Fab Find - Do Me a Favor

Do me a favor and run, don't walk, to Paperluxe Studio. Sarah's work has been in my "to post" folder for awhile now so if you'd run it would ease my guilt. Thanks in advance.

People always ask me, "Do I have to have party favors for my guests?" My reply, "No, it's completely optional." And by "optional", I mean "yes." Okay, okay, so everyone has different budgets and no one is going to FORCE you to give favors, but I do think it really completes an event. I don't even like to have friends over for dinner without sending them home with something extra. After all, it's the little things, right?

In the case of Paperluxe, it's the seriously cute little things. Sarah has taken the art of giving a favor and made it personal. She'll create personalized notecards for all of your guests. How great is that? She also has a growing collection of non-personalized cards and invitations that are perfection, too. See for yourself.



More great designs! Can't you just see the shoe design for a bachelorette party?

A Short Story by Amy

I love circles.
I love squares.
I love white dinnerware.
Equals I LOVE this Blanca dinnerware.
The End.

It's a Twin Thing (One and Thing Two) Shower

Thanks again to Jenn for this original post on this idea of a shower for twins. As luck would have it, my friends, Tracy and Lindsay, actually registered for these onesies for their twin boys. It was meant to be!

I had so much fun planning this with Tracy's sister, Lisa. Once we saw the red and aqua in the little outfits and the endless amounts of inspiration from Dr. Suess, we were on our way. It started with the invitations I made. Remember these?

Another stroke of luck (or serious party mojo), Lisa is as obsessive as I am about being a hostess, so it was a match made in OCD heaven. Throw in Trace's other sister, Kelly, helping out with the food and there was no stone left unturned. There was room left in my stomach either. Those girls are GOOD!

So, without further ado...Thing One and Thing Two for my friends' twin boys. I can't wait to meet you Finnigan and Cooper!

This is where I realized that I probably should stop using her belly as a photo prop. What a good sport. Love you, Trace!

P.S. Yes, those are more lanterns you see. What? It's Dr. Suess, I HAD to do it.

Ooops, they did it again.

Oh CB2, how I love thee and thine (really, thine?) affordable and funky vases. Tell me a row of these filled with simple buds down the length of a table wouldn't be simply chic? No, don't tell me they wouldn't because I wouldn't listen anyway.

My Friend Etsy

Brace yourselves, this week's Etsy spotlight isn't even party/event related. No, I haven't lost my mind. Well, maybe a little. I am kinda losing my mind over these fantastic accessories from The Prairie Jeweler on Etsy. It's a known fact that I'm an Accessory Junkie. And, I do NOT want an intervention. Thank you very much for asking.

Not only is Michelle a super cool cowgirl chic chick, she's been crafting some pretty kickin' pieces lately. Lucky for me, you don't have to know the first thing about country living to appreciate them!





So very ethnic/boho/earth mother fabulous. I want.




I like big cuffs and I can not lie, those other brothahs can't deny.

Go forth and get your shop on.

A Sweet Idea

For some reason, when I hear the words "bake" and "help", all I can think of is the Shake and Bake commercial, "...and I helped!"

THANKFULLY, now I have a whole new association with those words and it's all because of the talented Melissa Margarita-DiStefano at Masterpiece Weddings. Melissa has started a fundraiser for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital that is so sweet - Let's Eat Cake! Melissa's goal is to raise $50,000 for St. Judes, with all proceeds going directly to the charity. Together, we can all help her reach her goal!

You don't have to be Betty Crocker to make a difference either. (Thank goodness. Now a slice and bake cookie contest? I'm all over that.) Go to the fundraiser site here to donate your time, talents or money to this worthwhile cause.

Have your own blog? Well, don't just sit there - pass on the news!

Oh, the things she finds

If you haven't ever taken my advice of links you must see, then now's your chance to redeem yourself. You must go visit Joanna at LotusHaus. Not only is she super talented, but she also has some amazingly inspiring finds.

Don't believe me? Feast your eyes on this little morsel. That's just the appetizer, head on over to LotusHaus for the full meal deal.

You're Once, Twice, Three Times a Baby

and I love you Social Couture. I really do.



I've been a fan of this site and this concept for some time now. Their "not your average cookie cutter party in a box" concept is just genius. Great designs and inspiration. There are so many from which to choose, but time and time again, I'm drawn to this Vintage Baby theme. See, I have been a fan of all things vintage long before I found Social Couture. I've been donning vintage Since Jr. High to be exact. You'll have to guess how long ago that was.

So, in honor of SC's Vintage Baby Theme and the fact that I am such a fan of Reprodepot vintage fabrics, I give you three different versions of the Vintage Baby. Head to SC, purchase the entire package and then get some of these vintage fabrics and use to make chair covers, tablecloths, napkin ties, etc. and you'll throw a shower that's the bee's knees.

1 - Vintage Cars

Use this fabric as a base for an adorable vintage car theme shower for a little boy. Add in some actual vintage toy cars or reproductions of such and use them in your decor. Zoom zoom.

2 - Vintage Books

How cute would it be to use this fabric as the base to accompany vintage children's books and illustrations in frames on the table? Answer: So cute.

3 - Vintage Numbers

Add this fabric and old metal house numbers to your decor and this is 1-2-3 As Cute as Can Be.

So, go on, scour the thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, vintage stores, eBay, the interwebs and pick up some of the above finds to complete your look.

P.S. Google images and Flickr are great sources for pictures and illustrations - just make sure and ask permission before you use anyone's photos!

P.P.S. If you happen to find any great 50's cocktail dresses in a size 4 while you're out, send 'em my way. Thanks, dolls.

My Friend Etsy

Surely, you've met my friend "Etsy", right?

There are SO many amazing people selling their wares on etsy that it's impossible to pick just one to show you. HOWEVAH, in an attempt to spread the Etsy love, I'm going to pick one creative mastermind to highlight, in what I hope will be a weekly feature.

This week - sargegrl. You must go check her out. For now, check out these simple and simply chic designs. (How great is that green and black combination?)

Sneak Peek

I am so excited to be doing a shower for twins in a few weeks! I can't wait to see how it turns out. You know how you have something in your head and you just want to see it in real life? That's how I am right now. Don't think I haven't thought about doing a "fake" shower in my dining room just to see it. So, until I either reach full insanity and do a pretend shower or until after the shower itself, here's a peek at the invitations.





(Oh, and yes, I did a rather caveman-like job at blotting out the names and personal info. Ugh.)

When Life Gives You Lemons...

...make centerpieces. Just thought I'd share some pics from last night's dinner with friends at our house. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get a picture of the wonderful meal my husband made. So silly. It was delish.

The decor might not have matched the Indian cuisine (with traditional Indian dessert we perfected on the third batch) but it sure was summery and easy. Lemons, cylinder vases, scrapbook paper "runner", some fabric sashes on the chairs, and three bunches of lilies are all you need to recreate this look. (Okay, and some ribbon, chargers, white tablecloth, napkins, a little bit of time, a slightly obsessive attention to detail and just a hint of paprika.)