A simple beautiful cake..

I truly appreciate an artisan. Adrienne of Adrienne's Cakes in Jeffersonville is definitely an artisan. There are many cake designers in the Kentuckiana area and to me, she is a definite stand out.

Her cakes are beautiful, flawless, impeccably detailed and taste divine. I have had the opportunity to work with her on many weddings and I am never disappointed. Each cake is unique. I am especially looking forward to seeing a cake she will be creating for one of my brides with a June wedding date. It is a delicate vintage looking cake with a textured lace-like scalloped finish.

If you are still searching for your cake designer, please stop by her cafe. She is a delight to work with. Beyond the wedding cakes Adrienne's mega brownies are amazing!!! If you love chocolate these need to meet your tongue. They're chocolate with chocolate topped off with more chocolate. And then there are the cannoli, the chocolate or peanut butter filled chocolate cookies and the frosting....on anything....yummm.

PS..The photo I've attached is from the wedding this past Saturday. I loved the simplicity of this cake. It was simple, but the detail was flawless. No seams on the frosting, perfectly smooth, perfect, even scroll work and a beautiful soft ivory color.

The 'House' down the street

I haven't blogged much this month and it really bugs me.

If you know me, you know I love to communicate..speaking, punctuated with hand and facial gestures, inflections in my tone of voice and of course rapid Chicago-bred speed. And I love to write. That gift I acquired during many years of being taught by Dominican nuns. Those wonderful faux-penguins beat writing into us..literally. Creative, expressive, make the reader feel everything - kind of writing. They were wonderful women and they could teach. But you know, it's truly part of me. I just have to get it out. Not just the written language on paper or a computer but the other language I speak with.. the language of flowers. Communicate, no matter what the form of communication.. written, spoken, floral, photos, dance--[okay, you don't want to see me dance, maybe someone else, just not me.] Even my grandfather told me years ago- I had the gift of gab- I guess I never shut-up- and I always had something to say. Needless to say he lovingly called me 'Gabby'.

So, today, I will post a couple of blogs. I will 'gab' like nobody's business. Don't say I didn't warn you..

On to the 'House' down the street... Yesterday morning I had to run out on a very early delivery. On my way back, I saw down at the other end of the street this 'House' sitting in the middle of the intersection, surrounded by many frenzied people. This 'House' was an old historic home being moved from along the river front to a spot a few blocks away, and just down the street from the shop. The frenzied people were the firemen and many others helping to safely move this little gem to it's new location. It was just very cool to actually see this happen. The last home moved to the neighboring location took place a couple of years ago. I wanted to see it in progress and missed it, so this was my chance. Now, I'm glad I had to take that delivery- I wasn't at the time- so, I thought I'd share this photo.

Major snow and a wedding

March .. it's spring, well almost.

At least it's spring at the flower markets..tulips, daffodils, hydrangea plants. And of course brides planning their wedding for March 8 are thinking spring. I know that's what my bride Karry and her fiance Patrick were thinking. But Mother Nature must not have received her invitation to the wedding.

Like most couples, Karry and Patrick planned their spring wedding with much excitement and anticipation. As we all know, by Wednesday of this week, we were expecting snow. Typically that's not such a big deal. But, this was mega snow...at least for southern Indiana. The location of the ceremony and reception was nestled up in Starlight at Huber's Winery. On a good day, the drive is beautiful- when there's snow, I don't feel the same way.

So I called the Mother of the Bride- I prefered not to speak with the bride, she didn't need any more stress than necessary. .[Mom agreed] Mother confirmed the day, storm or not, would commence as planned. But.. being a wise mother, she said bring everything Friday instead of Saturday- the actual wedding day. We were able to keep everything refrigerated at Huber's- [They're wonderful to work with. They are on my list of preferred places to work for that reason and many more.] The roads were messy but drivable. We both knew that Saturday may not be the same. The snow would continue through Friday night.

