Coming Soon...

My sweet friend has lots of exciting things happening in her life. And, it's actually stuff that you might be interested in, as well.  Like, free concerts and great books...just for starters.

So, for today's "Around the Corner", hop over to Emily's and see when she might be chatting it up near you!

Founders Day Party

Remember when I said I was gonna have a party?  Well, last week we had some friends over for the fourth and we had a good ol' fashion founders day party.   It was a blast! We had sack races, and a watermelon roll, lots of sparklers, and tons of great food.  And, for dessert, we had a pie baking contest...with real non-biased judges and everything!

My daughter is to the age where pretty much any project I can do, she can do even better!  I taught her how to do pinwheels, and she couldn't get enough of them.  We used scrapbook paper we had on hand, and didn't worry about the patterns and colors not being the exact color of the flag.  We accented the centers with cute buttons, and they were fabulous.

In my favorite potluck fashion, everyone brought a side dish and we provided the burgers and hot dogs.  Then, for dessert, those who felt up to the challenge, made a pie for the pie baking contest!  It was great.  We had non-biased judges and everything.

I had fun pulling out all my red, white, and blue anything to make a festive tablescape ready for everyone's yummy food to be displayed.

I always love a bargain...I found some paper fans at Dollar Tree, and with a little ribbon and fabric, they were super cute hanging off my back deck!

With a few things on hand, I  changed my staple of a wreath into a little patriotic decor for our front door.  

More to come on that easy project!

Even though it was one of the hottest days we've had yet, we mainly kept the party outside. The pinwheels made great centerpieces and eliminated the need to spend more on flowers.

We sent people on their way with "cookies for the road". Of course, "Homemade in the USA".

The true test of how much I love my job...I love to do it even for free!

If you're looking for a new twist on your July 4th, this fun for all ages party was a great way to spend the holiday together!

Linking up today with one of my favorite artistic communities over at Studio JRU!

 

Myth 4. I Can't Throw a Party Because I Don't Have Any Time (And 10 No-Prep Parties to Plan)

Ok, folks, this is it.  The fourth (and possibly most believable) myth about why you "can't throw a party."  However, hopefully, I'll be able to convince you otherwise!

Sure, you can spend time making fun things to embellish your events.  But those things are not a must have. You can bake until your fingers turn blue to make sure all your items have been made from scratch, but again...not necessary.

If I had to sum up the reasons to party, I'd say, "To enjoy one another's company and to celebrate life."  I'm sure we could add to that list immensely, but those are the biggies. To do those things, it doesn't take much.

To wrap up the myth series, I thought I'd end with a list of how parties can happen with little to no preparation involved.

Here's 10 easy ways to add a little more partying to your life...

1.  Grab a blanket and take out easy things (carrot sticks, fruit, yogurt, cheese, leftover pizza, etc.)  from your fridge and meet your friends for a party at the park. Take a frisbee or a football to add a little action to your evening.

2.  Host an ethnic dinner party. Decide on a type of food (i.e. Mexican) and ask people to bring their favorite dish.  This could be something you host even on a monthly basis!  You get the best of both worlds...literally.

3.  Have a wine and cheese party.  Add chocolate if you really want to make them happy.

4.  One word for ya...potluck. Always the best food ever, and everyone takes their dirty dishes home with them.

5.  Make the kids happy and have a banana split party.  Ask friends to bring their favorite topping...you provide the bananas and ice cream. Easy and so very fun.  My genius of a friend did this for her wedding reception and it was a blast!

6.  Have a movie night.  You could make this one family friendly or not, but either way, the prep is a cinch.  Just have the popcorn ready...and maybe a little movie theater candy!  Want it on the big screen?  Martha has a great idea for really seeing the stars!

7. Have your friends over for a pizza party...but instead of getting it delivered, let everyone make their own! You could provide the dough, sauce, and cheese, but let everyone bring a different topping.  It's fun to see what people like on their pizza, and you have your dinner and party planned!

8.  Another fun one for kids...have their friends come over in bathing suits and have a water party.  All you really need is a hose and a hot day (which we have plenty of right now!) You can keep it completely outside...even have it at a local park if you're worried about your house getting soaked.  Because it's a water party, give them water to drink and watermelon to eat.

9. Game night is always a blast.  You could start with game stations for the warm up games...Checkers, card games, or board games are classics.  Then, end your evening with a large group game like Charades, Pictionary, or Catch Phrase.  Outdoor games are great too. It's always fun to get a Horseshoe or Cornhole competition going.

