Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on it's way...

Between Martha Stewart and Pottery Barn, I think I could go nuts decorating for Easter. Unfortunately, I am not hosting this year, so I won't get to put all of these great decorations to use, but I can still ooh and aah over the thought of it, right?

For those hosting Easter lunch or dinner for family or friends, here are some great images that I've found...

For the table top, I love the idea of fresh cut spring flowers and ceramic bunnies. If you want a more casual, rustic approach, think terracotta pots, galvanized tin and earthy materials like linen napkins tied with twine for napkin rings.

Table top inspiration from Pottery Barn 

Easter egg table runner 

Ceramic bunnies 

Galanized metal serving pieces 

Terracotta pots 

Birdsnest bowl 

My mom always did an Easter tree for us, with hanging egg and bunny ornaments, and I loved it. I have all of the ornaments now, and have yet to do a tree since I've had them in my possession. There's always next year, right? Pottery Barn now sells an Easter tree or for those of you that are the crafty type, directions on how to make your own can be found here.

But don't forget the kids on Easter, either. While an adult table can be fun to decorate, you could go crazy with a kids table. I would start with a paper table cloth and crayons in a small tin or terracotta pot. To balance out all of the candy, how about a basket of "bunny food"? You could use a grapevine or other nature-inspired basket that I'm sure you could find at Michaels , or line the above birdsnest planter with lettuce leaves and fill it with baby carrots, celery, broccoli, grape tomatoes and a light dip. You could even drip some gummy worms over the edges and bury a few in the vegetables to make it seem more garden-like. The below shots aren't for an Easter table per se, but it gives a good idea of what you could do with a paper flower and grass approach.

And for favors for the kiddos, I love these grass baskets and envelope bunnies.

And you really can't plan an affair like this and not send out an invitation, right?

Cupcakes + champagne

Last week I got an email from my friend Maggie over at Sweet William, announcing her new personalized cupcake bands from The Paper Menu. How adorable are these?

Knowing that she loves all things colorful, cute and monogrammed, I immediately forwarded the email to my sister who promptly responded that this confirmed her need to host a Cupcakes & Champagne party (two of her favorite things). With the opening of many cupcake boutiques around the country, I think most have caught on by now that cupcakes are not just for birthdays anymore. And it turns out that cupcakes & champagne is a popular combination that is very now with even the likes of Kenneth Cole and Kate Spade serving it at events including her holiday party in Nashville. The best part is, there's no need to fret over what to serve, the menu's all ready decided for you! Throw in some chocolate covered strawberries and you are set—

Here's an idea for the invitation:

You could go ultra-girly or modern chic with this party, whatever strikes your mood. Here are a few ideas for displaying the cupcakes as seen on Wedding Bells Online.

And another simple tablescape from Mango on an Apple:

Think lots of flavors, tent cards describing what's what and cake stands in varying heights. This last pic looks like it was from a larger event, but nonetheless it will give you an idea of how to set the scene.

What a simple idea for a girls' night out party, bridal shower or just something fun to do!

Yellow + A Spring Wedding = True Love

Let me preface this post by saying that I have been having technical difficulties with adding pictures for days now, so I apologize for it taking me all week to get this up! And of course the last one that I need to add and can't is the invitation. I'm going to go ahead and post since it's been all week and I can't seem to get this to work and I will add the invitation next week. Until then, I'll let your imagination run wild as to what type of invitation we could do. I'll give you a hint that this event screams letterpress on beautiful, soft Italian paper...

I feel like I'm seeing alot of yellow in weddings lately and I absolutely love it! While looking through my Martha Stewart Weddings 15th anniversary edition, I came across this perfect cake and I couldn't help thinking of all the fabulous things you could do with a mainly yellow color palette and an outdoor wedding.

So the cake inspired this invitation, but really I just wanted something to set the tone for an outdoor wedding with an old-fashioned glass lemonade jug. How can you resist this?

And you're wondering where you set a lemonade jug? This looks like the perfect spot to me:

The next pictures speak for themselves so I'll just post them as some inspirational eye candy:

Daisy hor d'oeurves toothpicks
Icy vodka in fruit
Packets of sunscreen for outdoor weddings
Raffia fans to cool the guests down
A beautiful outdoor setting as seen here
A more intimate table
Menu card set inside the plate
More yellow inspiration

And if the cake that inspired me is a bit modern for your taste, how about one of these?

 Lemon cake

Eyelet cake

I love the idea of an eyelet cake with these adorable eyelet bridesmaids dresses. Well, really an eyelet dress you could have all your bridesmaids wear.

 
And if the group is hesitant to wear yellow as most women are, how about eyelet in another color from my absolute favorite bridesmaid dress line, Aria Dress...

And for your grand exit:

Babies and now puppies?

I know, it's a little trite. I keep talking about babies, baby showers, etc, and now I'm moving on to puppies. But, I have good reason! Meet Hutch, our new golden retriever puppy that we got last week. He's an adorable, and quirky 13 week old ball of love. These pics show both him being adorable and quirky, since he eats laying down. Do you think we need to get a doggy bowl table?

For those of you thinking I'm crazy right now, with a two-year old, a business and a baby due in less than 4 months, do not worry, I have thought through every detail of what a puppy brings and this is a calculated move! Just ask my sister, I think of every detail before entering into something like this and fortunately for me (unfortunately for her) I will review every angle at length over the course of multiple phone calls to her before concluding that my gut instinct was right in the first place. It's an exhausting process, but no stone goes left unturned. Ask her. She'll tell you...

So the whole point of this long intro is that I have been reminded by Hutch that a puppy (or dog) is really just another member of your family. Our first dog that we sadly had to put down in December was our first child, and I like to think I'm not alone in thinking of pets like kids. So if you fall into that category, this post is for you— a doggie birthday party (or even just a pet playdate!) Here's what I'm thinking...

Set the scene with these pawprint ballons, party hats and doggie kerchiefs.

Think a backyard picnic with galvanized tubs for chilled water, treat bowls, and open space for them to play. I'd supply a stack of frisbees and a bucket of tennis balls. For the adults you can do a "dog bar" with hot dogs, chili dogs, and corn dogs with all the fixins and for our canine friends look at these treat recipes I've found:

 

Pupcakes

 

and a cake for the guest of honor.

Sounds messy to me, so you'll need something to wipe your paws on—

And for a take-home "doggie bag," how about the cute treats in a pawprint carry out box?