happy friday!

i.am.wiped.out. all this traveling is wearing this paper-loving, party-planning lady out. i flew back to oklahoma last night and got back home a little before 9:00 p.m. i have lots to catch up on, so for now ...

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Jieun on Pinterest

thursday inspiration.

happy march! i was so busy yesterday i failed to even acknowledge february 29th! so sad to think i missed that opportunity. not that it's a big deal, by any means. i just hate being reminded that we sometimes rush too quickly through life. these past two weeks have definitely been a blur for me.

i promised you a bit of inspiration, so i thought i would share this image {i know, i know - not the clearest pic} from better homes and gardens. i have been obsessed with these oversized ballons since i received the march 2012 issue earlier in february. i really wanted to have them at my mom's spring time birthday, but i procrastinated {and kind of forgot} to order them.

balloons were so popular when i was a child. now i rarely see balloon bouquets. sometimes it just seems like balloons have become incredibly cheesy and done in poor taste. i love, love, love these balloons, though. between you and me? i hope balloons continue to make a come-back. when done well, they're so cheerful and bring a smile to your face.

if you haven't already, check out the "you say it's your ..." article for fun party inspiration on page 24 of the better homes and gardens, march 2012 issue. i think you'll love some of the details as much as i do!

"fluffy cake, champagne toasts, giddy snapshots, and a personalized soundtrack. what's not to love about a go-all-out celebration?"

the one i laugh with, live for, dream with.

right now i'm working with a super fun bride. she's so laid back and has such a great attitude. most brides are a lot of fun to work with -- everyone is giddy with excitement and ready to start their lives with that "great" love. of course, we do run into bridezillas from time to time, but lindsay is definitely not one of those brides.

she and her special man are getting married in an old farmhouse in delware. for their save-the-dates, they wanted something that fit the color scheme of their wedding. they didn't want the same the date to perfectly coordinate with the wedding invitation and also didn't want anything too fussy.

we created a postcard that fits right in with the farmhouse wedding and also incorporates the rich slate the happy couple will use throughout their wedding.

i really like the front (it's a quote picked out by the bride), but i think my absolute favorite it is the back. i just love everything about it. typically you would also see the return address running along vertical line, but i've masked it for the blog.

i love working with creative individuals -- keeps my life interesting and inspired! =)

cheers!

a {southern} spring time birthday.

apologies for being away so much last week. i had to travel to houston on a business trip for my other job. what started as an overnight trip turned into two nights away from home. i left my house at 5 in the morning on monday ... and didn't return until well after 8 in the evening on wednesday night. the rest of the week was filled with catching up on orders/emails to notably noted clients and doctors appointments.

while last week was pretty crazy, the weekend prior was fabulous! we were celebrating a very special lady in my life -- my mother. my family lives about thirty to forty-five minutes away in muskogee. i don't get to see them as often as i would like, but i'm grateful that we're as closely located to one another as we are -- it could definitely be worse.

on friday night my little sister drove to tulsa to help me prepare everything for the saturday afternoon late-lunch family party we had planned. i realized after everyone left that i never got a picture of the table setting (sad face!) but my mom loved everything. we all had a blast just spending the day together.

below are just a few details from our day:

not the best shot, but who doesn't love hydrangeas? there's something so romantic about them, and they can brighten my mood in an instance.

so many of my ideas for the party came from pinterest. we didn't have a "theme" other than a bright, springy, laid-back, family function. my mom's only request? "lots of yummy, fattening food." enter southern comfort food.

sierra and i made personal pot pies for everyone as the main dish. i knew they would take a little bit to fully bake, and since we were already having a late lunch, i didn't want everyone sitting around feeling hungry all afternoon. appetizers on display include: personal mac & cheese cups, cream filled strawberries, caprese salad skewers, and white-chocolate stuffed raspberries.

you wouldn't believe how delicious these raspberries were!! and so simple! seriously, so good! even my super-picky fiance was eating them by the handfuls.

i don't have a picture, but following appetizers, we had a yummy corn and cheese chowder (picture below from the pioneer woman):

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Rhiannon on Pinterest

we didn't do the bread bowls, but it was still oh-so-good. i left the bacon out of mine, but imagine that lots of people would enjoy it with the bacon still included. this recipe makes a huge batch, so i was able to enjoy the leftovers all week long (and even sent some home with my parents and aunt).

finally, the main course:

as i mentioned before, sierra and i created personal pot pies for everyone. not only were they in their own ramekins, but the pies also had the first letter of each person's name marking the top of them (with "m" for "mom" and "d" for "dad"). sierra made my mom's extra special by adding hearts to the top of hers as well.

i know i baked this so i shouldn't be bragging, but oh.my.goodness. these were so delicious! i saw my aunt again this past weekend, and she was telling others that it was the best pot pie she had ever had! i was flattered (and secretly agreed). i played with the recipe myself, subsituting a few things i knew wouldn't be crowd pleasers and using rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts.

it was hard to choose sides for the pot pies because they were stuffed to the gills with veggies, but the freshly steamed asparagus and green beans were hits as well. again so simple, but so delish.

