Ellery Designs

Decor, Design & DIY

Top 25 Party Planning Mom Nom

Happy Friday! I was super excited and honored to receive an email yesterday from Circle of Mom’s that I was nominated again this year as a Top 25 Party Planning Mom! SO fun to see my name alongside my most favorite sites! You can vote once every 24 hours until June 7th. I’d LOVE it if you would take a second to vote for little ole’ me! There’s no sign up or anything – just click on this link and click the little yellow vote button next to my name….or whoever you wish to vote for! 🙂
Thank you SO much! Have a fabulous weekend! XO, m

Try Me Thursday: My Fave Invites

Happy Try Me Thursday! This week I want to talk my favorite invites. I often get asked which is my favorite and I can’t really answer with just one. I’ve been so busy lately {yay!} that I hardly get the time to upload my new designs. It’s kind of neat to look back at some of the first invites I created and to see how my style has changed. I love modern and bright designs for party invites – what kid doesn’t? 
I think Cami’s Elmo inspired invite I created for her 2nd birthday will always be one of my top faves. It is amazing to say that invite really opened up so many opportunities for my business. I think I may have had 50 sales in my etsy shop before I listed that collection in May 2011. It’s beyond amazing to me, and I only have you, my fans, to thank!
Here are a few of my favorites from over the past four years. It’s also fun to see what is popular for my customers. Some of my most favorite designs aren’t popular in my shop and vice versa.
I’d *LOVE* to hear what your favorite design of mine is – leave a message in the comments or on fb! 🙂 Do you have something you want me to discuss next week? Well, try me – simply email or message me and see if it’s next week’s topic! XO, m

Hello, Summer.

So these past few days have been just beautiful and the rest of the week’s forecast looks fabulous! Isn’t it amazing what a little sunshine does to your spirit? We even had a mild winter here in Illinois but I’m SO ready for Summer. For splash parks, fairs, picnic’s at the park, late night bonfires….I could go on and on. Oh, and for margarita’s – can’t leave those out! I’m turning a new leaf – I’ve blogged five days in a row. {Patting self on back} It’s something I love doing, just never seem to have the time….but, I’m getting there 🙂 I don’t know about you but I’m constantly taking pictures on my phone.  Here are a few of my favorite instagram pictures from this week.
Hello pretty girl on my fourth Mama’s Day.

Hello Mother’s Day gifts for the best grandparents. {Poppy Tree Frames}

   

Hello, new favorite shirt + earrings {Target}

Hello, crazy busy. {but not complaining}
Hello, lovely birthday photo book from mpix.com.
Hello sweet girl who loves to help do ANYTHING.

Hello bright + cheery mini tissue flowers. {Tutorial found here}

Linking up to Lisa Leonard’s Hello Monday series for the first time thanks to Lindsay @ Lee La La. XO, m

Curious Cami’s Thank You

Are we still talking about Curious Cami? Why yes we are 🙂 I’m a big fan of sending thank you notes. I don’t really think there is a good excuse not to send them. I always like to include some pictures from the party so I did a little collage on one side and wrote in the blank area on the other side 🙂
Happy Tuesday! XO, m

Ladies Lilac Luncheon

I was asked to decorate a table at the annual Ladies Lilac Luncheon that is held right down the street from my house 🙂 There are about 30 ladies who decorate a table for eight and the attendees vote on their favorite at the actual event. It was such a fun day with my favorite mama’s and I even got second place, so that was pretty cool! 🙂 The winning table was a hot pink + black table designed by Maurices {the store}. I wish I took more pics but alas, here are a few from my handy camera phone. Go figure! 😉

I took my mom, mother-in-law, grandma’s and my friend. We are all mom’s so it worked out perfectly for my Mama themed table. I was going thru ideas in my head knowing I wanted to use things I already had from Cami’s party so came up with “They pull you close + hold you tight. Mama’s make the world so bright.” Pretty cute, right?! Haha. You could decorate in any theme – there were so many different ones from an Easter Bunny table to Fiesta themed to a Summer Picnic.
What I REUSED from past parties:
Spray Painted Ball Jars
Tulle Pom Wands
Tissue Poms
 White Pictures Frames
Fabric Garland that I hung behind the chairs
What I BOUGHT:
Rented the pink tablecloth
Flowers @ local grocery store
Flower Plate Chargers from Hobby Lobby
Colorful napkins from Target

