Gift Wrapping Idea

I was wrapping a gift for a birthday party that my daughter was attending this weekend, but wasn't sure about what I would do to finish it off.  I was looking at the pattern of the gift wrapping paper that I bought from Target, which as you can see is watercolor like petals.  I decided to deconstruct the wrapping paper and then reconstruct it into a flower from the petals from the wrapping paper. 

  

I started by cutting out some individual petals and I cut a strip of paper that I could use as a stem.  I then placed some double stick tape of the backs of the petals and then assembled them until it looked like a flower.  Simple, right?

 

I think it's kinda cute. What do you think?

  

 

First Communion Party

If you've been following along, I've been posting here and there about my daughter's first communion.  If you missed it, you can read about it here and here.  The day finally arrived at the end of April and today I'm sharing how the party turned out.  I wanted the style to be sweet and feminine, so I decided on a palette of pale pink and gray.  When my daughter chose a dress that had some lace in it, I also added some touches of lace to the decor.  

 

The trellis pattern was scattered throughout, starting with the invitations I designed.  I also made napkin rings with the same trellis pattern. 

This light fixture hangs above my kitchen table.  I like to add special touches to unexpected places.  I also like placing decor up high so that your eye moves up, like the greens I added above the dessert table or the flowering branches I hung on some pendant lights. 

 

The cake and macarons were made by the wonderful Heather of Gracie Moonpie & Co.  I really admire Heather's attention to detail.  She didn't just make the cake, she asked me the right questions to ensure that the cake fit well with the overall style of the party.  As you can see, the gray cross and trellis pattern also found its' way onto the design of the cake.  If you live in Southeast Michigan and need something sweet made check out Gracie Moonpie & Co.  Their cakes taste as good as they look and Heather is an absolute joy to work with.   

  
My mother-in-law made cross shapped cookies and my mother made various mini desserts including coconut cheesecakes topped with mango.  It's so nice to have family who are willing to lend a hand.

   

  

 

 





Dressed Up Mantel

Happy Friday friends! I just wanted to share with you today a picture of my mantel. Last weekend my family celebrated my daughter's first communion and I had a bunch of left over flowers from her party, so I dressed my mantel with them. I should have changed the water in the vase with the branches in them before I snapped the photo, otherwise, I think the mantel looked really pretty and full of life with the fresh blooms. I hope to share with you some pics from the first communion celebration in the near future so, stay tuned. I had tons of fun planning it and I think it turned out to be just lovely. This weekend I'll be celebrating my daughter's fourth birthday, so there's no rest for me. What are you up to this weekend? Whatever you have planned, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Balloon Party Decor

 

 

When I think of balloons, I think of a child's party with cartoon character shaped balloons from the big box party supply store - cheesy, but the kids love it.  I also know that the ordinary balloon can transform the atmoshpere of an event too.  Balloons always seem to say, "Hey, look up here!", which is a good thing because sometimes we forget to take notice of the sky and what's above us.  Check out these not so ordinary ideas to decorate your next party with the classic and affordable balloon. 


1. Martha Stewart Weddings 2.Pretty My Party 3.My Big Balloon
4.Love and Lavender 5.Green Wedding Shoes

 

First Communion Invitation

I've been busy preparing for my oldest daughter's first communion.  My daughter has been studying and doing her work and we recently went on a shopping trip to pick out the cherished dress and veil.  I didn't realize how much my little girl has grown until I was snapping pictures of her trying on first communion dresses and then I looked back at the pictures and I no longer saw the baby and toddler that I once remembered. 

For her first communion invitation and party, I decided to go with a pink and gray color palette.  I was inspired by the pattern of a trellis and I came up with this design and my sister helped me assemble them.  The print is in gray and I made daughter's name pop out in pink.  I then incorporated a gray colored cross at the top and a trellis like pattern at the bottom.  The envelopes came unlined, but I dressed them up with a little pink paper.  What do you think?

     

Hello, February!

Hello, February!  Is is too late to say hello to February?  I don't think it's too late.  Well I had this post all planned out for the first day of February and then the flu hit me.  Blah!  The cold and flu season has been rough on my household. I've been trying to recover from my battle, while taking care of the other sickies in my family and I'm also trying to catch up on all the everyday things I missed while I was sick, so you can see why I had to put the blog on the back burner. 

Now, let's talk about some good things -Valentine's Day.  Swoon...what a sweet little holiday.  I love the pops of color and life that Valentine's Day brings to winter, as well as, the nostalgia that it brings to me.  Remember in elementary school when you constructed the little mail boxes made of an old shoe box to catch all the Valentine's Day cards?  You would decorate it with red construction paper, white doilies and stickers.  I get to relive those days with my oldest daughter now.  We brainstorm ideas and then we get to put together little goodie bags and cards for her classmates.  It's such a great way to bond with the people in our lives.  

Another great thing about February - the Oscars.  Many of us girls anticipate the glamour and glitz of this night.  Some of us have viewing parties of our own and play fashion police and I'm no exception.  I love to see who's wearing what and who's wearing what well.  That's what I love about February.  Tell me, what do you love about it?

Baptism + First Communion Party Decor Ideas

Here are some ideas to style religious celebrations and to make the occasion even more special than it already is.  Isn't the little saying with the date and the name of the child a nice personal touch to the day.  Don't forget to add a beautiful cake like this one.  We are loving the dove garland.  A great way to commemorate the day and to get guests involved is to have guests write down a prayer for the guest of honor.  Whatever way you decide to celebrate, we are sure the day will be well remembered by all who attend.

