Jenny+Jeff

I'm so excited to share some photos from Jenny and Jeff's beautiful day. They were married at a sweet little white chapel in Templeton and then celebrated with family and friends at Robin's in Cambria. It was evident from my first meeting with them that Jenny loved Jeff so deeply and the feeling was most certainly mutual. Here's some fantastic images from the super talented Colleen Rosenthal who has a way with catching special moments thru the lens of her camera. More images likely to follow another day - for now enjoy and Happy 4th of July! Happy Birthday USA!

Alissa+John

Alissa and John were married just recently at a private residence in Templeton. They had a beautiful day filled with awesome weather, family and friends! Here are some shots from Ashley Machado who shared some great images with us!

Jessica+Jason

I met Jessica about only a month before her wedding. Her mom, Jerri, and I had been in contact via e-mail and phone but we had not met face-to-face. When I met Jessica and Jerri in person I couldn't have asked for a better meeting! These two were fun, happy and ready to get plannin! We quickly drew up the details and the result of all their hard work was a beautiful day filled with an intimate group of their closest friends and family to celebrate Jessica and Jason's marriage. Thanks to Montana Dennis for sharing these great images. Check out his site here

Kelly+Nick

Kelly and Nick were married May 1. The very awesome Jonathan @ Bluephoto has already, yes already, given me some of the fabulous images of the wedding. Kelly fits in that awesome group of clients that were so easy to work with! She was prepared and knew what she wanted which made my job so very easy. Congrats Kelly and Nick - happiness to you always.

Latest find...or re-find.

I was cruising through my favorites file and stumbled upon this one for which I had completely forgotten! Taste Spotting is an awesome recipe catalog and the best thing about it is that it's a visual catalog - all the recipes are accompanied by pictures. I'm so visual so it helps to know if something looks good before I make it. While there are NO guarantees my version will look the same, it's nice to have some encouragement that it could. The other two very fun things I love about Taste Spotting is that the recipes are usually easy and quick AND they are generally recipes that don't require you to track down some crazy ingredient that can only be found at the market down the road, around the bend, past the sign.....well you get it. Happy cooking friends.

Morgan+Joel

Have I mentioned that I love my job? Well I do and I especially love it when a fabulous couple like this comes my way. Meet Morgan+Joel. They were married on March 20th during an intimate ceremony at Ebbtide Park. I first learned about their wedding on March 16th - yes, 4 days before the wedding from Joel's brother Jeremy. *Side note: Jeremy is a crafty guy with an awesome company see it here! Jeremy called me wondering if we would be willing to create some beauties for his brother's wedding and I, of course, obliged. After a couple of phone chats with Morgan that night and only about 5 hours later we had our "look" all figured out. Morgan has such a sweet and genuine personality and made my job just so easy. She was trusting and willing to let me run with it which is always so fun for me. Cameron Ingalls is a dear friend of Joel's and had the honor of shooting the photos for their wedding and they came out spectacular! Morgan and Joel, may your marriage be so very richly blessed. 

Tarah+Jason

Tarah and Jason were married on March 23rd during an intimate family ceremony at the Cliffs Resort. Tarah had called us a few months prior about putting together the simple and colorful blooms for their ceremony and of course we were happy to make that happen. She had a clear direction of what she wanted so it made our job very easy! We had the pleasure of receiving some images from the so very talented Cameron Ingalls! Cameron is a fantastic photographer here on the Central Coast and we were so lucky to have had the chance to, finally!, work with him.  Congratulations Tarah and Jason - many years of happiness to you both...

vintage + peacocks = love

Vintage books, peonies, peacocks, old weathered wood, florals and peacocks are making me supremely happy at the moment. I love the mix of vintage, current and organic! I had the chance to do some creative brainstorming today with someone (more on that later) and it was so fun to think about what truly inspired me without any limitations. So much of my day is filled with listening to what others are inspired by and then turning it into something, which I love, but it was nice to wander around in my mind for things that make me happy. Perhaps tomorrow I will create an arrangement for myself!

Another thing that makes me happy is this very lovely, very vintage and very special picture of my grandparents. I love and miss them....

Shop Girl Bio's.

I heart my shop girls. I hold them near and dear to me at all times. We have had some shop girls (and one guy) come and go throughout the past few years but there are the few who have stayed and dedicated so much of their time to making my business better. I thought it would be fun to introduce them to you and share with you how fabulous they are. First up: Kelsey.

Kelsey has worked with me since summer of 2007 and it has been such a joy sharing my days with her! She started work at April Flowers with some experience but soon developed a beautiful style that is all her own. Her design aesthetic, knowledge of flowers, willingness to learn, and awesome interactions with customers are all reasons why she's tops in my book. Besides being a fabulous employee in every sense of the word - she has become an even more fabulous friend. She has a heart of gold that is rare to find, a sense of humor that keeps me laughing for days, and a sensitive quality to her personality that always lets you know she cares. On a daily basis it can be so easy for me to feel overwhelmed with the day's demands. Kelsey always lets me know it's going to be okay with an encouraging note or visit and soon after I realize things will be ok after all. She makes sure we celebrate Boss's day at the shop, which seems silly, but it's a day that I'm encouraged by my staff and reminded of how much they care about me and how much they are invested in my business. As Kelsey faces some important decisions ahead (where to go for her final years of college) I wish her all the very best in the whole wide world. It is my hope and prayer that she is as richly blessed in her journey as richly as she has blessed mine. 

Dana+Collie

I give you Dana+Collie. There were married on March 13 and these beautiful shots were taken by Ken Kienow who is always so gracious to share. It was clear when I met these two that their wedding was going to be meaningful and beautiful in every sense of the word. I think it's pretty obvious from these photos that they are in love and will be for many many years to come. Congratulations Dana and Collie...many blessings to you - always.

 

3/50 Project

As things go when one is falling into an online pit of blogs, pages, pictures and such - I happened across this site. The 3/50 project! The simple concept is this: Pick 3. Spend $50. Save your local economy.
In a few more words here's the run down...

*Pick 3 tried and true real small business that you would hate to see close it's doors. Be sure to pop in   there this week or next, buy something, and let them know you're glad they are there.
 *Next, spend $50 each month in locally owned businesses. If only half the employed population makes this commitment it could generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue for small businesses.

Isn't this an awesome concept? How many of you want to jump on the bandwagon and commit to this 3/50 concept for the rest of 2010? Think of all the money that will be put back into the local economy...maybe..just maybe this would turn things around. Be the difference!