Sweet Inspiration: American Chocolate Week

Hooray, it's American Chocolate Week! Although it's a great excuse, it doesn't have to be a particular time of year to immerse yourself in all things chocolate. Create your own unforgettable, mouth-watering experience anytime with a Private Chocolate Party at Madame Chocolat, located in Beverly Hills. Indulge in 90 minutes of pleasure as Chocolatier Hasty Torres leads an (ol)factory tour as you sample all you can eat chocolate coated products along the way. The true chocoholic will want to pull up to the bonbon counter for more all you can eat delights. The magic will linger on if you participate in making lollipops that you can take home for later. Really, could you ask for more? How about a chocolate lab?

Chocolate Lab Puppy by JJ.Sheets

We're So Blue

St. Patrick's Day is coming up and instead of pulling your best kelly green cardigan out of the closet, perhaps you should look for one in St. Patrick's blue. That's right, the true color of St. Patrick's Day is a sky blue, the color associated with the Order of St. Patrick. St. Patrick encouraged Christian Irishmen to wear the shamrock as a representation of the holy trinity and used the plant to teach his faith. When the tradition of  'wearing the green' came to America, it was taken literally.

Photos by Clever Cupcakes, Miss Cupcake Canada, Lady Zarobi, Choco, 

smittenkittenorig and Aayesha Siddiqu

This year, we've prepared both a blue and green inspiration board in honor of St. Patrick's Day. If anyone pinches you for wearing blue instead of green, pinch them right back and give them a little history lesson for their trouble.

Photos by paulbence, shinycatcreations, (matt), and Martin LaBar

Petalos di Pauli
C E L E B R A T E S
BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Black History Month is sponsored by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The Association was founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter Woodson--historian, teacher, author and publisher. Each year the Association designates the national theme for Black History month. The 2012 theme is Black Women in American Culture and History, to explore African American women's roles in and contributions to the making of America.

"From the American Revolution to the present, African American women have played a myriad of critical roles in the making of our nation. Their labor and leadership, their motherhood and patriotism, and their intellect and artistic expression have all enriched both the African American community and the nation at large. In slavery and freedom, their struggles have been at the heart of the human experience, and their triumphs over racism and sexism are a testimonial to our common human spirit..."

FOR MORE INSIGHT VISIT

THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY

Petalos di Pauli Celebrates Black History Month and together with ASALH recognizes the many accomplishments of all African American men and women.

Love and Postage

If you're sending out invitations to your wedding or other special event, here is something you should know. On January 22, 2012 the price for a one-ounce First-Class Mail stamp increased from 44¢ to 45¢. A penny might not sound like a big deal, but it is when it comes to stamping your RSVP envelope. Using the wrong postage could make receiving each guest's response a real nuptial nightmare.

This year's Love Ribbons stamp features swirling satin ribbons that spell out the word "Love". It's the perfect depiction of the beauty of love itself, and a fitting accompaniment to those little envelopes.

Another lovely option is the Garden of Love stamp, featuring a colorful mosaic of flora and fauna. Both LOVE stamps were issued as Forever Stamps, which are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Whether you are sending out your own invitations or letting us do the mailing for you, Petalos di Pauli has your back.
Source: shop.usps.com

All the Elements of Love

Love comes in all shapes and sizes, and for Linda and Paul, this was it. It was in this inspired invitation design; the real flowers, a rose crystal, and a sprinkling of ornaments that sparked nostalgia. It all added up. LOVE; timeless and sublime. This Petalos di Pauli custom, handmade creation has all the elements of love.

Meet Flyboy Naturals

Petalos di Pauli is so fortunate to work with some of the best vendors in the country and we consider freeze dried flower petal supplier Flyboy Naturals (www.flyboynaturals.com) to be such a talented and creatively generous partner in so many of our projects.

 Says co-founder Jami Brown: “Our petals are all natural and we do our part to help the earth and environment. We use wind energy to process our freeze dried petals (including roses, lilac, peony and hydrangea) and grow all our flowers using a certified green pest-control program.”

We love talking to “petal specialists” at their Myrtle Creek, Oregon operation whenever we have a question such as how many petals will line a specific size presentation box. We left petals out overnight on a major design project recently and it was Flyboy to the rescue when during a California heat wave, the petals became dry and a bit difficult to work with. Flyboy Naturals provided just the right solution to restore their beauty and suppleness. Likewise, they feel free to call on our expertise, such as recommendations for the best kind of glue for using with petals.

Jami’s freeze drying expertise started back in 1988 doing whole flowers and a line of everything from wreaths and topiary to swags, garland and centerpieces. Former pilot husband Jim and Jami started Flyboy Naturals in 1992 and the couple “found our slice of heaven on the mighty south Umpqua River in Oregon.”

 We consider Jami a creative soulmate because, like us, she and Jim love being surrounded by beauty and making others happy in sharing that beauty by providing a beautiful, natural, eco-friendly product at very affordable prices.

The Petalos di Pauli studio has a palette of 100 varieties of petals from Flyboy in various petal sizes and color blends which we love showing to clients. Call us to make an appointment to see this fabulous collection and hear ideas on how you can use Flyboy petals for your next project. 

Did you know that freeze dried rose petals are preferred for most wedding venues today? That’s because live petals can stain and are slippery on floors. No such problems with freeze dried petals! So many of the wonderful botanical effects created by Petalos di Pauli are made possible using freeze dried petals from Flyboy Naturals.

Creative Collaborations

The most successful special events are always a collaborative creative effort. We recently had the pleasure of working with Santa Barbara event planner Merryl Brown (www.merrylbrownevents.com) to support the elegance and charm of a Bohemian Chic wedding her firm designed for an open air venue.

Normally we work from our Orange County studio, but it was a special treat to work onsite for this occasion smack dab in the middle of the woods, so a lot of this design was done on the fly. The bride’s wedding dress and fondness for daisies inspired our use of this flower on the sweet heart table, crowning the menu cards, for the escort cards designed as miniature take-home daisy bouquets and the wedding invitation featuring a bright yellow gerbera daisy with metal embellishment. The results, as you can see from these photos, are magical, combining heirloom tradition with a little bit of 70s funk!

Natural wooden elements are used in chair signage.

Yellow, white and lime green hues centered around a daisy theme.

The daisy theme is carried out in the menu cards.

The wedding invitation sports vibrant colors to carry out the Bohemian Chic theme.

Burlap sacks provide an eco-friendly take-home daisy bouquet.

Fresh flowers accent the heirloom objects

Event design by Merryl Brown Events. Photography by Melissa Musgrove Photography. Floral design by Cody Floral Design. Lighting design by Bella Vista Designs. Creative Consultant Kimberly Anderson.