Celebrations.

I had a birthday this past weekend. The overall theme of the weekend seemed to center around food. I'll spare you the details of my many meals, mainly because it's embarrassing to share! I also felt very spoiled and loved, which can be two very good emotions.

I made these no yeast required cinnamon buns on Sunday morning. They were divine.

There are lots of events/celebrations coming up in the next few months, more going away parties (which will be a time of celebration and mourning), bridal showers, birthday parties, football games which bring friends to town, etc...
Thank God for pinterest, the purveyor of event ideas and recipes. I am dying to recreate this:

I think my dining room table needs a floor length skirt for these occasions.

Or maybe a short ruffle for a casual party

All images on Pinterest

Wedding Lighting.

My friend Jovanna is getting married this January. The wedding is in south Florida and the reception will take place outside. I promised her I would round up some images and help her with the planning of her wedding. This week I will dedicate Smitten Design to wedding blogging.

First up, outdoor lighting. We share the same opinion that lighting makes more of an impact than flowers. See below.

Any advice on where we can rent chandeliers (I am just assuming the role of self appointed wedding planner this week)? It's hard to locate a vendor. I am thinking of starting a career in wedding supplies, like Duchess Kate Middleton's mum!

Pure Glam.

The event planner in me wants to throw a killer NYE party. Here are elements I would include:

A gaudy confetti photo booth


A glitter dance floor.

Glamorous curtains and chandeliers over tables.

I would wear this to my party:

With a costume change at midnight

Event Lighting.

Here are a couple of photos from the FSU Film School's Gala last Saturday night. I enjoyed having those chandeliers for our guests.

32 Yards of Burlap.

I want to share a lunch set up that Jen and I created for our board meeting. Lots of burlap, twine, hydrangeas, galvanized buckets, chalkboards and limes.

Pretty Floral.

I have been searching for floral ideas for a fancy gala I am planning this summer. I might have found my inspiration.



I like the mix of florals that are used in the picture below.

via San Diego Wedding Blog and Martha

Floral Decor.

Here are some more details and photos from the event I just completed. I work for the Florida State University Foundation as an event planner. There was a new group formed to support FSU entitled The Women for FSU. "The goal of The Women for Florida State University is to unite the women of Florida State as leaders, advocates and donors for the university. We strive to inspire and empower the women of Florida State by increasing awareness and education, as well as providing opportunities for mentoring, networking and philanthropy."

All in all, it's a group of dynamic women who are successful and who are passionate about FSU. Below are photos I took from the dinner we had on Saturday night. The dinner was my favorite part of the weekend because of the glamourous room we held it in; Werkmeister Reading Room.

One of the perks of being an event planner is taking wine home from events taking floral arrangements home.

Up, up and away.

I'm back! I have been preoccupied with planning a weekend long event (more details in the next post) but this post is simply the balloon overdose I promised.

I had to rent a helium tank and recruit 2 helpers (thanks Susan and Jen) to manage these massive balloons. I bought 30 balloons but we ran out of helium on the 18th balloon.

Our afternoon turned into a photo shoot/maternity shoot before we set up the balloons as event decor.

Stay tuned for more event details.

Balloons available via Sugar.

Balloon Overdose.

Oh snap. I am in love with this color palette. I just order 30 jumbo sized balloons in pink, yellow and white from Sugar and a helium tank for an event next Friday. I'm hoping to take some killer pictures of this event to show you the final product. I also want to see if I hold 30 balloons at once, if I can float off the ground? Anyone want to donate their small child to see if it would work? You know they'd love to fly.

pic from snippet and ink

Events Overload.

I am multitasking at a very fast pace today, but this is the way I prefer to operate - with more to do than can be complete in a day. There are a lot of event details that I need to take care of for work, but I do not want to forget to pass along some wonderful tutorials I've seen on the blogs.

First, from Once Wed fabric poms. These are so precious I'm sure I will be making these to keep on hold for a wedding or baby shower or simply to hang them from my ceiling for any occasion. Next up, an Ice Cream Parlour from Eat Drink Chic
Amy Moss is a graphic designer in Melbourne, Australia. She's incredibly generous with downloadable projects and instructions on DIY projects. Her site is a must visit.

Emerson. I am a fan.

I have been in event planning mode for the last few weeks. I having been scouring the Internet for new ideas and simple little details that can make our {Florida State University Foundation} events more memorable.
I think most blog readers have seen images from Emerson Made before but for those of you who have not, this gal makes pins, headbands, belts, corsages, just generally awesome accessories. One of her photos is of a table display featuring a bundle of her pins and I thought: How awesome would that be not only as a centerpiece but also as a take home gift to your guests? That would be amazing. Perfect for a shower! I love it all! Good job Emerson.