Showing posts with label showers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label showers. Show all posts

Monday, April 23

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...

  • 4/23 - World Book Day
  • 4/27 - Arbor Day
  • 4/29 - International Dance Day 


SWOON.

SMILE.

FLASHBACK.

Monday, June 6

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

SWOON.

SMILE.
"I shifted my focus from weight loss or shrinking my thighs to being the healthiest version of myself. "

FLASHBACK.

Monday, June 22

clicks of note: then we were new

get your week off to a colorful start...
  • There's no doubt in my mind that this will be my favorite week of this summer. After consulting my packing list, I'm headed to my childhood summer camp this morning for my annual volunteering gig, but I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon for a little day trip with my mama - to see SIR PAUL FREAKIN' MCCARTNEY. There's a 99% chance I will weep uncontrollably throughout the concert. On Friday after camp, we have a rehearsal dinner for Breeze's sister's wedding, which is on Saturday (I'm serving as the day-of coordinator). Whew!

LISTEN.


  • Of course this week's song has to be Paul. I think "New" is such a sweet song. I'll be linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

SMILE.

FLASHBACK.
WEEKLY ROUND-UP at HIGH-HEELED LOVE

Monday, March 23

clicks of note: these are the best days of our lives...

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.
  • Sometimes I hear a song I like so much I'm almost sure I've featured it here before! If so, this one's good enough to hear again (and add to all your spring party playlists). I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.
Pretty sure this Wilmington bride is my wedding soul mate... check it out!

SMILE.

FLASHBACK.
     

Monday, September 22

clicks of note: one thing that you should know...

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

  • I fell in love with British singer-songwriter Alex Clare back when "Too Close" was in those Internet Explorer commercials.  His new song "Never Let You Go" is very different than most of his previous work musically and really lets his voice shine.  I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

SMILE.
Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.

—Nora Ephron

Monday, May 5

clicks of note: cinco de mayo!

get your week off to a colorful start...

WATCH.

SWOON.

SMILE.

FLASHBACK.

Monday, October 21

clicks of note: let's stay together

get your week off to a colorful start...

LISTEN.

  • I love Maroon5, and I especially love the covers they've included on their recent albums.  Their version of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" from their most recent album, Overexposed, is so chill and laid-back; perfect dinner-party or reception music.

SWOON.

SMILE.

FLASHBACK.

Saturday, July 27

entertaining: breeze's shower! [how to plan a rustic bridal shower: games & gifts]

As much as I love entertaining, party games are not really my forte.  Luckily, I wasn't alone in planning Breeze's shower.  Mandi and I decided on a few games that are easy to play and fun for party guests without making anyone feel awkward.


The Clothespin Game

I used the same washi tape I decorated Breeze's recipe card dividers with to decorate clothespins for a classic shower game.  I got the yellow tape from The Washi Shop on Etsy and the gingham tape from WashiWishes on Etsy.  For the clothespins, I did have to trim the sides of the tape with scissors, but it was one of the easiest crafts ever!  Our rule for the clothespin game was that guests could not say the word "wedding."  If you heard a fellow guest say "wedding," you got to take her clothespin.  Whoever had the most at the end of the party would be declared the winner.  It's fun to hear people get creative with their conversations - like the bride's sister asking her friend, "what time are you getting there on the 14th?"


Breeze's grandmother was our clothespin game winner, and she was very sneaky about getting people to say the "W-word" - now we know where Breeze and Mandi get their competitive streak.

Friday, July 26

entertaining: breeze's shower! [how to plan a rustic bridal shower: food & drinks]

Because we had a lot of helpers and a lot of "yes" R.S.V.P.s, we also had a LOT of food at Breeze's bridal shower.  We tried to stick to a country, comfort-food theme and to serve most of Breeze's favorite party treats.


In addition to lemonade and sweet tea, we served sangria and fruit punch.

White Peach Sangria

Ingredients:
  • Peach Schnapps
  • Riesling
  • Lemon Lime Soda
  • Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapes

Luscious Slush Punch (from Allrecipes.com)

Serves 25

Ingredients:
  •  2 1/2 cups white sugar
  •  6 cups water
  •  2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored Jell-O® mix
  •  1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice
  •  2/3 cup lemon juice
  •  1 quart orange juice
  • 1 bottle lemon lime soda

Directions:

Bring the sugar, water, and strawberry flavored Jell-o® to a boil in a large saucepan; boil for three minutes. In a large bowl, stir together the pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice and slowly add the gelatin liquid. Divide the mixture into 2 separate containers and freeze.
Combine the contents of 1 container with 1/2 bottle of the lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage in a punch bowl; stir until slushy. Repeat with remaining portions as needed.


Sausage Balls
Makes 40

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound ground pork sausage (mild)
  • 2 cups biscuit/pancake baking mix
  • 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sage

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, add cheddar to baking mix and toss to coat.  Add sausage.  Mix until well combined using hands, adding spices while mixing.  Roll mixture into 1-inch balls.  Place balls 1/2 inch apart on a greased baking sheet.  Bake until balls are starting to brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve warm.

