A SECRET GARDEN OF SORTS: GROW NATIVE NURSERY

Today I went to a "secret" garden. Grow Native is actually a nursery, but it is definitely a new development in West LA in association with Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens and Veteran's Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Being, so new these links are the only real information on the nursery. I accredit this great find to my friend Carolyn, whose savvy seeks out many a treasure in Los Angeles.

In addition to great plants and a very informative staff, (one of whom came from the Rancho Santa Ana botanic Garden) this treasure is also home to a beautiful exotic bird sanctuary. After being greeted by the caws and hellos of these lovely creatures themselves, we met Christopher, an avid bird lover who is also turning his passions into a business. Featherpeutic teaches about birds and their eco-systems, the proper care and right handling of birds, all while showing off their dazzling natural talents.

LOMO PHOTOS

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: MESHING CULTURES & TRADITION LA STYLE

Saturday my husband and I went to the 12th Annual Dia de los Muertos at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was our first time. This fun event brought a modern LA take to a long standing Mexican tradition, popularizing and bringing together people from many cultures as our LA community uniquely does. Traditionally, the Day of the Dead takes place on November 1st coinciding with All Saints Day, but holding it on a Saturday allowed for more festivities and more people to be able to attend. As a photographer, it was a sensory overload of colorful visual stimuli, from the painted faces and costumes of people to, flowers and memorabilia of exhibits; all quite amazing and inspiring.

My only criticism of the event is that they did not allow for bicycle parking, which in LA these days is a bit behind the times. All events should promote if not sponsor more clean & efficient transportation, such as biking, which is in itself becoming a large community in LA. There was however an exhibit at the event that called some awareness to the biking community and bike safety. I have a small photo below. For Cinespia movie nights at the cemetery they do allow bikers to come in, so I don't understand why this event couldn't find a way to do the same. Otherwise, the whole day was full of fun activities for all which included face painting, interactive exhibitions, music and traditional dance, and delicious food! Below are just some of the photos I took of LA's Dia de los Muertos.

GREEN GROUNDS: AN LA GARDEN PROJECT

Last Sunday I built a garden in South Central Los Angeles with a friend and the nonprofit group LA Green Grounds. I found out about this group via a Master Gardner Workshop at The Natural History Museum, taught by Florence Nishida. A huge advocate of sustainability through our community and gardening, Florence believes that hands on participation is as important as the information she teaches. The Green Grounds project is about building edible and sustainable gardens in an area where healthy, affordable food options are hard to come by. This was a great experience as a gardener in training and also in building and understanding our communities in Los Angeles. We often feel very disconnected as Angelenos as we are blessed and cursed living in a sprawling urban city of diverse communities. Events like this help to remind me that we can always do something and be involved in our own local communities and even the community at large. In an era of global politics and economics through technology, it can be hard to stay connected to one another on a basic level even though we are virtually "connected" all the time. Sometimes it is about getting down and dirty with fellow citizens, putting our hands in the soil and actually sowing the seeds for hope and change together. We then come to realize how much we really can accomplish as a collective community and as human beings. I feel so grateful for this experience and all the inspiring people I have met along the way. I hope to translate the practical knowledge I have gained into starting my own garden with my neighbors. Now I know that staying involved in my community and really participating is the only way to really promote growth and change for a better future. LA Green Grounds is a real grass roots program and anyone can join. So check out their website and maybe I'll see you at the next dig in! Below are some photos from our exhilarating day!

The family plants a fruit tree.

Emily (left) one of the host's family members & Vanessa (right) from LA Green Grounds

WOAD BLUE: A FRENCH GENERAL WORKSHOP

This past weekend I tried out a Woad workshop through French General. I was turned onto this amazing dye workshop by my ever inspiring friend and floral designer, My Linh.

The day started with donuts and coffee at French General where we shopped around and chatted. French General is a crafter's dream. Located between Silverlake and Atwater Village, it is only open Mondays 11am-4pm and workshop days, but you can peruse and shop online anytime. The store offers unique design inspirations such as beads, fabrics, pins, and other small crafts mostly coming from France. The owner, Kaari Meng also has a blog: The Warp and The Weft, where she shares her latest inspirations. Below are images from inside her store.

Thirty minutes later we made our way to Elysian Park where we were greeted by the woad expert and enthusiast, Denise Lambert (pictured below). Denise travels yearly from France just to teach and share her love of woad with eager Angelenos. You can also visit her studio in France: Bleu de Lectoure where she and her husband grow and cultivate the plants which they eventually extract the pigment from to make woad dye. At Bleu de Lectoure you can buy the dye, take workshops, or buy clothing dyed woad blue. There is also an Academy of Arts and Sciences of Woad in Toulouse, France where the woad trade was very prosperous in the early to mid 15th Century. It was used to dye the uniforms of Napoleon Bonaparte and garments of royalty throughout Europe until Indigo and other synthetic dyes took over. Woad is 100% natural and produces some breathtaking and unique varieties of pastel and occasionally darker blues.

The effects of the blues vary based on fabrics but also on how many times you dip your article into the dye. Whatever you are dying must be fully submerged in order to hold the dye. When first pulled out it is almost a pastel green/turquoise, but as the fabric oxidizes it turns the desired bluish color. Then you can dip again to achieve darker blues. The more natural the fabric the better the dye holds, and should not fade over time. The chemical process of achieving woad dye is a bit complicated and fickle, but the results are stunning!

MORE OJAI: A FUSCHIA WEDDING

My friend, My Linh does great floral designs for events. Again you can visit her site for more info, Noble Four Designs. I was hired to shoot her designs for a wedding she did a few weeks ago in Ojai. I was lucky to get some shots of the bride and wedding party, thanks to the kind hired photographers. The bride looked stunning, the setting was lush and green, yet low key. My Lihn's flowers really popped and brought a fun vibrancy to this overcast, sweet, morning wedding.