Wedding Time!

here are a few SMU girls at the Bridesmaids' Luncheon.  Like how we are dressed? click below! From left to right:

Kate's Aztec Dress // Ann Wyatt's coral dress- similar//Ally's pink peplum dress-similar style (also obsessed) // Mallory's green dress //Steph's blue dot dress//

These are the Marquita Masterson earrings! Masterson started her jewelry line in Houston in 1984, where it is still made today. The jewelry is set in sterling silver, and each piece is hand cut and set with Pate de Verre, slumped or dripped glass so that no two are exactly alike. She often uses recycled bottles, which are melted and made into this wonderful, collectible and very wearable jewelry.     

EC gave us monogram fishing shirts to get ready in- SO CUTE!

EC had all of our dresses tied with these beautiful blue ribbons and labeled with our name! 

Here I am with the bride! As you can see she was absolutely radiant! Her wedding dress was classic and elegant, just like her! She wore her Great Grandmother's emerald and diamond jewelry, which really gave her dress a vintage/romantic feel!

I  know this is a horrible picture (taken on my iPhone) but it was the only one I have of all the maids before my camera died! Bummer I know.  Luckily my group of friends is like the paparazzi and I am sure they will have LOTS of pics!  Clearly Austin (far left) and I are the "black sheep" of the group- the only two with dark brown hair!  Multiple people commented on our hair color throughout the night ha!

Hello there!
Just as I thought I was finally in one place, I am on the move again! This weekend I flew to Houston to attend one of my best friend's (Emily Catherine) wedding.  EC and I went to SMU together and we were both KKG's together!  The weekend was a whirlwind of events!  Thursday night was kicked off with a "Texas" themed welcome party that, unfortunately, Dave and I missed due to our flight!  Friday we attended an amazing Bridesmaids luncheon, at the Houston Country Club, where EC surprised us with gorgeous Marquita Masterson earrings as a gift (see picture below).  Following the luncheon was the rehearsal dinner at Brennans which was absolutely terrific!  Saturday was of course the wedding, and we spent the day getting our hair and makeup done, watching classic wedding movies like Father of the Bride, and gawking over the gorgeous bride.

Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery during the "getting ready", so I didn't get any great shots of the bridesmaids together in our dresses! Luckily, after the ceremony, I met up with Dave and he brought the camera from the hotel!  I was able to charge it and get pictures at the reception! I hope you enjoy the pictures and can get a feel for the splendor that was Emily Catherine and Ben's wedding!

Baby Shower Blue!

Today I attended/ helped set up for the most adorable baby shower (if I do say so myself!).  My cousin Whitney is having a baby girl, so the Aunts/family members went ALL OUT!  Of course, I had to choose an outfit to wear to the shower which is always fun!  Instead of sticking with the "pink theme", As you can see, I opted for  a baby blue frock-still keeping within the baby theme! The dress is from this adorable shop in Illinois called Vintage Charm. One of my favorite things about this dress is the surprise element of the bow in the back!  I added a few fun necklaces to jazz up the simple front! I used this opportunity to whip out my nude booties.  I always feel a little extra "hip" in these!

All of the cousins (who are crafty) contributed in some way! Leigh Taylor, of Craft Box- DIY to go made the adorable Baby Girl window sign and cupcake toppers- How cute are the rattle and baby bottle?!  My Mother-in-Law and I made the fruit baby carriage (the verdict is still out on whether or not it is terrifying or cute).  We also painted the wooden baby blocks (used as centerpieces) and set up the candy station!  We folded the napkins to look like diapers and used pink safety pins to secure them!  One of her Whitney's friends made the most GORGEOUS homemade cookies too!  

What I'm Wearing: dress//turquoise necklace //monogram necklace//booties

Family Vacation

Alisal Ranch

The Most Magical Place on Earth

Imagine a place with no cell phones, television, or computers.  For some, this might bring about immediate terror and anxiety, but for my family (and me) it sounds like heaven! 

My family and I decided to take a little vacation to Alisal Ranch, a place I grew up visiting as a child.  We all thought it would be fun to go back as "adults" and we were right! It was such a relaxing and enjoyable time.  During the day the men played golf while the women relaxed by the pool!  At night we enjoyed amazing dinners and played games by the crackling fire.  Since the place is an actual working ranch, there are TONS of horses and cattle roaming freely. There is also an amazing spa, tennis, horseback riding, a gorgeous lake with paddle boards, boats, and fishing.  

On our last day, we took the hay wagon to breakfast at the historic old adobe, where we ate pancakes off the griddle and listened to old cowboy songs!  The motto at Alisal is early to bed, early to rise- so by the time 9'o clock rolls around you are so stuffed from dinner and exhausted from the daily activities that all you want to do is crawl into bed and fall asleep to the sound of crickets and owls (and an occasional 'moo")  I miss you already Alisal, and I hope to return soon! 

Mother's Day Brunch Outfit!

Hey guys! I can't believe it has been so long since my last post! I have been absolutely CRAZY! Last week Dave finished his first year @ Indiana woo hoo! With that being said, we have had to pack up ALL of our things for our move to Minnesota this Summer! Essentially, we will not return to Bloomington until late August, so I had to pack enough things for 3 months (very stressful).  Anyway, we decided to take a visit to Cali before the move to MN and spend mother's day with my mama and the other women in the family! Anyway, hopefully I will get back on track this week, now that I have my life semi- organized! I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! 

What I'm Wearing: dress : Urban Outfitters similar here// sandals// monogram necklace// tassel necklace similar here//

DIY Medicine Cabinet Project

Hey guys! Over the weekend, Dave and I went to Fort Wayne, IN to visit his brother, sister-in-law, and their baby girl!  While the men were glued to the television (watching sports) Peachy showed me this amazing steal she got at a local garage sale.  As you can see, it is this brightly painted medicine cabinet.  Yes, the original has a horrible paint job, but underneath it all was a nice piece of wood furniture!  As soon as I saw it, I knew we had to make it our "project."  Peachy is very crafty, and she was all about turning this old cabinet into something new and usable!

