calendar
August 28, 2014
By an-KNEE means Necessary
Skaters, breakers and eighties babes alike have an admiration for the almighty knee pad. Not to my surprise, only because I am never surprised at the amazingness from Chanel, this fall we will have a sneaker, boot, knee pad combo. I can't speak for you, but as for me… I will have these by an-KNEE means necessary!
August 25, 2014
Clark + Kesington & OPI
You guys are my people, therefore you know how much I LOVE nail polish. Knowing that my favorite colors cannot only grace my nails but my walls too gives me pure joy. The OPI collection available in the ACE Paint studio is high quality and diverse with colors ranging from My Vampire is Buff to Magnetic Force. I don't know about your walls but mine are OPI ready!
Celebrating Baby "B"
This is baby shower #2 this year and I had so much fun with it. Two of my beautiful friends are mommies to be, so a group of us decided to throw them a baby shower. The first baby shower that I assisted with was for the mommy of the love of my life… my nephew. We hosted it at my mother's home and we did a "Ready to Pop" theme. That was my first baby shower and I learned a lot! This time around I was far more prepared.
For this shower the theme was sophisticated elegance. Since we were honoring two mommies to be, and there was a group of us wanting to help, I decided that in order for this collaboration to be a success we would need to be organized and plan ahead. We started planning for this shower about a month out because we were making a lot of the desserts, favors and decor. I learned the last time around that however long you think this will take… multiply that number by two!
The shower for baby "B" (both mommies shared the same last name initial) turned out perfectly. We held the shower at a gorgeous estate. This home was beyond beautiful and had some of the most luxurious decor I had ever seen. The owner was so gracious to allow us to use her home and it made the shower so special. Because the venue was so elegant, I decided that adding "decorations" would cheapen the look and I would even go so far as to say it would have been tacky. Instead of the typical baby shower decorations, we let the deserts & favors add a pop of color, and I used the money that I would have spent on decorations on fresh flowers. I chose to do several flower arrangements because we were in a large space and utilized multiple rooms, but you can easily do a few flower arrangements and keep it very cost effective.
Here are a few tips for making fresh flowers budget friendly.
1. Go to your neighborhood grocery store: A lot of the time they have florists and they can be very inexpensive
2. BYOV: Bring Your Own Vase. Vases are not free and a lot of time they make up 1/4 of the costs of an arrangement. I keep all of my vases from flowers I receive and I take my vases with me any time I want to get a flower arrangement.
3. The Bigger The Better: Use flowers that are BIG. This way you won't have to use so many stems and you will still have a very full arrangement. Hydrangeas are one of the best for this!
For our dessert bar we had some of the prettiest, and might I say tastiest treats I have ever seen. I made chocolate covered pretzels & rice krispie treats. One of my friends ordered pink macaroons and made some of the most beautiful cookies ever, and of course we had a pretty pink cake. We also had hand made chocolates from a local shop & hand made hand scrubs as favors. I used my favorite Etsy download for the games, so we had plenty and we had more food than any of us could eat.
The next time you're in charge of planning here are a few words of wisdom, because let's face it, I have done this twice so I am designating myself as a certified professional (smile). Plan ahead and use your resources, the more people that want to help, the better. Use what you have! We used so many of the things that we already owned and repurposed them. Last but not least, have fun with it. Planning anything can be stressful, but don't let the details get the best of you. Be organized and communicate with your team. It makes all the difference in the world! Okay, this is really the last one, don't forget that it's not about YOU. You are doing this to honor someone else and they will see that through all of your hard work, so make sure that they are happy and your event will be a success!
For this shower the theme was sophisticated elegance. Since we were honoring two mommies to be, and there was a group of us wanting to help, I decided that in order for this collaboration to be a success we would need to be organized and plan ahead. We started planning for this shower about a month out because we were making a lot of the desserts, favors and decor. I learned the last time around that however long you think this will take… multiply that number by two!
The shower for baby "B" (both mommies shared the same last name initial) turned out perfectly. We held the shower at a gorgeous estate. This home was beyond beautiful and had some of the most luxurious decor I had ever seen. The owner was so gracious to allow us to use her home and it made the shower so special. Because the venue was so elegant, I decided that adding "decorations" would cheapen the look and I would even go so far as to say it would have been tacky. Instead of the typical baby shower decorations, we let the deserts & favors add a pop of color, and I used the money that I would have spent on decorations on fresh flowers. I chose to do several flower arrangements because we were in a large space and utilized multiple rooms, but you can easily do a few flower arrangements and keep it very cost effective.Here are a few tips for making fresh flowers budget friendly.
1. Go to your neighborhood grocery store: A lot of the time they have florists and they can be very inexpensive
2. BYOV: Bring Your Own Vase. Vases are not free and a lot of time they make up 1/4 of the costs of an arrangement. I keep all of my vases from flowers I receive and I take my vases with me any time I want to get a flower arrangement.
3. The Bigger The Better: Use flowers that are BIG. This way you won't have to use so many stems and you will still have a very full arrangement. Hydrangeas are one of the best for this!
For our dessert bar we had some of the prettiest, and might I say tastiest treats I have ever seen. I made chocolate covered pretzels & rice krispie treats. One of my friends ordered pink macaroons and made some of the most beautiful cookies ever, and of course we had a pretty pink cake. We also had hand made chocolates from a local shop & hand made hand scrubs as favors. I used my favorite Etsy download for the games, so we had plenty and we had more food than any of us could eat.The next time you're in charge of planning here are a few words of wisdom, because let's face it, I have done this twice so I am designating myself as a certified professional (smile). Plan ahead and use your resources, the more people that want to help, the better. Use what you have! We used so many of the things that we already owned and repurposed them. Last but not least, have fun with it. Planning anything can be stressful, but don't let the details get the best of you. Be organized and communicate with your team. It makes all the difference in the world! Okay, this is really the last one, don't forget that it's not about YOU. You are doing this to honor someone else and they will see that through all of your hard work, so make sure that they are happy and your event will be a success!
August 22, 2014
NOE Undergarments
I am in the process of planning our annual vaca and I have come across the perfect cover up. I have yet to book plane tickets, and reserve our glamping accommodations but hey, this cover up spoke to me... so… it just moved to the top of the list. At least now I can check something off of the DONE list!
August 20, 2014
Right BACK at cha!
If I had the back for this, I would definitely drape myself in this Blue Life Back Side Maxi… but I don't so I will just admire it from afar and if any of you go get it PLEASE send me pics! xoxo
August 18, 2014
Complex Simplicity
It seems like the art of simplicity is dying… rapidly. These days the definition of sexy is the shorter the better, the tighter the hotter and less is best. Call me old fashion but I still believe that there is nothing sexier than a confident yet subtle woman. Call it complex simplicity if you must, but the beauty masked behind every woman is showcased best in its simplest form. "Beautiful things don't ask for attention"- James Thurber
More of This
Less of This
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)