GreyGrey Designs

{My Parties} Emma Kate's Ocean 1st Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:41:00 +0000

This weekend, I had the pleasure of doing an old friend's sweet little girl's very 1st birthday party. I was so excited to get to do a little girl's party! It seems like I always do boy parties, which I love, but it's a nice change of pace to do a pretty girl's party!

Party Mommy Kristin wanted an Ocean themed party for little Emma Kate. I loved this idea, especially since it is the middle of January! How fun to escape from gloomy January to the warm ocean!

I worked with the supercalifragilisticexpialodocious Piggy Bank Parties to create the printables for this party, starting off with the gorgeous invitation.

Do and J really "got" my vision for the party and created the most ethereal and stunningly beautiful graphics for this line (which will be available in their shop!).

I wanted to focus on a general ocean feel without mermaids or anything like that. Just the simple beauty of the ocean, the fish, and the coral. So, it was only natural that the color scheme was sand, aqua, and coral.

My inspiration for the table was for the backdrop to be the ocean, and for the table to be the beach, like in the foreground of a picture.

I achieved the look of the background by pinning yards of crepe fabric (not like crepe paper) onto points. Then, on the lower level, I used a blue glittered mesh that would typically be used for formal dresses. This gave it a nice glittery, girly feeling.

The seashell letters are made from wooden letters at Michael's with real shells glued onto them. I used Gorilla Glue to make sure that really adhered.

The "Bubbles" are clearance Christnas ornaments. I took the silver tops off them and left the wire toggle inside and threaded them with clear craft lacing to give them the illusion of floating.

Kristin wanted to do cupcakes for the guests, but of course Emma Kate had to have a smash cake. Kristin actually made this cake and the cupcakes! She's pretty great with a pastry bag! I love this touch because it shows the love that she put into the party.

The fabulous fondant topper for the cake and the cupcakes were by the brilliant Lynlee's Petite Cakes. I have wanted to work with Lynlee forever and she really knocked it out of the park for me. I told her that I wanted some kind of "plaque" sticking out of the top of the smash cake and she came up with this adorable design! How much do you love that she used starfish as the A??

Look at how gorgeous these toppers are!!

I cannot get over it. They were my very favorite part of the party!

I cannot say enough nice words about Lynlee. She is amazing in more ways than one!

For display, I used hat boxes from Hobby Lobby. I spray painted the aqua color to match the theme and the bottoms of the smaller ones are covered with "sand" scrapbook paper. I used seashell necklaces to embellish them a little more.

And, you know you want to see more of those cupcake toppers.

Another sweet that we did was the white chocolate lollipops. I called them "Lowtide Lollipops." These were done for me by Suckers by Steph. You can find her on Etsy. I love these and they would make great favors as well!

Don't you love those printables with that beautiful goldfish?

One of my all-time favorite vendors to use is Whimsy Cookie Co. Laurie is here in Memphis and she always makes me the most beautiful, perfect cookies! And, they taste great!

The lollis and the sugar cookies are both held up with styrofoam covered in "sand" scrapbook paper. Then, I covered that with some edible sand using brown and white sugar mixed together!

For the savory food, we did a few dips and small bites. This was the "Crabby Dip"...

...we also had "Clamwiches."

...and "Seaweed Spinach Dip."

...and Conch Shell Pizza Cups

I always like to try to give the flatware a little zhuzhing, so I wrapped the napkins around the forks and secured them with some glittery pipe cleaners for fun.

I used 9 yards of muslin for my tablecloth. It has just the right color for sand and it's really inexpensive! I scattered shells around the table, along with some sea cucumbers to make it looked like these things washed up on the beach.

Emma Kate's high chair was so fun to make into a seashell! I cut this form out of foam and them folded and pinned this coral fabric to it. Then, I covered the rest of the chair in some leftover cream fabric that I had. The beautiful banner by Piggy Bank Parties made a great backdrop for pictures.

I had to show you some close-ups of this banner. The detail is so gorgeous. The most stunning part was that the ocean floor was continuous on it. Every piece had a different seascape. So, if you put all the pieces in a big row, it looked like one continuous ocean seascape. Beautiful!

The pictures do not do it justice.

EK didn't really like her birthday hat, but I wanted to show you a picture of it. I made this with some felt, some sticky foam, and some pompoms. These are so easy, anyone can make them!

The birthday girl! So is so precious!

For the beverage and favor area, I did a garland of pictures of EK from each month. In between each picture is one of the small party printables from the collection.

The favors were bubbles! I wanted to "ocean" up this frame, so I painted it aqua and them glued seashells all over it.

The bubble containers were small jars from Michael's that I glued shells onto. Each one was wrapped in ribbon and had a homemade wand with it. I got this idea from the fabulous Gwynn Wasson, you can see her version here.

So thanks for joining me on our Ocean Fanta-sea!

Happy very 1st birthday Emma Kate!

Huge Thank yous to Kristin and Tyler for letting me help with this party, and also for the fabulous pictures!

And major, major thanks to my sweet vendors!

Vendors:

Cupcake Toppers and Cake Topper: Lynlee's Petite Cakes

Printables: Piggy Bank Parties

Cookies; Whimsy Cookie Co.

