Restaurant Sampling

James and I had such a fun Saturday! We had an awesome idea :) and decided to participate in Provo's Fall Dining Round! We spent our afternoon in downtown Provo sampling food from over 10 different restaurants. We ate so much yummy food, explored different eateries, and hung out with some great friends.

I can't help but list all of the tasty samples: Tacos, chips & salsa and a smoothie from Los Hermanos, quesadilla from Gurus, gelato and Alfredo pasta from Gloria's Little Italy, pot pie & hot chocolate from Communal, gourmet chocolate from Taste, smoothie from Ivie Juice Bar, doughnuts and root beer from Station 22, french fries from Bruges, buffalo shrimp from Slate, pie shake from Sammy's, and a sandwich from Sensuous Sandwich!

And yes, I am still full from yesterday.

10 Year High School Reunion

Okay, wow. What a freaking awesome weekend! I can't stop thinking about how much fun I've had and all of the amazing highlights from the last two days. My good high school friend Alicia and I decided to turn our 10 year high school reunion into a girl's trip with a goal to relive as many high school memories that we could think of. I would call the weekend a success full of nostalgia and reminiscence. 

We did everything from dancing to Tiesto at Hakkasan, swimming at Red Rock, gelato at the Venetian, sampling makeup at Sephora (of course), catching up with some great friends at my 10 year high school reunion, having an after party at BJs for pazookies, and breakfast at Babystacks. It doesn't get much better than that! 

Here are the pictures to prove it: 

Missi & Spencer's Wedding

Yay! It's official - Spencer and Missi are married! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Brooks! James and I are so happy for you two and feel so lucky that we were able to be apart of your special day. (And isn't Missi so gorgeous? I mean, look at that dress! I still can't get over how beautiful she looked on her wedding day.)

Missi asked me if I could make some decorations for her outdoor wedding, so of course I said yes. I was able to design a few banners and signs and had fun setting everything up. Before all of the wedding guests arrived, I was able to take some quick pictures. Take a look and Enjoy.

[Torrey, thank you for the awesome fringe backdrop - I've put it to good use!]

A Baby 'Sail'ebration! - Sea Inspired Baby Shower

I had so much fun planning Tatum's baby shower and coordinating all of the details. I might have had a little too much fun because I ran out of time and had to throw out my idea of building a sailboat to put in my living room... It would have been amazing.

Thank goodness for my family who came the night before and helped me with last minute party preparations. We were cutting out banners, framing pictures, and rearranging the furniture. It is amazing the work that goes into getting ready for an event. I like to start planning a party 3 months in advance so I can take my time nurturing a theme and perfecting each and every detail. I slowly work on a craft every night when I get home from work until I get the finished product.

I think my favorite part of party planning is the decorating. This is the time you get to see everything come together and enjoy it all to yourself before the guests come. I love this moment. 

I tried to snap as many pictures as I could before the party people arrived. Take a gander and enjoy. 

THE PARTY DECORATIONS //

Decoration highlights to look out for - silver seashells, kraft paper signs, hand painted rocks, lots of tissue paper tassels, baby picture age guessing game, message in a bottle game, origami sea shells & boats, candy bar, and lots of greens, blues, and silver.

THE PARTY FOOD //

Party food details to look out for - kraft paper labels, lifesaver utensils, lots of twine, pineapple cream cheese dip, sand dollar cookies, pretzel roll chicken salad sandwiches, coconut cupcakes, ocean water, fresh fruit, and milk bottles for glasses.

Ocean Water // {lemonade | hawaiian punch}

Milk Bottles // {ikea vases | paper straws | twine}

Pineapple Cream Cheese // {cream cheese | pecans | pineapple top}

Sand Dollar Cookies // {snickerdoodles | sliced almonds}

Pretzel Roll Sandwich // {costco's pretzel rolls | chicken salad}

DIY BABY LEGGINGS //

My sister Alex is a genius and organized this fabulous DIY baby legging craft. No joke, she sewed about 20 baby leggings for the party guests to decorate. She not only made each legging, but she also cut out and sculpted each rubber stamp! She is so artistic and creative and is seriously always coming up with amazing craft ideas. I get a lot of my ideas from her and that is just one of the things that is so great about having her as my sister. Check out this amazing baby shower craft, by Alex Neff.

