Category Archives: Uncategorized

Backyard California Wedding

Close up of the ceremony arch. A wild assortment of flowers including protea, eucalyptus, and clover.

Close up of the ceremony arch. A wild assortment of flowers including protea, eucalyptus, and clover.

Last summer, I tried my hand at professional party planning for a few friends who were getting hitched and the end result was just lovely.  They wanted something very small and casual, with an emphasis on great food and lots of booze.  Since it was only about 50 people, they asked me if I could handle it all, from planning to catering to flowers…so basically, it was my dream come true!  While we did do our own wedding, it’s definitely more fun to be the person on the outside making everything perfect for someone else.  More photos of the food and flowers after the jump. Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Keep it Simple: Toddler Birthday Parties

G's first birthday!

G’s first birthday!

It’s officially been over a year since I last wrote so I thought the best new post would be George’s first AND second birthday parties, both simple (ish) and super unfussy.   But first, let me quickly explain where I’ve been!

We always suspected something might be a little off with G, so we have spent the last year in and out of many doctor’s offices, hospitals and early intervention therapies.  In the end, we discovered that he has a super rare chromosome disorder, so our future has a lot more therapists, doctors and appointments in it than the average family, but overall he’s doing great.

I plan on blogging elsewhere about everything I’m learning in that world, but for now, I’m back to sharing all of my projects, parties and delicious food with you!   More about these two parties after the jump.  Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Raccoon Pillow Giveaway!

DSCN0804The fantastic online magazine, ParentMap, is giving away this adorable raccoon pillow from my new kid’s decor shop, Lord and Little!   Giveaway ends on Friday, May 9th.  If you’re not already a subscriber, sign up for enews for a chance to win it! Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Pinterest Tuesday

The Copy: Clustered tissue fans and streamers create a lovely backdrop for this tea party shower.

The Copy: Clustered tissue fans and streamers create a lovely backdrop for this tea party shower.

I don’t know about you, but I love Pinterest.   LOVE IT.   But for a while there, I think I was just creating an internet-only beautiful life that I wasn’t fully living.   Virtual life no longer!  I’m cooking the recipes, crafting the crafts and using the inspiration boards for my own decor.  Here’s what I tried out for my latest party! Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Holiday Party for a Crowd

The Christmas table, ready to be devoured.

The Christmas table, ready to be devoured.

This holiday party post is very, very late, but hopefully still helpful if you ever find yourself trying to entertain for a large crowd.  We throw two large annual parties, but our holiday housewarming this year took the prize for most guests next to our wedding!  Since returning to Los Angeles, we have found that our old friends have paired up and multiplied, making our two biggies (Easter and Christmas) even merrier!  It’s wonderful, but feeding 60 people can be daunting…so here are some tips on how to do that without breaking the bank (or losing your cool): Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Pinterest Tuesday

The Copy: A painted wallpaper wall!

The Copy: A painted wallpaper wall!

I don’t know about you, but I love Pinterest.   LOVE IT.   But for a while there, I think I was just creating an internet-only beautiful life that I wasn’t fully living.   Virtual life no longer!  I’m cooking the recipes, crafting the crafts and using the inspiration boards for my own decor.  Here’s what I tried out in my own home! Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

High Tea Shower

DSCN0343Just before Thanksgiving, I co-hosted a high tea baby shower at Hotel Bel Aire and the holidays got in the way of me sharing how lovely it was!   This was a small shower for a second baby, so the mother-to-be wanted something intimate at a restaurant…which was a strange new world for a DIY party gal like myself!   I was put in charge of invitations, favors, and simply making the table more personal.  It has been a long time since I threw a small party, so being able to spend a little more money and time on these things was a nice change.  Here’s the intimate tea shower round-up: Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Pinterest Tuesday

The Copy: A simple, perfect brunch or dinner!

The Copy: A simple, perfect brunch or dinner!

I don’t know about you, but I love Pinterest.   LOVE IT.   But for a while there, I think I was just creating an internet-only beautiful life that I wasn’t fully living.   Virtual life no longer!  I’m cooking the recipes, crafting the crafts and using the inspiration boards for my own decor.  Here’s what I tried out this week! Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

“Stalwart” INDEED!

DSCN0319It has been awhile…and here’s why…we MOVED!  AGAIN!  BACK TO LOS ANGELES!   Jeff got a great job offer and we took our chance to get back to the west coast where grass and trees will be plentiful for our baby boy.   Since I last wrote, I have been flying, searching for houses, packing, moving, unpacking and decorating yet again.   Needless to say, it’s been a really crazy year for us.   You know how “they” say that some of the top causes of stress are changing a job, having a baby and moving?  WELL…We’ve done all of those, plus an additional move, in only 10 months!  So…We. Are. Tired.

I can’t express how lucky we feel though, to have found this perfect rental house in the middle of LA at the very last second.  It feels like being on vacation everyday.  It is simply PERFECT for us right now and we can’t wait until it’s more consistently warm outside so we can really enjoy the outdoor area in the evenings.   I approached the interior design differently than before, since the house is old and Spanish instead of new and modern like the New York apartment.  I had to look at each piece of furniture and artwork in a new way to make it mesh better with the space and I wanted to keep most of the walls white for light, using paint only as an accent in a few of the rooms.   How about I stop writing and get to the photos!? Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Product Review: DIAPERS!

A RIVETING ARTICLE ABOUT…DISPOSABLE DIAPERS…

First of all, don’t be fooled, this is not riveting at all and I am not paid to endorse any products.  I’m only here as a new parent to write about my personal experiences with some popular baby essentials.  This is stuff we use everyday and it can be daunting when you don’t know which to buy or try.   Remember, every baby is completely different, so I encourage you to read up on and try everything you are interested in and follow your baby’s cues and your own gut!

DISPOSABLE DIAPERS

Overview

"I'm George. I'm a little serious sometimes.  And this is Linda, my very good lion friend."

“I’m George. I’m a little serious sometimes. And this is Linda, my very good lion friend.”

Baby George is now 9 weeks old and we have tried two different disposable diapers, Pampers Swaddlers and The Honest Company, both in size Newborn and size 1.  We found pros and cons for each that I’d like to share with new parents unsure of what to stock up on.  In general, if you change your newborn before each feeding, you will use 10 to 12 diapers a day until they feed more efficiently and then you’ll use about 8-10 diapers day.    Every teacher, friend and nurse told us not to bother stocking up on size NB because most babies would be in a size 1 in no time.  They were very, very wrong, so keep in mind that babies are FREAKING SMALL and you will use at least one bag of newborn diapers before growing out of them.  George wore NB until 3 weeks and only then did he grow out of them in length before width.   That’s 210 newborn diapers before we switched to size 1! Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized