Gardenia

2011-02-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

{ cocktail recipe } { the cards } { the book } { the dress } { the vintage ladies }

In order to celebrate our friends for loving us, and to celebrate our love for them,

why not throw a card game party? Throw on your favorite swing dress, whip up

some cocktails, and feel ultra swanky with your favorite gals!

2011-02-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

The Gardenia crew is fond of not only our men but our darling friends as well.
This week Gardenia will feature daily a inspiration for throwing a Valentine's party
for your friends. The color palette for today's table setting is a fresher version of
traditional valentine's hues. Keeping the pinks and reds, things have been livened up
with nectarine orange and pewter blue. Inspired by the colors of this table setting,
we added touches of gold (because frankly we can't get enough gold) to add additional
glamor. This Valentine's Day is a perfect day to bring out your monogrammed napkins,
bright table linens, gold dinnerware, and crystal stemware. For a special touch, try
folding your monogrammed or embroidered napkin in a different way to really showcase
the design. Salt bowls are a wonderful way to bring charm to the table as well. And of
course, don't forget the bubbly!

{Napkins} + {Champagne flutes} + {Candles} + {Tablecloth} + {China} + {Fresh Flowers} =
A Beautiful Table !

2011-02-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Describe lomography for us.

- Lomography is more of an attitude than a type of camera or film. It started with a small little Russian camera called a Lomo Compact Automatic. Some Austrian back packers stumbled on it in a pawn shop while on their trip. When they got the rolls back they fell in love with the images and the colors that the Lomo's plastic lens gave them. Over the last 17 years it has grown into an international organization. In that time, it has developed a set of 10 rules and a whole culture of professional and novice users who create for the sake of capturing fleeting magic.We shoot on film cameras and we do things wrong on purpose. We use the wrong chemicals to process our film. You see us looking at the strangest things and not using our view finder. It might give you a better idea of the attitude if I give you the rules:

1. Take your LOMO everywhere you go.
2. Use it anytime — day or night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but a part of it.
4. Shoot from the hip.
5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible.
6. Don't think.
7. Be fast.
8. You don't have to know beforehand what you've captured on film.
9. You don't have to know afterwards, either.
10. Don't worry about the rules.

Inside of the Lomography culture there are a lot of people that shoot "Double Exposures". This is where you record two or more images on the same film frame. This is what truly captured my fascination. When I realized you could take more than one picture and mix and match things, my imagination exploded. I spent the next 2 1/2 yrs exploring the concepts that occurred to me. After throwing myself at this, I have completely fallen in love with the process and the results. If you aren't having fun with Lomography, you need to re-evaluate your reasons for shooting. Nothing good ever comes out of my work when I'm not laughing while shooting.

What kind of cameras do you like to use for events? Weddings?

I like to use no more than 4 cameras. I lose track of things, if I go overboard. I will always shoot with the Lomo Compact Automatic (LC-A+). It started the movement and it is a camera that allows me to think about the shot instead of camera settings. I can really be present to the moment. I have a newer 35mm camera called a Petri Color 35. This little silver Japanese wonder has more controls that the LC-A+ but packs the same portability and a sharper glass lens. I use a Holga for soft focus plastic lens dreamy shots. It's bulky, only has 12 shots, but if you hold it right it gives you magic like no other. My final piece is a Minolta Instant Pro. It is one of the few Polaroid cameras Polaroid didn't make. It has extra controls that allow for multiple exposures, lighting control, and is ultra compact. You can't beat Polaroid colors or the immediate feedback.

What is it about lomography that works so beautifully for weddings and events?

I think it is the original feel of the images. Everyone at the event has a digital point and shoot. Friends and family, they can all take the same picture. When a good lomographer is there, they can't even duplicate their results. It's all in the moment and it is reflected in the pictures. The plastic lenses add a dreamy softness to the images that match your memory. No one has a static and sharp image from their time at the wedding and the photos I get to produce are a beautiful amalgamation of the people, place, and the event itself.

What do you feel is the most challenging thing about photographing weddings?

