LotusHaus

Mod floral design inspiration for a fresh Thanksgiving!

So fresh and so clean! I'm loving these mod floral creations by Modern Day Floral Design for an ArtPrize event in Michigan! It gives me some fresh ideas for another Thanksgiving...

Related Post: White Tablescapes

Modern, Eco-Friendly, Non-Traditional Christmas Tree!

Here's an idea for a fresh and modern Christmas tree by Floral Designer Ken Marten, that will live on for the rest of the year... just add ornaments! Use a plant stand and various topiary style plants in planters of the same color for a unified look.  For the tree top, an urn shape works beautifully here. Place it on a low round table and gifts can be housed beneath it! After the holidays you can give the plants away or disperse them around the house! Below is another option using Jasmine plants. 

Ikebana Style Topiary!

I'm blown away by this ikebana style topiary by Matthew Juho Matsuyama, a floral designer in San Francisco! I would love to try something like this for my Thanksgiving decor or entryway! Check out Matthew's amazing floral work and also check out his floral encyclopedia for a visual reference of many types of flowers!

Fall Wedding Floral Inspiration by The Flower Lab

I enjoy the crispness and freshness of these Fall floral treatments by Tweeny of The Flower Lab in Santa Monica, CA! Mixing dried botanicals like lotus pods, curly willow and money tree stems with fresh local flowers and bright orchids creates a varied texture and a bounty for the eyes! See the full details at The Flower Lab blog for Wedding Aces and see more floral bounty at The Flower Lab Blog.

Sushi for Dessert? Make sweet mochi with fruit!

Making sweet mochi is super easy and tasty! Via the awesome bento blog JustBento and a guest post by The Tiny Urban Kitchen, I discovered a way to make "sushi" using mochi and fruit! So delicious! Wouldn't this be great for a baby shower or bridal shower! Pair this with some "floral sushi" styling for a sweet sushi inspired party!

Love this! Urban, Modern and Crafty - Pink and Gray Spirographic

The styling for this urban loft wedding is so refreshing and modern. I found a single pink dahlia in my garden yesterday, so this is really a lovely visual treat! Via Design*Sponge and Gloria Wong Design.

 

 

40 Weeks } A Lady in Waiting

 

Today was a gorgeous and sunny fall day... a day I had hoped would welcome Rafael into this world... This is me at 40 weeks. Labor hasn't started yet, so I am trying to be patient...

Last night, I pulled the moon down out of the sky and onto my waiting belly. ~Ruth Lerne

GlobalFlora } Fall for India

I adore the bold style and color explosion of this modern Veteran's Day wedding with Indian details! I saw this at Style Me Pretty and just had to share! See all the details of this wonderful wedding here, here, and here.

Via Style Me Pretty:

The Vendors: Real Weddings Maine Director, Jessika Brooks / Venue by Retreat at French’s Point / Event Design by Flora Fauna Designs and coordination by The Sweetest Thing Weddings / Photography by David Murray Weddings / Stacey Kane / Michelle Turner / Audra Photography / Catering by Silver Tureen / Tent by Sperry Tent / Cake by Let Them Eat Cake / Henna by Genevieve Levin of Blackbird Studios

That's Incredible! } Buddha Shaped Pears

Wow, check out these Buddha shaped pears! They are grown in a special plastic mold created by a Chinese farmer named Hao Xianzhang. Very interesting! While eating this pear, you can't help but slow down and be mindful as you nourish your body. 

iTabi } Kimono Cloth iPhone Case

iTabi is a really cute iPhone case that comes in various Kimono patterns and includes two different strap lengths and a pocket on the front for earbuds or a headset. Pretty affordable too! Buy one here for $19.99. Oh and it's actually Made in Japan.

Utterly Engaged + Worldwide Wedding Style - Wabi Sabi Wedding

I'm so excited for Issue #005 of Utterly Engaged, the hippest new Wedding E-Zine! The theme for this issue was "Back to Basics." So for my second column of "Worldwide Wedding Style", I have highlighted some ideas for a wabi sabi inspired wedding. Have a look and let me know what you think!

Schtickers } Turn your laptop into a mini billboard for your small business!