we were so stuffed we had to wait a bit before digging into dessert, so we did one of my favorite things -- we just sat around visiting. my brother, his wife, their baby, my parents, my sister, one of my mom's sisters (brenda), and travis and i sat around chatting, watching basketball, and enjoying my sweet little nephew.

now, you know i can't have a special occassion without a cake by seana hon. she didn't disappoint. sierra found cheerful, zany candles that went perfectly with our spring paisley/floral print cake -- vanilla on the top and chocolate on the bottom. it was the perfect size, too! 4" & 6" ... not too much, and not too little ... and all so delicious.

happy birthday, mom! we love you so much!!

party inspiration: the lorax.

i love the parties that spring up with the release of new movies -- especially movies of old classics, like the beloved dr. seuss. i mean, who doesn't like dr. seuss, right? i've not seen the movie {and maybe it's not even out yet} but i'm loving the party ideas that are springing up for the lorax.

i haven't created an invitation yet, but i did create a fun inspiration board. (i told you, ideas are already popping up everywhere!) the first thing i saw that really inspired me to create the board were the truffula trees made from martha stewart's poms. so simple and such a great fit for "the lorax." just remember to make your poms pointed instead of rounded.

i also love the cake ball truffula trees. i found them on pinterst where they were featured by ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com but are actually by bakerella.

i love the idea of cotton candy at a lorax party, so i went on the hunt for a great picture of cotton candy. i came across something even better -- cotton candy cupcakes on pinterest. the colors and whimsy of the cupcake just scream dr. seuss.

i can't wait to design an invitation / party suite to go along with this inspiration board. i want to hear your ideas -- have you hosted a dr. seuss party before?

happy monday.

happy sunday!

cake image from theknot.com; additional editing, framing, etc, mine.

happy sunday to you all!

the pottery barn party planner. {it does exist}

Remember the post I did earlier this week about Pottery Barn's Party Planner? And remember I said Pottery Barn no longer offered that fun little resource? Well, it turns out, my friends, I was {happily} mistaken! I scouted around a bit more and found that the Party Planner does indeed exist! I wanted to be sure and share with you because I've been able to draw inspiration from Pottery Barn for years.

On the site you'll find tips and tricks for throwing a Pizza Party; a Movie Night; a Mediterranean Tapas Party; and more.

Summer and fall put me in such a mood to host a party; who am I kidding? I'm up for hosting a party any time of year!

Besides holidays and birthday parties for the kiddos, what other events and parties do you enjoy hosting?

getting maui'd: a sneak peek.

in june of this year, i headed off to the beautiful island of maui, hawaii. a dear friend from high school had asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding and i couldn't have been more excited.

i've been dying to share some of the details from her wedding. it will probably be another month before the professional pictures are ready, however, and i couldn't contain myself any longer. these 100+ degree temperatures in oklahoma are reminding me of how divine it was laying out by the ocean, so here's to a little wishful thinking ...

andrea and ryan {pictured below} were wed at the olowalu plantation in maui. it couldn't have been more picturesque.

for their wedding colors, andrea and ryan decided to use fuschia and tangerine, with touches of sand and ivory throughout.

aren't those table arrangements beautiful?? we created table cards named after the different hawaiian islands. the bride and groom and their wedding party were seated at the island of maui.

what a beautiful couple!

the tables had ivory linens, fuschia napkins with menus tucked inside, favor boxes filled with hawaiian cookies from a local bakery, and bamboo table runners.

parasols were provided for guests to shade themselves from the sun beating down.

most of the pieces included the bride and groom's signature logo or monogram

{close up shot of the favor boxes}

{palm fans provided to each of the guests}

{star fish doubled as escort cards}

{oh so beautiful flowers}

{guest table: here you see the star fish escort cards nestled in black sand, the custom-made guest book, an engagement picture of the bride and groom, a letter from the hawaii-native president obama, & a basket of wedding programs}

{the happy (gorgeous!) hursts!}

wine & cheese party.

last august pottery barn offered the party planner. it was a resource on their site dedicated to making it easier than ever to throw a party -- they had the serving ware, bar ware, decorative items, downloadable play lists, and more. i was browsing the site today, but they no longer offer this fun little corner on their site.

i fell in love with their featured wine party, though, and have been looking forward to incorporating a lot of the ideas myself.

image from potterybarn@enews.potterbarn.com

i love the table display! my friend kate and i share a love for cheese and wine. i'm thinking a wine & cheese party is in order ...

where's fall when you need it?

i snapped this shot this morning before heading into the ol' office. i can't decide if it means fall, glorious fall, is just around the corner, or if our lovely trees are being cooked to a crisp by the 100+ degree temps we've been enduring for over a week.

as i type this and think of the approaching fall season, i'm reminded of a quote from one of my all-time favorite movies, one that i haven't seen in quite a while.

"don't you love {insert your city here} in the fall? it makes me wanna buy school supplies. i would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if i knew your name and address."

you've got mail

mmm, i can almost smell the spiced chai lattes and feel the crispness in the air. i can't wait! what are you most looking forward to about fall?