creating creativity

As most of you know by now I am pretty obsessed with party planning and anything that could involve some creativity. All it takes is a little inspiration to get my wheels turning, and voila! Something magical happens!

Several months ago I discovered the world of Etsy. I know, I know, I've been living under a rock...but for those of you who are STILL under the rock, Etsy is a creative person's dream come true. The website, www.etsy.com, provides an online marketplace for people who create beautiful things to sell. I don't care what it is you're looking for...chances are, you can find it on Etsy. Anything from vintage candle sticks to logo design to boutique-style children's clothing, this site has it all.

Take these monkey fondant cupcake toppers, for example from the Etsy Shop EdibleDetails...

Okay, really? How cute are these? You can literally buy fondant icing creations like this to top off your preschool classroom cupcakes...and just like that you're given the title of Martha Stewart. Jeez.Who thinks of this stuff? I'm gonna use this word again...GENIUS!

 

What fascinates me the most is the amount of pure creative energy that is out there in this world. From the sites I have surfed (most being party or child related), it appears that the majority of these sellers are amazing women. These ladies have serious talent, and best of all, they are channeling their creative juices to design products they love, and in turn, they make money. Genius!

Through further investigation I have realized that a lot of these women are intertwined by their blogs, Etsy shops, and loyal customers. They support each other through commenting and mentioning each other on their various websites, blogs and promotional materials. How awesome is that?!?

Just from visiting one blog last night I was connected with almost 5 different women, all of whom have shops on Etsy, personal blogs, and businesses to call their own. Each of them offer a variety of services and products (think photographer-event planner-graphic designer-blogger-business coach)...seriously, all in one place.

All I have to say about this is WOW. Having just recently entered the world of blogging, it appears there is much more to this so called "virtual network." I know this is just the tip of the iceberg, but I couldn't help but share my fascination. If you're new to this whole thing (and I doubt you are, but just in case...) check out Etsy.com and browse around. It takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it you'll be hooked!

As for me, well, I'm happy to say I have finally found people who I can outsource some creative projects to. Yippee!

it all started with a cupcake

I am a passionate person. When I believe in something I give it my whole heart- the word "slacker" does not exist in my vocabulary (except, of course, when it comes to exercise)...But that's besides the point. Every now and then I'll stumble upon something that inspires me, and when it hits me there's no turning back. It's over. Done. Might as well call it a day.

Inspiration comes to me in several different ways, but most of the time it falls in one of the following categories:
-Paper (invitations, stationery, or pretty much anything printed on paper)
-Clothing/Shoes (hence the totally amazing boots on my sidebar)
-Decorative Accessories (a vintage tea cart, for example, which has sent me into a tea party tailspin...this subject deserves it's own post-coming soon!)
-Photographs (all it takes is a gorgeous picture to spark a flame in my heart)

This weekend I was hit by the Mac Truck of inspiration. All of the aforementioned categories were smooshed together, resulting in a brainstorm of the most amazing birthday party on the planet. It all started with a cupcake.

Yes, a cupcake. Last week I designed a flier for a client that centered around a Valentine's Day Cupcake event. After browsing the internet for cupcake images I started salivating. Then it hit me. I've been living under a rock. Cupcakes are all the rage right now, and I didn't get the memo. Kinda like Bubba and Forrest Gump and the whole shrimp thing. You name it, they've got it. Cupcake towers, wedding cupcakes, cupcake parties, cupcake costumes, blogs about cupcakes, cupcake parlors, "cupcakeries", cupcake decorations...good grief I could go on and on.

This cupcake epiphany led to an intense desire to experience the madness. The answer was simple. With my daughter's 4th birthday approaching in April, I knew I was onto something. Within a few hours I had the whole event sketched in my head, planned to a T, cupcakes galore and all the fixins'.

Needless to say the past few days have been a blur. Between surfing the web for cupcake party ideas and visiting antique stores I have experienced inspiration at it's finest. I have dreamed of cupcakes and even sent my husband on a bakery run (for the kids...remember, I broke up with carbs 15 days ago...)

The spark has been lit and I'm a woman on a mission. Bring on the cupcakes.

I couldn't resist sharing a little bit of inspiration. I apologize now for publishing these images...you'll be amazed at how the craving for a cupcake will take over you almost instantly. Good luck with that :)

 

Creative Hostess inspiration board- one of many incredible parties to view!

from The Cupcake Blog  (no, I wasn't kidding!)

And check out this AMAZING Princess Tea Party from Lemiga Events:

 

If that doesn't inspire you to host a princess cupcake tea party then jeez...I don't know what would!

CAN YOU STAND IT?!?

poor guys...they just can't win

I have to admit- I'm not a huge believer in Valentine's Day. I kinda agree that it's a forced holiday in which most women sit around waiting for their [insert significant other here] to pull out all the stops. You know the drill: send flowers (and by flowers we all know I mean ROSES),  make reservations, and  perhaps even a special gift after dinner (the smaller the box the better).

