Intern Needed

April 4, 2013

HELP! I am looking for my very first intern. My business is expanding rapidly and I am sorely in need of some assistance. From research to accounting to styling to shopping to designing to brainstorming, I basically need someone who is fun, creative, and up for anything. The ideal candidate will:

reside in Los Angeles, east L.A. is best, Silverlake is better still
be able to commit 10-15 hours a week for 4 months beginning May 1st (hours are flexible!)
be available to travel some weekends during the summer and autumn
use this experience for school credit
be proficient with Apple computers/software
be social media/web/wordpress saavy
desire to learn all about running a home-based business!

I am willing to teach and train in exchange for a hard-working, dedicated assistant. The four month commitment is unpaid, but has the potential to turn into paid (hourly) part-time, ongoing work. To be considered for this position, please send me an email with resume and work/education history, two professional references, links to your social media presence and a bit about yourself as well as why you think you'd like to work with me! Thank you, I can't wait to meet my new intern!

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Au Natural

March 27, 2013

I'm designing with a LOT of color these days - my clients are pretty gaga over the vibrant array of spring shades that are available right now. And I love color too, no doubt about it, but despite the gorgeous hues at my fingertips, I still gravitate towards green and white. It's just so fresh and lovely and natural. And it looks good in my home, so there's that. Big arrangements, small arrangements, any arrangement at all.

Images | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Daffodils in Bloom

March 20, 2013

They have a short lifespan, so their nature is fleeting, but like all flowers, that's part of what makes them luxurious and covet-worthy. Daffodils come from ugly little bulbs, are harvested and sold while the flower is still completely contained in it's strange papery shell, and yet within a matter of a few hours with the right combination of water and light and warmth, the most exquisite blooms emerge. Every spring, I find myself in awe. Aren't they exceptional? And could they possibly be more cheerful? I think daffodils are truly the epitome of spring.

Images | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Hollandaise Sauce

March 14, 2013

Best Blender Hollandaise

3 egg yolks dash of salt dash of cayenne 2+ tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice one stick of butter

Put all the ingredients except for the butter into your blender and blend for a couple of seconds until they are combined. Then melt your butter in the microwave just until it is fully melted. Take the small cover off of the hole in your blender lid, and with the blender blades running, slowly pour the melted butter into the blender in a thin stream. The hollandaise will fly back up at you during this process, so I find it's best to hold a piece of paper towel over the hole with my left hand, just leaving enough space to pour the butter in with my right hand. As soon as the butter has been incorporated, taste-test to see if you need to add more salt, cayenne or lemon juice. Voila!

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

The Greenest of Bouquets

March 13, 2013

I can't get enough of green these days. By "these days," I suppose I mean my life, since green has been my favorite color as long as I can remember. I won't deny that I'm obsessed with using foliage "these days," as well. All of my 2013 weddings will be foliage-heavy, and I'm having a blast choosing which types of foliage to use for different events. When I worked in a flower shop in my early floral design days, salal leaf (or "lemon leaf") was our main foliage staple. It wasn't until years later that I learned what a vast array of foliage was available to me. I mean, ferns alone come in over twelve thousand varieties. Wow.

Images | Styling | Floral Design by Lauryl Lane.

Tea Time | Soho Tea

March 8, 2013

When I was attending the International Tea Festival here in Los Angeles last fall, I spent some time discussing teas with Emeric Harney at the Harney & Sons festival booth. Emeric runs the Harney & Sons shop on Broome Street in New York City, and he's responsible for blending the new Soho tea. I tried it for the first time at the festival and purchased it on the spot. Now I'm waiting for a shipment to arrive with a POUND of Soho tea because that's how much I love it. How could you possibly go wrong with adding chocolate and coconut flavors to black tea? The description from Harney says "This blend embodies the flavors of some of Soho's best sweet shops." As if I needed convincing!

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Avocado Breakfast

March 7, 2013

We have had no shortage of avocados lately as our "neighborhood" avocado tree is producing more than we can possibly consume. But I still try to eat as many as possible, partially because I L-O-V-E avocados and partially because I don't want the neighborhood racoons and skunks to get them! Sliced avocado on toasted English muffins with poached eggs on top is one of the most simple and delicious breakfasts around.

Images | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Botanical Foraging

March 6, 2013

This is literally one of the best times of year for botanical foraging. If you live in a more suburban or remote area, it's likely that you'll have a lot more variety when you head out to forage for botanical elements-- but seeing as I'm in Los Angeles, the second most densely-populated city in the United States of America, I think these pictures are proof enough that botanical foraging can be highly successful even in the most urban of settings. A few blossoming branches, a handful of fresh lavender from the plants by my front door, some purple-hued foliage from a potted plant, and a few more bits of foliage from neighborhood bushes, and I have everything I need to create some sweet little super-springy arrangements for my home. Perhaps next week I'll venture further afield: I saw jasmine vine growing over a fence in a parking lot the other day, and there's masses of bougainvillea in the alley behind my housing complex. What have you found in your botanical-foraging expeditions???

Images | Styling | Floral Design by Lauryl Lane.

Currently Reading | How Shakespeare Changed Everything

March 5, 2013

How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen Marche

Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Weekend Wishes

March 2, 2013

Image | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

Tea Time | English Breakfast Tea

March 1, 2013

I don't know that there is much to say about English Breakfast Tea. It's a classic. Everyone loves it, right? I didn't become a serious tea-drinker until my first summer studying in London in my late teens. Each morning, I would join my fellow Shakespeare students in the breakfast room and a server would rush over with a hot pot of English Breakfast and a little caddy of toast. It became such a ritual, that to this day (over a decade later), I have trouble getting on with my day if I don't start it off with a cup of black tea. This particular English Breakfast, from Harney and Sons, is inspired by the same tea that the British began drinking regularly in the early 1800's- it's a Chinese black tea that is best enjoyed with a tiny bit of sugar and creamer.

Images | Floral Design | Styling by Lauryl Lane. Votes for Women teapot and teacup from the Newport Preservation Society.

Breakfast at Los Feliz Cafe

February 28, 2013

Although I am always up for lemon ricotta pancakes or beignets with Madagascar vanilla dipping cream, occasionally I'll find myself in the mood for a solid, no-muss, no-fuss breakfast. Los Feliz Cafe is the perfect destination when that sort of craving hits: good coffee, eggs cooked perfectly any way you want them, traditional pancakes or french toast, crispy bacon or savory sausage. A meal that will stick with you even if you're about to spend the day at Disneyland.

Los Feliz Cafe 3207 Los Feliz Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039 -323-661-2355

Images by Lauryl Lane.