Loretta Flower

valentine's 2012: the mayans can't touch this

2012-03-06T15:13:00.005-08:00

and then there was valentine's.

there were celebrities (okay, just one, but a really good one). there were deliveries with dirty jokes and tearjerking inscriptions on the cards. there were a lot of espresso shots.

top flyer design by friend and designer keith davis young.

2012-02-13T23:40:00.000-08:00

It is very late. Delirium has set in so, naturally, now is a great time for a blog post. Just trying to keep y'all entertained.

Today has been a whirlwind that started off with one of the most surreal celebrity experiences I've ever had. Now I'm wishing there was more pad thai in this house and perhaps a few beers. Also, it snowed in Austin yesterday. Things are strange and I sometimes get bored and read astrology to see if I can decipher any of this inexplicable world.

Plugging away at a long to-do list of valentine deliveries and thinking about how Wednesday will feel like Friday and Friday will feel like Sunday and Sunday will feel like a strange pocket of time tacked on that is specifically made for Hulu and Downton Abbey and my b l a n k e t s. A good blanket is hard to find. If you love something, let it go? Obviously a phrase made up by someone with a crummy blanket.

2012-02-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

valentine's day is, hands down, my favorite day of the year. not because i'm crazy busy or because i have any kind of don juans making grand gestures for me (HA), but because i actually get to be a part of helping people plan the way they're going to show someone how much they love them. it's truly, truly moving to me every year the amazing thought and care that people place into their orders and it makes it impossible for me to be cynical about love or dating or relationships, no matter how desolate things may feel at times.

i came across this poem, which my studiomate had tacked up on her wall, and it stopped me in my tracks. here's you to you, lovers. please keep leading by example.

i love you when i am lost

and you are new

i welcome this partnership

i love you

less carefully

than i ever thought was possible

i am a beginner here

orphaned

and my mistakes will change

your life.

my devotion evolves

you trust me

and i feel more like myself

than ever before.

you have something stuck in your hair.

my memory begins

we are both naked

and modest

we already have everything.

do you want shoes?

someday i will disappoint you

and it will break my heart

that i am not enough

that i am remote

that you are

dissatisfied.

there is no real way

for me

to reach you now.

we are both human again

and have nothing.

standard. natural. difficult.

there are no old reserves

i remember you formally

and try to let you live.

i hear only single notes

i hover. i try

to hold it together.

i miss you

i love your mother

i am astonished by our dedication

i ruin all my other work.

glad to put you first.

right to love you best.

when you speak my leaves hold color

i go limber again

and recognize myself unbelievably

close to you

very like you

very like eternal.

there are no last words between us.

--unknown

san fran

2012-02-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

way back in december, i made a jaunt with my friend currie (of spartan) out to san francisco. 'twas a nice and inspiring trip before the holidays. currie's photos are stunning, mine are mostly via iphone, but i was overwhelmed with inspiration nonetheless.

san francisco mabel joy

2011-12-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

currently on a brief trip working and planning big things for 2012 in san francisco. longer post with photos and news to come, but for now, one of my favorite songs about this crazy amazing town.

HOLIDAY PARTY

2011-12-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

what are you doing on monday?

can i tell you?

going to our holiday pop-up party!

it's at spartan/bows + arrows on monday from 6:00 until 9:00. you can find:

wreaths and garlands handmade by me for you to deck the halls

cocktails made with bellocq tea to keep you merry and bright

charcuterie and leather gift sets by tool & tack to... jingle? i don't know if i can keep up this holiday lyric thing. whatever, they're really cool and make great gifts.

also, plenty of delicious snacks by local butcher, salt & time

more info here

angelwing

2011-12-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

my latest love, an angelwing begonia. also, this poem.

real holiday post to come. we're making wreaths and garlands for holiday events and homes, be sure to order yours ASAP at mk at lorettaflower.com

you ain't goin' nowhere

2011-11-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

had to borrow this from lauren based on our conversation last night... not sure if true love would be possible with someone who didn't love the byrds.

side note: my new favorite way to stay warm is to turn the oven in my tiny kitchen up and bake something for whoever is at my house. gluten-free galettes/goat cheese/acorn squash/caramelized onions. that's what homey nights are made of.

