Aloha!

Birthday parties are always a blast to plan, but when there is a theme involved it is even better! I recently did a Hawaiian luau themed eighth birthday party for a sweet girl named Monica.

When guests arrived they were immediately in the mood to hula their way in and stay when they took that first glimpse of the colorful decorations. Theresa with Triangle Balloons created several bouquets and tropical centerpieces.

Each guest was greeted with a lei and a grass skirt. The party was outside in my client’s backyard where the children swam, used bubbles, hula hooped and danced including the limbo!

Guests munched on catered food from Whole Foods and cupcakes from The Cupcake Shoppe.

After singing happy birthday, the Kona Ice truck arrived. Each kid got to enjoy a snow cone of his or her choice. It was a refreshing treat on this hot May day!

For favors, we filled sand buckets filled with luau themed goodies including cookies, tattoos, bubbles, rings and more. Instead of a thank you tag, we created a sticker that read “Hope you had a hula good time!”

We all know calligraphy as the design of letters on a place card, envelope, etc., but it is so much more than that. What is written, the placement of words, and the titles given to the subjects play a huge role in calligraphy. When one is addressing his/her wedding invitations, there are several rules of etiquette that must be applied. Here are some examples of the rules you should always abide by when creating formal invitations:

Creating the list of guests

• Put your guests in alphabetical order to make it easier for you or your calligrapher to edit

• Spreadsheets are a great tool for guest lists, but make sure that you can convert and print your list to label format

• Use an easy-to-read font to avoid trouble later on

Basic addressing tips

• ALWAYS spell out titles, such as Reverend, Colonel, Doctor, Lieutenant, etc.

• NEVER spell out Mr. and Mrs.

• Ms. is used for women over 21, while Miss is used for women under 21

• Spell out and; don’t use the ampersand (&)

• Write out the guests’ full names, which means that middle names, titles, etc. should be included

• If a middle name can’t be found, then the middle initial is completely fine

• The whole address should also be fully spelt out, except for the house number; this includes cities, states, and any words such as road, street, boulevard, etc.

Inner envelope addressing rules

• Usually used for formal occasions

• It is not necessary to use designations (junior, senior, II, IV, etc.), first names, or middle names

Specific guest addressing details

• Children under 18 may be added to the inner envelope of their parent’s invitation (first names only)

• If inner envelopes are not being used, the children’s first names may be placed underneath the parents on the outer envelope

• Children over 18 should receive their own invitation

• If two siblings over 18 are living together, their full names shouldn’t be written side by side, but as shown:

Miss Cheryl Elizabeth Smith
Miss Katie Ashley Smith

• Couples with different last names should be written just as the example above; the woman’s name can be written first, or the person that you are closer to can be written first

These are only a few of the many different etiquette rules. If you wish to read more about the rules of calligraphy, check out “No Regrets”, a guidebook written by Carrie Shuping. It can be found on www.calligraphybycarrie.com.

Credits: Carrie Shuping of Calligraphy by Carrie & Madison Zampa

St. Patrick’s Day can be one of the hardest holidays to incorporate into your home. Of course, the color green should be present and it is in the decorative ideas and food items below.

This mint cookie cupcake seems difficult to prepare, but is easier to cook up than expected. This may just look like your average chocolate cupcake, but when bitten into, the crunch and taste of mint from a grasshopper cookie shakes things up. The recipe can be found here:
http://bakingamoment.com/mint-chocolate-cookie-cupcakes/

Many people know that a common food for the Irish is potatoes, so why not incorporate a little bit of tradition into your dish? These potato candies don’t exhibit the taste of potatoes, yet, they are a sweet treat for your guests! The recipe can be found here: http://spoonful.com/recipes/st-pats-potato-candy

Shamrock streamers are a great decoration to use, because they can be easily put up and removed while still looking festive. All you need are streamers, scissors, and a pencil. How easy is that!? Further instructions can be found at http://www.studiodiy.com/2012/03/15/st-patricks-day-diy-shamrock-streamers/

These adorable straws can dress up any drink! They can be bought on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/92296705/sale-photo-booth-props-st-patricks-day

Written by Madison Zampa

Look around your neighborhood and almost everyone has a wreath on their door, windows, or mailbox. While I love the classic Christmas wreath made of fresh evergreens and likely topped with a big red bow, there are so many other options if you are looking for a fun or unique way to decorate the exterior of your home! For a country home, this burlap wreath is perfect for this holiday season (and the next!) and comes with your monogram. You can purchase this personalized wreath from “FrontDoorsShowcase” on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/167670220/burlap-wreath-etsy-wreath-fall-wreaths

For a more modern wreath, try a DIY ornament wreath! We found this one on Pinterest from Four Generations One Roof and loved how fun and colorful it is! An ornament wreath is the perfect splash of color to your front door or as a decoration on your mantle inside. Not quite up for the DIY challenge?  Etsy has plenty of ornament wreaths for you to choose from; check out Judy
Blank’s shop (JudyBlank) and her stunning vintage Christmas ornament wreaths!

For a super unique look, this wreath has ornaments hanging from a red frame will definitely warrant a second look! This looks easy enough for a new DIYer!

If you want to stick with the more traditional route but still want to jazz up a typical Christmas wreath, try making one of these fun snowman wreaths like this one shown here:

Just stack three wreaths, add a scarf and hat, and you’re good to go!