Isabella’s Sweetest 1st Birthday

What do you do when your beautiful little princess turns one? Throw her a perfectly pretty little tea party of course! Isabella’s first birthday was such a treat for us to work on! From the sweetest little sweets table filled with BEAUTIFUL, dainty desserts to the pretty blue hutch full of customized party favors, this birthday was not lacking in personal touch! 

We just adore the color scheme of pretty pinks, white and gold with pops of aqua blue. We especially fell in the cozy little blue tent and chandelier which served as the perfect place to snap adorable photos of little guests in their party bests! This party was a total blast for all the kiddos to attend from running around and playing with all their friends to chowing down on kids meals and enjoying more candy and dessert than they knew what to do with. Don't worry the parents were covered too. The adults were greeted with tray passed hor d'oeurves, live music and of course an adults only bar cart filled with some bubbly and custom beverages. 

This sweet little lady sure is lucky to have such an amazingly loving and generous family and we are so happy to have shared in her special celebration! xoxo's to turning one little Isabella. A huge thank you to With Love for all your beautiful vintage rental pieces, they were absolutely perfection for this little party! Thank you Jessica Davis for capturing this little girl and her big day perfectly, you are amazing! 

p.s. The desserts and little details from this party are just so sweet... maybe you'll find something inspiring for your love day! Happy early Valentines day to you and yours!  

Catering | Caio Pucci Chef 
Print | Jillian Ziska 
Vintage Rentals | With Love 
Rentals + Lighting | Classic Party Rentals 
Flowers | Ashley Elizabeth Floral  + Before I Do events 
Cake + Desserts | Sweet Lydias 
Photography | Jessica Davis Photography 
"Last minute" Tent Rental | Abbey Party Rentals 
Event Styling + Coordination | Before I Do events 

Melissa Parsons: San Diego Family Photographer

I am SO in love with Melissa Parsons work. Not only is she very talented but she is the sweetest thing. She will make you and your family feel so comfortable. My husband, who hates to take pictures of himself actually said he had a fun time at the session.

We were fortunate this year to take family photos. We had not gotten professional pictures of MacKenzie since her newborn pics, which we all know does not count as they look like a blob at that point! A cute blob! :)

I was thrilled when we got a handful of great pictures, as our little lady is not a poser for the camera in the slightest! You may not believe me but she is NOT- this just shows how good Melissa is.

Finishing Touches Tuesday: A Baby Shower for Shane

My gorgeous sister in law is pregnant with her first lil one! I am so thrilled for her to embark on this amazing journey ahead and also so happy to welcome another baby into the family. Myself and a few of her closest ladies got together to throw her a shower. It is a special day filled with out of this world food, great conversations, laughter and ultimate joy for the life we are about to welcome!

Baby Shane's room is beach chic, with creams and pops of blue and yellow. So we wanted to pull that same theme into the day.

Here are a few fun and easy tips:
1. When doing flower arrangements use smaller vases- as you can see here there are only a few blooms in each vase which saves you a lot of money and still gives you the full look
2. Patterned paper cut out in a circle to line the center of the charger. Easier and cheaper then buying a custom plate
3. Fill up vases with shells or sea salt - Gives you a full look for less
4. Use Mason Jars for a specialty drink- Fun and affordable!
5. Buy a good dessert stand. You will use them again and again!

We love you Nina and are SO thrilled to meet your lil man! He is going to be a stud. April 20th can't come any sooner. xo

Baby MacKenzie Meets Baby Winslow!

A very long awaited day.....One of my dearest of dear friends :) - Meg came in town! This was such a special trip as we got to meet each others little girl for the first time. We had our babies 4 days apart from each other, it does not get much better then that. And no we did not plan it. Well, maybe a little bit of planning but not to this kind of measure! It been just about 5 months of texting pics, videos and hearing the cries and chatter in the background of all our many phone calls. We had such a blast tearing up San Diego together, and soaking in our new little gifts.

Baby Winslow is the prettiest little thing! A straight mix of her Mom and Dad and such a firecracker. Take a peek below:

DIY Friday: Custom Baskets

I did a last minute project to the babies bookshelf. I was cruising around Micheal's and saw these cute alphabetic and numeric wood figures. It spurred on the idea. I had wanted to doll up the baskets but did not know how, so I was thrilled with the outcome.

Directions:
1. I got two different color paints- green on the sides and pink on the top
2. Paint and let dry
3. Go to the produce section at the grocery store and grab a few bags ties :)
4. Then hot glue gun the tie on the back on the number or letter
5. String the ties through the cracks of the basket and then secure on the backside!