thanksgiving re-cap

2011-11-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

thanksgiving break was filled with work--deliveries all day on tuesday and wednesday, flowers for a lovely clarksville family's thanksgiving table, potted herbs (with hand-made plant markers) for another event at westwood on friday. more deliveries on saturday.

got to spend a brief moment with family at the ranch on thanksgiving day. snuck away with my cousin, who is six months younger than me, lives 1500 miles away, and is the closest i've ever had to a sister. i missed her terribly. we sat on the steps of an old church down the road, drank shiners, squatted in the woods, and talked about our lives as if they were best-selling novels we couldn't put down.

long, lazy, new york times-reading sunday brunch with two of my very favorites. dinner every night at my house with friends. these quiet and cozy pockets of my personal life reminding me of the calming, balanced rhythm that stems from a life of work that you love.

because her beauty is raw and wild

2011-11-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

more shots by julie cope of the november wedding at lambert's we did.

it got a little wild, and i am into it.

cuba

2011-11-20T05:54:00.000-08:00

inspired by friend and photographer megan griffith's shots from her recent trip to cuba. really loving that washed-out, almost neon yellow, the soft and true blues, and vibrant rosy tones.

big thanks

2011-11-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

a huge thank you to grace at design sponge for the post on loretta.

three years ago, i was humming along in my account executive career when i came across design sponge and was totally floored. i found sarah's regular design sponge column, took her class, and decided to start loretta. seeing my name on the blog was a dream moment for me and wonderful early birthday present.

2011-11-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

have been sitting on these images for a bit, and am excited to share them--bridal bouquet, boutonnieres, and bridesmaid bouquet from a gorgeous october wedding.

all photos by Julie Cope.

why don't they let us fall in love

2011-11-14T06:01:00.001-08:00

a few quick shots snapped in passing moments from the very beautiful wedding of sally & kyle this weekend. the peonies are back, sending the flower market into chaos, but lighting up my days. it was a long and strenusous week getting everything prepped, but we leaned hard on the girl groups of the 60's and sure enough, phil spector's music has some kind of magical power that can be very renewing. have to say i am extremely grateful for my assistant, beau. a poet, a scholar, a damn fine floral designer.

amaryllis & french marigold

2011-11-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

just in case you mistakenly thought i was cool

2011-11-07T22:40:00.001-08:00

i'll just go ahead and get a little fangirl on you...

this weekend

this happened
and, oh yes, that is (the back of) my head.

photo cred: ryangoslingatfunfunfunfest.tumblr.com

happy halloween

2011-10-31T10:11:00.001-07:00

some studio shots

2011-10-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

lovely friend and talented wedding photographer julie cope stopped by to take a few shots of my studio a couple of weeks ago while i prepped for a shoot. i love how perfectly she captured the late afternoon light that filters in. thanks, julie!

all photos by julie cope of julie cope photography.

october

2011-10-30T08:29:00.001-07:00

approximately one month after it's official start, fall has finally come to texas. every year, we walk around from april to october dying of heat exhaustion, asking "when? WHEN?" and everyone plans some halloween costume in accordance with the unrelenting heat and every year halloween weekend brings a wallop of cold modesty, sending the "sexy angels", "sexy postal workers", and "sexy john deere tractors" into the awkward bulk of an overcoat.

blame it on the full moon in mid-october, or the changing temperatures, or the fact that everyone is just now settling from the austin-brooklyn-portland exchange program that happens en masse at the end of the summer, but things have shifted. there was a fire at our house. people are breaking up, people are getting together, people are losing touch and finding new patterns for getting by.

we're pulling out our coats and sweaters, we're realizing we may not have been the same size we were last fall, we're still sorting out which boots look okay with which pants. we're purging our lives, whether we want to or not, acknowledging that certain changes were perhaps imminent and could no longer be ignored. we start believing in ghost stories just a little bit more, but that doesn't mean we can't face what's yet to come. we bundle up, switch to whiskey, and lay a little bit heavier in our beds at the end of the day.

