get a sports car again. "

We could not stop laughing, not because it was that funny but because I think it finally hit us that we are screwed. We now have 6 months to buy a HOUSE and a CAR, put on a National Conference, throw in a couple wedding flower gigs, pass an Architecture Structures exam, find a daycare without a 18 month wait list and oh yeah actually have the baby all while I'm big and fat.

So you ask where am I going with this.... the blog has been kinda dead lately but mostly because I haven't really known what to share with you all. So from here forward I'm going to talk about the 6 month road to bringing home peanut. Wish us luck because I think we will need it.

It's that time of year again...

2010-01-11T10:54:00.007-05:00

...that's right it's DC Restaurant Week and I just made my first reservation for tonight at La Tasca. Yeah I know it's not some fancy smancy place but it's unlimited tapas so how can you go wrong. We're heading out tonight to see some friends that left us for good old New Jersey and are in town for work, I can't wait to hear all about their new addition to their family, Riley.

Happy Christmas Eve!

2009-12-24T09:39:00.006-05:00

Yep, I'm at work today along a few other brave souls. One very talented co-worker brought in today these cookies. I'm so envious because I've always wanted to make snowflake cookies just like this but never found the time. She said she had to wait 6 hours for the frosting to dry before she could put the detail on it. I can't wait to see how yumming it tastes!

The mail smelled like Coffee!

2009-12-17T15:10:00.003-05:00

I just received the sweetest gift ever! My old Project Manager makes his own blend of coffee for the holidays and this year he broke his golden rule of never making decaf. I can't wait to wake up to the smell of Rashid Roasters tomorrow morning!

Good Times-a month late

2009-12-16T13:07:00.009-05:00

I know I know it's now Christmas and I'm WAY behind but I've been meaning to share my Thanksgiving with you all but I just haven't had the energy to even download my photos. This morning I forced myself to download them so I could post a few things at lunch today. Above you will see the lovely floral arrangement I put together using a new rose called Combo.

My mother always uses her China for Thanksgiving because I think she feels it doesn't "go" with any other season, and it doesn't help that the name of the pattern is called Autumn. I love the pattern because I think it's bold and very different than what brides are picking out these days. I hope as a family we continue to use this China for many more Thanksgivings. She also pulls out her Silver which is something I don't own and am very jealous of. However the serving spoons shown above is not her pattern, but my Grandmother's on my Dad's side. My grandparents were artistic people and I think this modern pattern reflects their style perfectly.

My sister has started two traditions: 1. Tutti Frutti Fruit Salad and 2. Brie wrapped in puff pastry. #1 was started when she was in pre-school and they were learning the letter T, I guess they made this salad and as a family we fell in love with it. I couldn't really tell you how it's made but I'm sure there is not much nutritional value in it even though it has the word Fruit. #2 is something she learned while living in Germany. You basically just cover a wheel of brie in "pop can" pastry dough and top the brie with fruit before covering it completely. I was very upset I could not enjoy the brie, since I am 3 months pregnant I can no longer eat unpasteurized cheese :(

On to the Meat... Meat is a man's job in my family, before I could take a photos of our gorgeous turkey my Dad had it all carved and ready to serve. Now normally my mom doesn't serve ham but this Thanksgiving we celebrated it 3 days late due to my dad getting the swine flue, so for those that were sick of Turkey, you could have ham instead, my husband was in HEAVEN, his two favorite things!

To end a wonderful meal we had pumpkin and apple pie complements of ME. YUM!

Weekend Fun

2009-11-17T10:45:00.005-05:00

This weekend was jammed packed full of too much to do. One of thing on my to do list was create this fresh floral chandelier for a co-workers friend's engagement party. I honestly didn't know how it was going to turn out when I took the job, but to my surprise I think it turned out great. It took Chris and I 2 hours and what I think were 250 roses (the bride provided the roses from Costco) When we drove away Chris turned to me and said "I hope it doesn't start to fall apart, you know gravity could start to kick in" (It probably weighed 50-75lbs) I was like, WHAT, you tell me this now, now that it's all done. The rest of they day all I could think about was, please don't fall apart, please make it through the party in one piece. Well, I just got confirmation that it did make it through and it's still in tact! yeah go team Loda!

Happy Birthday Ashley

2009-11-15T13:38:00.003-05:00

Ok, so this is a day late, I'M SO SORRY, but I did surprise you last night so I think that makes up for it. Again, not an easy cupcake to find, but I think this one will do, a one of a kind Vera Bradley cupcake, how cute! Ashley P. has been wanting the VB tote bag forever so just incase you didn't get it for you Bday, here it is in cupcake form. I hope you had a great day!

