Longwood Gardens

I already gave you a small preview of Longwood Gardens via the Christmas wreaths post, but there is so so so much more! I tried to capture it in the million some pictures below, but I didn't even come close (if you can believe it). If you ever find yourself near Kennett Square around the holidays, I recommend doing whatever it takes to get over to Longwood. It's completely magical.

The pictures below are from the children's garden which is part of the new wing Longwood added. The pictures of the grand room above with the enormous tree are also part of that wing.

Below are shots from the original main hall.

These trees are decorated with ornaments created by local school children.

Moving on: the citrus and rose rooms.

I'm not sure what this room was? The tree looks like it has coral growing out of it!

Finally, the cactus room. That's my mom, taking in the sights.

Longwood has another great upgrade in addition to that beautiful new wing - a pop-up snack stand with mulled wine! It made the experience all the better that I could walk around while sipping a cup of spiced wine.

Christmas Wreaths

The unseasonably warm weather in LA continues (high of 85 today), but I am still dreaming of all the great (season appropriate) things from back home, like Christmas wreaths! The ones below are from Longwood Gardens.

The circle/square wreaths. I had never seen a square wreath before.

My favorite wreath from Longwood. Sadly I have a camera that does not have a big lens. So I could not accurately capture its beauty.

The cactus wreath.

The herb wreath. Can you see the mint? the basil? the rosemary?

The orchid wreath. Amazing!

Ok this one is not from Longwood. But I think its just as beautiful. This is the wreath my mom made!

A Few More Holiday Pictures

Now that school has started back up and I am back in 60-degree LA, it really feels like the holidays are over. But I have so many great pictures from them that I have not yet shared. So please excuse me for not posting these in a timely manner, but I cannot resist posting them now! These are pictures of my holiday season in LA.

Below are pictures of the Christmas decorations in the bf's and my apartment and various ornaments on our Christmas tree.

A paper shark from the gift shop in the downtown branch of the Library. My mom got a matching one for her tree. The ornaments are made locally!

A real (I think) blow fish with googly eyes and a bell! Picked up at Unique LA from vendor Robin Charlotte. Robin Charlotte makes tons of amazing things aside from ornaments - jewelry, belts, house goods. You must check out her website!

Since I have been collecting ornaments longer than I have been with my boyfriend, most of the ornaments on the tree are mine. I wanted to make the Christmas tree feel more like "ours," so this year I got an ornament just for him. This DeLorean may seem silly, but it's perfect for a guy whose favorite movie is Back to the Future!

The following pictures are from holiday jazz at the Biltmore followed by a handball concert from their Christmas tree lighting ceremony. (Pictures of that here.)

An apple juice/gingerbread cocktail with a cinnamon sugar ring. Guess how much it cost? $5. Seriously. That's it. You have to get to the Biltmore for their cocktails. The service is meh, but the cocktails are delicious and basically dirt cheap by Hollywood standards.

Finally, a few shots of the festive buildings at 4th and Main.