It has been sometime since I’ve posted a Monday cutie – over a month to be more precise. I’ve been taking time to relax, sleep in, read books and stay in my pajamas all day. Hey, who says there can’t be daytime pajamas and nighttime pajamas? Around 1pm I happily change out of my nighttime pajamas and into my daytime pajamas – it’s been quite fabulous. We are starting the two week countdown (hopefully) until Ellis’s arrival and with that comes feelings of excitement, anxiousness, love and happiness as we realize we will soon get to say ‘hello’ to our little girl. It’s been quite an amazing experience carrying this little life inside my body the past 8.5 months and I know this is just the beginning of the journey.  Josh and I have been in a relationship since we were 15 and married for 8 years now. I always thought I had tapped into each part of him but I realize now I was wrong. I could not have possibly known this new ‘fatherly’ part of him until now and my heartstrings are pulled every time Josh talks about Ellis with so much love and protection in his voice. We are excited to celebrate Ellis’s arrival (whenever that might be) with our friends and family who seem equally anxious to meet her. I thought for sometime if I would share these photos or not and I decided that, yes, I would because….well when else can you share photos of a large belly and not be embarrassed but also becuase I’ve had some requests from friends to share nursery/maternity pics and this seems like a good platform to get that done. My sweet friend Jessie (whom I’ve known since high school) made a weekend trip to SLO a few weeks ago and took these photos. Be sure to check her out at Juneberry Photo – she’s a super talented and sweet gal who specializes in photos of families, bellies and children. Jessie is also 1/2 the duo over at Hey Kidd {kenney rome} a fashion styling and photo team in Southern California! Many thank you’s to Jessie and her hubby Adam for making the tip up to SLO, not only for a visit but also for a little photo fun. Also, thanks to Judi over at the Dana Powers House for letting us explore her gorgeous property for the outdoor shots. Monday cutie will be back in action with lots of flowery goodness soon. For now, here you are friends…my big ole’ belly in all it’s glory. xo

It’s such a strange feeling to be at home Valentine’s day morning, sipping coffee and working on a blog post. For so many years my Valentine’s day mornings were spent up at 5am, working away all day at the flower shop filling orders and helping lovers impress that certain someone. There’s a part of me that misses the long work days, sore fingers and deliriousness that would always, without fail, make their appearances the days leading up to Valentine’s day, but there’s an even larger part of me that’s happy to put it all to rest. I’ve never really cared much for Valentine’s day (except that it was always the time of year that my largest paycheck came…let’s be honest here) as I’ve always thought it would be better to express love to those you cared about year round rather than going big once a year….not only that but Valentine’s day is so commercialized that the creativity seems to have been sucked dry and the old fashioned romance and intrigue of it all is seemingly lost. So, this year rather than me making countless flower arrangements and Josh delivering them all we’ll go see our midwife, make some dinner, work on a project for Ellis’s room and maybe get an ice cream….plain and simple….just the way I like it. xo

As for the flowery love this week….our work was featured twice! Once on Green Wedding Shoes for Hallie+Luke’s ‘True Love is a Big Deal’ bash and once on Style Me Pretty for Katherine+Ryan’s intimate and very heartfelt celebration. See the full posts HERE & HERE.

Hello hello! After taking a couple Mondays off we’re back! I took a little ‘baby moon’ with the hus to our favorite island spot in Kauai. We had a great time relaxing, swimming, sunning and reading. Now…back home as we enter the final 9 week stretch until little Ellis arrives. This is also the start of crossing off business goals and getting into the final planning details with our springtime brides! Such exciting things in the works! While we were away the darling ladies over at The Wedding Chicks featured Andrea+Tim’s cheery Flying Caballos wedding! Check out their full feature here. Many thanks to Samuel Potter for sharing his beautiful images with us!

Meet Lori+Noah….they got married back in November @ Santa Margarita Ranch! The details of the wedding were pulled together more than beautifully by Alana over @ Love Me Simple and photographed by the very sweet Barbara Allesandra. Noah made for a handsome groom and Lori was really the most beautiful bride…I mean that necklace and dress…really strikingly gorgeous. Enjoy!