Lollipops: Suckers By Steph

Cupcakes and Cake: Birthday Girl's Mommy

All Styling and concept, birthday hat : GreyGrey Designs

Linking up to:

http://www.blog.birdsparty.com/2012/01/link-party-link-up-your-party-and.html

What's Up Next! Emma Kate's Ocean Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:21:00 +0000

This weekend, I've got my first party of 2012!

This party is for the sweet little girl of an old friend. I won't date myself and tell you how long it has been since I met this party mommy, but let's just say it was a while back. (2001?)

I'm super excited about this precious theme, because while it may be January, this baby and her mommy love the ocean. So, we decided to bring a little summertime in to cold January!

I'm working with some of the. best. vendors. and I can't wait for you to see what we have come up with!

For now, a peek at the inspiration board!

Sources:

Coral: Save On Crafts

Cookies: Etsy--The Art of Cookies

Pantone Scheme: BZ Events

Cupcake Tower: Paper and Pigtails via Operation Shower

Rock Candy: Maddycakes Muse

Clam Cookies: Pinterest

Diamond Napkins: PlatesandNapkins.com

Lanterns: CupKate's Event Design

Mermaid Party: Bubble and Sweet

Cake Pops: Etsy.com

Barnacle Backdrop: Chickabug

Ombre Cake: Martha Stewart

2011: A Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 04:07:00 +0000

2011 where have you gone?

I never realize how busy I have been until I do these end-of-year wrap-ups. You can see last year's here.

I've already got a few parties in the pipeline for 2012, including one in two weeks! So, it looks like I will be just as busy next year!

So, without further ado, here are all my 2011 parties...

My first party of 2011 was Brett's Safari Party. This sweet little party for a one year old little guy was the cutest! Ever since I debuted it, it has been the party that receives the highest amount of traffic on my site. I love that because this party was just adorable, and had a budget that most anyone could afford. And, I hope that my readers see that there are great parties to be had with any budget. You don't have to spend thousands to have an adorable party for your kids!

February also brought another Casino party for me! This time it was a Hot Pink Glamorous Casino!

I (obviously) love doing Casino parties and this one was extra fun because it put a spin on the tradition colors and fabrics associated with that theme.

In March, my Grey turned 3 years old and we celebrated with a Hamburger Party!

This is probably my favorite party of all time, just because of the theme. Everyone loves hamburgers and we had so many of our friends and family here to celebrate.

Also in March, I styled a printable collection for Easter for Kristi's Printable Panache.

I love how this shoot turned out. You would never know that was my guest bedroom, would you? ;)

In May, I designed a Bun in the Oven baby shower for a friend. It was totally retro inspired and totally fun. I love how this party turned out. It's so happy and kitschy and fun!

In May, we had a small gathering for our friends on Memorial Day. We did a Low Country Shrimp Boil, and you know I couldn't resist decorating a small appetizer and dessert display.

Also, in May I styled a Ole Miss themed dessert station for a graduation party. Hotty Toddy!

I took a little hiatus in the summer, because THIS happened!

And in September, we baptized little Lachlan and had a Little Pumpkin party to celebrate!

In October, I was lucky enough to be asked to chair the local walkathon for the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance. Team Greyson raised almost $5000 and our walkathon total was over $50,000!

In November, I unveiled my new blog design by the super talented Michele at Intrigue Design Studio! Michele also designed our TEAM GREYSON logo!

Also in November, I was lucky enough to co-host the Children's Party Network Memphis Girl's Night Out!

Three words: SO. MUCH. FUN.

And finally, in November, I designed a football themed party for Tate's Tailg8!

This party was adorable. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check it out here!

So, Happy New Year to all my readers and thank you for following me along on this journey!

And major thank yous to all my clients this year, who have been AMAZING.

Also, to all the vendors I have worked with and the party blogs that have featured me, you guys are the best!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 03:29:00 +0000

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

{My Parties} Tate's Tailg8 Football Party

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:37:00 +0000

I've been dying to share this party with you!

Last month, my one of my favorite clients threw her son an 8th birthday party. This year she decided on a football theme because Tate loves football. When I realized that he was turning 8 this year, I thought a "Tailg8" party was the PERFECT THEME!

My inspiration for the party was classic, vintage football, with a varsity feel. I didn't want to focus on a particular team or league. I thought it was way more kid-friendly to go retro and classic.

We started off with the invitations. Doodlez Designs on Etsy customized these lanyard invitations for us. What a cute, fun detail to send kids a lanyard to wear, so that they feel like they are getting invited to something really special!

Here is our cute-as-a-button birthday boy.

The dessert table was inspired by chenille letter jacket letters. I was obsessed with spelling out his name in chenille letters. Who didn't love their letter jacket? Confession: I wanted one of the fancy script names to go on mine.)

I found a fabulous vendor who custom made them for me! These are also something he can keep forever in his room.

Wendy always uses her pristine garage for Tate's parties. So, we made several stations. One for dessert, one for favors, one for food, and one for beverages.

