Inspired home: Schuyler Samperton

It's no secret that I dearly miss Domino Magazine, which to this day I still find a source of constant design inspiration. One of my most beloved (now dog-eared and tattered) issues features Schuyler Samperton, an interior designer based in Los Angeles. Domino Magazine may be gone, but Sampterton is still going strong. Here are samples of designs from Samperton's website.

Samperton's design aesthetic leans toward bohemian, with vibrant pops of color, varying textures and patterns, and fresh fauna and flora taking center stage. I love how she combines traditional pieces with exotic accents like Moroccan lanterns, bamboo and antique Persian rugs. Every room in her portfolio includes thoughtfully arranged personal treasures that all seem to carry a history with its own story to tell.

Flutter's Earth-friendly Espresso Cart Event

Flutter Events has expanded its services to include European espresso cart events. We helped DR Horton host a "green" espresso cart event for the Lantana model grand opening on Saturday. Our event was 90 percent green (I say 90 percent because the post-consumer recycled cups we ordered did not arrive on time).

We used gourmet shade-grown beans from San Francisco Bay Certified Organic Rainforest Blend. The company works with the farmers to supply health care, housing, meal programs, and education to the workers and their families. The coffee is produced 100 percent naturally, with no chemicals or pesticides. Nature-friendly farming practices tend to mature coffee more slowly so the flavors develop more fully before harvest. We have sampled quite a few coffees far and wide, and we think this one is truly superior in taste and quality.

The cups as I mentioned previously did not come on time, but I believe it to be a stroke of luck since it lead me to discover ecopackstore.com which supplies hot beverage cups made of sugar cane fibers. The cups are biodegradable and compost within 45 -60 days. The company is based in San Diego, and the folks there were so helpful they even offered to drive the cups to Del Mar to meet me the night before the event! The timing wasn't right, but now we will be using their fabulous products moving forward. I highly recommend Eco Pack Store for any green gathering.

The plates and napkins were also green products - the compostable plates were also made from sugar-cane fibers and the napkins were from recycled paper. We supplied devastatingly delicious pastries from a French bakery to lend the event an authentic European experience. We used a three-tier bamboo pastry tray for the presentation (you can learn more about the ecological benefits of bamboo in a former blog post here).

We are currently working on nailing down a composting system so that the grinds (and cups) can be returned to the Earth for future vegetable gardens.

Happy weekend

We have an espresso cart event tomorrow that we have been furiously prepping for all week. Here is the menu I designed. Pictures to follow next week... I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

Winter getaway... or alpine elopement idea

It's been a while since I've embarked on one of my beloved road trip and the open road is calling me again... I've taken the liberty of planning the perfect romantic winter getaway, which if you are in the market, could be a lovely elopement idea. The destination: South Lake Tahoe. I grew up vacationing in Tahoe with my family, and skiing and snowboarding aside, there is a multitude of exciting things to do in the winter.

Day 1: Stay in a cozy log cabin at Sorensen's, a picture-perfect resort in Hope, CA, just 15 minutes outside Kirkwood resort. www.sorensensresort.com

Borrow a pair of free snow shoes Sorensen's provides to guests and explore your winter wonderland.

After a vigorous hike in the surrounding woodlands, settle inn (pun intended) to a quiet dinner at Sorensen's country kitchen. It appears they have a nice wine selection.

Day 2: After warming your insides with a hot cup of Joe and hearty breakfast, head out to Heavenly for an exhilarating run on the longest zip line tour in the US! Photos don't do this experience justice so here is a youtube video. Danger zone - radical!

Once you have sufficiently spiked your adrenaline, decompress at Borges Sleigh Rides. Snuggle under some blankets and take a sunset dinner sleigh ride straight out of a Dicken's novel. The full-course dinner selections range from chicken primavera to scampi and include cheese fondu and a twice baked potato. Smuggle your own wine if you have a spare canteen.

And just for kicks, I thought I would share these photos I nabbed from Sorensen's website of their lovely woodland wedding gazebo. With the surrounding aspens and pines, it must be absolutely gorgeous covered in a blanket of snow. Perfect for a candlelit elopement ceremony at dusk.

Book review: Driving sideways

I just finished Driving Sideways by Jess Riley and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for an entertaining and hilarious diversion. I rarely laugh out loud when reading, and this book had me in stitches from start to finish.

The synopsis: 28 year-old Leigh embarks on a road trip after a kidney transplant gives her a new lease on life. She picks up a 17 year old hitch hiker along the way, and share many misadventures as they make their way from Wisconsin to California.

