When my children were wee little ones, I was an avid scrapbooker (is that a word?). Seriously - I have completed 20 full albums, collectively, for my kids, 10 family albums, 1 album for my husband, 4 for me, and several other random albums and projects. This was all done in a 15 year time span. Honestly, I don't know how I did it. I was a scrapbooking fool. A couple of my sisters were fools right along with me. They have each completed
more than I have, actually! I'm convinced that one of the biggest reasons for our scrapbooking success was that we made it a point to get together
often. Those were the days... and I miss them. So to my happy surprise, my cute sister sent me a text the other day inviting me to her home
every Wednesday for 3 or 4 hours to scrapbook! She has a fabulous craft room and tons of scrappin' paraphernalia. She said that I could even keep my current project at her house so I won't have to haul it over every time. I am very excited. I have been away for far too long. Although I have been on the digital bandwagon for a few years - I will still scrapbook the traditional 'paper' way also because I absolutely love paper! (but that fact deserves it's own post.) In any case, I have a few favorite online scrapbook stores for you to check out since I'm in the mood.
2 Peas in a Bucket,
Shabby Princess,
A Cherry On Top,
Scrapbook Graphics,
Digiscrap Warehouse,
Part Time Sally,
Studio Calico,
Blue Moon. Locally, I love to browse the store fronts too - Heartland in Bountiful, Pebbles in Holladay, and I am dying to get to Archivers in Orem. I'm sure there are so many more! Leave your favorite site name or store name as a comment if you have one. It's fun to share!
I need to start making my Valentines.
Martha has inspired me. Look how adorable her current collection is... Check back to get a peek at what I come up with.
So ~ I occasionally dabble in event planning. Parties, weddings, dinners, etc. I have often been heard telling someone that "when I grow up, I want to be a wedding planner". I'm 46.
The other day, my daughter from another mother, Carly asked me if I would show her how to make pom balls. For as long as I live I will associate pom balls with the Burkholz/Stringham wedding. I was lucky enough to plan the celebration for my dear friend Katie Burkholz with the help of her sweet mom, Lizzy, last summer. Katie married the wonderful (and lucky) Jeremy Stringham. It was one of the most magical nights of the year! To a large degree the magic came in a van from Culinary Crafts. They were amazing and fabulous, as usual. But I would like to take a little credit for part of it. Enjoy the photos. Please link to the vendors sites if any of you are in the wedding planning stages. You will not be disappointed. And yes - we did MAKE all the pom balls ourselves. I know.
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| The weather was PERFECT! The setting was SPECTACULAR! The occasion was JOYFUL! The night was MAGICAL! |
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| This cake was pictured in "The Knot" last spring. We took it to Granite Bakery in Salt Lake and they customized it just for Katie. I can't believe how many compliments it got! The bakery said it was one of the most beautiful they had ever done! |
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| Gorgeous copper roses and ivory hydrangea. Jen Bennett, floral designer, is an artist! ...and here are the poms - awesome, right? |
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| Copper and Ivory Linens...Tents with lights and chandeliers...twinkle lights and pom balls...sunshine and summertime! |
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| I'm so glad that Jeremy and Katie got a moment to walk around and look at all the beautiful details before the guests arrived. I try to suggest that to couples so that they actually have some memory of what their wedding looked like. Once the night gets going - they will not have a second to themselves! |
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| My sister's gorgeous backyard in Farmington, Utah was transformed into a fairy tale setting by Culinary Crafts. Pure MAGIC. |
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| We hired a huge 15-person photo booth - stocked with props!! It was hiiii-larious! The take home favors were these hand-stamped library pockets made to fit a copy of the photos taken in the booth. A duplicate copy was signed and hung on a clothesline fashioned from copper wire and painted wooden stakes for the couple to keep as the 'sign in book'. These were my original idea and I had my cute daughters help me stamp them - I thought they turned out super cute! ;) Utah Jive arrived an hour before the event and set up the booth. They were fantastic people-people - helping the guests sign their photos for Katie and Jeremy and making sure they took a copy for themselves. It was extra super fun! |
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| Katie and Jeremy spray painted these frames for the tables. Together with the ivory vases, the votives and the beautiful flowers they looked perfect on the copper linens! |
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| Crepe Station...complete with creme' fraiche and a 'to-die-for' orange rum butter sauce...mmmmmm! |
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Again - gorgeous set up from the Culinary Crafts crew. I have hired them many times and they have never failed to WOW me!
Just in case you're wondering how I had time to take all these fabulous photos...well, I didn't!! CC hired out knowing that they'd want to feature the event. All of these pro photos were taken by Zuma Photo. |
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| How great is this mosaic?? We had it blown up and then placed it on an easel along with a couple of magnifying glasses. It was set up in between the entrance and the bride and groom - so people could have something to look at while they were waiting to congratulate the couple. |
Here are a few images of the stationery that I designed for the wedding...invites, program, guest book, etc.
Update: Check out
Pom Love for some ready made pom balls. Really cool stuff!
So while I was working on the blog today I happened upon the following post from Besotted Brand. Cha-Ching! Lucky us! Thanks Jessica!! (I hope I am correct in assuming that is your name) :)
Besotted Brand Blog: MMXI::FOURTEEN
For years I have been fascinated with filters and effects that alter photos. I love distressed, colorized, and/or muted versions of really cool pictures. I would love to re-create some of the amazing 'recipes' that I have seen used on beautiful photos over the years... well, now I can thanks to
Totally Rad. This site is a major resource for everything you need to inspire your inner photo-nista.
WELCOME!
Almost everyday, I see or find something I want to share with someone. That's why I'm often saying something to the effect of, "Hey! Look what I found...". As I gather ideas and inspiration from everything around me, some of these things actually turn into projects: invitations, party favors, decorations, gifts, things for my friends, things for weddings, things for my house, things to eat, etc. But truthfully, most of them go in my files. And, yes, I actually am the kind of person who goes back and looks at them. In my perfect world, I would have ample time to create (or attempt) every fabulous project, as well as endless resources to purchase all of the beautiful, unique, and sometimes quirky things I come across. But until then, I would love to be able to share this obsession I have of looking for the next incredible find. So, come back often--it will be an insight into my thoughts (which I always find entertaining, at the very least) and an adventure in creative possibilities.