Happy Birthday Ashley

2009-11-12T15:28:00.003-05:00

It took me awhile to find a "runner cupcake" and this is the best I could do. I have two friends named Ashley that were born 2 days apart so for Ashley G. this cupcake is for you because you have become a running freak. I don't know how you do it, keep it up and have a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thanks Armin

2009-11-04T08:59:00.002-05:00

Check out my vendor spot light on Armin's blog!

Happy (belated) Birthday Elise

2009-10-28T16:04:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted a cupcake in forever that I forgot to post one yesterday for my baby sister, Elise. Yesterday she turned the big 25, 1/4 of a century!!! She went to Vegas last weekend to celebrate and I'm afraid to ask how it was, you know what they say, "What happens in Veagas, stays in Vegas"

Purple, Green and Rain

2009-10-18T21:12:00.019-04:00

Saturday was my last wedding of the season, and it was filled with tons of green and purple and oh yeah.... tons of rain. But you know what they say about rain, it brings the couple good luck. I want to wish K + A the best of luck in their future together.

Bridal Bouquet

(The bride provided me with purple velvet ribbon made in Switzerland)

Bridesmaids Bouquets

120 White Hydrangeas, 1 box of Green Hypericum berries, Ocean Song Roses, Purple Lisianthus, Green kermit poms, green cymbidium orchids, green dutch antique hydrangeas

Bouquets and Pew Flowers

Elise my sister and Amy were a HUGE help. Amy also has a love for flowers and works in the real estate business; we connected through my day job, lol. She made all the centerpieces and did an amazing job. Thanks Amy!!!!

White dendrobium orchid corsages

The finished product

20 lbs of Moss, 1 Manzanita Branch

I was a little disappointed with the backdrop of this place card table. I feel like it would have fit in perfect in a barn or somewhere more natural like a botanical garden.

One Day

2009-09-30T11:51:00.007-04:00

...I will own a flower shop just like this. It's impossible for me to pass by a flower shop and not go in, this is exactly what happened while taking a stroll down Newbury Street in Boston. Some women see shoes and cant's stay away, for me it's flowers, of course I dragged Chris inside and was blown away with how modern and sleek it looked yet their arrangements had a very romantic garden feel.

Boston

2009-09-21T10:52:00.004-04:00

Just returned from a great trip to Boston. Chris was there for a conference and then I met him on Friday. Although it was a month early, we celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We could have not asked for better weather, Boston is a beautiful, historic, charming city and I loved it!

Never Forget

2009-09-11T09:16:00.002-04:00

I was a Junior in College getting ready for my 10am class when I watched live on the Today show the announcement of the first plane hitting Tower 1, than saw the second plane crash into the second tower. I numbly got on the bus and went to class, thinking what just happened? My class insisted my professor turn on the TV so we could watch what was happening but he only allowed us to keep it on for 5 minutes, then turned it off to continue teaching. I don't think at that moment we all knew the impact that day would have on us for the rest of our lives.
Today we remember all the men and women who lost their lives and we thank all the volunteers who save so many and who died tryng. We shall never forget this day.

Compression

2009-09-08T22:05:00.003-04:00

No fun Labor day pics here, my Labor Day consisted of me "compressing" into my brain the principals of Structures from sun up to sun down. The test was a monster and if I have to retake it again I will seriously cry, I'll know in 6 weeks. I hope the rest of you were out enjoying the last few days of summer.

"Roman Amphitheater Entrance"

Europe 2002

2009-09-01T12:27:00.002-04:00

One of my brides just emailed me this awesome site and let me know that she just purchased one the items above for her October Wedding. You'll have to wait until October to see which one we will be using.

Why?

2009-08-31T15:10:00.004-04:00

My coworkers had this link up on her gmail chat today and I just have to ask, why would someone attempt this?.... anyway check out more of the interesting meals you can make from fast food.

BEFORE

AFTER

Grilling Time

2009-08-30T18:17:00.003-04:00

Every Sunday Chris and I BBQ on our condo roof deck, we have a little group that is always up there and it has become somewhat expected now that we show up. Tonight the cart is loaded up with a cheese board, BBQ Chicken Breast, Caprese salad, crescent rolls and of course a good bottle of FlyingDog beer. I hope everyone else is enjoying the last few days of summer.

Back from the Beach

2009-08-25T21:24:00.004-04:00

I have lots to share from my month long blogging sabbatical.

"Kitty Hawk Sand Dunes"

Loving this new blog

2009-07-23T17:24:00.002-04:00

I am love love loving this new blog I just found, it makes me want to throw a million parties.

2 for 1

2009-07-16T12:58:00.025-04:00

Bridal Bouquet

I've been meaning to post about this wedding, it just took me awhile to get all the photos together since it was 2 events in 1 day.

I love purple and friends always tell me, I always thought you would of had a purple wedding, no, I didn't have a purple wedding but I did get to live vicariously through this bride who did.

This bride started out thinking she could arrange all the flowers herself. She had already ordered 75 white and purple hydrangeas from California and 200 stems of fressia online and had all the vases and ribbon before she came to me.

