Nesting in Damask – {New} Printables Set

Recently, I had the pleasure of designing a custom set for a friend and incredibly sweet friend. When the shower hosts told me they wanted to do a nesting shower and use damask, I was so happy to oblige. We worked together to come up with a bird that had a vintage vibe and sweet look. I love to create patterns, especially damask, so that was fun of course!

This set is so perfect for both baby showers and wedding showers as both require a time to “nest”!  This would also be a sweet design for a get together with friends!

Check out the Nesting In Damask Set NOW AVAILABLE in the shop!

Cirque De Hutts {Real Party}

When Robyn of Chocolate Polka Dots contacted me to help with her husband’s 40th birthday 40′s style Carnival, I knew it would be fantastic…I had no idea however just how FANTASTIC! Even more amazing, she did it all herself!

Robyn made the popcorn cupcakes and check out those popcorn bag cake pops!! Robyn ran out of time to make the cakes herself {seriously…the thought that she was planning on that too blows me away!}. She enlisted her talented sister Krista of Sweet and Blissful Designs to create the cakes.

I have to tell you, she organized for her husband and his friends to DRESS UP and go out for a while, then come back when the party was ready to start. She said he was a little uncertain about the “Dressing Up” and while out, they were asked if they were a band or group on several occasions. HERE is her post about that. After, he told her it was the best birthday yet!! How fun is that!!!??

What a party!! There are a lot more photos and WONDERFUL inspirations from this party in Robyn’s Blog Post. Check out the photos of the photo booth, barbershop quartet, and great 40s details! You can also see the SUPER crafty Robyn’s Etsy Shop Here.

Thank you Robyn for sharing!

A Life Celebrated – John Molnar

{John Molnar August 7, 1960 – October 13, 2010}

This week is a very special celebration, a celebration of the life of an artist who was funny and inspirational, an abundantly talented artist and a mentor to many. This man who was also the love of my Aunt Cathy’s life, and her soul mate, and I had the good fortune to call him my uncle. After fighting a rare blood disease that grew into Leukemia very recently, he passed away last week at 50 years old. In the words of my Aunt Cathy “John was a mentor to so many of you and he’s left behind a legacy of art that will keep his memory and spirit alive forever” – I couldn’t agree more.

I wanted to share with you all an amazing artist and I hope you are able to find some inspiration from him as well!

{Shotgun Cottage on Frenchman Street} and my most prized possession.

You can actually see brush strokes with single hairs in this painting…”amazing” doesn’t do it justice.

{Oil Painting commissioned by my parent’s for Charlotte’s first birthday}

Over the last week, I have wondered many times if John knew just how many people he inspired and moved, and I have come to the conclusion that he couldn’t have possibly imagined! Personally, my career choice in the arts was driven by both my parents and my aunt Cathy and uncle John.

Let me explain why John was so incredible {if you aren’t totally smitten with his art work already} -

John worked both in oil and a medium called casein. Casein an old medium that’s milk based and has been used by many famous artists and has become “forgotten” in a sense.  In the words of Jack Richeson, “John has taken painting in casein to its highest level. In the fifties, casein was an important medium used in illustration. John has not just taken it into a new world, but also brought back an important part of history”

John gave his art not just life, but a soul. To see his work in person would astound you! His work has been recognized with numerous awards and he has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine , American Artist, International Artist, Art Avenues, and John was one of a select number of artists to be featured in the book “My Friends, Today’s Great Masters” published by Jack Richeson.

{Mrs. Howland’s Dream}

As if that wasn’t enough, John was teaching at Workman Arts in Toronto in both Art fundamentals and En plein air painting. Workman Arts is an incredible organization, here is their mission – “The mission of the Workman Arts Project is to support aspiring, emerging and established artists with mental illness and addiction issues who are committed to developing and refining their art form and promoting a greater understanding of mental illness and addiction through film, theatre, visual art, music and the literary arts.”  How amazing to use art for something so life changing.

Here are a few more of my favorites, and I strongly encourage you to visit his website to see more!

{Edie’s Barn}

{Norwegian Draught Pony}

{Jim Loeb’s Meadow}

I hope this week you will take a moment and celebrate the life of the amazing artist and inspiration to many, John Molar. If you can enjoy a glass of wine in his honor (while wearing flip flops), that would be the exact kind of celebration John would be proud of.

