Thankful Thursdays: Little Angels...

Its easy to become a little perplexed, we'll say, when trying to figure out what to do with the little ones for 'grown-up' parties, and with the Holidays quickly approaching us we thought we'd share a little insight.
Calder Clark of Blue Moon Events in Charleston, SC knows how to say it best on his blog where he featured his kid-friendly tabletop tips!





His mindful tips are sure to make your event enjoyable for EVERYone involved...after all, that's the point, right?




Happy Plannning!..oh and for more GREAT DIY event tips, let your fingers do the walking.....go right to the low country source, Charleston Weddings Magazine.
Credits: Charleston Wedding Magazine!

A little goes a loooooooong way!

So, maybe you DON'T want to visit www.youtube.com to learn how to fold a ga-zillion origami paper cranes...stay with us....we're trying to make a point here...still unique, you HAVE to admit! So we often get calls like:

"ok, so I have an event 2 weeks away....and although you can't be here in person, can you offer any tips on how to add a little umph to my party?"

or statements like:

"I don't want to spend a ton of money, only to be left with a heap of stuff that I can't use again...do I have any options?"

or even,

"I know I should've called you months ago, but....I am in dire need of saving my son's birthday sleepover that is NEXT, yes, NEXT weekend!?"

Of course, we get it. Life happens and inevitably, you're caught off guard by shinanigans and find yourself overwhelmed with wanting things to go off without a hitch...but several hitches have snagged your plan all along the way....well, that's for those of you who HAD a plan. :)
To assist you, we thought we'd offer some of our favorite DIY, or at-the-drop-of-a-hat ideas that may help you, theme or not, birthday or friendly social ta-da so that you can host like the best of 'em! Feel free to offer your trusty tidbits! We can all learn from one another.
First our checklist of PARTE' ESSENTIALS that are always a saving grace:

• For evening events: coordinating candles...Wal-Mart has votives for a steal! You can hardly ever have too many.
• For day parties: a pop of color either in utensils, pillows, or ceiling adornments.
• For our little angels: some type of play center equipped with handy treats
(be it WII remotes or assorted Crayolas and FREE printable coloring book pages from the web...placed in colorful cups and bowls, remember a lot of a little thing, goes a loooooong way!

• For all of the above, be creative! Random dishes and containers can be used to make nice presentations, water goblets filled with greens from your oh-so-fresh fridge pocket and a single rose OR

bunches of pillar candles that are embellished with in-season items like candy corn, cranberries, or sparkling jewels:

OR unique place settings either in placemats, labeled mugs (perfect for eggnog or spiced cider)...

you can't ever go wrong with in-season fruit aka Mother Nature, and a little bit of dye...

On the day of your elaborate fete, the following tidbits might be handy to keep in mind:
1. Mindful Menu:
There's nothing wrong with mixing and matching homemade with store bought. Shh! The right presentation will mean that no one will know! For example koolaid lemonade mix and just a few sliced lemons, say it with me, will go a loooooooong way! Your guests will think you slaved on beverages alone. That's ok, that's a ok, we like for them to think that!
A theme-inspired simply printed menu for your spread can only be a plus as well:
2. Coordinating color scheme:
It really doesn't take a lot to deliver your vision. Just be consistent...and you'll find that your life is much easier if you work with a color scheme that already exists in your venue! Why reinvent the wheel?
50th birthday bash? gold accents and tons of old pics...a $2.87 can of gold spray paint CAN be your best friend!
70's groove? :old records borrowed or purchased from Goodwill either piled on a table or hung from a chandelier could work
Western BBQ? burlap fabric, bandanas and bails of hay will create just the right setting...and of course, finger-lickin' good BBQ :)

3. Magnificent Melodies:
Think of something that will create the ideal ambiance.
Technology has advanced our searches, so we no longer have to ride around town looking for "the right" mix CD....and we don't have to listen to the radio until the oldie-but-goodie is played so that we can record on our tape cassette....only to have our recording interrupted by call-in shout-outs. Aah, memories....

You don't always have to have a DJ! Between iPods and sites like www.pandora.com and www.slackerradio.com you can hit the jackpot by creating your own playlists. Pandora and Slacker Radio will even find songs based on songs you've already selected. If you don't want to hear live ads during your event, at least those sites will help you expand your knowledge of songs that are similar to ones you've already selected, and for the cost of a small fry at Mickey D's, you can download in seconds from Amazon to your heart's content!

