Asha's Awesome 21st Birthday!

My baby sister, who graduated from high school on what seemed like only yesterday, has turned 21!  Growing up... we never really celebrated birthday's, due to financial constraints, so I wanted to make this day very, very special for her.  So, I drove 3.5 hours with centerpieces, candles, cutely {is this a word?} wrapped gifts and a custom birthday cake in tow.  

I wanted this to be a surprise for her as I was sure that she was only expecting the normal gifts and a card from me via snail mail due to my new job and extremely demanding travel schedule.  However, it is often said that love is measured by sacrifice and I wanted to show my love toward my precious little sister by making some major sacrifices in order to join her in celebrating her 21st birthday.

Enjoy the photogs that follow as they highlight the night that we celebrated my little sister entering into the world of  womanhood.  Enjoy!

Happy 21st Birthday Asha!

This is the cake that added 30 minutes to my normal travel time... I just wanted to make sure that it arrrived in a single piece and not crumbles!  It was beautiful and fitting for the occassion.  We received tons of compliments on it. 

I truly enjoyed bringing this night together for my sister.  If I could do it all again... I would.... only bigger and better!  I love you Asha!  May the blessings of the Lord continue to overtake you in this year!



A Pink & Zebra Print/ Top Model themed 13th Birthday Bash

Back in August, yes August, I planned a 13th birthday bash whose theme consisted of a perfect blend of zebra print, hot pink and ANTM. Oh, how I love the three...

First off the invites... Playing off of the "Tyra Mail" that is given to the on contestants on the show ANTM, we went with the "Kristin Mail" invites seen here... From what I here they were a hit among her friends and classmates! Can I say S-C-O-R-E!


Inside of the invitations were two inserts: one provided the directions and the other one instructed the girls on what to wear for the fashion show, which was scheduled to take place during the party. So on the day of the party all the giddy teenagers arrived with garment bags containing their outfits of choice.


The fashion show was a blast! Over a year ago, I found a Make Me a Fashion Model themed cd at the Dollar Tree with the expectation of using it to volunteer with a local 4-H club's fashion show. I didn't get use the cd for that event, but it sure did come in handy for this one! Thank God for good deals!
We found these adorable zebra print plates at Hobby Lobby! It took us nearly a month to purchase enough of them for the party. I think that it is safe to assume that the zebra print was very popular for events in our area. (On a side note, I judged a Jr. Miss pageant a couple of weeks ago and they used these plates as well). Assumption confirmed! Ha!


I decided to take the simplistic, yet chic route with the decor for this party because I had so many other events taking place around the same time. If I must say so myself, everything turned out A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! Sometimes less is best especially when you are dabbling in the animal prints.

Next up were the party favors. I originally found them on Etsy as seen in the the photog below, however, I just could not bring myself to pay full price for something that I felt could be done for a fraction of the cost.

So the birthday girl's mother and I collected toilet paper rolls for over a month. I purchased the zebra scrapbook paper, filling and ribbon from Hobby Lobby and she provided the labor and lavish treats that rested on the inside of these lovelies! Another successful DIY! Check!

Lastly, the birthday cake! It seemed as though every child in our area had a birthday in the month of August. It became seemingly impossible to have a cake made with our most popular cake decorators in the area. I guess with shows such as the Cake Boss everyone wants a fabulous cake for their events and heck, I can't blame them! We went with a lady who does cakes part-time out of her home, and boy were we pleased! The cake was beautiful and quite tasty too!

In my other world, I am Kristin's pageant coach. So, I could not resist the opportunity to coordinate our outfits with the party theme!


Fierce!

Until next time,

M'Shonta

Visuality Events: A Fabulous 33rd Birthday Bash

I think that this is the last of the birthday parties that I will be featuring...for now! It thrills me to share with you this birthday celebration that proclaimed fun and fabulousity...

I did not take a picture of the invites; but they were absolutely fab! Kimora Lee Simmons reality television show, "Life in the Fab Lane," and her fragrance "Fabulosity" both served as the driving force of inspiration for this clients birthday theme, "The Fabuluos Life of *Annie*." (*name changed to protect to innocent, lol)

This party was also held at George’s Steak Pit, a locally owned fine dining steak house, that was founded in the mid 1950’s by George and Vangie Vafinis.

