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inspired-I

I fell in love with this post from decor8 (who I'm mildly obsessed with) Memorial Day weekend and I had to re-create it for my home. Simply put, it makes me smile when I enter my living room to see the white, the flowers, the light coming in through my windows. Living in Arizona during the summer is hard on a lot of us, me included. So to be able to make something that appears light and cool helps me out a little with the hot, hot heat.

The bottles-I knew I was saving so many of them for a reason-I went out back and spray painted them with a semi-gloss white, done & dry less than 15 minutes. I didn't add any washi tape or doilies like the post shows, maybe I will if I get tired of their look. For now I love the white. The mirror I snatched up at JAM , made by Restoration Plantation and his furniture re-dos are fantastic. Go have a look-see!





I hope you like my "inspired-I", there will be more coming soon.

xox
Ricki

ps-decor8 is worth following, I promise!

a DIY gone lazy

The night I started this yarn wreath was an exciting one. It was the first class at JAM, hosted by the lovely Christina Hull-whoops-I mean Martinez. Summer and I were the students! The three of us had a really sweet time together making them. But, making the felt rosettes and wrapping the yarn around the wreath took us a while and our annual cookie exchange was about to start, which was also being held at JAM. Hence, the wreath went into a bag, and into a closet at home, rarely to be noticed again.

Until!! This memorial day weekend! I was determined to finish it and I am so, so happy that I did! It really makes me smile to see it on our doorway. My husband seemed to like it as well-he better.

ps-if you can even see them in the photo, I didn't mean to make the rosettes match the purple & turquoise stained glass in the door. really!

love,
ricki

Orange & Vintage styled wedding photo shoot with Diana Elizabeth

I heart orange! This shoot was so inspiring for me! I loved all the planning that went into it. I also loved all the amazing people that I got to work with-behind the scenes & the day of. I'm so grateful for the support and I couldn't have done it without all my lovely ladies!

I will admit that I had a few dreams leading up to the day where I showed up to the location with absolutely nothing. Nothing! Each time I had to comfort myself that it was just a dream, I am awesome and that I could do it. Silly, right?

Needless to say it all worked out and I'm really happy with the results. I hope you are too! Enjoy xox








Link love:
Diana Elizabeth : Photographer (also, amazing friend!)
Lizzy Marsh : Makeup Artist
Salon Sandoval : Hair stylists-Chris Sandoval & Gigi Arredondo
Casey Jones : Cookies & Pies
Rust n Roses : Tables, chairs, small pieces for decor
Uptown Bridal Boutique : Bridal gown & Bridesmaid dresses
Julia Winter : of JewelYa designs-all jewelry

And a big, big thank you to those who have posted our hard work!

Jaimee Rose : http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/JaimeeRose/127982
Diana Elizabeth : blog
Wedding Chicks : http://www.weddingchicks.com/2011/05/03/anthropologie-inspired-wedding-shoot/ Eeeeee!!!!!

"for the love of" photo shoot

I met with Miss Bliss at Jam to connect about her upcoming photo shoot. If I can remember all her fun descriptions it went something like-I want fun, whimsical, bright, cupcakes, turquoise wall, pennant banner, lollipops. And my mind was going-call Casey for cupcakes check, banner got the paper check, already have pinwheels check, bright bring lemons and strawberries check. Whew!! I think I got the vision she was after.

I admire Miss Bliss' work in such a different way now. We went from kids that acted like a deer in headlights, to happy smiley got every perfect pic in 1 minute, to missing their nap and crying and back to happy. That is a challenging job! But the end result is so many sessions of beautiful children so go check out her site and see these tikes in action.


Pennant banner all paper from Scrapbooks Etc. As is the ribbon. That was the simplest project I've done in a while!


I love using mason jars. In fact, I carry one around all the time to drink my water in. On this day I made some quick pinwheels, poked a green brad in them and stuck the pinwheels with a few glue dots on to the jars. I added some twine and a paper straw for more fun and color.

Real lemonade here! My son didn't want to put his down for his shoot ;)

More things I love! Wood berry baskets and crates. They give such an organic and cozy feeling to things. Then add beautiful fruit and the colors look so alive.

Ahhh the cupcakes. Check out the disco glitter on these babies! Again, Casey had to deal with my specifics. I asked for 'tilt-a-whirl' cupcake liners and very turquoise frosting. Yes, I know the names of cupcake liners! And she was spot on, they came out perfectly. No child complained about having to eat one!



I hope you enjoyed these pretty pics, I know I have!

xox Ricki

link love:
scrapbook paper-Scrapbooks Etc
paper straws & cupcake liners-Bake it Pretty
wood crates-Poole and Sons
berry baskets-Garden Time
Casey's Confections-Caseys Confections
Miss Bliss Photography-Bliss Boutique Photography
SAS-phoenix location

Milk & Cookies 1st Birthday

Milk & Cookies it doesn't get much yummier then that!

This party was hosted for a handful of darling one year old's and their mommies & daddies. Cookie tasting was on! The dilemma was which milk goes with which cookie?!

I used trifle bowls filled with ice, classic milk jars (purchased at Whole Foods) and filled them with strawberry, chocolate and plain milk.

