Tonality Designs

Who's that baby? Shower Game

I recently had the pleasure of helping with my cousin's baby shower. My aunt had been scanning in old pictures of the family and thought it would be fun to display everyone's baby pictures at the shower. Well, we took it one step further. We made it a game. 

We had pictures from 4 generations so we displayed them in a jumbled family tree of sorts. Then during the shower we passed out everyone's name on a sheet of paper and asked guests to match the name to the photo. Even though it was family and we should have known all the pictures it proved challenging and fun to see how close some of us looked as babies. In fact, my cousin thought my dad's picture was me. Classic. The game was a huge hit and led to remembering some fun childhood stories. 

Really looking forward to Brian and Mayumi's twin – yes twin – boys this New Year's Eve. Plus my cousin Cristina is expecting her second baby girl around that same time. Exciting for all of us!

For more pictures of the Who's That Baby? Family Tree click here.

Shower the ones you love! And Twilite Moon Post!!

So today I posted my first guest blog post over at Twilite Moon! Twilite Moon asked if I would write holiday inspired ideas for moms and moms-to-be. Since I have been super busy and have yet to post Thanksgiving ideas here on my own blog, be sure to check out the post at Twilite Moon. It will give you some flower ideas and will hopefully tide you over until next week when I have some perfect DIY Thanksgiving decorating and favor ideas. 

Also, if you have a new baby in your life, be sure to do a little window shopping at Twilite Moon. They have the cutest designer baby stuff - you'll just go crazy with all the fun finds.

Lastly, in celebration of my Twilite Moon post, and keeping in the spirit of baby, I thought I'd share with you guys some of my recent shower invitations. A couple are definitely targeted only for a baby shower, for instance I just love the "Buy One Get One Free" twin-boy shower invite I created for my cousins Brian and Mayumi, but the florals would also be perfect for a bridal shower, birthday or annivsary party. And all will soon be available for sale on Etsy! Check back next week with an update! Enjoy!

 

Etsy Love: Eclu Bridesmaid Bags

So I plan to post some more Thanksgiving ideas this week, but I wanted to share with you this fun find from Etsy. Check out these darling clutch bags by Eclu. She designs them with the thought that a bride could give them to her bridal party. Such a clever idea and I know those bridesmaids out there who've received one are very grateful for the idea as well. Of course I love them because they feature fabric flowers – which I seem to be obsessed over right now.

She also has other bags and backpacks for kids that are adorable.

So if you're a bride and wondering what to get your bridal party - consider Eclu. If you're a mom with extra cash - stop by Eclu. Or if your a crafter in need of inspiration - definitely go to Eclu.

Harvest Fest: Fall Inspiration Part 1

So let's just be honest with ourselves and name Martha Stewart Queen of Halloween. Okay, maybe it's not just Martha, but her staff; however, it's her name on everything so she wins. So, instead of me trying to come up with Halloween ideas, I'm going to tell you to go to MarthaStewart.com or better yet, go to your nearest Borders and pick up her special Halloween Magazine issue. You won't regret the purchase. 

So moving on, Thanksgiving kind of gets neglected because everyone focuses on Halloween and then by the time Novemeber comes, everyone is on to Christmas. But I LOVE Thanksgiving. It's a holiday where you get to gather with your friends and family and all you have to worry about is who's bringing the potatoes or greenbeans or PIE. There's no shopping for gifts or wrapping of presents. It's simply a fun party. And I must admit my family does it up right.

My family has a tradition for the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. We throw a party! Family and close friends are invited to Harvest Fest, where we drink champagne, eat chili and simply enjoy each others company. It started because everyone would travel and arrive at one destination on Wednesday and we'd all eat, drink and be merry that night. Well, we quickly realized that we all looked forward to Wednesday night and five years ago jokingly called the night "Harvest Fest." Little did we know that the name would inspire a full-fledged annual party with a formal invitation, elaborate party decorations and even favors. Of course, I'm the one responsible for creating the invites and decor, but I couldn't help myself. There's nothing better than to plan and create beautiful things for the ones you love.

Over the next few posts, I'm going to share with you our past invitations, party decor and favors. And even give you a sneak peak at what I have planned this year. Hopefully it will inspire you to step up your game this Thanksgiving - Harvest Fest style!

It Started With a Laser Cutter!

Please enjoy this fabulous find I read about today on Design*Sponge. Molly M Designs, started making unique jewelry and although I don't usually wear earrings, I would admire anyone wearing these. And now her designs are also being translated as laser cut prints. All I have to say is,"TO. DIE. FOR." And such great design inspiration. I must have these hanging somewhere in my house.

Inspiration Board #1: Aileen and James' Perfect Sunset

My dear friend Aileen met her perfect mate James and they are now planning their wedding. Their love affair is in fact a worldwide affair as they first met in NY a few years ago but Aileen lived in Ohio and James lived in Australia. They kept in contact via email, but their love didn't truly bloom until Aileen took a 3 month trip to Australia. Well, 3 months turned into 6 and when Aileen finally returned to the States, James quickly followed. He found a job in South Carolina, where they are now living and planning their wedding as James proposed to Aileen this summer in China. Yes, China. They both love to travel and I told you from the beginning that this is a worldwide affair. They are getting married in Aileen's hometown in Ohio, but James always pictured being married at the beach. So, why not try to bring the colors of the beach to their wedding? This inspiration board derives from a perfect sunset. It's also perfect for Aileen, who always wears and decorates with eclectic patterns and colors.

