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}

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}

party like it’s 2012

Reflection of 2011 and resolutions for 2012 is upon us with the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebration. It’s been a wonderful year for my family and me and I can only hope 2012 is filled with as much laughter, joy and good memories as 2011 blessed us with.

Start the year off with a fabulous party…with shades of pink and gold. Here are some fun ideas to add to your New Year’s Eve shindig. Now you just have to decide…who’s the lucky lad {or lady} you’re gonna kiss at midnight?

DIY Gold Mason Jars: We have serious mason jar love. These DIY spray painted gold mason jars are the perfect vase for pink flowers or pink-and-white-striped straw holder for your New Year’s Eve bash. Directions for how to spray paint can be found at 100 Layer Cake.

Strawberry Champagne Sparkler Cupcakes: When I saw these on Oprah several years ago, I just knew I had to include them on my next New Year’s Eve menu. So festive with the indoor-safe sparkler candle, and who doesn’t love the combination of cupcakes, champagne, strawberries and chocolate! Sign me up for one {or two of these}. Recipe and directions found here.

2012 Sign: Love the idea of adding a 2012 sign at your party made of wooden numbers covered in gold or pink coins or sequins like the LOVE sign above. It can be a DIY project that is sure to impress. 

Shiny Centerpiece: Crate a glimmering centerpiece by sprinkling pink or gold oversized sequins between two cylinders and nestle a votive candle inside. Visit Martha Stewart to see where her team found the products to create this shimmering look. Or, add gold ornaments to glass vases and flutes in varying styles, and cluster them on a cake stand to craft a truly stunning and effortless centerpiece just like Martha Stewart did here.

Wall Decor: Use shimmering gold paper {leftover from Christmas would make this a budget-friendly project} to make streamers like this. Or, hang pink accordion circles above your dessert table and modify them by turning them into New Year’s Eve clocks. This great idea and how-to details can be found at Fiskars. For champagne-like wall decor, add different sized gold and clear balloons to the wall above the champagne table to create the bubbly effect on the wall.

Champagne: You must have champagne when you throw a New Year’s Eve party, but spruce it up a bit this year with fun and cold {just like the air outside} popsicles to serve up fancy frozen fruit pops. Don’t forget a splash of Prosecco for a colorful and unique drink display. Add sticker numbers to each glass for an official countdown beginning with 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1!

Dessert: In addition to the Strawberry Champagne Sparkler Cupcakes, make smore’s with a dusting of gold edible sprinkles. More gold inspiration found at The Cake Blog. And, you will really wow your guests with homemade fortunes. Give your guests something to talk about and look forward to with homemade fortunes {all positive of course} using your favorite quotes. For directions on how to make the fortune cookies and how to insert the fortune, visit Alisa Burke.

Favors: Give your guests a mini bottle of champagne in a bucket with a straw so it can be iced all night and passed out before midnight. Chris from Celebrations at Home has some great ideas to decorate the bucket.

I gotta feeling…2012 is gonna be a good, good year.

 {images via 100 Layer Cake, TLC, Justine Smith, Martha Stewart, Southern Living, Alisa Burke, Fiskars, The Cake Blog and Celebrations at Home}

sip and see

Sip & See.

Definition: A meet and greet to introduce your new baby to the world.

My personal thoughts on a Sip & See party…genious! I love baby showers, but as beautiful as a preggo mama is at her shower, people love to hold a baby and say ‘ooh and ahh.’  

It’s like show and tell, with the best gift of ALL…a sweet bambino.

I’m all about giving the new mom {and second, third or fourth-time moms} space to adjust to life as a new mom – let’s face it, her life has been turned upside down and all around…in a good way. Not to mention the hormones that will have her crying for no apparent reason. 🙂 I admit, I am one of those women who prefer to be left alone after having a baby – so I would need at least three months before I could do a Sip & See – but others are different and enjoy being around people after giving birth {and God bless you for that}. So, whatever time is right for you, make the time {or have a friend or mother, or mother-in-law make the time} to host a Sip & See.

I love this party at The Party Dress because its adorable, and, of course, has some fun cocktails for people to Sip while they See.

Tori Spelling threw a Sip & See shower for her friends, the famous “guncles,” with the adorable theme, Simple Simone after the baby girl’s name, Simone. Courtney as Pizzazzerie helped designed the logo.

I saved the best for last because I am IN LOVE with this MILKaholic Sip & See by Carrie Sellman of Half Baked {found at Hostess with the Mostess}. You HAVE to see more details of this party…the details are amazing!

The idea of making a diaper thoughts station is brilliant. Love it…also a great idea for a baby shower {with the baby still in mama’s belly}.

{images via The Party Dress, Child Mode, and Hostess with the Mostess}

very pretty in pink

Today is the beginning of Wedding Wednesdays!

To kick it off, I want to share this beautiful wedding color palette for all you engaged (or soon-to-be engaged) ladies out there.

I am getting married in just a few months and these elegant wedding photos (almost) made me want to switch up my colors! Only one problem: My fiance definitely isn’t one to approve of a pink wedding…Let’s just say that if I were doing a pink wedding, I would go with this look. Definitely.

Light pink, ivory, taupe and splashes of peach, lavender and other organic tones. These colors make a lovely color palette for a wedding. They are so soft and romantic. I am so in love with this look.

Happy Wedding Wednesday! Until next week …

{images via: peonies, top left: weheartit.com, pink champagne drink: lunaandchloeweddings.com, lace invite: idoinspiration.blogspot.com, cake: weddings101.net, chandelier, pretty bride, pink bridesmaid dresses and bride: stylemepretty.com, shoes: cori cook floral design}