Luckily, my wonderful Friday crew, Kim, Joyce and Larry, kicked it up getting all of the decor and accessories packed for delivery while I did the floral work. Not only did we have the wedding flowers, but the rehearsal dinner decor also.

So, Larry accompanied me -he said he'd drive-[I think he was afraid I'd fly off a curve, he doesn't know what a cautious driver I am.. the flowers are like driving with babies in the vehicle.. add snow to the mix and I'm even more careful.] So off we went. Got up there, set up, drove back to the shop and loaded up the rehearsal stuff. Drove to the Bristol downtown and headed home ASAP. Then it really snowed!!

Well, I guess there's always a first for everything. I've never had snow interrupt a wedding and I've never set up a wedding one day before. So even after 25 years of being the business..expect the unexpected.

Best wishes to Karry and Patrick- your adventure has begun. I hope the day was wonderful and your trip to Florida is memorable.

All the best-
Carolyn

What's with the type-os ??

Okay, if you read the previous post you'll find type-os.. and a misspelled word- that's even worse !! I hate them...it's like a poppy seed in your tooth and you're yapping away and no one bothers to tell you and then you see it later and think - Yeah, thanks for saying something !!-- and I can only blame the computer. Three times I changed the errors and what the heck, they're back !

So, email me with the type-os you found and I'll give you some flowers. That will make me proof things better. I'm totally serious..email me.

Now, I must go home. I really do have one.

Some gals you should meet

Okay, if you know me, you know I LOVE to work with creative people. I love positive, who

think outside the box. The I'll find a way to do it kind of people. Which leads me to introduce you to two nifty gals... Elizabeth and her mother and business partner, Tina.

I had the pleasure to work with them on Elizabeth's fall '07 wedding- so the flowers were wonderful- but not just because I got to do them- because they had a vision of what they wanted and we ran with it. Elizabeth and Tina had some wonderful and creative ideas to truly personalize the day. They went above and beyond in doing alot of things themselves. Typically, I discourage taking on so much, but they honestly were able to complete the tasks they set out to do. And they did an amazing job. They spent alot of time researching sources for paper, ribbon, and supplies of all types in order to create the atmosphere of a romantic yet current, ceremony location and reception. They focuced on specific details and continued them from ceremony through reception. I truly applaud them in doing such an amazing job. Many brides do attempt to take on decor and flowers and alot more than their schedules and talents allow. Sometimes this turns into frustration and disappointment or worse, wasted money. What worked for Elizabeth and Tina was they new what they could do in the timeframe preceeding the many parties, showers and work schedules. They planned to take things on accordingly and did a marvelous job..... So what to do after the wedding day is over???? Well, start your own business of course!!

So, may I introduce to you... We deux, I do ! Unique wedding details... their website is www.wedeuxido.com Elizabeth and Tina would be a wonderful source for any couple, wanting ideas and inspiration to personalize their own event. Why? because they've already done their homework. They can do as much or as little as you'd like. They have the sources and can make your life easier while you prepare for your big day. I truly enjoyed working with them and I think they found a great niche in the wedding industry that needed a fresh approach.


I wish them a successful start and look forward to hopefully working with them in the future.

All the best..
Carolyn

Spring cleaning.. the shop and my flower porn

I'm so glad to be home right now. No one else is here. The TV is off. No radio. Just me, the laptop and Heidi [my German Shepherd] snoozing at my feet.

I'm pooped! I did a shop sleepover last night, yes, Heidi stayed too. My husband was out of town and this was my chance to get some spring cleaning done. The Spring Fling is next Saturday, from 10-3. As if that isn't enough, I also have two weddings to do. So, I stayed over. I had to move furniture and rearrange the shop. As I term it, fluff and puff, the shop. I flipped the shop, put out the new stuff that arrived yesterday and worked on the cut flower orders that came in for today's deliveries. And I must say, I truly am pooped... but I'm not done yet.

I still have 3 brides to write up proposals for, get to a Kinkos for new printed material before the Open House, get out the follow up postcards to the Brides from a recent wedding show and my favorite- organize the Flower Porn.