ModHMary

Say "hello" to my friend Elise.  Say "hello" to her shop ModHMary, Modern Holy Mary that is.  As I was brainstorming ideas for this weeks' posts filled with ways to celebrate baptisms and first communions in style, I knew right away that I wanted to feature her shop.  I met Elise several years ago when we worked together at a local art center.  She's a super fun person, who also happens to also be a talented artist.  Elise creates one of a kind handmade jewelry, rosaries, chaplets, prayer cards, and religious art, which are perfect gifts for baptisms or first communions.  Do you like what you see?  Well then, hop over to ModHMary to see all that Elise has to offer.   

Handmade Olive Wood Boho Bracelet //Guardian Angel Print

Handmade Rosary in Brown Tones and Gold //Noah's Ark Fine Art Print

 

 

Wizard of Oz Birthday Party

My oldest daughter Ellie wanted a Wizard of Oz themed party this year for her 7th birthday.  I think that sometimes you can go a little overboard with the Wizard of Oz theme because there are so many design elements that you could incorporate.  I wanted a simplified version of the Wizard of Oz, so I stuck with a palette of red, blue and yellow.  Here's how it turned out.

 

 

I happened to have a painting of poppies that my father-in-law painted, and I thought the art work would give that little touch of the field of poppies from the film.  I included on the dessert table a yellow runner, that Dara and I made to remind guests of the yellow brick road.  The mini hay bales of course are an ode to Dorothy's farm in Kansas.  Dara and I made ruby red slipper cookies and simple round cookies in the colors of Dorothy's dress.

 

We made another runner in some material that looked liked Dorothy's dress, then we added simple red ribbons to each end.  My daughter Ellie had a little Toto look alike in her toy collection and Dara found the perfect sized basket to put him in.

 

 

I asked my talented friend Bridgette to make a simple round white cake with just the yellow brick road running across it.  When I went to pick up the cake, much to my surprise she made this amazing confection.  She added to the top of the cake the Emerald City and the yellow brick road wrapped around the entire cake.  She completed that cake with the iconic images of the characters including; the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and of course dear Dorothy, who are all fast asleep in a field of poppies.  Bridgette also add elements of the Wicked Witch of the West including her hat, broom and the feet of the Wicked Witch of the East.  How could anyone not love this cake?    

 

 

 

 

 

{Weekend Notes} More Halloween Fun

This weekend we will be enjoying some more Halloween festivities.  There is a street in our hometown that is amazingly decorated for Halloween.  We along with many many others will gawk at the creations that the proud homeowners have worked so hard on.  There will also be a little Halloween parade that we will be attending.  Yep, lots and lots more spooky fun to be had.  Maybe we'll fit in another doughnut or two.  Have a fun filled weekend!

Halloween Treat Bag DIY

My daughter's class will soon be having their Halloween party.  I usually put together a little treat bag for all of her classmates, but I didn't want to get the usual printed store bought treat bag.  Inspired by my daughter's witch costume, here's what I made with the everyday paper lunch bag.

Sew in Love Bridal Shower Inspiration Board

These crafty party elements would work well for so many different parties including; a "sew in love" bridal shower, a "cute as a button" baby shower, first birthday or for a girls craft party.  Having guests sign a quilt square would be a great idea for either a bridal shower or a baby shower.  The embroidery hoop below is made by Lily Laughs.  We love the yarn pom pom flowers by Mason Rabbit Home, which would make lovely centerpieces.  The spools by Tuck & Bonte are a creative way to hold place cards and table number.  And no party is complete without a sweet dessert. 

 

{This Weekend} Preparing for a Party

This weekend we will be preparing for my oldest daughter's birthday party.  We will be cutting, tying, gluing and doing anything else that needs to be done.  In between all of that we will try to enjoy the crisp autumn air, since fall has arrived here in Michigan.  We hope you have a fabulous weekend doing whatever it is that the pretty little head decides.  See you again soon.

Airplane Themed Birthday Party

A friend whose son was turning two wanted to have a vintage airplane theme birthday due to his love of airplanes. We wanted to make as much of it out of diy projects that we had discovered or created on our own.

For the tables we made airplanes out of clothespins and popsicle sticks that were painted. On the end of them we attached little flags that read "Teigan Airlines. Flight 2". Naree's husband had airplanes that he made when he was a child which were incorporated as well.

The dessert table consisted of cake push pops, cupcake building station, and airplane shaped cookies. The cupcake station allowed guests to decorate their cupcakes which ever way they wanted. We had holes drilled in top of the mason jar lids for the sprinkles, making it easier and mess free.  The cupcakes were also topped with airplane shaped cutouts made from old maps that the birthday boy's Mom purchased from Perfect Package. The airplane cookies were decorated in colors similar from the printables designed by Bee and Daisy.  The cookies were especially a big hit for the birthday boy.

The printable pinwheels were hung on a tree and created a nice touch when swaying in the summer breeze.  We also decided to do was create a menu at the beginning of the food table.

The entrance into the house was adorned with a string of clouds and had the clothespin and popsicle stick airplanes hanging off of them. In the end we created a memorable and personal second birthday for the birthday boy.

We wanted to extend a special thank you to Amanda for her use of these lovely photos.