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Thursday, April 30, 2015

SNEAK PEEK :: Craft Birthday Party Theme

get your craft on, girls birthday party idea, chevron, hand illustrated


It's that time of year . . . that time of year when my daughter's birthday party is right around the corner and I'm sharing the theme! This year has been a little different for a couple reasons: we have had a lot going on in our family and sometimes these birthdays sneak up faster then expected, so I've been scrambling, as usual, to pull off another great party for her. I'm praying it all comes together by this weekend. ;)

This is also the year she turned TWELVE which means the last year of being an official "kid" since next year starts the phase that ends in the word . . ."teen". Since she is my only kid it always makes everything with her the first and the last which also has lots of emotions mixed in as well. Don't get me wrong I loooooooove the person she is and who she is becoming and could not be more proud of her but she is also clinging to that 'kid' in her too so I love seeing that and watching how she transitions. I just wish she could stay this age a little while longer. ;) And kids just rock! They do. They are the most honest people in the world and boy do they know how to have a good time and loads of FUN! Why grow up ya know? lol

Anyways this year's theme took a little longer as well because of the age and it being in that weird 'in between' phase of not wanting to look to 'kiddish' but definitely not wanting to push the teen card just yet. She (as usual) came up with the theme which is perfect for her and her friends and I am so looking forward to this party as it is going to be so much fun and something they we'll all walk away remembering . . . a "CRAFT Birthday Party".






birthday party theme, kids crafting, blue tissue garland, hand lettering


The girl chose her favorite color pairing right now, for this party theme: royal and teal. (even though I tried telling her this is NOT teal but rather more of a mint or a aquamarine but you pick your battles.) lol So that's what we went with plus she wanted some chevron  . . . I have noooooo idea where she gets these ideas! ;)
She also wanted me to 'ink' something for her party and what better time to have a hand lettered piece as part of the decor than a craft party! So of course I obliged and added it to her invite! Perfect right?

 


get your craft on, hand lettering, chevron owl, illustration, birthday party


And then there's the story of this adorable little owl and how it came to be. As I mentioned, we have had a lot of family things going on that we have had to tend to, so time was not on our side as her birthday date started approaching. I was in my office one day and mentioned that I just HAD to get the invites done that particular day to allow for enough time for her friends to RSVP . . . (we are talking it was less than 2 weeks to go- ugghh) so I am working on some ideas and the next thing I know, she walks in with this picture . . . of this owl she had drawn and asked if this is something I could use as she drew it to help me and to save me time. 

My.Heart.Melted. Yup - right there in my office. I so puffy heart that girl so much I can't stand it. To which, of course, I replied, "of course we are going to use this as YOU designed it and I love it!"

I simply cleaned it up a little and changed the colors she used to match but she is so stinkin proud to be able to say that she helped DESIGN her birthday invites! 

Girl is after my job, I just know it! ;) lol



chevron owl, kids illustation, kids artwork, birthday invite art, hand drawn
chevron owl, birthday invite, craft party invite, get your craft on, birthday theme


I am happy to report that EVERYONE is coming that we invited and she is so psyched. I have so much left to do as the craft supplies alone are a challenge to get round up plus making decor and the food . . . but I think we are almost there. ;) I hope.








I am always posting sneak peeks on Instagram if you want to follow along & see the mad rush to get all the crafts I am making done plus all the craziness . . .I mean FUN, of the next few days! ;) 

get your craft on, chevron owl, birthday party theme, craft party invite





So what do you think of the theme? I would love to hear from you, leave a comment below please! Have you ever thrown a crafting party for your kids or even yourself with your friends? Ever been to one? What did you like best?



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Monday, April 27, 2015

CRAFT :: School Memories Book



DIY teacher gift, school memories, scrapbook, teacher appreciation


School Memories Book
by Wendy


Hello everyone, it’s Wendy here from Scrappy Bags!  Happy Spring and believe it or not, the end of school is almost upon us.

