The Sweetest Occasion

Halloween (and Puppies) On My Mind

cyd — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:46:43 +0000

It turns out that juggling our new puppy Colby, an 11 week old golden retriever, and our sick big sister puppy Nina, our 5 year old black lab, has left me completely exhausted this week so I apologize for things being quieter than usual around these parts. I am flying tomorrow evening to spend a long weekend in Florida with my new baby niece so things might continue to be quiet for the next few days, but in the meantime I wanted to share this Halloween inspiration board from the lovely Kathryn of Snippet & Ink. I’ve had Halloween on the brain this week! While yesterday was hot and steamy, the weekend was cool and stormy and today is also darker and cooler, making me feel very ready for fall and trick or treaters. I think a little black and white gingham is the perfect Halloween accent.
{Inspiration board by Snippet & Ink. See original post for complete photo credits.}

And, just for good measure, a gratuitous cute puppy photo…
{Photo by Cyd Converse for The Sweetest Occasion.}

An Adoption Party

cyd — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:00:45 +0000

Good morning, everyone! I hope you had a great long weekend and got to spend a little extra time with your loved ones. Let’s jump start the week with a little celebration of family, shall we? A couple of months ago Mattie contacted me for adoption party ideas for friends celebrating the adoption of their two daughters. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have her get back in touch with photos from the celebration. Jenny Gilbert designed the adorable invitations, which were double-sided post cards and featured cute illustrations of the entire Lawrence family – including their pet dogs, chickens and goat!

The Lawrence girls asked to have guests bring teddy bears to donate to Brave Heart Children in Need, an organization that donates care packages to foster children as they are taken into care. This cute sign greeted guests (and their bears) upon their arrival:

They celebrated in the back yard with a giant inflatable carnival slide, a DIY photo booth and lots of sweet personal touches. I suggested they include a photo line with snapshots of the girls and their new family and a thumbprint family tree guest book. I love seeing how it all came together!

For more photos and many more details, visit Mattie’s blog. Thank you so much for sharing, Mattie, and thanks for allowing me to be a little part of a day filled with so much love!

{Photos from Mattie Babb.}

Friday Link Love

cyd — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:56:52 +0000

Today I am so so excited for the weekend, aren’t you? We’re going to hopefully conquer a few projects around our house and spend some time with family and….I think we’re going to bring home the puppy I mentioned last week! (You can read more about the puppy here.) The extra day off will be a nice chance to try and get ahead on some fall organization projects I want to tackle, too. What are your holiday weekend plans? The weather here isn’t going to be the best, but for those of you still enjoying summer weather I hope you make the most of it! For everyone else, I wish you lots of home renovation projects, movies on rainy days, and stormy weather fun for your weekend. I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Paper lovers take note – we’ve got a ton of new paper goods + stationery at Smock that you will LOVE.

So happy to finally see more of Alix + Manu’s wedding – the dresses are to die for.

Thinking I need these stickers for my husband’s lunches this school year.

Apparently I’m not the only one dreaming about fashionable dog accessories this week.

I might have a plan for all of the tomatoes coming into their own in our garden right now.

Super cute illustrated invitations.

A fabulous DIY project making favor bags from tape + envelopes.

Read all of these books in architecture school and still reference them. Highly recommended!

Berry colored textiles in graphic patterns are my new obsession.

I want this jacket for fall.

And with that – Happy Weekend!

{Photo via We Heart It.}

La Cosa Blanca Party

cyd — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:31:25 +0000

For the second time this week, I’m excited to share with you an event brought to us by Sitting in a Tree Events! Not only do Tori and Myka plan amazing doggie birthday parties, but this summer they’ve also planned a series of fun events at Casa Artelexia, a Mexican artisan boutique in San Diego. You may have seen the first in the series, a bright and colorful summer celebration on Oh Joy earlier in the summer and today I’m happy to share their recent La Cosa Blanca party. There are so many cute ideas here and I love the white, gold and silver color palette. It’s sophisticated and elegant and yet there are a lot of fun, unexpected details I think you’ll find incredibly inspiring.

Isn’t this just so fun? Thanks for sharing, Tori and Myka!

