Party with a K...THE BLOG

2015 New Year’s Eve Party Printable Collection

2014-12-30T04:04:00.001-08:00

Wow, where did the year go?! Seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2014 and now 2015 is around the corner. 2014 was really a year of growth for Party With a K! It was filled with new experiences, new business relationships, and new opportunities. The highlight of it all was being accepted to participate in the Seattle Wedding Show 2015. I cannot wait to show off my candy buffet designs to the future brides. But, there was one more highlight: the launch of 'Party With a K: The Shop'! PWAK: The Shop is for all your printables needs. I've started off small with just a few designs and whipped up this New Year’s Eve Printable Party Collection that was JUST featured on The Craftcaster Girls YouTube Channel (right before NYE! Phew!). I encourage you to share the shop with friends and on Pinterest and show me how you've used my printables to decorate your NYE party by hashtagging #NYE2015PWAK.

However you choose to celebrate, I hope you ring in the new year with good company.

Cheers!

2014 Fall Wedding Nails

2014-10-13T15:18:00.004-07:00

Butter London: The Old Bill | OPI: Over the Taupe | Essie: Chin chilly | Essie: Cashmere Bathrope | Gelish: Mogul

OPI: You Don't Know Jacques | Beaute Louboutin: Rouge

Yay for fall! As much as I absolutely loved wearing fun, bright spring & summer nails at all of the weddings I attended, it's time to transition into deep reds and neutral brown tones that is fall. It's time to let those nails change like the beautiful leaves changing right before us. Whether you're into gel nails or a good old-fashioned manicure, the above nail polish fall favorites will get you in the pumpkin spice, cuddle weather, over-sized sweater fall mood just in time for all the fall weddings! Some of these nail colors are old-school shades with some new favorites like the the Beaute Louboutin Rouge color.

Got a fall nail polish shade you can't wait to try? Give me all the deets below!

How To Choose Your Queen Bees (Bridesmaids)

2014-10-08T10:00:00.004-07:00

[image source]

It's no surprise that I have been in quite a few weddings. A real life "21 Dresses"! For every wedding I have had the pleasure of being apart of, it has always felt like an honor to be up near the Bride supporting her in her next chapter in life. Being a bridesmaid is a coveted title and not everyone is asked to be one so not only should you take it seriously, but the Bride-To-Be should take it seriously in asking you to be apart of such a special moment in their life. So how does one choose the perfect Bridesmaid? Here is my guide to choosing the right Bridesmaid:

1) It's Not About Quantity, It's About Quality.

Sure you've known so and so for "x" amount of years. But, was the friendship of quality? Have they supported you through all of your ups and downs in life and saw you through it all, including your relationship with your fiancée? It's not always about choosing your longest friend, it should be about your most supportive friend who will see you through your wedding and beyond.

2) Sister, Sister.

By default your sister(s) should be apart of your bridal party. Whether they serve as a maid or matron of honor is up to you, but nevertheless standing next to you as you say, "I Do!" is a must. On that same note, your future sister-in-law should be on the bridesmaid roster too if possible. That is just proper etiquette.

3) If Quantity Is a Concern, Consider Lifelong Friends

If your fiancé will only have a few people as groomsmen, by default you may feel like mirroring his quantity. If that's the case, consider your best friends starting from childhood, high school, college, and post college. Use that hierarchy when considering a cutoff. Your true friends will understand.

4) Be Weary of Choosing New Friends

So you have met someone that you've really been hitting it off with and it just so happens to be that your wedding is coming up. Should you ask them to be in your wedding since you see potential in the friendship? Steer clear of asking especially new friends to be in your wedding. There is a big chance that through the normal fluctuations in a relationship that they may not actually be this great friend you thought them to be. Again, consider your quality long-term friends first.

If you're worried about hurting great friend's feelings consider involving them in other parts of your wedding journey like your Engagement Party, Bachelorette Party, and Bridal Shower. Remember that this is your special day and you really can do as you please when choosing bridesmaids. No matter what, being invited to the wedding is an honor in and of itself.