Look at these cookies! The wonderful Casey, of Casey's Confections, did an amazing job. She made three sugar cookie flavors; vanilla (with little specks of the vanilla bean in the cookie!), chocolate chip and chocolate. When I opened the case I think I went to sugar and vanilla heaven-it smelled divine. I can not even begin to understand her patience for making these beautiful creations. She also made little dunkers-chocolate chip and m & m. Casey was incredibly patient with me as I only wanted turquoise, red & brown m & m's in the cookies! Yes, I know tiny details I just can't overlook them.














These little creamers from Crate & Barrel were the perfect choice as a milk vessel for the tikes. Of course I used paper straws and this time I dressed them up with ribbon.











The set up was so cute! White cake plates from Crate & Barrel and Home Goods were the platform along with fun colored food labels I used that went with the invitation theme.











The to-go treats were my favorite part! Mommy host told me about her to-go idea and I happily agreed. So she ordered them, I 'ribboned' & 'thanked' them. We filled them with Horizon milk cartons and families added some cookies to take home.













Here's the front of the invitation. It was fun to put together as was the party.

Happy Birthday Cash! And a big thank you to the mommy who continues to appreciate my work and services.

Love,
Ricki

link love:
divine cookies!-Caseys Confections
cake plates & creamers-Crate and Barrel
paper straws-Bake it Pretty
paper-Scrapbooks, Etc

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

Here's the scoop!

This was a pink and turquoise birthday party for a fabulous little two year old.

The favors were made of sweet little cotton sacks that were personalized

with each birthday guests initial and name.

These gable boxes were used for the kids lunches.

PB & J, and turkey & cheese with Annie's cheddar bunnies, grapes & water.

Cupcake liner poms were strung through-out the party room for decorations.

An ice cream bar was set up and it was filled with 3 ice-cream flavors (kid classics-vanilla, strawberry & chocolate of course). For the fun-for kids and messy-for adults part; chocolate syrup, fresh whip cream & enough toppings to stain your kitchen floor for days.

For the big people there were pink rice crispy treats and chocolate covered trail mix.

Even though it was pouring rain outside it was shining bright in doors with lots of happy kids.

Enjoy xox
Ricki


link love:
white gable boxes-Box and Wrap
favor bags-Perideau Designs
cupcake liners-Bake it Pretty

a shower for baby daly

my lovely girlfriend christina asked me to help her with our friend aleka's baby shower.
well, of course i said yes!  and, it was for a girl (all i've known are boy baby showers thus far) so i was excited to finally use pink!

we went with a soft pink, grey and green color scheme.  it was a co-ed event which meant no games or diaper cakes.  instead it included sangria, fine cheeses with yummy pairings and lots of pie!  we also had a crafting station...i believe when baby daly grows some hair she is going to have so many hair clips to choose from.  the ladies really had a great time crafting and sipping sangria.  we had the men pop in, decorate a card and write a message of warm wishes to the mommy and daddy to be.  but who knows what they really put on them!

so here are a few pics and notes of how it all went down!

for the invitation i used a pink chevron pattern paper, made paper rosettes from a pretty grey pattern & punched it with a green brad and wrapped some green twine around it.  it was simple, clean & modern (very much like the parents-to-be's style). i also used lobster & traveling typewriter fonts from dafont.

our crafting area included paper, paper punches,  and embellishments for the cards.  for the hair clips we had strips of fabric, squares of fabric and lots of glue going around.  it was really fun!
 

we did them!  pie in a jar as the favors for all the guests.  as christina said, "cupcakes are out, pies are in!"  everyone absolutely loved them!  and a cute wooden spoon to take with it.

 we used the same paper from the invitation to keep the color scheme streamlined.

to continue the mason jar feel, we served beverages out ofwith the pint size, wrapped green ribbon around them and used a solid white paper straw.

our pairings consisted of:
parmesan & honey
chevre with raisin & rosemary crips (have you tried these from trader's?! i can eat the entire box)
cheddar & sopreseta with dijon mustard
brie, apricot jam & apples
and the men's fav, meat on a stick (prosciutto wrapped on grisinis)

of course we carried the pie theme over for the dessert area as well!  two fruit pies and two cream pies, they were so delish!

hope you enjoy, xox

links & info:
paper straws-bake it pretty
mason jars-walmart
large pies-karl's quality bakery
meat on a stick idea-confessions of a foodie bride
fonts-dafont
foods-trader joe's, costco & cost plus
twine-whisker graphics
 

"on to baby" blog & i'm on it!!

This was such blissful news to hear! My lovely friend Diana Elizabeth submitted the photos of the mini-cooper baby shower that I did to the new and adorable site on to baby.  She captured it!  As she always does being the wonderful photographer she is.  

I thought I'd share some of my ideas and links of how I did it all!

I custom ordered rubber stamps of the mini-cooper car & logo which I used for the invitaions.  The info was printed on vellum.  Instead of gluing it together I used washi tape & divine twine to attach the two pieces. For paper decorations, lollies or rosettes (whichever you prefer to call them) and circle orbs were all made out of paper.  I stuck them on wooden dowels and put them in vases and also hung them with clear jewelry string throughout the party areas.  I got the idea for the candle stick & picture frame stand from an awesome engagement party that I can not find the link to right now.