The backdrop for the dessert table was simply a large piece of astroturf taped onto some foamboard. Of course everyone has seen this look on the actual table, but I wanted to take it up to the backdrop. The fun chenille letters are definitely the focal point. My friend Melissa cut out the numbers for me on her Cricut.

The adorable cake was made by Mad Lily Cakery, who is a new vendor for me. It turned out absolutely precious and was just perfect! So, if you are local in Memphis, check her out!

I got that "football" sign at Hobby Lobby. It was black, but that was nothing a little spray paint can't fix. I liked the idea of using those crates for a cake stand because they reminded me of old school bleachers. The vintage trophy cup is from an antique mall.

The dessert station included the cake, Penalty Flag Pie Pops, Coin Toss Chocolates, Coach's Cake Pops, and Sideline Sugar Cookies.

The huge cookies!

These football and pennant pie pops were absolutely delicious!

We also used one of my favorite vendors, Mom's Killer Cakes. Sarah knocked it out of the park (or scored a touchdown, I should say) with these helmet and football cake pops. They were absolutely perfect!

Everything was displayed on the cake table in grass mats. I covered styrofoam in grass printed scrapbook paper and then used my grass mats from Easter to provide some texture on top. The papers for these cones and the printables are from the wonderful Gwynn Wassons Designs, who did all the fabulous printables for me! Gywnn is a DREAM to work with and she bent over backwards to make my vision of a vintage tailgate party come true.

The pom pom garland is from PomFlair. I actually WON this as a prize on a Children's Party Network chat! So, ladies, next time we have a chat, you might get some good prizes!

Carmen, I love this garland, it was the perfect addition!

For the savory food, I once again had help from the wonderful Karen at Simple Done Catering. We focused on "football" food with a build-your-own Noseguard Nacho Bar, "Pigskins"-in-blanket, "Tate-r" Chips, Timeout Twice Baked Potatoes, Wide Receiver Wings, Shotgun Sausage and Cheese, Off Sides Sliders, Hail Mary Hot Bacon Dip, Quarterback Sack Sausage Dip, Chicken Con-Tenders, and a Field Goal Fruit Tray.

The adorable goal post was made by the Hip Hostesses, my Memphis girls! I wrapped it with yellow duct tape to complete the look. That banner is from Shindigz.

I reused the same letters from Tate's Mario party last year and painted them the colors to match this scheme.

For the favors, I wanted to do a "favor bar." I have seen this done at several parties and I think that is perfect for this theme. The kids could take home their own mix of football themed goodies like koozies, football Mardi Gras beads, pencils, suckers, hacky sacks, and noisemakers.

I handmade the backdrop using butcher paper. The letters are from the teacher department at Hobby Lobby. They are reusable and super convenient. For the numbers, I had to hand cut and measure out everything. It was time consuming, but totally worth it.

Most all the little favors are from Oriental Trading or Shindigz.

I had these little muslin bags hand-stamped by Jennifer's Cookies and Gwynn designed these adorable favor tags for me to use. I love the feel of the vintage football player that she used!

In the driveway, I set up the guest tables with runners of astroturf, cones, and penalty flags.

I punched a hole in the top of these cones from Target and stuck a dowel rod down into them to display these large printable party circles from Gwynn.

And since this was a real party for really cute little guys, here is a precious picture of Tate getting serenaded by his buddies!

Outside, Wendy rented some great games and activities for the kids.

There was even an ice cream truck!

Aren't they the cutest family?

Happy 8 Tate!

Big thank yous to all my vendors! I loved working with all of you!

Vendors:

Catering: Simple Done Catering and Cupcakes

Photography: J. Herndon Photography

Cake Pops: Mom's Killer Cakes

Pie Pops: Old Time Favorites

Sugar Cookies: All Things Exquisite

Cake: Mad Lily Cakery

Chenille Letters: Susie's Letter Jackets

Favors: Oriental Trading

Printables: Gwynn Wasson Designs

Small Favor Bags: Jennifer's Cookies

Larger Favor Bags and Helmets: Mini Me Crafts

Banner and Large Football Helmet: Shindigz

Pom Garland: Pom Flair

Vinyl Numbers for Field Backdrop: Rich Creations

Football Goalpost: The Hip Hostess

Rentals: Affordable Party Rentals

Invitation: Doodlez Designs

All styling and custom work: GreyGrey Designs

Linking up to:

http://www.blog.birdsparty.com/2012/01/link-party-link-up-your-party-and.html

Fun Ideas for Kid Friendly Christmas Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:42:00 +0000

If you have small kiddos like me, then you know that making treats for Christmas should be something that they can help you with, or at least they *think* they are helping.

If you are a control freak like me, you don't really let them help that much.

But, all these cute treats are super easy to make and super cute for the munchkins.

Christmas Tree Cones

Reindeer Pops

Doughnut Snowmen

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Reindeer

Gift Smores

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

All these would be great treats for their school classmates as well!

Inspiration Boards: Before and After

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:44:00 +0000

I think it is very important to use inspiration boards when you are planning an event for a client. Some planners disagree, but I feel strongly that your client needs to feel the general direction visually. After all, they can't climb into your head and see what you are thinking, so it is important to make sure that you are both on the same page.