The Low-down, Dirty Truth About Being a Maid Honor

2014-08-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

Drawing by: The Jewel Store

For only a select few of you, you will be asked a pretty honorable question in your lifetime: "Will you be my Maid of Honor?" So here is the low-down dirty truth about it: The title and attention at the front of the altar are about the only glamorous things about it. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you are going to accept the title of Maid of Honor here are some more truths you should consider:

You're responsible for planning everything...EVERYTHING. Oh, you thought "so and so planned that"? Nope, you're wrong. When it comes to the bachelorette party, wedding shower/bridal shower, and the list goes on, it is your responsibility to coordinate everything. While getting help from other bridesmaids is a route you can take, overall you are the event coordinator.
You shouldn't expect to be paid back...for ANYTHING. During many parts of the wedding journey you're likely to have to dish out a little bit more money than the other bridesmaids to help make the bride-to-be's last fling memorable. Plan to set some money aside to account for the little things that need to be taken care of like tips, extra bachelorette party trinkets, taxis, first aid kits {haha} you name it! Keeping tabs isn't necessary because at the end of the day, the favor will be (or has been) returned.
You're not the one getting married. As much as you may despise the wedding colors, hate that the Bride isn't having open bar, or whatever other wedding detail you're not a fan of, you must remember that it's not you getting married. Therefore, keep those types of opinions to yourself (or your future wedding planner)!
You're the spokesperson. Are you good at public speaking? Well, brush up on your leadership and speaking skills because you will be the spokesperson for everything. You will be helping the wedding planner, you will be rounding up the brides, and you will lose your voice.
Expect to bear the brunt of a lot of emotion. Stock up on some tissue and expect to be used as a punching bag every once in a while, because if your friend is like many brides, some water works and heavy emotions will be occurring throughout the wedding journey. Don't worry, she DOES still want to get married.
You're on call even after they say, "I Do!" Oh you thought your duties were over? That's cute....Post "I do!" it is on to the next segment of the wedding where you need to assist the bride with her dress, touching up, and the list goes on. You might have some time to put some lip gloss on, but that's just about it.
Plan a spa day post wedding....you're going to need it! After all of that running around, you're going to need it!

Being a Maid of Honor will leave you broke, tired, hating weddings, and wondering who is going to buy your bridesmaid dress. But, at the end of the day, it is the most rewarding coveting role and your Bride-to-Be wouldn't have chosen you if she didn't think you could handle it. So, wear your role with honor...just carry Tylenol ;-)

How To Plan a Tea Party

2014-08-13T11:36:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of helping to plan a fabulous Bachelorette Party. Each day we had a set itinerary filled with lots of fun and one of my favorite days to plan was the last activity: The Afternoon Tea Party. Traditionally, Afternoon Tea is a moment in the late afternoon, usually around 3PM/4PM where you indulge in tea, sandwiches, scones and cake. This British tradition is often replicated for many classy events such as wedding showers or baby showers so we didn't hold back in mimicking such a fun, upscale event as our last hurrah!

Decorations

To set the scene right, I brought a nice, clean, white linen to cover the table. This white linen paired well with the high back chairs and stoney table. I then adorned the center with classic flower centerpieces. You can get fun flower pots and vases from Michaels or random stores like ROSS or TJ Maxx. The green centerpieces were from Cost Plus World Market, another favorite for just about anything decorative! All of the flowers were faux flowers and still gave an elegant touch to the table though I encourage you to buy real ones. Flowers that are white, pink, and peach in color are just perfect.

Food

Tea sandwiches are the main course when it comes to Afternoon Tea, but I didn't bother slaving away making them, though it wouldn't be too hard to whip up in the kitchen with its simple ingredients. I opted for catering through QFC (a Kroger Family store). Just about any caterer knows how to make tea sandwiches. I would recommend to get them in assorted meat flavors. I am a huge fan of accompanying anything salty with something sweet, so having scones, mini cakes, and fruit as options during the Afternoon Tea is a plus.

Fun Fact: Rather than having cakes, I opted to provide Wedding Cake chocolate mints! They were so yummy and were a sweet treat to have concluding the Afternoon Tea!

Tableware

Bring out that China! Beautiful China is the best type of tableware to have during Afternoon Tea. Serving the tea in a tea pot with tea cups is a must. Don't worry about being matchy matchy with the silverware; having different tableware looks makes the table look that much more fancier!

Oh and one more thing: pinkies up when sipping your tea!

Dîner en Blanc - Portland Fun!

