Buckets of Inspiration Tuesday. Super Fab & Fine 129 {Melissa, Buckets of Grace}

Fab & Fine 129: Melissa, Buckets of Grace

Melissa is seriously creative, clever and crafty. No stranger to the glue gun. She is the talent behind the blog Buckets of Grace. She blogs about beautiful party ideas and inspiration for any occasion. She is an amazing and creative party stylist. Unique, brilliant ideas and extremely detailed. Check out the links to her featured parties:) Melissa is a sweet and sunny. Buckets full of crushing on Melissa:)
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Fascinating Melissa trivia:)

• favorite color? Periwinkle

• favorite team? I'm a sports nut! I fall asleep to SportsCenter. It's hard to pick just one. I spent 7 years at UW Madison for undergrad and law school so of course the Badgers, but the Green Bay Packers are almost in my backyard and my family has owned season tickets for 3 generations. Can I pick both?

• if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Another hard question. I have Celiac Disease so if I could pick one food to eat and it wouldn't make me sick, it would be a really good, authentic plate of pasta. But unless there's a cure in the near future, I'll pick chicken enchiladas with green sauce and a side of chips and salsa.

• party trend you are crushing on? DIY parties. I'm not a professional party planner so I feel a sense of pride for the moms out there who work so hard putting together a well done "Real Party"!

• party trend you are so over? I'm totally with Kim at Party Frosting - the 2x2 parties. When I see these beautifully adorned sweets or favors tables, I just wonder what other substance goes with the party. If it's a kid's party, I can tell you from personal experience that they could care less that your sweets labels coordinate with the invitation and your spacing between glass jars is balanced.

• favorite aisle in the craft store? The ribbon aisle (but the dollar aisle at Target is a close second!)

• do you wear Uggs? Umm, no. I'm not cool enough to pull those off. And, after my husband referred to them as "potatoes for your feet," I've sworn them off.

• do you really exercise? No. Between working full-time, being a full-time mom, teaching my daughter's CCD class, planning my kid's and family members' parties, and attempting to keep my blog up, it just doesn't work in my schedule. And , see my answer above as to the food I'd eat for the rest of my life :)

• minivan or non minivan driving? On my second mini. I swore them off but now my motto is, "Once you go mini, you never go back!"

• favorite holiday? Christmas - Christmas Eve in particular. We celebrate every Christmas Eve at my Grandmother's house, eating lots of food that's not good for you, playing games and acting silly. This year she turned 90 so it is a real special tradition and we are very blessed to be able to celebrate with her!

• favorite smell? Rain on a really hot summer day (yes we do have those in Wisconsin!)

• do you color your hair? No. And my mom is almost 60 and she still does not need to color her hair - I hope I have those genes!

• do you think you’re cool? As cool as a mom of 2 young children from Green Bay, Wisconsin who drives a mini van can be (a.k.a. no.)

Marvelous Maylene Monday. The Fab & Great 128 {Maylene, Malu Boutiques}

The Fab & Great 128: Maylene, Malu Boutiques

Maylene is the seriously talented chick behind Malu Boutiques. She designs beautiful handcrafted partyware and party favors. Her work is gorgeous and unique. Maylene blogs about all thing party inspiration and ideas. She offers up clever and crafty ideas, along with tutorials. She is also an amazing party stylist. Total detail chick. Maylene is sweet, sunny and seriously creative. Totally Monday crushing on Marvelous Maylene from Miami:)

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Fascinating Maylene facts:)

• favorite color? I love pink! Anything pink I'm a sucker for and with glitter forget about it.


• favorite team? University Of Miami.

• if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Yummy Chocolate. I am a chocoholic I admit it.

• party trend you are crushing on? Vintage Style. I like to see the old is coming back instyle.

• party trend you are so over? For as much I as LOVE sweets, I would love to see food incorporated with sweets.

• favorite aisle in the craft store? This is a hard one, especially me being there often. I love the Scrapbook Paper aisle. All the different colors and design.

• do you wear Uggs? No only when it gets cold once a year lol I live in Miami not much cold weather down here.

• do you really exercise? No I don't have time with working fulltime, kids, hubby, and my side biz. Really time?????

• minivan or non minivan driving? Non I'm a Jeep girl

• favorite holiday? I love every holiday, but there's something about Christmas.

• favorite smell? Citrus yummy

• do you color your hair? Yup red.

• do you think you’re cool? I think so.

Sweet & Spectacular Saturday. The Fabulous 127 {Juanita, Juanita's Sweet Cakes}

Sweet & Spectacular 127: Juanita, Juanita's Sweet Cakes

Juanita is a brilliant baker. Her creations are astounding and beautiful. She designs custom cakes and baked goods for any occasion. Her portfolio of work is gorgeous. Juanita is sweet, friendly and charming. Total Saturday crushing on this brilliant baker.

