Baccarat Launch Party at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA

The rumors are true!
Baccarat has a new line of jewelry called SO INSOMNIGHT and we are so honored to be a part of the celebrations.


Please join us for a glittering night on Tuesday December 14th, 2010 at Baccarat in South Coast Plaza from 6 PM t0 8:30 PM for hor d'oeuvres and cocktails in celebration of Baccarat's new jewelry line.

A portion of the evening's sales will benefit Working Wardrobes, an Orange County Charity Organization, dedicated to empowering men, women and young adults in crises to confidently enter the workforce through career development and wardrobe service.

Event sponsors of the night include Charles David, Marisa Kenson, Anqi and Floral Sense.

And some of our special guests include The Real Housewives of OC.

Kindly respond by December 11 to 714.435.9600 or email south.coast.plaza.store@baccarat.fr.

Hope to see you there!

Holiday Wreath

You asked and I answered!

I had multiple requests for the Inspired Buyer event's demo that I teach an easy way to make a Holiday Wreath. But I'm gonna cheat and show you the finished product:


This is SO easy that I'm not even going to attach step-by-step pictures.

What you need:
1 Grapevine wreath
2 to 4 different plant and berry clippings that you like
(I chose sustainably grown materials of Liquid Amber leaves, Red Ilex berries, Seeded Eucalyptus and Yellow Solidaster)

What you do:
Start from a point in the wreath.
Clip 6 inch pieces off the plant and berry stems.
Insert the stems into the wreath until secure. Be sure to insert the stems in all the same direction.
Work your way around the wreath until you end where you started.

Viola! You have a holiday wreath!

And of course, this is a completely sustainable way to create a holiday wreath! Not only is the entire wreath decompostable, you can reuse the grapevine wreath for any holiday...including Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Statement Pieces for Your Holiday Party

Every year when the holidays roll around, I always get asked for some festive decorating tips for holiday parties. One of my favorite things to do is create Statement Pieces as a focal point of any event with small, simple supporting pieces. And intimate gatherings are no exception!

We recently decorated for a Coordinator luncheon at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. I really wanted to embrace the concept of the use of a Statement Piece along with the colors and feel of the season. Here's what I came up with:


What's the first thing that your eyes go to? Yep, its the center arrangement.


The supporting pieces on either side of the Statement Piece are very simple in monochromatic colors, staggered across the table.




Only 2 of the arrangements had a mix of colors.



And mini pumpkins and gourds were clustered together in groupings throughout as a seasonal accent.


The colors were kept simple: yellow, orange and deep red.

I know its the day before Thanksgiving. So I hope I have inspired you to pull in some fun decor for tomorrow's dinner party!

A special Thank You to Molly of Luminaire Images for capturing such beautiful images of our flowers!

Bridal Gown Made of 100% Recycled Paper at Erin Cole Couture Bridal

Yes, you read that right! A bridal gown made of 100% recycled paper and she is in the window of Erin Cole Couture Bridal in Costa Mesa, CA. And you can go to the shop to see her in person. Here's a picture taken by Erin Cole Couture:



Wow!

This inspires me for a photoshoot that we have planned in a few weeks!

Inspired Buyer in Newport Beach, CA

About a week ago, Jesse Baker from Ecofficiency.org asked me if I would be willing to do a sustainable floral demo for their Inspired Buyer event coming up.



So how could I say no! Of course, I love any opportunity to share the knowledge that I have gained over the past year in Greening Up Floral Sense. I'll have a posting on the demo later on but if you are interested in attending the event, it is free! And you'll have an incredible opportunity to meet some great businesses and tour the ENC in Newport Beach, CA.



Here's the quick 411:
What: Inspired Buyer
When: Sunday November 21, 2010
Where: Environmental Nature Center
1601 16th Street, Newport Beach
What: The Inspired Buyer is a one day sustainable shopping event showcasing the finest environmentally and socially conscious businesses in the region. Geared specifically for the upcoming holiday season, the goal of the event is to inspire our community to celebrate sustainably. In addition to fabulous vendors selling holiday gifts, The Inspired Buyer will also feature do-it-yourself gift demos, nature tours, live music, kids activities, and lots of healthy food and drinks. The entire event will be powered by the sun and is absolutely free to attend!

Hope to see you there!

Floral Sense work featured on Wedloft

Just a little fun press for Floral Sense with our work featured on Wedloft.

Remember this?



It looks like Wedloft took a liking to it! Thanks for the spotlight!

Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach, CA

I am SO excited to share my latest Green Venue find. It is the first LEED PLATINUM certified building in Orange County and is located right in Newport Beach!

Welcome to the Environmental Nature Center:






Isn't she pretty? The building is single story at 9,000 square feet with a plethora of sustainable features including solar electric system and waterless urinals (that's right....waterless!)

