Hi buddies!  Hope you’ve been doing great!  I was supposed to find out the gender this week but my appointment got rescheduled to next week.  In the meantime, I wanted to post some events I’ve been meaning to share!  What do you do when your best friend is about to get married?  Try to throw her the best shower in the whole world!

Details

Location:  Cecconi’s West Hollywood [a great restaurant but the lighting is rough for photos!]

Hosted by:  Gina’s bridal party

When:  August 2010 

Color scheme:  Yellow, gray & marigold

Cupcake favors:  Chef Meichih

Flowers:  Super talented Emmy

Paper details & décor:  Me

Accessories Buffet

The restaurant wouldn’t let us bring in outside food so we couldn’t have a dessert buffet.  I decided to set up an accessories buffet instead which included hairpins, headbands and brooches.  Initially I thought I could just buy them but then realized it would be way too expensive.  Pretty hairpins could go for up to $25 each! 

Over the course of three months I tried to make one or two accessories a day so that it wouldn’t be too overwhelming at the end.  Luckily I started early because I ended up breaking my right wrist and only had one arm to work with! 

[For the table set up I actually used old dishwares that I got from Goodwill and other thrift shops.]

Some of the accessories I made via tutorials and the others I just tried different things until something worked, hehe.  Here are a few of the tutorials:  fabric flower hair clip, rose barrettes, chiffon & tulle flower, linen flower and lace/ribbon rosettes.     

Photo Booth Fun!

We set up a mini photo backdrop so that people could take photos with Gina.  The backdrop is just a piece of fabric.  I got the frames for a dollar each at thrift shops and just spray painted them. 

[I know a laptop isn’t a traditional bridal shower gift but this was one thing I knew she needed the most!]

[Evan cracked us all up.  After seeing everyone taking photos he grabbed a frame and went to the backdrop so he could have his photo taken too!]

My Loves

[It’s so cute that my mom & Gina’s mom are such close friends too!]

 

[Gorgeous Gina!  Her mom is so pretty & young too.  I always tell Gina they have fabulous genes.]

[The photographer and his assistant.  The only boys allowed at the shower!] 

I think everyone had fun!  Most importantly, I was happy that Gina knew how much all of her family and friends loved and adored her.  

Baby 2! 

Hi everyone!  We are expecting baby #2 this summer!  I’m already 15 weeks but I’ve been so sick I haven’t even been able to properly announce the great news. I’m due in early September but my doctor said 2nd babies often arrive early so I’ll probably have an August baby! 

The past few months have been so hard because I’ve had really bad morning sickness plus a continuous string of flus/stomach viruses/colds.  Hope this now explains my absences from the online and real world!  

Silly Duo

Evan & Bella are still the same silly duo.  I don’t think they really know how much things will be changing around here this summer.  At first whenever I lifted my shirt to rub my belly and say “baby” Evan would do the same to himself…lol!  The other day though he came up to me and rubbed my belly and said “hi baby”…yay! 

Here they are playing around.  Evan was eating a snack and Bella wanted some.  He pretended to give her one but it was really a wood block!

Cabin Fever

Since Evan & I have both been sick on and off we’ve had to spend a lot of time indoors.  Luckily this little pool kept the baby and furbaby occupied!

[How to keep a two-year old entertained.]

Blurb Giveaway!

Every single day runs into the next and before I know it another week has passed!  I go through periods where I don’t use my computer for days and then I lose track of time.  I had a huge vet bill for Bella’s chocolate fiasco then I had to pay a $100 late fee for my annual state bar fees!  To top it off~ I bought a bunch of Groupons for Blurb photo books that I won’t be able to use because I’ve been too sick.  Well, so that at least one thing doesn’t turn into a waste of money…

I have two $60 gift certificates to Blurb to share.  Please let me know if you’re interested and if you’ll be able to use it by the 3/7 deadline.  I’ll pick two people randomly!  [Update:  Congrats to soxpax and spiritedsherry!  I’ll track you down and send you the gift certificates.  I’m so happy people will be able to make good use of them!]

Keep Shoes Photo Shoot

Back in January, I did an auntie + nephew + shoes photo shoot for my sister-in-law and Evan.  Her friend works for Keep Shoes and gave us great deals on shoes!  You can see all of the photos here on my sister-in-law’s fabulous blog.

Evan’s Friends

One thing I love about Evan is that he’s a friendly little guy.  He has a really diverse group of friends.

One day he’ll hang with his toddler crew…

[A hot July 2010 day.] 

Another day he’ll do lunch with his lawyer buddies…

[Lunching in Century City.]

You can also find him playing games with Javier Bardem while waiting in line at Michaels. 

[Evan & Javier]

And, of course, you know his love for his furry friends.

Soon!

I hope you’ve all been doing great~!  I’ll be back soon with lots of updates.  Have a fabulous week!  I’ll leave you with a quote that always makes me smile…

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. – Marcel Proust

[Bella, circa 2008.]