My Schtickers laptop skin design for Bamboo Beats, our DJ business, was chosen as the Design of the Week in September at the Schtickers blog! Schtickers is a local Seattle business and this little laptop skin has been a really great part of our advertising. Since the laptop and turntables are center stage at every event we do, it's a non-obtrusive way to let people know who's spinning the cuts... It's our own little mini-billboard. If you're a blogger or have an online presence, I suggest creating your own Schticker so when you are out and about with your laptop, your brand can get noticed quickly!

My Master Bedroom and Nursery - "Pagoda in the Heavens"

 
Our master bedroom/nursery makeover was inspired by a calming palette of turquoise, khaki and chocolate. My husband and I pulled together Asian inspired details from antique paintings to pop graphics. Here is the nursery side of our master bedroom. I used Illustrator to draw Chinese and Japanese cloud motifs and printed them at a larger scale using Blockposters. Then we traced and painted them onto the khaki wall using Benjamin Moore's sample paints. These small paint samples had great coverage. The crib is from Target and the shelving is from Ikea.

These are some detail shots from the room... Some inspiring figurines, a pagoda mirror, a Ukiyo-E Japanese Wood Block Print (thrift find!), and a kimono fabric scrap that I plan to make into a pillow...

In the crib you can see a teal and lime colored  "Tummy Time Play Mat" that I will be using as a changing pad at first. I think it's so cute and practical and it has a measuring tape printed on it so I can watch our baby boy grow in length right before my eyes! On top of the play mat is a brown Boppy Noggin Head Support that prevents the baby from having a flat head. The crib is outfitted with an organic cotton flannel sheet and a Nojo fleece sheet saver from Target.

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of the baby are two friends, a Yomiko Classics baby panda, and a homemade doll (made by my friend's aunt) swaddled in a Kiddopotamus bamboo fabric swaddle blanket. Also pictured is the Utterly Yours Pregnancy Pillow (folds into a square) that I used for a bit, and a hand crocheted baby blanket from my cousin! These things will be removed when the baby comes because it is much safer for the him to be in a crib without extra things like pillows, dolls and crib bumpers (prevents suffocation and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

This is the adult side of the room. In case you haven't noticed, the bed wall and ceiling is painted a chocolate brown and gives us a sense of privacy and intimacy, while the rest of the walls are painted a neutral khaki color. The bedroom artwork consists of Chinese scrolls and artwork I've found over the years at various antique stores. We didn't have it in the budget to buy a new bed, so we updated our existing Ikea rattan frame by staining it dark brown. I really love how our bedroom turned out! Can't wait until our boy can enjoy it too!

Preston Bailey's Thanksgiving Decor

 
Hi, I want to be related to Preston Bailey so I can attend his Thanksgiving dinner! Wow!

Ikebana Inspired Cake!

Check out this cool Ikebana cake by Annie's Art Book which was part of a Cake Challenge! See more photos of ikebana cakes here.

iBonsai

To pass the time while waiting in line or for some easy relaxation before bed, I really love the iBonsai application... maybe you'll like it too!

Too Cool for School kids use a Flower Ruler!

 

 
Wow! This is a really innovative ruler that I discovered via Spoon and Tamago.  f,l,o,w,e,r,s by Norihiko Terayama of Studio Note is an acrylic ruler with embedded real flowers that are “blossoming” at exactly 1cm intervals. Each flower was hand-picked and dried by the designer, therefore making each ruler unique. To get one, click here. (It costs as much as a wooden ruler...psyche!)

Baby Update! I'm 38 Weeks

Hi everyone! Here's an update... I'm now 38 weeks! I can hardly believe it. My posts have been light because I have just been enjoying my pregnancy! This is a little photoshop'ed photo of me from a couple of days ago... the backdrop is fabric from Fabric and Art.  I love how I look like a tomato! hee hee. Our master bedroom/nursery is done and I will post photos as soon as I can.

Floral Wall Decor using recycled cardboard tubes

 
Isn't this lovely? I finally know what to do with the loads of toilet paper tubes that I've been saving for a rainy day project! Via Apartment Therapy.

Sushibird Tiles

 
  
These Sushibird Tiles from The Red Thread are simply gorgeous!!! Vibrant graphic birds cut from Japanese papers nest on simple illustrations inspired by nature. The white line work illustrations are hand painted on solid natural timber finished in a semi-gloss varnish.

