you are my sunshine

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away

My mom and I sing this to my kids all the time. My daughter particularly loves it ~ her eyes light up when she hears it, and when the song is over she always asks for more.

It’s a meaningful song to me, so I brought it to life with my inspiration board today. Hope it brings a little sunshine to your winter day…and I think it’s a sweet spin on Valentine’s Day for your loved one {make your Valentine feel like he/she is the sunshine of your life}.

I’ll leave you with a cupcake recipe that looks like it tastes as refreshing, yummy and sweet as sunshine. It makes me wish summer was here.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes by Half Baked, The Cake Blog

images via:
Zappos Hunter Original High Gloss Rain Boot | Sugarboo Designs You Are My Sunshine Art Print |  Country Living Yellow Painted Bedroom | Yellow Centerpiece with Chevron Runner from Oh So Beautiful Paper | You Are My Sunshine Sign by Etsy seller Go Jump in the Lake | Flower Necklace by etsy seller RachelleD | Yellow and White Sailor Tote Bag found at Damsel in Dior and sold by Etsy seller Bayan HippoJonathan Adler Grapefruit Pop Candle |  You are my Sunshine Cake found at P is for Party | Pinterest Hello Sunshine pillow | Mulberry Fashion Ad from Damsel in Dior | Half Baked, The Cake Blog | Sunflower Soiree Party by The Party Dress | Invitation by Fleur de Lis, a paperie

kathryn’s baby shower

Wish trees. DIY inspired. Yummy desserts. Mason jars. A beautiful neutral palette {gender of her baby was a surprise}.
Kathryn’s baby shower, hosted by her fabulous sisters, is just is too adorable not to share!

From Kathryn {owner and creator of the lovely Kathryn Giarratano Jewelry, which we love}… When people arrived, they took their name tag (circles w/ ducks), chose a pink or blue diaper pin, and pinned their gender guess on the appropriate board…


…The WISH tree had cards on the table that my sisters made that said random things like:
‘Dear Baby,
I hope you love___.
Love Always, ___’
It prompted several different things for people to say to the baby…I hope you love, laugh, aren’t afraid of, etc…

… fun striped straws and giraffe card holders. Yes, they served vodka to everyone else 😉 …

…The dessert table had:
{1} Chocolate-dipped marshmallows and pretzels
The polka-dot stand was made using a foam block and covering it with decorative paper. The foam holds the marshmallow sticks well.
 {2} Cookies shaped like ducks and baby onesies
{3} Mini cupcakes
{4} Heart-shaped little cakes
These are a GREAT time-saving idea, and they’re super cute! You just buy a box of Oreo Cakesters and use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to make these sweet heart cakes. So easy!…

…As a party favor, my sisters decorated little mason jars, so people could go down the line at the candy bar and take some sweet treats to go…

… Baby Guiliana was born this past New Year’s Eve. She is absolutely beautiful, and knowing Kathryn’s fabulous style, she is going to be accessorized starting at a young age :). Congratulations to the new parents!

{images via the new mommy, Kathryn}

coco chanel for babies

As you may or may not know, Jenna {our sister, owner of Fleur de Lis and contributor to this blog} is pregnant with her first baby! We are so thrilled and we know she is going to be such a wonderful mama!

It’s also important to note that Jenna is our little fashionista and hasn’t given up the heels, her handbags or style … even while 7 months pregnant.

I have several ideas for her upcoming shower {I hope to share all of them with you}, but for today’s potential theme, I’ll give you two quotable clues …

1. “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
2. “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.”

Pregnant or not – we know that Jenna is classy and fabulous, she likes to be different, and one of her fashion idols {besides her fave Audrey Hepburn}, is CoCo Chanel.

Yep, a Chanel-themed baby shower seems fitting!

{These are our brainstorming party ideas so bear with us … not quite the final plan}

Colors: soft greys and pinks, with black & white stripes {we don’t know the sex of the baby, so we are keeping things fairly neutral, with just a splash of pink for the pregnant mama}.

Food: brunch inspired foods… fresh fruit, caprese skewers, egg casserole, asparagus, blueberry coffee cake, rosemary potatoes.

