Breakfast at Tiffany's Bridal Shower

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of throwing a bridal shower for a dear friend of mine who is getting married to her high school sweetheart in May! With the help of the bridesmaids and mommas, we put together a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed shower which turned out even better than I could have asked for! I was in charge of all the invites, decor and coordinating so after scouring Pinterest and thinking of some pretty yet budget friendly ideas, it all came together beautifully for an afternoon to celebrate our beloved Bride to Be.

With black and white stripes, tiffany blue, pale pink, pearls and diamonds for details, I posted some ideas at the end of the post on how to throw a similar party for a shower, birthday or brunch friends.

Here are some of the photos captured of the lovely afternoon we had.

Enjoy

I am so happy for you Steph and this new life adventure ahead of you and Nathan! I'm so honored to be able to stand at the alter with you as you say, "I DO" to the man of your dreams. I pray for an unconditional love for all the years to come in your marriage. I pray for growth not only in your love between one another but also for your friendship and spiritual walk as ONE. I pray for strength, forgiveness and grace in the hard times and complete joy and appreciation throughout the years.

I love you friend!

Budget friendly decor tips for a 

Breakfast at Tiffany's Bridal Shower

Centerpieces & Tables: I bought some tiffany blue paper bags from Party City which I tried my best to write the Tiffany & Co. logo on with a sharpie marker (I'm sure you can order tiffany bags online but I was running out of time). I filled the bags with mason jars and white and pink fresh flowers I picked up from the Farmer's Market a couple days prior (I really wanted roses but couldn't find the perfect roses anywhere I went). I used silver trays which I found from the Dollar Tree to place the centerpieces on. I also printed some Audree Hepburn prints from the computer to stick on photo holders and strung some faux pearls (both from Hobby Lobby) on the trays.

For the runners, I bought a tiffany blue plastic table cloth from Party City and cut it into 3 strips. I layed them on cloth-like table clothes which I also bought from Party City. To top off the table decor, I sprinkled faux diamonds (from Hobby Lobby) down the runner.

Photo and Dessert Backdrop: We needed backdrops that were simple yet captured the theme of the shower. For both the photo and dessert backdrops we strung streamers against the wall to create the patterns we desired-tiffany blue and modern stripes. We also used white balloons and a banner I made to attach to the photo backdrop. Easy-Peasy!

Other Decor: I thought a chandelier was certainly a must! I couldn't get a hold of a diamond chandelier so instead, I opted for a fun black chandelier from Hobby Lobby to hang above the dessert table. I also wanted to incorporate some "Tiffany & Co. boxes" so I painted a few boxes the closest to tiffany blue that I could, tied white ribbon bows around them and placed them in a few strategic spots.

Bride & Groom Advice Cards: A Bride and Groom could always use some encouragement, advice and silly stories as they embark on a new life journey together. Everyone had a lot of fun filling out the advice cards which I downloaded for free right here from The Elli Blog.

Invitations: I ordered these print at home Invites and Thank You Cards from Chromo Cuttle on Etsy which the shop owner customized for me with a black and white striped background instead of the damask print as well as some re-wording of the invite greeting. I got my order right away and highly recommend this shop for printables! 

In the invites, I added a note for the guests which said, "Darling, come dressed to impress in pearls and your favorite little black dress!" Guests had fun with this and each arrived in their pretty LBDs!

There were many other little details added to the shower as well. The ideas are really endless with this feminine and glamorous shower theme! What are some ideas you can think of?

Forget Me Nots {A Recently, Not-So-Recently Post}

I try to post regular "Recently Posts" to remind myself of all of the shenanigans that has happened lately. Unfortunately, I haven't taken the time to document these memories as well as I should have. So, this is a "Forget Me Not Post"-a compilation of several blessings, events and moments from the past month or so.

The husband and I had a date night, in. My father in law watched our son for us as we whipped up another recipe from our cook book we bought recently (remember the first recipe?). We listened to some Frank Sinatra and put our own spin on the ingredients since we didn't have "ziti" pasta, enough arugula and apparently the wrong ricotta cheese was purchased for this dish. As much fun as we had cooking this dinner, I'd love to say that this recipe turned out super delicious but because of our inaccuracy of ingredients, it definitely could have been better (we know for next time).

Nothing beats the time we spent together that night and I'd do it all over again...ingredient mishaps and all.

Mornings in the sunshine with my love bug have been a part of my favorite moments.

I have had the opportunity to have my work featured in my first print magazine. Per request, I shipped a whimsical floral crown from my shop to Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine. "The #1 monthly mag for chic moms-to-be and hot new mamas." I can't wait to see the April issue! Floral crowns are PERFECT for maternity shoots!

I have also had the absolutely amazing opportunity to work with Casey Wiegand. I have been following her blog for quite some time now. She has been such a great inspiration and beautiful role model as a mother and Godly woman. She is just beautiful inside and out!

