Winter holiday parties and events

Blog collage

Thanksgiving Harvest Tablescape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this time of year I love going out to the farms & country stands in Sonoma & West Marin to look for Autumnal treasures (as you will see in this blog post I designed for Emily of cupcakes & cashmere) to decorate a Harvest Table that can be enjoyed through Thanksgiving, & be a “Moveable Feast” for the eyes! After the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Harvest Table can be sustainably “redesigned” by adding pinecones, evergreen foliage, various berries & painting the gourds silver, bronze or gold. Mercury glass votives add a romantic touch.

Click here to read Emily’s post.

 

Backyard Bouquets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever since I started Bloomingayles, I have always been asked by fellow flower lovers, “how did you learn to arrange flowers?” and “how do you come up with your ideas?.

I love learning, teaching & creating in various medias, but I am particularly drawn to flowers & plants. I have taken art classes since I was a little girl.  I was born in Brooklyn and grew up going to the Botanic Gardens in Prospect Park, the zoo at Central Park, the mountains & lakes in upstate New York, and the beach at Cape May Point, New Jersey.  I am inspired by nature, the sky, clouds, the sea, art, fashion, poetry, people, emotions, animals… inspiration is truly limitless.

Imagination & dreams.

When I am arranging flowers, I feel as though I am painting a picture with the flowers, in place of a brush or pen. I have been teaching “pop-up” floral design workshops in different venues and my most recent was “Backyard Bouquets” in my own garden in Mill Valley. I am currently planning the schedule for classes this Autumn.

Please e-mail me at info@gaylenicoletti.com if you would like to be added to my class list for future workshop dates. Here are a few photos taken by Kathleen Harrison of the “Backyard Bouquets” workshop & there are more posted on Bloomingayles facebook.

The California Flower Market Turns 100!

Diane & Indra’s Tuscan Wedding at Viansa Vineyards, Sonoma

This is a favorite image I shot of Annie and Roxy, my talented, artistic floral designers.  Here they’re arranging the flowers in Tuscan urns for Diane & Indra’s wedding ceremony  at Viansa Vineyards in Sonoma.

Designing, ordering, picking out and buying the flowers, foliage, containers and decorative elements for a wedding takes a team of amazing, creative and devoted floral designers to make the wedding celebration absolutely perfect.

I will be posting more on what goes on behind the scenes of creating wedding flowers and more photos of Diane & Indra’s gorgeous “under the Tuscan sun” celebration in the next few days.

Cupcakes and Cashmere ~ the wedding

More Cupcakes and Cashmere Wedding Flower Photos

Emily and Geoffrey said their vows on April 14, 2012 at the Ralston White Retreat Center in Mill Valley, California.  Emily (Cupcakes and Cashmere) grew up in Mill Valley and chose to be married in her home town.  She and Geoffrey fell in love with the setting.

One of the most simple, organic, elegant days with so much love amongst their family & friends. I am looking forward to seeing their wedding photos by Max Wanger, recently voted one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world!

Flowers by Bloomingayles, event planning by Bash, Please, vintage accessories by onetruelovevintage.com. Truly a magical day nestled in the redwoods with Mt. Tamalpais overlooking the ceremony.

Ram’s Gate Winery Florals for wine country birthday party

Ram’s Gate Winery – a wine country birthday party

Floral Design Studio ~ Before and After, a Transformation

 

I believe that part of the joy of living is entertaining and celebrating. The Floral Design Studio space is an integral part of an artistic lifestyle…acting as a  fresh new canvas to provide a perfect backdrop for imagining and creating floral and horticultural designs, to house books, tools, collections, china, linens, objets d’art for setting the table, planning menus, holidays and celebrations. One can draw inspiration from the images and tear sheets on the wall. The Floral Design Studio is where you can discover your own philosophy of entertaining at home.  I submitted my idea and was awarded the opportunity to transform the room.

Charlotte and Elan of Sonoma Decorative Arts carefully removed the mural, custom finished the walls, cabinets and floor cover.  I selected a Chippendale mirror and Arteriors chandelier from Cabana Home and had them installed by Peter Englander.  I borrowed objets d’art from Lauren McIntosh, owner of  Tail of the Yak and filled the cabinets with linens and items for table settings.  I have hung images of wedding and events I have designed for inspiration.  I have displayed  my  floral designs, plantscapes, and permanent (artificial) arrangements. I designed a birch branch and moss screen to camouflage the oven, which is removable should one need to bake.

So many Showcase guests have commented that they would love to have a Floral Design Studio in their home.

I hope you will have the chance to come by the San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2012 home on Jackson Street in San Francisco.  Open through May 28th. Proceeds benefit the financial aid program  at University High School.

San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2012 photos

This is a panoramic image of my Floral Design Studio taken by photographer, Peter Medilek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspiration board for upcoming wedding in Mill Valley at the Ralston White Retreat Center

This is the inspiration board that we are working from for the enchanted wedding at the Ralston White Retreat in Mill Valley this weekend. Wedding team:

Floral design by Bloomingayles (www.gaylenicoletti.com)
Event planning by ‘bash, please’(www.bashplease.com)
Vintage containers by OneTrueLoveVintage Rentals(www.onetruelovevintage.com)
Photography by Max Wanger (www.maxwangerblog.com).

Floral design by Bloomingayles