When I am brainstorming for an event, I usually do that with tons of tons of pictures, whether that is through Pinterest, or just bookmarking things that I like. After I decide on the direction of the event, whether that be a color scheme, or a party theme, I make an inspiration board for my benefit, as well as that of the client.

So, I thought I would do a little before and after....

All these inspiration boards were made prior to my event, to show the client what my vision was for the party. The next board is a collage of actual photos from the event, come to fruition.

Photo Credits

Photo credits

Photo Credits

I think you can see that I try to stay very close to my inspiration board when planning the actual details of the party. I actually didn't really even really how closely I use these board until I saw all these collages side by side!

A lot of people have asked me what program I use for these and I use Picasa. It's a free download from google and it is SUPER easy to use!

New Blog Design!!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:32:00 +0000

I am thrilled to unveil my new blog design, courtesy of the wonderful Michelle at Intrigue Design Studio!

Michele also redesigned my logo and totally rebranded GreyGrey Designs! I could not be happier with the results.

A few months ago, Michele also designed the logo for my Step Forward to Cure Tuberous Sclerosis walkathon Team Greyson t-shirts. She actually made my Greyson into an illustration!!

So, HUGE thank yous to Michele!

If you need any design work at all, please visit her website!

She. is. the. best.

Also, if you noticed, my domain name is now registered:

www.greygreydesigns.com

And you can reach me via email at

brittany@greygreydesigns.com

Tate's Tailg8: A Sneak Peek!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:44:00 +0000

Professional pictures coming soon!!

I can't WAIT for you to see this cute party!

Children's Party Network: Party Girls Rock Memphis

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:33:00 +0000

I am SO incredibly behind on this posting!

A few weekends ago, I had the distinct privilege of hosting some of my favorite party girls in my hometown of Memphis.

The lovely Cineca of Dreamin N Details had asked me a few months back to co-host a Children's Party Network Girls' Night Out with her and Laura from Eye Candy Event Details.

I immediately said yes because, hello, do you KNOW how awesome CPN is? Well, if you are not a member, then I have no idea why.

Another reason I wanted to be part of this event is because of the massive love I have for CPN's founders, Natalie of Little Shindigs and The Knock Knock Factory, and Kristy of The Purple Pug. They have always been SO amazing to me, that I wanted to represent their amazing network in the best way I know how.

And the opportunity to meet some of these girls' whose work I have admired was too good to pass up!

We had 19 fabulous ladies joining us for our Party Girls' Rock Memphis!

Our vision for the event was for it to be music themed. Since Memphis is the Home of the Blues, and famous for all the fabulous musicians that have come from or recorded here, it was the perfect choice.

We picked Automatic Slim's in downtown Memphis for it's location and it's vibe. Plus, the food is awesome.

We had the entire upstairs portion of the restaurant, which has this amazing gold leaf wallpaper.

My contributions were decor and assembling swag bags for the event. I saw a mobile made out of records on Pinterest and I knew that is what I wanted to do for this event!

The centerpieces were made from cardboard boxes that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I affixed music scrapbook paper to them and then used glittered scrapbook paper for the tops. I put in a Stax label record (a Memphis institution) and a large wooden music note that I painted with glittered spray paint. Also, I tossed in a few multi-colored disco ball Christmas ornaments.

The record place mats, programs, and lanyard name tags were Laura's contribution. They looked amazing and everyone loved that we could sign the place mats and take them home as souvenirs!

The mobiles were a fun, easy project that turned out to look so fab!

I picked up a bunch of old 45 records at the antique mall (seriously 10 for $5!) and used clear craft lacing (you can get it at the HL) to secure the records to a plant hanger that I got at Home Depot.

Plant hangers are super inexpensive and all I did was turn this one upside down and take out the chains and reattach them to the bottom. Next time you need something to hang, use a plant hanger! The lines of this one are super modern and looked fab when the records were attached. But really, you could use anything you wanted to make a mobile!

The swag bags were filled TO THE BRIM with awesome goodies and product samples! I can't thank our vendors enough (or Laura and Cineca for securing such great stuff!)

Cineca also brought some fun photo props like Elvis glasses!

I used the remaining 45s and some 78s (Elvis and Stax of course) to design a backdrop for the desserts. Luckily, Cineca brought some clear thumbtacks along!

We had such great goodies on the dessert table, including these GORGEOUS Elvis cookies from Dandy Delights!

Fabulous glittered microphone lollipops from Whimsical Boutique!

Guitar cookies from The Sweetest Thing!

And these incredible jukebox cake pops from A Twist of Cake! Seriously, the detail on these were crazy!

Cineca put together these gable boxes for our guests, to make sure all their yummies got home safely.

An overview of our lovely room!

My co-hosts, Cineca and Laura.

Everyone went around the room and introduced themselves, this is Aimee from Aimee Broussard Events.

We were lucky enough to have the adorable Courtney Dial from Pizzazzerie come and hang out with us for the weekend. She gave everyone there some very useful advice on how she has built her brand so quickly and wonderfully. I know you know Miss Courtney. Because, if you don't, then get thyself to her blog immediately.

