Dream Big Dreams Baby Shower

I love the muted colors, sky and sunset, of this Dream Big Dreams baby shower.  It gives off a peaceful and dreamy ambiance, full of enchantment.  With hot air balloon accents,  gorgeous draping, suspended lanterns, and thoughtful herbs &  floral centerpieces, their church basement went from drab to fab.  Proving that you can have a beautiful event on a small budget, and in any venue.  Happy Thursday!

{photos via On To Baby}

Destination Wedding: Mexico

We are officially in Mexico for the weekend.  In continuation of yesterday theme:  gorgeous Mexico destination weddings, here is a charming wedding from Sayulita, Mexico.  Loving the bright colors, hand crafted details, and outdoor charm of this wedding.  And the photos of the bride and groom around town are adorable.  There's so much of their personality in this wedding, which we love seeing.  The bride is part of the duo behind Sitting in a Tree Events.

{photos via Sarah Yates Photography}

Real Party: Fiesta

My friend Payal threw a fabulous taqueria inspired fiesta this past weekend.   Payal created the menu and the amazing tacos, we'll be sharing her Chipotle Sweet Potato and Black Bean Taco on rnlMusings today.  While all the guests brought the guacamole, salsas, and add-ons pot luck style.  We ended the night with the breaking of a pinata, here are the details on the DIY pinata.  

On the menu:
The Salsa/Guacamole Bar: traditional and roja guacamole; Toppings: pico de gallo, mango-pineapple salsa, tomatillo salsa, pickled onion, red cabbage & zucchini slaw, onion, cilantro, & lime mix, and creamy Mexican corn; Tacos: tilapia and charred corn tacos, chipotle chicken tacos, grilled zucchini with Mexican cheese taco, & chipotle sweet potato and black bean taco.  The margarita bar consisted of grapefruit-habanero margaritas, ginger-peach margaritas, & palomas. 

~ All photos curtesy of rivernorthLove

Crystal Letter DIY

I am obsessed with those crystal encrusted block letters that are everywhere lately.  So I decided to create my own.  Loved that this project was easy and quick and looked fabulous once complete.  Here's a step-by-step to recreate the look.

What You'll Need:
~ Block Letters, I picked mine up from Hobby Lobby
~ Glue gun and glue stick
~ Acrylic paint and paint brush, I used FolkArt Metallic Acrylic Paint in Silver Sterling
~ And bling.  I used rhinestones with a flat back

Directions:

1. Paint your letters.  I painted 3 to 4 coats with enough time between coats for it to fully dry.  Make sure you're covering all edges.

2. Lay out your bling in a pattern on the letter of your choice. This step was helpful in determining how many rhinestones I needed per row. And for the curves I used a combination medium and small sized rhinestones.

3. Secure the rhinestones/bling with your glue gun

4. Proudly display your masterpiece. I used these for the Breakfast at Tiffany's themed bridal shower we will be sharing here tomorrow.

~ ll photos curtesy of me.

Oscar Viewing Party Thats DIY Friendly

This weekend is one of my favorite award shows and Hollywood's biggest night, the Academy Awards.  This Oscar Viewing party from Twig & Thistle is perfect for gathering friends, discussing red carpet attire, and cheering on your favorite actor/director/movie.  I adore all the downloadable and printable elements of this party and that beautiful invitation.  What else would you serve at an Oscar viewing party, popcorn!  And that Oreo cookie cake, is perfect for dunking in your milk glass!

{photos via Twig & Thistle}

Wedding Trend: Be My Bridesmaids?

First someone popped the question to you, and now you have a fiance and a wedding to plan.  But let's not forget the important question you have to ask the lovely ladies in your life.  For some ladies this maybe a no brainer for others you might feel like a coach at cheerleading tryouts, whatever the case, fast forward to your chosen few.  There are lots of adorable ways to ask the ones you love to stand by your side on your big day.  From a framed picture of the both of you, to a personalized album, a six pack of their favorite brew with a cozy that says "be my bridesmaid", to a basket of baked goodies, or a personalized clutch (think 1154 Lill or Etsy), puzzles, to jewelery or jewelery boxes, and visual graphics- I put together a PowerPoint slide show (yes I'm a nerd). Here are a couple of ideas we adore:

{Love this idea especially since I made the same tank tops for my bridesmaid announcements}

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{Now it's the Bride's turn to Pop the Question}

Rice Krispie Dippin' Bar

We've all seen the cake pops, smores pops, and brownie pops, now meet the rice krispie pop.  A fabulous idea really, since you don't have to add anything to get them to form perfect little circles, and they stay nicely on sticks without being kept in the freezer.  Love this idea from With Style & Grace.  She set up an adorable rice krispie dipping bar with chocolate and toppings and served up with a glass of cold milk, perfection!

{photos via With Style & Grace}

DIY Bride-to-Be

You've just gotten engaged, what's the first thing you do (besides tell your friends and family)?  Head to your local Barnes & Nobel to stock up on some bridal and wedding magazines.  I loved flipping through glossies when I was engaged, and with that in mind, we created a little DIY project for some newly engaged friends, Enjoy!


You'll Need: a couple Bridal/Wedding glossies of your choice, Diamond stamp, Embossing Powder, Embossing Stamp Pad, Embossing Heat Gun, Paperclips, Hot Glue Gun, Scrap booking paper of your choice, and an X-Acto knife.

Using the Diamond stamp, Embossing stamp pad, powder, and heat gun to create the paperclip toppers/bling.  Attach the diamonds to paperclips using a glue gun.  Create slits in the scrap booking paper of your choice and slide the paperclips into the slits.  Adorn paperclip holders with the embellishments of your choice. 

 Throw in some ring pops and you've got a fabulous 'Congrats on the Bling' packages for you engaged lovelies. 

Other ideas to incorporate:
~ Bride undies
~ Nail polish with a wedding-themed name
~ Ring Dish
~ Champagne
~ DVDs of The Wedding Planner, or Bridesmaids

Benedict, Eggs Benedict

How original and fun is this Build Your Own Eggs Benedict Brunch Bar? Fully equipped with everything you'd need for your Eggs Benedict: pulled pork, smoked salmon, steamed asparagus, and 3 different flavors of hollandaise sauce.  To wash down your Eggs Benedict you have your choice of deliciously red Bloody Marys or tangy Mimosas.  The yellow and chevron pattern bring this little display together perfectly, cheers!   

{photos via Celebrations at Home}