2014-07-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying Dîner en Blanc - Portland and it was a blast! My significant other and I decided to make the trek from Seattle to Portland to participate and it was well worth the drive. In case you're wondering what Dîner en Blanc is, it is basically a group of random people coming together in a secret location dressed in all white to dine, sip, and dance the evening away. Starting in France 25 years, this fun way to have an exclusive dinner has spread across the world. Click here for more details on this super fun event. I always love documenting fun events with pictures and video (a lesson in Karen's Basic Fundamentals of planning a party) so I created this fun, short video to share in our experience. Check it out and be sure to participate in Dîner en Blanc in a city near you!

Can I Wear White To The Wedding?

2014-07-25T12:21:00.001-07:00

The answer is: It depends on the bride.

In a world where many traditions have been lost, some traditions are here to stay when it comes to weddings. However, that doesn't mean that every bride follows them. Wearing white as a guest to a wedding has been as of late, taboo. But, it's important to understand the story behind the tradition of the Bride wearing white to better understand if the color white is really off limits.

Here's a brief history:

The tradition of a white wedding dress is commonly credited to Queen Victoria's choice to wear a white wedding dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. Before her, many brides were wearing different colored wedding dresses in addition to veils. The wearing of a white wedding dress soon turn into a representation of wealthy status as well as innocence and sexual purity. The color white was also the color girls were required to wear at the time when they were presented to the court.
[source]

For the most part, most people have it engrained in their heads that you shouldn't wear white to a wedding. But, my suggestion is to ask the Bride how she would feel about you wearing white. However, if you don't want to make a big deal about it or draw unnecessary attention to yourself, I would avoid wearing white altogether {yes, that includes the white stripes and white polka dots on your tentative outfit of choice...haha!}. Check back next week for my list of awesome stores and latest dresses to wear at a wedding {that aren't white of course!}.

5 Ways To Have A Non-Alcoholic Bachelorette Party

2014-07-18T11:24:00.001-07:00

It's the last fling before the ring for your friend who is about to tie the knot, but at her request, she wants a non-alcoholic Bachelorette Party. What to do, what to do.....In all honesty, you don't absolutely need alcohol to have a memorable Bachelorette Party experience so here are five (5) ways that you can have a FUN, non-alcoholic Bachelorette Party:

1. Have a Spa Day!
Life (and the wedding planning) can be so chaotic, so what better way to start off the Bachelorette Party by having a nice, relaxing day at the spa? Sip on ice cold lemonade and everyone can enjoy the soothing touch of the masseuse and girl talk.

2. Private Dining
Exclusivity is the key when it comes to making the Bachelorette feel special. Reserving space at a restaurant where she and her closest girlfriends can chat/mingle can prove to be one big party as everyone gets to know each other.

3. Host a Passion Party
A little sexy passion party never hurt anybody! Bring a Passion Party to your private event to spice things up. Learn about different ways for the Bride-to-Be (and you too!) to get creative in the bedroom.

4. Sing At a Karaoke/Piano Bar
Some of the greatest moments are held when you're with your girls belting out your favorite songs. Karaoke/Piano Bars are a perfect atmosphere to dress the Bride-to-Be in fun Bachelorette gear and force her onto the stage to give her singing debut! Secure a table front row for some sing-along fun!

5. Take a Pole Dancing Class
Nowadays, pole dancing companies will come right to your home and show you a thing a two about working the pole. It is so much fun to learn new tricks and giggle and laugh with friends as you attempt to be a Vegas Showgirl for the night.

Bachelorette parties don't need alcohol to have a good time. Having the Bachelorette be at the comfort of her greatest friends, sharing laughs, taking pictures, and taking in the moments before officially getting tied down is what matters the most.

Can you think of any fun Bachelorette activities you can get into that don't have to involve alcohol? Share them in the comments below!

Karen's Wedding Guide: Should He Come To the Bridal Shower

2014-07-10T08:34:00.001-07:00

The answer is: YES! Now, I have been to my fair share of bridal showers and for the ones that didn't have their hubby-to-be present, a lot of things went through my mind. Weddings already have the stigma that they're more "for the bride" than the groom so not having your fiancé at the bridal shower sends a message that this is all about you. It should be "All About Us". Now, I know that bridal showers tend to be more fancy or cutesy than a typical man's taste, so include your groom-to-be at a part of the event. Example: Ask him to show up during the time where you will be opening up gifts. After all, the gifts will be used by the BOTH of you. This also makes for a cute couples photo op! Or, ask him to periodically walk through the event and greet guests. Often times, the bridal shower might be the only other time that your guests can meet your fiancé if they haven't met him already before the wedding. This is a great time for mingling and allowing your guests to see why you and your fiancé love each other so much.

