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another fun read

Whenever I get a chance, I wander over to Paper-Source for some good inspiration. Now, I can just follow their new blog!

I love what they did for Father’s Day. Such a cute idea that can be used with the name for a child or perhaps as a newlywed present by using their new last name.

And I’m really excited about these lanterns! I’m hoping to attend the Girls Night Out event near me! But just in case, they posted instructions online.

Can’t wait to read more!

[images courtesy of Paper-Source]

how to throw a lavish party!

I set my DVR a few weeks ago to tape this new show on TLC, Wedded to Perfection. After I watched the show I immediately googled Jung Lee at Fete and found their website. I was blown away at the events Fete creates. She is as meticulous as ever [uses a measuring tape at every meeting!] Perfection and uniformity is key! I wonder if she’s hiring? :)

Here are a few shots from their website:

I love this last picture at the New York Public Library. The candlelight entrance is breathtaking!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the show is airing again in the near future… But Jung Lee also wrote a book. I’ve been flipping through her book and am constantly inspired by it! Pick up a copy at Amazon [or your local library like I did!]

[images courtesy of Fete NY]

lifesaver

One of my lifesavers lately has been the gal pal. I picked it up earlier last year and I must say, it works magic. Usually, it’s deodorant, but once it was actually flaming hot cheetos! I picked mine up at Bed, Bath and Beyond [used a 20% off coupon to make it a little cheaper]. So if you’re making an emergency kit for your special day or even for any normal day, add this to your list… you’ll be glad you purchased it in advance!

One of these days, I'll have to come up with a list for your emergency kit... After each event, I find more things to add. Pretty soon, I'll have to bring 3 of my normal toolkits with me!

[image via gal-pal.com]

i <3 peonies

Okay, I actually love most flowers but I would have to say that I love peonies! Remember my friend’s parents who have an abundance of them in their backyard? Well, I stopped by on Monday to drop her off and she gave me a bunch. It was a bit of an ordeal because on my way home I found 2 HUGE ants crawling one them and then another one on arm... I rolled down the window and shook it off but ugh... they were big! I usually place fresh flowers on the dining room table but they sat with me in my room all day yesterday as I worked and the room smelled lovely! I’m waiting for the others to open up but I don’t mind them taking a while… it just lets me enjoy them much longer!

And now that I know that they grow every year, I might just have to stop by annually to pick them up, if they'll let me! 

tricky...

Guess what these are?

You’d think they are the latest craft idea or something fun for little kids…

But they are actually place cards! If you take a closer look you’ll see ribbon on each place card but when you fold the card together the ribbon may become loose. Plus they are much easier to transport. So late last night on Monday, I devised this plan to keep them in order and keep the structure of the place card in tact. I placed a clothespin on every 2 cards to keep them connected. Then placed post-its on top so that they and removed the clothespin. The hot pink one states what letter they are and which one is the first one of the bunch. I think I might do this for all intricate place cards.

 

Glad they are finished… can’t wait to see them on a place card table!

packaging

One of my favorite sites to read is by Dieline. They find the most creative and well-designed packages on every day items: most seem to center around food too! I love a well-packaged box or label.

For example: here’s a sample of Crayola through the years.

I distinctly remember everything after the first row. Did I just date myself? probably! I still remember begging my mom for the 64 pack with the built-in sharpener. For some reason, it seemed so expensive at the time [it probably was] and I’d have to resort for the 24 pack OR reuse the crayons from last year. I didn’t know that they had a 96 pack!

How fun would this be to give to kids at a party just to keep them occupied? Origami in a bag!

They also showcase a lot of work that students created for projects like this one:

[all images courtesy of the dieline]

bzzz...

Hope you had a wonderful weekend… I’m still recuperating. Saturday’s wedding turned out beautifully [of course a few issues along the way, but hey, what event ever runs perfectly?]. The bride and groom were blissfully happy and you could feel it in the room as they shared their first dance! I can’t wait to post some pictures in a few weeks.

Onto this week… I’m already feeling tired looking at my hectic schedule with some appointments, deadlines and another wedding on Saturday [this time, I’m helping with the flowers]. But hey, being busy is a good thing, right? Here’s a sneak peek at some programs + menus + place cards that I’m working on.

 

I just realized that I forgot to pick up a bunch of peonies from my dear friend’s parents’ home! Man… they were so beautiful too! Maybe I’ll have to sneak by one of these days! haha…

…

Blogging has been a little light this week due to a big wedding this weekend plus some design deadlines. Being busy is a good thing, right? :)

I’m slowly enjoying hydrangeas [and of course I always love peonies!] My Orla Kiely pitcher came quite handy with the many flowers I've had as of late.

i *heart* mod podge!

At the Craft Fair, I discovered Mod Podge… goodness, where on earth have I been? This bottle is a must-have if you are a crafter of any kind. It adheres items together and also creates a seal when needed. Wonderful! The only problem I’ve seen so far is pouring out the right amount into a little jar, cup or bowl and to use it all up. I wish it had a spout or something to ooze it out, know what I mean? :)

Then I found this site… It’s a blog dedicated to Mod Podge! It certainly does rock! haha.. ooh the possibilities are endless. How cute and clever is this? Stop by Chic and Jo for instructions.

Wish I didn’t recycle my phone book…

more cupcakes

I can’t seem to get enough of cupcakes these days! Maybe it’s because Martha has been talking about it on her show every day in anticipation of her cupcake book, coming out next Tuesday, June 2. Some of the recipes seem hard though… like the tiramisu one? I love tiramisu so maybe one of these days I’ll make an attempt at it.

[image courtesy of amazon]

But in the meantime, I made some cupcakes for my sister’s school and added some festive toppers for the kids that graduated. At first she wanted 70 cupcakes… um, I’m no baker nor did I have the cake mix for that many. haha. These were nice and easy in these silver liners because you didn’t even need a cupcake tray. Congratulations graduates!