My daughter has had a wonderful teacher this year for fourth grade and I was privileged to be one of her room moms for the year, so I wanted to do something extra special for her teacher.

teacher appreciation gift, school, teachers, box of crayons, memories
scrapbook, box of crayons, teacher gift idea, teacher appreciation gift idea


I came up with putting together a scrapbook featuring each child on a page.  One beautiful spring day, I got my clearance from school principal and went in to recess to get a picture of each child.   I was lucky — they all cooperated and gave me great big smiles.   Got it done in one visit!

scrapbook pages, school photos, student pictures, gift ideas for teachers
scarpbook paper, math equation, clock, smarty public, pencil art


I printed all of the pics out in a 2 x 3 size. I already knew that I was going to use a SN@P binder from Simple Stories for this project.  The binder is a simple 6x8 three ring binder.  Very easy to work with!  I also picked up the Smarty Pants line of scrapbook paper by Simple Stories.  I love their paper and this was perfect for school memories!

scrapbooking ideas, binder, school memories, teacher gift ideas


For each child, I have the picture and I also added a small piece of paper for journaling.  Each child will jot down their favorite memory from this year.  This is all in the works at the moment.  Hope you enjoy some pics of what I’ve completed so far.  Enjoy!


you rule, teacher gift ideas, scrapbook layout idea, pencil, student photos


















Until next time. Wendy

teacher appreciation gift ideas, memory book, school, photos album














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Guest Contributor: Wendy Diem





Wendy is a stay at home mom living in Hershey, Pennsylvania, also know as the sweetest place on earth!  



She loves creating memory books and cards and would spend my whole day scrapbooking, but I do need to make time to take care of my family.  You know, those fun things like laundry, cleaning the house, etc.  
 


In March, 2012, she had the privilege of going to NYC as part of Martha Stewart’s Dreamers into Doers to attend some workshops and the live taping of her show.  She enjoyed meeting lots of wonderful entrepreneurial women. 



You can follow Wendy

 

Friday, April 17, 2015

JOIN ME :: SoFabU On the Road in Cincinnati




I am writing this post in exchange for a discounted conference ticket but all opinions are mine alone.  
#SoFabUOTR #cbias
  
 
I am so very excited to be attending this exciting event next Saturday April 25 and meet up with some local bloggers from around the tri-state!!! Are you going? Tickets are going fast! 
 
What is this SoFab that you speak of, you say? Well, short version is, let me just tell you . . . it's a whole lot of amazingness and the chance to connect with some local bloggers at a one day conference. Any time I want to connect with bloggers that I have met online, I typically have to buy an airline ticket and book a hotel room to do so but NOT this time! I am so pumped that this one is local and it is only coming to select cities across the U.S. and this one just happens to be happening just a short drive from me . . . in the good 'ol Queen City that is  . . . CINCINNATI!!!! YAY! 
 
Please tell me I have some local bloggers who follow this blog that may be perhaps going or maybe you didn't even know this was happening and now you may want to go! Trust me, from what I have heard from my blogger friends online who have attended already in the other cities, they said it is a MUST to attend! They received a boatload of info to use and are so thankful they went! Plus the best thing, is it's only ONE DAY! Make sure to let me know so I can meet up with you! 
 

Ok so seriously now, what is SoFabU on the road

It is a unique event that allows influencers (bloggers who are working with national brands) to take advantage of educational opportunities that will help set them a part from the rest. I have been a part of this network for a few months and I have gotten to work with some amazing brands and share my ideas with you in these posts from: Target for the release of Big Hero 6, Sam's Club and Skittles, and also SnackPack pudding, just to name a few. I LOVE working with Social Fabric and Collective Bias as I feel like they are giving me the push to continue to always give my best here on this blog. Plus the brands that they have set me up with have been nothing short of AMAZING! ;)

SoFabU on the Road also features hands-on, interactive sessions for influencers to implement what they're learning on the spot. The sessions are paired with fun city-specific adventures where attendees get to practice their newly learned skills. You don't have to be a part of their organization already to attend,  the events are open to all bloggers and influencers!

 
 
Here are all the details on this event: 
 
DateApril 25th at Ahalogy in Cincinnati - you can get the address and more info about the event on the Cincinnati page.
 
One of the speakers that we are going to get the pleasure of hearing from, is Joe Robb, who's background is in marketing strategy, pedagogy, digital media, SEO, editing and writing. He is the Digital Marketing Director at SparkPeople.com, a multi-platform media and technology company with leading health, fitness and food websites and mobile apps.

His Session is:  Smart Syndication: Grow Your Blog Traffic with Less Effort
Attendees will walk away with a solid understanding of how to pair analytics data (Google, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook) with common, free publishing tools to grow their audience with data-driven processes. With the tactics provided, you will increase your site traffic without dramatically increasing the amount of time you currently dedicate to social media.

