Everyday Celebrating

Smilebooks at BlogHer!

 

You may have seen the button on the sidebar there.  This one:

That's one of the largest blogging conferences in the United States and it's sold out.  As always.
I'll be there representing several sponsors and one of them is the fine folks at Smilebooks.com

SmileBooks helps you turn your favorite digital photos into treasured photo books. Within minutes you can download SmileBooks free software and begin creating permanent photo book memories.  When you're done, fill out the order form and within days you'll receive your incomparable quality photo book.  Create memories that last a lifetime, in no time at all with SmileBooks photo books.

They have several sizes to create and also great templates if you're not that creative.  However, if you do want complete control over the design of your pages, you have that capability. 

I found the software to be easy and self explanatory.  The preview was clear and I loved how it would immediately tell if your photos were not going to print at a high quality level.

To show you an example, here is one of the booklets that Smilebooks prints.  What you are seeing here are the custom designed idea books I'll be passing out at the BlogHer conference.  Please leave me a comment if you're going to be at the conference.  I'd love to meet you and load you down with some swag!  :)

If you click on the photo, you can see more detail.  The pages are a beautiful gloss and really are coffee table quality.  They make beautiful hardcover books that are perfect gifts or a great way to celebrate a special occasion such as an anniversary, birthday, graduation or wedding.

Stay tuned!  Smilebooks and Everyday Celebrating is going to be having a fun competition through this blog with lots of fun prizes!

But for now.. Smilebooks wanted to celebrate blogs and the people that read them by giving a 25% discount to readers.  Simply type in the code Blogher25 at checkout to receive your discount! 

So get busy creating a book of memories! You don't need an occasion.. how about making a Summer Fun book or a book with your vacation photos?

Don't forget!  If you're going to the BlogHer conference... leave me a comment!

Enjoy!

Custom paper wedding chain

Don't you love how there's a trend in weddings to go back to the homemade and vintage?

These custom paper chains could be used as decoration for many celebrations surrounding a wedding (bridal luncheon, rehearsal dinner, reception, shower, etc.)

This paper chain is printed with 1Corinthians 13 verses 4-7 & 13
And there are two custom places to print the names of the bride and groom and the date upon which they are married.

here at ormolu

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Don't forget to enter the Carolina Pad giveaway!  A cute set of Kendall Collection paper products!
Enter now!  Here!

Creating fruit slice fillers.

Jennifer wrote in asking about this simple centerpiece I put together for a wedding shower.  Her wedding is in a month and she's finalizing details of her centerpieces and wondered how to put these together.

This centerpiece is created in a short, square vase found at places like Walmart.  You can do one of three things to achieve this:

1.  Place the flowers in FIRST, then slide the lemon slices in and arrange. Plan on using one or more lemons per vase.  You want to fill the space up with slices, eliminating wiggle room. 

2.  Find a smaller vase to sit INSIDE the larger vase.  Put the flower stems in the smaller vase and slide the lemons in between the smaller vase and the larger one to create a boundary.  Be careful in not filling the vase too full or the water will overflow.  Go with less water in the beginning.  You can always add more.

3.  A new technique to achieve this look is using jello as vase filler.  Use a clear jello (white grape).  Let it firm up quite a bit, then slide in the slices.  Jello is a great way to add an additional color to the vase as well.

Hope this helps!  Jennifer, we'd love to see photos of your beautiful wedding!

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Don't forget to enter the Carolina Pad giveaway!  A cute set of Kendall Collection paper products!
Enter now!  Here!

Wishpot - online gift registry and fan of blogging!

Have you ever had someone ask you what you want for your birthday/valentine's day/anniversary, etc?
Ever wish you had a list you could just email those people?  And the list would contain everything they need to know to buy you a gift? 

Wishpot is your place! 

It's an online gift list or registry.  It lets you create an online wishlist where you can include items from many different online stores.  Add the Wishpot button to your browser and whenever you see something online you'd like, click the Wishpot button and it will add it to your list.  You can add details, like what size you wear, what color you want, etc.  I have lists for myself, my husband and my son.  No more relatives asking what my son wants for his birthday.  Online gift lists are genius!  Especially for hard to buy for people like myself.

