libations | lavender martini

After my post last week, I received countless requests to share my recipe for a lavender martini. It's easy to make and absolutely delicious. The recipe is above, but I suggest stirring rather than shaking, to keep the ingredients from getting watered down. If stirring, just keep everything well-chilled before mixing. If you prefer a sweeter drink, you can use the lavender-infused simple syrup more generously. I like to taste the flavor of the vodka in my martinis, especially when using a smooth, premium vodka, so I stick with the one tablespoon of simple syrup-- just enough lavender to give that perfect flavor, but not too sweet.

This is the quintessential drink to share with good friends in the summertime, especially paired with cheese or small plates, truly a modern take on the classic cocktail!

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Botanical Elements for the Home

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I recently had the opportunity to design and style some florals for a photo shoot at my friend John Michel's home in Los Angeles. John's Silver Lake apartment is beautifully decorated, and it was such a pleasure to choose flowers and textures that worked with his heirloom vessels and highlighted the special decor pieces throughout his living spaces. I think there is nothing better than bringing fresh flowers into the home. It's a touch of luxury, and that is something that every well-loved home deserves!

Images | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

currently reading

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

weekend wishes

Image by Lauryl Lane.

refreshing lavender soda

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When I lived in Los Feliz Village in East Los Angeles, my girlfriends and I had a favorite afternoon haunt just around the corner from my apartment. It was called Mes Amis, and it was a charming French restaurant right in the middle of all the action on Vermont. They had a brilliant happy hour menu, and as we were all struggling artists at the time, $5 drinks and small plates were heaven to us. It was at Mes Amis that I first tried a lavender martini, and I fell head over heels in love! Unfortunately, one day Mes Amis was there, and the next day, it wasn't. I was devastated when it closed, with no warning, and even more devastated to realize that I had no idea how to make a lavender martini. I spent several years researching, trying to find lavender liqueurs, searching the internet, asking every bartender I came across if they knew how to make this drink... and all to no avail. In the meantime, I fortified my love-affair with lavender any way I could. I learned how to make lavender scones, I bought lavender soda in bulk from Galco's in Eagle Rock, I burnt lavender-scented candles.

Finally, last year, I was doing a wedding installation at Highland Springs Resort in Cherry Creek, and what should I see on the chalkboard at the lodge but the offering of a lavender martini! I approached the chef, and he informed me that the lavender martini was concocted using simple syrup made from the fresh lavender growing on the property. I was stunned, I'd never even considered a lavender simple syrup, and this revelation changed my life! I found quickly how incredibly easy it was to make lavender simple syrup (or any infused simple syrup, for that matter!), and my weekends were again filled with lavender martinis! Since moving to Denver, however, I've been suffering withdrawal from the Dry Lavender Soda that I could access so easily in Los Angeles. The other day, it hit me, I learned to make lavender martinis, why not lavender soda? So I employed the good old lavender simple syrup, and voila! I simply cannot get enough of this refreshing and ridiculously simple drink, and I hope you'll enjoy it, too!

Lavender Simple Syrup

Combine in a saucepan over low heat 1 cup water 1 cup sugar

Bring to a boil so that the sugar dissolves, then add 1/2 cup organic lavender buds (cultivated for culinary use!)

Let the lavender buds simmer in the syrup for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit until cool. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Drain the syrup through a sieve to remove all the lavender buds, and use within a week.

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Language of Flowers, Part 2

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With Father's Day looming ahead, you might be wondering what to get to express your love and appreciation for your dad. Unlike mothers, fathers don't usually inspire gifts of flowers. But even macho dads might welcome such a gift if you could explain to them the message that you've endeavored to convey through your strategic choice of the individual flowers making up the bouquet. And if your dad is in a creative field, like mine is, he may appreciate the ephemeral beauty of a gift of flowers, too! As the old saying goes, it's the thought that counts: and a bouquet of flowers filled with traditional meanings is more than just a thought.

When looking at meanings for flowers, don't forget about the foliage! Foliage doesn't always have a separate meaning from it's flower, but if the flower meaning is apropos, than you can apply it to the foliage as well. Gardenias, for example, have amongst their many meanings one that is specifically geared towards men, "good luck to a man." To give your dad that masculine "good luck" message, as well as letting him know that he is splendid, that you esteem him, that you are grateful for his lasting friendship with you and to recognize the strong bond of affection between you, choose gardenia foliage, freesia, sunflowers, bupleurum and stock. Sunflowers also stand for power, and even as adults, many children still think of their fathers as the most powerful men on earth!