Using Chrysanthemum for Good Feng Shui

(Photo & Arrangement by LotusHaus: Happy New Year - Bronze Football Chrysanthemum and Steel Grass Blades)

(Photo & Arrangement by LotusHaus: Ikebana for a Japanese Inspired Wedding)

If you are planning a fall wedding, I would like to share with you some wonderful information about using Chrysanthemums to add beauty and blessings to your wedding and your home! The following information is from Gwynne Warner of 10,000 Blessings Feng Shui:

Revered for its beauty and medicinal properties, the gorgeous and highly regarded yellow or golden chrysanthemum ("chu" in ancient Chinese) is rich both in color and symbolism. They make a most auspicious gift as well as a noble offering on an altar.

The flower is symbolic with autumn; ease of life; longevity (such as life, luck, love or success); simplicity and perfection. Because it blooms out of autumn and right into the season winter, it also symbolizes the mediation between life and death and Heaven and Earth.

For Feng Shui purposes, it is full of super-powerful yang chi, and placing chrysanthemums in your home or office will immediately attract good luck! An auspicious day to pick chrysanthemums is on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month (which falls on October 26th this year). If you wish to receive rewards, success, fame, recognition, honor and bonuses, put a golden yellow mum in the Fame area (back middle) of the first floor of your home as well as the fame area of your office.

If you are in New York, go and visit the New York Botanical Garden's elaborate exhibit, "Kiku in the Japanese Garden" (Kiku = Japanese word for Chrysanthemum). This is the third and final exhibit of Chrysanthemum designs at the Botanical Gardens!

Wedding Nouveau } A Style Guide for InterCultural Brides

If you are fusing cultural sensibility, style and finesse into your interracial and/or multi-ethnic wedding, you simply must head over to the fabulous site Wedding Nouveau! This site is a cross cultural style guide for today’s bride... filled with inspirational ideas, real life examples of fusion style weddings, cultural traditions, mood boards, color palettes and more! The creative gal behind this site is Fri (prononced "Free"), and she is a creative designer and actor originally from Cameroon, with New York sensibilities and a home base in Los Angeles. Here is one of Fri's awesome mood boards, entitled "Vintage Kabuki Wedding":

Amazing Inspiration Boards by Creative Lounge

  

  
Check out these jaw-dropping inspiration boards by Nay-K of Creative Lounge!

Silver Lotus Candle Holders and Platters by Namo Design

 
Via And Another blog, I discovered these beautiful silver lotus candle holders and platters by Namo Design. I just love the lotus shapes and multi-purpose use for these lovely home items!

Origami Teabag prototype concept

 
This amazing origami bird tea bag is a prototype by Russian designer Natalia Ponomareva! I hope it makes it to the shelf! What a perfect way to celebrate the day with a whimisical bird, a nod to arts & craft and and a cup of rejuvenating green tea! Via At Home with Kim Vallee.

Buzzilight - Duo Color Felt Lanterns

 
I'm loving these Buzzilight lanterns available at Bouf! The Buzzilight is a large round light fixture with a different colour of felt on either side that can be switched around to suit your mood. These look stunning and durable to me! Available in 4 duo colours: ecogrey/orange, ecogrey/lime, ecogrey/pink, ecogrey/off-white.

Modern Safari Baby Shower Invitation

Here is a baby shower invitation that I was commissioned to do (the details have been changed for privacy). The theme was a modern take on the Safari animal theme and the mother-to-be recently purchased this cute elephant mobile for her nursery. If you want this invitation for your baby shower email me and I can customize it for you for a small fee and you can print it at your own convenience!

Mooncake Festival

I just had to share this wonderful collage of mooncakes I saw over at the Lucky in Love blog!
Photo credits from Lucky in Love ~ Top left: Intercontinental - Singapore, Middle - right top: Bakerzin, Middle row: Carlton Hotel, Singapore, Large middle: Peony Jade, Singapore, Middle green apple cakes from Bossacafez, green cake: Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore, Bottom left Royal Series from Tung Lok, Bottom center: Fairmont Singapore, bottom right: also the Fairmont - this one with hazelnut filling.