At the end of the day, you're not marrying yourself; your fiancé should be present at all wedding functions (if he can) until the Big Day! Whether or not you think he wants to be there should be out of your mind because your hubby-to-be will want to do anything to make you happy.

xoxo,

T+K's Wedding Candy Buffet

2014-06-26T14:45:00.001-07:00

Photography: Ardorlit

Believe it or not, I have never done a candy buffet for a wedding, until now! Back in April I had the pleasure of creating a candy buffet for my friend's daughter who was getting married. I love when a Bride knows what she wants and the Bride, Karly, immediately told me the colors she wanted and specific candy near and dear to her and her future hubby. With elements of red and charcoal and special candy requests like Swedish Fish and salted caramel, I went straight to work designing a buffet to the Bride and Groom's liking. At the end of the wedding, there was no candy left so it was definitely a hit! I can't wait for the next wedding!

Eventstagram

2014-06-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking! "What is Evenstagram"? Eventstagram is probably one of the most genius ideas when it comes to activating the sense of sight at your party. Eventstagram are live Instagram feeds from your party. Hook up a screen, give everyone the hashtag for the night, and watch your guests smile and laugh as they see their pictures on the "big screen". You'll pretty much have a modern day slideshow at your event keeping your guests entertained. Here is an official breakdown on how it works

Register for a free account on the site and create a free trial for your event.
Display Eventstagram's website at your venue, either on large screens, through a projector or just on a TV.
The slideshow tells your guests to take photos on Instagram and add a hashtags so no need to worry about that!
Your guests see their photo(s) appear on the screen almost right away.

The free version allows your slideshow to be up for 6 hours with other features, but you can upgrade to the Silver, Gold, or Crowd Reactive package depending on the size of your party and what exclusive features you want like more play time, more photos to be displayed, custom templates and the list goes on!

All in all, Eventstagram is the perfect crowd pleaser for any event you're hosting be it a conference, music festival, or birthday party! I can't wait to have it at the next event I plan.

What Is a Vintage Victorian Wedding?

2014-06-03T01:46:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love themed weddings so I was thrilled when a potential client reached out to me about having a candy buffet for her Vintage Victorian wedding next year. When you think of Victorian, what are some of the first things that come to mind? I think of frills, lace, crystal and pearl details, gorgeous flowers like pink roses and peonies mixed with other large blooms, parasols, and cameos. Vintage and Victorian are actually two different things, so it can be easy to mix up the two. "Vintage" refers to things from a certain era in the past. For example, an old 1950s pick up truck could be described as vintage as it is reflective of the 1950s. Old bell bottoms in your mother and father's closet are vintage as they are reflective of the 1970s. Victorian represents an actual era. The Victorian era started in 1837 in Great Britain when Queen Victoria reigned. With this distinction, I have been hard at work trying to design the perfect candy buffet. Check out my Victorian Mood Board I am drawing for inspiration. The color palette for this wedding is eggplant and cream with hints of white! I can't wait to share what I have designed.

Party of the Month: Macy's Back-to-School Event

2013-08-12T19:56:00.002-07:00

As a child, I loved collecting all the Back-to-School catalogs from the various trendy stores around me so I could view all the perfect outfits to make me stand out on the first day of school. So, needless to say, I was ecstatic when Macy's decided to include me during their Back-to-School event in Tukwila, WA at the Westfield Southcenter Mall. They asked me to do a candy buffet with a Back-to-School theme incorporating a variation of colors. The color scheme was so fun & simple to shop for that I kind of went over board looking for school necessities to decorate the table with {haha}. Pencils, notepads, crayons, glue, chalk, and a nifty lunchbox were just some of the accessories I used to dress up the table all purchased from my favorite store: Target. Check out all the pictures snapped from the event below!

Happy Back-to-School shopping!