10. Last but not least (and probably the easiest!)...wait for it...have a take out party.  Let everyone bring over their favorite take out, and all mix and match family style! Don't forget to grab menus from each restaurant to make sure you can share your favorite local spots.

Remember to simply enjoy the people in your life.  When it comes down to it, the party trends will change, and your guests will forget what was on the menu.  What they won't forget is that you asked them to come over, and party on.

Myth 3. I Can't Throw a Party Because I Don't Have Any Money.

The other day, my daughter and I were having a fun date and as I was fixing my coffee, I looked up and saw this.


I was shocked that here in plain print, I was being told that the only way I could "throw a perfect dessert party" was to buy these things and spend over one hundred dollars, and not even including the food!  As you can see, I was so irritated, I had to take a picture.  I wanted to hold it up and say, "NO YOU DON'T! Don't buy these things, and have an even BETTER DESSERT PARTY!!"  But, thankfully for my daughter, and my reputation, I refrained.

I say all that to say, even though you can feel overwhelmed by all that's out there that you could have at your parties, there are really only a few things that are necessary to make a party awesome.  And, surprisingly enough, money isn't one of them.

Of course, like anything, you can go spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars to hire a band and a caterer and all that's in between, but let's face it...who has that to throw around?  Not me!

So, instead of spending tons of money to make your party amazing, why not keep it simple?  Here are a few tips to remember when you're trying to save on your budget:

1. Have friends each bring a food item to share.  You can designate what type of food you're hoping they'll bring, but that way, you don't blow a ton of money on providing all the food, or on hiring a caterer.

2. If you want the most bang for your buck when it comes to decor, grab some fresh flowers.  They're the most beautiful thing you can put on your table, and take no time to make (and you don't get paper cuts from crafting all day).  Even if you don't have the budget for a bouquet, simply cut some fresh greenery from your trees and plants in your yard.  It's amazing what a difference bringing plants in can make.

3. You don't have to provide alcohol.  People ask me sometimes, "Do you think it's okay to just have water or tea?"  The answer is absolutely yes.  You can check out my favorite way to spruce up your water here.  And, people go crazy for some fancy water, let me tell ya.  Just let people know to BYOB (bring their own beer or wine) when you invite them.

4. Keep the menu to a minimum.  Rather than feeling like you have to do every course, just stick to the basics. You can get away with making it as simple or extravagant as you want.  To keep it less expensive, just limit what you have.  All you need is something to munch on, and something to drink.  You don't need to have appetizers, salads, entrees, dessert, and coffee.  You could just have drinks and apps.  Or just dessert. Remember, this is your party.  Make it what works best for your budget.

There are lots of things you can spend money on to make your event one to remember, but I'm not convinced that money is what makes that happen.  I'm pretty sure that it would be well remembered simply by having it.  You don't have to break the bank to have your friends over and have a good time.  So, why would you?

Day 9: Indulging on a Sunday

Today begins a new week in our 31 day journey! I'm so glad to have you along with us in celebrating an artful event!

I've decided that Sunday will be our day of inspiration. I love taking a few minutes on Sundays to be inspired. Sometimes it happens through visits like this. Or sometimes it happens while I'm peeking at blogs. But, today, I found this show stopper.

Ok, maybe I'm the last to know (which wouldn't surprise me), but Oh My, HEAVEN!!! I couldn't be happier to find Styled. It's an absolutely amazing online magazine. Drooling, I tell you. Their tagline is...

design. create. celebrate.

Hello. Could you be any more me?!? (sense the Chandler tone of voice) I don't think it could be. So, stop reading here, and go indulge!

Previous 31 Days Posts:

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

Day 5: It's the Little Things

Day 6: Layering is a Good Thing

Day 7: Allowing it to Be

Day 8: The Finished Product

Day 8: The Finished Product

The mason jars held the utensils in the berry box, with some pumpkins and mums.

I embellished the table with my rooster sign holder and chalkboard signs.

Simple. Casual. Comfortable. Good.

Even as simple as I felt like it was, everyone raved about how great everything was. You'd be surprised at what impresses people. And the pulled pork sliders were amazing. It was exactly what my client wanted, which was all I cared about. Artful success!

Previous 31 Days Posts:

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

Day 5: It's the Little Things

Day 6: Layering is a Good Thing

Day 7: Allowing it to Be

Day 7: Allowing it to Be

So, in my crazy mixed up brain, I had originally thought that I would juggle the normal kids afternoon transportation and activities along with handling the preparation and set up for this dinner. However, thankfully, a few days before the event, my husband offered to handle picking up the kids and taking them to all their things so that I could simply focus on my work.

