The International flair and Flavor of the four seasons Miami

Happy Birthday Kevin | Spring Flowers in Primary Colors

Today is my husband's birthday. He is probably the most patient, kind and understanding man that I know. He is always there with soft smile, willing to pitch in and help with the many creative tasks that come up in the course of my business. We sat last night at the bar at Mike's to have a bite to eat for dinner. While there, we met a nice English lady who asked us the story of how we met and what was the secret to our romance. I answered and told her that on our first date I knew that Kevin was going to be the one for me. I  brought him a mound of tulips and we played tennis together that night and eat great hotdogs at Nathan's.  Such simple pleasures were so fun with Kevin and still are.

I always try to do some flowers for Kev. He likes flowers just as much as I do so it is nice that I too will get to share in the pleasure of their fleeting beauty. For today, this gorgeous mound of flowers in primary colors is in  celebration of the man that I love. Thank you for all that you do for me and our family to live the special and unique life that we do.

Happy Birthday Kevin.

 

 

50 Golden Years | Spring Flower display | Bay Club Mattapoisett Events

I am always in creative mode. It seems that I am constantly digging through the thousands of photos that fill my computers and other technology devices. Once in a while, I find photos that I have never published before. These flowers and party setting were inspired by the bouquet being thrown into the air. I used antique bouquet holders and filled them with lush mounds of Hydrangea, roses, lisianthus and my favorite, sweet pea. I then hung these bouquets over the cake and the table top arrangements which were showstoppers in an of themselves with five french tulips, one for each decade of celebration, springing from the lush mound at the center of the table.

I adore tonal and nuances of color, so it was totally appropriate that gold filled the rest of the room. It was lovely. I was an invited guest to this party. One of the 50 honored guests to celebrate with this incredible family. The party was a while ago at the Bay Club in Mattapoisett, but the photos of these details bring me right back to it. I can almost smell the sweet pea.

Retirement Party For Mom | At Home with Chad Michael Peters | Harvest Theme

I was ten when my mother went to work for The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. For the past twenty eight years, she has worked tirelessly to aid those within our community that suffer from the ravages of deteriorating mental health. She is a hell of woman to have done this sort of work for so long. When my sisters and I got word that she had decided to retire, we knew that it was time to celebrate.

We are not flashy people as a family, but we do like the details. My sisters and I worked on pulling together the most important people in my mother's life and pouring some wonderful drinks and serving a savory yummy harvest dinner. Through my house, we arranged simple flowers and laid out snacks that my mother would love. The chocolate covered cherries were devoured within the first ten minutes of the party's start.

My mom's smile was beaming as it always is. She lights up the room and instantly becomes the life of the party. All three of her kids and two of her grandchildren working together to make an extra special day for her. She deserves this retirement and she certainly deserved to celebrate.....and that we did.

We love you Mom. Thank you for being you and guiding us through this life that can sometime be difficult. In the face of adversity, you have taught us to hold our chins high, to smile and to laugh it off.

A very special thank you to both Misty King, who is not only my favorite first cousin, but a heck of a photographer. Some of the shots that you see here are hers. And to my friend and colleague, Jennifer Williamson of Jenny's Cakes, for her elegant artistry and to die for cake. You both made my mom's retirement party extra special.

ORR Class of 1990 Reunion | Black, White and Red Fun Party Details

It is so hard to believe that it has been twenty years since I graduated from High School. Judging by the grey that has crept into my beard, I guess that it is true. When my class president, Christine called to ask me to sit on the reuion comittee it was an easy decision to say yes. My besties from high school were sitting with me, so I knew that there would be many meetings filled with laughter, chatter, wine and yes perhaps a bit of discussion on the party that we were in charge of throwing for our class of 1990 from Old Rochester Regional High School, GO BULLDOGS!!

As all of us southcoasters know there are not a lot of venues to throw a party here. There has been a bit of a renissance in New Bedford with many new restaraunts and hotels opening along our famed waterfront. The perfect choice for us was the Waterfront Grille. There is a private room upstairs which was perfect for the 70 or so guests that we were expecting. The view is fantastic, the working waterfront of New Bedford filled with many boats all bobbing back and forth.

We all had our tasks of course, but my best friend Tena and I got to work on the creative details. Her craftiness was evident in the favors that were prepared for the partygoers and our fellow classmates. She culled a collection of the top ten hits from the year that we graduated. She then packaged them into glittery grey CD cases, stamped with a modern 20 and then trimmed them with the perfect ORR red ribbon. I am still jamming to the tunes in my car.........ICE, ICE, Baby, by Vanilla being one of my personal favorites, tied with both Mariah Carey numbers that make their appearance on this very cool party favor.

My challenge in the decor was how do you make red and white look cool? Of course, my signature black snuck its way right into the party. From my company's collection of linens, I chose a fantastic black and white swirl and paisley design in satin. It was the perfect POP to the party and made all of the red accents look so chic. I filled the party with red light from my lighting collection which set the mood. It always so much easier to drink wine when you have lots of candles and mood lighting right?

I thought that my friend Gerry was crazy to drive all the way to Mashpee, Mass to get the cupcakes that we were going to serve at the party. Cupcake Charlies, she exclaimed were the very best. Old school design, but made with the best ingredients. We just had to have them. I admit I was totally sceptical. When I took my first bite, I knew that I was going to eat crow, and many more of these totally DELISH, treats. If you are throwing a party, I suggest you make your way there, totally worth it!!