Did she just say - Flower Porn?? Why, yes, I did. That's been my term for all of the images I've downloaded for the past 2-3 years. These are images of everything from single blossoms to bouquets, centerpieces and anything else I think may be an inspiring visual for our clients- typically brides for these particular files. I use these files after meeting with brides to give them a better visual to make them comfortable with their decision on the flowers. I know what I'm going to do with their flowers but they don't always see it the same way, and the Flower Porn helps. Of course those are not the photos we use on our website.. we use our own images of our own work. Since it seems to be a challenge for some local photographers to get photos back to us--[and of course our favorite photographers always get us their images- that's why we love them!] we use the Flower Porn as a back up. Think of it a one giant wedding magazine with no ads and only great photos of everything perfect you could possible dream of. So tomorrow I'll have to start on the files.

We'll be launching a new version of our website soon. Jen has been reworking our current site, giving it a fresh, new look- and it's going to be awesome. She will have to re- load all of our flower porn from the weddings, events and corporate stuff we've done. She's also been busy re-working our logo, mailing info and postcards. She is one busy girl... I do love her, and truly appreciate all of her computer skills.

Well, I've got to get started on the proposals. There's always something to do.

All the best,
Carolyn, Lulu and Heidi too!

Enough Winter already!!

I know being from Chicago, winter shouldn't faze me [and really it doesn't] but I'm really over it already. I'm so over the gloomy, over cast sky and ice, although those iced branches were absolutely beautiful while I drove down the hills from the Knobs. There is always something positive with each negative. And I have really enjoyed all of the yummy hot chocolate. So bring on Spring!!

Yippee!! While at the flower market this morning- that hardest thing was deciding -what not to buy? There were beautiful tulips, flowering cherry branches, ranunculus, iris, gorgeous snap dragon, and daffodil. A favorite limited availablity flower- acacia aka.. mimosa at the market. Oh, be still my heart. I love this stuff! I think it holds a special place in my heart because I remember when I first started in my floral career- let's see...25 years ago- yes, I was only 10-wink, wink... I loved seeing all of these unusual flowers I was completely unaware of. Acacia was one of them- it looked like fuzzy, yellow Trix cereal on a branch. But they smelled like a pumpkin when it's cut open-- pretty but not flowery scented.

So, I've attached some photos of the acacia and another absolute favorite- ranunculus. The pictures don't do the flowers any justice..they're just beginning to open. They look like beautiful twins to an English rose when they're in full bloom. They're beautiful just by themselves with nothing else.

And of course.. there's the photo of Lulu. This cat leads a great life. She has tons of people who just love her. They really do just come in to the shop and ask for her. They don't care about the beautiful acacia..they don't even ask what's new- just "Where's Lulu?" So, I caught the fur-ball sleeping on my desk. I had to document this and just share the moment. I wish I could sleep like that.. not a care in the world. Hmmmm. Maybe she's thinking about Spring.

All the best.
Carolyn and Lulu

Great photos from a fall wedding

Although I try my very best to snap some photos from the weddings and events we do..it's not always possible. It's during those busy set up times I truly rely on the hired, professional photographer.

Over time, I have come to realize the true difference in professional photographers. Price does not always determine the best or not so best-photographer. Although each tries to get the expected shots, each also sees an event through their own perspective. It is their unique perspective and the way they capture it that impresses me.

We had the opportunity to work with Nikki and Bradford on their fall wedding. Both have backgrounds in theatre.. [and amazingly know my brother, also and actor in Chicago- what a small world!] They wanted simple but beautiful flowers that reflected a couple of important details linking the couple. The first, incorporate feathers... Nikki and Bradford met during a Rocky Horror production and somewhere along the way a feather boa got the two talking and the rest was history. So, I obliged and included delicate white feathers in Nikki's bouquet and Bradford's boutonniere. The second, Nikki also designs jewelry and she would be wearing a couple of custome pieces to compliment her attire. So the flowers were not to take away from that. Not a problem. We kept it simple, focused on the colors white seasonal flowers with a periwinkle blue accent and didn't forget the feathers.

