{all images (c) jacin fitzgerald/lovely little details – please credit if used}

earlier this week I showed you a snapshot of the blooms I had picked up and was prepping for a few orders (that I literally just dropped off this morning!) here are some pictures of the final products – both weddings were small intimate ceremonies so just a few bouquets and boutonnières, but the best part was that both brides gave me their inspiration, but also trusted me to “do my thing”. I feel like my florals are kind of organic and really textural, and I love to use a lot of color if a client is up for it, especially this time of year! so to have people trusting me to “just go with it” really lets me put my creative energy to work – and I love it. so so much.

I used a pretty pink chevron ribbon for this order. all of the bridesmaids wore pin-on corsages (pretty boutonnières) instead of carrying bouquets.

for those who were asking, I used a combination of coral peonies, craspedia (billy balls), daisies, greenery, ranunculus, iceland poppies, tulips, pincushion protea, dahlias, and a few other blooms. the bride for the florals in the pics above wanted something that was free flowing, and not necessarily a “round” bouquet, so I used tulips to give the bouquet a cascading effect.

and this last little order was for my bride cary, who’s wedding is next saturday here in san francisco, but she and her fiance are having their civil ceremony at city hall today. I couldn’t let her go in without some flowers, right? I used twine to tie her bouquet and his boutonniere, as their wedding next weekend is very “beachy chic” so this was just a little intro to what their whole day will look like. hint: TONS of coral peonies, sea glass & driftwood. i. cannot. wait.

hope you like them! the brides were happy and in my mind, besides showing the venue to the bride & groom before anyone else sees it, seeing the reaction on the clients’ face when I give them their flowers is pretty much my next favorite thing.

happy friday everyone – enjoy your weekend!

I’d seen this idea swirling around pinterest for a while and Jessica and I decided to give it a go a few weeks ago when we were in mason jar craft mania land. the result? super cute, super easy, and super green. saving $ is key these days, and every time we buy lunch out it adds up – these mason jar “to-go” salads are a convenient way to bring your lunch to work, and you can just bring the jar home at the end of the day to use again. and by layering the dressing on the bottom in between the cheese/nuts and lettuce, you eliminate the “soggy lettuce” that can typically happen otherwise. here’s how you can do it:

ingredients:

• 1/2 qt. mason jar (or any size to your liking)
• all the items you’d typically put in a salad – in this case, I used strawberry vinaigrette dressing, goat cheese crumbles, candied walnuts & dried cranberries, and mixed greens
• optional: baker’s twine
• optional: plastic fork

directions:

1. pour your dressing in to the bottom of a clean, dry mason jar
2. add the nuts & cranberries, followed by the cheese crumbles. make sure to make an even layer as this will prevent the dressing from getting to the leaves and making things soggy.

 3. add the mixed greens and secure the jar with the lid and seal.

4. optional: tie a plastic fork to the jar with bakers twine or ribbon to make it pretty and convenient.
5. when ready, shake the jar to mix all ingredients, open and enjoy!

I was prepping my flowers for a lovely little order that I’m delivering on friday and couldn’t get over the beauty and bright & vibrant colors – so I figured I’d share a quick shot with you to enjoy, too!

happy wednesday!

how do you sum up 10 days of traveling in a little blog post? not possible, especially for a photo-loving girl like me. our trip was amazing. well, i speak for myself considering i didn’t have 4 days of meetings, but, all in all, it was wonderful. i’ll share with you some of my favorite shots from the trip, and little tidbits i learned along the way. bare with me on the length and number of pics in this post :)

our first stop was in zurich, switzerland. we landed after a 12-hour flight and immediately hopped on a ~2-hour train ride to brunnen, where Pat’s meetings were taking place. our hotel was situated right at the base of a gorgeous lake and i was in heaven – the air was clean, the lake was crystal clear in the prettiest shade of teal, and we could see the mountains from our room.

switzerland learnings:

1. people are friendly, though very few speak english. even though this was a challenge, i found it to be really refreshing to be totally immersed in a less touristy area and worked to learn the basics so i could get along without someone having to speak to us in english.

