Gingerbread Houses

ok, I hope this doesn't offend any one... but we are VERY non-traditional family with a twisted sense of humor - add that up and you got a non-traditional Gingerbread House party! We had a small group of friends over and had a run-down trailer park theme.  We made the houses out of traditional gingerbread, but used the help of cardboard to make a skeleton to support the weight.  We put out things like cars, garbage bags, shotguns, beer cans and furniture for extra special touches... here is the winning house! Winner got a bottle of Boones Farm wine and pork rinds (funny thing is the winner was a vegetarian, needless to say, she left the pork rinds behind ;o)

Notice the pig roast, chair on the lawn and the far bottom left is a toilet made into a planter lol...

This is another side of the house with wife with shotgun and beer, trash, van up on blocks and broken fencing and NASCAR written in "chrismas lights"... a fun wine-filled night was had by all!

Anthropologie Inspired First Birthday

So much eye candy here! This party makes me swoon....

Is this first birthday not one of the most gorgeous parties you have ever seen?! I just love the sophisticated vibe. And can we talk about how the bunnies were wearing dresses! I mean, how cute is that?!

Photographer, Sarah K Chen along with event planner, Lindy Ly, planned this elegant soiree for her daughter's first birthday. Anthropologie, the retail store and catalog, served as inspiration for all of the party details. I am loving the backdrop for the dessert table which resembles Anthropologie's logo.

To see more pictures of this beautiful party, visit JL Designs.

So Thankful & Giveaway Winner!!!

I am so excited to announce the winner of my first giveaway!! Is it so lame that I got all giddy typing in the numbers on random.org and then pushing enter?! Anyway...on to what really matters. Congratulations Ashleigh Hansberger! I promise you will LOVE your personalized notecards from Hayley!

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and for leaving so many comments! It was so fun reading what everyone had to say and I know Hayley greatly appreciated the feedback.

Also, I cannot say thank you enough for reading this blog!! I have been having a BLAST with it and have loved "getting to know" many of you. Thank you, thank you!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

happy thanksgiving!!!

a bouquet i created out of wheat, wrapped in chocolate lace...shot by the lovely stephanie williams...

hope your day is full of yummy food, warm moments and lots of thankfulness for the blessings we have been given!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This year, we decided to send out Thanksgiving cards instead of Christmas cards. We have lots of celebrations coming up in December and January, so I did not want to overload our friends and family with mail!

Please excuse my TERRIBLE scanning job!! I am so happy with how the cards turned out...although you can't tell here. I love the mustard yellow and grey color combination. It feels like fall and gives me warm fuzzies. =)

I'm not sure if I will be able to write a post (besides the giveaway winner) until after the holiday, so please let me wish everyone a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!!

Remember to enter the giveaway! The contest ends tomorrow night!

Photography and card designed by Candid Chic Photography

Last Thanksgiving Post

Here's a few last minute ideas for the Thanksgiving table.  I don't know about anyone else, but I am shutting off new ideas today for I have WAY too much to do by the party!

These adorable turkey cutout bags would be great for use as a "doggy" bag for all the goodies you couldn't stuff in at one seating! I was also thinking, you could make these bags for any occasion - just stick a bag into your sizzix (or related cutter) and some clear paper inside and voila! Instant treat bags for any party!Pic is from AmyAtlas

These turkey cookies make me smile every time I have seen their picture around the internet! This is another snapshot from AmyAtlas fantastic dessert bars she does.  Not sure if you could eat these though, they are too adorable!

Lastly, I will leave you with a cute idea for place cards - simple, yet fantastic! I am going to try and make these using my cricut design studio.  If you don't have a machine, then just cut out two identical hat shapes and tape on the inside to connect them, add ribbon and a tag and complete! Source: papercraftsconnection.com

1st birthday party for baby ellie

i first met sarah k. chen and her adorable daughter ellie at a picnic last july...baby ellie was just the cutest thing and i could not look at her without wanting to nibble on her chunky little arms! so when sarah asked me if i would design the florals for ellie's 1st birthday i HAD to jump on board!

linda ly was the mastermind behind the girly, anthropologie inspired day and i have to say, the details she and sarah crafted BLEW.ME.AWAY!!! the look was soft, delicate and whimsical, with a dreamy color palette of blush pinks, coral, yellow and gray, accented by seafoam greens...so let's get to the details!

i was obsessed with this custom made dessert backdrop, designed by linda to look like the cover of an anthropologie catalog...

melody from sweet and saucy came up with the most dainty, perfect cake ever!

a beverage station was set up with pink lemonade, gray + white striped straws and vintage bottles filled with coral charm peonies and pink ranunculas...i LOVE that floral sheet hanging in the background! another killer touch!

upon entry, guests were allowed to take a hand-made felt flower clip and wear it as a hair adornment or a boutonniere! ps. that vessel on the right was a vintage find...i loved the floral/bird pattern on it and knew i had to use it for this party!

some cute little party goers...of course wearing hand-crafted party hats, designed by linda and sarah!

i mostly stuck to clear glass and white milkglass for the vases but i was able to sneak in some of my seafoam green milkglass as well and it added a great pop of color! the girls accented those vases with some whimsical "e" for ellie badges...

gathered in the middle of each table was a series of white milkglass, all filled with coral charm peonies, gray dusty miller, pink + cream parrot tulips and yellow billy balls...the look was ruffly and lush! we accented the setup with a pink rose soapdish and a vintage toiletry bottle...

colorful pendants always set a festive mood!

there was even a bunny petting station for the little ones!

and can we PLEASE take a moment here?!?! this is hands down one of the most creative invites i have ever seen! each guest received a cardboard box filled with pink filler and another cardboard box tied with twine and holding the invite...each box was stamped with the ellie chen "anthropologie" logo...

and here it is! the invite was a hand bound mini booklet, made to look like an "anthro" catalog...and everything, down to the layout, the font type, where the font was placed...everything! all of it looked exactly like the real thing!

all the photos inside were of ellie, of course, and were taken by the hostess, sarah k chen...

and here is the hot mama herself with the birthday girl of the hour!!!

happy birthday miss ellie!!! can't wait to see where the road of life takes you!!!

special thanks to linda ly for crafting, creating and designing one of the cutest parties i have ever been a part of! to melody for ALWAYS coming through with the most amazing cakes and desserts...and to sarah k chen and her fab photog friends (ace, crystal and ming) for the awesome pictures!!!

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

This centerpiece is stunning and would be perfect at your Thanksgiving table!

I have always loved this picture from Martha Stewart. You can find the instructions at here.

Please let me apologize AGAIN for the lack of posts lately. We have had so much going on and my oldest has been sick with a nasty cold. I'll post a few things this week, but I will be back with LOTS of great real parties after the holidays!

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Autumn Placecards

As we prepare for our family events or the big Thanksgiving dinner, here are Autumn inspired placecards that would be perfect for table assignments or as buffet markers to let everyone know what's inside that fantastic pie!

These are simple, yet so elegant - these could even be beautiful for an Autumn wedding.

These are a great homemade project that can serve as placecards, as well as a take-home favor! From one of my new obsessions:  www.amuseartstamps.com

These little adorable turkeys are from wrapables.com.