Beach Spa Sneak Peek

About a month ago, my sweet little girl, decided she wanted just a few girls from her class to come have a slumber party for her birthday. But, not just any slumber party. She wanted a spa party...but also a beach party... (can you see where this is going?)

So, we've been prepping and decorating...and getting everything set. We (meaning her) decided to stick with the bright colors, rather than the muted vintage look. She is so excited about turning 8, and I couldn't be happier with how things are going.

She has several snack items that are on the must have list...

We'll have lots of fun girlie activities including nail painting, hair styling, and even a little fashion show of the beach babes...complete with the photo booth.

I'm excited about seeing all their cute feet in these fun DIY flipflops!

I'll give the tutorial on those next week...perfect cheap and easy fun addition to any spring or summertime girlie gift!

Now, after all that sweet stuff, let's hope that there will be at least a little sleeping happening this weekend!

Linking up with Jen at In the Studio today. Go have fun and visit all those artsy folks!

Peace and Quiet

I've been a little quiet recently. Partly it's just because we've had lots of things going on. But, another part has just been quiet.

Maybe it was the snow we had this past weekend.

Or just a little time of introspection. Nothing bad...just quiet.

But, first thing tomorrow morning, I'll have up a fun sneak peek at a sweet little girl's birthday party.

Personally, I think she's the greatest little girl...EV-ER...but, I'm a little biased.

Come see the fun party we have in store for this weekend...can't wait to show you the sneak peek of how we're pulling this theme together! She definitely had a unique idea...go figure!

little loves

happy valentine's day to you.

I couldn't think of a more romantic picture than this one. It's a little "sweetheart" table I designed back in the fall.

Yesterday, as I was talking with a dear friend, we were talking about how little you have to do to celebrate with the ones you love. It doesn't take much. I just adore her sweet tradition...after the kids go to bed, she makes one big beautiful ice cream sundae to share, and then her and her sweetie watch a romantic comedy together. love it.

Yes, a beautifully designed tablescape at a romantic spot in an orchard would be ideal, but that's not really what it's all about.

We've never done much for Valentine's Day, simply because we want to truly focus on loving each other in little ways throughout the year. So, I never expect a slew of roses and flowers...but it was fun to walk down and have my hubby making my favorite breakfast of French Toast, and to have a few flowers and truffles by each of our places. (my daughter wanted to know why I had the biggest box of truffles. heehee.) It's little, but to me, it says "i love you." He'll have class til late tonight, so he thought ahead and wanted to do something special for us all.

This past weekend, my hubby took my little girl out to a Daddy Daughter Dance, and I went with my son on a date of our own. They both are so sweet, and just soak up the time we spend with them. And, also, ummm...when did they get so big???

I absolutely love this picture of her...it's filled with excitement and glee, childlike joy, and yet ecstatic anticipation. She knew exactly how she wanted her hair, and couldn't wait to surprise her date with which dress she chose.

I knew he wouldn't care about dessert or conversation, so I spoke his little love language and we went to CiCi's and then onto Bounce U. He thought it was better than anything he could have imagined. I loved how excited he was when he heard where we were going.

My sweet little man.

So, even though tonight I won't probably won't sit at a table like my "sweetheart" table, I'll pull out a few picnic blankets, and have a fun dessert to surprise my sweetie with when he gets home...and maybe get caught up on Downton Abbey.

Here's to hoping your day is filled to the brim with sweetness and love...

and all the mushy stuff, too.

10 min. LOVELY home makeover

Who says holiday decorations have to be what you see at the drug store hanging up that cost too much money and are plastic, tinseled, and tacky. (did i say that out loud?) Why not use things that you already have, and just think of them in a new way.

If you haven't found this out about me yet, I'll go ahead and spill the beans...I like projects that are inexpensive and easy to do. This applies to cooking...cleaning...decorating...gift wrapping...and on and on. So, yesterday I had the urge to bring in a few Valentine's day pretties, without the fuss. It took a few minutes to shop the house, but with using the base decor that is already here, I added a few things that I simply love.

Here are my 10 minute makeovers for {lovely} home decor.

At Christmas time, my living room sitting table centerpiece was filled with evergreens leftover from the tree trimmings.