The absolute highlight to the party was the magnificent old school candy bar that we made for the party. Tena and I hit it hard, culling and culling to make sure that each of our choices for the display met not only our yummy standards but fit into the color way of the party. The candy bar lay still for the first couple of hours to the party. Then when the happy buzz of wine set in, our classmates hit that candy like locusts. I was happy that they were. I knew that every Swedish fish in their bags would be one less that I would eat after the party.

The evening was perfect. We paid tribute to the classmates that we have lost with elegant black and white photos along with flowers and candles on the mantle. They looked down on us all night as we laughed, chatted and reminisced about the twenty years that had passed since we were last together. I got a message from a friend the next morning that pretty much summed it up for all of us. "We shined last night, like we always did as the class of 1990"

Lucky Girl

 

I adore the movie "Pretty in Pink", who doesn't right ? When I started working with my very special client, Lucky Girl on celebrating her high school graduation, I knew that this would be a perfect opportunity to throw a party, that was fresh, flirty and elegant just like Lucky....filled with lots of pink accents.

The family has an amazing home for entertaining with terraces, verandas and sprawling lawns. My favorite, the pool house, with it's own kitchen and media room was the perfect VIP access only area of the party. What happens in the pool house stays in the pool house right? The grounds of this grand estate are filled with gorgeous roses and peonies all planted in pink in honor of this fabulous party and it's incredibly gracious young hostess. I love mounds of English garden roses and in shades of peony they provided the perfect pop of color through out the party. The perfect pink accessory to the party was of course Lucky in her short pale pink party dress which had such an elegant overlay of the finest lace.

I love any and every opportunity to hire and work with the very best in the industry. On this party, I knew that I just had to work with my very favorite catering team at Russell Morin. There have been too many, countless times that we have worked together to throw the very best in parties here on the south coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

They, as always, were perfect in the planning process helping me and my client to come up with just the right choices for their guests. From the pink hued bar glasses to the staffs friendly faces, the got it so right, perfect in fact.  I just have to say that my favorite was the cake, that the baker at Morin's created for us. Tipsy, topsy, and filled with fun patterns, it was a perfect accompaniment to the Coldstone Creamery ice cream station that was the absolute hit of the night.

 

It was so fun to have planned such an incredible party for this amazing family and their daughter, who I am happy and proud to say is one of my very good friends. The details could not compare to the fun that was had by all. I can hardly wait for the next celebration........where will lucky take CMP next? 

 To see all of the photography from this event please visit my facebook page by clicking here.

Coco's Candy Bar

 

I love candy and so does a client of mine. When she called and said that she was moving into her summer house, christening her daughter and that same daughter was celebrating her first birthday party all in one weekend, I knew that  it was time to throw a soiree and candy was the perfect inspiration.

We started with modern inspiration and the bold colorway of my favorite candies, "Good and Plenty". I chose pucci' esque linens and clear chairs for the guest to sit and mingle. I chose gorgeous flowers from the Boston Flower Market in shades of pink, purple, lavender and fuscia. I knew that they would pop against the bold black and white linens and modern furniture. I layed out a fabulous candy bar filled with some of my favorites, including both "Good and Plenty" and "Pop Rocks". I got all of the details done just as the first guests started to arrive. Perfect timing.

Happy Birthday Coco. I hope that you had a heck of a time. 

 

 

 

Golden Wedding Celebration

I had the privilege and the honor to throw a fiftieth anniversary party for dear friends and clients of mine. Their story is a true example of the American Dream, and their party was one that their fifty closest friends will never forget.

They wanted a simple, elegant evening that they could share with their most cherished family and friends. We chose to host the party at The Bay Club in Mattapoiset, where the family has a membership. The Bay Club's sports and activities building is a great spot to host an elegant affair, but it takes a little creativity and some decor.

I was happy to contribute both. I brought in elegant linens in pale butter and china and gold-ware to compliment the celebratory theme. Everything was stunning, but the stars of the show were, of course, the flowers.

I wanted to display the floral bunches as if they were floating on air. I created a dozen European styled bouquets and suspended them over the table arrangements. I loved the air of whimsy that they brought, and the guest could not stop chattering.

I was honored to be included in the top fifty, although I was relegated to the kid's table. Actually, it was more of a young adults table, and my husband, Kevin, and I had a great time speaking to our seat mates in Spanish and inquiring about their educations.

I have known the family for many years and enjoyed working with them on this special event.It was so my pleasure to be in their company on such a lovely night. Thank you.

Tropical Party at Bay Club Mattapoisett

 

I was happy to be called on to throw a tropical themed wedding at The Bay Club in Mattapoisett. We chose to play off of the soft butter yellow and white trim of the room with gold shimmer linens and modern, square patterned china. The gold bamboo chairs added a touch of tropical elegance to the look.

The flowers were a combination of incredible orchids and tropical foliage arranged as exotic Palms that floated over guest's heads. At the base of the arrangements, my team and I laid out orange hued votive candles and lots of rose and orchid petals. As a special touch, a green orchid, the brides favorite, was positioned at each place setting for the guests to enjoy.

The party's South American guests went crazy over the Carnival theme that launched the dancing portion of the evening. I am not sure that Mattapoisett has ever seen anything like it.