I've attached a couple of photos and truly credit -Jessie Kriech Higdon and her husband for the great photos. They are amazing to work with and do great things with a camera. I highly recommend them if you're looking for a photographer. They are truly artists!!

A Couple of Booked Dates

Just wanting to post now about a couple of dates that the shop will be closed.

We will be closed Saturday, April 19- for out of town business.

Friday May 2, the shop will close early due to a large event set up for a Pre-Derby party. Saturday, May 3, Derby Day.. we will be closed.. due to setting up for parties.

We will be closed memorial Day weekend.. May 24-26..Happily, we are booked for an event that will take us out of town.

We're sorry if you're checking in for possible wedding dates on these weekends. But, knowing now that our complete staff will be booked, we would rather decline any additional events.

Best wishes
Carolyn and Lulu
PS..
Lulu will be doing nothing to help with these events. She will stay at the shop and look beautiful.

TRAPP Candles... Back in Stock !!

Okay a TRAPP Candle fans-- you've waited long enough. Kim officially spoke with TRAPP today and the candles ship in 2 days and we should have the candles in the shop by the end of next week. I'm hoping sooner rather than later and then we'll have them in for Valentine's Day.

So, to celebrate this long anticipated arrival-- [we know you've waited since before Christmas] if you mention reading this blog... you'll receive a free TRAPP votive with the purchase of 3 votives AND a coupon good for 10% off a large TRAPP poured candle.

The following scents are expected to ship... #4 Orange Vanilla, #7 Patchouli Sandlewood, #8 Freshcut Tuberrose, #12 Guava Mango, #13 Uncle Bob's Flower Shop, #14 Mediterranean Fig,

#15 Vanilla Tarte, #19 Exotic Musk, #20 Water, #39 Sexy Cinnamon, and #41 Black Pepper

The votives are $3.50 and the large poured jars are $22.ea.....If you want us to hold a particular scent call us ASAP ! 812-288-2388 Certain scents definitely sell out quickly.

Have a great day!

All the best.

Carolyn and Lulu

Okay... I'm a little challenged..what is uwmag??

Okay... so yesterday, I was trying to post something about a local -'girlpower'- publication and their web address- uwmag.com----with my infinite deficiencies in being a technically saavy gal- I inadvertantly hit enter and - Poof! the title only was published. Of course I didn't know that and continued to go on and on about Valentine's Day and blah.. blah ..blah. And today I realized nothing got published.. Lucky you!!

Anyway, check out this amazing local publication.. Underwired. It oozes positive vibes, is well written, with beautiful ads, and great content. And yes, we hope to have some advertising in the upcoming issues.

That's all for now. I really do have some work to do..I mean Valentine's Day is next week.

All the best..
Carolyn and Lulu

uwmag...

Upcoming Events

Well, I have the dates for our upcoming events for the spring season..

The 'Spring Fling' is scheduled for Saturday, March 8 from 10-3. This event includes our shop as well as the other great shops along downtown historic Spring Street. If you haven't been to this before, it's a really nice way to get to see the rest of the shops in a leisurely way. The Easter Bunnies will be strolling, people will be enjoying treats, and the shops will be filled with beautiful things to inspire you for warm weather and outdoor living -once again. Spring cannot come soon enough.

Then.. Thurday, April 3, from 6-9pm select shops including ours, will be hosting local Artisans for our second 'Art on Spring'. Our previous showing was a definite success and our artists received many compliments. We are very excited about the new artisans we'll be working with.

Meanwhile...in the shop..Lots of beautiful spring plants have arrived. If you stop in the shop, you can at least pretend Spring is here. It smells wonderful, looks colorful and has a happy atmosphere to calm the senses and warm your soul.

Thanks for reading..
Carolyn and Lulu

Look what's coming !!