To suppliment the already purchased flowers I bought purple listhanus, purple and lavendar sweet pea, purple carnations for the pomander ball and greenery for the corsages and bouts.

One of my biggest things I spend time on is packaging, ok I lied, that's what Chris does, but still, some how we have to transport the flowers and figuring out how is always a concern. Chris does an amazing job figuring out how it's all going to fit in the car and not get crushed, this wedding was a challenge and we almost didn't have enough room, I had to hold the box of bouts on my lap.

This wedding was a hike, all the way to Havre de Grace MD, but with the AC on full blast the flowers were in perfect condition when we arrived, we on the other hand had to defrost our toes.

We first dropped off the bouquets in the historic farm house located on the property, where all the girls were getting ready, you can kinda see the old historic wood plank floors.

The arrangements turned out great but took a little time to fill with water and floating candles. The bride also had a box of butterfiles laying around, no one knew what to do with them so I put them in the flowers, I hope she liked it. The last thing we did was hang the pew buckets and re-fill the water, by then we were hot, tired and dreaming of beer, here is Chris with his, "I"m ready for this to be over face"

Don't they look great!

We felt bad, but we had to get in and get out of there because our next stop was SAVOR!
Savor was held at the National Building Museum, and is a craft beer "conference" as Chris likes to call it.

It had over 150 breweries with over 300 beers to try. Don't under estimate this event, it was sold out immediately with over 2,000 people attending.

Our red carpet moment, and I think we look pretty good considering we just spent 2 days doing flowers, and yes I was a sucker and paid $15 for this photo.
*I was just informed this is called a "step and repeat" I had no idea

The food was ok, but the oyster bar was what blew us away.

By the end of the night, everything looked like this.

Got side tracked

2009-07-15T14:17:00.005-04:00

I had to look up the address of this photographer for my day job and I couldn't resist looking through his entire portfolio. A few of my firms projects are under architecture but of course I fell in love with a few under Home + Garden

Le Baron Farm, Jeffersonton, VA
Clients: Traditional Home
& Neumann, Lewis, Buchanan Architects

Knot Garden
Gardens at Glen Burnie
Winchester, VA
Client: The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

Dahlias are here!

2009-07-12T22:18:00.006-04:00

For the past couple of months I've been arranging the flowers for my church (they pay me of course), sometimes the person donating the flowers has a request and other times I can do want I want. This week I had a funeral on Saturday as well as flower for church on Sunday. The family for the funeral flowers requested blue, orange, yellow and white. Using the same flowers for both (saves money) this is what I came up with.

Funeral Flowers

Light blue hydrangeas, mini sunflowers, orange dahlias, light blue iris, yellow pom, white stock, light and dark blue delphinium, ti leaves, solidago, italian ruscus

Sunday Church Flowers

Mini sunflowers, orange dahlias, light and dark blue iris, yellow pom, white stock, light and dark blue delphinium, ti leaves, solidago, italian ruscus

BBQ Season

2009-07-09T18:11:00.010-04:00

We are full swing into BBQ season and Chris and I have been enjoying grilling on the roof of our condo. A couple of weekends ago we had A&A over for an impromptu BBQ, although I thought I kept it incredibly low key, Chris thought otherwise.

While shopping at Crate and Barrel for a new dresser I picked up these adorable napkins on sale of course.

I picked up some fresh mint and some rum to make refreshing mojitos.

And of course we brought up our now famous cart, every time we bring it up to the roof people say "where did you get that, it's perfect". Yes it is perfect and we love it because it folds in half and slides right under the couch.

I had some left over prosciutto from making homemade pizza so I bought a cantaloupe and made this very simple appetizer.

I wish I had taken more photos of the food to show you, but it got dark soon after we got up there.

Goodbye Peonies

2009-06-30T17:03:00.005-04:00

I took these photos at the peak of peony season at my wholesalers, I was in heaven, I wanted to buy them all. Now that we are moving into July I will be sad to see them go.

Lucent Nude

2009-06-29T09:25:00.005-04:00

I'm loving this lipgloss/lipstick that Ranchel (who works at Loreal) gave me last weekend, the color Lucent Nude looks so natural on me. I'm not much of a lipstick girl, if I remember I'll put it on before work but then never reapply, but this stuff is great, it lasts ALL DAY.

I love Pink and so did this bride

2009-06-24T16:36:00.035-04:00

Last Saturday I did an all pink wedding out at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg Virginia, although the end product doesn't look like much it proved to be a large time consuming job (partly my fault). In the end though it turned out fantastic and all my heartache and hard work was well worth it.