kinfolk

2011-10-09T14:19:00.001-07:00

a really big thank you to the amazingly talented peeps at kinfolk magazine for featuring me on their blog last week. kinfolk staff photographer michael muller was even kind enough to put me on his very beautiful blog as well.

if you haven't yet heard of kinfolk , you must go check out the magazine online. a perfectly curated guide to hospitality with a "maker" bent, it's a refreshingly artful celebration of one of life's simple pleasures.

all photos by micheal muller

spanish party at the umlauf with bakesale

2011-09-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

bakesale austin is a custom dessert bar company owned by the extremely talented andrea duty. andrea trained as a chef at the french culinary institute in new york, and cut her chops as a pastry chef at some of the best restaurants in town. she now offers custom dessert bars for events that are out of this world delicious--meaning instead of having just a cake (or cupcakes) you can actually personalize the desserts at your wedding or event to be just what you might order at your favorite restaurant. you can also order deliveries from andrea if you'd like to send someone a nice surprise instead.

in addition, andrea has a great eye and a strong creative vision. i felt lucky to work with her on this spanish-themed dessert bar for an open house at the umlauf sculpture garden last week. she made amazing churros, chocolate salami, arroz con leche, and a gateau basque (a traditional basque cake).

she wanted to follow a rustic spanish vision (instead of falling into the cliche matador red and black) which was refreshing. i used lovely cafe au lait and dinnerplate dahlias along with oak leaves to bring in an autumn color palette of burgundy, cream. grey, and olive greens.

el cosmico

2011-09-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

spent a very dreamy weekend in marfa at the trans-pecos festival of music and love. el cosmico was, as always, divine and it was a thrill to meet so many thoroughly creative and talented folks. highlights were meeting the fine folks behind imogene + willie, j.m. dry goods, blackmail, design build adventure, mother falcon, the heartless bastards, and many more.

additionally, i had the great pleasure of spending the last night at a bunkhouse on a ranch just north of marfa. probably one of my favorite spaces i've ever been, it was simultaneously rugged, cozy, and sleek. a very perfect way to end a rather magical weekend.

this right here

2011-09-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

tool & tack

2011-09-19T15:33:00.001-07:00

f o l k s

friend and all-around fount of creativity natalie davis has pulled together one heck of a pop-up shop focusing on finely crafted menswear: tool & tack.

including products by canoe, wood & faulk, and the *stellar* handmade bowties by forage, this is not to be missed. and probably a perfect way to thank the mister for the flowers he's sent you?

cherry on top--it has a stop-motion invitation:

Tool & Tack Pop Up Shop Invite from Miss Natalie on Vimeo.

october 15 at grayduck gallery off of south first.

ps--we'll be there with some fine floral arrangements, too!

personal aside

2011-09-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

(all recent instagrams. from top-- dry creek saloon, my favorite summer watering hole; an installation i'm working on in my living room in homage to my grandmother; my dad's office)

thanks to car trouble/illness/other enactments of murphy's law, things have been nuts around here and, like (seemingly?) always, i find myself constantly catching up on things, my to-do list mocking me with its daily lengthening.

just barely getting moved in, just barely remembering to buy groceries, just barely reminding myself to read a book to wind down rather than watching back-to-back episodes of party down. (actually, i've just been watching those episodes of party down because, well, it rules.)

if you've had to be patient with me recently, thank you *very much* for doing so. if not, then i assume that means i haven't seen you in a while and let me just take this opportunity to let you know that i miss you and can't wait to catch up.

michelle + jordan

2011-09-10T13:49:00.003-07:00

there are few joys like working with people who have the creative energy of michelle and jordan. michelle is the talent behind red start paint design and she and jordan are a part of the monofonus community in east austin.

when you work with a couple that cite tim burton and crazy gingerbread houses as sources of inspiration, you know that party's going to rule. i had a lot of fun mixing coral charm peonies with all other kinds of bright and unusual flowers to really take things over the top.

i also had the pleasure of being a guest at the wedding and, as these amazing photos by bill mccullough attest, there was an overwhelming feeling of joy and support from all the (numerous) guests in attendance. and check out that rad cake. GEEZ.

so much fun to work with you guys, michelle and jordan. mazel tov!