I'm so excited to show you a glimpse of what's coming for early Spring !

We have carried the LaVieParisienne jewelry and it has flown out of the shop...so, some lovely pieces will be arriving again. Look for the Fleur de lis and horse shoe necklace, and other silver lockets along with some beautiful bracelets in antique silver and gold.

I have found a wonderful line of truly handmade soaps..yes, made in small batches of about 36 bars. Made in Brooklyn, new York. They're made with olive oil and all natural ingredients..some with butter- yum! The wrappers are little works of art and I'm very excited to get these in the shop.

We'll also begin getting our beautiful bulb plants, more orchids [love 'em! ] and fab spring flowers ranunculus, anemone, french tulips, forcythia, flowering branches and lots of other lovelies. So, stay tuned.

Oh, and I'm getting ready to do the Wedding Show at Garden Court-- if you're getting married stop by.. This is a wonderful show..not just because we're there.. it's a visual delight. I have been lucky enough to get invited every year...there's a waiting list for vendors- so, lucky us. I'm still planning my details of what I'll bring. I do know I'll be located in the atrium...brrr- it tends to be just a little chilly out there--but it's great for the flowers.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of this cold weekend. Stay warm, have some hot chocolate, grab your honey and snuggle up.

All the best-

Carolyn and Lulu

Read our blog..get rewards !!

So... the goal for the new year is more traffic to our blog.

After a little pondering, I've decided to use our blog as the source for our clients old and new to learn more about Lavender Hill. Not just about the wonderful events we get to do, but the connection - if you will, between our shop and the people who help to keep our doors open.

My goal is to use this blog as a source for information, let you know when new things will be arriving, to announce in store sales, and more. I hope this space encourages our clients to 'speak' to us and let us know what they -you, are looking to find at Lavender Hill.

A couple of upcoming things...We know Valentine's Day is coming--please place your order as early as possible. If you mention you read our blog, we will add a gift certificate for a free rose and votive candle. No bribes...we just want to reward you for reading. This reward will be good only through February 13th...remember, we want you to call ahead.

We should be receiving our huge candle order any day now. All the wonderful scents from Archipelago. These amazing candles flew out of the shop during the holiday season. Some favorite scents were Positano, Venus..and of course Havana.

Also, if you're planning a wedding this year, please be sure to go to the Garden Court Wedding Show on Sunday, Feb. 3-- Yes, it's Superbowl Sunday- you'll be done with plenty of time to make the parties. To encourage your mate to attend, remember... there will be lots of food, delicious cake and a visual feast for the eyes... beautiful flowers- of course!, dresses and all of the vendors you need for the big day. Pencil the date on your calendar and stop by.

Thanks for reading...
All the best-
Carolyn and Lulu

An end of the year party-

So here I am thinking this year's events are basically over...oh, so wrong!

I had the wonderful opportunity to be introduced to a client 'Mrs. K' from a dear friend in the business- David.

David is an amazingly talented painter, photographer, graphics guru, visual merchandiser, interiors visionary and more- going by the title Starvin Artist.

I had the opportunity to create the florals and collaborate with 'Mrs. K' for the celebration dinner last night at Vincenzo's, honoring her 40th Wedding Anniversary..40 years is HUGE!! I was thrilled she chose me for this event- she has worked with some amazing floral designers in our area. I was very happy she considered my ideas and suggestions for props- these awesome 'water walls' created by a local artisan. They are now part of the inventory of an event company, and luckily they were available for the event. So three water walls were placed in the room with 3 'hedges' we created to surround the water trough. {many thanks to Janette and Angie for following my vision and 'growing' my hedges and to Larry for assembling these little buggers- our drill died during the assembling and Larry forged ahead and got the job done.} Thanks too, to my dear husband for saving the day by getting another drill to us..Larry was most pleased.

Anyway, 'Mrs. K' put alot of thought into the details to make each guest feel appreciated in sharing their 40 years. From the chairs they sat on to the exquisite gold charger plates, no detail was overlooked.