Table Design A
3 square glass vasses filled with beargrass
5"-Titanic roses
4"- Pink Asiatic Lilies
3"- Pink Peony

Table Design B

24" Square glass vase filled with pink cymbidum orchids strung on silver floral wire topped with a floating candle.
3- 3" square vases filled will Titanic roses and Cymbidum orchids

Brides Bouquet
Akito and Anna Roses, White Cymbidium orchids, white Calla Liles, White Freesia

Bridesmaids Bouquets
Titanic and Ballet Roses Garnishish wtih Green Pitt

The Cake
Titanic Roses and Romantica Folies Blush Pink Spray Roses

(RSVP Catering went out of their way to pull the cake out of their cooler box and bring it down to the mansion kitchen so I could decorate it, it was so hot outside that if they kept it outside it would have melted)

My first mistake was ordering 250 Ballet roses to be used in Design A, they came with small heads and tight buds. Throughout the entire process I kept telling myself, it's going to be ok, they will open up, they will look good with the rest of the pink, but at midnight on Friday on our way home, Chris turned to me and said, "who picked those hot pink roses" my heart was racing and I knew what was coming next...Chris said "honey, they look awful next to the lighter pink" I knew it from the beginning, but I just didn't want to admit it, THE DAY of the wedding at 6 in the morning I drove to my wholesaler and replaced them with light pink Titanic roses. Thank you Potomac Floral for saving the day and having enough.

My second mistake was thinking that having 70+ vases was going to be easy, WRONG. We had to remove the made in china sticker from every vase and hand clean them. I also got the idea from another florist to put a sticker on the bottom with my name on it so when the guest took them home they would see who did the flowers. The stickers didn't all stay on when they got wet. Third mistake, BEARGRASS. Thinking the beargrass would give a cool modern look I put it in the design. A few things to note about beargrass; 1. it has to be cleaned, it comes very muddy 2. It cuts like a paper cut, I have many to prove it 3. It was almost impossible to get it to stay inside the vase without popping out. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK to my brother Rob who spent hours cleaning thousands of blades bear grass.

Forth mistake: buying and using Boutonniere Buddy This product DOES NOT work. I had to re-do multiple boutonniers after Chris pointed out that I had not put them on exaclty how they should be pined against the jacket. Not to mention once the groomsmen started putting them on, they couldn't figure it out and they would spin upside down, I ended up using an old fashion pearl pin.

Ok, I guess that is enough complaining... I should move on.

We arrived to Oatlands with sunny blue skies only to check our iphones to see that a storm was fast approaching. The bride got extremely lucky as the storm passed and the sun came out about 45 minutes before she walked down the aisle in the outdoor gardens, we on the other hand got soaked, but that's just part of the job.

Here is my "staff" my Dad, my husband Chris, my sister Elise, Me and my brother Rob. The photo on the steps is us waiting for the caterer to set up the tables, better to be early than late.

We had to fill 10 tall vases with water and then wait for the water to aclimate to the air temp so it would stop condensating. Here is Rob inserting the pink cymbidium orchids that I strung on silver floral wire, with a floating candle on top.

Pink Lillies chilling in the car, waiting to be put out on the tables. (these little buggers were scaring me and taking FOREVER to open up, thank goodness for a heat lamp:)

Thank you to my Helpers

My LOVING AND PATIENT husband Chris, who helped with EVERYTHING!
Seen here helping with the Bouts.

My brother Rob, a new graduatate of Virginia Tech heading off to law school in the fall.

My father, who I think has more fun doing this than his real job, practicing law.

My sister Elise, who came to help set up even though she spends her weekdays jetsetting around the country working for Deliotte. (got to love photoshop)

My NYC friend Ranchel and her roomate Laney. These girls came straight from the Bolt bus to help out on Friday night. They were a huge help filling the small vases with beargrass. Got to love the blue gloves, a new addition to my work, I get worried about all the chemicals they use on these flowers.

So that's all for now, until I get the professional pics. I hope you enjoyed.

So Fun

2009-06-11T13:26:00.003-04:00

J.Crew is having a great sale going on right now, 20% off sale items and free shipping over $150, I just ordered a ton of great stuff, of course all on sale. But one thing I did spot that's still full price is this fabulous yellow purse, now that's what I call making a statement.

Enter code: surprise

Happy Birthday Stefan

2009-06-08T08:57:00.002-04:00

I saw this cupcake next to the adorable ice cream stand and it reminded me of the tiny paper houses Stefan made last week. Stefan I hope you have a wonderful day and I'm looking forward to the movies tonight. Happy Birthday Archite ctDesign.

Congratulations J + C

2009-06-03T09:16:00.002-04:00

Check out Wish Special Events Blog for the full story on the red wedding I did in April. Jessica, their wedding coordinator did an amazing job putting together their red, black and white themed wedding.

Help me pick

2009-06-01T12:33:00.007-04:00

Last weekend we had brunch with our friends Jason and Grace, and Grace was kind enough to offer to take some head shots for my website. I was really nervous posing in front of the camera for a friend but I think she got a least 3 good shots. Help me pick the one you think I should put under my "about me" page on LODA. Thanks!