tribeza

2011-09-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

had a lot of fun having my portrait taken by the talented kailey flynn for local style magazine tribeza's september style issue. many additional thanks to writer jackie rangel for the interview and editor lauren smith ford for the opportunity.

see the full issue here.

and no, my hair does not normally look like that :)

"everything in our lives is practice. " --dogen

2011-09-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

blue eyes

2011-09-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

lately, everything has been really rosy. new studio, new clients, new website (very soon!) and some fresh starts on old and very good things.

full update with studio pics to come, but for now just this little love song i've fallen for and a few snaps of what's been going out the door in the past month.

christia & clay

2011-08-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

christia told me she was the kind of girl that just never thought she would get married. she had just decided it wasn't for her. until one night she decided to go to the broken spoke, where she met clay over a two-step. once she met him, she told me, she just couldn't imagine not marrying him.

christia and clay opted for a small and simple wedding in suite 4 of the hotel st. cecilia. other than christia, clay, and their officiant, they had six of their closest join them for a small ceremony under the live oak, and then dinner together in the suite.

when i showed up to drop off their arrangements and her bouquet, it was incredibly hot outside. i was dripping, and the flowers were cowering under the sun just moments after their departure from the a/c. but christia, already in her gown and cowboy boots, was cool as could be. calm, glowing, happily awaiting the arrival of her friends and family and just quietly appreciating the precious moments of solitude afforded to her by the simplicity of her plans.

it's funny to me that in this industry, where hullabaloo and pandemonium become the norms, something so calm and reverent becomes a spectacle of sorts. but it was a great reflection of who christia and clay are, and how true their devotion is. it was a real joy to be a part of their day together, and these photos, tenderly captured by sarah bork, illustrate it to a t.

thank you, christia and clay. and congrats on your little one to come.

chappel lodge photoshoot

2011-07-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

chappel lodge is a brand new wedding an event venue just south of town, with beautiful live oaks and rolling hills.

we were so happy to be a part of a photo-shoot out there with photographer tyler schmitt and the incredible ladies over at loot vintage. here are a few early shots from the shoot:

big news

2011-07-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

GUESS WHAT

really

really

thrilled to tell you that Loretta has a new studio!

***As of next Tuesday, July 19, Loretta Flower will officially be located in a gorgeous studio space just off of South Congress in the lovely historic neighborhood of Travis Heights.***

This is big. Huge. And I am OVER THE MOON. Especially because the studio space will be shared with the extremely talented Elizabeth Chapin.

We'll be having a studio-warming party come August, more info on that coming soon..

(kickass leather keychain by Canoe)

a wild and precious thing

2011-07-10T15:42:00.001-07:00

totally appropriate music for cranking out wedding proposals.

have had the opportunity to meet with some truly amazing brides lately and i am extremely excited about this next set of weddings i am about to embark on. also, i have a few posts from recent weddings coming up, so stay tuned.

met with a bride on friday who met her husband while two-stepping at the broken spoke. they both happened to have been there by themselves, which i am thinking sounds like a much better idea than it ever has before.

2011-07-05T20:10:00.001-07:00

flower delivery last week

rushing out the door for an 11 pm delivery... a sweetheart with a late flight in...

l/l/l

(longer letter later)

LYLAS

a force that allows us to see how things have changed

2011-06-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

did you know that linneaus, father of taxonomy, created a plan for a floral clock? the idea being that there were some kind of flowers that only bloomed at a certain point during the day (morning glories, evening primrose, etc.) and that this "clock" would be each of those planted in their respective positions on the face that correlated with the hour they were to bloom?

its amazing what you can learn listening to radiolab.

also amazing is how busy things have been and how much major change seems to be happening in the lives of everyone i know... have had more funeral or sympathy orders this week than ever before.

in the same episode of radiolab, a physicist and mathematician asked to define time in its purest sense came up with, "a force that allows us to see how things have changed". poetic, no?

friends in high places...

