Lark Pop Up Dinner with Chef Kyle Powers

June 27, 2017

We were fortunate to host not one but two Lark Pop Up Dinners this month!

We found ourselves on night two of our Pop Up Dinners with Lark still high from the vibrational foods from the night before, yet still hungry! This also marked our 4th Pop Up Dinner with beloved Chef Kyle Powers of Fork in the Road Catering.

We flipped the room for the event by adding bold pops of color starting with a custom yarn hanging that was suspended in the front window welcoming our dinner guests from the street. Bright, whimsical brush strokes of resident artist Ali Rybczyk covered the walls and set the tone. The tablescape was a mix of jewel tone hues with floral arrangements from Floral Fete with a gardenesque mash-ups of scabiosa, geum, protea, aloe, pomegranate, and oregano. Vintage wine goblets remained full all night.

MENU CRAFTED BY CHEF KYLE POWERS of Fork in the Road Catering

Welcome Drinks (Chef’s Whim) + Social Crispy Seaweed Cone with Black Rice, Pineapple + Shrimp Ceviche

First course // Smoked Heirloom Carrot Soup with Blue Cheese accompanied by Grilled Garlic Toast w/Pork Butter
Second course // Beet and Beef Carpaccio w/Fennel and Frisee tossed in White Kimchi Vinaigrette
Third course // Cocoa Braised Short Rib on Purple Sweet Potato Mash and Garlic Charred Miatake Mushroom
Finale // Sweet Sticky Toffee Pudding w/Tangerine Syrup & Basil Cream

Special thanks to Mitch Maher for capturing the night in our greatest light!

Fall Floral Arranging Hack with Floral Fête

November 18, 2016

Feeling inspired to add your own floral arrangement to the Thanksgiving table this year? Yoshi O'Connor of Floral Fête shared with us some tricks from the trade on how to construct a beautiful arrangement using Curly Willow to add height and a woodsy feel.

Fall Floral Arranging Hack with Floral Fête

"Curly willow is nothing new...but, I love to use it for fall inspired designs, as a quick and easy way to create a grid inside your vase to hold your flowers in place, without messing with tape on your vase. Curly willow comes in different shades of brown and green depending on when it was cut; all are perfect colors for fall! Be sure to use fresh curly willow, as it is still pliable and easy to wind into your vase. The dried versions you often find in craft stores, are too brittle and will break if you try to bend. However, if dried curly willow is all you have available, you can plan ahead, and pre-soak the branches in warm water, submerging the branches in your sink or bathtub for a few hours or overnight. This should help make the branches pliable enough to stuff inside your vase."

To create your own Fall Inspired Arrangement you'll need the following supplies:

1 clear square or cylinder vase

5-7 small fresh, not dried, curly willow branches

bleach

water

floral shears

Flowers

Large focal flowers, like hydrangea, roses, and tulips.

Smaller flowers, like chrysanthemums and spray roses

Foliage such as lemon leaf, huckleberry

Fall Inspired Arrangement for Thanksgiving by Floral Fete

Step 1. Wind the curly willow branches around your fist into a tight loop. Insert into vase, so loop sits vertically; this is going to create a grid to hold your flowers in place. Some pieces may want to fly out a bit, either leave them, or tuck them in. It doesn’t have to be exact.

Step 2. Add water about ¾ full, and add a tiny bit, as in ¼ tsp. of bleach. This will help keep your flowers fresher, longer.

Step 3. Add the foliages. Cut most of the foliage short, to just peek over the top of the vase. Insert stems through the curly willow grid, at an angle. This makes an extra stable grid so your flowers stay put! To make it interesting, insert a few long pieces of foliages. IMPORTANT TIP: You don’t want to submerge foliage or flowers in the water; this makes the finished arrangement look messy, AND it makes the water dirty! So, make sure you clean the stems of any little leaves before inserting into the water.

Step 4. Add your largest, focal flowers first. Here, we are adding out large hydrangea’s first. TIP: Side note… Before using hydrangea’s in an arrangement, fill another vase, or container with very warm water, cut hydrangeas at an angle, and place in warm water. Let drink for an hour. Then use in arrangement. The flower will drink the warm water quickly, and hydrate the bloom to ensure it doesn’t droop.

Step 5. Add tallest flowers next. create an interesting line with a few tall flowers.

Step 6. Continue adding the other flowers, Turn your vase after inserting a couple flowers, to ensureyou create an arrangement that looks great from all angles. TIP: Like the foliages above, insert your flowers in at an angle. This will help create a rounded look.

Step 7. To refresh water after a couple days. place arrangement in the sink, with either a water bottle or the faucet hose, flush the old water out until it’s filled with fresh, clean water. add that ¼ tsp bleach again.

Thanksgiving Floral Arrangement with Floral Fete

Step 8. When your flowers have finally faded. You can rinse the curly willow and re-use it in your next arrangement!

Can't get enough? Join Yoshi for her next Holiday Wreath Making Workshop here at the studio on Sunday, December 4th! More information and tickets found here.

Photos by: Steve Orlick

Floral design + tutorial by: Floral Fête

2nd Annual SOURCED. Hawaiian Holiday Party!

December 17, 2015

Tropical Floral Mannequin by Floral Fete

Tropical Dress Form Orchids by Floral Fete

Hawaiian Holiday Office Party at SOURCED.

Floral Designer, Floral Fete - Laguna Beach

Floral Designer, Floral Fete in Laguna Beach

Singapore Sling_Hawaiian Holiday Office Party at SOURCED.

Hawaiian Holiday Office Party at SOURCED. Laguna Beach

Thank you to everyone who made it out to our

2nd Annual Hawaiian Holiday Party!

(internally loving known as Tacky Tiki Party!)

We had fun playing up holiday decor at the studio this year! Stephen and Ian made sure the cottage was seen from across town with tons of twinkling lights on the building, around the door, and bistro lights overhead on our outside table. The entry way was the perfect spot for our Pinterest inspired "Vintage Book Christmas Tree" complete with airplanes as the guiding star on top. We turned another fallen branch into a window display with strung capiz shells. Nothing says "beach snow" quite like capiz shells. We turned one of our lofts into a proper "Christmas Room" with two Christmas Trees, lights, "snow", and our lit up blue barb wire reindeers by local Sculptor, friend, and neighbor - Shamus Koch. Officemates, Yoshi & Rebecca turned their office into a winter wonderland with multiple floral installations and wreaths. The show stopper was the Hawaiian inspired mannequin done up with banana leaves & orchids - just beautiful!

Friend and local, DJ Wendy's music selection complimented the tiki drinks offered by In Cocktails We Trust. We used the fancy vintage glassware, unnecessary garnishes, and tons of gangster rap! Personal favorite, the "Boochie Walla, Boochie Bang Bang" punch with Papas Pilar 24 Year Solera Rum, Allspice Dram, Blessed Booch Chai Tea Kombucha, Lemon, Sparkling Wine, Bitters, Gangster Rap. What was your favorite?

Probably the best Tuesday night of the year! The studio was definitely filled with laughter, good cheer, and hugs...tons of hugs. What can I say...we like to hug. Cheers to 2016!