i've moved!

i've decided to continue my blog-escapades on a new blog.
please come + follow me there!
http://www.barefootandpine.blogspot.com/

hope to hear from you!
xoxo
car

let's get together & feel alright.

so, i came to the realization that my husband's 30th party is less than a month away today.
needless to say, the insane list making has begun, i like to write & re-write lists... i'm kind of ocd about it... ANYWAY...i wanted to share  my brainstorm with you.

party planning is one of my passions & his theme is Caribbean... the secret to a great party is good food, food & plentiful drinks, good music & good people!  & have fun with the decor - transform your venue to the look & feel of the theme you are going for... your guests will appreciate it!

the menu

jerk chicken skewers

papaya & garlic shrimp

pulled pork sammys

cuban black bean dip

Caribbean rice

chopped tropical fruit

brazilian chicken salad

the drinks

mai tais

margaritas on the rocks

beers of the islands: 

carib

red stripe

presidente

sol

bottled water

wine

i am making the mai tais & margaritas

ahead of time & keeping them in big drink

dispensers. i ordered a TON of these adorable coconut cups for the mai tais, and plastic margarita glasses for the 'ritas!

in addition, i made a sign for each drink dispenser so guests will know what's in each one.

"red, red wine"

"white sand, white wine"

"mai tais, mon!"

"margarita, seniorita!"

so fun!

dessert

surf board cake

margarita cupcakes

key lime pie

ice cream

hubby has always been a beach bum,

and surfs whenever he can get himself to a beach

with good waves, so a surf board cake is more than fitting!

the rest, go without saying, don't they?



music

reggae

Caribbean

timpani music

decor

my favorite!

so we are having his party poolside, naturally.

the in-ground pool will be surrounded with tables that i will cover

with natural burlap fabric that i bought on ebay!

for centerpieces, i am using large tropical fruits:

pineapples

papayas

mangos

coconuts

i will be floating hibiscus flowers in the pool, and have floating candles

for nighttime.

i bought a large fish net that i am going to use to pin pictures of

the hubby from childhood to present to & drape somewhere for all to see

& point & laugh ... [wink, wink]



i'm so excited to see the party come together...

pictures of the outcome to follow - pray for sunshine!

xo

you're invited.

i just finished my husband's 30th birthday party invitations

& baby shower invitations for sweet baby stella

 who is slated to come to earth july 12th!

i've been talking about both of these invitations for awhile now,

so i wanted to share the finished product with you!

enjoy!

makes you want a mai tai, and a baby ... doesn't it?



"ain't no rules, ain't no vows, gonna do it anyhow"

i am in the midst of full-on party planning mode for my husband's 30th birthday party.
i decided to do a carribean theme poolside, since his birthday falls in late june & he's
always been a total beach bum.

it dawned on me last week that i need to get his invitations out!  
i wanted to use some bob marley lyrics &/or a vintage beach/carribean photograph
to illustrate a carribean feel.   something like this:

courtesy of tikipop

then i found inspiration in these vintage beach inspired engagement photoshoots.

what an amazing idea for an engagement shoot!
i am obesessed.

photos courtesy of ruffled blog & mustard + sage

i can't wait to share the finished invitation with you!

xoxo

there's an app for that.

now all the bride's out there can throw away their binders, 
folders, papers & rest easy, paper free.  there are countless
amazing applications for the iphone & ipad to make every 
bride's life so much easier & organized! 


i wanted to call out my personal favorites!

wedding scan

seriously, the greatest idea since sliced bread.

wedding scan is an intuitive wedding registry application 

that allows you to register for ANY item, at ANY store simply 

by scanning a product's barcode with the WeddingScan iPhone app.

 If a product doesn't have a barcode, WeddingScan allows you 

to take a picture of it and add a brief description.

at only .99 cents, this app is truly genius!

 


iwedding deluxe

while, this app is a little on the pricey side [$9.99] it is a complete wedding planner app that will organize, guide and inspire you while keeping all the vital information at your fingertips. 

this app comes complete with Todo lists, Budget Planning, Notes, Photos, recording of nearly every business detail imaginable, Guest lists, Seating Plans, Wedding Guides, Inspiration, Blogs and even integration with Social Networks such as Twitter and Facebook. it's virtually the only wedding app you need! 

if only these apps were available when i was planning my wedding! 

watch me work.

many people, brides especially, are curious

as to what my creative process is like.

so, i thought i'd take you through the steps

once the design is finished....

i just finished 155 pocket fold invitations for a

pennstate wedding. the bride & groom met there &

wanted to pay homage with out riddling their invitations with

nittany lions & blue & white.

evidently, psu's original colors were pink & black!

it wasn't until someone washed the football uniforms

incorrectly that the colors faded to the blue & white they

are today.

isn't that a fun fact?

so when they expressed wanting to use psu's

original colors, i was stoked!



all the pieces arrive & i start to have anxiety





there's a room deep in my basement where i use spray adhesive.



stella break!



 

let the border cards dry!

  

next i add the invitation card.

add all of the insert cards....

seal it up & voila!











oh, baby.

i am beyond excited to be designing

baby shower invitations for a dear friend of

ours who is expecting a sweet baby girl this summer!

the father asked if i would design them & i

couldn't have said "yes" fast enough!

he wants to use a large full-bleed black & white photograph 

with simple justified modern font [thank God!]-

could we be any more on the same page!?!?  

i adore using photography as

baby announcements & shower invitations i think

it makes them extra special & artistic.

i can't wait to share what i come up with ...

but in the meantime,

check out some of the baby love i found on etsy.

makes me want one of my own !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so precious!