Vintage 4th of July BBQ and Shortcake Buffet

Build your own shortcake, patriotic pinwheels and free printables...need I say more? This backyard BBQ by Celebrations at Home screams land of the free and home of the brave just in time for 4th of July weekend!

The decor is what first caught my eye. The red, white and blue pinwheels are just about the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Pinwheels are so in right now and I love 'em. And how creative is the fruit display for the build-your-own-shortcake buffet? It reminds me of the farmers market which reminds me of summer...mission accomplished.

Chris found the fruit stand at Hobby Lobby and the old fashioned candy and Cracker Jacks at Cracker Barrel (a great resource if you're ever looking for vintage candy and props).

Generally these types of cones are used for popcorn but I am a big fan of these color appropriate potato chips instead!

Vintage straws are also in right now and they look perfect tied to the soda bottles. I also love how she incorporated the wooden peg puzzle that Cracker Barrel also has on their tables. I used to love playing that game as a kid but it's a great game for adults too and a fun activity to play at the table!

The printables for this party as well as more images and information about the products used can be found at Celebrations at Home on this post and this one! Thank you for the 4th of July inspiration, Chris! 

Preston's 26th Birthday

We went to Austin, Texas to celebrate my husband's 26th birthday and had a few friends over to celebrate. I put together a table of Preston's favorite things and went with a yellow and grey theme for the decor. Although I wanted to make my hubby feel special this year (he has helped me on so many of my other projects), simplicity was key since I wasn't sure what I would have to work with when we got to our rental house. Plus, he is a guy and though the effort is appreciated, I'm aware that the actual decor isn't exactly number one priority when it comes to my husband's idea of a good party. Food on the other hand...very important.

 

I made most of the decor beforehand but my friend Amanda helped me construct a few pieces after we had arrived. I made the banner using my Silhouette machine and the circle garland using my 2-inch punch and paint sample cards. The pinwheels are made out of tissue paper and were definitely a trial and error experiment. They are not as easy to make as they look and I recommend using actual paper as it is sturdier than tissue paper.

 

A few of Preston's favorite things: Chocolate chip cookie bars, Oreos, Junior Mints, Buncha Crunch and Cheetos.

 

Confession: Preston doesn't actually like cupcakes so really they made an appearance because I had made cupcake toppers and ordered lemon cupcakes to match the theme.

 

 

I had seen these sparkler number candles at my cousin's 30th birthday and thought they were too fun to pass up. They are great for adult birthdays because they don't exactly require blowing out and they are quite fun to light! I found the sparkler candles and the yellow paper cups at Party City.

I cut the letter "P" (for Preston) with my Silhouette and glued them onto the cups.

Happy birthday Preston!

A Baby Shower for Irelynn Rae

My cousin London had her baby girl this past weekend and in her honor I want to post the adorable shower her sisters, Chandra and Aubrey of Three, threw her a few months ago. Despite plumbing AND electrical problems at the host home the morning of the shower, it was still the most beautiful shower I have ever attended! They did such a great job and considering they own their own paper product company, the paper products were fabulous!

The dotted garland on the right was my contribution to the shower. I used my 2-inch and 1/2-inch punches to cut circles out of paint squares and glued them to string to make garland.

The food was provided by family and friends but was inspired by a catered baby shower Chandra had attended for a friend. Aubrey and Chandra made most of the mini cupcakes and their aunt Charlotte made the snickerdoodle cupcakes. (I think I ate about 20.) In the bottom left picture, the cupcake flavors clockwise are: banana pudding (my favorite), snickerdoodle, orange zest, s'mores and chocolate peach (a close second).

Guests were asked to sign theirs name on the branch of a tree Chandra painted for the baby's room. One of my favorite elements of the shower was the table runner that they made sewing strips of fabric together...so easy and so pretty!

The party favors were vanilla flavoring in progress (aka vanilla beans in vodka). The card on the bottles noted that by the time Irelynn was born, the vanilla would be ready for use!

Take a look at Three's website to see more creative lovlieness. Not only do they make custom invitations and paper products, they also rent vintage furniture, make custom weddings signs and stamps and offer photography!

Pinterest

Pinterest. Maybe you've heard about it but if you haven't you're not too far out of the loop. It's still pretty new and I would love to tell you all about it!

Pinterest is a new website designed to allow you to save and categorize images you find while browsing the internet. It is basically a way to bookmark your favorite images from around the web all in one place. You have your own public page with your own personalized "boards" where you "pin" images you want to save as you browse the internet. Upon signing up, you can download the Pinterest icon that sits in your internet browser's toolbar so that no matter what page you're visiting on the internet you can easily click on that button to pin an image! My boards consist of everything from "Home ideas" to "Party Decor". Pinterest allows you to repin other members' pins as well as follow your friends' boards and repin their images. My favorite part of Pinterest though is the ability to create group boards such as "So and so's wedding shower" and invite friends to pin their ideas to the board. It's a modern day inspiration board on the internet. AMAZING.