Carrie and Alex

2009-05-31T21:09:00.007-04:00

The weekend after JSConf2009 we were off to Scottsdale Arizona for the wedding of Carrie and Alex. It was a wonderful weekend in sunny AZ and we want to wish the happy couple all the best in their future together.

JSConf2009

2009-05-20T11:11:00.012-04:00

Ok so I didn't deliver on my promise of wowing you with the rest of what I was busy doing but what I wanted to share next was JSConf2009. The following weekend after I did the red wedding Chris and I put on a conference devoted to JavaScript. Chris came up with this crazy idea and together we worked tirelessly to pull it off. It was a huge success and it couldn't have been so with out the amazingly 130 smart people that attended the event.

Check out our teaser video

JSConf2009 Teaser from Chris Williams on Vimeo.

Behind the Scenes

2009-05-11T21:51:00.019-04:00

I know it's been awhile since I've done a real post post and I apologize so hopefully the upcoming week will make up for the past 3 weeks that I fell behind. To start where I left off I will take you behind the scenes of the wedding I did at the end of April.

The bride wanted all Red so I worked with a combination of Carnations, Roses, Anemones, Ranunculus and Tulips (not shown)

I hope you all make note of how many pictures I took of Chris helping, he really came through on this one and was by my side the whole time. Look at him here stripping roses, GREAT JOB honey!!!

Once all the flowers are prepared I start putting the bouquets together, I don't usually put the ribbon on until the very end in fear it will get dirty.

And I always save the best flowers for the brides and then do that one last.

Here's Chris again..... removing the stickers from all 60 bud vases with acetone, that was a very stinky job. (notice the laptop by his side, that helped him get through the day)

The timing was perfect, the bouquets were done, the vases cleaned and then walked in our friends, Ken and Ashely who I'm going to state for the record volunteered to help (Chris likes to think I force my friends to do this) I would also like to state that in order to qualify to volunteer you must have a higher degree of education than myself (joking, that's just how it's worked out every time so far, lol) Ken did a perfect job filling the vases with the same EXACT amount of water in each, I guess that's the mechanical engineer in him.

And my very serious Lawyer friend Ashley did a great job helping me fill the vases with a flower and some bear grass.

Vases all done :) thanks boys for taking it to the cooler, BRRRRR.

Chris did a great job making this special box with cups to transport the bouquets.

Yes, that's 10 boutonnieres, 4 red hair flowers, and 1 white bridal hair flower. (corsages not shown)

Seeing Red

2009-04-23T09:52:00.003-04:00

Sneak peak from the wedding I did last weekend! All flowers were RED! I can't wait to share everything.

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T09:29:00.004-04:00

Loving this building, especially for Earth Day today. Try and be good today and remember to recycle, reuse and reduce.

Don't ask

2009-04-14T16:21:00.004-04:00

I thought I would share a part of why I haven't been blogging a lot. Some may know and others may not, but Chris and I are putting on a conference. It's been very overwhelming planning the whole thing our self but it will be worth all the effort come next week when it's all over and everyone enjoyed the conference. Here is a sneak peak of what's going in the swag bag.

Happy Birthday Emily

2009-04-09T17:46:00.005-04:00

I'm sure most of you are wondering what is that? That is a mashed potato cupcake, and my sister-in-law LOVES her mashed potatoes. How I got so lucky to find this image I have no idea but it's perfect. Have a great day Emily.

Found this and NEEDING it

2009-04-08T12:21:00.005-04:00

I was in the Container Store on Sunday and ran into these adorable filing cabinets and I couldn't resist wanting one to hold my jewelry in. I realize they are not glamorous but they are incredibly functional. Currently I use ice cube trays and it's getting really annoying, I seem to always drop them and everything goes flying.

I love how they have draw inserts with different size compartments. This really couldn't be more perfect for me. Now I just have to come up with the $$ to buy one and figure out what color I want. I guess it does help that Container Store has a coupon out.

Gotcha

2009-04-02T07:07:00.002-04:00

April Fools!

of course we didn't buy that car, but for one day it was nice to pretend we did:)

Love Love Love my new car!!!!!

2009-04-01T16:41:00.003-04:00

I would like to introduce you to my new BABY!!!!!! Chris and I went and test drove it last weekend and I just couldn't say no. Now we are all ready to have a real baby.

Awesome

2009-03-26T17:42:00.002-04:00

Check it out!!!!! My friend Architect Design's apartment is being featured on Apartment TherapyDC.

