Christine's Bow-Tie Baby Shower (Part II: The Spread)

[Decorated the light fixture w/ a mini garland of Japanese washi tape and
covered my existing wall art with color coordinated tissue paper and washi tape]

[Christine, the new mom-to-be]

[I wrapped boxes w/ kraft and tissue paper to add height to the spread.]

[Garlic Ginger Honey Wings–recipe from Week of Menus]

[Bruschetta made easy with Costco's crunchy Panetini]

Christine's Bow-Tie Baby Shower (Part I: Desserts)

I threw my friend, Christine, a baby shower last weekend. We had an intimate gathering of 13 wonderful ladies. I made all of the paper decorations and most of the food. I wish I could say I also made the desserts, but they were store-bought. :) The mini chocolate and vanilla cupcakes were from Molly's Cupcakes, and the adorable bow-tie sugar cookies were from Sarah's Pastries. The light and airy white chocolate mousse cake was from Whole Foods (mmm...that cake is to die for!) The shower was a success...thanks to Grace H. and Rosa for the desserts and helping me set up!

Recent Project: A Peaceful Dragon Birth Announcement

Gayle (my favorite client who got me this!) asked me to design a birth announcement for her 2nd son, Jaxson. Baby Jaxon's middle name, Seiryuu, is Japanese for peaceful dragon. Gayle named him that b/c her first son, Peyton, is so noisy! Don't you love names with meanings behind them? (Click here to see Peyton's birthday invitation.)

I had a super busy weekend with planning/hosting my friend's baby shower. I'll be posting pics of the shower soon! Did you do anything fun and exciting this weekend?

**By the way, does anyone know what kind of flowers these are? They're super hardy and long-lasting. My husband got me a bouquet of a variety of flowers for V-day. These white ones lasted over a month!

A Whale of a Birthday

Here are a few photos of the paper goods I made for a friend's 1st birthday party. Caritas did a phenomenal job of putting the party together. With her great attention to detail, each table was thoughtfully laid out, and everything was perfectly color coordinated. Don't you love the goldfish cracker on each of her homemade cupcakes? Brilliant idea!

Forget pharmacy! I think you have a big future in event planning/design, Caritas!

Busy, busy bee

Sorry for the spotty postings! The past few weeks have been super busy. I just finished making all the paper goods for a 1st birthday party that took place last Saturday. (I'll be posting up pics of the goodies soon!) And this coming Saturday, I'm hosting a baby shower at my house. So I'll be busy designing the decorations and whipping up the food this week. So bear with me!

In the meantime, here are some decoration ideas I came upon as I was planning for the shower. Eek...so sorry I didn't jot down where some of these images are from!

circle sticker garlands by bump smitten

Sweet Little Parties

For Japan With Love

The ladies from Ever Ours and Utterly Engaged created a fundraising page (For Japan With Love) to support the disaster relief in Japan. They've done a phenomenal job of creating awareness and raising money. As of now, they've already exceeded their goal by 400%. How amazing is that?? They've chosen ShelterBox as the organization to donate to.

"ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items." Click here to find out more about what's in the Box.

Currently Admiring: Oxfords

Oxfords have reappeared again, and can be found everywhere. I remember having a pair of black oxfords in junior high or high school. Did you ever have a pair when you were younger? Would you follow this trend now?

Sydney from The Daybook has a super cute cognac pair from ThreadSence.ThreadSence 'Jazz' Oxford Shoes
Steve Madden 'Trouser' Laceless Oxfords


Kimmie from Blue Paper Lanterns is wearing Target Xhilaration Oxfords

Antiquaria: Curated Vintage Housewares

I've been seeing this new shop circulating around the blogosphere lately. I couldn't resist checking out their website and drooling over their gorgeously stylized photos. Antiquaria is filled with vintage glassware, casual dishes, fine china and kitchenware. They also offer a unique service: a gift registry for their vintage, one-of-a-kind pieces, china sets, and home décor. Hop on over and take a look at their goodies!

Spring at Old Navy!

I just checked out Old Navy. They always have super cute clothes in the spring! I love those gold boat shoes. Too bad they're all sold out in my size. :( Here are my picks (it looks like I'm drawn to blue at the moment):

A Whale-y Cute 1st Birthday

A friend asked me to design her son's 1st birthday party invitation. Hello Naomi's super adorable whale cake inspired us to go with a whale theme. I'll be posting more on the other paper goods after the party!

A Beautifully Uncluttered Workspace

Bethany of b*spoke has an enviable workspace. With a few shelves and organization/storage supplies from Ikea, she turned her studio into an amazing, functional space. I'm particularly liking the Galant Cable Organizer from Ikea. The cords under my desk (and my husband's desk) are a total eyesore. Sadly, I don't think this product will work for my desk though since I have a large drawer spanning the entire underside. But maybe it'll work for my husband's desk. Check out the photos of her studio here and here.