Later, I thanked him profusely, and screamed at myself, "What in the world were you thinking??!! There would have been no way you could have done both!!!" Even though I've been doing this for several years now, I still have to be reminded to fully devote time...solid time (not distracted time) to accomplish the task at hand.

Things always take longer than you think. Give yourself plenty of time to gather supplies, carry things to and from the car, and everything in between. Even if you have the best laid plans and preparations, but don't give yourself enough time to carry it out, you will not be able to fully enjoy setting everything up. Instead of being able to artfully arrange a tray, or step back and decide how the table will look the best, and where all the food should go, you are rushing to simply get it on the table!

The stress of not having enough time can easily suck all the joy out of the event design. To allow the event to be artful...you have to allow for the time it takes to let it be. Funny how that works.

Come back tomorrow to see the wrap up of this event. Then we'll continue our 31 Days journey with a little inspiration on Sunday, and then enter into a new event on Monday! If you want to catch up from previous days this week, check out the links below.

Previous 31 Days Posts:

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

Day 5: It's the Little Things

Day 6: Layering is a Good Thing

Linking up with In the Studio.

Day 6: Layering is a Good Thing

Layers. Layers are great things.

When my hair is long, whenever it gets trimmed, my amazing stylist always puts long layers in it. Just a little layering, and I go from having frizzy, poofy hair, to having a shaped style where my curls lay at lengths complimenting each other. Layering is a good thing in my hair.

When you put on an outfit, especially in the Fall and Winter, you layer. This past week, it was rainy and so even though it was going to be in the 70s, I knew the rain would make me chilly. I took the opportunity to layer.

You might begin with jeans and a shirt. But, then you might add a sweater to layer over top (or two if you're me). Then, you'll probably add a light weight jacket. Maybe even a scarf. Not to mention accessories to top off the outfit. You layer.

Designing a table is the same way.

Adding layers, adds richness and depth that will enhance the appearance.

So, with this event that we've been talking about this week, I decided to layer the tablecloths. I started with a basic white cloth. Then, I laid a vintage lace trimmed ivory cloth diagonally overtop. Then, on top of that, I scrunched a natural piece of burlap (in keeping with our theme) in the center of the table.

Previous 31 Days Posts:

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

Day 5: It's the Little Things

Day 5: It's the Little Things

There's nothing wrong with a veggie tray. Nothing at all.

If you're in a time pinch, and need it already assembled it's a huge help. But, you know how the ends of celery are always kind of white and stringy? And everything is just stuffed into the plastic pockets? Yea, I'm not a huge fan of plastics.

It takes just a few minutes to trim the celery up and display it on another tray. I added the asparagus to give it a little more of a posh look. And I scooped the dip into another small bowl, to take away the plastic look and feel completely.

The outcome? An artsy, fresh display of tasty veggies.

Same story with the fruit tray. Throw the plastic tray it came in into the recyclable bin. Arrange on a pretty tray, with a little height and color variation, and all of a sudden, you've gone from ordinary "party trays" to outstanding presentation!

Same thing with the dessert. And the chips.

And anything else you feel like tossing in the recyclable bin at the moment. See you tomorrow, as long as you haven't thrown your computer in the recyclable bin.

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

If you're just joining us, we've been on our journey of...

If you need to get caught up, here's the list by Day:

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

This week we are looking at how we turned a business dinner from just an average event, to a memorable evening for everyone there!

Once we had decided on a menu, we could develop our design for the table. Knowing that we were going with traditional southern fare, I knew that I would be able to bring in the rustic elegance look that I love.

Because I have several things around the house that fit into this style, I began looking around. I gathered anything that I saw that reminded me of that style into a pile. Then, I started figuring out what items could be used and what things I would most likely do without.

I also always try to think about the time of year it is, and stem from that with the design. I loved these few things to bring in a bit of Autumn, without going too overboard.

Keep an open mind when you're looking for items to design your event. You can use anything that fits into your vision. It doesn't have to be a "bread basket" to hold bread. You can make a bread basket out of a huge wash stand bowl. (gasp!) Or why couldn't a vintage berry basket hold your utensils instead of just laying them on the table?

Or your books for that matter?

(i know it's a completely different event, but it's a perfect example!!)

I love thinking outside of the box when it comes to how to showcase the necessities. Remember, you're an artist. You were made to create, so have fun with making your event however you want it!

