Easter Decor

What can you accomplish with balloons, glitter, and glue? The kids and I have been busy bees working on fun crafting projects for Easter. This time around we have really been experimenting with crafts around the house. 

Here is what our process looked like.

More after the JUMP

The Perfect Flower for Easter

With a full week ahead of us, I have begun prepping the house so I avoid feeling overwhelmed come Easter morning. On my to do list was to buy our Easter clothes in advance. I never want to wake up the morning of Easter and think through my outfit for the day. The second thing I do before Easter is buy flowers for the casa. Lucky for me, I have had a few gigs in the last week, and I happily took left over branches home. They are just beginning to bloom, so fingers crossed they will be in perfect condition for Sunday. 

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Happy Easter!!!

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 If you're looking for a great church at which to spend Easter, come to Calvary St. Georges Church in NYC.

Mel

Planning a Special Occasion: a Dinner Party

Last weekend we celebrated my awesome sister in law, Lindsay's birthday with a little dinner party at our house.  She and I both love to have people over for a home cooked meal, and I was thrilled to pull out all the stops to make it a special dinner for her.  

On a normal day--let's just be honest here-- we use our basic plates, eat in front of the TV, and half the time use paper towels for napkins.  But when we have friends over for dinner Jady and I love to pull out a tablecloth, light the candles and use our fancier table settings.  Why only use things like china and crystal once or twice a year?  While I don't reinvent the wheel or do anything particularly creative, I like expressing through a pretty table that we're happy that you're here, and you coming to dinner makes this a special occasion.  

Another element of dinner party prep that I love is choosing and arranging the flowers.  Because I'm always busy grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning up the house before everyone arrives, I like to go with pretty simple, easy arrangements that aren't going to stress me out. 

 I happened to know that Lindsay loves the combination of pale pink and bright green, so while at Trader Joe's I picked up a bunch of stargazer lilies, some pink roses and a few hydrangeas in a fresh chartreuse.  At home I soaked a foam oasis in water for a few minutes before positioning it in a silver bowl and cutting and sticking in each stem.

The flowers looked lovely all night, but on day two I noticed that two of the three hydrangeas had already begun drooping, and before long they had totally given out.  Ugh, what is the deal?  I'm clearly doing something wrong, since I have only a 50/50 record with keeping hydrangeas alive for very long.  I clearly need a tutorial from Mel, the flower whisperer, 'cause this is just sad:

Desserts are usually something that I personally like to delegate or buy for dinner parties, since I prefer to spend my time on other areas, and birthday cakes I definitely leave to the professionals.  While I *can* bake, I like to keep events like this fun for myself (so that I'll be excited to do them again), and that involves learning what I want to tackle and what to outsource.  How fun is this polka dotted birthday cake?  I definitely made the right decision with this one, and I was able to enjoy the night along with everyone else.

Happy partying!

xo

Liza

A little Monday Inspiration....

Hello Monday! 
Today we find ourselves trying to stay warm and cozy here in NYC. When will the winter end?! I am hoping and looking forward to warmer weather in April and we are also very much looking forward to The Mockingbird Conference, which takes place April 3rd-5th here in New York City.   Nia K and I have been busy bees dreaming up the MBIRD conference within the walls of the very historic St. George's Church.

QUE?
You may ask yourself what is Mockingbird? In a nutshell a blog that highlights the presence of grace through literature, culture, and the arts, what is not to love. The blog content is smart, funny, and thought provoking. 

AND
If you're like me and have been home bound and reflective this winter season, you may find MBIRD particularly interesting. I love the opening quote for the conference.

“I’m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.” –Franny Glass in J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey

I know Nia and I found ourselves hooked, inspired, and wanting more. So, when Dave asked us to help plan the conference we said YES (no hesitation), and here is how we have approached MBIRD's event……

COMIDA

Good meals during a conference are essential, a non-negotiable really. So,when it came to food we looked no further then Pixie and Scout.  We love their aesthetic, and food philosophy.  If you love farm to table, then you know your coming to the right place. I have to admit we were sold on their design too, so clean, modern, and fresh. 


LITTLE MISS. NIA

Nia has been dedicated to pulling the conference together. Throughout the process Nia and I have LOVED reading the various writings of our speakers, going through BIOs, and doing a little cyber stalking all over brunch in the Gramercy Hotel. I even joined a book club to stay focused on getting through all the content. 

MOST IMPORTANTE 
I say whatever type of event  you are hosting, my advice is to  know your audience. When you know who your guests are, you are able to set the kind of scene that engages all senses (in the best possible way), and I say don't forget to throw in a few unexpected details. 

Now that we have booked the most fabulous speakers, and caterer I am fully focused on the aesthetics. I cannot wait to share the after photos. I have enlisted my most creative friends (Ginger, Jackie, & Nia) to assist with the table scape. All I can say is the written word will be the centerpiece along with a few rare breeds of ranunculus to brighten up the space. 

I hope you are inspired wherever you are and if your looking for a little something that will get you going, check out MBIRD.COM.


Mil Besos,


M