Alicia's Baby Shower

To welcome Annabelle into the world I threw a shower for one of my best friend's Alicia! It was really fun to put together and I so hope everyone enjoyed it! Here are a few stills from the party and my tablescape. Enjoy...

The husband and I's nifty loft

all pink and white treats

A few lines

I have some great books to share with you!  I haven't been reading as much as usual but I have read a few in the last few months.  The first was gifted to me for Christmas from my sister.

By Tatiana de Rosnay

I wanted to keep reading till my eyes quit on me! It was a haunting, fictional story about the non-fictional event of the Vel' d'Hiv roundup.  The roundup of French Jews took place Paris, July 1942.  The secrets and storyline played out until the very end.  It tells of a journalist in modern day France piecing together the harrowing story of a girl named Sarah who lived through the roundup but who had kept many secrets throughout her entire life.  I strongly recommend this book if you love French, and/or WWII history, it will not dissapoint!

oh P.S.  I just found out last week that they made a movie so I will definitely be checking that out!

The second book is ,of course, 

 Yay for my dear friend who kindly lent this to me.  Another one I just couldn't put down! The Help is a story of just that, the help in the homes of the white citizens of Jackson, Mississippi in 1962.  A young women named Skeeter decides to write stories from the view of the help. All amidst the civil rights movement, Skeeter finds herself putting their lives on the line to cross color barriers and learning ,amongst her friends and family, what side they are on. Although it is written by a white author, who herself grew up in a southern home with "help" (I'm not quite sure what to think about that) the side of the "help" was written so incredibly well. You immerse yourself fully into the characters as if it was truly them that wrote of their life. I can't wait to see the movie!!
Have any good book suggestions??

Baby shower keepsake

I'm hosting a baby shower for a dear friend, who is expecting her second child but first girl.  The inspiration behind the shower was very simple, my friend absolutely loves pink and her daughter's nursery is decorated with a "princess" motif.  I chose a crown as a nod to a "princess" and of course everything is pink! 

Another friend's past shower had tree branches that held small paper leaves to write a message to the baby.  I loved that idea and chose to replicate it for this shower.  I traced pink, paper crowns and cut them all out.  I then made a simple ribbon board for guests to place their messages on.  The mother can then hang the board in the nursery or simply put the messages in the baby's book.  It was very easy and is a great option for extra decor at the shower!  Here are some steps in photos to make your own:

Things you will need:

foam board, glue gun, glue sticks, ribbon, and fabric

I cut a foam board into a rectangle in the size I thought would work best.

 cut fabric allowing for extra on all sides of board to fold and glue into place.

Glue middle portion of each side to board making sure to pull taut.

 Make sure to finish corners neatly so as to make a clean edge

I find it easier to start with the middle ribbon and work to the outside. Glue in place making sure, again, to pull taut.

 Once you have all the ribbon you would like going one diagonal, the next step is to cut and weave ribbon going the opposite diagonal. Pull taut and glue in place.

 I glued a ribbon to the back to hang it on the wall to display all the lovely messages from the guests.  

I know proper ribbon boards are made with plywood and batting but for the purposes of quick and easy shower decor I used a simpler version. :)  i can't wait to show you lovelies the end result of the shower!

10 Things

Since I'm so new to blogging, I thought it would be fun to post 10 things you may not know about me. I hope I surprise you!

1. Growing up I had a huge desire to be athletic.  I wanted to be a gymnast and do ballet.  I didn't have the opportunity to then but once I got to college I took some classes and absolutely loved it. 
2.  The bigger the sunglasses the better.
3.  I have 14 different Clue games. I love the game itself, the illustrations, and the joy of collecting something unique.

4.  Although my husband as a lot, I have no tattoos but am hoping this is the year I get my first!
5.  I love party planning, hosting, and gift giving.      
6.  I am a citizen of 3 countries.  The US, The UK, and Italy. I reside now in Oregon, but my heart belongs to England.

dad & i having our first fish'n'chips

 7.  My husband and I are self-taught, amateur cake decorators.

our baby shower 'baby bump' cake

8.  I have never had the chicken pox.  The only family member to have had it is my dad, when he was little. My mom is naturally immune. Weird huh? 
9.  My favorite book character of all time is Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables.  Her imagination inspires me.  She never had much but her imagination made her rich.

elle était très chic

10.  Other than Agatha Christie stories and Edgar Allan Poe, my other favorite topic of reading is the French Revolution.  I studied French in college because I  I fell in love with the language and history, and wanted to read so much more.

Love & Marriage

Best Man & Maid of Honor

This past weekend, we had the privilege of attending and participating in our friends' wedding.  The weather was gorgeous and so was the wedding.  The Mr. even agreed to a slow dance.  The Mr. actually loves to get dressed up and he looked so great. We did a combined speech for the couple and it turned out great. We aren't much of public speakers but we included funny, memorable moments with the couple and they laughed and even teared up. It was a really special evening.

all dressed up

Our special weekend wasn't over yet, the Mr. & I celebrated our first wedding anniversary! We have a 5 day vacation coming up next month, so we decided to plan a mini-getaway for the rest of the weekend.  We brought some bubbly and spent the night in Salem at the Grand Hotel. We also went out to Cinebarre for a dinner and movie combo.  It was our first time going to Cinebarre and it was great.  We watched 'Horrible Bosses' while nom-ing on a burger(for the Mr.), Gruyere grilled cheese(for me) and a refreshing beer.  While we were only 20 min away from home I pretended every minute we were away on vacation and it sure was nice.  I can't wait for all the other anniversaries there will be to celebrate. I feel so lucky.

checking out the amenities

I love celebrating with a toast

we brought along our flutes from our wedding

whirlwind shower

*disclaimer: i do not have a good camera and am not a photographer(which doesn't help things) lol ;)

The soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. are getting married this weekend! So yesterday was the couples party day.  My husband is Best Man and I am Maid of Honor.  We've been planning the parties for months and preparing for weeks. The weather didn't' cooperate so the shower was held indoors at the bride's parent's home.  Here are just a few photos I could snag in-between setting up.

favors included a small champagne glass filled with Jordan Almonds, and a purple cake pop with black sparkles

banners saying "soon to be Mrs. W" and "Mr. & Mrs." were hung

the bride's mother prepared a fantastic ice cream bar!

my mum helped make pretty tissue poms courtesy of a Kelly Hicks tutorial

Kelly Hicks Tissue Poms

My dear friend Miss Beth was gracious enough to help me unload, load up, set up, and assist with games! I really hope the bride liked everything!  It's been a whirlwind of a week. I'm looking forward to my own wedding anniversary and a little R & R. :)

blogs of note

'ello!
I wanted to share two blogs that I think are absolutely amazing. Definitely worth checking out. 
If your house were on fire, what would you save? What would you take with you on your journey forward?  Well...over at The Burning House people fill the blog with pictures (and accompanying lists) of what they would take with them.  As they say, it's a mixture between the "practical, valuable, and sentimental."  Here is a glimpse at a few...

The 2nd blog is a glimpse of the past.  Over at Dear Photograph people send in a photograph, of a photograph being held at the same spot it was taken.  Harder than I thought to explain in type ha ha ha.  People send in such sweet, cherished photos of their loved ones, accompanied with thoughtful captions.  A completely different take on reminiscing the past with more than just paper.  Well here are some examples..you'll get the picture :) (couldn't resist, you know you love it!)

Both blogs are stellar ideas, and something I would love to contribute to. Have a lovely weekend!