Before You Pop

I am in love with these containers and can not wait to introduce them at the next baby shower I throw. Cute and modern and totally fun, these are perfect for even the most discerning mom-to-be, and who doesn't love a good tub of popcorn?

Barbie's 50th Surprise

A VERY special client, my Mother, turned 50 recently and I was put to the daunting task of throwing her party. Once the cocktail and hos d'oeuvres idea was set, I came up with the idea of a glamour Barbie theme. Barbie is turning 50, and so is Mom. I designed these invitations which set the color theme for the evening.

The rest of the decorations were done in hot pink, silver and black. I glued and glittered three cardboard chandeliers and used submersible battery operated pink tealights to add some flare to the crystals in the vases and the table arrangements.

And there were two cakes. One for the "fifties" and one for that little princess still lurking inside, a Barbie doll cake made with the 50th anniversary doll.

The party was made even more perfect by the look on the birthday girl's face. She had a fabulous glamour-filled party, better than anything ever thrown in Barbie's dreamhouse!

Oktoberfest Fundraiser

Despite the wind storm (it is Chicago after all), we were able to pull off a beautiful and successful Oktoberfest themed fundraiser. Special thanks to Dollinger Farms for their donation of the fall decorations.

I painted the pumpkins to welcome the crowd to the pavilion. You can do this at home on your own front porch.

Mums were placed on each table with sponsor signage hugged into floral stem holders as the centerpieces.

We did a mixture of high and low tables and even added some torpedo heaters to fight off the chill.

But perhaps the biggest hit of the night was the hot pretzel bar, complete with various dipping sauces. Special thanks to Duke's Catering for all of their hard work.

Congrats, Joe. And don't forget to vote..in 2011!