Vendors -
Styling: Sitting in a Tree Events
Venue: Casa Artelexia
Food: MIHO Gastrotruck
DJ and movie projection: DJ Austin Hendrix

{Photos by Maryanne McGuire.}

A Sweet 13th Birthday

cyd — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:24:10 +0000

One of my all time favorite photographers Elizabeth Messina recently marked her daughter’s thirteenth birthday. They celebrated with a spread of cakes and baked goods, all topped with different candles and icings. Something like this is so so simple and yet so memorable and special. Who says a birthday girl doesn’t deserve more than one cake? And there’s no reason you have to buy the cakes either. Gather up a group of friends, mix, bake and enjoy.

{Photos from Kiss the Groom.}

Briar, Lola + Grover’s Doggie Birthday Party

cyd — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:00:45 +0000

When Tori and Myka of Sitting in a Tree Events sent over this adorable doggie birthday party it was love at first sight. I’m a dog lover of epic proportions and seeing the cute way they celebrate their beloved furkids has me thinking up lots of ways to spoil our Nina for her birthday later this fall. From sweet doggie cupcake treats to a bucket for bobbing for bones and loads of favorite games like fetch and frisbee, this is any doggie’s dream birthday celebration.

Thanks so much for sharing, Tori and Myka – I hope the kids enjoyed their awesome party!

{Photos from Sitting in a Tree Events.}

Karina + Ed Celebrate 40 Years

cyd — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:42:27 +0000

When Sophie of Shine Little Light got in touch last week to share a link to a 40th anniversary party she thought I’d love, I knew instantly that I just had to share it with you. Karina and Ed recently celebrated 40 years of marriage with a party filled with so much love and so many sweet personal details I found myself dreaming of all the cool memories I hope my husband and I can share with our loved ones in another 39 years. The party showcased their love of family and travel with vintage globes and maps, tin cans stuffed with dahlias and a framed photo for guests to sign. This is the kind of celebration I just love.

For more details, visit Steep Street. Thanks for the tip, Sophie!

{Photos by Steep Street.}

End of Summer Advertising Special!

cyd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:09:52 +0000

In honor of the unofficial last week of summer, I am excited to offer a limited time end of summer advertising special! All advertisers who pick up a 3-month ad slot (or who renew their existing ad) between now and Labor Day will receive 1 free month of advertising. The summer months have brought incredible growth and new readership to The Sweetest Occasion, making now the perfect time to consider advertising. Please email advertising@thesweetestoccasion.com for rates and details.
{Photo by Charity.Lynne.}

Kelsey + Ryan’s DIY Wedding

cyd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:00:06 +0000

Happy Monday, friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend. To kick off the week I thought I’d share this sweet DIY wedding, shared with me by Sarah Danaher of Ampersand Photography. Kelsey and Ryan were married in July and celebrated with a fun, festive wedding in a vibrant aqua and poppy red color palette. Kelsey’s mom played a huge role in helping with the event planning and coordination and their friends and family came together to help make the day unique, beautiful and full of love.

Vendors -
Photography: Ampersand Photography
Venue: Braeloch
Flowers: Plantation Creations

{Photos by Ampersand Photography.}

Weekend Link Love

cyd — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:00:11 +0000

Happy Saturday, friends! I’m making a rare weekend appearance because I’ve been rather under the weather the last few days and spent most of yesterday snuggled up in bed and intermittently drinking Theraflu. However, I didn’t want to leave you hanging on Friday link love so I thought I’d pop in this morning to share my favorites from the week. We’re traveling home to spend time on the lake with family this weekend, soaking up every last minute of summer. We’re also going to visit a little Golden Retriever pup who sounds like she needs a good home and might consider adding to our family to be that home for her – we’ll see how Nina (our five year old Black Labrador and the love of our life) takes to her. I’ll keep you posted on the puppy front! In the meantime, have a fabulous weekend!

Super cute kid rooms via Ink + Wit.

I want to wear sparkly stars in my hair.

In l.o.v.e. with these invitations.

An adorable paper airplane save the date how-to.

Loving this studio tour.

Mark Twain would be proud.

Congratulations to Rachelle on her beautiful Princess Piper!

My husband and I are considering becoming foster parents = my latest blog obsession.

{Photo by Amanda Dias.}