DIY: Bachelorette Party Invites

2013-07-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Summer is the season for weddings, and naturally I am attending many (and being a bridesmaids in two--yay!). I love wedding season because it gives all the girls an excuse to get together and celebrate more than once. No wedding journey is complete without a Bachelorette Party and I was ecstatic when my friend and Bride asked me to help plan her Bachelorette Party. Earlier in the year I had received the cutest invites from my other friend's Bachelorette Party. When I asked her where she got them, she informed me that the Maid-of-Honor had ordered them. The invitations were somewhat pricey and after looking at the design of the invitations, I thought to myself, "Why order these when I can make them?!" It is amazing what heavy card stock, font from DaFont.com, and Photoshop CS3 can help you create. Save yourself some money and exercise your creative mind!

Cake of the Day: Freedom Is Not Free

2013-05-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: ButRCream

Today's Cake of the Day comes from Cakes by Becky. I absolutely loved this cake for its simple yet compelling message: Freedom is Not Free. I am so thankful for the many men and women who have died for our freedom. We are so ~~lucky~~ fortunate to live in a country where we have the freedom to be individuals. But, as the cake proclaims, this freedom that we enjoy comes with a cost that others have paid for us. Today, I remember those who have died for our country and thank them immensely!

Happy Memorial Day!

Karen "Willy" Okonkwo's 25th Birthday Party

2013-05-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

As you all saw last year with my Kare Bear's 24th Birthday Slumber Party, I am obsessed with celebrating my birthday. This year was no different so I decided to go with a fun Willy Wonka theme for my 25th birthday celebration. It is so important to map out your birthday, making sure to ignite all five senses during your party so it is the best experience for your guests. Instead of calling it a Willy Wonka party, I did a spin off of the name and called my 25th Birthday 'Karen "Willy" Okonkwo's 25th Birthday Party'. Much like in the movie, all invitees had to "find" a golden ticket to be officially invited to my birthday. I used a popular Australian graphic designer called Crackers Art to create chocolate candy bar invitations that I turned into candy bar wrappers and golden tickets. They turned out amazing! To make the RSVP process more interactive, I asked each guest on the golden ticket to RSVP by uploading a picture of their golden ticket to whatever social media outlet they use and to tag me in it with the caption " I found the golden ticket!" This made the invitations that much more exclusive!

I decided to host my party in beautiful Miami! To make sure I captured every moment of it, I left a welcome letter for all of my guests when they checked into the hotel we were staying at that asked them to hash-tag any photos taken during the trip with #karens25thbday. I highly recommend making a hash-tag for any event that you are hosting because it is so much fun to look back at all the pictures that all of your guests snapped!

First up on the itinerary was the most fitting event of all: visiting the Chocolate Factory! No Chocolate Factory Tour can be complete without Willy Wonka gear so before the trip I ordered a Willy Wonka costume. On top of the costume, I just had to order candy and have a mini candy buffet so I ordered candy from my favorite candy store: Oh! Nuts. To make the entire experience complete, I had a custom cake made by Divine Delicacies Custom Cakes in Miami. This company can make ANY cake possible and they have catered to every celebrity you can think of from Drake to Pitbull to the Miami Heat stars. I gave them the graphic design of the "Okonkwo Bars" I sent out to my guests and they replicated that image into a delicious vanilla rum cake topped with butter cream frosting and fondant {yum}! Schakolad Chocolate Factory in Miami Beach, FL hosted my Chocolate Factory Tour and it was a blast! All of us received a tour of the Chocolate Factory learning the ins and outs of chocolate. Best of all, we got to make 3 different types of chocolate treats and take it home!

All in all, my 25th Willy Wonka themed birthday party in Miami, FL was so much fun and I can't wait to show you all what I come up with for next year's birthday theme. If you have any questions on how I created any part of this party, please feel free to contact me at partywithak@gmail.com!

Redesigning!

2013-03-06T08:18:00.001-08:00

Hi Loyal readers of Party with a K! It is time for a redesign so sorry for my absence. I am putting together pieces of my new page to make it 10 times better. Feel free to keep reading my old posts by searching through them in the Search Box. I can't wait for you to see the finished product!

xoxo!

Party of the Month: Teal & Cream Themed Graduation Party

2012-12-16T21:41:00.004-08:00

This weekend my great friend graduated from Law School and she wanted a candy buffet at her Grad Party. I instantly said I would be happy to do it and together we came up with a theme starting with choosing colors. We decided that teal and cream with a splash of white would be the perfect combo. My friend wanted a classy, yet vintage feel to the candy buffet so we paired the colors with damask and lace patterns.

