morning tea

Is the air getting a little nippy where you are? I love-love-love the crispness and that autumny smell... Fall is always, always, ALWAYS my favorite season of the year.

Although I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I drink hot tea year-round, I definitely come into my "tea element" when the weather gets chilly. My morning routine starts with a run, then I come home and put the tea kettle on while I shower and dress for the day. By the time I'm ready for breakfast, the kettle has been whistling merrily for awhile, and I brew my tea and then sit quietly with a magazine or a book, taking a few moments to prepare myself for the work day ahead. Teatime is such a comfort, don't you think?

Morning light + English Breakfast = Perfection.

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

a favorite

I've been going through images lately, preparing for an update to the website, and I keep coming across gorgeous pictures that just take my breath away with their loveliness. I get SO many images from the photographers I work with, not to mention all the pictures that I take myself, and hundreds get passed over because they aren't "right" for the feature or the portfolio or whatever else I'm culling for. I'm going to start sharing some of those here on the blog. This, for example, is one of my favorite bouquets ever... for my little sister Olivia.

Image by Alec Vanderboom | Floral Design by Lauryl Lane.

autumnal martha

When Martha arrives, all I want to do is brew a cup of tea and cozy up on the sofa to flip through page after glossy page of stunning images. Martha Stewart Living has been my favorite magazine since I was a young girl. When I was in grade school, our next-door-neighbor, Mrs. Rubottom (if you're reading this, Mrs. Ru, hi!), would pass MSL issues on to my mother after she'd read them. I devoured those issues. Later, my mum got her own subscription and I would often intercept the latest issue before mum even knew it had arrived.

After my college days of reading Cosmopolitan and Glamour (once I realized that I no longer cared about features like "10 Ways to Drive Your Man Crazy"), when I was in my own little apartment with my {lovah}, I got my own subscription to Martha. Although I've subscribed to many other magazines over the years, Martha Stewart Living is the only magazine that I've continued to get consistently, with no lapses. I keep all my past issues, because they are always relevant and I often find myself pulling out all the past May issues for gardening ideas or all the past December issues for holiday decor inspiration. It's good to have a few "constants" in your life. Martha is my "constant."

On an unrelated note, I recently inherited my great-grandmother's gorgeous velvet-upholstered sofa. Every time I walk through the living room and spot this beauty, I think of dear Grandma Vasu and I imagine how pleased she would be to see her sofa in my home.

It's the little things...

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

teatime

Being in the wedding industry is strange. There will be times, particularly during the winter, when I won't work for two or three weeks at a time. I'll make myself a little bit mad by organizing and re-organizing my home and office and studio... blogging an insane amount, baking up a storm, and then feeling weird because I'm not working. During those times, I have to create work for myself just so I don't feel useless. Not that house-wifely things are ever useless, but I'm a career woman. I need to be working, at least to some extent, or I can get into a serious funk.

There are other times in the wedding industry, namely now, when I feel crazy for the opposite reason. I am so busy that my head is spinning and I've been confusing my events and mis-filing my papers. I always catch my mistakes, but I have to remind myself to slow down and take a little bit of time to relax so I don't lose my mind completely. In the past three weeks I've flown to three different states and driven through eight more. I've been in hot, humid 100 degree temps, comfortable 70 degree temps and chilling 50 degree temps! In the midst of it all, I took an hour out of a recent afternoon to bake some shortbread, brew some tea, and read a chapter of a novel. It was SO worth it. And when I'd drained the last sip of tea from my cup, I was refreshed and ready to attack my work with renewed vigor. For I was also reminded how grateful I am to be busy. Life is good!

I've shared this recipe before, but newer readers may still appreciate it... for me, it never gets old. And the simplicity makes it all the more appealing!

Cranberry-Orange Shortbread

In a large bowl, combine:

  • 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, sifted
  • 2 & 1/4 cups flour, sifted
  • pinch of salt

When the ingredients are well combined and crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of orange flavoring and 1 cup of dried cranberries (I prefer Trader Joe's orange-flavored dried cranberries). Pat the mixture into an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 275 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.

Isn't this tea-cozy adorable? It was custom-made for me by my mother's good friend, Sandra Dalrymple. She's an incredible mixed-media artist in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I only wish she had a website...

If you're in crazy-busy mode, like me, please take some time to recharge your batteries! Even fifteen minutes away from the phone and the computer on your patio to breath in the fresh air and listen to the sounds of your neighborhood will give you a whole new outlook on life...  I promise you, you won't regret it!

Images | Plant Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

checking in...

I saw most of my family last week at my cousin's wedding, family members I hadn't seen since my little sister's wedding more than a year previous. I couldn't believe how many people mentioned that they missed my regular blog posts! Sometimes I forget that people actually read this blog on a regular basis- and frankly, I didn't know that the majority of my sisters were among those regular readers.

So I'm just popping in to say that there is lots of blogging to come! I've been swamped with work, travel weddings have been taking up a great deal of my time and I just haven't been home to sit down & write blog posts. But I've been taking pictures and I have plenty of content to share when my wedding season winds down... thank you for bearing with me!

Image | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.