THE PARTY PEOPLE //

Check out the rest of the pictures on my Facebook album: j.mp/ShowerPictures

Paddle Board Surprise

Look what James surprised me with! I've always wanted a paddle board and with my birthday coming up James knew it would be the perfect early birthday gift. :) I came home from work with the paddle board leaned next to the garage door. I was so excited and couldn't wait to try it - so we walked down to the water immediately. I've already taken it out on the lake a couple of times and I think that I am going to make this a weekly occurrence. Talk about a perfect way to kick-off the summer (and my birthday month). Thanks James, I am loving the paddle board!

Sea Inspired Baby Shower Invite

For the past few months I have been dreaming up a baby shower for my sister Tatum. To be exact, I have been planning the party since January! Right when we found out she was having a baby boy I immediately started thinking of fun party themes and ideas. The theme for this baby shower came to me almost immediately. I knew it would be such a fun idea to throw a sea inspired party. The tricky part was defining the look and feel of the decorations. I didn't want something too beachy or too nautical but something in between - think mermaid inspired but with a boyish charm.

When it comes to a party, I feel like the invitation sets the tone and is the part that really starts the momentum for the event. I usually will think about the design of the invite first before designing the rest of the party. While designing this particular invite - it took me a little longer than I expected to come up with the right look and layout. I spent hours running thoughts and concepts through my head and even sketched a few different drafts until I came up with an inspired design. I think my favorite part about the invite is how the blue ombre pattern looks like waves on the bottom half but looks like scales on the top half. It really does set the tone and feel for the party. I purchased the kraft paper envelopes from Michaels, and the pearl paper invites from The Paper Store - I love how they go together.

envelopes | printing | paper | crown | bottle | wood vase

While I was thinking up ideas for the invites, I realized that it can be a little tricky planning a baby shower for a boy. I learned that the key is to keep the mother in mind. There still needs to be a feminine touch that makes her feel special (take note of the pearl paper invites). So how do you tie in something girly? I started thinking about this and realized that Tatum needed a mermaid crown for her sea inspired baby shower! It is all about the little details. :)

This is my first time throwing a baby shower for a boy and I can't wait to see how it turns out. Surprisingly, all of the parties I have thrown have been for girls - actually let me take that back, I did throw a Hipster BBQ for James and it was pretty epic.

I will be sharing pictures of the party soon, so stay tuned!

Tropical Favorites for the Summer

I have been loving the tropical trend for this summer and I can't get enough of the fun prints, bright colors, and yummy scents. Anything that reminds me of Maui or makes me feel like I am living near the ocean - count me in! 

James and I have been opening up our windows and doors during the day and it has been such an enjoyable experience. From our house you can hear the waves crashing and the birds chirping outside and you can even feel an occasional cool lake breeze. I just close my eyes and pretend I am somewhere exotic. 

I think that is my favorite thing about our home - that it feels like I am staying at a retreat. My home really is my getaway and I think that's how it should be.

Since the tropics have been on my mind, I thought it would be fun to share list of my tropical favorites for this summer (or year-round). Enjoy.

Pineapple Hat from Forever 21 //

I got this hat from Forever 21 and I am loving it so much! I think every girl should have a pink hat and pineapples are all the rage right now. :)

Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo/Conditioner by OGX //

This shampoo smells like you are washing your hair on a tropical island. I love the sulfate-free formula. It gently cleanses and hydrates for silky smooth hair.

Hawaiian Pineapple Facial Cleanser by Alba //

Okay, this is one of my favorite face washes right now. The pineapple scent is to die for and I love the way it makes my skin feel - nice and clean and doesn't dry me out. 

Coconut Body Lotion from Love & Beauty //

I got this lotion from Forever 21 and it is the perfect tropical lotion - it smells just like pina colada! I have repurchased it a couple of times because I use it so much.