Viva, Las Vegas!

Last month I had the pleasure of producing a three day industrial real estate conference for Cushman & Wakefield. That may not sound very exciting, but this conference was in beautiful Las Vegas and attended by nearly 450 of the happiest industrial real estate professionals I’ve ever met. Seriously, I have never encountered so many people who love what they do in one place. Cushman & Wakefield is doing something right. The conference consisted of seminars, break-out sessions, round tables, exhibits, and networking opportunities. We were very lucky to partner with the amazing folks at Nice Meeting to bring some cutting edge technology to this year’s conference. You can read more about Nice Meeting here. The conference culminated with a fire and ice themed cocktail party complete with an ice bar and luge, themed signature drinks, and fire dancers. Because it is Vegas, after all. Surrender Nightclub at the Encore Resort took such good care of us! We wanted to get the theme across as soon as our guests came through the door. We had waitresses welcoming them serving our signature drinks, the Fireball and the Blue Icicle. These massive, 4ftX8ft lit signs also helped. It’s a little hard to make out in the

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Groovy, 1960's Inspired Birthday Invitation

Sixties Inspired 60th Birthday Invitation

The guest of honor for this super fun 1960’s themed bash is a reformed hippie who is into quilting, batik fabric, reptiles, tree species, and dog training. She also happens to be my mom. I searched high and low for the perfect 1960’s inspired invitation. I tried to design it myself, but my self-taught graphic design skills just didn’t cut it. After all, this lady has been amazing for 60 years. It had to be perfect. Luckily, I stumbled across Nadia Ink. (And lucky for you, Nadia will customize this design for your next party by clicking here.) A huge thank you to Nadia, who was able to take my ambiguous ideas and return a first draft that was nearly perfect. She was kind enough to work within my tight timeline even though she was working on another party simultaneously. What a pro! If you live in the Toronto area, Nadia will even custom style a candy/sweets tables at your next event. Check out her facebook page for more info! And check back soon for all the groovy details on this swinging party!

30th Birthday Barn Party

Andy’s 30th Birthday Wisconsin Barn Party

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the pictures of this soirée from Über-talented photographer, James Holveck of White Night Photography. Andy’s 30th birthday party was so much fun and James did a wonderful job capturing the beauty of a great fall day, amazing friends and family, and a festive birthday celebration. There are so many fantastic pictures that I had trouble deciding which to highlight. I love all the signs we did around the property. They really added a splash of the family’s fun-loving personality. Since it was late October in Wisconsin, we were prepared with a basket of hats, scarves, and gloves (pictured below) for guests who were feeling the chill of the fall air. See the Sneak Peek post from this party for a tutorial on the hanging tinsel covered thirty below. It created a stunning focal point above the bar. Added bonus: it was super easy & inexpensive! To bring some softness into the eclectic barn, we brought the ceiling down with tulle and twinkle lights. We found a pile of twigs from the apple trees on the property and worked those into the centerpieces then placed them on some log pieces for added rustic charm. Special thanks to Andy and his family for letting

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Ribbon Centerpiece

Make way for turkey! Hanging Centerpiece Ribbon Chandelier

Every Thanksgiving I run into the same problem. I’ve painstakingly made (or purchased) an elaborate and beautiful centerpiece. Yet, when I go to put the main attraction (ie- the plethora of fat, butter, carbs, and turkey) on the table it starts to look like Walmart on black Friday – way too crowded. In turn, I begrudgingly remove the centerpiece and resent it the entire dinner. (Thank you, Grandma, for ingraining in me feelings of shame and self-loathing when serving guests a meal without a centerpiece. The horror!) So, when I went to write about the awesome ribbon chandelier I made for this shower, it hit me. What a PERFECT solution for a crowded Thanksgiving table! Hanging Ribbon Chandelier/Centerpiece What I love most about this project is its versatility. Obviously, your ribbon can be any color, shape, size, and length. You can choose to add cardstock pieces like I did, or not. Basically, if you can affix an item to a piece of monofilament, you can use it to create a hanging centerpiece. Wouldn’t it be great to add pinecones & fall leaves to one for Thanksgiving. Or candy canes for your Christmas table. Fresh or silk flowers would be beautiful for a

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Flowerless Pomanders

Inexpensive DIY Cupcake Liner Pomanders

Have an extra three hours? Then this one’s for you! But before you even start, head over here to learn how to hand dye your cupcake liners. Despite the excessive time required, I had a blast making these for the colorful baby shower I was planning. And they turned out so stunning, I might even consider doing it again. It all started when I stumbled across the below in Martha Stewart Living while I was at the gym. Oh Martha, you make it look so quick! And because I’m a chronic overachiever, I decided that I needed to add some color to each and every liner by hand dying them. I think it was worth it. Do you? Do-it-Yourself Alternative Pomanders Supplies: Styrofoam balls of varying sizes – I used an 8 inch ball, 5 inch ball, and two 4 inch balls. Just remember, they get bigger when you add all the cupcake liners to them. And, each ball took about 45 minutes to complete. Cupcake liners – I followed Martha’s advice and bought 300 mini cups. I couldn’t find enough white, regular size cupcake liners so I bought what I could, 150. I think their guidelines in the article above are actually pretty

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