People's expectations about what you should be shooting. I generally like to be a second photographer a a wedding or event, though. Lomography, while beautiful, can be a little unreliable. When it works, it is the most thrilling image to hold, but there are a lot of factors in experimenting like I do. Experimentation, inherently, leads to some failures. I like having a main photographer there to use their digital magic and truly capture everything. It takes the pressure off of me. No one wants to be changing a roll in the middle of a special moment. It frees me up to be as creative as I want and not be held back by the risk. I generally charge a lot less than digital photographers, when I shoot events. It allows both parties to be comfortable having their bases covered and they get artistic shots plus a full digital coverage of their event.

How would you describe your style?

I hadn't really thought a lot about this till I was writing my intro for my book I published for my first show. Here is what I discovered.

I want to shoot what isn't there. What’s in our minds. Melding images together the way our memories come to us. No one image summarizes an event. When you remember a celebration, you don’t remember a single picture of everyone sitting in chairs watching a couple get married or a static image of everyone dancing out on the floor. You remember the floral arrangements, the beautiful chandelier that lit the room, a tree you stared at while waiting for the event to start, that one really funny guy you met while waiting in line at the bar, the hallway to the bathroom you walked down too many times, that woman's poor dress choice, and how happy everyone seemed. It all melds together into one impression.That’s what Multiple Exposures can do that singles can’t. It isn't about structure or capturing something perfectly. I capture life the way you remember it and not the way it happened.

What is your favorite image from an event and why?

Normally I would choose a double exposure shot, but I attended a friend's wedding, recently. Knowing both of them, the way I do, it was wonderful to catch them reacting to the speeches being given by friends and family. I was crouched on the other side of their table waiting for the unguarded moment. I was waiting till you could really see why they were getting married that day. Not when they were hugging, kissing, or dancing, but when they just looked in love. I feel like this shot really brings it through. Small cameras are a benefit when your subject doesn't know you're there.

Where is your dream location for photographing a destination wedding or party?

Goodness...I have so much coming to mind, but what just popped up most solidly is a castle. A big medieval European castle or Feudal Japanese castle; with tapestries, soft ambient lighting, echoing halls, and all sorts of textures, nooks, and aged atmosphere. I could have so much fun with that kind of setting. While I'm at it would need an evergreen forest outside with older radiant bulbs strung up from the entrance all the way out to the trees. Forming a tunnel. Don't just leave me here to keep imagining. I could just keep on creating this scenario and then I'll get depressed that it doesn't exist.

Cameron's Links: {Website} {Flickr} {Twitter} {Facebook}

Series: Photographers: {Cameron Russel}

2011-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

2011-01-27T13:14:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't be happier with the new design of the Gardenia business cards!

They were inspired by the movie, " The Pink Panther," by my awards season

party colors, and by my favorite color combination for spring weddings.

2011-01-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

It's always fun to have a sneak peek. Coming soon is Gardenia's

take on how to throw a Valentine's Day Party or event!

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Award Season Party Inspiration

2011-01-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

This month I'm writing the crafts article "How-To" for She! magazine. I'm absolutely thrilled that it's about throwing award season parties. While I can't reveal my article or the photos from the shoot yet, I can share with you my favorite images from my research. It's an inspiration board of sorts.

Photography Links: {1} {2} {3} {4} {5}

2010-12-30T12:44:00.001-08:00

Recipes: Lamb / Oysters / Brown Butter Cakes

"On New Year's Day, no matter how humbler her circumstances, the Creole housewife will have freshly blooming roses on her table. In our delightful climate, wehre flowers bloom the year round, and where, in winter especially, roses are in their zenith of glory, there are few homes, indeed, in which a patch of ground is not set aside for the cultifation of flowers; while in the lovely open gardens in the "Garden District of New Orleans" roses in exquisite bloom overrun the trellises and arbors and smile upon you from the fancifully laid-out garden beds. It is wonderful how a bit of green, with a few roses nestling between, will brighten up the homeliest table. With the linen spotless, the crystal shining, a few loose clusters of rosebuds, typical of the budding year, blooming on the mantels and in low, glass bowls in the center, a charm is imprted to the feast, the graceful idea of beginning anew suggested, and a lingering fragrance thrown over memory's page that will remain as an incentive to nobler effort for many a day."
---The Picayune's Creole Cook Book, facsimile 2nd edition, 1901 [Dover Publications:New York] 1971 (p. 432)

Creole menus, New Orleans, 1901

A New Year's Menu

Breakfast
Oranges
Oatmeal, Cream
Radishes. Cress. Olives
Broiled Trout, Sauce a la Tartare.
Potatoes a la Duchesse.
Creamed Chicken. Omelette aux Confitures.
Salade a la Creole.
Batter Cakes. Louisiana Syrup. Fresh Butter.
Cafe au Lait.