So here's to Aileen and James and my first Inspiration Board! I couldn't have been inspired by two better people. Enjoy...

Sources:

1. Bride and Groom photo by Todd Pellowe
2. Flowers by Pollen Floral Art
3. Save-the-Date by Frank Chimero
4. Table setting by Martha Stewart
5. Blue feather/flower photo by Rebecca Thuss
6. Multi-color fabric canopy photo by Karen Wise
7. Poppies photo by Happy Cavalier
8. Roses in milk glass photo by Punam Bean
9. Lantern photo by Rebecca Thuss
10. Balloon photo by Josh Goleman
11. Van photo by Amy Squires
12. Fabric Flower by Martha Stewart

Shower Ideas Inspired by Football Season!

Who says a bridal shower has to be a formal tea or a baby shower has to be just for the girls? I say a party should not be shaped by rules but by the guest-of-honor and what will make her happy. With football season here and my Buckeye's off to a fun, yet rocky start, I thought I'd post a couple of past showers I did that were both inspired by the guest-of-honor's love of sports.

Party #1 is perfect for a college-football crazed bride. If you're not familiar with the Ohio State/Michigan Rivalry or College Gameday this invite idea is going to go over your head, but I promise if you are familiar with them you will laugh just like the guests and bride-to-be did. See more pictures on our website.

Party #2 is a great idea for a couple's baby shower. Guests were invited to a Baby Pep Rally and the Pom-Pom Pennant invite asked them to come prepared by wearing their favorite team colors.

Update! I found the original invite. Here's the wording:

TEAM CAZARES is preparing to sign on a new recruit.

Join us at the BABY PEP RALLY to cheer on MICHELE and STEVEN as they get ready for the BABY DRAFT.

With their first round pick they are looking to score a healthy baby boy to round out their family's team.

We have a strong feeling he's going to be ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR.

Show your support by dressing in your favorite team colors.

Simple, yet appropriate, decorations were created with primary-color steamers, balloons, pom-poms and megaphones, all topped off with a "Baby Cazares is #1" Pennant Banner. We also created a sports themed diaper cake that was a big hit with both the guys and gals at the party. And don't forget the peanuts and crackerjacks. Now play ball!

Fabric Flower Creativity Boost!

One of my good friends is getting married and she recently sent me a link to some DIY Fabric Flowers (pictured above) from Martha Stewart Weddings. She asked me if she thought we could make the flowers for her seating cards for her wedding and I said, "Yes, please!" The Martha article actually shows 32 paper and fabric flower ideas. Of the 32 designs I've already done all of the paper and ribbon designs and only the most simple of the fabric flowers, so I've decided to gather all the fabric flower projects I've been dying to try in this blog post. Hopefully it will act as inspiration to you and will get me motivated to actually try one or two of the designs out.

First, the Martha Stewart Fabric Flowers which I believe may have been inspired by Emersonmade (pictured above). I originally blogged about Emersonmade on my birthday, suggesting to my friends that one of her handmade flowers would be the perfect birthday present! This weekend I hope to try my hand at these handmade peonies and roses. 

 

Second, I just love embroidered pillows, so these 3D felt pillow designs from Amy Butler and Anne Kyrrö Quinn are just beyond perfect in my book. I think I've wanted to make the Amy Butler Snow Mum Pillow for over a year now,  Download Snow_Mum_Pillow .  As for Anne Kyrrö Quinn's pillow, thank you How About Orange for blogging about the free tutorial available here on Etsy.

And because the web has endless inspiration, here are some links to some other fun finds. For instance, I found the blog Kinda Wonderful where she posted about 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days.

And let's not forget my love of Heather Bailey's fabrics and I've found her patterns prove to be just as great. Try her Pop Garden Scrap Flower and La Fleur Debris.

Also check out these fun patterns: Calamity Kim: Fold & Twist Fabric Flowers; The Artful Crafter: Flowers from Fabric Remnants; Molly Chicken: Fabric Flower Tutorial

So have fun flower crafting. I'm thinking there is definite party decor potential here for table runners, centerpieces and maybe even invites. I'll post my creations soon...

More Giraffe Accolades!

Today, Laurie at Tip Junkie blogged about perfect birthday party themes for any gender. And guess what? Our Giraffe Birthday made the cut. You go Giraffe! And thanks Laurie for the shout out. See the Tip Junkie post here.

Our Giraffe Birthday Is Officially A Creative Party!

Creative Parties & Showers, a party blog dedicated to featuring other people's parties, featured our Giraffe Birthday on Friday! It really was a fun party and I'm so happy it's getting to be seen by party moms and divas who enjoy the party-blog world. To see the post please visit the link here (and be sure to leave a comment!) Thanks also to Creative Parties & Showers and your dedication to featuring none other than creative parties. It really is a great blog for finding real inspiration.