Election Gender Reveal

My husband and I are expecting a new little one in mid November. Naturally, when I found out I was pregnant one of the first things I thought of was that I just had to have a gender reveal party. I love the concept of getting together with dear friends and sharing your exciting news. I wanted something a little different and finally decided on a gender reveal election theme. It was a fun way to incorporate voting for the gender our friends thought that we would be having.  

For the reveal I wanted something very visual and fun.  My friend Johnna helped me make red confetti for a girl and blue confetti for a boy. We decorated a wine box and Johnna was given the honor of stuffing it with the proper confetti color. We had our sonogram earlier in the day and we had the sonogram technician write down the gender on a piece of paper to give to Johnna. I had to wait a whole 4 hours to find out and it was very difficult for me, ha! 

I made several red, white and blue treats and displayed them on the farmhouse table my husband made. Above the treats table I decorated with a fringe garland that was so perfect made by Sparkle Motion Decor. The invitations and all of the graphic design was made by  Invitation to Mars and the paper bags we put popcorn in were purchased from Worthy Party. All of these talented ladies can be found on Etsy and they are amazing to work with. I made the bunting above the voting station and the ballot box. 

 

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The Just for Grins Foundation event

A few weeks ago I had the honor of contributing my time and talent toward such an amazing cause, The Just for Grins Foundation annual 4G event.  

Amanda Adams is the founder of the event. She has a fabulous salon in San Marco called San Marco Strands and also offers on site hairstyling for weddings and special events. I heard she was having this event and I offered to help. I absolutely love Mandi's heart and respect the amazing work that she does. 

Mandi started the Just for Grins Foundation to give girls who have a cleft lip and palete a chance to meet other girls who might face the same struggles. She wanted to have a fun event to pamper these girls with hair and makeup and give them the confidence and support they might need. My nephew was born with a cleft palete so I can understand just a little bit the challenges that these girls face and it was a cause that hit close to home for me.  

The event was held at The Paul Mitchell School at the St. Johns Town Center. The students pampered the girls with hair and makeup. Next, the girls were able to pick from a selection of dresses and then get photos taken of them. One of the photo options was the open photo booth and custom props I created for them. I think it's safe to say we all enjoyed ourselves being silly in the booth. Mandi also offered breakout sessions for the girls to talk with her and each other for support and encouragement. Everyone involved had so much fun mostly in part to the great music played by DJ Jacob Towe 

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I enjoyed contributing the little bit that I did. If there is something that I can do to help an organization that you belong to please email me and let me know. I probably can't help everyone but nothing makes me happier than being able to give back. 

Venue: Paul Mitchell School DJ: DJ Jacob Towe Professional Photography (watermarked) Dana Fontaine Photography Open photobooth and custom props: Amber Veatch Designs 

You can see a video of the event from Channel 4 News here

Camp Bridal Shower by AVD

Last fall I had the honor of hosting a shower for one of my dearest childhood friends Erika. I put my heart into every one of my events but this one had to be extra special. I decided on a camp theme for the shower because my favorite memory of Erika and two of the other bridesmaids was our annual trip to summer camp every year. We anticipated and planned for that trip every year and it never disappointed.

Another reason I decided on a camp theme is that Erika and her now husband Jason love the outdoors. They are always out canoeing, hiking and enjoying nature at a park. It is important to me that I cater each event to bring out the guest of honor's true personality. For this particular event I did everything with the help of my fabulous mother in law. She helped me prepare the backyard barbecue food and I hand crafted every detail and styled it. I would love to hear what your favorite detail is.

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Details: Invitations and paper goods Nellie Designs, Kraft bags and bamboo utensils Shop Sweet Lulu, Paper placemats and cloth napkins Anthropologie, Concept, Design, Styling, Custom details and packaging by Amber Veatch Designs