All of the candy color coordinated and was so yummy! My favorite candy was the Cotton Candy flavored taffy!

I love adding personal touches to my candy buffet creations so for my friend's buffet I incorporated candles, tree houses, bird/birdcage, hydrangeas, chalkboards, and scriptures since I know my friend is a Christian.

Who knew how cute teal & cream could be together?!

Congratulations, Alisia!

Candy Buffet Design: Party with a K

Candy: The Confectionery

Holiday Theme Party: Wine Elephant

2012-12-06T23:55:00.001-08:00

Every year my friends and I have a Friendship Holiday Party where instead of buying each other gifts, we pick a theme for one big party. A couple of years ago I decided to do a spin off of the popular holiday party theme, "White Elephant" and suggested we have a "Wine Elephant" friendship holiday party. For those not familiar with White Elephant, white elephant is when you bring a gift, usually under a certain dollar amount, wrap it up, and bring it to the party. Everyone chooses a number out of a jar or hat and that number symbolizes your turn for choosing a gift from the bunch of gifts each person brought. Person number one will look around at all the gifts and choose a random one. Unless some other number wants to steal the gift from them, that will be their gift they will take home. Person number two can choose to steal person number one's gift they just opened, or choose from the plethora of unopened gifts. The best number to have is the last number because you can choose from the other people's gifts. You can add your own rules to the game, but I usually say one gift can only be stolen twice before it is that person's permanent gift.

With Wine Elephant, you must bring a bottle of wine as your gift! See below for some of my absolute favorite wines! {I love my wine sweet}

1. Yellowtail wines

2. Yellowglen Pink Sparkling Wine (750mL)

3. Confectioner's-Sweet Symphony

4. Barefoot Cellars Moscato

5. House Wine

The Perfect Holiday Treat!

2012-12-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you mixed Rolos, pretzels, and glazed pecans? Rolo pretzel delights! These delicious bite-sized treats are as easy as 1, 2, 3. I stumbled across this mini treat and I just had to see if it was that quick and simple to bake. Below are the steps I took to make these sweet treats, perfect for your next holiday party!

Ingredients

1 bag of pretzels
1 bag of Rolos
1 bag of glazed pecans

Materials

Aluminum foil or parchment paper

Step 1: Preheat oven to Bake, 350 degrees.

Step 2: Place the pretzels on a pan covered with aluminum foil. Top each pretzel with one Rolo and when complete, place the pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until chocolate has completely melted.

Step 3: After you take the pretzel out of the oven, quickly top it with a glazed pecan or whatever topping you would like.

Bon appétit!

Decorating for the Holidays!

2012-12-03T22:01:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I had so much fun putting up my tree for Christmas. I would like to entertain guests at my home this holiday season and want to make sure my home decor creates that whimsical holiday appeal. I always talk about your guests having an experience and how you create that using all of the five senses. In this case, we would be activating sight. Above were my holiday color choices I wanted to choose from this year. Glitter really brightens up your decor, so I knew I needed to implement that into my decorations. This year, I chose light blue and silver! My go to place for light blue and silver decor: Target!

1. 50-Piece Ornament Set - Blue/Silver

2. Glitter Snowflakes

3. 70ct White LED C6 Faceted String Light

4. Candy Cane Ornament

5. Set of 3 Tinsel Garland - Silver (18')

I hope you have a great time decorating your tree for the holidays!

XOXO,

Thanksgiving Table Decor

2012-11-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, so you may not be a chef in the kitchen for this Thanskgiving, but there is still a way to contribute. Gather some vases, candles, flowers, pumpkins and other fall decorative pieces from the Dollar Tree or Michaels and include some cute table displays for your dinner table. Below are some cute table decorations I found for Thanksgiving! Click on the pictures for more details!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

How to Host a Clothing & Accessories Swap

2012-11-20T00:04:00.002-08:00

This past weekend I hosted my very first clothing & accessories swap! I have been to a couple of clothing swaps and thought it was a great way to get your girlfriends together to raid each others closets while sipping on some drinks and eating some good food.

So what is a clothing swap you might be asking?

