Case Dismissed

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First of all, I love all of you who commented on my post below. You guys made my day like you do all the time without even knowing it! (And yes, TomKat....a lot of credit is due to you...sheesh, people!)

I'm happy to report that the photos (and the photos they "borrowed" from Hostess With the Mostess that I miiiiiiiight have emailed Jenn and told her about) are down from their site and that I didn't have to get all lawyery up on 'em or call them out. I have to admit that last option was extremely tempting but, sigh, it's always best to take the high road, right?

Now then, let's get back to the business of entertaining! Super Hero Training party coming soon and I'm working on a fun Baby Shower but can't show you anything yet because I hear the mom-to-be reads this from time to time! You're gonna dig the invitations!

Until then,

Cheers,

Amy

Identity Theft

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This is to all of you professionals out there (or, heck, even those who do this for fun but still deserve credit for it):

What have you done when another event company has blatantly used your photos on their own website and not given you credit for them? Clearly this is an attempt to pass the work off as theirs and not yours and is about 31 Flavors of WRONG.

Curious to hear what you've done in this case. Email me if you'd prefer to discuss that way.

I am ALL for being an inspiration to any of you that want to recreate the things you see here. That is what this blog is all about. I'm more than happy to be featured on your blogs and sites when proper credit is given. That is a real joy!

I am not for someone taking credit for something they did not do. A professional in "business for 10 years" no less. You know who you are. I hope you can all tell how laid-back and easy going I am from this blog. I really don't want to call you out so I highly encourage you to remove my pictures from your portfolio immediately as I requested.

Carry on.

Easy Peasy Pet Party

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I'm pretty sure that if you are reading this blog then you are like me and get caught up in every last detail of a party. Whether it's a dinner party, baby shower, wedding, kid's party...no matter - you plan weeks (months) in advance and drive yourself to the brink of insanity for each event.

Well, I never thought I'd say this but sometimes it's nice to take the easy way out. Especially when it comes to birthdays for little ones. Seriously, do they know the difference between printed plates from The Dollar Tree and ones you searched high and low to find? Do they know the difference between a favor provided by the venue and one you spent hours hot gluing and embellishing? Let's face it, dolls, until the kids reach a certain age, we are doing the parties for ourselves and for the other parents to ooooh and aaaaah over. You know I'm right. ; )

Because we were also doing my best friend's 40th Birthday Party/Night Out in Dallas this weekend, we opted to NOT drive ourselves insane with her daughter's 2nd Birthday party that same morning. We had the party at a local pet store and brought in some goods from The Dollar Tree, some snacks for the adults and kids, and my friend splurged for CUTEST CUPCAKES EVER from Meringue Bakery.

Result: The kids had a great time. I call that a success!

The kids got to play with several different animals and learn a little about each. I have to admit, when the puppies were brought out for the grand finale some of the adults were done for as well. (Yours truly included.)

Check with your local pet stores to see if they offer this type of party. It's fun, easy and someone else gets to clean up the mess, both human and animal in this case. That's what I call a fun party!

Super cute birthday girl courtesy of my best friend and her husband.

Check It Out Now

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Working Class Studio (via Velocity) has some of the most fun table ware to liven up your next party. Just a few of these pieces mixed with basic white dishes could go a long way.

Feeling retro? Check.

Moroccany? Check.

Squiggly? Check.

Circly? Check.

Are those real words? Don't check.

However, be sure and check out the entire Working Class Studio collection for some fantabulous paper products as well!

Doesn't Get Much Cuter Than This, Folks.

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Every time I get into my Flickr account and see new pictures posted by Cakes by Destini I am filled with eleven kinds of happy.

What originally started out to be a singular goal of creating her son's birthday cake has clearly turned into a labor of love and numerous works of oh so tasty art.

You must check out her Flickr photostream and her blog, Oh Sugar Cakes, for yourself. So much great inspiration and just a hint of "Sigh, I wish I was that talented."

Inspiration: The Sweetest Thing

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Stem Inspiration: The Sweetest Thing

It never gets old to get such nice emails from you all saying you used an idea you've seen here to celebrate and make someone you love feel special!

Cristina recently sent me a link to a baby shower she did using The Sweetest Thing baby shower as her inspiration. Yep, still love the giant candy lanterns. She topped off some huge vases with a version of them. Good move filling them with tissue paper. That would have take a ton of candy to fill those, girl!




I'm with you Cristina - edible centerpieces are the best. Then again, maybe I'm just fighting off the late night snack attack! You can find a few more pictures of Cristina's party on her blog, The Wright Blessings.

C'est Magnifique

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Not only are the creations found in the Etsy shop, bibitty, the most adorable nursery or child's room decor, they would also make for a baby shower full of je ne sais quoi!

Croissants and chocolate, or better yet, chocolate croissants, anyone?

As if the lovely French alphabet series wasn't enough, the Pretty Propriety series not only teaches your little ones their manners, but does so in the most gorgeous way. My mind is spinning with all the ways you could decorate a nursery/room or baby shower with this one. So perfect for a proper, lady-like Tea Party Baby Shower.



I simply must do a party using some of these wonderful creations! Le sigh....j'adore.

Delay of Game...

Fox News has rescheduled our Operation Shower feature until next weekend sometime. Let you know when we hear more!

We did get more GREAT pictures today at the Scott AFB shower and will be putting together event recaps this week. We all love party pics, right?! I mean, this is a party blog after all! (It will be again soon at least. Promise!)

Teachers Rule

Don't worry. You still have today and tomorrow to honor a special Teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week.



You can do this, can't you? Yes. Yes, you can. Just swap out the "Mom" card for the teacher's name and you're all set.

You can do it! Think of me as that teacher that always believed in you. For the record, bring me chocolate not apples.

Set Your DVR/Tivo/TV Recording Thingies

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So here's the scoop:

Fox News is doing a Mother's Day Feature on Operation Shower on their weekend morning show version of Fox and Friends. Yep, National Press for our dear charity. Awe.Some. We are so excited to bring national attention to our military moms and families.

Still photos from last weekend as well as video footage will be used as the backdrop to the story. They will also be doing live interviews with our co-founder, Lena, here in St. Louis and one with a very special mom from our Ft. Hood shower. I won't tell you her story in case she does, but it's a good one. All of the moms have wonderful stories and amazing spirits. Hers just comes with a twist!

Once the interview is over, we're off to Scott AFB for another shower. If I find out the exact time our story will air, I'll repost for those interested.

You can look for me in a black and white dress, but hopefully anything of me will be on the cutting room floor! It's hard to feel pretty setting up a baby shower in a room with broken air conditioning. Yes, that happened. You event planners out there know you just never know what to expect!

Stay tuned for more to come!

Say Tease....

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Just a little teaser of a few pictures from this weekend's Operation Shower Mother's Day Shower at Ft. Hood. What an AMAZING day! So much more to come.

Many thanks to Angela Breckenridge for the awesome pictures and quick turnaround. She was so responsive to get these back to us for our big national feature story on television this Saturday morning.

Totally namedropping. More on that to come soon, too!