She was such a pleasure, exactly how you think she would be. Totally cute and fun!

This is me and the fabulous Do from Piggy Bank Parties. I heart Do. She helped me SO much with my hamburger party, and I already have her lined up for another party in January. She is fabulous beyond words. And just brilliant.

Some fabulous ladies here too! Eleanor from Pink Peppermint Paper, Jill from Peas and Thank Yous, and Cineca. Jill and Eleanor have insane paper talent. You might have seen some of their fabulous parties lately, such as Jill's Cowgirl Chic Party and Eleanor's Boy Meets World Sip and See.

Some of my Memphis girls--Ashley and Kim, better known as the Hip Hostesses! I cannot believe it took us this long to meet, seeing as how Ashley's husband and my husband played soccer together in high school and we live in the same place! I am sure we will run into each other at Hobby Lobby soon!

The lovely Latasha from A Posh Party by Latasha getting her picture made with Courtney!

Latasha and I know each other from way back! When she was planning her wedding a few years ago, I was the catering manager at the country club. Unfortunately, I left that position before her wedding, so it was so good to see her and catch up. Check out her website! She literally has the cutest logo ever.

A fun group pic that Amy got!

I was so honored to help in this fabulous event! It went by way too fast!

It was wonderful to meet so many of the people who I admired and already "knew" via our blogs and webpages!

I hope we have another one super soon!!

CPN Swag Bag Giveway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 01:37:00 +0000

Remember, you've got two more chance to win!

Make sure you try again at my co-hostesses blogs!

Dreamin N Details is up next!

{Giveaway!} CPN Party Girls Rock Memphis Swag Bag!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:04:00 +0000

Want to win one of the amazing swag bags from this weekend's Children's Party Network Girl's Night Out in Memphis?

Trust me, YOU DO!

Well, it just so happens that I have an extra one with your name on it!

And, so do Dreamin N Details and Eye Candy Event Details!

My giveaway is first!

With swag from:

Whimsical Boutique

Here are the rules:

1. Contest open only to Children's Party Network Members. You're not a member? Well, join today! It's totally free and it's awesome!

2. Please "Like" my page GreyGrey Designs and then share my page with your friends and family. Also, please like my co-hostesses' pages Dreamin N Details and Eye Candy Event Details. Once you have done that, COMMENT ON THIS POST that you have liked and shared the pages.

The contest will run until Friday, November 11th at 9:00pm CST. I will then enter all the names into an Excel spreadsheet, randomize the names and use a random.org to pick a winner!

MAKE SURE YOU EITHER ALLOW EMAILS TO COME TO YOU OR PUT YOUR EMAIL IN YOUR COMMENT SO I CAN CONTACT YOU EASILY!!!

Recipe: My Favorite Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:18:00 +0000

I love to cook. It's not a skill that I came into my marriage with, but once I started staying home with my oldest sweet boy, I started teaching myself to cook through the magic of the internet. And now, I plan all my meals at the beginning of the week and I cook 4-5 nights a week.

My husband loves to tell a story about how when we first starting living together (in sin!) that I cooked him the saltiest taco meat ever. He says it was like a salt lick.

I joke that Pioneer Woman saved my marriage!

My goal is to be "that mom" who can cook really great meals and everyone wants to eat at their house.

Plus, I feel like it's carrying on the great Southern tradition of ladies who cook huge meals for their families. I am traditionalist at heart. I want to be like my grandmothers.

So, when Pioneer Woman launched TastyKitchen.com, I found a huge new resource of recipes at my disposal!

One of my favorite contributors is Laurie at Simply Scratch.

I have downloaded tons of her recipes and they have all been fantastic.

One of my favorites is her Ancho Chicken Taco Salad.

So, without further ado, here is a great spin on a traditional taco salad, that I guarantee you will LOVE!

Simply Scratch's Ancho Chicken Taco Salad

{For the marinade}

2 Garlic Cloves

1 tablespoon Ancho Chili Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 tablespoon of Water

1-11/2 pounds boneless skinless Chicken Breasts.

{For the salad}

1-2 large heads of lettuce, chopped into bite size pieces {ie: Romaine, Green Leaf Lettuce}

1 small Red Pepper, diced large

1/2 Tomato, diced large

1 Ear of Fresh Corn, cooked and kernels removed

Red Onion, sliced very thin {desired amount}

1 handful of Cilantro, chopped

A couple handfuls of Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, crushed {plus more if desired}

4 oz. Cheddar, freshly grated

Catalina Dressing or your favorite hot sauce. (**We substitute Ranch dressing because we are not fans of Catalina)

Fresh Avocado slices {optional}

Fresh Lime Juice {optional}

For the Marinade and Chicken: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mince garlic and combine it with the ancho chili pepper, salt, pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil and thin out with a tablespoon of water. Coat the chicken on both sides well. Let marinate for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. Cook the chicken on each side {in hot grill pan or regular grill} for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet and finish cooking in the oven for 10 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked. Let rest for at least 5 minutes {under foil} and then slice into bite size strips.

For the Salad: Combine all prepared ingredients and toss. Serve the salad onto a plate and top with sliced cooked chicken. Drizzle with catalina dressing or your favorite hot sauce.

