The $40,900 Question : Alexandra Wise

Our beautiful friend, Alexandra Wise of Blush Botanicals, gave us some unique insight into her creative inspirations as a florist and some other fun answers to our getting to know you, first date type of questions. 

How do you continually stay inspired and creative?

I am truly inspired by everything I see, and sometimes very odd things, from a uniquely shaped tv antenna to a backsplash at Home Depot.  

Is there anything special or unique about your morning routine?

I don't do a single thing before having my morning coffee, can I call that a routine? 

If someone wanted to break into the floral design industry, what advice would you give them?

Don't be afraid to do things your own way.  Be unique and be yourself.  

Did you always know this career path was ‘the one’?

No, if I would have been told that I would be a designer and florist while studying finance in college, I would not have believed it.  

What season inspires you most?

Winter.  I love the look of a snow covered landscape.  

Do you have any funny short stories or embarrassing moments from when you first got started?  Too many to count.  

What is the best advice you have been given?  

Try not to take things personally.  

What is your dream project?

Working with a trusting and inventive client that allows us to dream up something new and fresh for them.  

If there was a song that played every time you worked on your craft, what would it be?  

There usually is.  We like to keep the Tom Petty or Fleetwood Mac pandora station playing as we design at our studio.  

Is there anything in particular you are obsessed with days?

I'm embarrassed to admit that I love bravo.  I'll leave it at that.  

What would you do if you had $40,900 for a vacation?

Yachting around the world sounds pretty great.

Thank you Alexandra!

Everyone loves CAKE

Candy and Sam are one of those couples you fall in love with instantly. Their cake, by Cake Bakery in San Diego, was no different; love at first site. What an honor to capture the process from start to finish, just as we did with Candy and Sam's love story. 

Before I witnessed the whisking and cake decorating in person, I honestly thought there might be a magical wand involved. Candy and Sam's cake was so beautifully hand-crafted and delivered to the Hansen Mansion, to serve as a defining piece of the wedding day decor....and a delight for the sweet tooth. 

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5 SOMETHINGS // WARMTH

There is nothing quite like home sweet home after a wonderful vacation to Denmark and Sweden. 

Something Lovely :: Gaidin spent the weekend with us. It's so rare for us to have the weekend off. We spent a lot of time at parks and walking in the sun.  After an epic two weeks in the dark Scandinavian winter, it was lovely to feel the sun on my face and the warmth of my family.

Something Dreamy :: I was a little nervous about going to Denmark and Sweden in the middle of winter, but Maryanne and I brought tons of warm clothes and lucked out on the weather.  This trip made me fall a little bit in love with winter.  I'm really looking forward to my upcoming trip to Iceland in June.  Even though it will be summer, it will definitely still feel like winter for this San Diego girl.

Something Captured :: Oh Copenhagen you are lovely.  Maryanne and I went on an boat tour of the city.  It was wild.  The sun came out for what seemed like the first time ever and kept us warm on the chilliest day.  I can't wait to share some images. Copenhagen is a dream.

Something New :: It was night time for the majority of our trip.  The sun "rose" around 8:30 am and "set" about 3:30.  Mostly, it just made subtle appearances near the horizon but never really gave the feeling of day time.  There was a dark beauty to our adventures and many of our photo walks were at night.  It was really intriguing to photograph the soft low contrast light of winter.

Something Challenging :: My dad was in the hospital this weekend for a blood clot in his leg. It was a tense weekend and my brother and Andrea spent a lot of time in the hospital while we played with Gaidin. My dad didn't want Gaidin to see him in the hospital. I am so glad he is getting better.

Big hugs,

Suzanne and the Wanderers