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 1: Welcome to an Artful Event

We're onto Day 3 of our 31 Days! The next step in turning this casual business dinner into an artful event was deciding on the menu. I love this step!

I reviewed all of the details that my client and I had discussed and decided that this would be a perfect menu.

I knew that I could partner with a local caterer to make this dinner delicious, while staying in my client's budget. I ordered the most important menu items (the pulled pork sliders and homemade slaw) from the caterer and picked it up for a fraction of the cost as having it delivered and set up. All the other food I picked up from the store, and simply arranged it in a way that looked made from scratch! Shhh...

Great food. Casual atmosphere. And a way for me to intertwine rustic elegance into yet another event. My favorite!

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

As I talked about yesterday, finding your vision is key to beginning your creative venture in planning your event. To find your vision, you have to assess what you must have, what you want, and how you want your event to feel. It's like looking for the big picture of the event.

The Must Haves:

When I asked a few more questions, my client expressed how she was desiring the business dinner to be good food, casual atmosphere, and reasonable in price. She didn't want anything too complicated for people to assemble, but rather easy "pick up and go food", yet still enough to be dinner. Easy enough to stand around and mingle while you eat some great food and visit with business associates.

The Wants:

At first, she was just thinking of getting it catered. However, many times, once you add in the cost of food, the fees to deliver and set up, usage of their plates, napkins, cups, it ends up being much more expensive. And, the other thing, is that caterers don't always design a tablescape or an atmosphere, they just deliver the food. My client wanted a dinner that would taste great, but would also "wow" with it's presentation.

The Feeling:

There were a few things that my client said she really wanted the business dinner to feel like. She wanted it to be nice and she wanted the table to be pretty. She wanted it to feel comfortable. She wanted her associates to walk away from dinner feeling appreciated.

Now, I had the vision, and was able to begin creating.

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 3: A Few of my Favorite Things

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

When you think of the word "art" you don't exactly think of events. Usually, what comes to my mind is an artist with a paint pallet in hand, and a easel standing upright in front of them...and usually they have a beret on their head. Don't ask me why. It seems like an artist thing.

However, the more that I design events, the more I feel like an artist. And, the more I create, the more I love creating.

This month, I'll go through a different event each week, and describe how it became, not just an ordinary event, but an artful event.

So, we'll be kicking off our

with a business dinner that I designed just this past week.

My client had a dinner that she was hosting for about 25 of her associates. However, she is slammed with business right now (which is wonderful!) and she knew there was no way that she would have time to do anything special if it was just up to her. Sure, she could pick up a few cartons of take out, but she wanted the dinner to show her appreciation for her clients, not just throw some last minute food down on a table for people to help themselves. So, she asked me to come up with a plan that was in her budget, and yet be a memorable evening.

I always start with trying to find out what my client is envisioning for their event. This is always my first step in my process. I have to understand their desire before I can begin to create. Isn't that how all art works? You have to express your vision to be able to create.

Find your vision. That's the first thing in creating an artful event.

There are a ton of great blogs linking up to this 31 days party, so go check them out!

It's Almost Here...

Last year, I posted every day in November, and called it...

It was so much fun celebrating on a daily basis with you all in this little spot of the blogosphere. This year since, 31 Days is open to everyone, I figured I would join in on the fun!

I've been thinking about what my topic would be, and I'm so excited about it. One reason why I love my business is because every single event or wedding I design becomes a unique creation, different from any other. I mentioned on Monday how what I do is more like art to me than a job, and how it and gives me life. My hope is that as I post daily during the month of October, you will come away feeling more inspired than ever to create artful events in your own life.

I'm a little nervous, but I'm jumping in, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Linking up with In the Studio today!

Grace for the Good Girl

This weekend Events by Design has the pleasure of working on a huge event for a dear friend! It's Emily Freeman's launch party for her new book, Grace for the Good Girl!

For the occasion, we've pulled together a storyboard with some great vintage book and bird cage details to create a whimsical and lighthearted scenery.

Can't wait to show you more of how it turned out!

All images were collected on Pinterest; sources:

Style Files, Love and Lavender, Jessi Haack Weddings, Good House Keeping, Martha Stewart Weddings, Ruffled, Stephanie Lynn, Etsy, Bustle Events, Whimsical World of Flaura Bird, Style Me Pretty, A Glimspe of Violet Hills

Party at the Nest

I have a super fun event that I'm going to be helping with coming up soon. Most of you know my sweet friend, Emily from Chatting at the Sky. She has an amazing book coming out September 1, and I'm blessed to be able to design events for her. I'm sure you know her sister, the Nester, too. A few weeks ago, Nester asked if I would help her with this event for Emily.

