Christmas Extravaganza!

Well it's been almost a week since my party last Friday and I am finally getting around to posting the results. I must admit I was amazed at the outcome. The changed location ended up being perfect, I had amazing helpers to set up and take down, the food was all eaten, and I think everyone had a great time. It just goes to show that even when everything looks like it's going to crash and burn, it really can work out in the end. 

Ok, on the fun part! The pictures :)

Here was my outfit for the night. I was hoping to make something new for the party, but time ran away from me and I had to scrounge through my closet to find something that I hadn't worn for awhile

Dress: Down East Basics (old), Belt: Wow, I can't even remember!, Shoes: Forever Young Shoes (old, like 8th grade old), Tights: JCP, Necklace: Gift from China, Lips: Sephora Lipstain

I was happy it turned out as well as it did for a very last minute holiday ensemble! 

The dessert table: definitely the favorite spot to mingle all night. 

The cute banner I made to add a little sparkle. A party just isn't the same without a banner! :)

The cute tree decoration I made using this tutorial. 

Hot Chocolate Station (Note to self: A small thing of Steven's would have been PLENTY.)

I think I ate more of these throughout the night then I did cookies!

I love these bowl pedestals! So much classier than just sitting the bowl on the table. 

Quick D.I.Y. tip: 

1: Buy a cute bowl or platter

2: Buy a glass candle stick (often on sale at Hobby Lobby)

3: Wash bowl/platter

4: Hot glue or super glue (I like to use the glue brand "Goop") the candle stick to the bowl/platter and "Ta Da!" you have an amazing platter your friends will want to take home with them it's so cute!

I had a bunch of leftover felt from making the first cute tree (they just took too long to make a ton of them), so my mom and I made up this cute decoration that was a TON faster. A step by step tutorial on this one will be coming soon!

We tried to dress up the walls as well as we could with some beads and twinkle lights. 

I stole the ever popular photo booth idea and it was a hit!

What can I say? I love a good fake mustache and top hat! (Also, props to Camilla who is pictured above for doing my hair for the night! She is amazing!)

In the end the party was a great success and even though it caused me much stress and loss of sleep, I'm glad I was able to pull it off and might even consider doing it again next year...maybe...

Or maybe it would just make me look like this again ;)

xoxo

C.R.M.

Panic

So I'm throwing a Christmas party tonight. The panic of pre-party-planning jitters have arrived and I'm not sure if I will live to see tomorrow. Or the end of tonight. 

Just kidding. 

But I'm pretty sure this is how I look right now: 

(Or at least that's how I feel like I look.)

I know I'm being overly over dramatic over this party (how many times can I say 'over' in one sentence ), but I want it to be a success and I don't want all of my hard work and money to go to waste. I'm sure you've all felt that way about an event at one point or another. You've tried to keep your expectations low, but in the end you just hope and wish it will be a smashing success.

Well I don't know which way it will turn out to be, but there will be pictures to follow and even a tutorial on how to make some cute centerpieces that are now not even being used as centerpieces because my venue got changed. (See, I have a little bit of room to panic, right? Right?)

xoxo

C.R.M.

Bloging Hiatus and Making a Comeback

I check Blogger almost every day to catch up on all the blogs I love to read and check out the outfits I wish I had the money to buy (And sometimes not. Even if I had the money, I think I would still have a hard time spending over $10 for a t-shirt no matter how cute it is.). But this time I checked up on my own blog and realized with dismay that it had been five months since my last post.

Pathetic much?

There are more than a few reasons why this little blog hiatus was inevitable to happen:

1: I got a job. Yay 9-5 work. (But really I am grateful for the work and the money.)

2: Summer ended. School began.

This is the first summer I have spent away from home and needless to say I felt the need to fill the void of family time with other things like blogging and ultimate frisbee. Well, once that ever elusive time of summer passed and the new semester started with me in my design program, all hobbies seemed to go out the window. Any free time was spent doing homework and spending time with my then boyfriend. I didn't touch my cross stitch, digital scrapbooking, sewing machine, or blog for almost the entire semester (as you are now realizing I'm sure). I never knew how hard it would be to balance work, school, and life...and still get good grades and some sleep.

It is defiantly an art.

3: Curve balls.

Life has a way of throwing us curve balls right when we are expecting a fastball. (That is about as far as I can go with the baseball analogies. I'm a football/basketball girl all the way.) It is amazing to me how hard some of these changes in life can hit us and rock us to the core. I have been what I can only call floundering for the past two months. There has been a lot of soul searching, decision making, tears and Taylor Swift songs. (Thank you RED for coming out at just the right time. How did you know almost 1/2 of your songs would be oh so applicable?) There was an easy way before me and a hard way. Two paths that would determine my strength and spirituality. Of course the hard way was also the right way. And in the end, after a long internal battle, that still has its little skirmishes sometimes, I chose the hard way. The right way.

Were there moments when I wanted to give up and give in?

Yes.

Are there still those moments when I let the insecurity and fear creep in?

Heck yes.

But I finally feel like I'm on the up and up.

There are many times, looking over the past semester, that I wish it never happened. Times when I wish life came with a remote all decked out with a huge rewind button. But when I really stop and mull over the things I've learned, the ways I've grown, I don't think I'd take it all back. Do I wish I would have made some different choices that could have saved some heartache? Yes. But we all have those times in life. The trick is to figure out a way to come out of them alive. Maybe not unscathed, but alive and aware of how wonderful life can be. Even if we can only recognize that in small tiny doses at first because our "sad song" playlist is deafening the beauty in our minds.

The only advice I have to those of you who might be in similar spots in your life right now is this:

Make the right decision, no matter how hard or painful.

Stick to it no matter what.

Keep moving forward.

It's the only way you will be able to make it through.

-------------------------------------

Ok, so the reasons for my hiatus did end up being only a few (3), but let me tell you, each is jam packed with reasoning and justifications out the wazoo.


I've made it through somehow, the semester is over, and the year is almost out. So let me publicly (You know, to my...8 followers?) declare this here post a COMEBACK. 

COMEBACK  [kum-bak]
noun
a return to a former higher rank, popularity, position, prosperity in all things
crafty, how-to, fashion, life and love

Maybe it will be just as awesome as Kelly Clarkson's comeback. Just sayin'.

xoxo
C.R.M.

p.s. Can I just say that the biggest reasons I am SO HAPPY classes are over are the chance to craft, be with my family and cuddle with my kitty. Bring on the eggnogg!