For printable recipe, visit Laurie's site here.

Currently Obsessed With: Ombre

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:10:00 +0000

An emerging event trend right now that I am loving is the use of the ombre effect.

I knew I wanted to use this somehow at my Little Pumpkin baptism party, so I incorporated it through the centerpiece and through the backdrop. Either of these looks would also transition easily into a Thanksgiving table.

Ombre lends itself to a variety of different uses.

Ombre can even be seen as a hair trend--as my ridiculously cute sister demonstrates.

I think this look is particularly gorgeous when used in florals!

source

Two of my favorite party girls, Natalie at The Knock Knock Factory, and Kristy at The Purple Pug, used it gorgeously on this blue boy's party.

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The picture that inspired my pumpkin party!

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As a child, I was pretty obsessed with color coordinating my crayons, were you?

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This backdrop takes my breath away.

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I love the use of these simple paper circles as a runner! Creative, clever, and cheap--my favorite combination!

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This is absolutely one of the most creative backdrops I have ever seen. Those are clothespins, people.

Clothespins.

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Of course, my style icon Gwen had an ombre wedding dress years ago. She is always the trendsetter.

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Did you just gasp? I did when I saw this!

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Tate's Tailg8!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:52:00 +0000

I have been MIA! My Grey was hospitalized for several days last week and I have been working on his walkathon this weekend, which I am chairing. It always seems like October is bonkers for me!

In the meantime, I have been working on a football themed party for one of my very favorite clients! I am super excited about this party in a few weeks because I have some wonderful collaborators!

So, here's a sneak peek of my inspiration board!

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Cookies: Not Betty Cookies

Astroturf tablesetting: Setting the Mood

Football Lanterns: Fun Express

Football flag: Ebay

Scoreboard Backdrop: Giggleberry Creations

Steelers Tablescape: Bakerella

Auburn Tablescape and Football Menu Cards: Shindig Parties

Football Field Invite: Pear Tree Greetings

Blue and Green football invite: The Paper Cupcake

Vintage Trophy: Bella LuLu

Football Cake Pops: Love and Butter

Referee Koozies: Polka Dot Market

Football Cups and Football Drinking containers: Shindgiz

Tailgate: Southern Living

Lanyard invite: Doodlez Designs

Cheese and Crackers: Gimme Some Oven

Football Whoopie Pies: Make Merry

Patch Letter: Ebay

Football Runner: Windy City Novelties

Cake: Mitzvah Market

In addition to this, you can see my huge football Pinterest board!

{My Parties} Little Pumpkin Party

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:15:00 +0000

I think special events in your life should really be celebrated! I mean, REALLY celebrated.

Birthdays, anniversaries, showers, and special days in your church life too.

I have always wanted to do a party with a "Little Pumpkin" theme. And when I scheduled my newborn's baptism in September, I knew that was absolutely the theme I had to go with.

When Chris at Celebrations At Home contacted me about submitting an Autumn themed party to her Vendor Challenge, it was pure kismet that I was already planing this party.

With some wonderful help from the immensely talented and wonderful Paula at Frog Prince Paperie , I absolutely love how this party turned out!

My inspiration for the party was the current ombre trend. I am a little bit obsessed with it right now, actually. So, I figured that the best way to achieve that look was with fall leaves. I bought loose fall leaves at Michael's and then arranged them from red to orange to yellow to green. Then, I used my existing glassware to compliment the look by filling them with assorted fruits, veggies, florals, and candies.

All the china, glassware, and place settings are things that I own. I got those adorable pumpkin dessert plates as a wedding gift 6 years ago and I hate that I only get to use them once a year! I layered the place setting with two different shapes of placemats and I think that gave the setting extra texture and interest.

I adore the printables that Paula customized for me. They are so precious!

For the backdrop, I had a vision of an ombre falling leaf design. I achieved that with some 3M strips (which are a party planner's best friend), some hot glue, and clear craft lacing. It turned out perfectly!

I knew I wanted a really graphic, bold fabric for the table. I found this at Premier Fabrics for all of $8.99 per yard. I layered that on top of orange burlap that I found at Hobby Lobby. FYI--burlap makes me sneeze, but it looks good. You have to suffer for your parties sometimes.

The menu was pulled pork sandwiches with buns, cole slaw, and BBQ beans. What's not to like? We got the BBQ from one of our favorite places, Germantown Commissary.

I used this large metal cross at my oldest's baptism party too, and I liked it so much that it pretty much has a permanent place in my kitchen. It is from Hobby Lobby. I wrapped that chipboard L in raffia and glued a little felt pumpkin to it. The beans and slaw were individually portioned for easier eating, though the beans got a little too hot in the oven and some of my family said it wasn't too easy to get them open! Woops!

I used baskets from around my house to build up the buffet.

See the wraps around the slaw cups? Those are actually cupcake wraps, but did you know that they fit perfectly on those little plastic drink cups?

Regular BBQ sauce for the weenies and hot sauce for my spice-loving family.

