Hostess with the Mostess Feature!

I'm soooo excited to finally be able to share this with you....

A couple of my animals were featured on Hostess with the Mostess! Yay!

If your not familiar, it is an awesome party planning website. Tons of party ideas, vendors, inspiration, and pictures. Check it out, but beware, your going to have party fever. 

I was asked by this amazing event stylist, Tanya Martinez, with Save the Date for Cupcakes, to custom make some animals. She was using them for a, modern yellow & aqua pony party. I used her color scheme, and created a couple animals. 

 To read the full story about the party, and see more pictures, go here. 

Jennifer Sbranti, HWTM Editor-in-cheif said this....

I am absolutely loving this Modern Yellow & Aqua Pony Party by Tanya of Save the Date for Cupcakes! From the awesome Pony Pops to the rustic rope monogram, everything is so cute & decorative. But really, the thing that truly takes the cake for me… well, can you guess what it is? Those super cute embellished animals of course!

Love that! She has such great taste!

Tanya commented, saying....

I have to say that my favorite part of the party was the hand painted party horses and zebras by Painted Parade.

These gals know a good thing!

Tanya did a wonderful job. She styles party's for a living, and you can see why. This one, just so happen to be her daughter's birthday event. Such an honor to be part of this special day!

Check out some of the photos.

For the full story on the party go to Hostess With The Mostess

Check out more of Tanya's beautiful parties at http://savethedateforcupcakes.wordpress.com/

....and here on Facebook

Other vendors used in this party

Turquoise party decorations Martha Stewart Living

Pony printables and 36" round balloons The TomKat Studio

Painted party animals Painted Parade

Hand painted white horse cake pops NY Cake Pops

Cookie pops Lori's Place

Chocolate covered Oreo's Sweet Temptations

Girly Inspiration

My youngest daughter is already 16 months! I can't believe how time flies. 

When we moved into this house, I was still pregnant. I painted and painted, from top to bottom. 

The last room was Kiera's, and a couple hours after I finished, I went into labor. 

She had to have her room done (she does like to have her way). 

Problem was I never really finished her room.. I'm not sure I have really finished any room in my house.

Since she's the third she gets the hand-me-down furniture. This was not a decision I was super happy with, I wanted girly...but we had to make budget cuts somewhere. The crib and dresser were my sons, they were more of a modern look. So I tried to girly it up with the fabric.

Here is the unfinished version she currently has... No judging...not my normal level of work!

Fairly bare walls

I made the sheets, bumpers and dust ruffle. 

The fabrics are Heather Bailey, from the Pop Garden Collection. 

My wonderful Grandmother,  made a baby quilt  for Kiera's room, using some of the fabrics. It's one of her favorite things.

I had meant to put up something on the wall...but I had a newborn, and 2 other children, come on :)

Soooo.....what to do now???

She's getting ready to move to a bigger bed, and get rid of the crib. Since the only thing really holding the room together is the bedding fabrics, I think I get a fresh start.

I have been going Pintrest crazy, looking at ideas on how to rework her room, it's a sickness. I was thinking about two twin beds, but my husband does not like the idea....I'm workin on him.

So Im plotting and planning, and one day, not to long from now, I will start, and finish, her room!
I'll keep you posted.

Until then.....

 Here are some pictures from a sweet girls room I did with Finishing Touches. 

Branches with Cherry blossoms.

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Something Fishy

Since before I can remember, my family has vacationed in a small town, in New Mexico. Red River became like a second home to us. When I was about 6, my large family had outgrown staying at my grandmothers cabin. So they all got together to build a new one. Luckily my parents, and aunts and uncles, are all very handy, and secretly log-home-builders. 

They built an amazing cabin!

Growing up in Colorado made it a short 4 1/2 hour trip to our cabin, so we went alot. Sometimes for a holiday, a whole week, or just a weekend. It's not unusual to have more than one family at a time visiting either. My grandmother has 5 kids, 12 grand-kids, and now, 5 great grandchildren. 

The cabin has always been put together by family contribution. Everyone pitches in to make it run, and make it look good. 

Once I got to an age of being able to visit with my family, I wanted to make my contribution. 

On a summer visit, I wanted to make my mark. I decided to paint a mural in the "kids" room. There are several twin beds set up in here, and 2 boring white walls. The other two walls are external walls, logs. 

Since our family is big on fishing, I decided to paint fish as if you were underwater. 

A Rainbow Trout 

 The mural was meant to be simple, let the fish be the focal point, so I made them larger than life. 

Can you imagine the size of the fisherman on the other side of this line? 

A couple of Brown Trout

Brook Trout

Mr. Beaver

What a catch!

Our cabin has really been a special place to escape from the realities of our day-to-day life. There is no cable, or internet, and count yourself lucky if you get cell phone reception. 