Baby steps

2009-03-20T08:17:00.011-04:00

My younger sister just moved into her first real apartment, (college doesn't count) and she had me over for dinner on Monday to check it out. I was very impressed, it's located in a prime location, in a hip new luxury building, and has lots of space (I'm jealous) However at the moment it still has that college feel and being the older "architect" sister I can't help myself but want to HELP her. I gave her a few suggestions on Monday but it was only received by the usual eye roll and whatever Laura, we don't want to do that much work. Ok... so that got me thinking, how can I help her without the work.... like painting and completely going over board. So I decided we will start small... with throw pillows. Her roommate has donated the couch, which is a forest green leather couch from the 60's, it's in great shape but it needs some attention. I think pillows are always a great way to start and help you define a color scheme. Here are few of my pics: Let me know which one is your favorite.

This pillow highlights fun and bright colors.

For a more monotoned and modern look I like the green one.

This one is more traditional in style but still gives her fun colors to work with.

White will help make the couch not look so dark and heavy, I'm loving this whimsical design.

A little retro but would compliment the forest green nicely.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T09:09:00.002-04:00

I'm scottish not Irish but I still love this holiday. I hope everyone didn't forget to wear green!!! I wouldn't want you to get pinched. If you are going out tonight have fun and make sure you drink some good Irish beer none of that Miller Light stuff.

Craziness coming to an end

2009-03-14T16:37:00.021-04:00

Wedding at Key Bridge Marriott

I could not have finished up this job without the help of my wonderful family. First thank you to my parents for letting me make this huge mess in my dad's wood shop in the basement....

and second for all their actual manual labor...they all found it very comical how I had convinced a CPA and an Attorney to give up their weekend and help for free. THANK YOU FAMILY, I LOVE Y OU. (notice my husband is not shown, because he was at home working to help financially support this craziness)

My work station, my dad made me that special long table.

I had to rent a van to transport everything. Chris did a great job on making sure it all arrived unharmed, I think his secret was driving at 25 MPH.

The brides cascading bouquet.

Bridesmaid Bouquets

Wrist Corsages

Boutonnieres

Here is everything just about to be put on the tables, I did half tall and half low.

Last minute touch up

Thank you Ashley for all your help on the day of. (I know I look like a dork in this photo)

Craziness part 2

2009-03-12T22:34:00.006-04:00

So if you couldn't figure out what that huge thing was, here is the answer, a walk in floral cooler. It all started when I received my first deposit for my first real wedding gig and I couldn't fall asleep because I was worrying about how I was going to keep the flowers fresh. I put an add on my wholesalers forum stating I wanted a used walk in cooler and to my surprise 3 months later I got a response for a great deal I couldn't refuse. I knew I wanted and needed the cooler but I had no idea how I was going to convince Chris to drive an hour away load it on a truck and then set it up. Chris was very reluctant but of course in the end agreed to help. It took 2 full weekends to get it assembled and cleaned up before we could put flowers in it.

My dad helped a lot and built me adjustable shelves as seen in this photo. This also shows the start of the wedding weekend extravaganza. I ordered tons of flowers which came in a total of 10 boxes.

This is a box of 40 hydrangea stems. Can you believe they turned into the photo below just after a few hours in water.

It took almost a whole afternoon to unload the boxes, trim the stems and place in "floral juice". The flowers stayed overnight in the cooler before I started arranging them the next day..... that was another whole adventure.... coming up.

Craziness

2009-03-11T20:31:00.004-04:00

I have been incredibly busy the past week and a half and I feel awful for not posting, so get ready for a big post coming up. For now this hint will just have to do.

Stay tuned for how this.......

turned into THIS:

Getting Antsy

2009-03-02T10:08:00.009-05:00

I've been getting very anxious about spring and planting flowers and today's snow storm was a gentle reminder that it is still a ways away.

To get me in the mood for spring last month I went to American Meadows and ordered a whole bunch of spring bulbs. While at the site they were having a huge sale on Paperwhite Narcissus Bulbs and I couldn't resist. They are now in full bloom and smell great!

I also want to point out my cupcake calendar, which was a great birthday gift. If I can make it to the store I might make the suggested mini baked cheesecakes. Yumm.

2 for 1 post

2009-02-19T11:46:00.004-05:00

So remember this post. I'm sure you were all wondering when I was ever going to get that mess cleaned up. Well TaDa here it is along with an arrangement I did for a church last Sunday. The floral arrangement was extra special to me because it was placed in memory of my best friends dad who passed away February 14th, 2004. He was a great guy and I have many memories of Mr. G joking around with us, he will always be with us in spirit.

The cabinet was a huge splurge, (jk) It's from my favorite store that I love to hate. The bottom drawer pulls out as a filling cabinet and the top is open to whatever I want to put in it. I'm loving it, except for the legs. Maybe I'll replace them one day with something not so commercial looking.

Is it spring yet??

2009-02-17T15:54:00.005-05:00

Surprisingly I have been very busy these past couple of days. I have lots to share but for now I only have time to post my desk arrangement that is getting me in the mood for spring. I went on a very long walk last week and discovered a Forsinthia Bush, prepared with my shears of course I cut a few stems and they are now in full bloom. I like the contrast of the two different arrangements together.

