I’m so happy my farm to table editorial was published on Snippet & Ink yesterday (check it here) so I can finally share some of the gorgeousness I captured with the amazing photographer, Karen Wise.

Nestled just before the foothills of Carpinteria a variertable flower wonderland of dahlias of all types and varietes trive under the Santa Barbara sun. On this day, I was picking up flowers for a little engagement dinner for Samantha of Could I Have That.

Varieties grown here range from dinner plate to petite red lollipop dahlias like these guys.

For Samantha’s table I picked a variety of bright summer colors, bright reds, yellows, oranges, and fuchsias.

Thanks so much to John of Greenwell Floral for hosting my little editorial project. I will be sharing more of the farms we shot and, of course, the delicious dinner catered by the Duo in the coming weeks.

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Today I’m featuring a tabletop that was recently published in Santa Barbara Magazine and Style Me Pretty Living. It was a collaboration with the always amazing Nancy Neil and super chef Ayda Robana of Om Sweet Mama.

We set a simple table; with a god’s eye patter runner from Heather Taylor Home and china and flatware from Botanik.

Simple salads, like the panzanella with Haricort Verts featured farm fresh ingredients (recipe for the salad is here).

Instead of traditional flower centerpiece, I opted to make a flower garlad to keep the vibe relaxed but still very pretty. To make the garland you will need:

2 bunches of bay (depends on length of table)

2 bunches clematis

1 bunch hot pink ranunuculus

1 bunch wax flower

Begin by simple laying the piece of bay leaves end to end. I created a zigzag effect here so you could see the pattern of the linen. Then I simply took the blooms of clematis, ranunuclus, and wax flower and tucked it into the bay. You can wire all these pieces together but its not necessary. And that’s pretty much it! You can see more of this table right here and here.

PS I apologize for my blogging absence. A lot if going in my personal life and I will blog about it once things are more settled. For now, posting will remain on the lighter side. Thanks for hopefully sticking around here and enjoying some pretty .

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I was so happy when Nancy Neil invited to participate in this spring entertaining story with Ayda Robana of Om Sweet Mama. We shot at a private estate in Goleta and setup this table on their private dock (you know to go with their private lake). I used a low wood bowl and placed the centerpiece at the end, so the star of the table, the FOOD would stand out.

A menu of seasonal and local ingredients made up for a delicious feast (post-shoot this was dinner for the crew, it was rough but I got through it). My favorite? The squid ink pasta with eggs over easy…

For the rest of the table, Nancy pulled gorgeous plates & glassware from Botanik in Summerland and used God’s eye linen from Heather Taylor Home.

Wine was generously provided by Cambria Winery. For recipes, and the floral how-to, hop over to Design*Sponge right here. There were two more tables we shot that day, including one that is being featured in the current issue of Santa Barbara Magazine and can be seen here. Thanks ladies for a fun, creative shoot!

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I love the soft romantic colors of spring, soft pinks, purples in yellows… Above yellow takes centerstage and adds a pop of brightness.

Sage green is another lovely color on which to play aganist. For a wedding I could see using a sage velvet, milk glass containers and spring blooms like clematis, lavender, and ranunuclus.

Of course soft pink is a classic base color. You could drape your table in a soft pink and overlay a couple of layers of pink tulle for a slighty ballet-ish feel. Add in some muted white and peach flowers with a hint of yellow, and you’d have one pretty table. Would you use pastels for your wedding or home?

Photos: 1. Right: Unknown Left: Lilietne 2. Right: via The Alternative Bride Left: via Naughty Shorts 3. Right: Lynette Wills via Behind Ballet Left: Jeremy Harwell via 100 Layer Cake

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Blooming branches are so amazing this time of year. They add life to any room and they last forever (these were shot 3 weeks after I bought them… and lasted 6 weeks total).

Common blooming branches this time of year are quine, cherry, apricot and plum (these are quince). To ensure a long life, use a hammer to smash the ends of the branches to allow for proper water uptake. Place in a tall vase with water and change the water weekly. For a wedding, blooming branches work well for tall ceremony arrangements, welcome table or seating card arrangements, and on a dinner table as they add great height to a tabletop design. In your home, any buffet or console table will make them look great. And there you go, a little piece of spring inside your home.

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I love mixing seasonal produce in floral arrangements, here blackberries on the branch add texture to this pink, purple and red arrangement.

I used a mix of clematis, hyacinth, ranunculus, anenomes, sweet pea, hellebore, and blackberries to create this wild and organic look. To re-create this look:

Start with a low bowl, using clear floral tape, tape a grid across the top of the bowl. Go around the rim of the bowl with another piece of tape to secure your grid to the bowl. Begin placing the berries to create your base shape. Follow up with placing: hyacinth, hellebore, sweet pea, anenome and clematis. You will need approximately a half bunch per flower type. Happy arranging!

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I love this simple and sweet boutonniere that matches the bouquet and doggy ring bearer ideas. To make a boutonniere, simply hold a ranunuclus, sweet pea, and clematis leaf between your fingers. Use stretchy green floral tape and wind it around the flowers. Cover with a length of ribbon and pin or hot glue to hold it in place.

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