Of course all of these things are nice- I love getting roses just as much as the next girl, and I would much prefer a nice dinner rather than the same old grilled chicken at Chili's. But here's the problem- we are setting ourselves up for disaster. Men really can't win on Valentine's Day- they're damned if they do and they're damned if they don't. You have the classic Jeckyll and Hyde dilemma with the wife who tells you NOT to spend $100 on roses, but then sits around with her panties in a bunch because it's 4:30pm and there has yet to be a delivery to her doorstep. OR, the wife receives the overpriced dozen of roses and proceeds to complain the next week that so much money was spent on flowers that are now dead. Best of all...a sentence that goes like this, "Hunny, you didn't have to send me flowers...you could have done something different or creative...I don't care about flowers."

Lie. Lie. Lie.

We DO care about flowers. We DO care about dinner. We DO care about presents. But here's the catch- all we really want is to feel special.

Instead of waiting for my husband to fail today (I have faith!), I decided to take matters into my own hands. If Valentine's Day is about making the person you love feel special then as far as I'm concerned I am just as responsible for this as he is. I told him to clear his lunch schedule, booked a 1:15pm lunch reservation at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and arrived at his work with an obscene display of affection.

And by obscene I don't lie- we're talking a dozen giant helium balloons, a giant stuffed monkey the size of our 4 year old, and a gift basket put together by yours truly...filled with his favorite treats (all of which were Atkins Diet friendly). I got all dolled up, ditched the jeans for my sexy black pants, and even put on some bling. After all, he is my husband and I wanted him to feel special.

I'm pretty sure I was successful, because the look on his face when I walked through his office door was priceless. He had the sweet little smile that I see every once in a while...the smile I see when he's genuinely happy.

I'm not disappointed today, simply because I made the decision to make this Valentine's Day a good one. After all, if you want something done right, you should probably just do it yourself.

planting a seed

I can remember as a little girl watching my mom work in the garden...wondering why she spent so much time digging in the dirt for such little return. Or at least that's what I thought.

As a kid you really can't appreciate a beautiful garden. To a kid, flowers are flowers and according to kids they just grow when the weather warms up and the sun comes out. If only it were that easy. As an adult I can appreciate the blood (yes, there was blood), sweat (lots and lots of it), and tears (occasionally) that go into creating a beautiful garden. I would also venture to say that this garden, so to speak, can be applied to almost everything in life.

Throughout the course of this journey called life I have planted my share of seeds. Not only personally, but also as an entrepreneur. Several of these seeds have grown and flourished into amazing blooms. By blooms I mean relationships, partnerships, and friendships.

One of the most important lessons my mother taught me was the value of nurturing those seeds, tending to them, watering them, and sometimes even the occasional re-planting. By watching her I also learned to never give up on them. No matter what a seed have might looked like, the potential for growth was always there. She labored and pruned, sodded, watered, fertilized...the whole nine yards.

When I reflect on these so-called "blooms" in my life I realize there's a common thread, regardless of what the relationship may be. Whether it's a friend, a colleague, or a client, I am committed to making the most of each seed- and I never, ever give up on them. The result? A beautiful garden.

have I missed my calling?

If you're a regular reader of my blog then you'll remember my post a while back when I talked about wedding photography. I am definitely passionate about pictures (especially when they're amazing!), but I think I've narrowed down my passion to one simple word: parties.

Yup. It's true. And all of you who know me are nodding your heads and laughing. I am completely obsessed with parties. I don't know if I've totally missed my calling in life by not being a party planner, but really, it appears there are plenty of them out there that are doin' just fine.

My daughter will be turning 4 in April and for some reason I have become obsessed with planning her party. Because I've been so busy working and dealing with some unexpected family stress, I think this party just gives me something to look forward to. Yes, I realize she is 3 and probably won't remember it, but I will. Surely that counts for something, right?

It's amazing how my view has changed this year in regards to celebratory events. For Elizabeth's 3rd birthday party we went to the Gymnastics place (a.k.a. warehouse with horrible lighting).  I spent $50 at Party City on tacky Disney Princess decor, ordered a few pizzas and called it a day. And I absolutely refuse to discuss the party (or lack thereof) for my second daughter's 1st birthday. I cringe when I think about it. Please note: this was completely out of character for me and I really have no idea how it happened. Do know, however, that with a young baby one tends to make rash decisions under pressure (hence the plastic tablecloths and "made in china" party favors).

I'm pretty sure my party passion was subdued over the last year due to sudden loss of my Mother-in-Law and the birth of our second child (which occurred within 48 hours of each other), among other things. Excuses, excusess, call it what you want. All I know is that I'm back.

That's right. Me, the crazy passionate party lady is back and I'm in full force. My poor husband...he has no idea what he's in for. In November we hosted a football party for the UF/UGA game- I was inspired and went a little overboard...but the party was a hit! As far as I'm concerned a party is only as fabulous as it's details...and I am the QUEEN of party details.

During a baby shower planning session this weekend one of the gals looked at me with conviction and said, "You should do this for a living." I smiled, agreed, and we continued with the checklist. So perhaps I missed the boat on the whole party planning for a living thing...lucky for me I've got two little girls who have a mommy for hire. And to my darling Kennedy, I promise to make it up to you for #2.

burn, baby, burn.

