Weekend Recap- Birthday Shenanigans

I feel like it was just yesterday that I was telling you about the birth of Cheyenne and now here I am telling you she turned 1. It sounds cliche but the time flew by so quickly! There are really no words adequate enough to describe the joy she has brought into our lives. She is truly remarkable and we love her so much!

Many of you know she's a rainbow baby,  and her personality is as colorful as the rainbow, thus the idea of a rainbow party to celebrate her was born. Here are a couple pics...

that side eye though!:-)

Hanging out with Glory the fig

The rainbow cake was made locally by Sweet Boutique Bakery. I've used them here and here to celebrate Zion and Ian's first birthday parties. They are amazing!  I ordered the rainbow print as e file from Tess Guinery, then had it printed and mounted at a local Fedex store.

I also celebrated my birthday this weekend:-). It was a very special time for all of us. xx

almost all the images: Lea Hartman

Fabulous and Thrifted Style for Your New Year's Eve Party.

The thrift store is always my go to when I need a one of a kind look for a photo shoot or a party. There is always something very colorful and different = so me! The perfect example is this beautiful dress in the above picture.

You'll be on trend in a green halter dress like this one-also thrifted!

If you're an all black kind of girl who loves some sparkle, the top pictured was thrifted and paired with a pencil skirt from my closet, the look is perfect for New Year's Eve. Though, I usually mix my finds with already existing pieces in my closet for a head to toe look, if you want to you can shop for your entire outfit (head to toe) at the thrift store.

via pinterest

 I'd recommend planning ahead and allotting some time to shop the perfect look, because sometimes you have to hunt to find the jewel waiting just for you. Also, you'd be amazed at the top brands you find there, so before you head to the mall, do your pocket book a favor, save some money, and check out the thrift store. Then you can shine bright like a diamond at your party. xx

photography: Lea Hartman

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This amazing Cinco de Mayo wedding backdrop caught my eye. Photo by Anahi Weddings.

I am drooling over these Jamaican jerk chicken quesadillas! Recipe here. 

Gotta have margaritas for Cinco de Mayo, right? Try this strawberry one. You will love it!

This is my bar set up for Cinco de Mayo; cacti, sombrero, and refreshments:-). xx

5 Tips for Having a Romantic Valentine's Day Dinner at Home.

I recently styled and wrote a piece for the local paper, The Fayetteville Observer about skipping the madness at a restaurant on Valentine's Day and opting for a romantic dinner at home instead.  I will a share what I did and a bit more details of how this shoot came together. I decided to use the sunroom for this  set up because of the lovely natural light it receives. I moved our dining table into this space(it has protective padding so it was easy to slide). I had inflated the balloons the night before. The table cover is actually two curtains that I layered. I used them because of their sheer and lace like appearance.

Oh and I moved the monster of a fiddle fig tree from the sunroom to free up some space. I placed it on a towel to prevent scratching of the floor. Now that you've gotten a glimpse of the behind the scene action, let's talk about those 5 tips!

Fresh flowers are a must!

Step 1

It's a great idea to plan your special dinner date in advance. That way, there are no schedule conflicts. Ideally, if you have children, they should be snuggled in bed, but also have a back up plan of having their favorite movie or games on hand in case they choose that night to rebel against bedtime.

Jamaican rum cake for dessert. Decorated with flowers.

Step 2

Plan your menu. Choose something simple to prepare. This occasion also calls for your fancy tableware. No plastic forks, plates or cups allowed!

Step 3

Choose romantic decorations. I opted for unscented tapered candles in red and pink, cut-out hearts and balloons sprinkled on the floor. Fresh flowers are always a great idea and since it's Valentine's Day, I bought some blush roses and a few miniature garden roses which went beautifully with the pink-and-red color scheme. Flowers can be purchased from local supermarkets such as Harris Teeter or the Fresh Market.

Step 4

Put on something fancy. Although this romantic date takes place at home, dressing up adds to the romantic nature of the date, and your date will appreciate the effort. Make sure to also let your date know the dress code so you both look fancy.

Step 5

Pour yourselves some wine or champagne, put on some soft romantic music, relax and enjoy yourselves.

What are your plans for Valentine's Day?  xx

Thanks to Lea of Lea Hartman for the lovely pictures!

Our Not too Spooky Halloween Party.

There were no witches and skeletons at this party! Truth be known, I am from a very superstitious culture, and so in an effort not to anger my forefathers, I only snuck in a few witches' hats in the decor. We had so a wickedly sweet time nonetheless. Are you ready for diy overload. I might have gone a bit overboard...

Getting Creative with Your Pumpkins

I am not much of a carver, so I tend to get creative with my pumpkins in other ways:

Put some spray paint on it. Spray paint was applied to a number of pumpkins. For this party, some of the pumpkins were painted in gold and black.

Polka dot it. Polka dot decals were applied to one of the bigger pumpkins to create wow and also to pick up on the polka dot motif of the banner.

Pom pom it. I love using pom poms! They add such fun and colorful whimsy to everything. Tiny pom poms were adhered to one of the pumpkins using a glue gun. Pumpkin was spray painted a brighter white first so the colorful pom poms would pop.

Put some chalkboard paint on it. I spray painted a few pumpkins with chalkboard paint which provided a lovely surface to draw those spooky characters.

Dip dye it. I had neon food coloring left over from Easter, so I used the pink color to create a dip dye effect on a couple of the white pumpkins. Pumpkins were spray painted a brighter white first, left to dry then dipped in neon pink food coloring. The stems were spray painted gold to tie in with the other golden pumpkins.

Dress it Up. A pair of craft glasses and a carrot attached as a nose is a fun way to get your pumpkin all dressed up for the party!

The hubby was nice enough to draw a fun Halloween inspired mural on our chalkboard wall; the perfect back drop for the party.

these clementines turned pumpkins were a hit

 The Candy Bar

Little fingers were just itching to get into those jars of delectable goodness! Oreos, cheese balls, jelly creme pumpkins, candy corn were some of the treats that filled the apothecary jars. Chalkboard tags were used to label the jars.

Bewitching Plates

I love using plates on walls as a focal point. I already had the black plates and used candy corn to spell the words Spooky Treats. Pieces of candy corn were adhered to a plate using a glue gun to form each letter. This is such an inexpensive way to add a focal point above your candy bar/table.

 A Monster Surprise

Little googly eyed monster toys were placed in a brain like container and served as party favors. They also lit up when shook; a fun feature the children would be sure to love.

 pom pom and food color dip dyed pumpkins that were mentioned above

my superheroes

so sweet...

Spider Man was all smiles after having some yummy treats.

Our pirate fairy was so beautiful and the most charming pirate I've ever met!

All images captured by the talented Lea Hartman of Lea Hartman Photography.  We had such a fun time! Happy Sunday everyone. xx

Sources:

Miniature spiders on Candy table: Our local Halloween Alley 

Brain container: Our local Halloween Alley 

Captain America costume: Our local Halloween Alley

Batman costume: Our local Halloween Alley

Cat lady costume: Our local Halloween Alley

Tinkerbell costume: Provided by our beautiful pirate

Spooky drink cups and straws: Dollar bin at Target

Punch bowl: Crate and Barrel

Apothecary Jars: TJMaxx

Treat bags(not pictured): Halloween Alley

A Tea Party in Paris.

I happened upon this lovely tea party photographed in Paris. It has a fascinating story behind it and involves the ever rich imagination of children; in this case two very beautiful girls. So enchanting…

These adorable photographs were taken by the talented Caroline of Caroline Dreams.

Beautiful, no? Happy Tuesday everyone! XX

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