memorial day weekend

I am still trying to get caught up on business + life after traveling for the past two weeks. For Memorial Day weekend, {lovah} and I drove up to the Bay Area to visit with my family. My oldest sister and her husband are moving back to Berkeley after many years out East, so we went house-hunting with them. It was such an enjoyable, relaxing weekend. Here's a little peek at our adventures, courtesy of my iPhone!

Brunch at Crepevine in Oakland | House-hunting in Berkeley & Oakland | Breakfast (twice!) at Fat Apple's, an institution for my family | Exploring the beautiful Berkeley campus, where my brother-in-law will be teaching | Book-buying at Pegasus in Berkeley (the book thing runs in the family, too!) | A Pear Sage Martini at The Claremont in Berkeley | Watching my Dad compete in the Marin Memorial Day 5k Race!

Images by Lauryl Lane.

latest obsession :: passion vine

Passion vine. Where has it been my whole life??? I've used it before, but not in a great while. I happened across it at the flower market when I was picking up my floral order for a recent wedding, and made a snap decision to incorporate it into that wedding's design. Now I'm obsessed. I literally cannot get enough.

If you've been following my design work for any length of time, you've probably figured out that I am drawn to the unpredictability of flowers. I'm a spontaneous person by nature, so part of the excitement I derive from using a perishable good as my artistic medium is just that-- it's ephemeral quality. The life-span of a cut flower or plant is fleeting, so, in effect, my job is creating temporary art installations! Of course I know how best to treat and condition each and every botanical element that I work with- any good designer is going to know everything they can about the technical aspects of their chosen medium. But the fun part of the design process is the fact that no two cut flowers are ever exactly the same. That each stem has a personality and mind of it's own. A different bend, a different quirk, whatever it is... flowers are individuals.

And passion vine? Well, passion vine is über quirky. It bends and curves and droops and straightens...it has rumply leaves and corkscrew tendrils that are simply fascinating. The movement of this vine is beautiful and inspiring. It is delicate and ethereal but also dark and passionate. When the buds open....ah....magic. They are bold, sexy, elegant, intricate... and utterly mesmerizing. But enough of my descriptions... see for yourself!

Passion vine, you complete me. Or at least, you complete my arrangements. I adore you.

Images | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

dreary

On rainy, dreary days such as this... I imagine myself in a horrific castle à la The Mysteries of Udolpho. Occasionally I let my imagination run away with itself, and I hear noises that make my blood curdle. Eventually, I realize the noises are my next-door neighbor's cats. Why do cats sound so creepy sometimes?

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

resting

Today my {lovah} is home sick. He's been sleeping for the past five hours, and he never ever ever falls asleep in the middle of the day, so I am definitely convinced that he's under the weather. I've been feeding him tea and cookies. And soup. Chicken and Rice Soup. He made that himself. He's pretty good with the soup-making, even when he's not feeling well. I know chocolate chip cookies probably aren't the best remedy for a sick spouse, but they make him happy. So there's that. The Original Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, all the way.

While {lovah} rests, I'm trying to take it easy, too. It's been a ridiculously busy wedding season thus far, and I'm still on antibiotics and trying to recover from my illness last week. We make a sorry pair, don't we?

Hope you are having a nice week and being good to your body. xoxo

Images | Florals |Styling by Lauryl Lane.