As far as the centerpieces...they included Virginia roses {over three dozen in each arrangement} along with white hydrangea, white stock, calla lily and the best thing- white peonies- yes, peonies in December. They were delicately accented with sparklie vintage ferns. The glass Clarinet vases were illuminated with lights placed beneath the vase surrounded with rose petals and votive candles. 'Mrs. K' was going for a classic, elegant refined look for the table decor.

The side tables in front of the mirrors had beautiful oblong arrangments of assorted creme pillar and taper candles. The flowers complimented the table decor..roses, hydrangea and stock accented with galax leaves and mirrored bead sprays.

The staff at Vincenzo's complimented the floral and decor choices. I was happy they were impressed. Being a smaller floral company, we made a very big impression. They are very used to seeing the local 'best' in floral and event design. So again I'm pleased that 'Mrs. K' chose us as her floral source. I look forward to the opportunity to work at Vincenzo's again.

So, enough chattering. I've attached some photos of the party. I did have to jet back to the restaurant before I headed home. I only peeked into the private room as guests arrived.. no, I didn't go in, just looked thru the window as I passed-I must say- it really did look beautiful..flowers, friends and lots of love.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. K--- now, bring on the New Year.

All the best-

Christmas is just around the corner

I know the holiday is inching up, just a matter of days... but I'm just not ready.

Our shop is more than ready, lots of sparkly things, wreaths, ornaments and more. Our floral cooler smells divine, with the scents of cedar and pine. We're ready for the deliveries...I'm just wondering if everyone is thinking we have more time.

Believe it or not- we also have one last wedding of the season- this Friday evening. Phillip and Ellen will be getting married. Phillip is in the Army and shortly after the wedding they'll be moving to Seattle before Phillip receives his orders to go overseas. I wish them the very best.
I do hope to snap a few photos while at the wedding and if I can get some good shots, I will definitely post them.

We've had a couple of requests for some nifty florals--- we'll be designing some party decor for a lovely 40th anniversary party at Vincenzo's just before the New Year. We also have been retained to redesign the florals for the currently Caesar's soon to be Horseshoe Casino. We're thrilled to have gotten the commission and plan to have everything done before the new year. So, we have just a few things to get done before breaking out the champagne.

We wish the very best to everyone this holiday season. Remember what's most important..family, faith, health and friends... the rest is just icing on the cupcake.

All the best-
Carolyn

It's almost over..

Well, 4 weddings down and one more to go today..So as promised some photos.

Okay, so as I'm trying to upload these photos.. I have somehow loaded the same one twice. I did catch this.. but if you know me as some do- you'll also know I don't know how to get rid of this photo.. I don't do computer stuff too well and I'm quite lucky to get up the things I can. So don't laugh at me- I know I have an error on this post.

The few I took at the shop don't even begin to tell the tale from this weekend. Flowers, foliages, grass, tree limbs.. in one of the background shots of Kelly.. beyond belief. Our new gal Angie, picked a great weekend to start.. nothing like -baptism by fire!! PS_ yes, she's in the double post photo..and she helped me srt up at the Hyatt- thanks Angie- you were a HUGE help !!Hopefully we'll get some good photos back from the photographers. Enjoy!

All the best-

Carolyn

Meet Lulu

Okay... so the more I thought about it.. the more I realized- Lulu's photo needs to be on the blog-- Well the internet in general !!

Anyone stopping in at the shop gets to meet her and experience her sweet personality. So I thought it only fitting to make her famous.

This photo was shot by Jessie Kreich-Higdon... a very creative local photographer. She happened to be at the shop for a photo shoot for my daughter Jen...she shot some amazing photos for Jen's senior photos. [I highly recommend Jessie if you're looking for a personable and extremely talented photographer for your wedding, portraits or event] While waiting on a clothing change, Lulu entertained Jessie and - Snap! went the camera... The rest is history..

All the best!
Carolyn