4. Lastly, an eye-catching backdrop:
We love a few Amy Atlas designs...for two reasons:

• 1. She's a licensed atty who quit her day job
• 2. She discovered her creative side later in life

Here are a few examples of her work...just enough to make you meander over to her own site.
She takes little things, magnifies them, and wows you. Easily duplicatable with a little practice and patience. Go ahead, you can do it. :)

Credits:
Aww-inspiring Crane Backdrop: www.hostessblog.com
Leafy Bouquets: www.bhg.com
Mass Pillar Centerpiece: www.realsimple.com
Chalkboard Placemats: www.realsimple.com
Simple Fruit Centerpieces: www.realsimple.com
Dye Gerber Daisy Centerpieces: www.colincowie.com
Twilight Dinner Menu: Yet again, www.hostessblog.com

Thankful Thursdays: The Legacy

This week's Thankful Thursdays post isn't gonna be about marriages, weddings, or the details that make them beautiful...we may revisit those tidbits next week. Instead, it will be about life and what a blessing it is to have. Over the weekend, we lost the matriarch of my family on my mother's side, my dear Grandma Sallie....but our loss is Heaven's gain! As I worked on a few bibs tonight I started to think of all of the wonderful things that were said about my grandmother this week...how she was a

• crafty seemstress
• dedicated wife and homemaker
• skilled gardener
• handy chef
• virtuous woman
• devout Christian
• encourager/inspirer

While married, she had 7 children, including five daughters. It just occurred to me after 30+ years of life, that her living descendants include 5 granddaughters. Go figure? :) I started thinking about the legacy she has left for us to run with. It's amazing how things have come together. We're all now between 25 and 35 and doing our own thing.

April - bachelor's {check!}, master's {check!}, she's going to show us all how to get a PhD and still be glamourous at the same time. :)

Crys - teaching, encouraging our 21st century youth in this corrupt world

Colette - preaching the gospel, sharing The Good Word with everyone who might hear of His grace and mercies

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"" Isaiah 57:2

T. Sherri- full time wife, mom, and worker outside of the home...what a balancing act!

and lastly myself - by day, engineer...by night, entrepreneur who likes to sew and sow seeds of encouragement in every experience with each client we touch.

Call me extra, call me extra deep, but I'd like to think that Mrs. Sallie Cox left us a bit of a legacy...I mean what virtuous woman such as herself wouldn't?! I'd also like the think of the word legacy being best captured through the following definition: I took the liberty of looking up her name meaning...only because I'm a firm believer in your name ...(or atleast what you call yourself in utterance) having some weight in your destiny.
Sallie - "princess" and once she married, Cox has an interesting meaning itself!
Funny, things we never knew about our name...and being of African-American heritage, I'm certain that our last name was 'given'...but only given by a man who's life embodied its own meaning:


Cox Family Crest: "The Origins of the Anglo-Saxon name Cox come from its first bearer, who was a person who bore a fancied resemblance to a rooster. It was applied both to early risers and those who strutted proudly."

..and anyone who knew my grandmother...AND her daughters, knows that they have always been early risers, proud of themselves, and who they could become! Really...interesting how that happens!

Ultimately, I believe we all have a legacy...but most importantly, today, I've been so thankful for the legacy she has left for us! So if I believe that a legacy is truly the Lord's way of Equipping us wiht Grace to Accomplish the Call Yet fullfilled in our lives, the next question is

Has His grace been wasted?
What calling's have I fulfilled?
I pose that to our blog readers as well, what legacy are you living and leaving for those who will come after you?


April, Colette, Crys, and T. Sherri, thanks for all of the great memories! Thanks for being who you are everyday, because in someway, I believe that Grandma Sallie lives in each of us and is nudging us along to do whatever it is He would have us to do.
Let's run with it! :)

We Likey!

Wedding trends sure do come and go, but with some of these latest greats, we just can't help ourselves! It's nice ever-so-often to see fresh ideas and returns to yesteryear. From the not-so-formal gowns and mismatched bridesmaid gowns to dessert bars and homemade pies, this eye candy is sure to please. Side note, even WE did the mismatched BM look years ago...and in BLACK (gasp!). Enjoy these great photos and the peak at a little something that's new, yet old - all at the same time! We heart everything....Simply refreshing, to say the least.

Utterly beautiful Decor:

Romance at its finest: Style Me Pretty Nashville, Tennesseee Outdoor Wedding barn? lace? birdcages?

Not-so-formal gowns:

Simply Sweet Love New Orleans Lemon/searsucker Carl Zoch Photography NYC show-stopping event

Incredulous Victual Displays:

Log Display: Style Me Pretty fantabulous fru-fru Devils Thumb Ranch Credits: All images courtesy of Style Me Pretty

It's coming.....just because!

We LOVE opportunities to celebrate that agape love between couples. ;) So much so that we're almost ready to roll out something new! One of the best things about love is the memory of fantastic experiences....Experiences that kind of take you by awe...ya know? The ones that catch you off guard just a little and remind you of how cherished you are by the one YOU love. So, we like to encourage those feelings....aaaaand by now, you know that we like thoughtful little details, so why not offer an opportunity for you to experience the same?

Really, really, soon, we hope to unveil another unique opportunity for you to do something special for your sweetie, honeybun, hunkaman...yadda yadda. Yep! Just because!

For now, this is all you're getting, while we finalize just a few details, but if you're interested in lovin' the one you're with and creating a mini-awe memory for them, do stay tuned....