I took the evergreens outside, and replaced with my big red candlestick and some fresh greenery. I'm not a huge pink person, so my V-day color is primarily red. (because that's what I have more of!)

I love mixing the sullied silver with the texture of the wood and paper flowers. Even though this centerpiece is a little more understated, it has a naturally romantic look that I love.

While I'm spilling the beans, I guess I should also tell you that I'm not a big heart fan. (gasp). But, the kids of course love decorating with hearts this time of year. So, I found a way to incorporate them, without having them take up the entire house. Their little hearts can be strung around the house in ways that are celebrating their artwork, without giving me twitches from all the hearts.

In another corner of our home, I have this old drop leaf table that I've turned into a desk(ish) of sorts. It's a quiet little reading corner, and I love all the books that came out of my hubby's grandparents home. So, with a few books about love, and a pretty sign my sweetie made me, now I feel like it's spruced up for the season.

My bunting from a former wedding was perfect to hang in our kitchen doorway. I like it so much, I might just leave it there for good!

Buntings are more involved, I know...but a really fun way to make them with the kids is to do them with scrapbook paper. You can cut out the triangles from pieces of paper you have, staple them over a piece of twine or string, and hang them up to create a beautiful doorway design for any season!

If you have chalkboards, change out your quotes or scriptures to focus more on love. That's something I need to be reminded of no matter what the season is!

What do you have at home that celebrates this season?

thrift{y}

When I'm styling events and weddings, I get asked a lot, "Where do you find all your stuff for your events?!"

The off the cuff answer is usually a quick one..."Anywhere and everywhere!"

And that's the truth...but the longer answer dates back to my love of yard saling. You may not know or remember this love of mine, and with how busy I have been over the last few years, I haven't had as much time to go. But for years, it was largely how I came to buy anything at all. And it's amazing the things that I found that we needed, from clothes and shoes that were perfect sizes for the kids, to pots and pans that I had prayed for. I'm so not kidding.

Getting married young, still being in school, and having to make one income be enough to support a family of four is not easy. Not that I would change any of it! It just meant that I learned how to do things on the cheap.

We got furniture from my Grandparent's attic and repainted it.

I found luxury items like "new" clothes, cute shoes and jewelry at Goodwill and Salvation Army.

I slammed on brakes and did lots of U turns to go back and get furniture off the side of the road.

Here's the secret...it's a great way to live.

I used to feel disappointed that I couldn't just go to the store and get new things whenever I wanted. But, then I came to see how much I valued reusing, repurposing, and not to mention, saving money. Now, it's become more of a choice, than a necessity, but I still would so much rather buy a chair with a story, than one that has thousands made in a factory somewhere overseas.

What has this got to do with saving money when you're planning your wedding?!? Lots, actually.

There are so many things that you can get for your wedding from thrift stores. If you want a vintage feel, get lots of mix-matched white china for your dishes, instead of renting all of them for twice the price.

Or, see what found objects you can get that create the style to your event that you're looking for. If you love the vintage picnic idea, visit your local thrift stores and keep your eyes out for old picnic baskets and blankets.

Dresses. Old dishes. Picture frames. Aprons. Yarn. Serving platters. Glassware. Tablecloths. Vintage linens. Suitcases. Books. Jewelry. Wooden crates. Buttons. Army trunks...need I go on?

There's a lot of treasure out there, folks...and it's ours for the takin'!

What others are saying...

(here are a couple links to great articles about this!)

Offbeat Bride had a great article about it here: here's the start of it...

"I just want to say that I am having an absolute blast finding awesome, unique, and totally, insanely cheap dishes and silverware for our wedding.

Last weekend I went to a thrift store and got 40 pieces of silverware (in good condition), 10 wine glasses, and about 5 coffee cups (all attractive, in very good shape) for freaking FOUR DOLLARS AND SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS. I actually cackled on the way back to my car."

Simple Mom reposted her thrifting tips the other week and I loved all she had to say about it.

And, I've found over the years, the more you thrift, the more you'll find. Don't give up if you just don't see something one time...who knows what will be there the next week!

http://greenweddingshoes.com/rustic-vintage-wedding-ideas/