Dinner.
Oysters on the half Shell.
Spanish Olives. Celery. Pickles.
Salted Almonds.
Green Turtle Soup, Croutons.
Broiled Spanish Mackerel, Sauce a la Matire d'Hotel.
Julienne Potatoes.
Lamb Cutlets Breaded, Sauce Soubise.
Green Peas.
Sweetbreads a la Creole.
Ponche a la Romaine.
Roast Turkey, Cranberry Sauce.
Baked Yams. Cauliflower au Grating.
Asparagus a la Matre d'Hotel.
Lettuce, Salad Dressing.
Broiled Snipe on Toast.
Pouding a la Reine, Wine Sauce. Mince Pie.
Cocoanut Custard Pie.
Biscuit Glace. Petits Fours. Fruits. Nuts.
Raisins.
Cheese. Toasted Crackers.

Supper
Cold Turkey, Currant Jelly.
Celery Salad.
French Rolls. Butter. Assorted Cakes.
Fruit. Nuts.
Tea.

Bridal Details

2010-11-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

I have only a quick post today as I have a busy, busy day full of work to do! However, I had to take a moment to post these images from Brookman Harris. Delicious color palette, charming chalk-like drawings, luxurious gowns, and of course....fabulous clutches. A gal couldn't ask for more!

xo, Jolie

2010-11-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

1. soaps 2. stationary 3. living room
The Dachshund races are an important event in Buda, Texas and anyone who owns a dachshund knows how fabulous these dogs really are. Celebrate the races with beers, gourmet pigs in a blanket, and long dogs of course! Elegant and sleek, dachshunds often have beautiful color palettes; dark rust, golden blond, and velvety black. This is a party fit for gold accents, pretty china, and playful flowers.

2010-11-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

Guest table arrangement for an end of summer wedding

photo credit: Erica Kuschel

2010-10-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Guest table arrangement for the Meazell Wedding

photo credit: Erica Kuschel

2010-10-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

A head table arrangement for the Meazell Wedding

photo credit: Erica Kuschel

2010-10-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

A head table arrangement for the Meazell Wedding

photo credit: Erica Kuschel

2010-10-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

An arrangement for the Meazell Wedding

photo credit: Erica Kuschel

2010-10-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

A Headtable Arrangement for the Meazell Wedding

photo credit: Erica Kuschel

Photoshoot with Erica Kuschel

2010-07-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Erica of overyonderlust.com and piratepenpen.wordpress.com/ did an astounding job on the flower photo shoot. I am so excited to see how beautifully she captured my arrangements!

Arrangements I did for the YMCA on Townlake

2010-07-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Texas Lavender Festival

2010-07-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not Texas has some wonderful lavender fields. My mother, Godmother, sister-in-law and I set out for the Texas lavender festival in Blanco, Texas. We visited three different farms either with their own charming atmosphere as well as lavender products. We indulged in lavender lotions, pillow sprays, linen wash, essential oils, hand soaps, and sachets. I savored lavender margaritas, lavender truffles, lavender lemonade, chipotle-lavender chicken tacos, and lemon-lavender cookies. As lovely as these products are they cannot compare to the simple act of cutting the lavender myself by the handful. Amongst the bees, I found a quiet corner of the lavender field, crouched down with my clippers, and slowly cut my carefully selected stems of lavender. Forget meditating, this worked wonders. Amidst the hum of bumble bees and the relaxing smell of purple flowers, I was all at once careful and yet the most wonderful kind of thoughtless so to speak. With each handful of lavender I felt a sense of accomplishment, relaxation, and satisfaction. The lavender now, after hanging to dry, rests in a crystal bowl in my kitchen.

Mother's Day Weekend at Gardenia

2010-05-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

Opening Weekend

2010-05-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

2010-04-28T13:24:00.000-07:00