The town is very quaint, one long street, with small shops, one grocery store, a place to roller skate or play putputt golf. But I'm not sure you will be able to find a live shoot-out by some cowboys, see a true Indian pow-wow, learn to square dance, or buy fried cheese on a stick, anywhere else. 

This place is awesome :) 

We knew all the lines to the act, but went at least once a visit anyways. 

I'm sure there are towns like this all over, with cabins and houses, that have a history with you or your family. But if you don't have one, find one. Even if it is just renting a little place somewhere far away, by a lake, or at the beach. Find a place to get away, breath in the fresh air, and relax. 

Your kids will thank you one day, for all the memories. Even if they complain, the whole way up the 4 mile hike to the beautiful lake. 

It will all be worth it, and you will never forget it.

Circus Birthday

Party, party, party!

The summer is always the best time for a party. The plus side of living in Texas, is it feels like summer well into fall. This leaves LOTS of extra party time, so we are utilizing our time well. 

Late this summer, I was asked to help with the decorations for a circus birthday party. Given by a good friend of mine, for her husband and son's birthday. Laura is pretty fabulous at throwing parties, so she didn't need a ton of help. We brainstormed on things together, and came up with some fun signs, and decorations.

The guests of honor

By the time the party started I think it was actually 104 degrees, luckily the entertainment and food, kept people going. The spiked snow cones did hurt either!

Here is the fabulous invite from one of my favorite shops on Etsy, Artist In La La Land. She custom made this just for the party. This tattooed couple is so cute!

 The party entrance was up the driveway, through a covered carport. To decorated this, she used thin plastic rolls of tablecloth material. The rolls were laid out, gathered, twisted, and draped. They pooled on the ground, it looked very circusy ( a new word, FYI) . Cocktail tables were set up underneath. 

Pinwheels made by Aubabi78, from Etsy, were placed in mason jars, filled with tickets. 

Photo props were put in jars, where guests could grab them and snap a shot.

From, The Manic Moose.

Next to the carport, a snow cone truck set up shop. For the kids, he would pack a cup full of ice, and they would pick a syrup, and pull the lever. How great to be a kid!

For the adults, he poured your flavor, plus a little vodka...to make dealing with your kids spilling syrup all over their clothes, more bearable. Not a bad day to be over 21! 

On the fence as you enter the backyard, was my gigantic canvas sign. This was a real task to paint, as it was about 152" long. I painted a ringmaster, and an elephant, draped with a blanket bearing the family's name. The whole time, thinking about how circus animals seem to be on there way out of the circus, because of animal cruelty. So I tried to give the guy a smile, so for all you animal rights activists out there, this is completely humane, I promise. 

Originally this was going to hang on the front of the carport, so you would walk underneath it. I attached large plastic grommets, and used heavy rope to attach it. Before the second rope was attached, the large gusts of wind we were having ripped it down. 

Live and learn. 

 So instead, it was hung on the fence. The wind sucked this sign right to the fence, making it easy to attach. Looking for the good here. 

I also painted a kissing booth sign that was place over the gate opening, so you walked right underneath it. Not a bad spot to wait until you found a good looking fella. 

Here comes some of the entertainment...

Inside the backyard there were two tents set up. One close by the food and bar, the other out in the grass, were the children's entertainment was. 

The pennants on the tent were found at, Starlit Nest on Etsy.

For the inside of the tent, Laura made this very elaborate ribbon garland. After MANY rolls of ribbon, LOTS of hours, and VERY numb fingers, here is the amazing outcome. 

In the kids tent, the ribbon hung down very low. Low enough, to run back and forth brushing your hands on the ends. Oh wait that was me :)

For the entertainment, she had two clowns, a face painter, a magician, a band, and a funnel cake lady. I know, the funnel cake lady technically isn't the entertainment, but she did draw a big crowd. 

On one of the fences, Laura put up this awesome "party" sign, it even lights up. 

Found here, at Junk Art Gypsyz

The always fabulous Laura, in her great little party hat, from Doo's Oddistuffies.

The food table was another area, I helped plan, make, and set up. The tables were draped in a red and white striped, plastic table cloth.    .

I made a canvas sign for above the table, that said "Step Right Up" which you can find here. On the sides of the sign, and around the tables, we added large rosettes from, The Papier Studio on Etsy 

The chalkboard was a lucky find at Hobby Lobby. I dressed it up with a hot dog, and popcorn  sign. I painted these on canvas, for that old school carnival look. How could you not want a hot dog when he can dance like that.

Some jumbo party animals were used around the tables.

Yummmm, everybody's favorite, cotton candy.

I'm so thankful to Laura, and her beautiful family, for letting me be a part of this special day!

 A big thank you to,  Sam Roberts Photography, for contributing some of these amazing shots!