Also known as the Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival, the Mooncake Festival is celebrated by Chinese communities every fall and traditionally, Chinese family and friends will gather together on this day to watch the bright full moon while enjoying outdoor BBQ and eating delicious moon cakes. There are many legends and children's stories about the history of the moon festival from being a tribute to the "moon lady" (photo below) or the mooncake being instrumental in Chinese history (concealing messages for a Chinese rebellion against Mongolian oppressors.)

In Seattle, the Vietnamese community is celebrating with the Festival of Lights on October 3rd. There will be 350 lanterns, moon cakes, story telling, face painting for the kids and more! Go here for more details!

Tropical Floral Stylings by Maricel's Floral Design

Our DJ Company Bamboo Beats, had the pleasure of providing international lounge grooves and dance music for BoConcept's Longest Worldwide Release Party in Seattle last night! I will post pro pics as soon as I get them, but in the meantime I wanted to share the modern tropical floral stylings of Maricel's Floral Design, a fellow pinay floral designer in Seattle. I just love her modern and fresh approach to florals that complemented the BoConcept vases so well.

My Asian Inspired Baby Shower!

These little baby monk figurines and Chinese display stands were the inspiration for my Asian themed baby shower! You can see my evite design here. Thanks to my mom, my hubby and two of my dearest friends, I had a colorful, meaningful and fun filled party!

In Chinese culture (as with many other cultures), food is so important during special celebrations, so I wanted to celebrate the concept of Dim Sum with my guests at this lunch time party, (Dim Sum literally means "to touch your heart," and consists of a variety of dumplings, steamed dishes and other goodies). Check out this colorful spread! I just have to share with you some of the dishes we served and what they mean to me.

Dim Sum is all about small delicacies with big flavor! We had shrimp and chicken dumplings along with eggrolls, pot stickers and edamame from Uwajimaya. My girlfriend steamed them all herself! As a mommy to be, I love these dishes and enjoy thinking of myself as a little dumpling with a special treat inside, like a pea in a pod!

I found an appetizer recipe for Asian Chicken Salad on Endive Spears and wanted this dish to represent a baby in a cradle. Super easy and so cute! The trick is to use the cooked rotisserie chicken readily available at the grocery store.

I'm Filipino and my mom makes two dishes that I absolutely love! Fresh Lumpia and Pancit. Fresh Lumpia is basically a crepe roll with an assortment of cooked meat and vegetables. My mom made these ones vegetarian with sweet potatoes, potatoes, jicama, cilantro, seasoning and lettuce. She wrapped them in wax paper and tied it with raffia. They are served with a sweet dipping sauce. The other dish I love is Pancit, which is a Filipino noodle dish. There are different kinds of Pancit but my favorite is Pancit Canton, which is a Chinese style version using egg noodles. We had to have noodles because they symbolize long life and prosperity!

I think the Chinese translation for lotus root is " lin ngau,"  which sounds like "lin yau", and means "every year you have plenty." I found fresh sliced lotus roots at Uwajimaya and made a quick lotus root stir-fry with sesame, green onions, cilantro and bean sprouts. Guests were surprised and delighted with the texture and flavor of the lotus root.

For dessert my hubby made these tasty Chinese Moon Cookies using wooden Chinese molds in the shape of koi fish and fu dogs (they turned out so cute!!!). As a surprise, one of my friends baked and decorated this gorgeous French Vanilla cake with blue fondant and cherry blossoms!!! It was amazing! The cake was so beautiful and delicious! Another surprise dessert was a batch of Nutella Chocolate Chip cookies made by one of my dearest girlfriends who helped to host the party.

For the buffet table decor, I used blue and orange cotton fabrics for runners. The blue fabric is called Koto by Alexander Henry (above left) and it also inspired my invitation design (above right) and color theme.

Since goldfish are also good luck, I thought it would be fun to have them floating around! I put them in glass cubes with a glass shelf that raised up the display stand. I love how it turned out!

I just love brocade fabrics and Chinese handicrafts with their bright colors, pretty patterns and intricate knotting and tassels... I also love tiny shoes and booties. So when I found these Baby shoes and lucky charm amulets in various stores in Chinatown I thought what a cute display these would be together. What great luck to find them in matching colors! Plus I can use all of these display goods for the baby later!

Here's how the living room was arranged. For munchies, we filled a fish bowl with rice crackers, sesame sticks and good ol' goldfish crackers.

