A Very Simple Christmas

I love my Christmas decorating ideas this year!!!

Some of my homemade Christmas ideas combined with little money widens the gap even further, and in fact, makes the gap into a friend. And decorating my tree with store-bought decorations suddenly seems completely undesirable. (Even ones I already own.) Shiny balls from Wal-Mart and yes, even lovely Hallmark ornaments are out of place and out of my sync with my Christmas.

So I’m decorating my Christmas tree in dried oranges, garlands of popcorn and cranberries, mixed only with what ornaments I have that are handmade and/or vintage family hand-me-downs.

Combined with the scent of the white pine tree, my house smells incredible.  I’ve been keeping busy this week, a little at a time between work and life, prepping ornaments. It’s quite a production!



Plan the perfect baby shower

Whether you're having a baby boy or a baby girl, keep your planning as effortless as possible.

Having a second child and handling two kids can be a bit overwhelming at first. Getting organized before the baby is born is your best bet, even though that might be a bit more challenging than it was the first time around. Best guidance I received was; "take all the help offered!"

One positive change that a second child brings is an increased confidence in your own abilities, knowledge, and experience. The things that seemed so difficult with your first child — breastfeeding, changing diapers, handling illness — will seem like second nature to you instead of a full-blown crisis.

HERE ARE A FEW OF MY CURRENT BABY BOY SHOWER IDEAS IN THE WORKS:

"Look whoo's having a baby boy!"

Making homemade invitations along with homemade decorations using paper and a color printer will save you lots of money!

Use all your resources for putting together the perfect baby shower.

One of my favorite resources is THRIFT STORES!

My favorite finds:

Under $5 for both!

Priced at .25cents  or more depending on size.

Add your special touch to your desired decoartions.

Gettin over the Pre-Wedding Jitters!

The date is set, the invitations are out, your seating arrangements have been decided on but the only problem is that you may feel like Julia Roberts in her film “Runaway Bride”. So what do you do when the last thing you feel like doing is walking down that aisle?

WEDDING JITTERS CAN start the moment you begin talking about getting married to when he slips that ring on your finger to the moment you’re walking down the aisle. They happen because marriage does change your whole life. The jitters don’t necessarily mean you’re having second thoughts about the person you’re marrying. He or she may be the best soul you could ever find. Jitters can come from the life change marriage causes. It changes the way you live, your friends and who you are friendly with, the new family you might be gaining. It’s basically fear of the unknown.

Here’s what to do to overcome those jitters:



Forget perfection

People focus on perfection. Perfection breeds jitters. Get rid of “perfect.” Everything will not be perfect! The perfect wedding will not happen accept it, the perfect apartment, the perfect friends, the perfect sister in law, some things are just the way they are and you have to learn how to adapt, which is all normal.

Let go and give away the need to control everything. Be careful about what is fantasy and what is real. Focus on what is truly important.

Perfectionism is about control. If you let it loosen a bit, you will find that the grief, fear and loneliness that many people who are about to marry experience are not only normal but  healthy. Everyone questions whether they are making the right decision. Questioning is NOT doubting.

Face your fears

Jitters thrive on fear. Worry never prevented nor solved any problem. It is normal to feel fear when jumping into the unknowns of marriage. Everyone involved may be having jitters. Find a healthy way to deal with all of the family and their demands and expectations. Understand that you cannot please everyone and everyone may not be pleased. They have their own feelings of loss, happiness, disappointment — they may not like your fiancé! And that will cause you to have jitters. If parents disapprove, remain calm and do not react with anger. Attempt to remain an adult, NO MATTER what the situation!

One of my favorite stories of all time: Alice in Wonderland

Thank you Mary Blair for your inspirational illustrations of such characters of all our childhoods. 

I cannot wait to do my next childrens party ~ inspired in all by Alice in Wonderland (Mary Blair style) :) 

Halloween on a budget

Use simple grocery/paper bags and brown & black paint. and make sure you fill the with sand so the wind wont blow them away.

My favorite tissue paper pom flowers always brighten up the room no matter how dark.

So here's what  you do with all those empty jars in the house.

Pumpkin cooler, why not? Everything has more than one purpose

Pom Pom flowers

I just started using these adorable Pom Pom flowers for decor. They are sweet, inexpensive and bring any room to life!

Sweet Ideas

I absolutely love making these sweet vintage banners. They fit any decor and usually I use things I already have around the house. Using Vintage childrens books or even Old Family Photos.

Or sometimes those cute "Onesies" are the best!

 

My friend creates the cakepops, and I create the bouquets.



     Fun Photo booths

                                                           Sweet Candy Bars

     Themed Guest book signing table

 

                                                           Chocolate fountain, candy bar

     Specialty Coffee Bar

 

                                                                                                                Romantic Inspired Photo booth

      Sweet Treats

 

                                                                                                                                             Sweet treats

 

....More fun photo booths

 

                                                                                                             Fun appetizers

     Wedding Tree

                                                                                                                             Appetizer table

And Much Much More!

Sweet Inspirations & More

Have you ever looked up to someone or admired something about another person that really inspired you? Well, there are certain qualities about a person’s character that enable them to inspire others, and there are steps you can take to awaken these same qualities in yourself.
I have always been told, “Stick with what you LOVE”, but never fully understood the meaning behind that until recently.

I begin my new journey, by asking 'Who & What inspires you?’ For me, it's been a lifelong journey of lessons. Mostly started out as "mistakes" and later became lessons to help me set examples. Falling down to pick myself up, dust myself off and move forward.
Inspiring others has never been easy.  Or has it?  I recently discovered that if you love something dearly, you won’t care how successful you are at inspiring others and you will continue to persevere (on many levels) no matter how many times you fail. When people doubt you, and when people laugh at your failures, you will continue to do what you love because you LOVE IT!  So having that depth, that love and passion for something, will protect you from all potential failures. Think big, but stay humble, that’s what my parents inspired in me.

And then it hit me! I realized that I could potentially inspire anyone based on my niche of expertise.  What expertise?  The LOVE I have for planning, organizing and executing party events, whether it is a baby shower, a birthday party, or weddings and anniversaries.

Passion is something you must have and be willing to express it if you really want to inspire others. You can gain a lot of influence just by publically expressing that you are excited and passionate about a topic. You make it much harder to inspire others if you are boring an unenthusiastic. Expressive passion is contagious because of the curiosity it stirs in others. You’ll get people wondering why you LOVE what you LOVE so much. Naturally, some of them will take the time necessary to understand what it is about the topic that moves you.  It’s the age old saying of “practice what you preach,” that holds true for anyone trying to inspire others. Ultimately, if you really want to inspire others to do something then this ‘something’ should be a big part of your life. You don’t necessarily need to be an expert at it, but you do need to be passionately involved. Be the extraordinaire!
Thus far, what makes me successful is overcoming with no shortage challenges and negative naysayers. I got past this by staying positive, working past failures, and kept a present optimism openly to others no matter what the circumstances have been. Doubt is a very contagious disease, and if you show any of it, you can easily destroy any positive influence you might have instilled in a person.

I personally welcome others, and listen to their needs. Once I’ve done this I am involved with them, keeping it personal and always maintain a healthy line of communication. I leave you with an open invitation to reach out and let me inspire you.