During the day we will also be hearing from brand panels, networking with our fellow peers, exploring other learning opportunities and peer reviews. We'll also have a session with Nate Engels as he will be sharing the ingredients for a great sponsored post (and creating tasteworthy photos!) This will be an adventure that I am sure will be, not only a blast, but very engaging and beneficial as well.

Nate Engels will walk through creating a custom recipe around a brand's product and how he tells a story around the recipe that will draw the reader into the emotional tie to the brand and blog post. From styling the plate, to the props, lighting and background, we'll learn how to create a visual gourmet image. He'll show how he takes beautiful photos (even without natural light) and manipulates the images to spotlight the food. We'll form groups where we will use props and creativity to produce photos on the spot. Then Nate will share how to make so-so photos into WOW! Shareable images through simple techniques and tools like Picmonkey.

Please make sure to check out the agenda on the SoFabOTR website for more on the day's activites and learning experiences planned.  
 
As with any conference, sponsors make a huge difference to an event, as far as support goes. So I would like to THANK these national sponsors:  Johnny RocketsMüllerKraft and iBlog, who so kindly will be the official sponsors for the CINCINNATI event!
 
 
 
 
Ok so what if you are reading this and you are NOT near Cincinnati but you want to check it out? You are in luck! Here is the list of the locations they are coming to:
April – Cincinnati
April – Seattle
May – Dallas
June – NYC
July – Chicago
Aug. – Minneapolis
Sept. – Atlanta
Oct. – Bentonville

Oh and did I mention that they limit the tickets to the first 50 people? Yup, they do plus they are expecting to SELL OUT! Keeping it cozy is the way to go to achieve that good quality time right? ;) Make sure to grab your ticket now! AND make sure to let me know if I will be seeing you there! Just leave me a comment below . . .







About Collective Bias and Social Fabric
Collective Bias® is the only shopper social media company that solves shopper marketing problems by weaving together organic social content with engaging, real-life stories to generate millions of impressions, increased share of voice, SEO and retail sales for brands and retailers. Top brands such as Tyson, Nestlé and Duane Reade rely on Collective Bias to sell their stories socially. Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, with satellite offices in New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Cincinnati and London, Collective Bias was named one of America's 25 Most Promising Companies by Forbes and a part of the Inc. 5000.

Social Fabric® is Collective Bias’ proprietary community of nearly 3,000 shopping-focused influencers with an aggregate multichannel reach in excess of 130 million.

 

   
Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 
 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!


Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop
 
Looking forward to seeing you again! :)

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

WEDDING :: Aquamarine & Cobalt Inspiration Board


Hello everyone & welcome to "Wedding Wednesday"!

flower vases, wedding cake, macarons, rose petals, paper lanterns, bridesmaid dress, earrings



 ::  flower vases  ::  dress  ::  paper lanterns  :: earrings  ::  macarons  ::  cake   ::  rose petals  ::




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   How gorgeous and unexpected is this color palette? I am in love with this colorway and am really loving the softness of the aquamarine paired with the bold color of the cobalt. I have been meaning to pair up something similar to this for awhile and then my daughter requested these colors for her birthday party! Yup, aquamarine and cobalt. The girl has got taste, is ahead of her time and will have my job soon! ;)


 
  I am loving this monochromatic look of these dainty and sweet flower vases with the same color flowers in them. Pairing a bunch of these down the center of long tables makes quite a statement. This dress I found is exquisite. I mean the details on this are amazing as well as the color plus it looks like it would actually be comfortable. Tie in both colors of your wedding palette with something as simple as the earrings. This pair would look stunning with either an aquamarine dress, like pictured here, or even a cobalt blue one, not to mention the girls would love to receive these as a gift! Wedding decor for your special day can be as easy or as detailed as you make it. Keep it simple by adding a few paper lanterns to your space or throwing down some rose petals on the aisle before walking down. Your wedding cake and the desserts you serve can be made to include your colors as well. This stunning cake is sure to have your guests talking, especially since the details and colors are amazing. Always serve up a favorite dessert of yours to the guests, like these macarons, or some other treat that you enjoy.

 
Have you ever attended a wedding or party that used this color palette?  What was your favorite element of the event?  I would LOVE to hear the details . . .spill below ;) 


Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 


Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos! 



Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop

Looking forward to seeing you again! :)