Frames

We were doing a photo shoot in our studio last week and I wanted to come up with something a little more exciting than the typical pipe and drape backdrop. I had one of our craftsmen create faux walls which we covered with fabric printed to look like wallpaper. I love the look of multiple, mismatched picture frames that have been all over home magazines. I wanted to play with that look, so we took the glass out of most of the frames and hung shelves inside. We put candles on the shelves so the whole wall would glow! I am not suggesting that you drill holes in your dining room walls, but rather that you keep in mind the backdrop and the look of the whole room when you are entertaining. Switch things up in your home to create a more festive atmosphere: move the furniture around, put winter scenes or beautiful spreads from magazines in all your frames for the night, and don't forget to fill the room with candles!

Gift Ideas

With Thanksgiving out of the way, all that is left to do before the winter holidays is to shop! When I did my book party in January, our theme was (obviously) "inspiration". My first thought was Michelangelo's legendary ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. So we had a little fun with the famous image, and this is what we came up with for the invitation!To follow through with the heavenly imagery, we had four angels greeting guests when they arrived at the party. Their wings crafted out of black feathers by Martin Izquierdo- who does the wings for the Victoria's Secret fashion shows- were each three feet wide and at least five feet tall. They offered everyone a glass of champagne. Angels indeed! I love taking the idea of a welcome cocktail and making it more of a statement! While we were researching giveaways for the party, my team came across these:Although called the Bird's Wing Dish, I could not help but see this as a beautiful sculpture of an angel wing! Created by Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, and available for purchase through Rose and Radish, this is at the top of my wish list!

Work in Progress

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my staff for their support and dedication. I am continually amazed by their commitment and enthusiasm. This week, everyone has been hard at work setting up an event we are doing on Sunday. To give you an idea of the prep work that goes into one of our parties, here is a shot from our workspace yesterday. All the flowers have been cleaned, trimmed, and put in buckets. As you can see in the background, we are starting to assemble the centerpieces. All these flowers spent last night in the cooler, and they are going back in there tonight to keep them fresh for the weekend.

The centerpieces I designed are a bouquet of peonies and orchids placed on top of a sculptured floral pedestal. We carved the shapes out of Styrofoam and then attached button mums to the entire stand. The areas that are empty in the photo below will be adorned with a ring of roses to match the base. I love the texture and richness that the mums create, and I cannot wait to see the whole room once it starts to come together! I will let you guys know how it goes.

Napkin Tricks

With the holidays coming up, I am sure a lot of you are getting ready to entertain at home. One of my simple tricks to brighten a table is to dress up the napkin. It can be as simple as a single flower, but having something at each place setting really ties the whole table together. I love the attention to detail, and making sure each of my guests gets a little treat when they sit down. You can simply clip a bloom at the stem and arrange it in the fold of your napkin! If you are running low on flowers, you can use your extra petals and artfully arrange them on the napkin and around each plate. Here, we tucked two poppy pods into the hemstitch napkin to create a more organic look. The pods echo the color of the centerpiece and florals, but create a bit of fun on each plate!

Instead of fresh flowers, we have also decorated with dried leaves. I especially love this look for Thanksgiving, because it echos the weather and brings a touch of nature inside. We used dessicated leaves that you find in a paper or craft store, but you could just as easily use ones you find in your backyard or the park. Pick ones that still have a bit of color, or an interesting shape.

A monogrammed napkin is another wonderful way to set the mood. It really elevates the look of your table and indicates that it is, in fact, a special occasion! Don't scrimp here- you can use a set of monogrammed napkins for years! Or you can be a bit more playful and do a paper cutout. For this event- celebrating the 60's as an era- we adorned each napkin with a paper daisy. For the holidays, you can do something seasonal or something that has sentimental value for your family. You could even create your own monogram stencil and personalize each napkin that way!

Tent Transition

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was working on an event on a client's property in Malibu. Luckily, they are safe, and so is their home. We are hoping for the same for everyone in the area! I have been looking at pictures from the event, and I thought it might be fun to show a little bit of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into one of our events. Above, you are seeing my crew in the midst of "Phase 2". The basic tent structure has been erected over the tennis court (which was really handy cause it meant we did not have to floor the tent) and we are building and adjusting the interior facade.

Once the ceiling was completed, we started work on the side walls. The client really wanted to create a ballroom effect, so we papered the walls, adorned them with mirrors, and created alcoves to display our signature screens. To make the screens, we first design the urn and background. The container can be based on something the client owns or has seen, or drawn from scratch to suit their taste. Then the design is printed onto fabric and stretched onto its frame. Then comes the fun part! We attach fresh flowers to the screen to give the impression that they are protruding from the vase.
Here we used a profusion of white dendrobium orchids to accent the wall screens. With the proper lighting, it creates a wonderful trompe l'oeil effect that compliments the rich look of the room! Below, you will see the finished product as it looked just moments before guests entered the tent.