Goodbye 2011, hello 2012! What a year it’s been….I crafted florals for over 55 events, sold my retail shop to focus solely on weddings, we finished the master addition to our home, found out we would welcome a little baby girl on April 1st 2012,  happily welcomed two little nieces into the world (little Fern+sweet Elyza) and helped my mom with her move from San Diego to SLO (!) among many other wonderful and exciting things. As we close the door to 2011 it’s crazy to think it was the last full year without children and with a retail store. From here on out things will be so different in so many ways — it really is a new chapter starting for my family and for my business. I can’t wait to see how the story will unfold. So, cheers to 2011 — I raise my glass (of juice of course!) to you! It’s been a wonderful year full of rich blessings, hard work, and exciting news. And to 2012, may I find contentment, accomplishment, happiness and challenge in all that you will bring! Now, did you wanna see some flowers? Well, here’s some shots from the always epic Cameron Ingalls. Hallie+Luke were married @ the Dana Powers House and crafted so many details for their wedding with personal touches are everywhere you looked! Alana over @ Love Me Simple orchestrated the design and execution perfectly. Enjoy!! 

Happy Monday!

There is so much to be excited for as we head into Christmas week…friends and family close by, the excitement of seeing someone open the perfect gift you found for them, warm drinks, full bellies and celebrations of all kinds. There’s a small part of me that’s always sort of sad this week because I know come 7 days from now the world will pack away it’s Christmas spirit, sparkly gifts and yuletide greetings until next year. I wish the spirit of Christmas would truly last all year long…yes, I love it that much. Here’s a little Christmas treat via Ryan Ray. Jess+Scott are a one-of-a-kind couple with a a style like no one else. Check out the photo gallery and don’t forget to grab a box of tissues before you watch Drew+Ben with The Cana Family rock their talent once again thru film…see the video here. Big thanks to Angel Swanson over at Love and Splendor for pulling all of Jess’s details together and creating some great floral compliments to our pieces.

Okay…I couldn’t stay away long (check out my previous post!). Meet Amy+Luke! Amy actually used to work for me a long while back while attending Cal Poly. Amy has a sense of humor like nobody’s business complimented perfectly with a heart of gold. She and Luke are so in love and it’s evident through every interaction with them! So, when she called me to see if I’d be willing to make the trek to Monterey for she+Luke’s wedding I, of course, said yes! Enjoy a few photos from their day courtesy of the amazing Jen Rodriguez. Want to see the full feature on Style Me Pretty? Click here!

Hello friends and happy belated Thanksgiving! It’s been a little while since my last post and it will probably be a while until my next. With the holidays, the off season, and cold weather I’ve gone into non-work mode and am starting to settle into home projects (can you say baby’s room!!), Christmas crafts and time with friends and family. Not sure when I’ll write again, and in case it’s not for a while – Merry Christmas and warm holiday wishes to YOU! For now I’ll leave you with a sweet feature on Style Me Pretty that came thru this week. See the full post here. A million thanks to Jen Rodriguez for her gorgeous images and the supremely talented Niki+Jonnell over at Events Redefined for pulling things together so seamlessly. xo

Kathryn+Ryan are the sweetest…and so was their wedding. Love, friendship and happiness to them always. Thanks to Chloe over @ Chloe Murdoch Photography for sharing these goregous images with us!

It’s amazing how we can start a journey on a road we think we will always walk along only to find that something keeps us from staying on that road forever. This is the case with my sweet little flower shop and it’s time to say goodbye. My first little baby is coming soon and with a growing family also comes a new direction for my business, and so, April Flowers will now exclusively offer florals for weddings and special events. Our sweet little flower shop will be in someone else’s hands and we know it will be well taken care of. There are many things I will miss about the flower shop  -  the customers, my little darling flower girls, the cold mornings surrounded by fresh flowers with a warm cup of coffee in hand, 16 hour workdays for valentine’s week (yes, I will miss this), boss’s day (the girls always showed me lots of love), wintertime flowers and the cold that they love so much. While I’ll miss all the flower shop has to offer, I’m thrilled to fully immerse myself in my love for weddings. So, I bid ado to my sweet little shop, say hello to happy couples everywhere and settle into my new life as mommy. xo

*enjoy a few photos from around the shop – painting over some very hot pink walls, routing deliveries for Valentine’s day, boss’s day, mom doing some deliveries, my little shop darlings and some fun photo shoots with some fab photographers (Cameron Ingalls and Jonathan Roberts)!