MountainGate Country Club Puts on a Show

Sunday evening, Petalos di Pauli was a featured vendor at MountainGate Country Club's Fall Bridal Show and Open House. We loved sharing the spotlight with our friends at Emily Rose Papers, a great company we always enjoy collaborating with. We welcomed a steady stream of exuberant brides, showing and telling them about our products and services.

Paula Estes with owner of  Emily Rose Papers

Wedding invitation--maroon with intricate gold detailing

Escort cards displaying the artistry of our calligrapher

Located in Los Angeles, MountainGate Country Club is an extremely beautiful location for weddings and receptions, combining elegant indoor and outdoor event spaces with a spectacular view of the Santa Monica Mountains. Paula noted, "Our flagship line of botanically embellished invitations definitely help set the tone for such a magnificent and lush garden-like setting."

MountainGate Country Club outdoor ceremony location

All in all, the show was a tremendous success--with enticing hors d'oeuvres prepared by the MountainGate chef, stunning decor, and so many other exciting details--made possible by the contributions of talented, top-shelf event companies we'll be highlighting in upcoming posts.

Thank you, MountainGate, for hosting a wonderful Fall Bridal Show event! We look forward to many happy returns.

~Jaimie

Ladybugs Abound at the Getty Gardens

I've always had a fondness for ladybugs, easily won over by their stylish, polka dotted outfits. Many cultures view the ladybug as a symbol of goodluck. And a client recently commissioned our calligrapher to incorporate one into the design of their custom wedding invitation!

photo by bazylek100 

Each year Getty gardeners release ladybugs on the jacaranda trees and azaleas to eat aphids during the spring months. They buy them from insectaries that sell them by the thousands. The gardeners put water on the foliage before releasing the ladybugs. When they emerge from their cold-storage sleep, they’re thirsty and will stay around and eat aphid if there is water to drink. What an awesome arrangement!

photo by jemasmith

For more interesting behind the scenes knowledge about how the Getty cares for its gardens, you can take a tour led by their horticulture staff. This Friday, May 7, check out “Getty Gardener’s Perspective” a special event celebrating National Public Gardens Day. The tours start at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Getty Center, and at 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Getty Villa.

With all the spring beauty that surrounds us, stay tuned for more posts inspired by the wonders of nature.

Sincerely,

Paula Estes
Botanical Artist and
Friend of Ladybugs

Images used under a Creative Commons license.  

An Invitation to "Blooms With A View"

As multitudes of colorful flowers flourish this time of year, so do Southern California garden tours. I am especially excited about United Home Owners Association’s upcoming “Blooms With a View.” 

"Blooms With A View"
Spring Garden Tour & Vendor Fair
Sunday, May 2, 2010

Showcasing award-worthy Los Angeles gardens

in View Heights, View Park
and Windsor Hills

As a vendor, I get to immerse myself in the collective enthusiasm of fellow garden lovers.  The Vendor Fair is a great opportunity to see some of our latest designs in person. Items available for purchase will include botanical stationery, greeting cards and gift wrap. We will also have a supply of things we love, such as artistic blossoming teas, and the latest in tea ware, including the ever popular Perfect Steeper. Ideal for Mother's Day gift giving.

Tickets are now on sale

At the Vendor Fare you can take part in the Plant Swap and Pot Exchange

Plant Swapping - Contribution of clippings,

bulbs, plants, or seeds SWAPPED for equal value

Pot Exchange - Bring your old garden pots and exchange for another - gardeners love old pots!

Nurturing my own garden awakened a passion for experimenting and playing with flowers. My imagination put blooms to paper, and eventually lead to designing handcrafted greeting and note cards. Eight years later, I still cherish my connection with nature and consider “the garden” the birthplace of Petalos di Pauli. 

I hope to see you at "Blooms With a View."

Sincerely,

Paula Estes

Botanical Artist
Petalos di Pauli

Vendor fair and plant swap runs from 10 a.m. 5 p.m. at Monteith Park, 3685 Olympiad Drive.  Ticket prices are $10 in advance and $15 the weekend of the event. You can buy your tickets online for $10 plus a $1 handling fee ($11 per ticket).

American Chocolate Week

Did you know that St. Patrick's Day is not the only holiday in March?  The third week of March is American Chocolate Week!  Although it may not have the tradition that St. Patrick's Day has, this can be a fun way to show your friends and family that you are thinking of them.  Some more good news is that it lasts an entire week!  So for those that lead busy lives, you have a week to give a gift.  Here are a couple of ideas to help you celebrate the week:

Buy chocolate from a special vendor
Any major city has it's specialty chocolate shops and American Chocolate Week can be a great "excuse" to indulge in a special treat.  You can surprise your spouse or a friend with something extra special, maybe they will even share it with you!

In the Los Angeles area, where the Petalos di Pauli studio is located, we love Compartes Chocolatier   for their delicious handmade confections as well as their whimsical modern artistry.

Chocolatier, Jonathan Grahm says his unique and eclectic creations are made "from our heart to yours," which reminds us at Petalos di Pauli of our design and business philosophies.  Each element of the design treated as important, results in an experience that delights more than just one of your senses. Which leads us to....

Stationery to go with your Chocolate Gift
So, with your unique chocolate gift chosen for your "Chocophile," we suggest a unique stationery item to present with your gift.  Petalos di Pauli created just the thing; a card highlighting the wonders of chocolate. 

The perfect card for American Chocolate Week, or anytime!
A handmade card that expresses how we really feel about chocolate!

In honor of American Chocolate Week we would like to ask our readers to email us their stories about how chocolate has been special in your life.  The first five responders will receive one of the handmade original cards pictured above as a thank you for joining our celebration!  Next week's Blog will feature our favorites.  Email us at Chocolate@PetalosdiPauli.com

Bloomin' News

We are thrilled to announce that Petalos di Pauli is featured as the cover story in the January-February 2010 issue of The Bloomin' News, a well know trade magazine published by the American Florists' Exchange/Los Angeles Flower Market.

The Bloomin' News featured Petalos di Pauli because of Paula Estes's unique use of botanicals in her stationery designs. Paula views the Los Angeles Flower District as an extension of her design "tool box," offering a wide assortment of flowers that translate into a rich color palette. The Flower Market provides Paula with the means to obtain botanicals that are difficult to grow in her personal gardens. When filling large orders for cards or complete wedding ensembles, the Los Angeles Flower District is an invaluable resource.

The Bloomin' News is published by the American Florists' Exchange / Los Angeles Flower Market every other month (January, March, May, July, September and November). The publication was started in October 1949 by the Southern California Floral Association, which operated the two major wholesale flower markets (Los Angeles Flower Market and Southern California Flower Market, the largest wholesale flower district in the United States) that, along with storefront vendors, today comprise the Los Angeles Flower District in the 700 block of Wall Street in Los Angeles.

To read the article go to www.BloominNews.com