2011-06-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

big thanks to lauren & currie at arrow + arrow for the post about loretta today (and to lauren's boy josh for bein' such a sweet thang and ordering his lady flowers)!

if you haven't been by bows + arrows or spartan (their respective neighboring boutiques), you must! they are two of my favorite girls in austin.

succulents + flowers

2011-06-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

...for an outdoor event yesterday.

night owl

2011-05-31T00:21:00.000-07:00

it's really (probably) too late for blogging, but i bought a mr. b out of nostalgia during a trip to h-e-b today and only finished it around midnight. so, here we are.

things i've learned recently:

red lipstick is the answer. always. if you need a reco as far as brand/shade, i'm happy to advise.

apparently it's significantly cheaper to cruise the greek isles than i would have ever imagined.

i am getting really addicted to twitter and i love/hate it. i am even more addicted to pinterest and unabashedly love it.

and i have a few really big announcements coming soon as loretta grows up a little bit.
but for now, night night.

summer bouquet

2011-05-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

feast your corneas

2011-05-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

mother's day

2011-05-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

couple of photos left over from mother's day--even though it was a few weeks back (it's still may, right? just barely?)...

small break from weddings that has been nice, but the events pick up again next week. had some great meetings this week about fall events that are just gonna blow your mind.

more photos to come, including some shots from recent weddings. til then, keep on the sunny side.

two steps forward, one step back

2011-05-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

lately i've been spending a lot of time cursing the absurdity of camera cords. specifically how absurdly necessary they are for blogging. i've imagined a perfect solution but i might not (won't) ever get around to patenting that shiz. but still, please, don't steal my idea, k?

bleh. do you really want to read anything i have to say? you're just here for the pictures, right? okay, good.

fine. here's the update:
i'm getting some really amazing stuff in right now from a very lovely wholesaler who is making my life so much easier. check this out:

yeah that's a succulent growing INSIDE a david austen garden rose... pretty nutty stuff amirite?

also, i'll be sprucing up miss natalie's booth at renegade handmade's craft fair this weekend with some lovely bouquets.

do you know about miss natalie? or canoe? both are run by superwoman natalie davis who works so hard doing amazing things with her creativity and yet still is one of the most likable people i know. it would be so worth it to come out this weekend and stop by and say heyyyyyy:

renagade craft fair
may 21 & 22
11 am -7 pm
palmer events center

deliveries of late

2011-05-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

2011-05-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

"I had luncheon with Shel Silverstein recently. I don't know if you know some of his children's books for us, or some of his stuff in Playboy. Anyhow, he is a great man and I love him. I sat next to him at luncheon and was so impressed with the sense of great at-ease-with-himself which he gave off. He just seemed to be hitting on all 24 cylinders. I was feeling particularly out-of-sorts and displeased with myself that day so I asked him for advice on how to get to be the way he is. "Have you had some psycho-therapy, Shel?" I asked admiringly. "How come you are just so great?" "No therapy!" he said loudly, in the quiet restaurant. "Why should I? If I were hung up on goats why I would just find myself the sweetest prettiest cleanest goat in the world, that's what I'd do." Heads turned and I changed the subject."

Ursula Nordstrom to John Donovan, April 29, 1969
From Dear Genius, edited by Leonard S. Marcus

re-blogged from first milk, whose beautiful blog you should go check out.

oh heyyyy

2011-05-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

i guess it is to be expected that the busier i am in real life, the slower this blog gets.

here's the update:

my floral heroes/teachers were on the t magazine blog being awesome. giving pointers on how to make your own arrangements. check it out, for real.

i have lots of pictures but no clue as to the whereabouts of my camera cord. hamstrung would be an accurate description of my blogging capabilities.

WEDDINGS. they make me forget to eat, miss out on anything resembling real sleep, and buy rompers at target in moments of weakness but, sheesh, i just love 'em.

and Y'ALL les fleurs du mal is tomorrow night and its going to be **killer** so run on over and get yourself a ticket. i'll be there in my 19th-century-parisian-opium-den best (read: i have no idea what i'm wearing--loan me something?)

les fleurs de mal

2011-04-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

outtakes from a shoot that will be incorporated with this amazing event at justine's.

a haze

2011-04-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

lately i have been having the distinct sensation that i can physically feel how busy i've been. it sort of looks like this:

this has resulted in massive piles of dishes in the sink, dying plants in the garden, and a pile of recently washed laundry that never seems to get hung up. sorry, martha.

c o n t i g o

2011-04-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

excited to add newly opened restaurant contigo to our roster of clients. contigo is modeled after owner ben edgerton's family ranch in south texas, and was designed by the lovely ann lowe.

austin's restaurant/bar scene has an obnoxious tendency to get wrapped up in out-doing itself with the latest shtick, so it's refreshing to see someone open up a place that is simple, authentic, and delicious without having to try too hard. it's even more refreshing when people take notice.