Wishpot appreciates bloggers and their affinity for online shopping! 
Everyday Celebrating and Wishpot will be giving away a Microsoft Zune mp3 player.... soon!!!!
Going to BlogHer?  Come meet me to find out how to enter!

Stirrings and celebrations go hand in hand!

Stirrings is partnering with Everyday Celebrating as an official BlogHer sponsor!

Stirrings creates amazing cocktails.  They specialize in cocktail mixers and sodas with real juices that simply create a splendidly better cocktail.  And plus, they come in the cutest bottle.hehe

Going to BlogHer?  More importantly, going to BlogHer PARTIES?  Come find me! I'll be giving out 4 oz. samples of their famous Cosmopolitan mixer! We'll live it up with the Chicago version of Sex and the City!

In the meantime, go visit the Stirrings website for lots of entertaining ideas and recipes!
Ready to place an order for your upcoming gathering... Everyday Celebrating readers get a 15% discount on the site.  Just type in EVERYDAY in the code box at checkout!

Orange you clever, Parents mag!

I love how you can now find so many great entertaining ideas out of Parents magazine.  It's not just all about the latest baby gear and how to deal with tantrums.

In the June issue they feature an Orange Freeze and it's easy and striking!

 - Line the inside of glasses with orange slices, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

 - Stir together 1.5 cups low fat milk and 1/3 cup thawed orange juice concentrate

 - Remove plastic wrap and pour into glasses

You can really beef this up a notch (ala adult style) and serve gorgeous screwdrivers or cut the slices in half before freezing to fit into a smaller glass for a mimosa. 

These would be beautiful lining a pretty tray for a baby or wedding shower.

Line a glass with limes for a spritzer or even a lemon and lime and fill it with Sprite!

Lots of ways to use this beautifully!

Thanks, Parents mag!

Black and white and stunning!

Loving these feather backed chairs!
See the rest of this black and white inspired wedding at Southern Weddings Magazine blog.

Easy gift wrap!

 

My best friend, Heather, was just put on bedrest this week.  Of course, most expectant mothers don't want to be put on bedrest and it's a frustrating and sometimes scary time.  So. I'm sending her a pickmeup.

I had a box that was a tall square and I wanted to fill it.  I had several gifts that I was sending. I won't say what's in it in case she's reading today.  :)  I wrapped each gift separately in tissue paper and alternated the patterns in stacking.  One big bow on the top and it's ready to go.

It fit just perfectly in the box!  And it gives her a few gifts to open rather than one.  Who doesn't love to open gifts, right?

The National Stationary Show - My Mecca.

So I'm KICKING MYSELF that I'm not at the National Stationary Show that starts this weekend in NYC.

If you know me, you know I'm all things paper and ribbon.  Cards, stationary, wrapping paper, ribbon, embellishments, etc.  The list goes on.  To say that I have tons of stationary and note cards and the like would be, well, a severe understatement.  Matter of fact, I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to turn a closet into a haven for it all.

Anyway, my good friend Dianne of Colorblind Productions, invited me to go this year and I declined and opted to go to Blogher instead.   Maybe D invited me because she walked me into Kate's Paperie for the first time in NYC, where I literally teared up.  And while I'm excited for Blogher, I'm kicking myself that I'm not at the NSS.  I'm friends with several stationary designers who are abuzz on Twitter about packing up and heading to the show.  It's like being left behind while your friends are going to the carnival.  LOL

But next year is my year.  I'm saying it here and now. D and I are gonna take it by storm!
(I should probably purchase extra luggage between now and then to lug it all home in, right?)

I leave you with photos of a previous show.  As usual, click on the photos for their full fabulousness.

Swoon. Drool. Bliss.

Outside the vase

First of all, let me apologize for the poor quality of this picture.  Could I make roses look any more hideous?  LOL  I really need to make a lightbox.  Anyway...

Just a reminder of other floral container options outside of the traditional vase.
I love a nice, thick, glass pitcher and, IMHO, everybody should own one.  I love containers that you can use again.  Of course, I love vases as well, but sometimes it's nice to receive something out of the ordinary.

And because I'm totally ashamed at how those roses look, here's a better photo of them. They were so beautiful in person that even my mother asked if they were real.  They were indeed real and they found a new home at her house.  Happy Mother's Day to all!