Here's my Asian inspired diaper cake! I discovered an easier way to arrange the diapers than the last diaper cake I made. This cake uses about 90pcs of organic cotton newborn diapers, 60pcs on the bottom layer and 30pcs on the top. To do this, take a drinking glass and arrange a handful of diapers on their side in a circular pattern around the glass and wrap a really big rubber band around it. Add more diapers until the rubber band is tight. Remove the glass and rearrange diapers to fill in the hole. Make another layer and decorate. A Hostess Blog post about an Asian Inspired Bridal Shower gave me the idea to use a 3 tiered bamboo plant for the cake topper.

For the alcove decor, I took extra fabric and made simple fabric scroll hangings and anchored them with wooden double happiness accent pieces that I found a long time ago but haven't had a chance to use until now. To change up my existing metal wall art piece, I printed out various Asian patterns and just taped them up.

For our baby shower game, the ladies had 5 minutes to use play dough and design little tiny booties. They were all so cute! I picked a winner and she received a prize. 

Instead of a wishing tree or guest book, I made rice paper fortune cookies and we asked guests to write their parenting advise or sentiments for the fortune saying. We will read through these after the baby is born!

For favors I wanted to create something meaningful and I had read about the tradition of a Blessingway, which is a mother-focused shower that honors and nurtures the pregnant women. Since most of my guests were already mothers, I wanted to tap into their courage and strength when my time comes to deliver Rafael. After searching without success for a blessing or prayer for a healthy delivery, I eventually wrote my own. So, for the favor I included a candle and a copy of the prayer. When I go into labor, my friends will get a text or email to light the candle and read the prayer. This way, all of these strong women will be thinking of me at the same time and I can look forward to receiving their encouragement! For the actual favor box, I used a DIY template from Twig & Thistle and altered it to fit my theme. 

Here's me (in the middle) and my dearest girlfriends looking lovely with these pretty Asian fans. I had all of my guests sit on the couch and take a picture with me. You can see more of these "fan shots" here. Thanks to all my friends and family that came to celebrate with me!!! I am grateful to have you all in my life!

My Baby Shower! Sneak Peek

I can't believe I'm already 32 weeks along in my pregnancy! My baby shower is this Sunday and being a DIY-er of course I had to throw some things together! Here is a sneak peek at my invitation... I uploaded this image to my event web page at www.pingg.com. It's a great online invitation service and a wonderful way to save money and the environment!!!

Pagoda Box by Jett Modern

Check out this cool spread on surprise storage by Real Simple Magazine! I simply love this Pagoda Box for holding jewelry and making a statement on your vanity or dresser. Email for call Jett Modern to score one of your own.

Fall Floral Inspiration for the Day

Inspired by a post by Hostess with the Mostess on Floral Art LA and their inspirational Flower Bar, I found this modern, elegant and very doable centerpiece that makes me happy today! It consists of violet carnations, vanda orchids, and tropical foliage in a plum lucite box.

Kokeshi Doll Cake Toppers

I've been to quite a few weddings where the cake toppers were customized wooden dolls of the bride & groom... However, today I found these Kokeshi wedding dolls at Etsy to be the cutest I have seen so far! What a precious wedding topper and keepsake!

Global Modern Wall Decals!

Etsy has some amazing options for wall stickers and decals... look for designs that are modern and globally inspired! Check out my favorites from Elly Nelly!
 

 

And the following are from Single Stone Studios:
 

 

Utterly Engaged + Worldwide Wedding Style - Lotus in Love

I'm so excited for Issue #003 of Utterly Engaged, the hippest new Wedding E-Zine! Why? Because the super savvy style crew has asked me to be a contributor! Yay! My column is called "Worldwide Wedding Style" and will highlight style elements and cultural nuances that couples can incorporate into their wedding or wedding related events (bridal shower, wedding rehearsal, etc). For the first feature, you know I had to set it off with a lotus inspired theme! I just love how it turned out! I hope you do too =) Stay tuned for more!

Rouge Tomate - Red Hot and Green Venue in NYC

I really would love a mini vacation to NYC! If I were there, I would check out the new eco-luxe restaurant Rouge Tomate. The food and decor are all sustainable and the venue boasts an impressive mult-level design... The Cranberry Pool is my favorite (pictured below) and this would be where I would have wanted my bachelorette party or bridal shower! At the Rouge Tomate site, click on the Event button to check out the very cool floor plans.