WILLIE WEDNESDAY

2011-04-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

you're not ready for this

2011-04-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

P E O N I E S
in full effect.

unhhhhh

2011-04-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

the words "illustrator turned ceramicist" kind of give me butterflies. case in point, laura carlin:

in other news, i've had the day from hell and it's merle haggard's birthday. i'd advise you take a moment to enjoy what is definitely one of my top 5 favorite country songs of all time.

sea star

2011-04-06T10:50:00.001-07:00

been obsessing lately over sea star fern, imported from new zealand and straight out of a tim burton movie. i really like the juxtaposition of it with the more floral and romantic elements in a bouquet.

from top--flowers for the bathroom at east side show room, a bud vase for congress austin, a bouquet for my friend matt rainwaters (to help him out with a lady-friend).

round top

2011-04-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

had a great trip out to round top, texas last week for the bi-annual antiques show. i snagged a few beautiful vases, old mason jars, and antique lace and trim for loretta, none of which i photographed.

instead, here are a few things that caught my eye for one reason or another - canned food labels from the 19th century, recently re-glued onto new aluminum cans; old fishing lures, just like the ones my grandfather stockpiled in his house; a dinosaur baby quilt--enough said; a wes anderson-esque guide to geographical terms.

five stars

2011-04-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

shout-out to client congress austin for receiving the austin american-statesman's first five-star review, EVER.

"It was one of the most complete dinner experiences I've ever had, ministered to by a sommelier with a sense of humor and a wicked palate"

congrats!

photos of chef david bull by eat this lens

the secret garden

2011-04-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

as a girl, the secret garden was one of my favorite books, so i'm pumped to see this amazing embroidered book cover for it by jillian tamaki for penguin. check out others in the same series here (they're crazy-gorgeous).

(via Cup of Jo)

2011-03-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

nice evenings are made of the a2 at thai noodle house, good and easy conversation with an old friend, a really relevant fortune in the cookie, snuggly pups, and sublime songs like this.

daff's

2011-03-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

even though spring only officially started last week, we've had more than a few signs of its impending return for quite some time. case in point: the daffodil.

an arm of the narcissus family, daffodils are a spring bulb whose loveliness has been somewhat tarnished by too many appearances in the "clearance bulb" section of your local big-box garden store.

but the ones popping up in austin are far from banal, with varieties ranging from blushy peach to pale verdant. they also happen to work perfectly for gender-neutral baby shower arrangements.

2011-03-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

having what feels like the first real calm moment post-sxsw, drinking a glass of gas station wine along with some slammin' leftovers. i don't really want to join the chorus of austinites saying "OH GOD SXSWAAAH", but i will say that a quiet night of wine with friends at my house last night was pretty much the perfect ending.

it also doesn't hurt that ann lowe, of anystyle catering, brought over an insane spread of amazing food. seriously, any of you austin brides looking for a caterer look no further:

i know, right?
way cuter than cupcakes.

the week in deliveries

2011-03-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

east side showroom

2011-03-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

really happy to add east side showroom to loretta's roster of clients.
seriously, if you've never had their steampunk-inspired fine dining, run to east sixth and grab yourself a vintage cocktail.

team loretta

2011-03-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

a wedding in the middle of the week is a change of pace around these parts and i feel so fortunate to have had an amazing duo of assistants helping me out last week.

behold, team loretta:

flower farm

2011-03-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

last week was crazy busy and i have tons of photos to share, but first a few from my trip out to the flower farm in blanco. really pumped to provide my clients with a local and sustainable option for flowers(REALLY)!

