50 Shades of Grey Book Club Inspirations

I am hosting our groups first ever book club next week and the book is . . . 50 Shades of Grey! It is everywhere you turn right now, on TV, the radio and people are talking about it . .  a lot. Definitely a hot topic! I have read all three books and cannot wait to chat with my girls about their take on the book. And of course one of the most important questions will be - who should play Mr. Grey and Miss Steele in the movie?! I have my picks! I will share with the actual party post. See below for my inspirations for the party.

Items I have purchased for the party - Starting at top left - Grey striped napkins (Polka Dot Market), Washi tape for some decorative touches (Etsy shop - Pretty Tape), THE BOOK (I purchased mine in digital form from iBooks), Hershey's kisses (candy in sticking with the silver/grey theme), Grey tissue poufs (Shop Sweet Lulu), Striped Straws (Shop Sweet Lulu), Grey plates (Polka Dot Market), Chevron Party bags in grey (Shop Sweet lulu).  

The theme is all things grey. Obviously. The drink will be the Greyhound - vodka and grapefruit juice. Food will be simple appetizers and of course candy wrapped in grey and silver packaging for a little sweet treat. I am looking forward to great time with friends, riveting conversations and lots of laughs! I will keep you posted on how it turns out. Until then - Laters Baby!

Happy Book Clubbing!

Bridal Emergency Kit

I love being the person responsible for the Bridal Day Emergency Kit. I have so much fun finding all of the items and putting it together. I just made a new kit for my friend's wedding in Cabo. I thought I would share with you what I included in my kit. And this kit could be used for other big events as well - proms, galas, parties, black tie events, etc. It is just extra fun when it is called a BRIDAL day ER kit!

Items included:

Scope mouthwash

toothbrush

toothpaste

dental floss

Cotton pads, Cotton balls and Cotton QTips

makeup application pads

makeup remover and make up remover pads

hairspray

Vaseline

deodorant

baby oil

hand sanitizer

hand cream and foot cream

nail polish remover

clear nail polish

emery boards

scotch tape and double sided tape

scissors

sewing kit

Shout It Out stain remover pen

lotion

Aleve, Tylenol, Aspirin

tissues

tampons

first aid kid

safety pins

hand soap

wet ones wipes

lint roller

eye drops

contact cleaner

We used so many of the items at the wedding last weekend. The sewing kit repaired a bridesmaid dress, the scissors cut a few loose strings on the wedding dress, visine was used to take the redness out of a bug bite, the wet ones were used to remove deodorant from a dress and the safety pins held up a hem. Always better to be over prepared! Leave a comment if there is anything I forgot and I will add it to my kit next time!



Cabo Bridal Shower

We just got home from a great trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico where we spent 6 days celebrating our friend's wedding, relaxing and enjoying the warm sunshine. The shower went off without a hitch and most importantly - the bride had a fabulous time! Check out the details below.

Invitations from the Well Heeled Hostess. They set the tone for the orange, pink and grey theme. We went with a lingerie theme because we figured it was first and foremost fun and also the easiest thing for people to pack to an international destination.

We held the reception at the Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar Resort and Spa. The hotel was gorgeous. They seated us on a terrace overlooking the ocean. Perfect! It was a bit of a challenge planning an event in a location we had never seen. Our goal was to bring as much color, personality and fun to the shower all while not exceeding the 50 lb weight limit for our suitcases!!! Lots of paper products in fun colors brought the shower to life! We had pink and orange tissue pom poms to add color - they were from Polka Dot Market.

5 and 7 things they adore about each other was so fun. We contacted the bride and groom and asked them to send us 5 things they adore or love about the other one. The groom told us he couldn't limit it to just 5, he had too many things to say about her. How sweet! All of the guests loved this touch. It was personal and easy to bring to Mexico.

He Says . . . She Says was the shower game. We asked the bride and groom to send us ten funny things they had said in the time they were together. Five from him and five from her. The guests had to guess which one said each quote. We had the bride go through them and tell everyone the answers and explain the stories. It was a cute way to tell some fun stories about the couple. The bride and groom were both great sports about getting us the information. These prints were created by my friend Pete. Thanks Pete!

Hot pink cups with personalized stickers were on the table filled with bright colored jelly belly candies. It was a great pop of color and a sweet treat! Cups from Polka Dot Market, stickers from the Well Heeled Hostess.

I am loving polka dot and striped straws right now. They are whimsical and fun. These were from Polka Dot Market.

Large colored confetti was from the Etsy shop Misty and Me. The holders for the signs were from weddingfavors.com.

The game with painted pencils (click here for DIY instructions) were at each place setting. I didn't get any pics after the food and beverages arrive. We had chips, guacamole and salsa and margaritas. It was a perfect afternoon snack!

The beaming bride! Happy shower day Stace!

She received lots of pretty little lace things. In the end everything came together!

 

Happy Party Planning!

Pinterest Favs

My Pinter favs this week are all things spring, vacation and color. I am loving the bright punches of pink, orange and aqua. Oh, and washi tape. My newest obsession. Can't wait for all of the fun washi projects to come. 

Sources: Washi Tape Keyboard, Tissue Paper Flowers, Nautical Toms, Pink Orange Nail Fun, Cabo, Washi Bunting, Gorgous Flowers.

Happy Pinning!

Pencil Project - Cabo Bridal Shower

I was looking for mini pink pencils for a game we are going to play at the bridal shower in Cabo. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted so I decided to make them. The shower colors are pink, orange and gray. We stuck with pink and grey for the pencils.

Supplies - Purchased at Michael's - Pink spray paint, floral foam, gray paint. Purchased at Office Max - Golf pencils. Purchased at Polka Dot Market - hot pink washi tape.

We (my husband helped on this project) poked the pencils into the foam just to the point where the exposed wood was completely covered.

We spray painted them, turning them and recoating until they were completely recovered.

Once they were completely covered we tipped them upside down to dry.

We waited one hour and then my husband hung them suspended by an opened coat hanger stretched out over a card board box.

We put the gray paint in a soda cap and I gently covered each pencil tip in the gray paint. We let them hang suspended over night to dry.

The next morning they were ready to go! I used a pencil sharpener to make sure the edges were completely pink.

I added a small pink washi flag to each pencil.

The pencils are secured with one glue dot at the top of each card. The game will be at each person's place setting.

Happy Crafting!

Quick Tips

TIP ONE - THE TULIP TIP -

I love this first tip. It works every time and is so simple.

This is how my tulips usually look when I get them home from the store/farmers market.

Drop a penny in the bottom of the vase.

6 hours later the flowers are starting to perk up.

12 hours later (and for the duration of their life) they stand up perky and tall!

TIP TWO - THE DAWN TRICK

I always put stain remover on any spots or stains on my kids clothes right when they get out of the clothes. I am actually a little obsessed with getting stains out. I use Spray N Wash or Dreft Stain remover on everything. There have been few times lately (mainly with a red sauce stain) where my go to stain removers don't quite get the job done. I tried a little bit of Dawn Dishsoap and Voila! The super tough stains have come right out! Easy, inexpensive and effective!

Spring is here!

In the Northwest we wait for Spring to arrive for a LONG time. I can officially say it is here and I am thrilled!

All of my bright, colorful spring decor is out.

I love the cheery pops of yellow around the hosue.

The flowers are blooming.

The grass is as green as ever.

And the skies are blue. It is perfect. But you know what the best part about the arrival of spring??? Summer is just around the corner!

Happy Spring!