For the dessert table, I was inspired by all the gorgeous pie displays that I had been seeing all over Pinterest. Everyone loves pie and so I chose to do 3 types; pumpkin, smores, and for my diabetic guests, sugar-free peanut butter fudge. The sugar free pie had a gorgeous swirled design on the top, until my mother-in-law, trying to be helpful, reorganized my second refrigerator and knocked it on its side. Oh well, it wasn't a disaster!

I got this fabric in the remnant bin! $5 per yard. That little vanity was my grandmother's and I refinished it a few years ago and it makes the perfect display piece for small events.

I found the small grapevine wreaths at Michael's an immediately was struck with the inspiration to make a garland out of them.

I put some of the printable party circles inside a few of the wreaths for extra interest.

The pie stands are simply terra cotta pots and bases that I glued together with Gorilla glue. They took some time to dry, but once they did, they were ROCK solid. I wrapped the seams in raffia to hide the glue. This was maybe a $20 project. I saw this tutorial on Pinterest, but it wasn't backlinked properly, but the Gorilla glue website also has it.

I made another tall one, but I think once they get taller, they get less stable.

The favors were Pumpkin Spice Hershey's kisses packaged in cello bags with raffia ties.

And, just so you know that this was an actual party, here is the man of the hour, my little Lachlan love!

My biggest handsome man and me.

This picture makes me laugh because we can NEVER get a good picture of everyone all together and Greyson looks pissed!

My sweets.

Linking up to:

Recipe: Coconut Lime Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:37:00 +0000

I'm sharing a recipe today that recently received rave reviews at a party my parents attended. My mom called me for a pick-up dessert recipe to take to a new members cocktail party for our church. See, my mom is cooking disabled. We like to call her "Peg Bundy." She just wears her cute heels and leopard skin around the house. My stepdad does all the cooking in that house. So, she wanted something that even she, domestically disabled, could make. I found these coconut lime bars on Tasty Kitchen a year or so ago and I knew that they would be perfect, and a little something different for the party. My mom said that people loved them so much that someone ate one that was dropped on the the ground! Now that's a damned good dessert.

Coconut Lime Bars

1-¾ cup Flour
⅔ cups Powdered Sugar
1 cup Butter
¼ cups Chopped Pecans
¼ cups Shredded Coconut
1-½ cup Sugar
¼ cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
4 whole Eggs, Slightly Beaten
½ cups Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Extra Coconut For Garnish On Top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan

To make crust:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner’s sugar. Cut in butter until combined and crumbly. Add in pecans and coconut. Press mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:
While crust is baking, prepare topping.. In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder. Then add slightly beaten eggs and lime juice. Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes. When cool, dust with confectioner’s sugar and refrigerate.

Optional: Put 2 Tablespoons coconut on baking sheet and toast for 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle over top.

Cut into bars and chill! Best served cold!

See the actual recipe HERE.

Currently Obsessed With: Suitcases

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 23:16:00 +0000

Am I the only one who has noticed suitcases popping up everywhere in tablescapes these days?

I, for one, don't have any vintage luggage lying around. Our is all black and boring and totally not tableworthy.

But, I love the look that these vintage pieces (and sometimes not vintage) give to these tablescapes.

They are uber-functional too! You can use them for builds, for holding items, or just for texture and interest.

Love this one as a cake stand!

Through My Lens

I have seen them used at weddings a lot lately for cards, favors, programs, etc.

Bash Please

Paper and Thread Studio via HWTM

Some stylists are even getting clever and using them for cake pop stands!

Kara's Party Ideas

Ruffled

Sweets Indeed

Modern Moments Design via HWTM

Tinywater photography

I love the use of suitcases for travel themed parties, of course!

Little Frills via Hip Hip Hooray

Lemon Sprinkle Events

I love this unique wall installation!

Flick User: Beatriz229

Summer Dandee

Paper and Cake via HWTM

Armelle Jewelry

So, grab Grandma's old luggage and make it beautiful!

Ni Hao Kai Lan Inspiration Board

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:07:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, my mom asked me for a favor. She had a friend at her workplace who was planning a birthday party for her granddaughter and was in need of some inspiration for either a Ni Hao Kai Lan party or a SpongeBob party. I think Ni Hao Kai Lan is a little girlier, so I went with that.

There are several great Ni Hao Kai Lan parties on the blogosphere, so it didn't take me long to whip up this board!

A party with this theme can really be expounded upon with an Asian flair. Of course, no Kai Lan party would be complete without some Chinese lanterns!

I love the trend of faux sushi for kids! But, if your child will eat sushi, then give 'em the real stuff! My three year old loves all kinds of things that most people would think was strange for a little one to eat.

But, if not, then you can try these other options of Swedish fish "nigiri" or Peanut Butter and Jelly "sushi" roll ups! And you can't forget the fortune cookies!

Sources:

Sushi Sandwiches: Martha Stewart

Parasol Centerpiece: HWTM

Gummy Sushi: Crafty Parent

Fondant Toppers: MommaFreshCakes

Rainbow Fortune Cookies: DevilishlyDivine

Banner: SweetHeartPartyShop

Invitation: PoshTotParties

Centerpieces: KeniaCasteneda

Cake Pops: CakePopShoppe

Chinese Dragon: Kaboose

Chinese New Year Party: Project Nursery

Cake: HWTM

Party with Lanterns: Two Sugar Babies

Party Girls in Memphis!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:05:00 +0000

Saturday November 5th

Do you love parties?