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Fascinating Juanita facts:)

• favorite color? baby blue


• favorite team? My son and I :)

• if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? That's easy...cheese pizza

• party trend you are crushing on? Can I pick 2 trends? Ok.....I love unique and original party themes as opposed to the commercial party themes you may find in a party store aisle...I especially love vintage themes and any themes that involve the color pink lol. I also love creative party invitations...I especially love Party Box Design and Fresh Chick Design Studio invitations. Their invitations make you want to come to the party!

• party trend you are so over? As mentioned above, commercial party themes. I think party themes should have a personal touch and reflect the indivdual.

• favorite aisle in the craft store? cake decorating aisle

• do you wear Uggs? Uggs = Ugh! So the answer is No I don't wear them

• do you really exercise? Yes at least 3x a week

• minivan or non minivan driving? Non minivan

• favorite holiday? Thanksgiving, I love to have an excuse to pig out

• favorite smell? anything tropical

• do you color your hair? no

• do you think you’re cool? Uhh not so much and neither does my 9yr old son....lol

Sparkling & Savvy Thursday. The Devastatingly Charming 126 {Nicole, The Two Savvy Sisters}

Sparkling & Savvy # 126: Nicole, The Two Savvy Sisters

Nicole is one talented chick. She is the brilliant and creative force behind The Two Savvy Sisters. She offers a beautiful line of handmade partyware, as well as, printable versions. Nicole blogs about parties and dazzling event inspiration. She also shares unique, crafty tutorials to make you look like a creative, crafting super star. Nicole is sweet, friendly and seriously talented. Oh, and party girlfriend is training for an Ironman competition. Um...Rock Star. Totally crushing on this Sweet, Savvy and Seriously Fabulous chick.

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Fascinating Nicole trivia:)

• favorite color? I love yellow its so bright and fun!! :)


• favorite team? GO RED SOX!!!

• if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Home-made chocolate chip cookies and CANDY!!!

• party trend you are crushing on? I LOVE black and white damask print right now!!

• party trend you are so over? Confetti, hate cleaning it up, my boys like to make a mess with it ugh!

• favorite aisle in the craft store? The CANDY aisle of course, oh and the paper aisle :)

• do you wear Uggs? HHHMMMM well I live in Arizona so not so much...Im more of a flip flop kinda girl!

• do you really exercise? I LOVE to exercise!! I am training for a half Ironman thats in October and my next goal is a full Ironman November 2012

• minivan or non minivan driving? NO minivan, I LOVE BIG TRUCKS!!

• favorite holiday? I love Christmas and Halloween

• favorite smell? The Sugar Cookie candle sent from Gold Canyon...SO YUMMY!!

• do you color your hair? BAD subject lol!! I colored my hair black and hated it so I have spent way too much time and money trying to get it back blonde...almost blonde again! :)

• do you think you’re cool? HHHMMMM well my kiddos think I am pretty darn cool because I eat lots of candy and desserts with them...does that count??? We even have a bunch of secret candy stashes around the house...ssshhh don't tell my hubby!! :) Don't worry I feed them lots of fruits and veggies too lol!!

On My Radar: Dazzling High Chair Decorations

Welcome to a shiny new series on my blog called "On my Radar." Basically, I will be featuring stuff and ideas that I think are devastatingly hip and happening:)

It's all in the presentation. I adore original and well thought out parties-down to the very last tiniest detail.

Charming and clever details never go unnoticed by true party lovas:)

Nothing is more adorable and polished than a beautifully decorated high chair for a little one's birthday. Perfect finishing touch that is often overlooked, but makes a world of difference.
Now...some serious cuteness...

 Way beyond charming. Made with love.

{via All Things G&D}



Ridiculously adorable. Times two.

{via Toni~ CPN}

So fabulous & French. Dreamy.

{via Chickabug}

Clever, simple, and seriously cute!

{via Candy & Cake}

Fun & Festive

{K to Z Design}

Sweet & seriously swoon worthy.

Poms and ribbon add so much charm.

{via Everyday Celebrating}

High chair disguised as an

airplane. Nothing cuter.

{via Grasshoppers & Lady Bugs}

Wild Wednesday Eye Candy.The seriously fabu 125 {Laura, Eye Candy Event Details}

Ridiculously Fabulous # 125: Laura, Eye Candy Event Details

Laura is amazing. She is the seriously talented chick behind Eye Candy Event Details. She offers a unique line of printable and completed partyware. Her designs are original, fresh and whimsical. Laura is also an exceptional event stylist. She is a detail freak. Laura is clever, creative and crafty. She is also sweet and ridiculously funny. And wicked cool. Totally adore and crush on the Eye Candy Chick and you will too.

