last thanksgiving

Last year, my husband and I flew to Cleveland, Ohio, to be with my maternal side of the family for the Thanksgiving holiday. My uncle/godfather hosted Thanksgiving Dinner at his elegant condominium home in a high-rise overlooking Lake Erie. Everything my Uncle puts his hand to is successful, and Thanksgiving Dinner was no exception.

As I posted yesterday about the Thanksgiving Dinner that I hosted at my new home in Denver, I realized that I never posted pictures from Thanksgiving Dinner last year, even though I was recruited to design the floral decor. Better late than never, right? ;-)

I created one very large mixed floral arrangement for the table, using assorted holiday greens, multi-colored roses, alstroemeria and wheat in a stunning silver and glass pedestal vessel.

I also added mini bud-vases down the center of the table with assorted roses and greenery. My uncle and his wife have very classic, sophisticated taste, and my designs were suited to the style of their home and the way they set the dinner table.

As is usual with family gatherings, my mother lent her hand to penning the place cards.

My cousin announced his engagement to his long-time girlfriend over this Thanksgiving dinner, and in September, we all joined them back in Cleveland for the wedding. Holidays and weddings: definitely a few of my favorite things!

Images | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

giving thanks

Whew! Has it really been a week since Thanksgiving? I had three visiting family members staying with me for nearly a week, so I'm still trying to get caught up on all the cleaning/laundry that ensues with houseguests. It was really wonderful though, to spend time with my mother and grandparents, and we had such a wonderful, relaxing time together.

We were joined by additional family members, for a total of eleven people around our Thanksgiving Dinner table. They came from Cleveland, Ohio; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Grand Junction and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and we were truly blessed that our family traveled from near and far to be with us on our first holiday in our new home city!

Although we are currently renting a small house, we didn't really have the space for eleven people. So we decided to get creative, and we actually served Thanksgiving dinner in our basement. The biggest room in our basement is long and narrow, and we have it divided into a den on one side and my office on the other, with a wall of curtains separating the spaces. So for Thanksgiving dinner, we moved the furniture to the edges of the room, pulled back the curtain, patched two tables together and covered them with a big tablecloth. We nabbed chairs from all over the house, not to mention the patio, so that we could provide a seat for every bottom. I was a little concerned that it would be too cold in the basement, or too unconventional, but nobody seemed to mind.

When you set a pretty table and ply people with good food and good booze... people tend to be very, very happy. ;-)

There wasn't much space on the table for decor, so I kept things simple with gold glittered trees, arrangements of holiday greens and gold roses, gold pinecone candlestick holders, and some assorted mini pumpkins.

My mother penned some placecards in her gorgeous handwriting, and provided her beautiful pressed-cookies as favors for each of our guests.

It was a lovely holiday. I hope your Thanksgiving was lovely, too. I think I should go eat some leftover pumpkin pie, now.

Images | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

unpacking the office

My former "office" in Los Angeles.

One of my major goals this week is to get my new office unpacked and organized. I am having so much trouble with it! In L.A., my "office" was a tiny corner of our only bedroom. I met clients in my living room, so the office space really was just a few square feet, carefully organized. It was tight, but it worked. Here in Denver, there is private access to our basement from outside, so my husband and I decided that I should meet clients in my office instead of in our home. It's a great idea, in theory, but I honestly don't know how to deal with so much space. I'd been longing for more space for so long, and now that I have it, I'm stumped.

Cross your fingers for me. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have gotten my act together and can share photos of my new office!

Images | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

winter wonderland

Less than a week after I arrived in Denver, I woke up one morning to about eight inches of snow!!! First snow of the season, and in October!!! And exactly one week later, we got ten inches more!  The locals here say all the early snow is unusual and probably means that we're in for a mean winter. I'm slightly terrified and also terribly excited. The prospect of a white Christmas absolutely thrills me to pieces!

I don't mind being "snowed-in." I suppose that's one of the great things about working from home, and also one of the worst! I never get to claim a snow day, work is always just a few steps away. But on the upside, that also means that if I am snowed-in, there's a very slim chance that I'll get cabin fever. I'll always have something to do!

Having an early snow like this sure made for some particularly gorgeous trees- it's just stunning to see the changing leaf colors with a layer of snow on them. Pretty, pretty!