If you are in NYC, check out the Eco-Luxe / Go Green Expo on Sept. 22 to be held at Rouge Tomate. More info here.

Persian Cotton Candy and DIY Wedding Favors

Via Eat Drink Chic, I discovered these beautiful DIY Persian Cotton Candy Favors! Persian Cotton Candy (or Fairy Floss) also known as "Pashmak" makes an exotic gourmet favor for guests at a wedding or party. Read the full post and download the templates for the envelope and label for your own use! And be sure to check out Pariya Food, a Persian produce company that sells Pashmak, and the website Persian Mirror for more info on Persian wedding traditions and food.

Korean Vogue

This beautiful image is from the Korean Vogue... I love the color, texture and styling! I found this photo via the inspiring PaPaYa blog.

Structural Floral Art by Kuga Designs

I love these designs by Bree of Kuga Designs! Check out Bree's Daniel Ost inspired post to learn more about the influence and mechanics behind her works of art!

Bath Inspiration from Indian Summer

Via the beautiful blog An Indian Summer, I'm "washed away" by the modern global styling of these lovely bathrooms inspired by India!

Do Re Mi

This will put a smile on your face! I wish Seattle had a huge public area where a "mass random" choreographed dance performance could be orchestrated like this one! More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi", in the Central Station of Antwerp. With just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt! This was a promotional stunt for a Belgian television program, where they were looking for someone to play the leading role, in the musical of "The Sound of Music".

DIY Minimalistic Tropical Centerpiece Project by Susan Weisser

Follow floral artist Susan Weisser's easy steps for creating your own minimalist tropical centerpiece design! I love this! So fresh and modern!

I Dream of Cake by Shinmin Li

Via the Bellissima Vita Weddings Blog, I was blown away by this elegant cake captured by photographer Jennifer Skog and created by I Dream of Cake in San Francisco.  I Dream of Cake was established by artist Shinmin Li who creates innovative cake concepts and is continuously inspired by current fashion trends. The cake studio is a one of a kind, beautifully designed boutique that looks like a high end retail store! So gorgeous!

Below are some of my favorite Asian inspired cake designs that I found at the I Dream of Cake gallery...

Armani Haute Couture Spring 2009

I really love the flared details and structured forms of these Chinese inspired looks from Armani's S/S 2009 Haute Couture Collection! His inspiration was "A China long gone," with references to the rich and ritualized life of the Forbidden City and to the infamous nightlife scene of Shanghai in the 1910s to 1930s. See more photos at Elle and video coverage at YouTube. I would rock any of these fashion pieces (after I get back in shape after the baby of course)!

Laser Cut Invitations

Simply amazing!!! Via the Style Fragments blog, I found these unbelievable laser cut stationary items by Dococards in Indonesia. It might be worth the time to check to see if the printers in your area also do laser cut work!

DIY Favor Boxes by Twig & Thistle

Quick download these beautifully designed favor boxes by Twig & Thistle for your next event! I love the yellow waves and pink flowers (very Japonesque)! I also love how the pattern surrounds the top like a lid and not all over - saving you ink and money! Perfecto!

Outdoor Table and Bench with Arabic Geometric Flavor

Via Designboom, I discovered the 'Tablecloth Series' by landscape designer Tina Sudell. This outdoor table and bench series has a hot dose of modern design with powder coated steel, rounded edges and laser cut Arabic Geometric "tablecloth" pattern! It's a perfect punch of color and style for your patio!

GlobalFlora } Vibrant Blues and Purples

Featured Event Designer: Love and Splendor
Featured Floral Designer: Irvine Village Flowers
Featured Photographer:  Travis Hoehne
Featured Venue: Seven Degrees

Here's a vibrant and creative wedding by Love and Splendor! I just love the colors and the modern touches! I especially love the lighting and handmade details. See more photos here and here!

Naoki Sasaki, Japanese Contemporary Floral Art

Naoki Sasaki is a master of traditional and modern Japanese floral art. Check out his gallery of work  and grab a copy of his new book, Japanese Contemporary Floral Art at Amazon. Such inspiring work!