Thursday, July 25

entertaining: breeze's shower! [how to plan a rustic bridal shower: invites & decor]

One of the bridesmaid "duties" I was most excited about when Breeze got engaged was getting to help plan her bridal shower.  When Mr. Q and I got married, she and Coordinator C put together an adorable party for me.  I wanted to do the same for my best friend, taking inspiration from her wedding's rustic theme and yellow and navy color palette.

Rustic Bridal Shower invitations

I was fairly proud of the final invitation suite Coordinator C and I put together - it was my first time using computer software to design stationery.  Coordinator C had found a tea-stained mason jar template from Shoregirl's Creations and I had found mason jar themed recipe cards from Paper Crave.  I downloaded a font similar to the one on the recipe card and designed the invitation using GimpShop.  We printed both the invitations and recipe cards on ivory cardstock.  Then we used an Exacto knife to cut two small slits in the invitation and add a yellow ribbon.  The vintage seed packet stamps that the postal service introduced this spring were the perfect finishing touch.

Rustic Bridal Shower DecorationsRustic Bridal Shower Decorations

For the shower decorations, we decided to add pink to the wedding's yellow and navy color palette because it's Breeze's favorite color.  Her sister Mandi covered the kitchen island and tables with ivory tablecloths and burlap runners tied with twine - Breeze will be decorating her wedding tables in a similar way.  We borrowed the cool plate/napkin/utensil caddy from Breeze's aunt, I found the cute gingham print cocktail napkins at Marshall's, and Mandi made the tissue paper poms.  I decoupaged a cardboard letter "S" with gingham scrapbook paper and a lot of Mod Podge.

Rustic Bridal Shower Gift Table

Mandi put some of Breeze and the Cowboy's engagement pictures in a collage frame and it looked perfect on the gift table.

Rustic Bridal Shower

Here's the recipe card box - I found a plain wooden box with a cool metal screen lid at Michael's and stained it with a very light coat of Gunstock wood stain.  The dividers are cardstock trimmed to size, decorated with two strips of washi tape, and stamped with an alphabet set I have.  I thought the finished product had a nice rustic look.  A few ladies brought recipe cards from their boxes at home, which I thought was a really sweet personal touch.

Rustic Bridal Shower

My favorite shower detail were the mason jars and striped paper straws!  I was determined to have drinks served in mason jars since that was a big part of our theme, but dreaded having to wash 30 jars after the party.  The solution?  We told guests to take their glasses home!  Instant party favor.  Breeze loved the striped straws; I'd ordered them from PuppyCatCrafts on Etsy.

Tuesday, July 23

summer style: what to wear to a casual bridal shower

This past Saturday was one of the most anticipated days of my summer: my BFF's bridal shower!  Honestly, the last time I hosted a big party was my own wedding, and I had the hostessing itch.  Since Breeze's wedding has a rustic theme and laid-back style, we wanted to keep the shower fun, casual, and a little country.  I'll show you the inspiration for Breeze's wedding and what we did for the shower later this week, but first I wanted to take some time to daydream about how I would decorate and what I'd wear if I had a magazine editor's budget.  I came up with a vintage inspired farmhouse-style summer shower with coral accents, and a dress that keeps finding its way into my ModCloth cart.


Hosting a Summer Bridal Shower

Disclaimer:  ModCloth links contain an affiliate code.

The Outfit: 1. Floral dress from ModCloth  2. Betsey Johnson pave stud earrings from Lord and Taylor 3. Fossil lock and key necklace from Macy's  4. Fossil crosshatch iPhone case  5. Kate Spade bridesmade idiom cuff bracelet  6. Max and Chloe sterling silver monogram bracelet  7. Straw Studios crochet handbag from Nordstrom  8. Camper wedge sandals

The Serveware:  1. 12" x 20" Wooden tray from Bed Bath and Beyond  2. Chalkboard condiment tray from Pier1  3. Scalloped cake stand from Pier1  4. Mason jar  style drink dispenser from Bed Bath and Beyond (also available at World Market) 5. "Emma" cupcake liner from Dress My Cupcake 6. Libbey dessert spoons from Bed Bath and Beyond  7. 13" Chip and dip tray from Bed Bath and Beyond


Wednesday, March 9

Roanoke Valley Bridal Shower Venues

Roanoke:
- The Plantation on Sunnybrook - a lovely restored house.

Vinton:
- The Vinton War Memorial - our wedding venue hosts bridal and baby showers regularly.

- Teaberry's Cafe - Brenda is a really nice person to work with and the cafe is adorable!

- The Woodland Place - Mr. Spin and I have attended a wedding here and it is a beautiful venue.

- The Boxtree Lodge - Have not been here, but this is public venue that looks rustic and pretty.

- Bobby's Occasions - a new banquet hall that recently opened in what used to be the Stewartsville Public Library. I have not been inside but judging from the pictures on their website they have plenty of space for guests, and a full kitchen.

- The Stewartsville Public Library has a room that can be used for meetings and other events.

Bedford:
- The Duchess of Bedford Bakery and Tea Room - I have never been inside, but this Victorian house looks like a beautiful place for a shower- the hostess wouldn't have to decorate at all!