WILLIE WEDNESDAY

2011-03-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

craig cramer

2011-03-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

craig cramer is an upstate new york-based gardener who scans blooms and plants from his home garden and archives them on his blog. the scans are categorized by month, illustrating what is happening during each growing season.

(via viet anemi)

the lillies

2011-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

amid the gray trunks of ancient trees we found the gay woodland lilies nodding on their stems, frail and fair, so delicately balanced the air held or moved them as it stood or moved. the ground that slept beneath us woke in them and made a music of the light, as it had waked and sung in fragile things unnumbered years, and left their kind no less symmetrical and fair for all that time. does my land have the health of this, where nothing falls but into life?

-wendell berry

(photo--very sentimental graffiti spotted this weekend in the cheer up charlie's bathroom)

meg griffiths

2011-03-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

my friend meg griffiths is a very talented photographer.

loretta brides: theresa, part 1

2011-03-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

theresa was referred to loretta by my very supportive friend kristin, and was looking for a small amount of flowers for her very small wedding in driftwood. initially, theresa wanted to do a color palette of black, white, and green. we discussed flower likes and dislikes, and i came up with an inspiration board of collected images that reflected the direction i was thinking:

after looking over some of my previous work, theresa decided that she loved the look of bright colors, especially reds, greens, and oranges, popping against her white dress. so we revised the color palette and inspiration board accordingly:
still keeping the loose style, but adding bright pops and contrasts of color. we decided that while this would be the color palette for the wedding, that we would keep costs down for her bridal portrait bouquet by being more flexible based on what was available that week.

last sunday i met theresa out in driftwood for her bridal portraits--brightly colored springtime bouquet in hand. the weather was misty to drizzly, but it actually made the colors really sing in the photos. bonus: theresa also requested a flower collar for her sweet ten-year-old lab, juno, who begrudgingly obliged.

***starting the first in a series of posts featuring the lovely brides of loretta flower. i hope these posts can somewhat illustrate the process of wedding planning that happens here at loretta... please feel free to comment with any feedback***

stamps on all those letters

2011-03-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

exactly what kind of amazing things can happen with a flower delivery...

a very nice thing

2011-03-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

march is off to a running start, but felt lucky to get a nice and somewhat relaxing weekend in before. big big thanks to refinery 29 and madewell for including me in their street style shoot in austin this weekend. everyone was lovely. you can check out my rad outfit here.

i'm excited to launch a new regular series of posts tomorrow on the brides of loretta, but for now, just wanted to share one of the many tiny joys that comes with being surrounded by beautiful things all day:

having flowers by the bedside.

hangin with the boys

2011-03-01T17:28:00.001-08:00

tomboys rule.

(via tomboystyle)

hot damn

2011-02-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

not only are these poppies and ranunculus g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s, they're local too, grown at a lovely farm with a big blue barn a short drive from austin.

de m'amour soiz sure

2011-02-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

victory on v-day:

12 hours straight of non-stop deliveries

a massive and beautiful mess of flowers on the tables, on the floor, in my car

last-minute orders i somehow managed to get out the door at 10 pm (and had to photograph with my phone)

all ending in a lovely steak & potato dinner at lauren's, getting introduced to albert lee and head, hands, and feet, which is why i'm now obsessed with this song:

lauren fleishman

2011-02-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

nyc-based photographer lauren fleishman's work is beautiful, but i've particularly fallen for her project, love ever after, featuring couples that have been married for at least 50 years.

(click to enlarge each image and read accompanying stories)
hands down, the best part about valentine's day was getting to partake in some very poignant moments between people who truly exist for each other.

i really loved my job that day.

(via Cup of Jo)

for the lovebirds...