Little LadyBug {Real Party}

When Andrea from Pocket Full Of Parties first let me in on her design idea for her daughter’s second birthday, I knew it would be so sweet! She wanted to combine the pattern from the Spring Sing Collection with the Little Lady Bug Collection (from the Etsy Shop) with an array of colors and design style! She then pulled in details from all over to tie everything together in an amazing and adorable way!! Andrea is a friend of mine, so I was so thrilled I actually got to see this party in person!

How sweet and colorful was the kids table! She had loads of activities on hand, from decorating frames to a bounce house!

And could the birthday girl be any more adorable?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRA!

Andrea had some amazing vendors, here are her descriptions -

Our photographer was the renowned Gary Kaplan
(http://www.garykaplanphotography.com/home.html).  Gary brought
with him his assistant Natasha, as well as NYC photographer Javier
Gomez (http://www.javiergomezstudio.com/).

1.  Party Invites and Printables: Kori Clark of Paper and Pigtails on
Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaperandPigtails)
2.  Party Favors: Collen of Happy Little Art on Etsy
(http://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyLittleArt)
3.  Party Door Signs: Party Pops on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PartyPops)
4.  Poms: Pom Love on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PomLove)
5.  Candy Kabobs: Marie of Sweets Indeed
(http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetsIndeed or
http://www.sweetsindeed.com/)
6.  Custom Sugar Cookies: Abigail’s Bake Shop (http://www.abigailsbakeshop.com/)

Great Job Andrea!! I know Kira loved it so much, as we all did!

Operation Give Thanks – {FREE DOWNLOAD}

Alright Party Lovers, It’s time to {PARTY} for a great cause!!! That’s right, you throw a party using these {FREE} Party Printables and raise money for Operation Give Thanks, A Star is Born. I can’t think of a better reason to celebrate! Whether you use these printables to host a Shower, a dinner party for friends, or even a playdate, (I have included invites for a shower, or just a party) you can be a part of this amazing fund-raising effort!

If you don’t have time to party, you can still donate on the Operation Shower Website!  Here is the description of Operation Give Thanks from the source!

What Is Operation Give Thanks?

Operation Give Thanks is a nation-wide fund-raising party to help Operation Shower continue our mission to throw amazing baby showers for military families to ease the burden of deployment.

We are often asked how to best help Operation Shower.   We decided that since Operation Shower gives back to our military families through parties, so can YOU !

We are asking people across the nation to host a party between now and the end of the year to raise money for Operation Shower.  What a wonderful way to express your gratitude and thanks at this special time of year.

Our long-term goal is to reach every military base in the nation. Our short-term goal is to raise $50,000 through Operation Give Thanks to enable us to shower over 200 more moms-to-be ! That’s right, if you
raise $250 for Operation Shower, that enables us to throw a full amazing baby shower with gifts for a military mom to be whose spouse is deployed!

If you decide to host a party, please email us at lena@operationshower.org or amy@operationshower.org and we will help guide you as well and provide more information!

AND NOW….The FREE “A STAR IS BORN” Party Set

Included :

Invitations – Baby Shower or General Party

Party Circles

Tented Labels and/or Placecards

Straw Flags

Bottle Labels

2 Patterned Bunting Banner Pages

(alternate to create bunting)

Candy Bar Wrapper

2 Tented Table Signs

(For the Favor Table and Sweets Table)

Here are a few of the files you will see :

We ask that if you download this set, that you contribute to Operation Give Thanks in one of two ways

1) THROW A PARTY!!! – use these for a party to host a fundraiser and contact  lena@operationshower.org or amy@operationshower.org for more info and resources OR

2) Donate to the cause!!! – Make a donation for Operation Give Thanks, to help ensure that a mommy-to-be has the shower she deserves while waiting for her spouse to return from deployment. ANY AMOUNT counts!

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE SET HERE

Any attention we can raise for this cause is a benefit, so if you have any ideas or can share how you are using your printables, I would love to hear about it!

Now, go check out the other amazing FREE sets created to benefit Operation Shower from some incredibly talented designing women: The TomKat Studio, Paper & Cake, Parties by Hardie and Hostess With The Mostess! Once you are finished….GO JOIN the online network being set up by Operation Shower to exchange ideas, photos, and fun!