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Fascinating Laura trivia:)

Favorite color? Definitely Pink! Oh . . .and RED! I love pink because there are so many shades to work with & it reminds me of my little sweet pea (my daughter) & red because it just exudes PASSION - gotta have passion for everything - to do what we do . . .hmmm but I wear black ALL the time so maybe black too?


favorite team? Well here in Ohio we have a slight pride for our college team that rocks it every year - none other than the our beloved BUCKEYES! We take it very seriously here - we bleed scarlet & grey . . .hubby even has the man cave decked out in all Buckeye decor! Can I get an O-H . . . . I-O! =)

if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Ice Cream! No matter how full you are you can always eat ice cream - it just fills in the cracks! lol And of course the daily intake of dark chocolate - the doctor SAID it was good for me ya know!

party trend you are crushing on? Details! I am a firm believer in IF the details are AWESOME - the little details will MAKE the party! Ohhh and I am loving the ORIGINALITY I am seeing lately. ORIGINAL designs I think will make a party stand out! Also party peeps coming together to create/ work together - need MORE of that!

party trend you are so over? I hate to say it but huge stylized parties that are not real. Have I done a couple myself? Yes - but I think doing them in moderation is ok & if it serves a purpose but I believe the trend is people are wanting duplicatable parties - something that can actually DO! If they feel they can't do it - then will they buy from you? Something to ponder. . . .

favorite aisle in the craft store? Do I have to pick one? Wow - fabric - so much inspiration there & also seasonal goodies . . . the little things you can use that just gives your party that WOW factor! Oh . . .and tissue paper & napkins - I have an issue - I always have to buy some - you can create so much out of those inexpensive things!

do you wear Uggs? Ummmm . . .that would be a huge NO! I really hate those things & it's probably because I only see those girls wearing them that do it in 90 degree weather w/ their butts hangin out of their shorts & they have no idea what they look like! Really? WHO on earth told them they could pull off that look! yuck

do you really exercise? hmmmm . . .my right index finger really gets a fantastic daily work out but other than that - yeah I am gonna have to say no on this one. My name is Laura & I am here to say that YES - I HATE exercise. Period.

minivan or non minivan driving? Gonna have to go with the big hell NO on this as well. Told myself if I ever had kids - I would NEVER drive one . . . more of a Mustang or drive the Explorer kind of girl! - just depends on if the little one is with me! lol

favorite holiday? Christmas because of the meaning - the TRUE meaning! What a better day! And I love all the preparing for it - it takes me one month at least to decorate the house for it - I even have 6 different themed trees I put up! I LOVE it! Plus knowing that I am creating all those memories for my daughter is worth it!

favorite smell? Coconut anything - reminds me of the beach - LOVE that smell! Oh & the smell of walking into a Starbucks - hmmmmm . . .good stuff! Oh & Sweet Pea from bath & body works - my daughter rocks that - it's her signature scent! =)

do you color your hair? Helloooooo - doesn't everyone? I have a standing appt. w/ the color gods like every 3 weeks since my hair grows that fast. (and I HAVE to - read between the lines on THAT one! lol) But I recently went a little blonder - love changin it up - so gettin back to my original color. I think it's blonde . . .well yeah maybe?

do you think you’re cool? Of course I am - I am friends with the Purple Pug aren't I? And only the cool people hang with her!

Sugary Sweet & Hand Stamped Tuesday Crush. The fabulous number 124 {Tina, Sugar Tops}

Hand Stamped & Sugary Sweet 124: Tina, Sugar Tops, LLC

Tina designs and creates beautiful, hand stamped jewelry. She is a truly gifted artist and I am amazed by her talent. Her business, Sugar Tops LLC, specializes in one of a kind designs so you can "wear your story." Beyond charming, meaningful and gorgeous. Tina is sweet and sunny. Total Tuesday crush:)

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Fascinating Tina trivia:)

·        favorite color?  Black because it's slimming and mysterious... and maybe red too because it's passionate!

·        favorite team?  The Dallas Cowboys!  Just because I crushed on a boy down the street who like them... when I was in second grade!!  Still root for them today!

·        if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Pasta with home made meat sauce!  Yummo!

·        party trend you are crushing on?  For kiddo's I like the personalized plates, napkins and cups that have your kids photo printed on them.  The kids think that is so super cool - and that makes mom so super cool!

·        party trend you are so over?

·        favorite aisle in the craft store?  Undoubtedly, the stationary aisle.  I like to enclose hand written notes as thank you's with my orders - and I like to find fun paper to do it on.

·        do you wear Uggs?  yep!  I treat myself to a new pair every few years.  This year I bought the Dakota slippers and I love them.  

·        do you really exercise?  My jaw when I am eating cake!

·        minivan or non minivan driving?  Non minivan... I like the SUV's.  Right now I have a Ford Edge, but I want to go a little bigger.  Any suggestions!?!

·        favorite holiday?  Christmas with out a doubt.  You cant get any better than seeing your kid's faces when they get up on Christmas morning and see all of those presents. Warms my heart.

·        favorite smell?  Either pasta sauce on the stove, or chocolate something in the oven.

·        do you color your hair?  <>, yes.  Until this year I did it to have fun with color.  Now, I do it to over the grey hair.  Just an other reminder that I am as old as I am.

o do you think you’re cool?  I like to think so... let me ask my 6 year old.  Me: Alyssa, am I cool?  Alyssa:  no.  Me:  Well I guess I better work on that this year.  It can be my new years resolution!