All set and ready to go! I also got a gorgeous green ribbon to go around the 2 bigger center baskets. I plan to get larger letters in her initials... (either E.W. or M.W.) and secure to the ribbon!

Vendor Love: Studio Castillero- Maternity

Thanks to Studio Castillero, I now have pics of me being pregnant! I barely took any pictures during this whole pregnancy. I was not even going to do the shoot but I figured I would regret it. After seeing the pictures they took, I am even more confident that I made the right decision. I am so glad to have these incredible shots of Jay and I. I cant wait till she grows up and I can show her these pics of her Momma carrying her! So cool!

This should be incentive to book Studio Castillero because they don't usually do Maternity shots. They only take maternity sessions for past brides that they have worked with. It is not their specialty but they just cant resist carrying on the story of their past brides.

DIY Friday: Bow Board

So, as promised I want to show you how SIMPLE the bow board is to make!

Directions:

1. Get a frame of your choice (I got this one from Target)
2. Get a piece of fabric that will cover the appropriate space
3. Wrap the fabric around the "glass" of the frame and hot glue on the back side. Make sure to fold it flat so you don't create bulk in the back
4. Cut out long strips of ribbon
5. Place them where you want and fold behind the back of the fabric
6. Hot glue the fabric strips to the back
7. Place the board in the body of the frame
8. Hang and Enjoy!

Finishing Touches Tuesday: Baby Woodcock's New Pad

I am so excited to share with you the almost complete baby's room. It is still a work in progress which is the fun part but I feel like if I don't blog about it now, I might miss my chance. This little one could come any day and I am sure I will be taking a small blogging break after her arrival.

We both love the room and often just go and sit in it, as it's so peaceful and exciting to imagine it with a little girl in there. My mother in law is the talented hand behind all the bedding. She hand made ALL the bedding. What an amazing gift! We spent days looking for the perfect fabric and then I am sure she spent more then days sowing it all together! :) I simply love how it came out.

I also love the "women in her life wall". It came out great and is so fun to see everyone as a lil one themselves.

For all the soon to be Mom's out there- it does not have to cost a fortune to do up a room. I really tried to do this on a budget. The crib was a hand me down from Jay's sister, the changing table was a Pottery Barn table that I got on Craigslist, the rocker was also a Craigslist buy (is a top notch brand from a local boutique store) and the bookshelf was one we already had, I just repainted it.

Take a peek. I hope she likes it....
(Please ignore my terrible pics, I just could not capture it the way it looks in real life)


The dark gray linen curtains with the pink and white stripe fabric bow, the alphabetic and numeric bumper pad, the light gray linen crib skirt, the silver and white "fancy" blanket. It is all so perfect and just what I had envisioned.


The leaves and branches decal I bought on Etsy! It took hours to do but is so worth it. I also LOVE the mobile Jay bought her. It is so simple and sweet. My whole life my Mum called me her "little lamb" so it is pretty perfect that these are little lambs. The bow board was a DIY and was so easy and simple. I will blog about it on Friday.


I got these baskets from Home Goods. I was thrilled when I saw them because they fit the silver/gray theme so well. The women in her life wall, is a mix match of silver frames and pink ribbons.

Thoroughly Inspired Thursday: My Baby Shower

I was SUCH a spoiled lady! My 3 sister in laws threw me the most gorgeous baby shower you could imagine. They theme was Safari Chic. Which was very fitting with my South African background and natural glam! Kidding:) The day was truly so special. I had all my favorite ladies surrounding me and showering this lil lady to be with so much love. I can't tell you how overwhelmed with happiness and excitement I was. It was a day I will never forget. Take a peek at some of the fun:

All the flowers were made by the VERY best- Annette Gomez! What a treat to have her work incorporated into the day.


Home made "Giraffe Sugar Cookies with Gold Sugar and a Pink Collar". Yum!!!


Jungle Juice and Delicious Treats!


My beautiful Sister in Laws! Thank you all so much!


Presents were SO much fun to open! Xmas on crack in August :)


Miss Molly took Jay's fake Facebook page to heart and gave us the first branded present. I guess that will make us lean more in the "MacKenzie" direction. "Emerson" you will have to start proving yourself in order to get into the top again.


The amazing group. I love all my friends and all the ones that could not make it. Oh and of course a belly shot with the preggers. Something was in the air around "New Years" :)


Molly's beautiful Baby Boy- Ben!


The love of my life! Jay came and surprised me towards the end of the shower with something I had been gushing over for the babies room. He is such a proud Pappa already. I love that man!