It's going to be amazing, and we're so excited to celebrate with Emily. So save the date, and come hang out with us at Nester's house!

Keep Calm & Carry On...

Events by Design, for the most part, focuses on designing, planning, and implementing events; we love being able to take our client's dreams and turn them into reality without there being stress and worry throughout the process! On occasion, we'll work for clients who have those same desires, but aren't throwing a wedding, baby shower, or birthday party...

In this instance, we were asked by a friend to

style her booth at the 14th Annual Taste of Greensboro!

When Renita and I first talked, the look that she wanted was "airy and elegant". We created a tablescape to showcase her cake bites to perfection. By using silver, white, and glass for our trays, we added that "silver platter" look.

Renita, the owner of Libby's Perfect Portions, was able to "keep calm and carry on". She was able to only focus only on baking her specialty cake bites while we took over styling and prepping the booth for her!

The end result was wonderful...our client was stress free,

and able to enjoy all the hard work they didn't have to do!

Linking up with In the Studio this week.

Go get inspired by all those wonderful artists!

Dashing for a Diamond!

We had so much fun at Greensboro's first ever Diamond Dash! We greeted the eager participants with a fun way to get them pumped up about running around town looking for clues for the $15,000 diamond ring...with a sugar high! I've been wanting to design a candy bar recently, so this was the perfect time.

There were some engaged couples and some married couples. Family teams, and friend teams. It was really sweet to see who was paired up together, to try to win the diamond ring. The dashers ran all over, visiting different vendors, learning about our city, and answering challenge questions or activities in order to gather clue words. They would then text the correct answers into the number they had been given to play the game. Each correct answer gave them points, and at the end of the game, whoever had the most points, won.

Take a look to see how it ended! Here's a great video of the Diamond Dash, brewed up just right from our friends over at Media Brewer films...see if you can spot me. (Here's a hint...I'm wearing my red pea coat because it was freezing!!)

Finks Diamond Dash 2011 from MediaBrewer on Vimeo.

So, even though you only caught a glimpse of me working my candy bar, I still wanted to link up with In the Studio this week. I guess it's not technically my "studio", but close enough, right?! This spring has been filled to the brim with all sorts of fun events. Can't wait to show you more next week!

Brides on Tour

Events by Design is participating in Brides on Tour this Sunday! If you (or someone you know) are planning your wedding this is absolutely where to start!

Brides on Tour is a great way to find the best wedding professionals in the area, but with a fun, personable approach. Instead of being overwhelmed by a huge room of hundreds of vendors, enjoy being taken on a tour by local wedding planners, and shown in a relaxed setting how fun planning your wedding can be!

Around 200 brides will board luxury coaches and go tour a few of Greensboro's wedding hotspots. You will get to meet wonderful vendors, see all different floral displays, taste food from local gourmet caterers, see venues set up in wedding decor, try tons of delicious cakes, and win great door prizes to get you ready for your big day! This is the perfect (and inexpensive!) way to begin planning your special day.

But don't just take my word for it... go listen to the brides who went on the first Brides on Tour. Media Brewer films did a fantastic video of the girls who went in the Fall, and it's a great way to see a snapshot of what the day is all about.

It's not too late...get your tickets here, today! You can even request to be with Events by Design if you'd like. You know we'll treat you right, and even have a few surprises for you! Can't wait to celebrate with you!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well, today I head down for the long awaited wedding in Louisiana. I'm excited for several reasons...to see my big sis and sweet nephews, to enjoy the delicious food and city of New Orleans, but mainly to celebrate the marriage of these two cuties.

If you know this story, it makes this celebration much more beautiful. If you don't, the short version is that almost 5 years ago, to the day, my sister lost her husband at the early age of 33. She became a widow and single mother of 3 small boys at 32. Now, this sweet man, who has never been married before, is making my sister his bride, and becoming a second father to these three precious boys...who aren't so little anymore. I know I talked about God adding to the beauty of our lives here, but this kind of redemption, I just never grow tired of.

So, I'm leaving on a jet plane, and I'll be there in a matter of hours, to design and carry out my little part in this amazing story. We'll get our nails done, and we'll eat tons of fabulous food, we'll laugh a lot, and probably cry a little. But the joy overflowing will be why the tears come, and I can't wait to share all the juicy details. Stay tuned...