2011-02-14T09:19:00.001-08:00

a peek at some of the early valentines that went out this week... v-day was amazing--thanks for the love, y'all.

more recap to come soon, for now i am enjoying my one day off this week!

some hotties

2011-02-13T20:36:00.001-08:00

more pics of the dried bouquets and hair accessories at spartan

better late than never

2011-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

definitely not too late to order valentine's delivery from loretta.

we're still:

a. offering custom bouquets/arrangements with delivery on v-day in austin, starting at $50. shoot me an email at marykathrynp@gmail.com to set one up.

b. selling some stellar bouquets and hair accessories made of dried flowers at spartan this weekend (bouquets: $45, hair combs: $35). lovely valentines that will never fade away.

c. selling $15 branches of quince in the etsy shop, which includes a cheeky love note and delivery in the austin area on v-day.

valentine's offerings: cheap & easy on etsy

2011-02-11T07:05:00.001-08:00

remember my ode to quince? well now you can send a *lovely* branch of quince to your valentine in austin on v-day, accompanied by a lovely handmade note that includes one of the three sayings, above. all for the very affordable price of FIFTEEN big ones.

just visit loretta's etsy shop and enter the delivery address as the shipping address when you're checking out.

and stay tuned for our other valentine's day offerings!

desperate times, desperate measures

2011-02-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

COUNTING DOWN the days until Loretta's first valentine's day...

here's what we've got planned:

an etsy shop debut with single stems and a cheeky note for sale, including delivery in the austin area on the big day.
dried arrangements in-store at spartan, for a gift that won't fade
beautiful custom bouquets and arrangements for the truly lucky valentines in town

(unfortunately, i lost the damn camera cord, so you'll have to wait to see the utterly charming amaryllis that has been popping up in my arrangements lately.

until then, look at these gorgeous amaryllis arrangements by my idol, sarah rhyanen at saipua)

february

2011-02-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

credits: here + now + sometimes then / jacqueline di milla via threading in the choirs / saipua

song: "i'll never forget you" by larry donn

awol

2011-01-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

a crazy 24-hour stretch of deliveries, photo shoot, a gig at the mohawk, and my brother's birthday left me with a 102 degree fever that won't quit. please feel free to bring me soup/cough suppressants/cookies/dvd's.

soon enough, i'll have rad pics to share. for now, just my new fave song:

2011-01-24T22:34:00.000-08:00

happy birthday to my big brother. love you, g.

chili cook-off

2011-01-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

congress austin participated today in the chili cook-off at jo's on south congress. for their booth, they requested some flower arrangements that incorporated the different ingredients in their chili.

people go to the grave in texas with chili recipes so i don't want to reveal too much, but here's what we came up with:

ode to quince

2011-01-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

that's all it took

the mention of your name

and all my love for you burst into flames

i tried so hard, to let you go, but look

how much i tremble at your name,
that's all it took.

almost the weekend

2011-01-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

credits: dana tanamachi/rides a bike(joanne woodward+paul newman:best couple ever)/johnny miller via once wed/holly via tigers to lillies/tattoologist

2011-01-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

today was nuts. thank god for george strait.

monday morning inspiration

2011-01-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

photographer david maisel's library of dust quite literally took my breath away.

these gorgeous images are of the remains of patients from a state hospital in oregon, each stored in copper canisters between the years 1883 and the 1970's.

due to the conditions of the underground room in which they were stored, referred to as the "library of dust" by patients, the canisters have warped and the ashes inside have oxidized into beautiful colors and patterns.

maisel published them all in a beautiful collection of the same title, available here.

week in flowers, pt. 2

2011-01-14T15:43:00.001-08:00

more flowers i did for congress austin. the color palette was inspired by the blooming acacia, which has some really killer subtle golds and purples in it.

flowers for the hotel saint cecilia. aalto, i love you so.

and lastly, a bouquet for my lovely cousin's 21st birthday. a birthday which found me on sixth street at 2 am in some really sketchy club with a bunch of kids i used to babysit.

sadly enough, i was the one that got accused of being underage. and then of having a fake id. JOY.

p.s.

2011-01-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

once this blog lived here, now we live here. please update accordingly.

the week in flowers (so far)

2011-01-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

things have been slammin' round these parts lately as Loretta has acquired both congress austin and the hotel st. cecilia as regular clients. SHWING! (if you haven't been to either, you really should.)

a lovely lady in houston ordered flowers for her sick friend in austin... SHWING!

in other news, it's quince season... SHWING!

(yeah, i may been watching some wayne's world 2)

why loretta

2010-12-14T20:53:00.000-08:00