Roses for a Bride! a Mother! a Sweetheart! etc.

A friend of mine has asked for my help in planning her wedding.  It got me thinking about a lot of possible themes and ideas.  I've been playing with an idea for a rose themed party for a long time now.  With weddings on my mind, I thought it would be perfectly suitable for a bridal shower - though it can easily work for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, etc.  Below is my inspiration board. 

The inspiration arose from these cards that I picked up on sale at Papyrus.  They are "hand sparkled," blank cards, ready for personalization.  Bonnie Marcus cards are always fun and girly... though I'm not a very "girly" girl, this is a go-to line for fun & pretty stationery.  The line is made in the USA and uses recycled and FSC certified papers.  As a bonus, they donate a portion of their proceeds to Breast Cancer Research. 

They can be found directly from Bonnie Style Press here: Bridal Dress Invitation

These cards together with my favorite L.A. rose specialties have bloomed to form the following inspiration board. Take these ideas and run with them!

Ideas for decor

These adorable, inexpensive crepe rose pomanders can be used as centerpieces or hung with ribbon throughout the venue.  The wonderful idea was published at wedshare*daily, complete with a step-by-step tutorial.  One of the comments there suggested using white paper lanterns in lieu of styrofoam balls because they were less expensive... I particularly love that idea because styrofoam is so terrible for the environment.  While it's nearly impossible to make every darling detail eco-friendly, we can easily eliminate the worst offenders from our guest list. FYI: the same commentator noted that she required 2 rolls of crepe paper per lantern, or approximately 60 crepe paper roses.


Ideas for food & drink

2 Stews is in love with roses too!  The pasta roses are ingenious.  The simple recipe for Rose Chantilly Cream, served here with raspberry sorbet, is foolproof!  One of my favorite L.A. specialties is the Rosewater Ice Cream from Mashti Malone's.  They make delicious flavors including Rosewater Saffron with Pistachios and Lavender... mmmm, simply refreshing.  Squeezed in between their delicate wafers (forming their famous "Mashti" ice cream sandwich), ice cream is easily transformed into a quick and lovely treat. 

Another of my all-time favorite L.A. treasures is Galco's in Highland Park.  They have the greatest assortment of pop flavors and old-time sodas, including their Sweet Blossom Rose Soda.  2 Stews suggested serving sparkling rosé wine spritzer with rose petal ice cubes.  Be sure to use organic rose petals!  Pesticides are toxic.  Party attendees who abstain from alcohol can also join in the bubbly fun with non-alcoholic Bauser's Extra Dry Champayno.  My friend's favorite wine, the aptly named Stella Rosa, can also be found at Galco's, which also carries a large selection of hard-to-find domestic and imported beers, wines and spirits.  I love Galco's!

Ideas for favors

Thank guests for joining the celebration with these darling little favors!  They're practical, adorable items that guests will actually want to use.  The Bloembox from Olive Barn contains rose seeds for guests to grow their own edible and fragrant flavors.  Olive Barn carries all sorts of adorable, eco-friendly favors!  Rose soaps can be found at beaucoup.  They look and smell like the real thing!  The beautiful rose lollipops from Candy Warehouse will make everyone smile... and can be included in the decor! 

Lastly, a party without cake just don't seem right.  I LOVE cake and will have one for any celebration.  And a party for women without chocolate also seems out of line.  So check out this beautiful chocolate cake I picked up for a previous party from Portos Bakery.  The rose on top is made from solid chocolate... om nom nom!

i love mail

A long lost letter arrived at a Stockton, CA address 70 years after being postmarked... incredible.  Check out the news video here. 

Who knows if I've ever had one of my letters lost.  As far as I know, my mail always arrives at its destination.  I must admit, I LOVE the US Postal Service.  I really do.  Even though the lines are sometimes long at the post office, their service is really great for the prices they charge.  For 44 cents, I can write to my friends across the country and have my letter delivered within 3 days.  Yes, I can email for free but that does not generate the same effect as a handwritten note.  Tell me you don't smile when you receive a card in your mailbox?  You received something other than a bill.  You are important enough that someone actually slowed down their life, sat down and penned some words just for you.  The lines can be bypassed at many locations by using the Automated Postal Centers and ordering stamps online or picking them up at local drugstores.  My current stamps are from the adorable Animal Rescue: Adopt A Shelter Pet series.  But I can't wait to get my hands on the recently issued Sunday Funnies.  The mail and Sunday comics... two of my favorite things!  

 

Sartorially Speaking...

I'm in love with retro looks.  I eagerly anticipate the new arrivals at ModCloth and enjoy browsing through eBay and etsy listings.  I began this love affair long before the premiere of Mad Men.  Growing up as a Latina in L.A., I unavoidably developed a romantic obsession with The Smiths & Morrissey (*sigh* even in his 50s, that man can make me swoon!), Bettie Page and all things greaser.  And with nostalgia being so intrinsic in the immigrant family's psyche, Spanish oldies were always blasting out of our prized home stereo on Saturday mornings.  (While these references point to a love-affair with mid-century fashion and design, I'm really all over the place... I drool over the fashions of my beloved 1930s films, too.)  So of course, I totally welcomed the Mad Men craze!  And I am even more delighted to hear that the show's Emmy-nominated costume designer, Janie Bryant will be launching her own line called Mod on QVC in September!  Hello birthday presents!  The items are priced from $26 to $138... more expensive than thrift stores and garage sales but still, not too steep.  What a lovely resource for retro-themed celebrations!  Below is a preview of a couple of items from the collection originally published at Stylist.com. 

and now for some silly humor... ah, Sesame Street... you're always there to remind me to stop taking things so seriously  :)

Hello!

I've started this blog as an outlet for my event and art ideas.  My main hobbies include event planning, reading, viewing classic movies and letter writing.  I find myself spending my free time reading other people's blogs with their ideas.  Now I've come up with my own thoughts.  I'll be able to set them down here in between schoolwork.  Blogs - a procrastinator's dream!