Pinterest also has an app! I can sit for hours on my phone and pin and repin images I find on my phone. It certainly isn't as easy as being on a computer but it works and provides endless amounts of entertainment to my waiting room visits.

The only downside to Pinterest is that at this point all boards are public and anyone can follow you. So if you are working on a board for a private event or have some ideas you want to keep secret, you are not able at this point. With that said, I believe this will change as Pinterest becomes more popular.

Pinterest is accessible via invitation only so if you're interested, I would love to send you an invite! Just follow my blog, follow me on Facebook and Twitter and then leave a comment on this post with your email address and I will send you an invite. (I don't advise sending a request to Pinterest for an invite. I sent them a request a few months ago and never received an invite. I ended up requesting an invite from a friend instead!)

As soon as you're a member, I'd love for you to follow me here!

Here area a few of my recent (random) pins on Pinterest....

 

And my personal favorite pin so far...

If you have any questions about Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment below! For those of you that have Pinterest, what do you love most about it? What are your favorite pins?

Hot Air Balloon Baby Shower

I have to share this baby shower courtesy of Simply Bloom Photography. The details are just stunning and the color scheme is one I'm going to have to copy someday. The theme: hot air balloon (aka, she's ready to pop)! First of all, how amazing are these invitations by Ruby & Willow? The names written in twine are just too much.

The paper balloon garland and the gorgeous desserts just about did me in. I mean come on, the kites are flying off the top of the cake! LOVE!

Notice how simple this cake is without the decor and how unbelievable it looks with just a touch of bunting.

A Secret Garden Wedding

This photo shoot came to be when the ladies over at Lavender and Twine were inspired by a Secret Garden inspiration board on Green Wedding Shoes and now I am inspired to redo my entire backyard! The floral design in this shoot is exquisite and just wait until you see what they did with the iron arch.

This is my favorite. That iron arch draped in branches, greenery and lights with a hanging lantern is so romantic. I'm going to have to get me one of those.

If you plan to wed in the Ojai, California area, these vendors (including the venue) are available for hire!

Photographer: Lavender & Twine

Reception Venue: The Lavender Inn

Floral and Event Design: Bella Raines Garden Studio

Dress Designer: Saja

Cake Designer: Jana’s Creative Cakes

Hair & Makeup: Jenny Barrett for TEAM Hair & Makeup

Equipment Rentals: Ventura Rental Party Center

Caterer: Seasons Catering

Invitation Designer: InspiraDESIGNS

Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Friar Tux

Jewelry: The Black Spot Books

Vintage Graduation Theme

In honor of my sister's graduation from high school today I present to you a vintage themed graduation party courtesy of Tinywater Photography. Initially this photo shoot was designed as a preppy engagement/wedding party but as is the case with most themes, this could easily be used to celebrate a high school or college graduation. In fact, at first glance I thought it was a graduation party! The books and suitcases are perfect decor for a graduate and even the tiny "yay" flags suggest a celebratory yelp!

We've already decorated for my sister's high school graduation but I'll have to keep this one on file for her college graduation! It seems I'll need to be on the lookout for vintage suitcases!
Vendors:
Photographer: Tinywater Photography
Cinematography: Love Spun FilmsEvent Design: Platinum PlanningLinens: Mimi and CompanyCake/Desserts: Cookies: The Cookie DropCaterer: The Golden Gourmet CateringFloral Design: Florist: Botanica Floral Designs

Greenhouse Wedding

I wanted an outdoor wedding but on my wedding day it didn't just rain, it monsooned so when I saw this photo shoot by Rosemary Stafford Floral Design and Soul Mates Photo I thought of all you brides out there who insist on an outdoor wedding in the middle of rainy season. The entire event is shot indoors at Aspinwall’s Farm and Fruitstand and you won't believe how gorgeous potted plants can be.

You could easily recreate this photo shoot for your own wedding inside a plastic tent or glass building with hundreds of potted plants or you could always try to convince Calloway's to let you rent out space. It's a perfect solution if you are getting married in inclement weather don't you think?

Well done vendors, well done!



Venue: Aspinwall’s Farm and Fruitstand
Wedding photographer: Soul Mates Photo
Hair: AJ’s Hair Design & Makeup
Event Planner: Gather Event Planning & Consultation
Floral Designer: Rosemary Stafford Floral Design
Invitation Designer: Paper Bloom
Wedding cake: One Divine Party
Rentals: Peter Corvallis Productions