Fun Giveaway

I just discovered this new blog that I'm pretty crazy about called Oh No Rachio. My discovery was good timing because they are doing a pretty amazing giveaway.  Sign up and win all kinds of beautiful goodies.  Click on the link for more info.

I hope your Friday is cool and sweet.

One Last Party For Now

I just have one more post to share with you of the party treats I have been making lately.  I mentioned a while back that I was working on some things for a very special birthday. I was over the moon to be asked by Anne Marie of Na-Da Farm to make a few treats and sweets for her daughter's 9th birthday and first communion party.  Anne Marie is such an amazing maker and stylist herself so I knew I had big shoes to fill with this task.  

I had my first foray in favor boxes with this order and I was excited to try out little pinata-style boxes.  I really learned a lot by doing this and am excited to make many more pinatas in the future.

Inside... surprise! Fun bubbles for all the kiddos!

Making this ribbon corsage, as I called it, was another favorite of mine.  This was another opportunity for me to problem solve and figure out how to make something I had never made before.  Challenges like that can start off a little daunting but it feels amazing when you work your way through everything and are happy with the end results.

This picture I borrowed from Anne Marie's blog.  She gets full credit for this gorgeous photo of Sweet Marina holding one of my huge balloons.  When I went to have these balloons filled I had never actually seen them blown up to their full three feet.  Gulp...  Anyone sitting in the parking lot of the balloon store surely had a good laugh watching me try to figure out how to fit three 3' balloons in my car with a spare tire also randomly hanging out in the back. I seriously debated leaving the tire in the parking lot and hoping it would be there when I returned.   I practically held my breath the whole way to the farm because I knew if one of those balloons popped I did not want to breath in all that helium.  I was in my very own slapstick comedy.

I was thrilled to add some of my work to this special day.  Marinara, as I call her, holds a special place in my heart.  When she and her family come into the shop where I work she is always my partner.  I tell her I'm training her for when it's her turn to work there.  Knowing I was making fun treats for such a sweetie-pie gal made me work even harder.
Please check out Anne Marie's blog for even more photos.  She is an amazing stylist who really put her all into the party to make her daughter's day the best.  See her  post here.

Ch ch changes (Sorry)

It's ten o'clock at night and I can barely keep my eyes open. Gone are the days when ten meant I still had about three or four more hours to be up doing stuff.  Now ten means, oh no! I need to get to bed soon if I'm going to be up by six tomorrow. How did this happen?

This is the summer of lots of changes for me.  There is a lot on the horizon and I'm excited and scared but ready.  I've had a bit of bad luck lately, the kind that makes you want to throw a fit and cry about how life isn't fair.  But then you have to collect yourself and keep moving forward and work hard to make things better because isn't that our duty as people? I believe it is.

So here is my plan, I'm turning bad luck into good luck and accepting that everything happens for a reason.  I am going to make the most of everything and I'm going to chase my dreams and I'm going to make lots of fun things...... and I'm going to swim a whole lot!  

Meanwhile here are some fun projects I have been of making for others.  

A sweet girl from my hometown got in touch with me a while back and asked if I could recreate a pom pom garland that has been floating around on pinterest. I was excited to get started and when I finished I was beside myself! This has been so fun to work on and seeing it all assembled made me so happy. 

My boss, who is always encouraging my creativity, asked me to make a banner for a very special 90th birthday.  I referenced my last garland I did for my friend's wedding and worked on figuring out a way to make this an easily hung banner while combining a lot of different elements.  It took a lot of problem solving but I learned a lot and am looking forward to making more banners like this.

Thankfully just as I finished the garland instagram added a video option.  Thank goodness for instagram. ( ;

Okay it's 10:30 which means I HAVE to go to bed!  Have a wonderful week! Make the most of it!

Friends love Married.

I just got back from my trip down south where I not only got to see my best friends get married but I also got to marry them!  I officiated their wedding and it was my first and very likely my last time doing something like that.  It was really neat to play such a huge role but it was also scary scary scary!!  I'm not a fan of public speaking but I would do anything for my friends so I overcame that fear. For a day...

Aren't they beautiful?

It was a very very DIY wedding so the wedding crafting was right up my alley.  Janey had an amazing vision for what she wanted and I was happy to help her carry that out.  She has impeccable taste and it shows.

My favorite thing I made was this pom  pom backdrop for the ceremony.  Janey had gathered the doors and gave me carte blanche for decorating them.  This is by far my favorite "garland" I have ever done and am excited to make many more like this!

It was a great ceremony backdrop but also served as a nice photobooth.

The wedding party  looked sweet with pom poms framing them.

I wish that weekend could have lasted a million more days. I was with so many great friends who I never get to see enough. Now it's back to work with lots of new inspirations for making pretty stuff.

Happy Married, Janey and Adam. XOXO

One Year

Yesterday my husband and I had our first wedding anniversary!  I cannot believe it has already been a year, it feels like it was just yesterday.  I have been looking at all our pictures and have this video on loop as I remember what an amazing day we had.  Now it's time for me to help make my best friend's wedding just as amazing!

If you haven't seen it before and are interested this is our sweet wedding video set to the tune of Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.  I love this video times a million!



Have a happy day today!