Dessert: White and black cake pops with Chanel No. 5 {Jenna No. 1} design. Candy” bar” with Jenna’s favorites which include, jelly beans {black, white and pink}, licorice, snickers, Hershey’s kisses and swedish fish inside glass candy jars. Frosted pink donuts.

Drink: Prosecco {Jenna’s non-pregnant favorite}, pink lemonade {her pregnancy craving} with black and white striped straws.

Table Numbers: Chanel-inspired perfume labels displayed the table number, but instead of “Chanel No. 5” it will have “Jenna No. 1.”

Centerpieces: Black or clear vases with white flowers and peonies. Even single vases with a single bud would be beautiful and for a “baby” touch, baby bottles would work as vases too.

Invite: Ask guests to wear black and white, and of course pearls. Black and white color invite with signature Chanel quilting, black & white stripes, and maybe a splash of pink due to the “ladies only” feel. All corresponding paper products will match with “Jenna No. 1” on it or will have Jenna first initial in the mirrored-image style, just like the Chanel logo.

Decor: Black and white striped fabric on dessert table or as a background to dessert table. Blush pink colored poms hanging from ceiling. Pearls. Brooches. Jenna’s baby pictures in small frames on each table.

Activities: Jenna is not one to like shower games, so I love the idea of doing “diaper notes,” where guests leave notes on different sized diapers for Jenna and Will to ready when they have to change their little one.

{images via The Fashion Shows, Trendy Rose, Cake in Bed, Hostess with the Mostess, Belleza e Luce, See Jane Design}

oh the places you’ll go

Maybe you’re a world traveler. Maybe you want to log the locations you’ve visited in a creative way. Maybe you have an entire list of places to visit and explore. Maybe you hold a special place in your heart for a particular spot in this great big world. Maybe you and your fiance want to incorporate the places you’ve traveled together on your wedding day. Or maybe you just love maps, or have some lying around that need a new purpose.

Whatever the reason, with these map/globe projects you can feel like a world traveler…without the jet lag.

Globe Bowl, Better Homes and Gardens

Chalkboard Globe, Design Sponge {I love this project for kids too}

Large Map of Italy, A Cup of Joe

Centerpiece, Green Wedding Shoes

Map Envelope Liners,  iDiY

Vintage Map Necklace, dlkdesigns on Etsy

Map Decoupage Furniture, Flea Market Trixie

Map Art, Whimsical Wonderland Weddings

Playroom Map Decor, A Perfect Playroom

Decoupage Map Tray, Martha Stewart

{images via Better Home and GardensDesign SpongeA Cup of JoeGreen Wedding Shoes iDiYdlkdesigns Flea Market TrixieWhimsical Wonderland WeddingsA Perfect PlayroomMartha Stewart}

nye place to be

Talented designer and a bestie of mine, Kimi Hansen, Sales, Marketing & Design Specialist for Après Party and Tent Rental, and her wonderful boyfriend Tim, hosted a gorgeous soiree for 30 of their closest friends to ring in 2012.

This couple is the best host and hostess – their level of taste is exquisite and they plan nothing but the best for their loved ones. Plus, with both of them being in the event industry {Tim Geisler, General Manager of EMI Audio, a lighting, sound and video company in Minnesota}, they have a party planner’s dream access to decor pieces.

The pink and purple lighting blended perfectly with their white and silver decor and table setting. The party was potluck style. The signature drink of the evening was made with vodka, champagne and Kinky {blood orange liqueur}. And guests were treated with ALL homemade desserts including 2012 cookies, drizzled pretzels, puff corn, cake balls and adorable melted snowmen cookies. Kimi and Tim even used a couple of Tutto Bella NYE party tips – a shiny 2012 display on the wall, along with “bubbly” balloons and countdown numbers on their cocktail glasses. They added snowflake sticks to each drink so people could personalize…very cute! And we love the bling and candlelight on the table!


Thanks for sharing your party with us Kimi and Tim! We wish you all the best in 2012.

We love to receive party submissions…so if  you or someone you know have hosted a fabulous party, please send photos our way…we would love to feature it.

{images via Kimi Hansen}