The tablescape was opulent. I drew from the gold colors of the perfume advertisements and added rhinestones and lots of candlelight to achieve the overall look and appeal that we had envisioned.

I also added rhinestones to the gold chargers to carry out the theme throughout the tablescape. Just like Kimora, this client likes everything over the top... She could *never* get enough bling...



Each guest received two favors. One was a beautiful basket, seen below, that contained an assortment of chocolate treats and the other was a small cellophane package that contained two chocolate covered strawberries that read "Thank You."

The cake was really, really cute and I heard that tasted even better than it looked.

Overall, this party was a success. All the glitter, the glitz and the glamour made for a very enjoyable and memorable celebration.

Visuality Events: Sex in the City Themed 30th Birthday Party

Planning a Sex-in-the-City Themed birthday party was extremely challenging for me. Why?

1. I never really watched Sex-in-the-City television show.
   
2. I am not all that familiar with the characters or the plot of the show, but I must admit I loved their fashion.


3. I never watched Sex in the City I...


4. Therefore, I had no plans in watching Sex in the City II...

Now do you understand why it was so hard for me to plan this party? LOL! I actually had to do research...but in the end it really payed off. The Birthday girl was very pleased with the party and that makes for a very happy me :)!

Let's recap...

First off the invites....

I used paper from the Martha Stewart eyelet line and embellished them with some old scrapbooking stickers that I had in my stash for over 3 or so years...

Next up the centerpieces..

Because of the limited space; I went with small items that would make a big impact... I purchased the round vases from the Dollar Tree. They were filled with the same crystals that were hanging from the candlelit black iron centerpieces and I placed a large Gerber daisy on top. I loved the way that they turned out!

My favorite piece of the night... the birthday cake!!!

I absolutely loved it! Have I said this before? Yep! LOL!

After dinner, the girls headed Chili's to grab a Cosmo before catching Sex in the City II.

I, on the other hand, loaded my car and headed home. This party was my 3rd and final event for the day...

Up next, a baby shower fit for a King....of the Jungle that is!

Visuality Events: Mecossia's Foxy and Forty Birthday Bash

Okay, I am really playing catch-up here! LOL! If you can remember....I announced....ok subtly announced... that I launched a small event planning business called Visuality Events and Designs.

It simply amazes me when I think about the gifts and the talents that God has placed on the inside of us. It is hard for me to believe sometimes that up until two years ago; I had never, ever planned an event or had any desire for event planning. And now I have been bringing joy and happiness to the faces of many men, women and children through taking their {vision} for their special event and making it their {reality}.

So today I am sharing with you the images from Mecossia's Foxy and Forty Birthday Party. I thoroughly enjoyed planning this event. In alignment with the {Foxy} aspect of the theme; I decided to go with the oh-so-chic pink and zebra print. It was so appropriate for this occasion! I hope that you enjoy the images.

You're invited! Here are the invitations were sent to her guest. I found these at TJ Maxx on clearence! I believe that they are from the Martha Stewart wedding invitation line. I loved them and they really set the atomsphere for this {foxy} birthday bash!

Her party was held George’s Steak Pit, a locally owned fine dining steak house, that was founded in the mid 1950’s by George and Vangie Vafinis.

We placed a sign outside the restaurant to welcome our birthday girl. I can't take credit for this, her wonderful husband Casey created and executed this wonderful idea.

Now on to the tablescape... I went really simple and sophisticated her and used black vases with all pink rose arrangements. I think that they turned out splendid! I really need to hire a professional photographer or become better at capturing the beauty of every element of the event. But I digress... One thing that I did not capture was the beautiful array of candles and the different shades of rose petals that graced the table. It was simply stunning!

Next are the thank you cards, that matched the sign and the birthday banner... all compliments of her cre8tive hubby. I propped these against the water glasses on the table. They had a great effect and I was sure that the guess would not overlook them there! Lol!

And last but not least, the birthday cake! It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!!! The Victorian Tea Room was responsible for this beautiful creation.

So there you have it! A Foxy and Forty Birthday Bash that was comprised of elegance, fun and class! Who says that you can't have it all?

And that's wrap....this event has been {Visualized} by Visuality!

Up next, a Sex in the City themed 30th birthday celebration...