1st blog birthday guest blogger : meredith

it's time for another fabulous guest blogger feature and i am absolutely thrilled to have the lovely
 Meredith, of the Tichenor family blog today!

if you recall, meredith was responsible in creating the screenprinted tshirt favors for aston's party last may. we met last december in a houston blogger meetup she hosted and you can't help but be drawn by her positive attitude and sincere personality. meredith is just a joy whether she's with her adorable boys in a fun adventure or hanging out with her gal pals. being pregnant with her third baby is NOT slowing her down!




Hello lovely followers of swanky::chic::fete! It's my absolute pleasure

to be a guest blogger for Lili as she celebrates her amazing blog's first birthday.

My name is Meredith, I write a family blog, merry & bright: the tichenor family.

I love to get my craft on, adore fun and fabulous parties & I'm obsessed with all things for the home.

If you know me well, you know that I am a lover of the color orange. 

Any way I can get it, I love it. Frank Sinatra hit the nail on the head with this quote...

 With Fall just a couple of months away (seems like eons for those of us slugging out 

this unbearable Texas heat) it's the perfect time to embrace orange. 

I scoured Pinterest {my most recent obsession} for some fabulous orange finds for you.

Ease into it in the month of October with a fabulous display of pumpkins, 

 splash some color on your walls (or your nails if you're not that bold). 

Add in an unexpected splash on home decor. 

You can incorporate a "slice" of orange to your plate, your feet, 

your home, or party and bring a little bit of happiness to the occasion.

Orange you glad it's almost Fall? I just couldn't resist!

Thanks Lili for having me as a guest blogger for your birthday celebration.

It's a pleasure to know you, both virtually and in "real life." You're a doll.

Hope you all find a slice of orange happiness today!

BLOG ~ TWITTER ~ PINTEREST

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

meredith, i LOVE orange as well and i'm glad we share the same passion for this vibrant color! thank you for  sharing this and being here today. blog anniversaries are special and i am glad you are a part of it!

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

friends, don't forget to print out your FREE thank you cards and address labels!



you can dowload them HERE.

1st blog birthday guest blogger : susan

kicking off the weekend is another guest blogger post from my friend, Susan of Green Eyed Susan (her macarons are my absolute favorite dessert!). she's here today to share an exciting event she recently attended celebrating women and their creativity. 

read on to check out the fun gathering as narrated by her and if you are in the Houston area and plans to attend future art events, please check out the schedule at the bottom of her post! 

*****************************

Fabulous Flower Friday: a tribute towards the fetish I have for flowers, and the name for my macaron boutique, Green Eyed Susan, seemes a perfect way to commemorate the anniversary of Swanky::Chic: :Fete { http://swanky-chic-fete.blogspot.com/ } . Although nobody can quite fill Lily's shoes, Lily has invited me to share with each of you. It is my goal to share the very latest and greatest ways to celebrate just as Lily would in my guest blog post, Flower Power : Be You, Embrace Me, Support Us. 

Last night approximately 50 lively boistrous, creative ladies congregated at Estebans in League City inside the Art Shack  Fiesta Shack for the first ever "Women Who Art". Originally invited to showcase and sell my Green Eyed Susan Macarons, { http://www.GreenEyedSusan.com }, I quickly traded in my Chef coat for a painters apron,paint and brushes to begin learning how to create my Floral "masterpiece".  

Jewellery/Crosses foreshadow the Gem of the Evening.

The night began with introductions...........instaneous friends were made

And shopping.........yes all in one place. See the pretty jewelery? It took me the whole evening to find out who made these beautiful crosses, but it was Terri, the one who coordinated the entire event--how did she find time to do it all? Terri kicked off the evening by encouraging each and every one of us to leave the judgment at the door and just have a good time.  The phrase she used that reverberated within each one of us little artists just trying to get out was "Be You, Embrace Me, Support Us." 

 We couldn't wait to get started with that introduction. We taped off our negative space on our canvas and I signed mine with my new friend Julia looking over my shoulder and laughing. She laughed alot at my finished piece too--I'd like to think that the depth of the painting brough her so much joy, but maybe not......WE HAD FUN!