Yum!

2009-02-12T11:41:00.003-05:00

Ok, so maybe I was being a little unrealistic in the last 2 posts, hey shoot for the moon and you'll get the stars or something like that..... Last year Chris sent me these and although they are gorgeous I thought they tasted awful. This year I would much rather have some Sweetheart Berries from Sherri's Berries. My sister recieved them from her BF and they were delicious!

Who doesn't love Paris

2009-02-11T08:06:00.006-05:00

Paris is the city of love and who wouldn't love to spend a long weekend indulging in pure luxury at the Hotel Plaza Athenee. I found this hotel to be the most romantic I could find only later did I realize it looked very familiar.

Below is a photo of when I was in Paris with my mother. We stayed in a very cute boutique hotel that as you can see had a view of the Eiffel Tower. Chris sent me those flowers, I think that was one of the most romantic things he has ever done.

Valentine's Day Gift Count Down

2009-02-10T09:43:00.004-05:00

First choice for every girl is jewelry. And since I'm pretty sure I won't be receiving any this year I think it's safe to say I would love this Grape Tourmaline Ring with Diamonds in White Gold. Hey a girl can dream..... it is only $7, 680.

First day at the florist shop

2009-02-07T17:37:00.002-05:00

I just got home from working my first day at a real florist shop. The owner has so kindly taken me on even during these rough times. I am so excited to be helping them out for the big Valentines' Day week, bring on the red roses baby!!!! But for now I'm enjoying these beautiful orange roses that we all got to take home because they are way too open to be sold.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

I turn 28 today and yes I feel old but that didn't stop me from having a great b-day party at the roller rink last weekend. Check out the pics here.

For my cupcake I picked these because I think they are unique and beautiful.

Buckets

2009-02-03T12:49:00.003-05:00

In a search for floral buckets I found these beautiful vintage buckets. I love the kelly green color.

Treat

2009-01-29T17:23:00.004-05:00

I'm pretty conservative on what I spend my money on and that applies to flowers too. I can spend a good 20 minutes in the flower section at the grocery store before I actually start my food shopping but rarely will I walk away with flowers in hand. Yesterday I just couldn't walk away from these tulips, 20 stems for $12, that price can't be beat. I couldn't wait to get home and put them in this cute little vase I picked up at an estate sale in Georgetown. Unfortunately the vase leaks but I guess that is what you get for $3.

Say Cheese

2009-01-26T17:55:00.014-05:00

Chris and I love cheese and are often scouting out great new kinds at our local grocery store. This weekend at Safeway we found Beecher's handmade cheese from Seattle. We were thrilled to see this cheese because it brought back memories from our trip to Seattle last spring.

We are not that big of foodies but decided to go on the Savor Seattle tour to experience some of Seattle's best (We highly recommend it). After the tour we only went back to 2 places, Beecher's for their mac and cheese and Piroshki Piroshki. I heart Piroshki's and if you know of a place in DC that sells them, there will be a big reward!

All of their cheese is hand made and the process can be seen throughout the day in their store.

What will Michelle be wearing?

2009-01-20T08:33:00.002-05:00

Here are what a few other first ladies wore on their big debut......

Ah memories

2009-01-17T18:19:00.004-05:00

To keep me busy I've been substitute teaching and last week I taught high school for the first time. It's been more than 10 years since I was in high school but one thing that hasn't changed are the kids binders, they are still covering them with fun collages. This was something I spent hours as a teen doing, I would cut out my favorite celebrities, cool photos and fun fashion and then decoupage them to the binder. So when I stumbled onto this site tonight I couldn't resist making my own collage. This time with no messy glue or time spent flipping through magazine.

Have fun making your own!

Happy Friday

2009-01-16T06:02:00.002-05:00

For some amazing floral design check out Ken Martins portfolio. He really has some unique things going on. I'm in love with this simple green and white arrangement.

Getting This

2009-01-13T10:41:00.003-05:00

Loving this magazine box, as you can see from the photo on the right, my version is just not working for me anymore.

1 year for LODA

2009-01-10T12:39:00.003-05:00

Wow, a year has passed since I did my "first post" I wasn't sure where this blog was going to take me but over time it has developed it's own personality. It's doesn't contain as much design as I had thought but rather reflects more of me and my life and where I've been and where I'm heading. A lot happened for me in 2008 but I'm even more excited about what 2009 brings. So let's raise a glass to new adventures and what's to come.

Yes that's beer, I have a feeling 2009 will bring many more trips to micro breweries, Bells is currently on the list of places to go.

Happy Birthday Kenny!

2009-01-09T08:00:00.003-05:00

I've been saving this one for you all year! I hope you have a wonderful day and I can't wait to help you celebrate tonight! Have you ever explained your obsession with Curious George? Maybe that will come out tonight.

