mason madness [charming party accents]

i am dreaming about these jars (even just the plain white ones). i am imagining new different ways to utilize them but even the basic simplest flower arrangement just look absolutely divine in them. check out these few pictures and tell me it does not make you fall in love all over again.

image from white on rice couple

photo from country living

above image from etsy boutique mattlaurajones



the three photos above are from elizabeth anne designs

note that these aqua vintage mason jars can be very costly but there is a DIY tutorial via the bridal buzz on creating your own for much less. i think i will go that route and save me a few bucks!

DIY [cards, gift tags, notepads and more]

i cant remember the last time i bought a gift card or a thank you card for someone recently. i have long discovered the wonderful abundant free templates in the blogosphere which i have simply indulged myself with. there are hundreds of creative ideas that amazing genius artists generously share with their readers - recipe cards, gift tags, labels, thank you cards, note pads, calendars, flash cards etc, the list is endless. i have compiled some of my favorites and will share with you links and sites that will definitely give you ideas for the next occasion and event. all you need is a computer, a colored printer, a pair of scissors, cardstock (or any paper you may want to use) or a stick of glue. read on and enjoy. one more thing : please be reminded that these free templates are for your own personal use and not for resale. thank you!

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kim of TOMKAT STUDIO has tons of free printables from her site. she is one amazing designer and a dedicated mother of two gorgeous kids. i have followed her blog ever since and her etsy shop is one of my favorite etsy stores!

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GIVER'S LOG is one site i truly love. amberlee, another talented mom who shares to her readers everything from homemade recipes to numerous tutorials for homemade gifts and crafts and lots of printable stuff. hop on to giver's log and prepare to stay there for awhile.

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for baking and cooking afficionados, the BAKE IT PRETTY site has been pure heaven. lots of tips for a boxed-cake dependent baker like me - it also offers yummy easy recipes and loads of free printables too. check out the blog constantly for frequent free giveaways!

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SKIP TO MY LOU is my go-to site whenever i want to be brave and get more crafty and hands-on with my gifts for friends, family and even for my son's teachers. it has a page dedicated to all free downloads like recipe cards, labels, to-do notepads and even pinwheel templates for future party decor! her DIY tutorials are even categorized per holidays or season so it will be easier for us to find exactly what we're looking for!

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and lastly, vicky of CITY CRADLE DESIGN is an event/party planner apart from being a dedicated mommy of twins. her blog shares numerous DIY projects and free templates. some of my favorites are the printable banners, ice cream labels and utensil bags for picnics. not to mention tutorials for felt crown hats, dessert tree and tissue flowers! the weekend is almost here, go get busy!

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just a friendly reminder to use all free downloads for personal use only and not for commercial sale! thank you and enjoy!

posh tots [celeb babies birthday parties]

gone are the rented fake snow and massive carousels, celebs opt to celebrate their little tots birthday parties in simple yet modern and stylish festivities. here are three fabulous actresses whose babies' birthday parties lack the outrageous lavish hollywood fetes they are more famous for - nevertheless still stellar, these occasions are highly mod and chic.

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when you get the great and mighty amy atlas to plan and execute your daughter's princess birthday party, it will be sheer perfection. brooke shields did just that. oldest daughter grier was the picture perfect happy princess on her special day.

to check out grier's birthday party details, read parts one and two at amy atlas blog
{photos above from amy atlas }

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lovely actress julie bowen from the hilarious modern family show celebrated her twin boys' birthday party at the ever popular the COOP (ive been dreaming of franchising one of this some day) in LA last may. the spectacular dessert table was styled and prepared by blue cupcake. to read more about this smashing yellow and orange event, go to blue cupcake's blog

{photo source : blue cupcake}

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when gossip girl's kelly rutherford celebrated her son's robot truck 3rd birthday party last year, they had it at the glam alice and olivia showroom in NY. im not sure why it was held there but the whole place was actually the perfect backdrop for the construction site play area the tiny guests get to enjoy. for more pics, visit celebrity baby scoop


{photo from celebrity baby scoop}

abc paper cup [party preps]

how adorable are these? the party ideas are endless!

want to win them? head over to prudent baby for details

photos swiped from pintsizesocial pop up shop

art and soul [tracey lau]

i am truly inspired by tracey lau and her work. she is an amazing mom of a beautiful growing brood and a very remarkable creative chef, photographer and stylist. i have just been reading and following her blog recently but her simple yet extraordinary style leaves you impacted in a way that it is unforgettable and easily moves your heart. i will let the following pictures speak for themselves. these are pictures from her memorable 40th birthday celebration, her little boy's 1st birthday party and the most recent christmas in july gathering she hosted. she baked, cooked, decorated, styled and photographed these dessert tables :

all images by tracey lau {click images to enlarge photos}

to be inspired by her, visit her blog here and her photos here.

party ideas part 2 [goodie bags and favors]

part of the anticipation the kids get on attending a party is the goodie bag they get to take home and enjoy way after the party. they get reminded of the fun and enjoyment they had with their friends and they get to keep something a part of that celebration. here are a few ideas for the ultimate party favor kids would love :

i personally love edible party favors to take home. these monogrammed cookies are by sunshine bakes - it's a simple reminder of who was the party in honor of. whether be it cookies, a slice of cake or a box of cupcake - all yummy to take home!