I am so proud of myself. Today I actually lit my favorite candle, and let it burn all day.  I don't know about you, but when I have a favorite "something", I rarely allow myself to enjoy it...especially when it's almost gone. While enjoying dinner with a friend the other night, we got to chatting about this very subject. Turns out I'm not alone.

You know, the conditioner that not only makes your hair smell amazing, but makes it smooth as silk. Or the designer fragrance you love so much but only save for special occasions. Even better, the random (99% empty) bottles of Bath & Body Works lotion for no apparent reason other than the once-a-year desire to smell like Vanilla Bean or Plumeria. Seriously? Why can't I just throw them away?

For me, it's the same routine. My shower is a perfect example of random shampoo, conditioner, body washes and soaps. I love them all, and I can't seem to bring myself to squeeze the last of it out. Sure, the first few weeks are pure bliss...squeezing, spraying, sudsing, whatever...without a care in the world. And then it hits you. Crap. It's almost gone. Now what am I gonna do?

This is when I put myself on restriction from said favorite product, and rotate in a substitute. And the cycle continues. Again. For weeks I will use various backup products to substitute for my favorite, all while my delicious shower gel is sitting there, almost empty but not quite.

I don't know if it's separation anxiety or what, but it's weird. After all, if the shower gel was $20 and it makes me this happy, why not just BUY MORE? Isn't this why I work?! I think there's an underlying guilt factor somewhere that pops into my head to remind me most people don't spend $20 on shower gel. Or conditioner. Or [insert product here].

The same thing goes for my candle. I pondered buying this candle for seriously almost a year. Every time I visited my Aveda Hair Salon I drooled over it. The price tag was something crazy, and I always managed to talk myself out of it (paying $150 for highlights may have had something to do with it). After contemplating this purchase for way too long I finally bit the bullet. I bought the damn candle.

And guess what? I never light it. And when I do, I only let it go for a little while, for fear of getting to the end.

So my girlfriend and I made the conscious decision over dinner last night to enjoy ALL of these things...even the last drop, squeeze, spray, whatever. Life is just too short to ration out body lotion.

My assistant Kaylie walked into the office this morning and I was excited to share the good news.  Her exact words: "Good! That candle has been sitting on your desk for 4 years and I've never seen it lit!"

So I applaud my efforts for allowing my favorite candle to burn all day. And when it gets close to the end I'm gonna buy another one. After all, I'm worth it.

dear carbs...

Dear Carbs,

I think it's time to break up. Yes, I know we've been together for thirtysomething years...and yes, I know there is nothing like a giant bowl of pasta at the end of a long day. But really? Somethin's gotta give.  I've pushed out (well, not exactly pushed...but whatever) two kids in the last 4 years, and this muffin top is really starting to piss me off. No matter what I do I just can't shake it. I'm even thinking about naming it Molly. Molly the Muffin Top. Hmmmm....

What? What's that you say? Am I running five miles a day? Well, no, of course not. Who on earth has time to run five miles a day? And honestly, running sucks.Yes, I realize if I could run five miles a day I could eat all the carbs in the world and ditch Molly at the same time...but ya know what? That's just not gonna happen.

Excuse me? You don't think I can live without you? Really? Well, my friend, I beg to differ. I have been getting along just fine with your frenemy, Protein. In fact, Protein and I have spent the last 48 hours together and although the thought of you has popped into my mind, the truth of the matter is this: 
I'm just not that into you.

Oh, so now you're calling me a LIAR? After a lifetime of loyalty? That's it. We're done.

You don't understand? Let me clarify...

Adios. Au revoir. Sayonara. Ciao. Hasta la vista, baby.

And that goes for you too, Molly.

are you there, world? It's me, blogger.

First of all, I just have to say that after taking a week away from my blog I am more than ready to get back in the swing of things. It's funny how the whole blogging thing has messed with my head- leave it to me to put pressure on myself for something that I chose to do in the first place. Go figure. But here's the thing- at least once a day something happens (whether it be funny, depressing, or down right crazy) when I say to myself, "I absolutely MUST blog about this." Before I know it I've got a running list of things to blog about, yet I can't seem to find the time to sit down and write. And now I find myself blogging about blogging. REALLY?!?! How can this be when I have a long running list with topics to blog about. What is wrong with me?

So, this completely pointless post is just me saying hello. I'm not falling off the face of the blogging world, in fact I have a gazillion great stories to write about and I can't wait to share. Given my recent break up with carbs I'm feeling a little grumpy and under the weather (that's a nice way of saying I want to scream). Hopefully this giant piece of chicken I'm about to eat for lunch will help. Although I doubt it. I really think a hunk of chocolate would do a much better job.

Stay tuned, my friends. I know we're all busy with our lives, and if yours is anything like mine, well, it's enough to make you a little loony. I figure blogging about my crazy adventures is a cheaper version of therapy...but with greater rewards.  I have had so many awesome responses to my previous posts, and I just can't believe how many people actually read what I write. We all have stories to tell, and being able to share them makes the journey that much sweeter.