I am a quote junkie, and find it the best way to remember the books I read so here are a few of my favorite exerts from Driving Sideways:

Thoughts on her new kidney:

"After my surgery, I began having strange cravings for food I'd never tasted before. Gazpacho. Falafel with cold cucumber salad. Candied ginger. Once I found myself standing in the Copps checkout line at two a.m. dropping five bags of frozen edamame on the conveyer belt. Five bags! I'm sure the checker thought I was completely stoned. In addition to my new food cravings, I also completely lost interest in the music that had propelled me through three years of college. Dido? Barftastic! Third Eye Blind? Shittacular! At first I chalked it up to a simple change in tastes. This happened to everyone didn't it? I mean, we all used to have mall hair and jelly pumps, but then we developed common sense, right? One night, I found myself in line at the Exclusive Company holding CDs by Elbow, Nick Drake and Wilco. I'd never heard of these people - or heard any of their songs - but I knew I'd love them. And I did. A new soundtrack for the new me. "

(I think shittacular is my new favorite word. I apologize in advance if I offend, but I love it so!)

Hitch hiker apprehensions :

"Denise shrugs and pulls out a battered copy of The Catcher in the Rye. "Mind if I read?" she asks. I'm too surprised to do anything but nod. I'd expected her to lug out a Danielle Steel novel or maybe Thievery digest. I'm a little unnerved by her choice in reading material. Doesn't a red flag pop up in an FBI computer somewhere whenever someone checks Catcher out of a library? Because didn't Mark David Chapman and Lee Harvey Oswald enjoy the novel? I tell myself I won't worry until Denise starts referring to herself with three names."

Wistfully watching her friends drinking wine:

"I haven't tasted a drop of alcohol in nearly seven years. And I'd be a dirty, stinking liar if I said I didn't miss it - the fuzzy warmth of the first drink, the jubilation and easy conversation of the second, the coy, nonsensical flirtation of the third. (I'll stop there, before the inappropriate and obnoxious comments of the fourth, nudity of the fifth and vomiting of the sixth)."

(LOL)

Describing her best friend:

"Her name was Jillian Wallace, and she had not only a pool and a spiral perm, but six rowdy brothers and sisters, one of whom owned a Ford Mustang and a bootleg Nirvana tape before we even knew who Kurt Cobain was. Another had an expensive, aromatic suade jacket and was on the high school dance squad. They threw crowded, destructive parties when Jillian's parents were out of town, with cassette-tape streamers on the ceiling fans and mattresses thrown from upstairs windows. Just like on TV! They were like Gods to me."

(Ah, the '90s!)

"But come on, your best friend - who wept at your grandmother's funeral, finishes your sentences, and warns you when you've got spinach stuck between your teeth: your confessor, therapist, partner in crime, and sounding board all rolled into one amazing person - announces she's moving four states away as you're blindsided by a medical tsunami and you don't feel even a smidgen of loss, self-pity, or envy?"

(I miss my best friend.)

Balance your carbon footprint - plant a tree!

I am now including the planting of a tree in a couple's name to the Flutter elopement package. I think trees are a perfect symbol of growth, hope and love - the foundation of any marriage of the heart. The couple will receive a certificate with their names detailing where the tree was planted.

Not only are trees a beautiful gift to honor the celebration of a marriage, but there are countless benefits to reforestation. Trees filter carbon dioxide which help reduce the buildup of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Trees are a necessity for the restoration of natural ecosystems which help recharge ground water and sustain stream flow, provide habitat for wildlife, and of course, give us beautiful places to enjoy recreational activities.

The American Forest website has a handy little carbon-footprint calculator here. According to mine, I need to plant 42 trees this year to balance my carbon footprint - and I'm an avid recycler! There are plenty of other resources to plant trees in the United States including the National Arbor Day Foundation or Treesinstead.com. For $15, the American Forest will also "plant a tree in remembrance" which I think is a really poignant way to honor the memory of a loved one.

Inspired photo shoot: A knitters dream

In the spirt of a fresh start for 2011, I have decided I need to get rid of some of the HUNDREDS of my favorite inspiring discoveries from the blogging world that are stashed on my desktop. It has become impossible to find anything and sometimes when clicking on an older post, tragically the link has expired and that bit of inspiration is lost forever. So I am going to be transferring a lot of my favorites posts/ideas/pretty photos to this blog to make room for the new on my laptop!

This engagement shoot from Ruffled is incorporates the brides knitting hobby into the shoot. As a knitting newbie, I am in love with hand-knit "winged heart tattoo"!

If you have any interest in knitting, be sure to check out the bride's inspiring knitting blog Reckless Glue.