I ordered green paper straws and printed "cooper" on paper to make straw slips.  From the direction of, another amazing, friend Jaimee Rose I made mini-milkshakes and colored them green.  And yes, I made the cake pops myself!  It was a bit nerve-wracking trying it out but I did it!  And I heard that the hostess' hubby ate all that were left after the party.

I wanted to be as detailed as possible with the colors and was so excited when I found trays, plates & napkins that coordinated so well and all at one place-IKEA!

I loved how even the choices of food went with the theme, I may have gone a bit OCD.  But I think the crowd appreciated the healthy fruits & veggies mixed with the sweets & sugar area.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how the party was constructed, it was a great deal of fun!

xox
ricki"on to baby" blog




Links:

• paper straws - Kikkerland shop 
• cake pops instructions - bakerella
• cake pops supplies - abc cake decorating supplies
• custom stamps - Blossom Stamps
• paper supplies & rosette tutorial - Paper Source
• trays, plates & napkins - ikea
• bakers twine - divine twine
• amazing photographer - Diana Elizabeth

baby girl shower package

This weekend a baby shower was hosted by sweet friend Mckenzie of Labyrinth
I sent her a package to help decorate her table and have her guests go "ooh so sweet!" We didn't know the name of the sweet baby girl-to-be so instead of a name we chose sweet messages. A big (well only 4 years old) sister was feeling a little left out and needed a little something special for the day.
Her goodie box was filled with:
paper straws with slips saying "love, family & sisters",
banners for "welcome" and "baby girl",
a ribbon banner and pink glittery cone hat for the big sis.



I look forward to seeing pictures very soon and hope they all had a great time!

xox
ricki

It's a new year

So before January ends I thought it would be productive to finally say out loud, via the computer, what my goals for this year.  And by doing so in front of people, essentially, I may set out to accomplish them.  That's the goal anyway.

1. Complete my living room with two new chairs, art work and re-paint the front entry console/dresser piece. Yes, this is very much a priority for me!  It's been far too long the way it is.  There will be before & after pictures for you, don't worry.
2. Be more creative!  I've bookmarked many, many DIY's & tutorials and now I must actually set out and conquer some of them.  Not all of course, but a handful would be a good way to get over this fearful hump I'm in.  Ok, so let's say 5 projects!  I'll keep you in the loop as to which ones I decide soon.
3. Make la Ricki a success this year!  I see that happening in these ways:  meet with business consultant and do absolutely everything she tells me to, create portfolio, continue to grow relationships, maintain a creative presence at jam with stationary, tags & other paper goodies I sell there, and be amazingly persistent.
4. Blog!  The goal is to post a new entry 1-2 times a week.  Of course included in this goal is to master blogspot as well.  I want it to to look pretty!
5. Be of service.  This one I'm not sure as to where or how.  My time may be valuable but I know that I can give some of it in some way.  Also to make small (very small as of now) donations to some sort of organization; one that is local and one that is for or in a developing nation.  -if anyone has suggestions for Number 5 please feel free to tell me please!
6. Say 'please' and 'thank you' to my son, husband and really anyone in my life.  How can I expect my son to learn politeness if I don't practice it all the time? 

         

Number 3 is really the priority of making everything else fall into place.  I'm not perfect and far from it.  I don't know everything but I do know some things.  What I do know is that I love being creative!  I didn't know that a few years ago.  For so long I was trying to fit myself into this perfect box, one that was way too left-brained and it wasn't working.  So here I am, in 2011, a mommy of an almost 2 year old, wife to an amazing husband and a girlfriend to so many beautiful girlies, working on a new business and learning to be more confident of my talents and beginning success.  This year is starting off well, I'm very excited for what it brings and for what I can offer as well.  

What are your goals this year?  Feel free to share!

xox

ricki

ps-just a little pic of Ethan & I, this is what keeps me

going & inspired!

Baked Explorations

Have you all seen this fabulous desserts book?!  These two men, with sassy instructions and detailed guidance have taken some of the best classic desserts and brought them into the modern light.  I love it!  I do not claim to be a baker (at all) but these recipes are so inspiring. I'm ready to add these fine ingredients to my shopping "to-do" list: cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate and vanilla bean paste.  I actually have some of the other ingredients they suggest, yes I'm already patting myself on the back.  I didn't realize this book was such a hit until I noticed many of the blogs I read daily have made posts about it and right now it's in the front window of Williams Sonoma. I was lucky enough to steal this book. Yes, steal!  My lovely friend Alissa hosts an annual gift exchange and one of our equally as lovely girlfriends always has the BEST swag.  So great are her freebies that I got a John Derian cake plate too!  Remember his cool stuff at Target this past summer?  You don't?!  Well clearly nobody at the gift exchange had either and the poor new girl at the party wound up with a not so cool re-gifted item.  I hope she doesn't remember me when the party rolls around again this year!

I will keep you posted on my baking adventure, I'm hoping something will appear for Valentine's Day to impress my handsome hubby.

xox

ricki