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!

Best of 2011

Happy New Year! I can't believe that we're already in 2012. I thought it might be fun to revisit some of my favorite posts from this past year. You may have already seen these, but just in case you missed them, here were some of my favorites!

The Best Surprise

Oh the Party You'll Throw!

Adding to the Beauty

If You Give Melissa a Minute

Unexpected Fairy Tale

Sweetest Sip N See

Book Party at the Nester's

The Way of a Wedding

Loveliness

Philosophy of Celebration

Grate{full}

It truly is remarkable to see how this business has grown, how I've been blessed because of it, and how much has happened even in just a year. I love being able to celebrate with you!

The Waiting

Today has been so much fun. I'm officially another year older, and what a day of celebration it's been. I've been blessed by friends and family with little gifts of love all day. And, even though I didn't want to have to wait, the surprise will have to wait a little longer...not much, but just a little. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, knowing that something great was coming, but just not quite being able to get to it. Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part. I promise it will be soon, though. Hopefully tomorrow. Until then, I'm off to pack for my cruise!

Summer Vintage Tablescape

I don't iron. I haven't owned an iron for about 8 years. A few years ago, my daughter and I went over to a friend's house to hang out a bit. She had her iron and ironing board out, and my little girl pointed to it and said, "Mommy, what's that?" Exactly.

Last weekend, as I was prepping for a reception, I used this awesome steamer to steam out all the wrinkles in the linens. I thought to myself, "I really should at least have an iron." Then, last week, as God would have it, I was shopping at the best grocery store in the world, when I saw a steaming iron. I think it was maybe $10. I decided it was time to break down and get one. (I even grabbed the ironing board for $8 while I was at it.)

So, then, this morning, while the kids were playing happily, I decided to work on a new tablescape. I've been wanting to play around with some vintage finds that I had recently collected from estate sales and clearance racks. And, plus, with my hubby having night class two nights in a row, I figured we could use a nice sit down dinner all together. So I dove into designing.

With my handy dandy new steaming iron, I freshened up the linens...almost ALL the linens. I got a little carried away. I couldn't stop! It was absolutely addicting! I knew there was a reason why I didn't have one. I now understand why my grandmother would say "those creases in the linens were her pride and joy".

I've always loved vintage pieces. They have such a story to tell, and they are all crafted so beautifully. As, I took everything out, I was really pleased how well all the pieces went together. Usually, when I'm on the hunt, I don't try to match with what I have. I just grab what I like that's a good price, and then try to find a good spot for it.

I couldn't wait to sit down with my family for a nice dinner together. But, then I remembered what I had made for dinner prior to designing the table. Any guesses?

Baked spaghetti. Oh, well. They wash up well, and hey, I can bring out that iron thing again!

Linking up to a very fun linky that I just found today! I just can't keep up with all these fabulous blogs.

Have you been in the studio creating this week? Go check out Sneak Peek Fridays with Jennifer!

Celebrating Everyday Life

If you haven’t guessed yet, I love to celebrate. It’s just part of who I am. It’s still pretty amazing to me that I actually get to do it as a profession. I wonder sometimes, “Is it okay to be payed to party?” But then I get swept into all the details and drama, and I am reassured that yes, it is. Nonetheless, I absolutely love it.

My hope is that through this blog I will be able to give encouragement, fun tips, and great ways to celebrate everyday life. In my opinion, there’s just no other way to live.

Care to join me? On Tuesdays I will be linking up to Emily over at Chatting at the Sky, as we unwrap the little gifts of life.