Christmas Eve Eve with my Peeps

To say that I am a lucky, blessed creature is an understatement. In the last ten years of doing what I love (design and fleurs), I have been incredibly fortunate to bump into some of the most creative and unbelievably talented people to walk the earth. Three people in particular have become my chosen family of friends - they love me in spite of myself, they make me laugh at the tough stuff in life and - DANG!!! they are just plain FUN! We gather usually at NOVO in SLO over the Tempernillo, that really at this point should have our picture on it, and wonderful naush every month or so.


So this - is a shout out to my "girls" who share in the ups and bumps of life and work and celebrate the fabulous, every chance we get. Dawn Lambeth - truely amazing musician and stunningly beautiful person (Usonia Jazz), Linda Della Pelle - writer of the funniest emails EVER, fellow mother in arms and film producer extraordinaire (Fig Leaf Video) and my beloved Mark - creative genious, songster and travelling companion (and I don't mean just around the world!) - (Mark Padgett Event Design) - I am blessed with your witty intelligence and grace and I am so grateful for each of you.

In a last minute tango to have one more gathering before Christmas - we invited our husbands (yeah!!! we can all say that now) along to Blue to toast the season on Christmas Eve Eve. And Voila! New tradition has been born. Next year we'll make reservations though. Peace out my gals!

SLO Chamber Holiday Mixer - Hosted by Broad Street Event Group

Wow - how much fun was that! We turned our parking lot into a fabulous event. No, probably you won't want to have your wedding reception in our parking lot - but this was a great exercise in turning the blacktop in to something completely unexpected and hosting 300+ members of the San Luis Obispo business community. Thank you to the Chamber for letting us step outside the lines a bit to do things our way. To say we had a lot of help - would be an understatement. So - this is a shout out to some extraordinary partners in our community who, in their generosity contributed to our Holiday Showcase at Broad Street Event Group.

Taylor Rentals - thank you is just not enough - but "thank you" for the tent, carpet, tables and chairs, linens and dinnerware. Bill Gains Lighting - Zak, once again - thank you for making me look good - you always bring out the best in my work and it is always great to work with you. EOS Estate Winery, Sextant Wines and Justin Vineyards & Winery - to have these world class wineries come and pour at our event was such an honor and serious treat.

These Shoes Are Made for Work'in

Like most the women I know, I too, have a pretty serious "thang" for shoes. Perhaps I inherited it from my mother - I know my 7 year old has inherited it from me - but I just have to have them - a variety. I think for women they are a true friend - and no matter what size your body is this week - your shoes are still going to look great. High ones, low ones, pointy toed ones, open toed ones - I love them all.

This morning as I headed out to the production shop to finish flowers for a wedding today - I slipped on my dear friends - the leopard clogs. They have been with me now for about 6 years - they're pretty beat up and usually have chunks of green waste stuck to them from my hours of designing and the accumulation of stems, leaves and petals that fall around me in what my mother calls my "never ending mess". They are wood and it is illogical to me that they are the most comfortable shoes I own - but they are. Perhaps my feet have formed over time, to fit them. When I'm stressed - they comfort me. When I'm happy - they share in my delight. When I am exhausted - they keep me going. No judgment, no disappointment, no teasing - just happy to be with me. I wear them to the beach, in the rain and if it were to ever snow here (heaven forbid!) I'd wear them then too - probably without socks! When my high pointy pumps come off after a day at the office or a night out - the leopard print clogs go on.

My fellow event colleagues know that when the clogs arrive - it means business. It is GO TIME - bring your "A" game - we're doing flowers! At 11 pm when I break it all down again - my wood leopard print clogs get me through. These shoes have become a part of me - almost my trademark - I feel like my truest self in them. And isn't that just the best kind of friend?

Sweet 16

16 years ago today - I was an excited and glowing bride. The day is very clear in my mind and my wishes for the day as well. I desperately wanted a candlelight ceremony in a church with stained glass, no flowers on the cake - just pomegranates and gilded gold artichokes, red berries in the flowers and no plumosus fern ANYWHERE.


I had been really sick the week leading up to the day and following our rehearsal, Brian convinced me to visit the walk in clinic (quite a feat!). The exhaustion and inability to keep food down was more than just bridal jitters - kidney infection. "We'd like to admit you to make sure this clears up" a kind practitioner informed me. My determined reply - "I'm getting married tomorrow - that's not an option". After some negotiating, I agreed to a big shot (I think that needle is really for much larger land roaming mammals) of antibiotics in my delicate derriere with a trip directly to bed - no "night before" merriment!

I remember waking up the following morning feeling like a new person and thinking it was absolutely the most beautiful day on earth - overlooking Avila Beach. Not the usual scene for this girl from the frozen tundra (really just the prairies) of Canada. Brian my handsome California boy, picked me up and took me to Fat Cats where we wrote our wedding vows for later in the day over greesy spoon breakfasts surrounded by fishermen fresh off their boats. Nice!

The rest is beautiful history - the florist forgot the berries and ring pillows, added fern to the garlands, the church was a glow with candle light right at dusk, one of the ring bearer's stole the show, the stunning cake made the trip up See Canyon in one piece, my hair stayed up, we made it through our vows and my dearest friends were with us. It was completely perfect!

Denise & Ben - Santa Barbara, CA

These two are the epitome of a beautiful collaboration. Having met this couple early in the year - some major changes in their plans came about. We all stayed flexible and it worked out so beautifully. I am so blessed to work with meet such lovely people. Their wedding day took place in Santa Barbara in the midst of burn season - and it was burning. Denise was one of the calmest brides I have every encountered the morning of her wedding. Thank you Denise and Ben - for teaching me much! Thank you too to my good friend and colleague Mike Larson


and team for your
stunning talents and for all that you share - your photos are truly art.

Panacea rocks Hearst Castle

It was a huge honor for us to be invited by Friends of Hearst Castle to flower up their annual Holiday Feast Event this year. Honor because it was the 50th Anniversary this year and we have long admired this philanthropic organization for their significant effort in the preservation and conservation of this American historic venue. Mark Padgett Event Design was our guiding light in the intricate details of making this happen and as always it is a complete pleasure to share Mark's vision and see it come to life. Truly at several times during the day I found myself pinching myself - to make sure that this was really going on and that we were a part of it! Big thanks to Mike Larson Inc. for these off the hook photos too!



The little brown shack out back of the Castle was Julia Morgan's (the renowned California architect) office - it was the historic backdrop to our prep station - pinch!

Broad Street Event Group Hosts SLO Chamber Holiday Mixer

Join the gang this Wednesday for some Holiday festivities on Broad Street.

Therapy - It's a Beautiful Thing!

The researchers from Rutgers determined that the flower recipients in the study experienced an elevation in mood that lasted for days. And Chinese healers - who've long believed in "flower power" - say that it doesn't stop there. They say you can utilitze flowers to summon whatever power or emotion you'd like - and that the secret is in the flower's color. Each color creates a different frequency of lightwaves, they believe, which travel through the retina and down the optic nerve, setting off a chain reaction of responses in the body. Neurotransmitters are then released, inducing the production of calming hormones like melotonin, stimulating hormones like adrenaline, and mood-boosting hormones like serotonin.

For example, RED stimulates adrenal glands, boosting energy. ORANGE strengthens the immune system, among other things... INDIGO also helps to free the mind of worries, fear and inhibition.

Read more about this study at About Flowers.com.