And I couldn't resist an image of my "Cali-convertible" completely covered in white powder. When I bought this car, I definitely didn't envision it like this!

It amazed me how much the snow blows around- even the succulents on my covered back patio were covered in drifts of snow. I've since moved my succulents into the studio... they didn't seem to be a big fan of freezing temperatures.

I also had to cut back the palm tree - the weight of the snow ended up breaking almost all of the branches. And the fountain has been turned off since we discovered that even running water can freeze!

I know that many people don't like snow or cold temperatures- and while I'll admit that I'm not yet fully adjusted and my winter wardrobe needs some serious improvements- I also know that the biggest things I've missed living in Southern California have been experiencing all four seasons and SNOW!!! There is something ridiculously cozy about snuggling under a blanket and looking out your window at a white winter wonderland. I love it.

Images by Lauryl Lane.

grey likes ashley & tinoush’s wedding!

My dear friend Summer, the brilliant woman behind the nom de plume Grey, has posted one of my recent weddings on her blog, Grey Likes Weddings. Ashley, the beautiful bride, was one of my Chi Omega sorority sisters at The University of Tulsa. I'll have lots more to share about this wedding and all the exquisite details in the near future.... for now, check out Victor Sizemore's glorious pictures on Grey Likes Weddings!!!

the big reveal!!!

I write to you today from the awe-inspiring state of....

It's my new home!

I know the rumor mills have been circulating, and I'm happy to put all the speculation to rest. It's official! I have moved to Denver, Colorado, and am in the process of relocating my company as well. Earlier this morning we put out an official press release, and I love how the title was worded, "Botanical Stylist Lauryl Lane Says Goodbye To Hollywood Hills And Hello To Rocky Mountains."

Those who have been following my work/blog will know that I've had an ongoing love affair with the city of Los Angeles, and saying goodbye to L.A. is definitely one of the hardest things I've ever done. Los Angeles has been so good to me. I know a lot of people who, like me, grew up in the midwest and then moved to the "big city," only to be chewed up and spit out. Why L.A. never did that to me, I don't know. It must have known I was a kindred spirit from day one. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences in Los Angeles, and the friends I've made there will remain my friends for life. I also have an exceptional base of clients in Southern California, and I will continue to serve them no matter where I end up.

Nothing changes for my clients currently booked in SoCal. I will be there, designing your events, just as planned. I have a place to stay anytime I need to go back to L.A., and I also have the use of a friend's floral design studio in West Hollywood. I will continue to take bookings in the area too, although those will be limited.

My husband moved here in July, and I've gone back and forth many times already. The two hour flight between DEN & LAX is unbelievably pain-free. But I've missed my husband, a lot, and I've ultimately decided that I want to cut back on the amount of travel weddings/events that I'm doing anyway, and focus on designing "at home."

Although Denver was never a city "on our radar," we like it. I've always considered myself a "mountain girl," despite never having lived near mountains of any kind...  so moving to Colorado felt like "going home." I miss my friends in L.A. like crazy, but in this digital age, good friends are only a skype away, so I think I'll be just fine. ;-)

Can I just say how EXCITED I am to start designing here in Colorado? This place is so gorgeous I can hardly stand it! I'm still setting up my office and getting my studio unpacked, but I'll have lots more details to share in the coming days and weeks and months...

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this move possible, and to those of you who have been my support system along the way. I can't wait to introduce you to this city as I find my own way in it!!!

just a little reminder

If you've been following me on Twitter or Facebook, then you likely know that I have some big news to share. I've been counting down for over a week, and the countdown finally ends tomorrow! I'm not very good at keeping secrets and I've been itching to make this reveal, so make sure you check back here tomorrow after 10am PST for my announcement!

Image | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

happy happy halloweeny!

A ballerina was my go-to halloween costume when I was a child. Now, Joan Holloway is my go-to. Yes, I dressed Mad-Men style for the second year in a row. I spent a long time getting the "Joan" walk down pat, and now it seems wasteful not to use it at least a few more times... ;-)

I celebrated Halloween over the weekend, so I'm pretty Halloweened-out by now, but if you're celebrating today, have fun and be safe!!!