Not only is the ENC available as a venue for a fabulous event, it is open to the public on weekdays for you to visit and peruse the premises. The center is committed to education, equipped with programs, a nature trail and even a butterfly house.

Visit and I'm pretty sure you'll be impressed!

Photos from ENC website.

Wish Upon a Wedding Southern California Gala at The Ebell in Los Angeles, CA

Wow! What an amazing evening at The Ebell for the Wish Upon A Wedding Gala! There were so many talented people involved in putting this heart-warming fundraising event together. And we had the privilege of being graced with special guests including Founder of WUW - Luz Guthrie, Founding President of WUW - Sasha Souza and the first recipients of the wedding granted by the Southern California Chapter - The Reyes Family.

Come with me on a little photo recap of this FAB event! Oh, and I should mention that the theme was Old Hollywood Vintage Glam!

The Ebell of Los Angeles is a beautiful historical venue located off of Lucerne and Wilshire Blvd. Even First Lady Michelle Obama has made an appearance here!


All guests were greeted via the red carpet.


Wildflower Linens showed off one of their great linens for this guest seating table.


I love this cake! It might looks familiar to some of you.


Ice Bulb showcased a few of their creations. Such beautiful work!



A silent auction was held as part of the fundraising event.


This particular auction item had me at chocolate and wine.


And here is the grand entrance to the dining room! I SO wish I was a better photographer to capture the true essence of this room.


The Hollywood Esquires Band provided live music throughout the dinner.


All florals were provided by the ever-so-talented Tic Toc Couture Flowers.



Here's a little snap of one of the themed table names.


The menu will make your mouth water a bit so just in case you can't read the picture, I have a description for each course.


First Course - Olive Oil and Herb Poached Plum Tomatoes with Baby Arugula, Burrata and Aged Balsamic


Second Course - Slow Roasted Arctic Char Escabeche and Grilled Asparagus with Fermented Black Bean Hollondaise and Taro Chips
(Oops! I ate the food before I took the picture. Yeah...it was THAT good!)

Third Course - Spice Braised Beef Short Ribs with Sweet Potato and Cassava Pancakes and Sauteed Haricot Vert, Grilled Vegetable Risotto with Basil Sauce and Herb Salad


Fourth Course - Vanilla Poached Pears with Bourbon Anglaise, Strawberry Ribbons and Quinoa Tuiles


And a snap of the evening's presentation:


This was the point in the evening that was emotional for most. For me, the most impactful was seeing images from the first wedding wish fulfilled by the Southern California chapter for Sandra and Francisco. You HAVE TO check out their story here with full images. Just be sure to have a box of tissues handy when you do. What is SO heart wrenching is that Sandra's son, Anthony, has been in and out of the hospital as he battles Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. As a mom myself, my heart goes out to them. And I am excited that this very deserving family was granted a wedding by some of the top vendors in Southern California. Sending my love and best wishes!

Following the dinner service and presentation, we all shuffled over to the Supper Club with entertainment provided by Hey, Mister DJ.


And desserts were provided by Vanilla Bake Shop.


I got to hang out with some beautiful people. That's Christina from Simply Modern Weddings and Gloria from Grand Engagements.


Here's Victor from Invisible Touch. Seriously, if you want a fun DJ for your event, be sure to ask for this guy!


And the owner to Invisible Touch, Robert.


Thank you to all the generous sponsors for the Wish Upon a Wedding Fundraising Gala!


And a special thank you to the amazing board of the Wish Upon a Wedding Southern California!

Floral Color Combinations for Autumn

Its funny how Southern California's season changes are more punctuated by our retail stores than Mother Nature. We see a few trees change color here when Autumn rolls around but its nothing like this:



And as inspiration goes, I got inspired to create a few arrangements for fall.




Just because you can't go somewhere to get the full experience of fall doesn't mean you can't bring it to you!

Happy Autumn Inspiration!

Autumn tree photos from google images.

Wish Upon a Wedding Southern California Gala

Eep! I am SO excited about tonight's Gala at the Ebell in LA for Wish Upon a Wedding! I promise to have a full report about this amazing event tonight! No pictures for you yet but I have a feeling you're gonna be impressed!

Corona Del Mar Home Tour 2010

This year, Floral Sense had the pleasure to decorate a beautiful home located in the heart of Corona Del Mar. The participating vendors included Baccarat, Villeroy and Boch and Wendi Young Design.

These arrangements were designed in gorgeous Baccarat crystal vases.
The collections include Ginkgo, Mille Nuits and Spiral respectively.











We also designed some succulent arrangements in these pretty vases:



And the rest of the home was designed with these colorful accent pieces.









Congratulations to the Corona Del Mar Home Tour for another successful year!