FREE PRINTABLES
“Best Mom Ever” by NoBiggie
“You are the Best Mom…” {seen inside white frames} by A Proffittable Life
What I MADE: 
Mini Colorful Tissue Flowers as seen here.
My hubby and I even wrapped the silverware in yarn {inspired by my favorite party stylist, Jenn of HWTM}. I was really happy with how my table turned out and I barely spent any money! I just love the bright colors and it was a big hit with the little girls at the event! They thought it was “SO cool!!”  My friend Ann {seen below} made the adorable flower sugar cookies!
Thanks, Becki for organizing such an awesome event! Hope to decorate again next year! XO, m

Modern Snow White Invitation

Super excited to show you this Snow White inspired birthday party invite I made for Princess Addison – her talented mama is Amy of AMK’s Boutique! Cami is usually seen sportin’ a pretty AMK hairbow or clip 🙂
{Beautiful photos on the card taken by Emme Elle Photography}

You can purchase this invite in my etsy shop along with matching party printables! 🙂 I have another similar style invite in my shop – see more here.
 Can’t wait to share some pics with you from her party – her mama always does such a fabulous job! XO, m

Try Me Thursday: Bridesmaid Trends

Happy Try Me Thursday! If you missed last week’s first post you can read it here.
This week we’re talking Bridesmaids dresses. I always get asked or I should say told, “You’ve been in a lot of Weddings! Which dress is your favorite?” Ha! I definitely can’t answer that b/c I truly liked them all. I can say that I’m LOVING the new trend of doing a mix of colors and styles. I even have a full Pinterest board with some of my favorites seen here. I mean how adorable is this super unique color scheme below?! LOVE.
 {above image via Style Me Pretty}
I go nuts over unique schemes – I think the days of black bridesmaid dresses and all the same styles are coming to an end. My wedding was only six years ago and I would do SO much different. It’s amazing how fast styles and trends change 🙂 I’m totally in love with the use of patterns and even skirts for your bridesmaids. You know how we look back at our parents wedding photos and think to ourselves, what were they THINKING with the puffy sleeves, baby blue and even hats? Haha. I think that’s what our kids are going to say – well, mine anyway – why on earth is everyone wearing the same dress in your wedding, mom!? 
We’ll see if I’m actually right. So…..what’s your favorite trend?! Do you have something you want to ask or talk about next Thursday – try me. Send me a message or email and it just might be next week’s topic 🙂 XO, m

Fabric Garland Tutorial

Some of you may have seen my new obsession with making fabric garlands via Facebook. Here are a few I’ve made for a few photography shoots 🙂 I just can’t get enough. They cheer up a photo in an instant and are super easy to make once you get the hang of it. I even made one to act as a window valance in our living room – the possibilities are endless.

Here’s the scoop. Depending on how many different colors of fabric you use depends on how much you get. I typically get a 1/2 yard of five different pieces of fabric. Obviously the more patterned fabric you buy, the more expensive. The pink and silver one I made was a bit more pricey compared to my solid color bright garland I made for my daughter’s birthday party.

I’m sure there is an easier way to do this but I literally lay the fabric flat (and still folded once) and cut roughly 1-2 inch strips. (I actually hand-cut using scissors b/c I think it’s just as quick than using a rotary cutter and mat). Cut all of your fabric first and then go to town tying it around a 15 ft. rope ribbon found at Hobby Lobby. You can see by looking at the above photos that I use different techniques. The pink and silver one I literally tied them around in a knot and it definitely doesn’t look perfect, but I kind of like the messy look sometimes. The bright one I made for Cami’s party I did the “pull the two bottom ends over the top though the loop” technique to get a very fresh and clean feel.

Please share your fabric garlands with me if you decide to make one! I’d love to see them. I’m currently working on a few garlands for a construction party + nautical party so stay tuned! XOXO, m 

Linking up to: Whipperberry

New: Try Me Thursday’s

Thursday is one of my favorite days of the week so I thought why not do something fun. I’m going to do a “Try Me Thursday” series  – every Thursday I’ll be answering a question from YOU. It doesn’t have to necessarily be a question – can be anything from weddings to parties to anything your little heart wonders 🙂
Today I’ll go with one I get asked quite often, “What is your favorite thing to work on/design?”
Such a hard question b/c I started my business doing only weddings and now I create anything from showers to parties and everything in between. I honestly love it all but the one I probably enjoy designing the most is Birth Announcements. Nothing sweeter than a new baby + newborn photos are always SO precious. 