So...our journey began.  Since Peachy already had paint and primer, the only things we really needed were new door nobs, sand paper, and fabric to line the back wall and interior spaces.  We went to our favorite place, Hobby Lobby, and purchased the items.  The door knobs, which we LOVED, were on sale for 50% off and Peachy had a coupon for 40% off our entire purchase! I think our grand total at Hobby Lobby was under $15!!!  So the total cost of our project (including the cabinet) was $25!  In the picture above we have two sets of nobs- we didn't know which we liked better so we bought both and decided on the glass ones (they matched the fabric better).

We started by removing the doors, sanding down the wood, and painting the entire cabinet with primer!   We then used to coats of white paint to give cover all of the blue and purple! We then used the sandpaper to give the cabinet a more "worn" look.  What you can't really see from the picture is when we sanded the cabinet a little bit of the "old blue" color. along with the wood. came through...it looked pretty cool! Then we applied the fabric with modge podge and ta-da! We were done!

The project was super fun, easy, and cheap! We were both pretty impressed with our crafting skills, considering neither of us had tried doing anything like this before!  Now, its off to our next project!

Meet Hannah of Sweets and Celebrations!

I am beyond excited to introduce you to my dear friend, and fellow blogger, Hannah of Sweets and Celebrations!  Hannah and I grew up together in Southern California, and I have always admired her class, beauty, and incredible talent!  Hannah works as a high-end interior designer,  but she also has a passion for creating fabulous desserts and stylish parties!  I find myself constantly amazed by her gorgeous dessert tables and creative cake pops (i.e. bumble bees for the "mom to bee"-how cute!)  

I know you are going to fall in love with Hannah and her blog, so read on to get to know her a little bit better! 

-How has your background in interior designer influenced your party styling? 

I have always been an extremely visual person so I'm constantly looking for design inspiration all around me.  One of my very favorite things to do is browse fabric showrooms and discover new color schemes and patterns.  Through my background in interior design, I understand and appreciate color theory and composition so I'm aware of combinations that are sure to stand out.  I start every room I design with a fabric scheme and likewise, most of my parties are inspired by pattern and color.  I know that a dessert bar looks best with vessels of varying heights and sizes and I know how to arrange a balanced table through my experience with interior design arrangement.  Although it might not seem like interior design and party styling go hand in hand, to me, they're practically interchangeable and I love them both!  

-Sweets & Celebrations is all about "sweet things", do you have a sweet tooth?

I absolutely have a sweet tooth!  The funny thing though, is that I tend to not eat my own desserts because I feel like I'm wasting them.  I'd rather share them with friends, family, and customers!  Of course I taste my recipes as I bake in order to ensure that the flavorings are flawless but I don't usually indulge in my own creations.  When I do, however, my favorites are my maple chocolate chip cupcake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, and my mini chocolate raspberry tart.  Another favorite is my newest cake pop flavor, chocolate hazelnut!  I absolutely adore that combination and dream about going back to Italy solely for their unparalleled chocolate hazelnut gelato.

-Cinco De Mayo is coming up, what desserts would you make for a Mexican themed party?

When I think of Cinco De Mayo, I think of bright, bold colors and flavors.  I would make some classic Mexican desserts for a Cinco De Mayo party like churros, dulce de leche or tres leches cake, and flan.  I would also do some fun twists on Mexican food and drink like a margarita granita, Mexican hot chocolate (made with cinnamon and hot chile!) and maybe tequila infused cake pops!  Whatever desserts I'd make would definitely be adorned in fun colors.  And of course, the success of any party is in the details so there would be tons of special touches relating to Cinco De Mayo.

-What advice would you give to a twenty-something year old decorating her home on a budget?

There are so many amazing DIY decor ideas that can truly make a budget-friendly home look like a showcase house.  I love repurposing and restoring vintage or old pieces of furniture.  A couple coats of paint and new knobs can do wonders to an old dresser!  Reupholstering a chair is another inexpensive, big impact design trick.  Art can be costly but there are tons of alternatives that people don't often think of when decorating a home.  Framing elements like wallpaper panels or fabric collages is an inexpensive way to add color, pattern, and texture to a space.  Creating a gallery wall with your own architectural or natural photos is another great alternative to a gallery-bought painting.  I DIY-ed the main elements in my home office.  Here are links to some tricks that I utilized myself:http://sweetsandcelebrations.com/2013/02/15/this-is-your-first-post/   http://sweetsandcelebrations.com/2013/03/06/office-diy-part-2/
      

       

-What would be a dream collaboration for you? 

I would absolutely LOVE to collaborate with Sarah Richardson or Amy Atlas.  Sarah Richardson is my all-time favorite interior designer.  I so admire her fearlessness when it comes to mixing colors, patterns, old treasures, and new finds.  Her interiors are completely gorgeous and unique and no matter what, she manages to make them homey and livable.  Sarah balances functionality and aesthetics flawlessly in all of her spaces.  She's also an advocate for repurposing vintage flea market and auction finds which is one of the elements that allows her designs to feel approachable and not too "precious."  Amy Atlas really put stylized dessert tables on the map and she paved the way for party planners, stylists, and bakers alike to design both sweet and beautiful creations.  Her original dessert bars are always distinctive, inspiring, and perfectly tailored to each event.  What a dream to collaborate with either of these incredible women! 

Be sure to check out here blog www.sweetsandcelebrations.com for even more amazing desserts, home interiors, and events! Enjoy and beware...her site is addicting!