There are a wide range of flowers that would be appropriate for an arrangement for dad, such as ginger, which can stand for strength, or gladiolus, which can mean "strength of character." Whatever you choose for your father, don't forget to tell him about the message behind the flowers- because that's where the true meaning of the gift lies!

CREDITS | Photography by Bonnie Tsang | Floral Styling + Text by Lauryl Lane | Graphic Design by MaeMae Paperie| Location at Palihouse, West Hollywood | Floral meaning resources: Victoria’s Dictionary of Flowers, Wikipedia Language of Flowers, FlowerMeaning.org.

bouquet roundup

Choosing favorite bouquets is hard. Each bouquet I design is one of my "babies," and I adore each and every one of them. But I made myself choose forty of my very favorite bouquets from the past few years to share with you in this little "bouquet roundup." I've arranged them in color-order (of sorts), because I love seeing how different the bouquets can be despite having similar color schemes! Enjoy...

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Kabahead Kreations

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Wesley Chan & Ted Fu

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane |

Photo by Summerville & Co

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Bouquet & Photo by Lauryl Lane.

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Bouquet & Photo by Lauryl Lane.

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Bouquet & Photo by Lauryl Lane.

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Bouquet & Photo by Lauryl Lane.

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Sara Hasstedt

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Bouquet & Photo by Lauryl Lane.

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Bouquet by Lauryl | Photo by

Braedon Photography

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Braedon Photography

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

OneLove Photo

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Sara Hasstedt

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Tom Hunter

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Sarah Yates

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Adrienne Gunde

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Braedon Photography

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Bouquet & Photo by Lauryl Lane.

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Bouquet & Photo by Lauryl Lane.

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Desi Baytan

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Bonnie Tsang

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Desi Baytan

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Richelle Dante

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Michael & Anna Costa

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Alec Vanderboom

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Bouquet by

Jenna Hayes

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Victor Sizemore

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Sara Hasstedt

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Desi Baytan

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Jen Huang Photography

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Bonnie Tsang

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Aaron Delesie

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

True Photography Weddings. 

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Ryan Phillips Photography

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Jasmine Star. 

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Sara Hasstedt

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Bouquet & Photo by Lauryl Lane.

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Jasmine Star

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Summerville and Co

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Bouquet by Lauryl Lane | Photo by

Tinywater Photography

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currently reading

The Winter of our Disconnect by Susan Maushart

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

pop phone winner!

The winner of the purple pop phone is #4, aka BONG!!! Congratulations, Bong, you'll be notified by email to arrange shipping. To all the rest of you, thanks so much for playing! I have some more great give-aways lined up for the weeks and months to come, so please check in again soon!

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

weekend wishes

Image | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

afternoon tea at the house of commons

Devoid of the usual kitschy quality you find in most state-side tearooms, the House of Commons is a fresh, clean space in the Lower Highlands neighborhood near Downtown Denver. I ordered the Afternoon Tea, and enjoyed a smooth spiced orange black tea while nibbling on dainty tea sandwiches such as cucumber, smoked salmon, and curried chicken. My husband opted for the refreshing Chatsworth iced tea and a hearty ham sandwich dubbed the Westminster. The mini scones were fluffy bits of perfection, and since finding anything even resembling Devonshire cream has been pretty non-existant for me here in Colorado, I was definitely in Devonshire-cream-heaven. I flashed back to my college days and sitting for hours at a little tea room in Stratford-Upon-Avon with my girlfriends, discussing Shakespeare and gorging ourselves on tea and scones. Although the House of Commons has a very updated, modern look, it still seems quintessentially British, and that feature, paired with the lovely tea and yummy tidbits, will definitely draw me back again in the very near future.

House of Commons 2401 15th Street Denver, CO 80202 (303) 455-4832

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

pop phone give-away

Do you remember when I raved about the Pop Phone in a recent post? Yes? Well, the team at Native Union saw my post and sent me a purple pop phone to share with one of my readers! I really do love my pop phone and I can't wait to send one off to one of you!

Here are all the deets:

- The PRIZE: A purple pop phone, compatible with all iPhones, iPads and Computers (although some devices may require an additional adaptor).

- OPEN TO: All readers aged 18 and over living within the contiguous United States (apologies to my readers abroad, but shipping is only valid to the 48 continguous states).

- TO ENTER: Leave a comment below, and be sure to include your email address in the designated spot. The winner will be notified by email, and must then provide a shipping address. If the first winner does not respond with a shipping address within 24 hours, a second winner will be notified, and so on.

- DURATION: The winner will be chosen at random in one week's time, on Monday June 14, 2012 at noon MST.

Best of luck to all of you!

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.