I sent out a few floral crowns from the new line to her and her precious daughters and she blew me away with her kind words when she first opened her package, "I just had to say THANK YOU!!!!! Oh my heavens, I literally GASPED when I opened your gorgeous box today- AHH! WOW! Seriously WOW! We will get pics asap!...THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!! **squeals**"

See more of this post here. Casey's crown-Leigh. Apple's crown-Apple.

Such sweet moments of motherhood!

See more of this post here. Ainsleigh's crown-Ainsleigh. Apple's crown- Apple.

After my friend Tara and I attended Creative Tea Time a few weeks ago, we did something spontaneous on our way home. As we drove on the freeway, we looked to our left and saw a beautifully lit Ferris Wheel and without much hesitation, we got off the next exit (totally unaware of our location) and drove until we saw our destination. We got to see the city lights that night at the top of a giant wheel and it is a memory that will not soon be forgotten.

I was sent a couple handmade bow ties from As Darling Does and I fell in LOVE!! I am so excited to finally have some little boy accessories because they seem hard to come across. Our little man looks so handsome in his spiffy new pieces! I will be featuring this adorable shop with a giveaway so check back VERY soon.

I received some photos from another amazing and happy customer. I love seeing photos of special moments captured with handmade pieces from my craft studio. Thank you so much Hoi! I wish you the very best and a lifetime of happiness in your marriage. <3

Get the lace blusher veil in the shop here.

Joseph Lin Photography

We went on a late night family trip to one of my favorite burger places-Tommy's! The nearest drive thru is now about 20 minutes away and with a sudden urge for a chili slathered cheeseburger, the husband didn't mind driving. It was a craving worth giving into and on the way back, we belched some good tunes as love bug danced his little heart out in the back seat.

The husband and I snuck out for a little double date night to go bowling with the in laws. I won half of a game and I will take that! ;)

A couple nights ago, I hosted a Valentine-themed girl's night with yummy food, singing in the kitchen (a game of love songs), mimosas, intimate topics and lots of chuckles. 

Thank you Dee Dee Motique for the darling wooden topper!!

The other morning, we woke up as a family and headed to the park for some fresh air. I didn't take any photos because I had put my phone away in attempt to be more "present." I feel like social media and the phone in general can be such a huge distraction throughout your day in this beautiful life given to us. I find myself turning off my phone ringer a lot more now and actually hiding it at times to diminish those unwanted disturbances. I want to make this more of a habit. It can be really hard for me because this is a huge part of work-responding to emails, updating and renewing sold listings, keeping up on social media, etc. but I want to enjoy even the smallest of moments throughout my day. I am making a conscious effort and that's where it starts. 

What do you think about the craze of social media and keeping up on notifications and emails? 

What have you been doing recently my friends?

Levi Turns 2-A Balloon & Adventure Themed Birthday

It's been about 2 weeks now and I am finally getting around to blogging my baby love's birthday party. Whew!

My little man turned 2 at the beginning of the month (read his "birthday letter"). Where did the time go?! This year, we hosted his birthday party in our very own home. Last year, we hosted it at our dear friend's house because at the time, our little home wouldn't fit all of the guests. Since we've moved into our new place, (which is double the size), we were so excited to have all of our family and friend's over to celebrate this occasion. Mind you though, there were about 40 guests and we quickly learned...our home was still lacking the space we needed but it was so good to see everyone we loved under one roof. :)

It was a very cold day with a storm coming in and snow flurries hitting the ground. Hello December weather! With everyone mingling in the kitchen and living room, the kids ran a muck with paper yo-yos in hand and small balloons static clinging to their heads. It was so funny!

For decor, I wanted to keep it simple this year since we had just moved in only a few weeks ago. Levi is OBSESSED with balloons so I decided on a balloon theme with a bit of "adventure" thrown in. Within just a couple of days, I put everything together with the help of my wonderful husband. We blew up balloons to create little floating hot air balloons and made a cake topper and a few garland strands with several mini balloons. I also cut out cloud shapes to hang on 2 of the walls (hard to see in the photos) and used several decor pieces that I already had from previous parties or around the house.

For food, we went with a "picnic theme" and had croissant sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, mac n' cheese, watermelon, grapes, potato salad, cole slaw and flavored sodas along with lemonade. I felt like a kid and that was just fine with me. :)

As we all sang Happy Birthday to Levi, he had the BIGGEST smile as he looked around and admired the attention. He loved every minute of it and as soon as we finished, he clapped. That was my favorite moment of the day.

Here is a little peek into Levi's 2nd birthday party.

My sweet baby bug.

My adorable niece,

That SMILE!

Photo taken by GPMcCash ("G Pa")

Photo taken by GPMcCash ("G Pa")

So thankful for my family-my heart.

I love you little man and I am so proud to be your mommy. Forever my baby you'll be.