Bestie's Bridal Shower

You'd think not having a job and staying at my parents house would give me much more free time... hah! I been busy visiting friends, hiking with the family, attending art festivals, etc. Not that I really mind, being away from the hubby and only getting an occasional 5min phone call from him would be quite boring if I were on my own, pet-free, & un-employed!

If you remember "the miracle" we received from the Marine Corps, I'm here in perfect timing for my best friends wedding which I so happen to be the Matron of Honor (that makes me sound so OLD!).

Last weekend I hosted her bridal shower & bachelorette party... She and I are very alike in the fact that we are not fans of pink, purple is fine, just not pink. I quickly gave up on finding any paper ware made for a bridal shower that didn't have a base color of pink or cost upwards of $5 for a set of 8 plates! I decided to go with a cute striped set I found on sale and make it personal with flower accents that I created.

Here are some of the detail photos from her shower:

I made a "photo booth" with one of my mom's old frames she had set out for the church garage sale. I added felt flowers I made to match the rest of the theme. The original plan was to take them near the fountain in the backyard but it was raining, so we used the next best thing- my mom's wall mural! She got a photo taken with each guest.

Flower lollipops- .33c each from Party City... so cute- favors for each guest.

I bought this rose the weekend before at one of the art festivals my family & I attended. It is an actual rose from Ecuador dipped in wax then painted however you'd like. I went for a pale blue because it is her favorite color & to match my shower theme!

The small vases, tealights, & frame came from DollarTree... I simply added the felt flower & scrapbook paper inside that says "pick a flower on your way home."

2nd table's centerpiece... marbles, felt flowers, & tealights in a silver serving dish that was handed down to my mom from her mom.

The main table... the little heart containers are from Oriental Trading Co. once again I added the felt flowers and put in some post-Valentine's day sale conversation hearts. The flowers were taken from my bouquet that hubs sent to me on Valentine's day... the colors were perfect!

So pretty, Peruvian Lilies are my absolute favorite.

A sampling of the food...

I love planning events, obviously or I wouldn't have gotten the degree I did, haha. It was so much fun to host this for my best friend! Her family absolutely loved the "photo booth" aspect, we managed to fit 4 people in a picture! Everyone had a blast and she thoroughly enjoyed herself and got some great gifts.

Rhema Marvanne

My dad sent me this video: **warning- I teared up!


So I clicked around on her youtube page and found out that at the age of 8 she is coming out with her 2nd album, not surprising with a voice like that... but she lost her mother to cancer, her inspiration, at the age of 5! Motherless at 5yrs old, yet she is so grounded in her faith. Beautiful.

Here is the interview video with her and her father:


To download the first song for free you can click here.

Coach?

My mom has an amazing client... one of those ladies that is fashionable, sweet, and wealthy but doesn't flaunt it AT ALL, seriously she's so kind and generous to everyone. Anyway, she has ALWAYS given my sister & I things from her many travels. Her favorite place to bring us items happens to be Peru.

Check out my most recent gift (click to view larger):The detail work is absolutely amazing.

Did I mention it was made out of a match book?!

Now you're all probably wondering why this post is titled "Coach?" well here's the reason: This woman fancies her Coach shoes & purses, which is fine. I have many friends who will gladly spend $200-400 on a purse or pair of shoes. I have never cared that much about brands (though I do love me some Banana Republic Factory Stores, haha), and I tend to spend my money on traveling rather than items. Anyway, she purchased a pair of shoes and they ended up being too wide for her, evidently she normally gets the narrow version. I have the tiniest/widest feet in my family, so she asked if I would like to try them on. I did, they fit, and she just gave them to me! I have never owned a piece of clothing/shoes this expensive before... well besides my wedding dress, obviously.