picnic at dolores park

a few weekends ago (on mother's day) my husband planned a little picnic at dolores park.  it was a perfect day - the sun was shining, the husband had packed all of my favorite picnic-y foods, the boys were in good moods and the people watching was as good as always.  i exclaimed that day that i could pretty much do that exact same thing every weekend and be perfectly happy…and i meant it.

here are a few photos from an A++ day.

the playground at dolores park is top notch, with lots of cool structures and other fun stuff, so the boys always have a blast.

the next few weekends are BUSY, so there is no leisurely picnicking in my near future, but i'm hoping to replicate this day sometime very soon.

wishing you a great weekend!

xo, c

floral snapshot

what ~ a succulent called aeonium.

where ~ in a very good friend's back yard.

when ~ earlier today.

why ~ because today i had the best time babysitting my friend's 4 month old daughter, and her and i spent some time hanging out in her backyard.  my friend has a fun and eclectic yard with lots of succulents - which are a favorite of hers.  this one was especially lovely.

hope it's been a happy day.

xo, c

DIY ombre ribbon backdrop

when i was designing my sister's bridal shower (which i posted on here last week) there was a painting at the venue that i had hoped to obscure.  originally the dessert & favor table was to be in front of said painting and it just didn't go with what i had in mind.  i decided to create a ribbon backdrop to cover it up.  in the end the table was moved to a different location and i didn't end up using the backdrop but i thought that i'd share it as DIY, as it was super easy and i was pretty happy with the result.

i used three different colors and sizes of ribbon for the backdrop in an ombre type of color scheme (white, light pink & dark pink), plus a black ribbon to attach the streamer ribbons to.  i used two streamers of each color of ribbon and kept repeating the pattern.  i wanted the width of the backdrop to be around 5 feet so i calculated how many streamers of each i would need based on the width of each color of ribbon (e.g. two streamers of each of the colors of ribbon = 9 inches.  60 inches / 9 inches = around 7 sets of each color).  you can cut the streamers to whatever length you need based on what you're using it for.

first, i cut all of the lengths of ribbon that i would need.

then i began adding the streamers to the black ribbon and securing them with zots  - do you know about these??  they're awesome.  they come in different sizes and are so much easier to work with than a glue gun.  i used two dots for the wider ribbons and one for the thinner.  i put the dots at the top of the ribbon and then folded it over and stuck it to the other side.

i continued adding the streamers, repeating the ombre pattern.

and here it is.  i think it would work well as a backdrop for a dessert table (like above), a photo booth or even for a wedding ceremony - especially outdoors, tied between two trees or posts.

and, on a floral note, i foraged these pretty blooms from the hillside near our carport.  they're valerian and they have such a lovely sweet smell.  

have a happy and healthy memorial day weekend.

xo, c

floral snapshot

what ~ flowers (tulips, gerbera daisies & peonies) given to me by my boys (the big one & the little ones) for mother's day.

where ~ on our dining table.

when ~ last week.

why ~ because it's becoming a tradition for my guys to bring me home bunches of flowers to do with what i like (as opposed to flowers already arranged).  i much prefer this method of receiving flowers and i think it's such a sweet sentiment on their (mostly the the big one's) part.

hope it's been a great tuesday.

xo, c

a special bridal shower

last month i had the distinct pleasure of helping to host and design a bridal shower for my baby sister.  it took place at a restaurant in walnut creek, near the town where my sister lives.  

for the food and drinks we had some great italian passed hors d'oeuvres, cocktails (including some delicious and pretty specialty cocktails) and, for dessert, cupcakes from kara's cupcakes.

and, for the flowers, i used roses, spray roses, cherry blossom branches, carnations (a go-to lately) and a bit of greenery.  i also used a wide black and white grosgrain ribbon band around all of the vases.

the lovely guest of honor.

the guests left with tasty cookies, monogrammed with the bride-to-be's initial, from pink frosting cookies (the gift tag stickers were from wedding paper divas).

it was a really special day for a beautiful girl and i couldn't be happier for her upcoming nuptials. 

this weekend the celebrating continues:  we're off to scottsdale for some bachelorette fun! so i'm signing off for now.

hope everyone has a great weekend!

xo, c

floral snapshot

what ~ a few of the arrangements for another bendita trunk show (photos from the last show here), made up of hydrangea, veronica and carnations (more carnations!) in the prettiest shade of fuchsia.

where ~ waiting on my entry table to be delivered.

when ~ last wednesday before the show.

why ~ because it's an honor to help out my dear friend, vanessa, (who started bendita last year) by putting together some florals to compliment the beautiful fashion and accessories that bendita carries.

have a lovely tuesday.

xo, c

happy mother's day weekend

the photo above was taken last mother's day - the husband and i had just come home from a few days at the bottle rock napa festival, so i am TIRED…but happy to see my boys.  this year i told the guys that i just wanted a simple picnic at the park (we did this a few mother's days ago at delores park and it was lovely).  i'm also hoping to get a few hours of solo time in to, i don't know, i guess take a mothering break…we'll see.

i hope all you mothers  out there (and non-mothers for that matter) are doing something nice this weekend.  happy friday (and saturday and sunday)!

xo, c