Clothing swaps are a great way to get some new clothes & accessories..FOR FREE!! How it works: Everyone brings gently used, and washed, clothing, shoes, and accessories that they want to get rid of. Guests should bring things that are in decent shape that they would be willing to give up. Choose someone's home to host the swap at. A community room or living room that you can turn into a little Forever 21 is perfect! Separate everyone's stuff into certain areas in the room (ie: accessories corner, shorts on the coffee table, pants on the couch). Once everyone's stuff is displayed, you can either let everyone freely shop around for stuff they want OR you can do it by categories- everyone takes a number and one at a time chooses from the shirts, then shorts, then accessories, etc.!

Always make sure you have food and drinks. Engage your guests by asking them to bring a snack or drink!

Clothing swaps are always a lot of fun soooo raid your closet, throw stuff in a bag, and host one with your girlfriends. If you have any items left behind, donate them to a local shelter.

Must See Venue: Playa Grande Resort & Spa in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

2012-11-13T20:43:00.001-08:00

Looking to have a destination wedding but not looking to go too far? Does exotic beaches, breathtaking ocean views, and several amenities for you and your guests appeal to you? Then, I encourage you to go south of the border and have your wedding or reception at quite possibly one of the most grand hotels: Playa Grande Resort & Spa.

This photo of Playa Grande Resort is courtesy of TripAdvisor

I stayed at the Playa Grande Resort & Spa for a wedding that was taking place at Grand Solmar Land's End Resort & Spa right next door and to say I had an amazing time would be an understatement. The second you pulled up to the entrance you felt like you had entered the vacation set for a king and queen. The entrance was so grand with a tall ceiling and marble floors to greet you.

But, the front entrance and lobby was only one area of the many that took my breathe away. Prior to arriving in Cabo, I booked an all-inclusive package for the Solmar Resort, The Playa Grande & Grand Solmar's sister property, that included lodging, unlimited meals, snacks, and drinks, and discounts on all hotel amenities for 4 days and 3 nights all for $270--yes, it was a STEAL. Upon my arrival, I was lucky enough to have been complimentary upgraded to a room in a VIP secluded area of the Playa Grande called The Ridge. So secluded that you needed a special hotel key to get to this section of the hotel. I stayed with another wedding guest and as we walked to our room, we felt like we were in a little European country all to ourselves.

Our room was the Master Suite equipped with a large patio, 2 full bathrooms with a shower and bathtub, a queen bed, one pull out queen bed, a vanity, drawers and closets to put away our clothes, a full kitchen with a refrigerator, sink, and microwave, a dining room table, and living room with a couch and tv.

This photo of The Ridge at Playa Grande Luxury Villas is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Every day we walked out onto our patio and were welcomed by our marina view!

But, it was not just the gorgeous master suite that took me for surprise; it was the private pool area too!

I had never otherwise swam in an infinity pool.....until now!

When we wanted to check out a new scene, we did not hesitate to move to the main hotel area and check out their several pools, restaurants, and other beautiful scenic areas all of which faced the open ocean.

I could not miss out on showing some of the magnificent food and drinks we devoured...all of which were included with our all-inclusive deal. Let's just say, I drank a little one too many of their strawberry smoothies!

While I didn't take full advantage of the amenities because I was too busy lounging at the pool every day, the hotel does offer everything from an onsite spa, mini golf course, tennis court, dolphin swimming, snorkeling, and so much more!

Overall, if you are looking to have a destination wedding where you and your guests can relax and have a great time under the sun, the Playa Grande Resort & Spa is the place to go!

XOXO!

Party of the Month: Cooke Wedding at The Grand Solmar Land's End Resort & Spa

2012-11-12T20:09:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I went to my first out of the country destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and it was amazing. The bride and groom decided to get married at The Grand Solmar Land´s End Resort & Spa and it was nothing short of breathtaking. The Grand Solmar Land´s End Resort & Spa just opened in 2011 and has been a new wedding hotspot with its extraordinary amenities which include several restaurants, pools, and ocean front views to name a few. The bride and groom got married just before sunset under an amazing gazebo-it was picture perfect with the waves crashing behind us. The table settings were dressed with beachy trinkets and gorgeous yellow and white roses. I loved the simplicity of this wedding; the detail was simply love. Check out the photos from the wedding below!