LA Floral Vendor: Dandelion Ranch

post from Green Wedding Shoes - Wedding Inspiration for the Stylish Southern California Bride on 30 January 2009 03:14:00 AM. © Green Wedding Shoes - Wedding Inspiration for the Stylish Southern California Bride

Clover Chadwick and Fawn Fletcher (how cool are their names!) are the ladies at Dandelion Ranch. They seek out the freshest flora daily from local growers and place them in vintage pitchers, wine boxes, soup terrines, and retro ceramic sap buckets. They are committed to the environment and use toxin free floral foam for their centerpieces. I love the organic, yet modern, rustic look of many of their creations. Beautiful. Oh, and their store is located in a barn in Culver City - how cool is that? A barn in the middle of the city...gotta love LA!

Dandelion Ranch, 4701 West Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 3, East Culver City

Dandelion ranch los angeles green wedding flowers photo

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LA Floral Design: Dandelion Ranch

post from Green Wedding Shoes - Wedding Inspiration for the Stylish Southern California Bride on 30 January 2009 03:10:00 AM. © Green Wedding Shoes - Wedding Inspiration for the Stylish Southern California Bride

uses vintage containers and ornaments and, to demonstrate their commitment to keeping our planet out of harms way, they use a toxin free floral foam for their centerpieces and buy organic flowers when possible.

At least until I met the ladies from Dandelion Ranch. First of all, Clover Chadwick and Fawn Fletcher have the most amazing names in the world. (That wasn't really what I set out to say, but don't they???) I met Clover years ago, when she first set up shop at Push Emporium, Downtown's open-floor-plan mini-complex of independent designer wares that I was covering for Daily Candy. Her arrangements instantly blew me away: her aesthetic has this organic, yet modern, rustic, yet refined, pretty, yet quirky vibe that is beyond beautiful. Who knew flowers could be cool (and that floral designers could be even cooler)? Years later, as we planned my wedding flower palette, Clover was even tolerant when I repeated fifty times that I wanted "those cool pods" in the arrangements. Low and behold, I instigated a heated conversation about centerpieces.

Clover's background is actually in restaurants and she approaches flowers the way a contemporary market-to-table chef might approach food, shopping regularly at markets for the freshest, most seasonal blooms and preparing them with ingredients in a proper mis-en-place format. Maybe that's why she does flowers for the most amazing, chic eateries in town from Grace to Sona; eateries where they treat food like art.

Dandelion Ranch used to be based in Hollywood, but now Clover found Fawn and they've opened up their first retail outpost in a Culver City barn. Yup, barn, like moo. (It's just so amazingly LA to happen upon crazy spaces like barns in the middle of an urban hood.) Anyway, they've set up this adorable outdoor garden, where they'll eventually hold events and parties, and they have this whole two-story-ceilinged indoor set-up too. It's so sweet and rustic that I not only want to sit down to sip tea with them there daily, but I sort of want to move in. (See pics from when they first opened below; though things are a bit more polished now).

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Six Tips to Saving on Your Wedding Invitations

post from The Ink Spot- A Vermont Wedding Blog on 30 January 2009 03:00:00 AM. © The Ink Spot- A Vermont Wedding Blog

With the economy being what it is, it's a good idea to save whereever you can on the items you need for your wedding. Stationery is one place that people often look to- it is just paper after all, right? No- good stationery is a mini work of art. It's the first thing that your guests will see, and will give them an idea of what kind of event you're going to have. That doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune on your invitations though, to get something beautiful and unique. Here are some ideas to consider:

1- Consider what you need, not what you want. For example, pocket folds are great for keep information all together. But if all you have in that pocket is an RSVP, and maybe one other card, the pocket might not be a necessity. After all, one of those cards is coming back to you. We offer any of our pocketfold designs as a flat invitation for this very reason.

2- Eliminating a pocket may also reduce your postage costs. I say may because sometimes even a layered invitation can bump up your postage over 1oz, especially with a couple of inserts. But switching from a square to a rectangular design will DEFINITELY save you money. Squares are deemed non-machinable by the post office, and get a .20 extra charge because of it.

3- Use a postcard RSVP. You will save envelope and postage costs. This could easily be more than a .60 savings per set...so saving you easily $60 per 100!

4- Consider making some cards double-sided. This may not always be an option (depends on the print method), but worth asking about. One good combination card- directions and accommodations.

5- Print method. Thermography (raised lettering) will be more expensive than flat or digital printing. Letterpress, while beautiful, is labor intensive and will cost the most (Engraving is the most expensive, but not often asked for these days).

6- Ask about doing some DIY. If you're crafty enough, but don't want the hassle of printing and cutting, ask if you can save a little by assembling them yourself. This is an option we happily offer, and will give you a discount to boot. Be warned though- assembly is a time consuming process, so if you decide to go this route, make sure you set aside a couple of weeks (especially if you have a full time job) or a good long weekend.

We understand the economy is tough for everyone right now, and we're happy to discuss options for getting a beautiful invitation that works with your budget. Don't hesitate to contact us to see how we can help you.

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superbowl

post from pretty bride on 30 January 2009 02:45:00 AM. © pretty bride

As a Steelers fan, this is a very exciting weekend for me. Although I'm not having a Superbowl party this year, this Italian Stuffed Jalapenos recipe by Guy Fieri seems reason enough to have a party next year. Because let's be honest, in a perfect world it would be appropriate to eat Superbowl food every day.

Italian Stuffed Jalapenos

Ingredients
15 jalapenos, preferably red, cut in 1/2, seeded and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 pounds mild Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Minced chives

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Place jalapenos on a sheet tray and roast for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Heat the oil in a medium saute pan. Add onions, peppers, garlic and sausage and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove and place in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, then add mascarpone, and Parmesan. Mix ingredients thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.
Place approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture into each jalapeno half, and top with 1/2 teaspoon of mozzarella cheese.
Place the sheet tray of stuffed peppers in oven and bake for 5 minutes or until mozzarella cheese melts. Garnish with minced chives and Parmesan.

Have a great weekend everyone! Eat well, drive safe and cheer on the Steelers!

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Wedding Cards - Unique hand painted designs

Here are some more of my wedding card designs. This selection are called ‘Embrace’ they all feature a bride and groom in their first waltz together.All cards are printed from my own water colours. Different effects can be produced with photo[...]

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http://www.yourweddingwardrobe.com.au/blog/?p=457

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A Match Made In Halo Heaven

post from Bombshell Bride- for FABULOUS full-figured brides-to-be! on 30 January 2009 05:28:00 AM. © Bombshell Bride- for FABULOUS full-figured brides-to-be!

Luckily for us fashion bloggers, some people just have to do things differently. Take the bride and groom from what is being called "The Halo Wedding". Earlier this month, Desirai Labrada and John Henry were pronounced "teammates for life" (Really! They were!) in Orlando, Florida. Their wedding- from accessories to the cake - followed the theme of the video game that brought them together. Although the bride and groom opted for traditional garb for themselves, their officiant wore a helmet and green armor in the role of Master Chief. See more of the wedding in this MTV report.

Also, if you're so inclined, visit the bride's etsy shop LucidDreamDesigns.

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http://bombshellbride.blogspot.com/2009/01/match-made-in-halo-heaven.html