Each of us received our own paint palette of colors. I just needed a beret, but instead I wore my pink cowgirl hat. We all stared at the instructor in dismay as she went through our pain instructions color by color. 

Our table had already tapped into our inner Van Goghs Margaritas

 Voila, a finished work of art!

 Here's Susie mixing her colors to create depth to her flower......In between all the work there were women of all ages weaving through the easles to Abbas' "Dancing Queen" and "I'm So Excited" by Diana Ross

 And here's the rest of the crew, Masterpiece in Hand

I Think Debussy would have been proud of all the "Women Who Art". So much light and reflection in each piece and artist. Women Who Art will be offering workshops the 3rd Thursday of every month. Membership fee is $120/year or $40/event. Paint Pub were the instructors of this evenings Painting class and will be opening a shop  soon in the Clear LakeArea (November, 2011) where you can hold your own paint party.  Find the best entertainment and wonderful company throughout the year with all the Women Who Art Events below.

Calendar of events:

July 21: Paint Pub

August 18: Decorative Clipboards

September 15: Social Event, Creative Speaker Karen Royer

October 20: Zentangled

November 17: Creative Memories

December 15: TBD

January 19: Stephanie Rubiano

February 16: TBD

March 15: TBD

April 19: Mosaics by Michele

Happy Anniversary Lil.  
Here's looking to a wonderful year of celebrations and joy in every word and event you share.  Love you much. SUSAN AKA Green Eyed Susan


*****************************************


thank you so much Susan for being here celebrating my first blog birthday with me. you are such a big part of my first blogging year and i'm grateful to have met you! 

blog ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ shop

1st blog birthday guest blogger : ailynne

continuing my first year blog birthday celebration, i am excited to have lined up a few Houston fabulous bloggers that i admire and truly find inspiration in their own blogs and creative work.

first up is my niece, ailynne, who have been my go-to source for photography tips and shopping deals. i'm sure she can tell you how much i harass her via emails for queries and clarifications whenever i'm ready to upload photos or simply processing them. seriously, i dont know how she does it. she's a mommy to two darling little boys, a fulltime school teacher and part-time photographer accepting portrait sessions and covering local parties/events on weekends!

she's here today guest blogging to share photography tips you can apply when you want to capture those special moments and occasions on your own! do take notes!

My how one year goes by! I just love how this site always inspires me with new ideas, not only for planning events but also for getting ideas of photos I want to capture. Thank you Lili for letting me share some of my photo tips with your fans! I hope these suggestions help you photograph your swanky chic fete!

1) Have other photographers on hand! You will be too busy!  So tell your guests to be photographers for the day (or hire a photographer)! I just love how my sister captured this shot of my son during his third birthday.

2) Plan ahead of time so that  important display tables are located across a window for that perfect lighting! If you have a hard time deciding if you have enough lighting, take your camera phone and snap a test shot. The setting for this shot (you've seen this before) had windows all over. Lighting was perfect!

My back is against the window when I shot this centerpiece.

3) Take those important shots (the birthday celebrant or family shots) early. The decor will still be in place and most everyone will still be cooperative.  The following shots were taken before guests arrived.

4) Capture the details! 

5) Most toddlers won't look at your lens but they do love it when you are making funny faces. If you want that shot where the toddler is looking into the lens,  practice getting your subject in the frame and before you shoot, move your face from behind the camera and let them see your face!  Whenever I take portraits of families, I also tell the adults to follow me with their eyes as I am moving around taking the young child's lead. 

Just a little technical

If you like the blur in the background set your aperture setting from 1.8 to 2.8.

 For group shots, set to atleast 2.8. 

For editing, try this site PIXLR. If you have an image with a lot of noise (that grainy look) you can get rid of it on this site! Go to filter and then denoise.

Enjoy partying! Thanks again for letting me be your guest! 

thank you ailynne for all the valuable tips you have shared with us! i have been playing with my camera for awhile now but i have not decently used it to it's full potential. thanks to your post, i can't wait to try it out once more!

AILYNNE ABARADO PHOTOGRAPHY
facebook ~ twitter ~ blog

***************

DONT FORGET! have you joined our latest giveaway yet?

click HERE for details on how to join!

good luck all!