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Hand Crafted Valentine Wreaths

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This Valentine flower fairy Kristen Caissie from Moon Canyon Design and talented artist Amy Joe have teamed up to create a homespun, romantic way to make Valentine personal and poetic. The three of us had a sweet time creating these Valentines in the garden. It was quite meditative listening to the wind chimes as we wrote words of love and tied ribbons and flowers. I think most everyone would appreciate receiving handcrafted pieces of love . . .

Kristen what made you think of making wreaths for love day?
Wreaths are my most favorite pieces to make. They always seem so hand spun and bespoke. Obviously I love flowers and so whenever I want to make something very special I go to wreaths.

What flowers did you use for our sweet wreath?
This floral wreath is romantic. I used heather, anemone, ranunculus , garden rose, and dusty miller all placed on twisted grape vine. I used a bit of floral tape and kitchen twine to secure the florals.
When would one make a wreath?
This wreath is perfect for an afternoon tea party with your closest friends. I say the afternoon since the flowers are fresh cuts and not in water...so they will only last a moment. If you wish to craft up a longer lasting floral wreath you can still use heather but maybe try adding some straw flower, wheat, or dried lavender.
I hung the one we made on my front door and it is still in tact! I love to see the reminder of Spring to come on my front door!
Where can we find you and your flowers?
I'll be handcrafting wildly romantic bouquets for your Valentine starting now.
You can pre-order at kristen@mooncanyondesign.com or call at 617-304-9949.

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Simone Le Blanc = Valentine Gift Tips

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Simone Le Blanc is one stylish rose mixing her vintage with new pieces in an effortless manner. She has taken her unique sense of style one step further towards curating interesting unique gifts. Picking the right gift is definitely a talent, and Simone has the golden touch.  She also inspires me to wrap gifts with more heart and imagination. See her eco-friendly and some sexy time gift tips for Valentine's Day below in the mini interview.

 

1) What inspired you to start your company? My purpose is to inspire, touch, and move people through my creativity. I am a creative entrepreneur at heart; my company creates family heirlooms, high-end specialty gifts and mindful gifts + goods. There is no better company to feed my purpose than this! Previously, I was a personal stylist for private clients who began to rely on me for all things tastemaker and lifestyle oriented. I began creating very customized, in depth gifts for their significant birthdays and anniversaries - objects to mark the moment in a unique way that no one else would have. The gifting bug bit me, my clients were thrilled and here I am now! The very customized, volume work that I do for companies as well as my own collection of gifts + goods are a natural progression from my work with private clients.

2) What kind of gift would you love to receive? My most beloved gifts are the ones that carry the most personal sentiment and show that the giver really knows me and thought about my life. My fiancé gifted me a first edition of the children’s fairytale ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ along with a beautiful pair of shoes that had been on my wish list. The book had such significance to me – it was my first cognizant memory of being creatively inspired.

3) I love your style. where is your favorite place to shop? Thank you! I love to mix it up. I’ll sprinkle in a bit of Isabel Marant, Rag & Bone & Philip Lim from Barneys with some vintage. I do love Barneys because they have so much under one roof – it just simplifies the LA shopping geography when you’re on the hunt for that price point. For vintage treasures, I’ll do the Rose Bowl, Shareen,The Way We Wore , or Verunica  in SF.

I also tend to find great new items at Creatures of Comfort & Mohawk General, both here in LA. I also shop from my many friends who are amazing designers – Annie Costello Brown, Clare Vivier  , Beatrice Valenzuela to name a few.

4) Are you a forest fairy or mermaid? Forest Fairy! A Redwood Forest fairy… 

5) What is your beauty secret? My Mom, Jeanne, has gifted me with many wonderful beauty secrets. I use Egyptian Magic cream every night - I’m a complete convert. For blemishes, I use Dr Eckstein’s Azulen Paste – it is completely healing and dries up any spot in an instant. I try to drink a ton of water, especially because I love hot yoga. I also love fresh juices and eat an abundance of greens, Korean Spa and hike often in the outdoors at Runyon Canyon (with sun protection!)

6) What song did you last listen to? “It’s a Lovely Day’ by the Youngbloods. I listen to it on my record player often….one of my favorites.

7) What are your top 3 favorite Valentie’s Day gift items that are good to our planet?

  • Go Vintage. Recently I created a gift for a client’s 20th Anniversary where we purchased a beautiful, mid century free standing record player and had it completely restored. I set it up, along with a charming, modern cabinet in the couple’s living room when they were out at dinner so it would be a surprise for his wife. Inside the cabinet was a fabulous collection of records that had significance; top records from their childhoods, college years, and into their lives at present. Instead of consuming new products – get creative and work with the many gifts that have already been created. 
  • Go Organic & Sexy…for couples. A favorite Vday gift idea is his + her organic robes, lotions and everything you need for a romantic night together. Coyuchi has some great organic robes for men and Eberjey’s Butterfly Valley Robe is lovely for the ladies. Weleda makes fabulous organic warming skin massage oil and if you’re feeling a bit naughty…take a peek at  Babeland  I’ll leave the rest to your imagination!   
  • Go Slow Food…together. Every home should have a copy of The Art of Simple Food:
    by Alice Waters. There is nothing better than learning to cook with local, seasonal ingredients in your own kitchen, from the master herself. Gift this lovely book with a handwritten menu, a home cooked meal, and a set of locally made table linens or dishware.

8) Where or what is your favorite meal? When I’m in the mood for a complete indulgence, I’ll head to Angelini Osteria for the shaved truffle pasta. It is an experience like no other.

 

       

 

 

 

 

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Nests in the Desert

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For my friend Amelia's birthday a large group of us descended upon 29 Palms Inn in Joshua Tree for a weekend of hikes, meditation, and celebrating. The party stayed at the historic 29 Palms which is a made up of a bunch of cabins and bungalows that have been there since the 1930's. Where as Palm Springs (an hour away) is a little more upscale, Joshua Tree feels more in touch with the spiritual and occult. My friend Tierney Gearon, her daughter Grace and Charlotte and I stayed in the Penthouse room which is really like two rooms with a Queen bed and two twins.

After the raw magic of Joshua Tree we headed down to Palm Springs for a bit of bohemian luxury at The Parker Hotel. There we lounged in their cozy lobby and did arts and crafts with the sprites.

Tierney who is a world renown photographer never leaves without her camera. here I have captured her doing her magic with the girls.

Another charming place to stay in Joshua Tree that has just opened by Jamal Hamadi called The Joshua Tree Inn.  The last time I came to the Mojave Desert I was able to visit Jamal at his compound and see how he was able to transform an old property from the 1950's into a bohemian playground.

A wonderful modern eco nest to stay at that was recommended by my beautiful friend Nicole Simone is also worth a look called The Mojave Sands. This place that was stylishly renovated, has individual patios and powered by solar technology. I fantasize about taking my vintage typewriter here to write a novel. The surrounding area invokes tranquility and peace.

 

 

 

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Wire Baskets

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I have been having a wire basket fixation. It all started when I found a sweet wire basket at a flea market and now it nests bread and nuts on my counter. I then moved on to this Egg Basket  that houses more than a dozen of our ladies eggs. Here are a few selections of wire boxes for house hold cleaning products, pantry items, fruit, bread, and vegetables.

This Antique Style Small Wire Basket
is perfect for breads and nuts.

These Set of Three Metal Baskets I use for holding my natural home cleaning products (soon to come on these products)

This is a great one for gardening tools from Williams Sonoma.

 

 

 

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