In the dead of winter it can be hard to find bright inspiration. Celine’s blog is not entirely devoted to celebrations, although she is a kick-ass wedding photographer. It is her everyday life photography that I find inspiring, scrolling her site left me with twenty awesome new party ideas:) Happy Monday!
What are you up to this weekend? I will be busy photographing and selling a basement full of items not useful to the family any longer. Every time I say goodbye to stuff I’ve purchased, especially baby things, it’s equal parts joy (no more clutter!) and sadness to let go. On the plus side, we are having our deep, comfy sofa recovered next week in an avocado green cord and doing lots of small updates to brighten our home for winter. Sometime soon I will give you a proper house tour. In the meantime have a happy winter weekend and I hope you are looking forward to the next issue of Styled. magazine coming out in a couple days (hooray!).
PS. How to throw yourself a pity party (love the “stay off social media” suggestion).
Sneak peak photo from next week’s magazine by a pair of pears one of my fave photo couples.
Ed update: Congrats to our winner of the $50 gift card, Haylee.
Twilltape.com giving away $50 gift card to their store this week. You can use it to purchase great quality tapes for wrapping or decorating. You can even have certain rolls customized for a specific event. Their color selection and quality cannot be beat (I especially love the rosy pink!). To enter, check out twilltape.com and comment below what you would use your winnings to purchase. Contest will be open until Monday night.
I found the brightest fortune cookies last month at my local World Market and grabbed a bag of them immediately knowing they would be useful for a party. Using tweezers I took out the sayings that came inside of each cookie and replaced them with my own hand written, “thanks!” creating this super easy, bright and festive idea for wedding and party favors. See the complete tutorial and a link to buy bright fortune cookies online over at Project Wedding.
Thanks to an old Real Simple Magazine issue, I’ve discovered the easiest way to frost a cake… with a comb! I tried it out and it works. Genius idea for last minute parties and homemade goodies.
Tahir Mahmood, a talented Toronto based designer just launched a new line of products debuting at the Interior Design Show later this week. I am in love! The pieces are not only gorgeous but also functional and would make my next dinner party much more special.
The pretty candle holders double as dinner bells and the spinning tops are sold in packs of six, perfect with simple name cards attached as whimsical dinner place markers. Not often do I see such well designed pieces perfect for a party. You must check out the entire gorgeous wood/paint line over at PIMLICO design gallery.
I left the family last week and ran off to Utah for the Altitude Design Summit. For the second year in a row, it did not disappoint! The entire conference was filled with great connecting, reminders of why I love what I do and encouragement to make this space even better for us. I had one of my favorite dinners cooked by Stephanie, sat in on great panels and sponsored by Blurb Books, hosted a party on Friday night.
The party was themed, “what’s your story” to parallel the sponsor’s brand. I hosted a truffle and wine tasting and created a very vintage library feel for the evening. Books, heavy wood bars and hundreds of bulbed lights centered the room. Each of the truffles and wines had their own story to tell and the attendees were given note cards to write in their own stories for sharing.
Although a dimly lite vintage party is not normally my style, it was fun to design a space that allowed for connection and conversation. Above the bar was a light display created with large vintage replica bulbs, wire and thick roping. Neon pops showed up throughout the room in painted vases, cute tape and crafted accents.
The story wall was a favorite feature from the evening. I had a graphic brick wall created and heavy lights strung down throughout it. Each guest had a chance to share their own story with the room. It was fun, after such an inspiring conference, to hear quick bits about the dreams and personal brands of my fellow bloggers.
Photos of the night by Cassidy Tuttle and B.A.D. photography.
PS. If you were at the party, you can grab a photo of your story here.
This is brilliant… pretty dress, clear bag, big bow! A perfect Valentine for your guy.
Photo via Style bubble
I am happy to be away from the computer for a couple days hosting a Friday night wine and truffle tasting at the Altitude Design Summit. It seems about right, while everyone else is shopping and packing outfits that I am trying to figure out how to get bright noen party supplies through baggage check:) I will be sharing about the party prep and conference on twitter if you’d like to follow along.
Thanks so much for all your love and support with our newest issue of Styled. Magazine this week. I am always amazed by the encouragement I receive and cannot wait to show you what is coming in our next issue (so soon!).
Photo via Diet Coke and a smoke.
blessings.