2. the country is absolutely gorgeous. some of my favorite moments were those spent on a silent train, watching the beautiful scenery fly by. i took about a million iPhone pics and videos from the train.

3. everyone is so quiet. even the bars were quiet. it was kind of peaceful.

4. everyone smokes. everywhere (this was the general consensus for europe in general from what we saw). in the bars, at breakfast, everywhere. for a non-smoker, i was not a fan. but this was the only negative thing i’d say, and it’s a way of life over there, so i’m totally not judging. i’m just not a smoker.

4. people enjoy such a simple way of life. it was really refreshing. smaller cars, more family time, less blackberry/iPhone reading at restaurants. more time enjoying life and the outdoors.

Pat and i spent a few days together in brunnen before his meetings began, and then i took a train from brunnen to venice, italy for a 3-day mini adventure. some of Pat’s colleagues were surprised that i was taking the trip alone, but as a girl who moved solo to australia for a year, i’ve done my share of traveling alone and i was perfectly fine with it (and Pat knew i could manage it). i did my research beforehand and found that venice was included in one of the top safest cities in the world, so i felt comfortable making the trek on my own. the train ride was a bit of a long one, and i had to connect in milan where i had to figure out how to find the next track for my connecting train. although i had no “roaming” coverage on my iPhone, i was able to log in to wireless zones here and there, and use my “say hi” iphone app to figure out how to ask “which track is the train to venice” to a nice woman who was also looking at the train schedule. the only problem with the app is it doesn’t tell you how to understand people’s responses haha. but it worked out fine and i was on my way.

i arrived in venice after a looooong day of traveling, just as the sun was starting to set. i had no idea that you literally take a water taxi everywhere in this city, so that was an adventure in itself getting to my hotel which was on the island across from the main city (a total score on priceline the morning i left for venice!). but it worked out fine after a few wrong turns.

after checking in to the hotel i freshened up quickly and headed straight back out to check out the sights with a quickly setting sun. i was actually pretty excited to get a real italian meal and walked to a nearby restaurant for wine, caprese salad with real deal mozzarella and homemade pasta with bolognese sauce. words can’t even describe it. i was having one of those moments where you are so content and happy and nothing can bring you down – it was such a special experience. everything was made with love, the servers were so nice and it was the perfect way to cap off my first night in venice.

the next morning i woke up bright and early to explore venice. my hotel had a free shuttle to 2 spots in the city so i headed over on the water taxi and started exploring. i missed breakfast that day but made up for it by housing half a margherita pizza at lunch, hehe.

venice was unbelievable. i got completely and totally lost through all the alleyways, and it was perfectly fine. in fact, many urged me to do just this when i asked for recommendations. i loved meandering around at my own pace, snapping pictures around every corner, and taking everything in. it’s amazing the thinking you can do when you have a few days of talking to barely anyone. and it’s amazing how completely universal a smile can be – there’s no language required to understand genuine friendliness.

i have always been completely in love/obsessed with european architecture and history, specifically that of italy & greece so it was a dream come true to actually be in venice. i was enamored with the detailing, the colors, the textures, and everything about it – from the window boxes filled with fresh rosemary and basil to the seafoam green waters in the canals.

venice learnings:

1. everyone is very sweet. shop owners, restaurant waiters, people walking their dogs patient to let me pet it because i missed rhody haha. the overall culture is just very different from the US. it’s a simpler way of life. but it’s a good life, filled with meaning. at least from what i could tell. i was on the train coming back to brunnen from venice and bought a glass of wine which ended up being half a bottle of wine, so i asked the woman (probably in her 70s) next to me if she wanted to share. she, in turn, shared some little italian candies with me. i thought that was really sweet.

