Thursday, July 30, 2009

Monkey See Monkey Do

Monkeys are very popular these days for everything from room decor to party themes. I recently designed this very simple monkey birthday invitation using Stardream cardstock in Fairway Green as the base and layered the text with light blue. A fun monkey embellishment gives the invitation its theme while keeping the look clean and simple. I really love Stardream cardstock, it has a very nice shimmer to it. Thanks for "swingin" by!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Outdoor Shabby Pink Baby Shower

A couple of weeks ago, I aided in hosting a baby shower for a new mommy-to-be. Knowing that the upcoming bundle of joy is to be a girl, we pulled out all the pinks and threw her an outdoor shabby baby shower. I sincerely wish I had more time to devote to this sort of thing because it really was a lot of fun to plan!

We started with a large back yard, added a few white tents, some shabby décor and fresh flowers. What we didn’t count on but received anyway, was lots of rain and really bad hair! We didn’t let the rain spoil the day; we counted it as good luck instead…just like rain on a wedding day. Prior to the shower, I began “researching” ideas, like I do for most all of my projects. Fabric bunting banners are very popular right now and come in a multitude of themes and styles. I thought they would be a nice shabby addition to the shower and they looked simple enough to make. In another post, I’ll show you just how easy they are! Another décor element that punched up the color factor were tissue paper pom-poms. Talk about inexpensive and easy! There are a multitude of resources out on the web on how to make these. I definitely suggest giving them a try for your next party…or even just for the fun of it! We had a simple brunch menu catered by a local friend that consisted of warm chicken salad, broccoli salad, fresh fruit, and muffins. Lovely choices for a warm, rainy, late morning baby shower. An interesting aspect to the menu wasn’t just the food but what the food was served on. An idea I had been dying to use for quite some time and look forward to building upon in the future. Mismatched china in a wonderful array of shabby patterns and colors! The town I live in has three Goodwill stores and I scoured each and every one of them to find enough dishes to use for the shower. I not only came across steals but some very lovely pieces as well. I think I could have gone hog-wild picking out shabby plates, glasses, and other table pieces of the sort. Fortunately for my pocket book, I was seven months pregnant and unable to carry too many fragile, heavy dishes. Vintage cloth napkins in varrying pink patterns were also used to add color to the tables and give a shabby appeal. I had a friend of mine arrange the flowers using white porcelain vases and pitchers which were actually left over from my own wedding reception. I love these vases and any excuse that allows me to use them! I think any flower color looks nice against fresh white porcelain, especially pink shabby ones! We also had light music playing in the background, which you obviously cant "see" in the pictures. I love mood music, it helps to set the tone to whatever type of gathering you're hosting. But all the sights and sounds dont hold a candle to the wonderful feeling of love that surrounds a new mother-to-be. For all those that gather in her honor, are truly a blessing!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Champagne Bridal Shower Invitation

Business has been quite busy here at Twin Sisters! A project I completed recently was an order for bridal shower invitations. The bride-to-be's wedding colors are champagne and white...it is an early winter wedding. There is something about the simplicity of various forms of white that I find breathtaking, especially during the early winter months.

The requirements were fairly simple, champagne and white invites that gave the indication of an upscale, luxe event. Fun! I was simply excited to work on something that wasnt pink, so imagine my giddiness when I was able to incorporate dazzling rhinestone buckles and fluffy white feathers! Unfortunately, the shimmery cardstock and white feathers do not show up well in the photo, but the end result was fantastic. A matching shimmery envelope completed the look.