blog love - and a whole lot of it!

oh my gosh, where to begin?  

the past month and a half has been such a whirlwind of weddings, new clients, prototypes and bids i have barely had time to keep up with all the blog love JL DESIGNS has been getting...this does not mean we don't notice or don't appreciate!  

we are beyond thrilled at all the features we have been getting and are a bit overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for what we are doing.  so THANK YOU to those who have taken the time to showcase our work!  even though we have been around since 2004, it is SO exciting to see the growth we have made this last year, mostly due to the rise of blogging, twitter, etc. 

we know we are good at what we do :)  but there is SO MUCH talent out there and to be blogged about so much over the past 2 months blows us away!  really...we are blown away...so again, THANK YOU to this list of blogs and here's to the remainder of 2009 bringing much more chic, fresh eye candy from JL DESIGNS!

style me pretty featured some shots from the vintage/rustic fashion shoot i did with stephanie williams... 

the lovely ladies over at junebug weddings did a "real wedding" feature on stacy and andrew's soft and feminine beach fete...

the wedding chicks featured one of our balsa wood and curly willow bouquets... 

as well as the "real wedding" of venice and dan...

the jomygoodness blog used my lavender ranuncula bouquet in a purple-inspired board...

la style unveiled blogged about a sweet little succulent boutonniere we created...

our new best friends :) over at lollipop events and designs gave us some blog love by featuring our blush parrot tulip and astilbe bouquet as part of an inspiration board...

and they did a whole post of shots from our eco-chic photo shoot for the utterly engaged e-zine...

laura hooper featured a wedding we worked on together on her blog, lucky orchid...

lastly, our navy, yellow and white wedding was featured on brenda's wedding blog and write on and more!

THANK YOU everyone for the blog love!!!

a french farmhouse tablescape

here we go again!  tablescape #2 from my photo shoot with jasmine star and sweet and saucy!!  this tablescape was featured last week on the amazing blog, snippet + ink...THANK YOU kathryn for the feature!  we are so honored over here!  :)

for this one i went with a french farmhouse theme...i would like to say i was traveling in provence and bought some eclectic finds and was inspired to create this shoot...but to be honest i just went to homegoods and found so many cute things i decided to design an entire table around them!  glamorous yes?  :)

throwing a couple strategically placed pillows into the mix always adds a splash of character to the scene...

the cream colored russian linen and stunning lace overlay were provided by wildflower linens...

baby green artichokes were combined with white peonies, creamy garden roses, olive branches, green wheat and fresh herbs like rosemary and lavender...

the cake....ooooohhhh the cake...one of my favorite cakes ever!  that lace detail is just so beautiful and i love how there is just one white sugar flower to accent...it just goes to show, cakes don't need to be dripping in fresh floral to make an impact...melody really hit it out of the park when she designed this one!

the light jasmine captured in these photos is insane...so fresh, airy and carefree...just as i imagine the french countryside...

here is the scoop on where i purchased everything:

white urns, pitchers and creamers: local thrift stores

rustic stone chickens: homegoods

green and white wrought iron chairs: homegoods

straight edge white metal chairs: ikea

throw pillows: homegoods

scallop edged charger plates: homegoods

glassware: ikea

flatware: crate and barrel

ENJOY!!!

an eco-forest tablescape

when the ultra talented jasmine star and i decided to do a photo shoot and stage a couple of tablescapes, i headed downtown to the flower mart, somewhat knowing what i wanted to do and also still open to inspiration...

and then i saw it...

a huge chunk of living moss that stretched about 4 feet long!  it was bumpy and irregular and imperfect...and i was in love...

i knew i had to have it!  the vendor told me it came directly off of a tree in oregon and i told her i had never seen anything like it in my entire wedding industry career...$35. later i was one happy woman!  what a steal!

so this first tablescape 100% revolved around my new "moss runner"...

the little pieces of fern you see were actually growing right out of the moss naturally so i left them intact and bought some extra fern stems of my own to add to each apothecary jar...

a petite succulent head accented the corner of each plate and peeking out from the bottom was a simple rectangular folded "russian linen" napkin from wildflower...

inside each apothecary jar i placed a bit of moss, a couple fern stems and 1 huge succulent head...

dotting the landscape were some dried fungi caps to add a northwest, woodland feel...

check out those fern stems!  so lush, so organic and so natural...i loved it...

we also added in some amber glass votives for a pop of warmth and color...

the key was to get a mixture of heights, textures, shapes and sizes - whether in the jars, the candles, the moss or the fern...the variety draws the eye all over and makes it visually appealing to look at, even though the concept is pretty simple...

and talk about appealing...helloooo, sweet and saucy shop!!!  melody created a little "cake buffet" rather than 1 large cake - love this!

she accented each cake with a different type of green flower - but i love that she chose florals with a bit of a "plant-like" look so they weren't too girly...

overall, it was a strong, masculine look...and would actually be quite easy to replicate for a DIY bride...here is what you would need:

3-5 glass apothecary jars (tj maxx or homegoods)

clear glass votives candles (ikea or michaels)

1-2 bags of moss and 5 dried fungi caps (michaels)

1 potted fern plant (clip off single stems) and 5-7 succulents of different varieties (home depot or target)

optional:  wood chips (home depot), fresh crimini mushrooms (grocery store), pinecones (michaels), pieces of knotted grapewood branches, etc. - get creative!

thanks again to jasmine for taking such gorgeous photos!!  plus a BIG thanks to jen from green wedding shoes for featuring us today!  check out her post here...

and stay tuned for tablescape #2 from me, jasmine and melody!

a vintage, fall inspired bouquet for the jasmine star workshop

as a floral designer, we work for killer pictures...so that's why any time one of our clients books a great photographer, we get a little excited :)

but even if we don't have an amazing photog to rely on at our events, it's up to us to take time during the work week or off season to participate in photo shoots, magazine spreads etc...these experiences allow us to think outside the box creatively as well as accumulate more original content for our portfolios and blogs...

so when jasmine star decided to hold one of her workshops, i was stoked to be able to create something i knew would get photographed beautifully...not just by her but by 20 other aspiring photographers!  in fact, the first set of photos were shot by my new friend, alicia, from the modern type photography...

the vintage, fall-inspired bouquet was made up of purple artichokes, fresh blackberry branches, pieris, plum colored cotinus leaves and fountain grass...i wrapped everything in a cuff of linen ribbon and overlaid it all with various types of crocheted laces for a "grandma chic" look...

the boutonniere was composed of a single plum colored cotinus leaf and a bit of blackberry branch, all finished in a rustic twine...

the following shots were taken by miss jasmine...

by far, my favorite shots of the day!!!  love the way the crocheted laces are dangling as she walks...and ya gotta love wayfarers!  classic!

thanks to jas for including me, jd for being so helpful and to vivian tran, of all made up, who did an INSANE job on the hair, makeup and model styling (and she is SO SWEET to top it off)!  i wish i could have hung with you guys all afternoon!  next time!!  :)

sneak peak of venice and dan - arroyo trabuco golf club

if this sneak peak from amy squires is indicative of the job she did photographing the entire wedding of venice and dan, i can tell i am in for a real treat!  the couple was married at the arroyo trabuco golf club in orange county and the day was coordinated by the lovely constance curtis...i can't wait to see the rest of amy's photos!  a full post will come as soon as i get a disc...but if you're wanting to see more, check out amy's blog or check out the feature on  wedding chicks!