Resolution #2

2009-01-08T09:45:00.007-05:00

# 2 Cook healthier meals

I love to cook and I think I do a pretty good job of cooking almost every night. What I don't do well is cook healthy, most of my recipes come from French cook books or from my favorite cook, Bare Foot Contessa, we all know these recipes call for lots and lots of butter and cream. On Oprah this week she's been having a week long special called your Best Life. Her site has great healthy recipes that mostly link to the biggest loser family cook book. I'm thinking I may need to pick this one up asap.

New Years Resolutions

2009-01-06T18:49:00.009-05:00

#1- Get Organized

Ever since college it seems like I have lived in smaller than normal places, when I moved in with Chris I was ecstatic that I was moving from 350 sf up to a whopping 900 sf. But ask me today and I'll probably tell you that I can't take it anymore. To live in tight quarters one needs to be organized, my good friend Architect Design has mastered this, me not so much.

I've been wanting to organize this wall behind my desk.

Go ahead and gasp, I know it's bad. (That lovely plant is my marriage plant, given to us at our wedding from Chris's parents, I'm happy it is growing so big but I really don't know what to do with it.) And look at all those papers, I need some sort of file cabinet and storage.

I've had this lovely pottery barn magazine cut out behind me for almost 6 months, it's my inspiration, it's what I would LOVE. However the ones from PB are too deep ( I won't be able to sit at my desk)

Here are a few of my other options I'm been looking into.

Loving the price of this one from Target

Loving this one from Ikea because you can close the doors.

Not loving this system from Container Store but I'm thinking it may be an option.

Christmas at the Beach

2008-12-31T12:27:00.006-05:00

It's been a week now that we have been down here in Amelia Island and I know I've been bad about blogging... sorry the beach is very distracting.... We came here to celebrate Christmas with my family, we could not have more lucky with the weather, it's been unusually warm. We are still unsure when we are heading back north, we just heard it's snowing...

We would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Cheers to blogging in 2009!

We took a big family photo with everyone at the beach, after it was all over Chris tried to throw me in and my brother got this great shot.

On a walk on the beach with my mom I discovered all these great branch like forms in the sand, it's amazing how nature can create it's own work of art.

Here they are.... we made the cookies from my earlier post. They were a FREAKING nightmare. They were impossible to cut out with the cutter, we got about 1 cookie for every 4 that we tried. Once they were done we hung them on the tree....

They actually looked really cool with the lights behind them..... until 1 hour later you noticed that all the lifesaver inserts MELTED all over the tree. Yes you heard me, we looked over and all the holes were empty, it was actually quite comical after all our efforts to make the darn things.

Our florida tree... topped with an angel made out of a conch shell with feathers made by my mother last year also adorned with golf balls, sea shells, beer bottle caps and of course those darn cookies.

Winter Wedding

2008-12-22T19:01:00.003-05:00

I made these wedding bouquets for a wedding on Sunday. It was a very small event, they only needed a few flowers for just the wedding party. The bride wanted all white but with a christmas theme. I hope she had a wonderful wedding, I wish them all the best in their future.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T08:49:00.003-05:00

We attended a bad Holiday sweater party on Saturday and Chris won a prize for his great outfit. As you all start your holiday season this week we pray for your safe travel and we hope you have a wonderful celebration. Merry Christmas! Love The Williams

Christmas

2008-12-19T06:35:00.004-05:00

This year Chris and I will be celebrating Christmas down in Florida with my parents. We went back and forth on if we should decorate and in the end we decided not to. I feel like I am missing out on something, I really want to decorate, so when my father showed me these cool stained-glass cookie cutters he saw at Williams-Sonoma I got excited. He thought it would be fun to make them down in Florida and hang them on the the tree. My parents don't live down there so last year they made a make shift tree with golf balls and sea shells. I think this year it will be fun to make these using blue and green sugar to keep with the ocean theme.

Chris can't wait

2008-12-16T20:54:00.003-05:00

Chris has been talking about this episode the whole week. It's on tonight!

So Cute!

2008-12-15T21:06:00.005-05:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to go read this book to my friends 2nd grade class. I was really honored that she asked me to be one of their mystery readers and I was extremely excited by the children's reaction to the book, they actually knew what an architect did. It has been over 2 months now that I have been out of work and I am just now starting to realize how valuable this time off is. I've done things I wouldn't have done had I still been employed, like go read to 2nd graders. But really it has pushed me to try different things, meet new people and explore what else life has to offer. In the coming months I hope to share more of these other life experiences.... like LodaFloralDesign.

After the book, the kids went back to their desk and had to draw a plan of their pet rock, labeling what materials they were going to use. Here they are picking out their rock. HOW CUTE IS THAT! I want to make a pet rock now.