when you have babies or infants at a party, you would love to give away something plush and safe for them to take home and play. these soccer stuffed balls are from ikea and are sold at a reasonable price. any stuffed animal or toy will be fun for the tiny ones!

another edible party favor, kids crackers packaged in beautiful boxes and this particular one is perfect for a circus-themed party. i found these at garden ridge for about under $4.00 per box.

for my boy's first race car-themed birthday party, we gave out these cool helmets and a party box filled with bubbles, games, pencils, stickers and car gummy candies. my son still to this day wears his around the house and pretends to be the race care champion of the day!



last april, for my son's friend craig's birthday party these monkey sippy cups with safari sunglasses and stickers were adorable for the jungle-themed party. i believe these are available at oriental trading.



it does not show in this picture but these party favor bags are each filled with a box of wooden train model sets the kids get to assemble at home. for my son's train-themed party last may, i found these boxes of train model sets at michael's clearance rack and wrapped them in inexpensive sandwich bags from target. the train stickers are from egovertopaper.


lastly, here's a shot of my worn-out boy right after a birthday party yesterday clutching his decorated cupcake as his party favor. this show the true testament of how much kids love their parting gifts they get to take home!

party ideas [goodie bags and favors]

the perfect exclamation point to a well-executed fun brilliant party would be the party favors to-go that everyone looks forward to grabbing before leaving. i myself can't wait to get home to open them, i usually tear it open in the car. it's safe to say that it's all about the goodie bag!

this post will be about some few party favor ideas either i've handed out or received in the past few parties or so. each one is special and one-of-a-kind and i am always amazed on some of the great ideas moms/hostesses come up with for party favors we all anticipate carrying home.

when my hubby turned significantly (lol) older a few years back, i hosted a dinner for him, family and relatives at a superb steakhouse and handed out these ceramic mug filled with tea bags. he was born the year of the rooster and i found these perfect blue (his fave color) mugs painted with roosters at cost plus world market. i wrapped them with cellophane and tied with ribbon attached with monogrammed tags. for the kids, i found these bikes/cars/trains chocolate discs and matchbox cars also at cost plus world market

when a girlfriend turned 40 a few years ago, this hermes shopping bag was on every placesetting. as an avid hermes collector, it was natural for her to be giving out some of her favorite things. each bag was filled with travel size hermes scent and bath gel, godiva chocolates and a small individual champagne bottle

for a baby shower i and our friends hosted last june, these miniature pink kelly bags filled with bite-sized sugar cookies were displayed and incorporated into our candy bar. it was a hit!

we had a small gathering on 4th of july for lunch at home with some close friends and handed out these homemade pickles packed in mason jars on their way out the door

it seems like my own baby shower was hundreds of years ago but i wont forget the most adorable goodie bag with baby blue gifts in it. my dear friend K who hosted the shower gathered up baby blue items to give away - blue striped note cards, baby blue bottle pop candy, bliss body products and a candle in blue dotted tin can

recently, i along with friends N and K hosted a birthday party for a friend and i created individual flower arrangements on miniature teapots and vases for each guest's place setting. they get to take them home after the party.

every goodie bag filled with anything unexpected and heartwarming will be a sure hit. be it something homemade or store bought, as long as it's well thought out - every guest will feel special and loved.

these will have to be for now. i have more party favor ideas to share later for kids parties and that will have to be on a part two post.

elegant glamour [wedding]

in two months, my husband and i will be celebrating our 10th year anniversary and as i go over our thick bulky leather bound photo album - i stared at those captured moments with our family and friends and realizing how lucky we were to be together for 10 years blessed with the unconditional love we have for each other and with an addition little one whom we adore.

i'll post some of our old scanned wedding photos later but in the meantime i would like to share this beautiful elegant wedding of a close friend four years ago. it was perfectly coordinated by the ladies of belle of the ball, a top local wedding event planner.

the ceremony was held in one of the halls of hotel intercontinental
transformed into this romantic space filled with white roses, orchids and white hydrangeas.

the bride's stunning bouquet of orchids, roses and lilies

i loved the idea of monogrammed dance floor and iced bar during cocktails

these lovely couple was just recently blessed with the arrival of their first baby and we were just fortunate to be able to witness and share all of these milestones in their lives!

pool party [twins 1st birthday party]

yesterday we attended our good friends N and K's twin boys' first birthday party. it was held at their residence's local water park with a beach ball theme. like me, mommy N likes to do crafty things and is obsessed with party planning. naturally she did an awesome job!





the fondant cake was an adorable pool scene created by young talented baker ahnika



love that the pails were used as vessels for the goodies in the candy buffet



the beachball photoholders (with balloons) held the twins pictures since they were born and were pretty centerpieces as well



goodie bags were personalized canvas bags filled with sunglasses, bubbles, beachballs, water guns, stickers and more!



i simply adored the beachball sippy cups! also check out these flipflop and number 1 cookies by sunshinebakes!



we all had a great time! check out my son here coveting the twins' gifts - LOL!