The Anderson Crew – Share the Love

How would you like some wonderful lovelies like these??

{photos courtesy of Emily Anderson}

After learning of The Anderson Crew through Amy of Buggie and Jellybean, I read the blog and fell in love with…well….the love. What a sweet family with so much love and so much more to give. It honestly makes my heart happy to see people like this who reach out to make a difference in other lives…and they will make a HUGE one by adopting a little girl who needs a home and family. Then there are amazing people out there like Amy, who have an idea to help and implement it so perfectly!  You need to go check out The Anderson Crew Blog…READ what they are doing, then enter to win some AMAZING things!!! I donated 2 – $25 gift cards that are included in “bundles” of homemade/hand crafted beauties that you will be super smitten with!

Get over there now to see how you can enter a chance to win one of these 5 bundles and help a little girl make it home to her FOREVER HOME!

Welcome Fall

Fall is my favorite season. Fall is something different to each one of us. Living in Florida, we don’t see the leaves changing color, and we don’t always feel a chill to the air…but we do have plenty of reasons to love Fall! One of those for me, is the food of the season. I LOVE Fall food…the richness, spice, and warmth of the flavors are my absolute favorite. I start the season with a family favorite, stuffed acorn squash. When I brought these pretty ladies home from the grocery, my husband’s eyes lit up! Think wild rice, acorn squash, cranberries, cinnamon, and ground sausage….Oh…so….good.

I will post the recipe soon, but just wanted to say that while I adore fall, this one is already booked solid! It’s hard to believe that in mid October, I am booked with custom design work through the new year..but it’s a great thing too. I have several corporate clients aside from Paper & Pigtails, and other business opportunities that have arisen as well as hosting a house warming party, shower, and birthday party, and the traditional holiday fun. This season is bound to be full of warmth, love, and CHAOS! Bring on the Holidays!

Sneak Peek – Operation Shower Free Downloads

Last Friday I told you I had been working on some exciting events, and this is one I CAN. NOT. WAIT. to share with you!!! Here is the {SNEAK PEEK}

When I first heard of Operation Shower, I thought how beautiful and amazing the concept was. Operation Shower is non-profit organization that recognizes and honors the sacrifices military families make by producing and coordinating unit-wide baby showers and “showers in a box” for pregnant or expecting military families in a deployment or high stress situation.

Having had amazing showers when I had both of my children, I feel this is so important to making the new mom feel support and love for both herself and the baby she is soon to meet. I remember after my shower with my daughter thinking “WOW, people love this baby so much already…and she isn’t even here yet”. We should help every new mom to feel that way!

When Amy from Stem Parties, and Chief Event Organizer for Operation Shower reached out about creating a printables collection for upcoming fundraising event, I was honored and over joyed to jump on board! They have joined with March of Dimes to create this nationwide fundraiser titled ” Operation Give Thanks, A Star is Born” !!

This entire printable collection will be available very soon for FREE DOWNLOAD and you can get involved in supporting this amazing cause!!

There will also be sets available from some other amazing designers including; Hostess With the Mostess, The TomKat Studio, Paper and Cake, and Parties By Hardie. I hope you all will keep your eyes peeled and get involved!!

Artistic Inspiration of the Dessert Variety

Although the styling and use of dessert tables is something new, the trend of dessert displays and artwork have been loved for years! Of course, this shouldn’t be a surprise, given the beauty of sweets! Some of the most memorable displays are the ones from diners, when cakes and pies were set out on display, and one of my favorite artists captured this in a pop art style that is amazing! I thought I would share what is inspiring me today by sharing some of the art work of Wayne Thiebaud.

If you are now a fan of the bold sculptural forms and brilliant colors of Wayne Thiebaud, you can find some beautiful books on Amazon, such as Delicious.

OR, if you happen to have an extra 1-2 million, Wayne Thiebaud (b. 1920) Seven Suckers is available at Christie’s.

Oops

I just realized I posted on Monday….and today is Friday….Oops! I should get better about that!
I have had a wonderful week (few weeks really) that have been very busy and full of great moments! Aside from my little guy starting to stand (assisted of course) and sprouting his first tooth, and taking my daughter to her first real play, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with THREE amazing charities! I can’t wait to share more about these wonderful organizations with you.

Here is a sneak peek at one of the projects I have been working on!

NOW, Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend!