Category Archives: parties

12.23.10

Those Flowers.

Remember those flowers from this post? Want to learn how to make them? They were super easy, and inexpensive too!

Every year for Christmas the Ya’s (minus our dear Claudia who lives in North Carolina) and I get together and try to do something fun together rather than getting each other gifts. This year, it was a floral design class at Helen Olivia. Located in Old Town, Alexandria, Helen Olivia is offers premier floral design to many clients and just recently outfitted the Residence of the Vice President for Christmas.

MJ and I hard at work on our mantle pieces.

Danielle and Lissy showcasing their carnations.

Arranging my mantle piece….There are so many things wrong about this picture (like the sprouting of my double chin)… I cannot wait to cleanse!


Marianne Raub, the owner offers many classes to meet the desires and skill sets of many aspiring floral designers. This week’s class was focused on Christmas. We made a mantle piece as well as the pomanders that you saw on my green console.


I must admit, when we walked up and saw the collection of carnations and mums, I was quite skeptical. But how adorable did these turn out?


Here’s how to do it:

1.) Buy 24 of each flower, three oasis balls and 3 vases of your choice. I found that the carnations worked far better than the mums. I would also suggest roses, however, it will be much more expensive.
2.) Soak Oasis Balls in water for 30 minutes.
3.) Cut each stem about 1/4 of an inch from the base. Always cut stems at an angle to maximize water absorption.
4. )Starting at the top of the oasis ball, push stem into oasis, making sure that the base of the flower is touching the foam.
5.) Continue to fill oasis ball with flowers tightly. You will have about a 2 inch portion of oasis that is uncovered, but that will be where you rest the pomander on the vase. It will not be seen.
5.) Fill vase with objects that you have chosen- Christmas balls, winter berries, candy canes– you name it.
6.) Place pomander on vase and enjoy– these should last up to a week.

10.12.10

5.


As many of you know, my baby girl turned five last month. For their birthdays, I let my kids pick the theme, then the rest is up to Momma. You can see her first four birthdays here. Believe it or not, you can have a character party with style. This year, she chose a Princess and the Frog theme. I aimed for a whimsical, bayou-esque feel. Since Tiana is a chef (and so is E, might I add) I focused on the cooking element. You will see this theme repeated in the invitations, as well as the favors.

 
We had an absolute blast. Below are some pictures of the event, as well as the How To’s.

Invitations– The Plum enclosures were on clearance at Paper Source.
Poms– Pom Love
Pinata– Pinata Queen
Goody Bags– 1. Aprons- Bought aprons here. Printed each child’s initial (lilac for girls, chartreuse for boys) on transfer paper and ironed on. 2. Tiana’s Cookbook 3. Frog Cookie Cutters
Photographs– James Woo
Games– Pin the Kiss on Naveen, Hot Frog, Freeze Dance
Flowers– Remember those darn candy jars from Lou’s party? They have once again been re-purposed. We wrapped them in ribbon and added an E sticker glued onto lilac card stock.
Music– Princess and the Frog Soundtrack, as well as some other Disney faves.
Candy Cups– Michael’s.  I created the labels from Paper Source‘s 2.5 inch labels.
 
A special thanks to my bestie, MJ, who slept over the night before the party to tie together loose ends. As usual, there were a lot more loose ends than I estimated… We were up until 1:30 am.. she arranged all of the flowers- and what an amazing job she did! I have the best friends in the world. A big fat kiss to all of you.. MWAH!

10.05.10

Welcome to the World, Glory.


Last Sunday I hosted a baby shower for my dear friend, Aimee. Aimee is married to Mike’s best friend from high school, Will. They are truly like family to us, and we are so grateful to have them in our lives. She is having a little girl sometime in the next two weeks. Her original due date was November 3, but the doctors keep moving it up, so at this point, it can be any day.


Aimee’s mom passed away of cancer a year ago. Gloria Wedlake was an amazing woman- so charming, graceful and charismatic. Aimee was lucky enough to inherit some of her best traits. To honor her mother and Will’s mother, they have decided to name their little bundle of joy Glory Constance. I just love it. It is so fitting.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the shower. Aimee is not your “cutesy” kind of girl, so I tried to make it sophisticated and earthy with a twist of bohemian flair. Just her style.

Here are the How To’s:
  • Invites- Tinyprints.
  • Mantle Letters- Cardboard letters from Paper Source. I cut strips of paper to create the patterns. This created a much cleaner look than paint.
  • Kitchen Table Flowers- Reused the candy jars from Lou’s Yo Gabba Gabba Party and wrapped them in this paper with pink velvet ribbon. I bought 9 yards of burlap at G Street fabrics ($7/yd) and cut it into (3) 3 yd pieces. MUCH cheaper than buying burlap table cloths. I bought the runners here.
  • Dining Room Flowers- For these you need a lot of flowers, a lot of patience and a lot of this.
  • CD’s- I had my graphics go-to girl, Jenna create the labels, and popped them on some of these.
  • Cake- Kristy at Tastefully Treated.
  • Menu- Sausage and Leek Casserole, Butternut Squash Soup, Arugula Salad (Pomegranate Arils, Bleu Cheese, Candied Pecans, Red Onion, Balsamic Vinaigrette),Fresh Berry Salad, Assorted Muffins and Danishes. Also, our other dear friend Melissa brought this as well as Mimosas and Bellinis. All of it was delish.
  • Elephant Table– Bought this beauty on clearance, here. I bought a tray of wheat grass and cut it to size then wrapped it in the pink velvet ribbon. How cute will that be in the girls’ playroom?
  • Gift Basket– I have a lot of go to girls. Mary is my go to girl for all things baby. Check out her site here.
I hope you enjoyed this peek at Aimee’s shower. Welcome to the world, Glory…We can’t wait to meet you!

09.14.10

Through the Years.

As we prepare for E’s 5th birthday bash this weekend, I get nostalgic thinking about her birthdays past. Mike thinks I am crazy, as birthdays were never a big deal in his family. If it were up to him we would have a pinata and a 6 foot sub. Never going to happen. I live for parties. Here are some shots of soirees # 1-4. Unfortunately, I was always so busy preparing for the parties, I never really took good pictures. This year will be different. My friend James Woo will be there to capture all of the details. Stay tuned!




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08.31.10

The Best Party of My Life.

I believe that there is true meaning in numbers. Call it superstitious, call it crazy, but there are numbers and dates in my life that have significant meaning and always will. August 31 is a date that I hold dear. August 31, 2001 was the day that I got engaged, August 31, 2002 was the day that I got married, August 31, 2005 was the day that I lost my mother, and August 31, 2007 was the day that I found out that I was pregnant with Anna. Despite what you may think, albeit bittersweet- today is a happy day for me.


Today is my eighth wedding anniversary. We never really make a big deal of our anniversary. We don’t do gifts, we don’t even do dinner without the girls. Each year for our anniversary we sit as a family and watch our wedding DVD to relive what both Mike and I agree was the best party we’ve ever been to. Maybe it’s because it was all about us— the only time in our lives that all of our friends and family would unite together for us (while we are alive.) I remember feeling overwhelmed as I entered the church thinking that never again in my lifetime will I have this group of people together in one room. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of the arduous planning that by Neets and I to make sure every last detail was taken care of. We had so much fun.. all the while giving my father more and more grey hair. Or maybe it’s because it was the beginning of us. If we only knew then what we know now. There are so many reasons that I cherish this day….. Whatever the reasons may be- Happy Anniversary to us!


The Salmons est. August 31, 2002

I actually have this picture hanging in our bedroom. I just love it. Not what you would expect from a wedding portrait.

This is my favorite picture of our wedding. I keep it on the desk in my office. If you look in the top right hand corner, you can see Neets watching over us to make sure everything was just perfect.

Let’s get this party started!!!!!

Our wedding song: Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

For all of you brides out there who had something go wrong on your wedding day…. My flowers were supposed to be hot pink and orange, and they showed up in peach and mauve. I thought I was going to die because flowers are my thing. I have the best friends and family in the world. My godfather ran to various DC flower marts to find any hot pink roses he could get his hands on and my bridesmaids reworked the bouquets. Looking back, I still get angry about those bouquets, but we didn’t let it ruin our day.

Invitation was sent wrapped in vellum with a gold organza ribbon. Tablecloths matched the bridesmaids dresses perfectly. Can you tell what my favorite color is? Thank God for my patient husband who still talks about his Big Fat Pink Wedding.

High arrangement flanked by a menu and a picture of the Mr. and Mrs. on each table for guests to sign.

Low arrangement… Still hating those peach and mauve flowers……

Mom.

My Nanny. She was 81 when we got married. She’ll be 90 this February and is still just as feisty.

This was a picture taken by a guest. I wish I had one before any cards were taken. Mom and I found these invitations that matched the Adirondack chairs out front of the club perfectly.. So we had them printed as place cards and arranged in wheat grass. Still love these.

My best friend.

Mike and my girls.


This is the only picture that I have of my two Mothers. It was taken at my bridal luncheon the day before our wedding. While I wish with all of my heart that Neets was here, I am so grateful to have inherited my mother-in-law. She’s amazing.


Thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with me. And to my amazing husband- thanks for eight wonderful years. Here’s to 80 more. I love you.

08.02.10

Nesting Baby Shower.

Remember this little nugget? Well, here are some pics from her Momma’s baby shower, hosted by yours truly, and my sister, Karen. It was quite a hectic day. We had the shower at 11:00, and a dance recital for E and her cousin Bella at 4:00 (about 40 minutes away.) Nonetheless, we had an amazing time.
Here are the pictures of the lovely Milena’s shower:

Here is the most amazing part of the shower. Remember this post on butterflies? Well, this one decided to stay for the ENTIRE shower. It followed E and Bella wherever they went and even sat in Milena’s hand. It literally gave me goosebumps. I would mark it as one of the most magical moments in my life. I am so happy to know that Neets is with us, and looking down on all of us- particularly on Milena and Olivia that day.
.and then it was time to get the girls ready for dance.
The end.
Invitation: Tiny Prints
Cookies: Kristy Stone