2. people spoke barely any english but thankfully i speak spanish so i could get by for the most part. again it was nice to be immersed in the culture – obviously this was a much more touristy area than brunnen, but you could still find hidden gems off the beaten path.

3. apertif and digestif time was something i stumbled upon by accident but was one of my favorite experiences. i found this little bar on a side “alley” that had all the homemade cheeses and bruschettas you could possibly imagine, for 1 euro a piece. for 4 euros, you could add a glass of champagne. i took the last 8 euros from my wallet and had one of the best “meals” ever.

4. when you buy a glass of champagne, you’re not getting andre. you’re getting veuve or laurent perrier or real deal bubbly. my champagne-loving heart was full, my friends.

5. the food was 100x more amazing than i ever expected. i am not a coffee person but found myself ordering one with every meal, just to have a latte.

after venice i headed back up to brunnen to meet Pat who was finishing up his meetings. we spent one more night in brunnen then took the train up to paris the next morning. it was a pretty easy train ride, about 5 hours in total with a transfer in basel. we ate mcdonald’s in basel, thinking we’d be saving $ and honestly i was tired of schnitzel. don’t judge haha. switzerland is one of the most expensive places on the planet, so our plan backfired and we managed to spend almost $50 on a big mac meal and #2 cheeseburger (only 1 burger!) meal. yep. that happened! haha. but once we hit paris, though, any thought of mcdonald’s was far from our minds. paris learning #1: paris has. the best. food. in. the world.

we didn’t arrive to our hotel (yeah starwood points!) until late on our first night there. we were tired, crabby (translation = hungry), and the air was hot and humid. we felt pretty gross from traveling all day so we freshened up quickly then hit the town to find some dinner. the best advice on paris came from my cousin, who said “don’t listen to anyone else’s recommendations – just get lost and find places off the beaten path”. and we did just that. we walked for a few blocks to find the st. germain/latin quarter area which we had heard was fun, and at that point we were so hungry we didn’t want to walk any more. we found this little restaurant with lavender plants and old wooden wine barrels outside, and it seemed so quaint and perfect. and it was. it was probably my favorite meal in paris, just because it was some random place we found, we were one of the only tables in there because it was so late, they had french jazz playing quietly in the background, and we could just sit back and enjoy ourselves after the busy day of traveling. no joke you guys, we had foie gras with every single dinner. so. delicious.

i did a horrible job at chronicling our paris trip in photos, mostly because i was too busy enjoying it to pull out the camera. pat and i aren’t really touristy people, so we weren’t really interested in seeing most of the tourist attractions (again, don’t judge) but we did visit the louvre to see mona lisa and some amazing paintings, notre dame (from outside haha) and the eiffel tower. all of our other time was spent wandering and eating and drinking. isn’t that the way it should be?

paris learnings:

1. see above :)

2. i don’t know where the stereotype comes from, but our experience with parisians was friendly as can be. in fact, i would call paris the friendliest city we traveled in. the waiters, shop owners, everyone. we did have a friend (one of pat’s coworkers) who is french who helped us out though, by teaching us how to say “sorry, we don’t speak french” in french which parisians really appreciated (or at least it seemed that way).

3. being people who like to avoid busy areas (translation: times square), we did not enjoy Avenue des Champs-Élysées – it was way too busy and bustling and touristy for us. we much preferred the quieter areas!

4. being a salt/savory person, i was hesitant to try the pain chocolat (chocolate croissants). it is now on my list of top 10 foods ever in life :)

5. i think there’s something in the water that makes their bread and pastries so amazing. honestly i would have been happy with a french baquette and glass of bordeaux for every meal.

6. on our next trip we are renting a car and driving through the french countryside. that was another favorite part of the trip, speeding past the bright yellow dijon fields!

after paris we were officially ready to hit the road and take our 12-hour flight back to SF. we missed our pup and it was time! fortunately, i had been checking in daily with emails/updates for my clients but with some busy LLD weeks coming up, i was ready to get back to my lovely little home office and in to the daily routine. and the greeting we received from rhody when we picked him up last night made us happy as can be.

if anyone is planning a trip and wants some advice other than this 10-page blog post, feel free to reach out! :)

i have always been more of a salt/savory person than sweets, but s’mores cupcakes are one of my dessert weaknesses. i have been wanting to try the whole “cooking in jars” thing for a while now, so decided to see if i could cook s’mores in a mason jar for a portable and pretty treat. wouldn’t these be a fun alternative to a s’mores bar for your wedding? you could make them all beforehand (please enlist help of bridesmaids and don’t take this on the day before your wedding!) and leave them as lovely little favors. here’s how you can make them yourself :)

materials/ingredients:
note – the marshmallow frosting recipe and directions are derived from annie’s eats

• chocolate cake mix {or follow your favorite chocolate cake recipe}
• 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs {about 1 box graham crackers}
• ¼ cup sugar
• 5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• candy thermometer
• 8 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-3 bittersweet chocolate candy bars
• 24 4-oz (mini) mason jars
• cookie pan or deep cooking pan lined with water
• kitchen torch

directions:
1. preheat oven to 350

2. prep your mason jars by cleaning and drying before use and line on your cookie sheet or cooking pan with about 1/2″ of water (enough to cover at least 1/2″ of the mason jar bottoms)

3. using a food processor (or a baggie and meat tenderizer/rolling pin) crush the graham crackers in to consistent crumbs

4. combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a small bowl and place ~1 tablespoon of graham cracker mixture in to the bottom of each prepped mason jar.

5. using a spoon {or whatever you have handy}, flatten the graham cracker crumbs to the bottom of the jar so they’re nice and compact, making your “base” for the cupcakes.

6. bake the graham cracker mixture in masons for 5 minutes. remove from oven (duh).

7. break your chocolate candy bar in to bits and put a little piece in each jar on the top of the graham cracker mix before adding the chocolate cake.

8. mix and prep your chocolate cake mixture as the box directs (or your favorite chocolate cake mix).

9. pour chocolate cake mix in to jars, filling about 2/3 full. bake about 18-20 minutes and use a toothpick to check if they’re ready, then remove from oven.

10. marshmallow recipe from annie’s eats - i had never made my own marshmallow before, so i found this to be the most user-friendly, though i’ll admit i used a lot more cream of tartar to make it “set”. To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler. (Note: I just set my clean, dry mixer bowl over simmering water, to avoid dirtying two bowls.) Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160° F with an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in the vanilla until combined. or hey – don’t want to make your own marshmallow frosting? i won’t judge you if you just use a jar of marshmallow fluff :)

11. spoon frosting on to top of mason jar cupcakes – you can swirl it around a bit to make it look pretty – then using your kitchen torch, lightly “toast” the marshmallow frosting to give it a slightly browned look.

note – if using as wedding favors, apply the lids to your mason jars so guests can easily transport them home, or have them readily available near the jars so guests can add them if they don’t eat right away.

enjoy!

though i very much doubt i can get pat to ride one of these pretty pink bikes with me through the streets of paris, that doesn’t mean i can’t try, right? we are headed off today on a whirlind trip to zurich, northern italy (as much as i can cram in) & paris and i cannot wait to explore and take it all in. pat and i haven’t had a lovely little getaway in quite some time, and what better place to enjoy each other’s company?

i’ll be posting some pictures here and there, and who knows, i might even bust out a real camera vs. my iPhone! you never know :)

if you have any recommendations on things to do, places to eat, walks to take, we’d love to hear them!

i am writing this late in the evening on wednesday from the guest bedroom of my lovely bride’s family’s house just outside of seattle. we had a wonderful site visit today and i spent the afternoon with the bride and her sister, followed by an evening crowded with her entire family around the kitchen, chatting and getting to know each other. i’m telling you – this family makes me remember why i love my job so much. they are the sweetest people and they wouldn’t even have thought of me staying in a hotel for my quick in-and-out site visit – they insisted that i stay with them, like family. but more on these wonderful people will come soon, i promise!

