Saturday, May 28, 2011

Conversation Starters

Get People Talking......

At events where there are lots of people from different parts of your life,
like a wedding, it can be a challenge to get people talking. If you want to ensure that
everyone will mingle and have a good time, try to come up with a fun
conversation starter. Below is one example I came up with for a 40th
wedding anniversary.


This couple got married in the summer of love, 1969. Their son and daughter
wanted to make sure that the 150 plus guests had a good time, and that
they all had something to do and talk about, so I came up with these!
Enclosed in simple acrylic frames were 20 or so double sided cards
that were set between the daisy arrangements down the long family style tables.
They were a snap to design and they sure did the trick.
They included facts about the year they were married, for example:

In the summer of 1969, farmers in Bethel, NY were expecting 20,000 revelers to use their field for a "small" music festival. Around 200,000 showed up to the party that was "Woodstock".

Facts could include the cost of everyday items, sports stats, music, anything
you can think of. And, thanks to Google, you can find them online.
For a wedding, it could be facts about the bride and groom, or tips they received from friends and family for a successful marriage.

Below is another wedding idea to get the conversation rolling:
In lieu of table numbers, the bride named the tables after cities that were significant to the couple. And, in glass frames wrote a small blurb about why it was special to them. Where they met, their first holiday as a couple, where the spend their summers etc..





More fun ideas to come!!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Gift Baskets

The gift "baskets" below are just a few samples of my one-of-a-kind
custom gifts. There are no prices listed, because the cost per basket is
based on your individual budget. As for theme, some of these were suggestions
from the client (ie: they like yoga..), and the rest were whatever struck my fancy.
Once I have had the opportunity to work with a client a few times, I tend to get
fewer and fewer instructions. I think they like to be surprised too!

(Some baskets have been photographed without cellophane for a better view,
but all come wrapped with a ribbon and personalized tag.)



"Indulge"




"Sushi Night"




"BBQ"




"Seafood"




"L'Orange"




"Italian Night"




"Margarita"



"Fiesta"



"Morning Espresso"




"Eats n' Treats"




"Grilled to Perfection"




"Green Patio"




"Partini"




"Wine and Cheese"





"Yoga"




"1001 Cocktails"




"Fru-Tea"




"Summer Patio"




"Dippity Do"



"Outdoor Family Games"



"Sangria"




"Mini Bar"




"Stripes"



"Margarita"



"Family Fun Night"



"Asian Tea"



"Espresso Yourself"




"Copper Garden"

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Diaper Cake


This was my first attempt at making a diaper cake. Not bad for a first go! The cake isn't lop-sided, it's my mad photography skills!! I rolled up diaper shirts into "roses" and cut paper leaves to decorate the top.



Now THIS is a diaper cake! My second attempt, and I am pleased to report that bare tushies everywhere are lining up to order one!









I labeled the tiers to indicate the diaper sizes.




Some flowers and sweet little booties as the cake topper, and voila! an impressive and practical shower gift is born!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Bollywood Wedding

This was such a fun wedding! The bride had a very clear idea of what she wanted for her "Bollywood" style wedding and she was amazingly creative and an absolute joy to work with!




















This was the guest book at the front entrance. It was adorned
with photos from their engagement session.
















These were the handmade place cards.
All of the tables were draped with beautiful sari fabric.












There were 3 table styles, and it worked perfectly. Everything was bedazzled and beautiful from the draped staircase to the hand sewn chair sashes.







The bride handmade all of her invitations, and wedding
programs, seen below. They were exquisite.


















The flowers I designed for the wedding. It was so fun to work with all the colorful flowers!















A glass bowl filled with Indian bangles was placed on the bar
ensured that everyone would have a little jingle!
































This was the cake....if you can call it that.
More like fondant covered sculpture!
One word...amazing!



The bride wanted to add something special to entertain guests as well as add something special for her groom. I found these Bollywood dancers and they were awesome! It really added something special to the event!

























These candles were at the "altar" and they glowed all night. The whole room glowed. It was so beautiful. Keeping them lit all night was a treat, but so worth it!















Special stemware for the happy couple!




















The late night treats table complete with ice sculpture!