Purple is the New Orange

We didn't like purple. The bride didn't like purple. She said that purple was the next big thing...that the pantone color of the year was kind of purplish...that all of her bridesmaids looked really good in purple. And so she had a purple wedding. And we all kind of fell in love. Ceremony at the gorgeous Noerenberg Gardens, reception at the Lafayette Club (where purple looks quite great with the pale yellow walls), photos by the (also quite great) Meghan Doll.

Mrs. Liz Gets Married

Our bride, affectionately nicknamed Mrs. Liz, married her groom on the breathtaking Endless Bridge at the Guthrie Theater. The Lace/Hanky lassies created some beautiful photo eye candy with the amazing architecture and lovely view of the Mississippi River and the Stone Arch Bridge. We love Linda's non-traditional orchid-hued wedding dress -- so grown up, so big city, so very Mrs. Liz.

ARTCRANK 2009: A Poster Party for Bike People

Our wheels are spinning as we plot something fabulous for ARTCRANK 2009
The show opens on Saturday, April 4 at One On One Bicycle Studio, located at 117 Washington Ave. N in the Minneapolis Warehouse District. You'll find foxy posters from the likes of Seventhsin, Aesthetic Apparatus, Joanne Grobe, and Adam Turman, The irresistible Millions Billions will make you shake it (not that there will be room to dance). Oh, and did we mention apps by Chowgirls Killer Catering and free beer? Woo hoo!
We were in earlier this week and, escorted by the always charming Charles Youel, we got to dig through the bowels of the one on one basement to scavenge for bike bits. If you haven't been, you really need to go, but make sure to tell someone where you are -- otherwise you could be lost for days... and a tough girl/greasy metal/lush swampy fresh floral installation from us will make you wish it were (really) spring.

Black and White at the Walker

Now that we have black and white on the brain, we thought we'd whip out another gorgeous spread of black and white wedding deliciousness. Chambers Hotel and the Walker Art Center make such lovely, graphic backdrops for events and photos. These of Heather and Neal's March wedding, shot by Andrew Vick, are no exception.

We really, really love the face our bride (on the right) made when she saw the bouquets. This face (as well as the teary face) is what makes our job so great.




Black feathers, stephanotis blooms with black pins, fabulous striped ribbon, and black detailing on Heather's dress add serious punch to a white wedding.

It's Official:Our Website Rocks (and don't just take our word for it).

The Bastian+Skoog website, designed by our friends at the superfab EightHourDay, is officially h-o-t. AIGA Minnesota, a professional association for design, held it's 2009 Design Show of Excellence for print and interactive media last week. Big kudos to EightHourDay who were recognized for their design work on not only our site, but their Minnesota Opera project, as well.

Black and White at the Weisman

Lovely images by Sally Jorgensen of La Vie Photography of the recent winter wedding of Carla and Jack. Their black and white scheme was punctuated with bursts of color complements of the Weisman Art Museum. Effective touches we loved included custom table runners and table numbers printed on wine bottles -- so graphic and foxy.

My Cheeky Valentine

As many of you know, we held a contest where we invited out clients to create the cheekiest sentiment for their Valentine's Day flower order. The winner of the contest received their flowers for free. While we had several quality submissions, there was a hands down winner. Originally, we were going to announce the name of the winner and keep the sentiment private, but with only a little prodding our winner is kindly letting us repost his card here for your enjoyment and inspiration.

Tied up in knots
a bite on the shoulder
i tugged at her hair
e’re my heart ‘gan to smoulder

‘twixt sheets, silken black
lo! - a spank on the bum!
nervous.. am i naughty?
mayhaps too tame?
mayhaps ho-hum!!

then, a crash!$%
my friends,
- a cloud of smoke! -
i hung from the ceiling
prisoner,
to gravity’s heavy yoke

and in this moment she approacheth
e’re my moment of despair
kisses to my forehead
gentle strokes to my hair

she cackled with delight
bit hard on my lip.
candles and oils…
- hey-o! what’s with the whip? -

t’would kiss her
would i could
like a great prince of yore
be kama to her sutra
make her cry out “more! more!”

my situation you see, was desperate but not dire
distance it seemed, sparked my heart’s russian fire

and so, i waited,
bound but still brave
to plot Act II
self cast
as Handsome Knave

So it will go,
through months and years
the drama will unfold
many climaxes - few tears

and as I gaze to the West
I wait for a sign.
for the curtain to rise,
‘tween me and
my heart’s rowdy Valentine.

Secrets of the Sweethearts

Our studio was mentioned by Kate Iverson for Secrets of the City's Valentine's guide. We liked it so much we're reprinting our writeup here, but do check out the entire article for other sweet finds including our cupcake dealer, Sheela, at Miel y Leche.

LOVE IN BLOOM

Forget the red roses this year -- that's been done. If you want your gesture to be original and memorable, we suggest thinking beyond the baby's breath!

Bastian + Skoog Urban Flower Studio

Liz Bastian and Heidi Skoog are green-thumbed art stars. As owners of the hottest floral design studio in the Twin Cities, these ladies share some very key ideals that include "a hunger for good design and culture (and shoes), modern aesthetic sensibilities, and most importantly, discriminating taste." And these qualities are definitely evident in their unusual, custom floral designs, and their long, impressive roster of high-end clients. For those who hold art close to their heart, an arrangement from the contemporary perfectionists at Bastian + Skoog is equally satisfying to give and to get. But, beware. You'll likely become a regular, scheduling artsy arrangements for business, special occasions, and special people.