i feel like owe you a tiny bit of an update, as a few weeks ago i alluded to something pretty big going on over in LLD land (no, not the baby bump kind of big). a few months back, a publisher reached out to me to write and create the content for a book they wanted me to do. i immediately jumped at the chance and enlisted one of my absolute favorite photographers, jessica burke, to take all of the pictures {the picture at the top of today’s post is a little sneak of some projects we’ll be posting in the next few weeks}. without getting in to too much detail, in the end, as exciting and amazing as the opportunity sounded, i decided to turn it down. as a full-time small business owner, every single decision i make impacts not just me, but my husband, my clients, both present and future, and lovely little details as a whole. sometimes the road less traveled is not necessarily the popular route to take, but you end up discovering something beautiful off the beaten path. and who knows what else you might find along the way? i’m willing to take my chances :)

stay tuned for a weekly installment of some pretty projects jessica and i put together. until then, i’ll be enjoying my last few hours in seattle before heading back to SF for a few more to-dos before our trip :)

{all images shared with instagram, my username is “lovelydetails” if you want to follow along}

this past week flew by, as they always do! here’s what i was up to:

• created a few arrangements for one of my favorite friendors and a shoot she was putting together (here’s a little sneak peek taken with my personal camera, i can’t wait to see the professional pics!)

• discovered a new favorite flower, mini carnations, which are formally called “star pink tessino” carnations. they’re the light pink ones above that look like tiny dahlias!
• took a day trip to a very special beach up in fort bragg with one of my brides in search of sea glass. the entire beach was made up of tiny pieces of sea glass – it was amazing! we borrowed some to use for her wedding and we will be putting it right back where it belongs after her big day :)
• placed some linen orders for a few upcoming events
• enjoyed a day off yesterday at the beach with a little BBQ action

hope you all had a great weekend!

a few weeks ago i returned from a lovely little hiatus, and, not gonna lie, it was so needed! during that time i was able to focus on my biz, my clients, expansions, floral design, launching my new website!, and just as important, quality time with friends and family.

the blogging evolution for me has been a really fun journey – from my initial wedding planning blog to a {very} short stint of posting real weddings to constant inspiration to LLD biz updates and real client projects – but after taking time away to focus on my priorities, it’s been really hard for me to get back in to the daily posting. as i’m not technically a “blogger” by trade, AKA it’s not paying the bills ;), i find it really hard to be posting all the time when my focus really needs to be on my upcoming events and all that is going on with the biz. that and taking a moment to enjoy the fresh air and smell the roses every once in a while, which i do believe is part of the recipe to a happy life, don’t you? i’m constantly striving to shift my presence from online to real world, and i’m pretty excited about where i’ve come thus far in that “resolution”.

with the LLD busy season officially here in full swing, i need to apologize ahead of time for the impending blog absence that is to come, but i can promise i will be popping in from time to time with updates – from introductions to some of my couples to a few projects i have going on, to a general hello or something i think is fun. the next few weeks in particular are going to be crazy – starting with a trip to zurich, france & italy next week where i will be hopping on trains to see all i can while pat is in meetings, then we’ll be traveling a bit together. upon my return i will be: taking a road trip south to grab dinner & drinks with a special photog/super 8 duo, attending site visits in socal, pulling together 4 weddings {design/planning & florals}, attending Engage!, heading to san diego for a very sentimental family memorial, then heading back east for about 3 weeks for site visits, family & friend time, and blogger/vendor meetups, Rhody & Pat in tow. oh, and that’s just all before mid july!

so with all that said, i hope you understand the sporadic posts over here during this time. and you know you can always find me on instagram if you want to see what i’m up to behind the scenes :)