Are you a member of the Children's Party Network?

Then join us for a Girl's Night Out in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee!

We have a delicious dinner planned, amazing swag bags, door prizes & a night of party talk with some amazing party girls!

$45 inclusive/ CPN member

Hosted By

Cineca Newburn

Laura Londergen

Brittany Schwaigert

With Special Guest Courtney Dial

of Pizzazzerie.Com

{Superstar Elvis Sponsors}

Piggy Bank Parties

Malu Boutiques

{VIP BBQ Sponsors}

Frog Prince Paperie

Intrigue Design Studio

Pom Flair

The Party Muse

{Swag Sponsors}

This event is open to all CPN members. Not a member yet? Join for free here.

Tickets are now on sale via PayPal only.

Currently Obsessed with: Doilies

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:35:00 +0000

When I think of doilies, I can't help but think of my very Southern, very talented grandmother who could make doilies like an insane person. My sister and I used to joke that if an object was stationary in her house, then it had a doily on it, or under it! I am pretty sure that if you stood still long enough in her house, she might cover YOU in a doily!

She used to make these great doily Christmas ornaments for her tree, using fabric stiffener and very skilled hands.

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They looked a lot like these, except she made three-dimensional ones too.

Making doilies is one of those talents that I wish she would have taught me before she passed away a few years back. That, and the secret to good biscuits.

I used that same fabric stiffener technique on some doilies recently at my Bun in the Oven Baby Shower. Doilies scream "retro" to me, so I had to incorporate them into the design.

I hung them from the chandelier and also used them as table decor.

Lately, I have been seeing doilies pop up in all kinds of gorgeous ways. They are so versatile and they lend an old-fashioned romance and throwback feel to an event.

Here are some fabulous examples of doilies at use!

Escort cards!

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A Doily Wreath, lit no less!

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A hanging doily arrangement

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A Doily Lamp, using the same technique as the yarn balls.

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Doily Bunting. I adore this!

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Mason Jar luminaries lined with doilies

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I am in love with this tablecloth!

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Doily Chandeliers. How beautiful would these be at a wedding? Swoon.

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And speaking of a wedding, look at this gorgeous cake!

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Doily lanterns

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And a doily runner!. Fabulous.

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If you have used doilies recently in a creative way, leave a link in my comments! I would love to see them!

As if I Need Another Addicting Social Media Site!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:03:00 +0000

While I am adjusting to having two little handsome boys in my life and trying to figure out when I will ever have the time again to clean my house, much less blog, you can follow me on Pinterest!

http://pinterest.com/bschwaigert23/

I'm working on a few cute things for fall and you can follow along!

Where I have been....

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:36:00 +0000

BUSY!!!

Sunny is Walkin' in Memphis!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:05:00 +0000

We've had a visitor these past couple of weeks!

The infamous SUNNY the Party Chick made a landing in Memphis to visit us!

We were delighted to have her visit our nest!

And, since we heard that Sunny and her mommy Natalie were big Elvis Fans, we thought she needed to visit Graceland at least once!

Cross that one off her chicken bucket list!

Sunny couldn't get in that day to visit Elvis' Jungle Room, but I hear that there were some really raging parties thrown in there in his day!

So, she had to make do with paying her tributes to the King outside the gates.

When she got back to our roost, she visited with Mr. GreyGrey himself, who was looking really serious. That giant animal is one of Grey's big sisters, Kaia. That's Kaia's couch. Kaia and her couch live in their own room in our house. That's where Kaia and her sister Keiko throw their own parties. And since Sunny is such a wild animal, she had to visit Kaia's apartment.

Kaia and Sunny got along great!

Sunny also helped me organize my party closet! It may not look organized, but you should have seen it before. Sunny was a big help, lending me a wing when I needed it.

After that, GreyGrey packed Sunny's suitcase and she was off to Florida!

Sunny is going to continue her tour of the South when she visits with Kori @ Paper and Pigtails!!
Can't WAIT to see what Sunny gets up to in "Sunny" Florida!

Currently Obsessed with: Yarn Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @GreyGreyDesigns) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:12:00 +0000

What party trends are you currently obsessed with? A few weeks ago, I wrote about my love of chevron and it seems like that is EVERYWHERE lately.

But, my newest obsession are these DIY yarn balls.

I remember my Nana teaching me to make these for Easter when I was a little girl, but I had not thought about them in years until they started popping up all over the party blogosphere.

They are so simple to make (albeit MESSY), and they add a really big impact from the ceiling, much like the old standby of tissue poms!

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I particularly love this arrangement, it's so lush and vibrant.

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So, after seeing all this gorgeousness, I decided to make some for my upcoming little one's nursery, instead of some tired old mobile. I love the way they turned out, and the best part is that it was a $10 project. Just, FYI, though--keep your toddler WAY away from this project.

(The wooden monogram is from Vintage Blue by Sophia)