Hooray For: Real Flowers and Paper Flowers

by Ilana Saul Posted on April 28, 2014

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On Saturday, Mark and I drove a couple hours south to visit The Flower Fields in Carlsbad. They grow rows upon rows upon rows of ranunculus on 50 acres here. It’s really breathtaking! They’re open to the public for a couple months each spring, when the flowers are in bloom.

Then, on Sunday, I hopped over to Poketo in Downtown L.A. for a paper flower making workshop with Blooms in the Air. They host a ton of cool workshops at Poketo, just like this one. Unfortunately I had to cut out of the workshop early because I was having crazy morning sickness again yesterday (yep, still), but I was able to play around some on my own once I got home.

So… real flowers or paper flowers? I can hardly decide which one is prettier! Luckily that’s not a real question that any of us actually have to answer.

More photos from my weekend below… Continue reading →

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Hooray For: Hometown Pride

by Ilana Saul Posted on December 1, 2013

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It’s almost silly how much love I have for this city. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for the whole of my 26 years, and you still couldn’t tear me away if you tried. I was born and raised and educated in LA (Go Bruins!). I learned to drive on this city’s notoriously nutty streets. I got my first job in Los Angeles, my first apartment, and my first real home. I fell in love in LA, and got married here too. One day, Mark and I will raise cute little Angeleno babies here! Los Angeles, let’s just say that you’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.

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1. sisters of los angeles mug | 2. sisters of los angeles notebook set | 3. kris nations california ring | 4. california state cookie cutter | 5. elizabeth and james los angeles sweatshirt | 6. rifle paper co. los angeles print | 7. rocket ink california print | 8. schoolhouse electric pennant pillow

And hey, the rest of The Golden State isn’t too shabby either!

You might remember that I have the California pennant pillow in my bedroom. I actually have 6, 7, and 8 displayed in my home right now!

Photo: Novel Brand

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DIY: No-Carve Terrarium Pumpkins

by Ilana Saul Posted on October 22, 2013

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Oh, the cuteness that is happening right here. Instead of carving my pumpkin this year, I decided to take some liberties with the Halloween tradition and decorated my plump white pumpkin with some terrarium moss and tiny plastic animals instead. Artistic license, ya’all.

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I used the stem as part of the landscape in my pumpkin terrarium too—a tiny tree stump!

Here’s how to make your own terrarium pumpkin…

I Used:

  • Pumpkin
  • Moss
  • Tiny plastic animals
  • Hot glue gun

Instructions:

  1. Map out where you want your animals to go, and glue them down directly on to the pumpkin.
  2. Glue the moss down second, surrounding the plastic animals.

That’s it! Easy stuff.

Photos: Mark Saul

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The Little Things

by Ilana Saul Posted on October 14, 2013

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Mark and I went to the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday morning, and I stumbled upon the tiniest pie you ever did see. Then, just a few stalls down, I found the smallest, most precious little apples I’d ever laid eyes on. At that point I decided to make a game of purchasing tiny produce (why not?), so I picked up a few mini potatoes and a petite white pumpkin too. Just a silly, rather literal reminder that it’s the little things in life… like farmers marketing, pies so tiny they make me smile, and Sundays spent with the guy I love most.

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The pie was a butternut squash pie. This was my first time trying a butternut squash pie, but it will not be my last. It was kind of amazing.

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A feast fit for a mouse!

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Wedding Bells: Would You Wear a Non-White Wedding Dress?

by Ilana Saul Posted on October 6, 2013

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Confession… It’s been a year and four months since Mark and I got married, and my gorgeous Sarah Seven wedding dress hasn’t even made it to the drycleaner yet. I know that I have no excuse at this point, but I’ve still been debating what exactly to do with it. Do I clean and preserve it on the off chance that my future daughter will want to wear it? Do I shorten and dye it so that I can wear it again? Do I donate it?

We went to our lovely friends Maxwell and Genevieve’s wedding a couple months back and it was so beautiful that I had to ask Max if I could share a few pictures! The whole wedding was just charming, but my very favorite part of it had to be Genevieve’s dress. Instead of wearing a traditional white wedding dress, Gen opted to don a navy blue Zac Posen gown.

Genevieve looked gorgeous, and even more importantly, she now has a beautiful gown (with so many lovely memories tied to it) that she can wear on more than one occasion. And with her long white veil, there was no doubt that she still looked like a bride.

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Our wedding wasn’t the most traditional, but for some reason it never really occurred to me to look for a non-white dress. I’ve seen brides wearing pastel or metallic shades lately, but Gen’s navy gown proves that you really don’t have to limit yourself these days. I think the most important factor in choosing a wedding dress should be that you feel beautiful in it and it’s exactly what you dreamed it would be. If you look gravy in navy, wear navy!

Anyway, here are a few more pictures from Max + Gen’s elegant and classy Carondelet House soiree… Continue reading →

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