Here are a few of my favorites {all available to purchase in my etsy shop}.

So what do you want to learn, know, wonder, etc. Try me. 🙂 Leave a comment on the blog, shoot me an email or leave a FB comment and maybe it’ll be next Thursday’s topic! XO, m

Curious Cami’s 3rd Birthday Party

“When everyday is so glorious! And everything is so wonderous. You’re curious, like Curious Cami!” Or maybe it’s George, but for fun we’re going with Curious Cami since it just sounds cute 🙂 “George” is her fave. Over the holidays, there was a marathon on PBS Kids of all three Curious George movies and good thing I recorded them – pretty sure she’s watched them a hundred times since then. I have to admit, it’s one of the few kids shows I really enjoy watching.
{THE INVITATION}

I created Cami’s invite several months ago and that’s where it all began. If you’ve seen my other parties you know I love BRIGHT colors. This is definitely not your typical Curious George party – I wanted to do a fun, modern + girlie spin on it since most of the Curious George parties I’ve seen are for boys. Chevron was the main pattern used throughout and the fabulous Jessica of Pen N’ Paperflowers designed the adorable little monkey! Read more about the invitation I created from my blog post right here.

{FASHION}

Gosh, was Cami’s little get-up ever CUTE. The amazing Rachel of *golden* created the most adorable tee, as always! Her work is pure genius. My friend Amy of AMK’s Boutique made her pretty matching headband and the super cute custom necklace from Miss CoCo Designs was perfect! I found the adorable yellow skirt in San Diego back in AUGUST at the Queen Bee Market. I know, I’m one of those that totally shops for deals and steals EARLY. I saw a pair of polka dot leg warmers at a local craft show with all the colors in the scheme I was thinking. That’s when the color red came into play. Back when I first started planning, I was going with aqua and yellow and add in some pink and lime – but when I saw them I even said, I really like these except I’m not doing red. And then my mind started in and I was like, oooh RED. I need to use red. How can I not – it’s even one of the main Curious George colors. And the rest is history 🙂

{THE SWEETS TABLE}
I used the same yellow fabric from Cami’s Elmo party last year for the table and also reused the red + white chevron table runner from Cami’s Valentine’s Playdate made by the very talented Nancy of A to Zebra Celebrations. I’m all about using things from past parties! Did I want the table to be aqua instead of yellow? Um, yeah. But really, why spend the money when yellow works just fine.
I scored all of the matching table cloths, plates, napkins, utensils, plastic dessert trays, etc. last year from Party City on clearance. As for the dessert table, it was perfect thanks to all the incredible ladies who are beyond talented in the baking department. Kelly of Lillycakes made the adorable cake pops, mini cupcakes, banana creme dessert cups and mini cherry pies. The adorable + glittery monkey cookies were made by the talented Allyson Jane. The chevron pattern, yellow hats, banana’s and Curious Cami cookies made by Flourish Sweet Shop were fabulous and a big hit.
Isn’t the cake just beautiful? So simple, yet perfect. I saw a sample quilted cake very similar in Paige’s {Polka Dot Bakery} portfolio except wanted her to make all the little dots in the color scheme and it turned out awesome! The glittery “Curious Cami” billboard handmade by the talented Kristy of The Purple Pug is just too cute for words. I ended up taking one of the monkey’s off the cake pops and placed it on the cake 🙂 I added the thin red rope ribbon on the cake right before the party started {just goes to show how crazy I am with details}. I also adore the hand-painted chevron Camryn plate made by Aedriel Originals on etsy. It’s displayed in her room now 🙂
The tree my hubby handmade was so AWESOME. He totally rocks and loves helping make + create new things for her parties. Totally a last minute addition but he ROCKED it and it was a big focal point above the table. He also made the red monkey signs seen on the sides of the table and spray painted the mason jars that held matching tulips. Those funky stands that hold up the dessert trays were found at Hobby Lobby on clearance, which he also spray painted. We love our spray paint 🙂
I’ve had my eye on wanting to purchase Blumeboxes for awhile now, but wanted to use them for something other than the norm, so I added tissue poms I already had from past parties on top for a fun flower-like look on the mantle. I made the DIY fabric garland using the five alternating colors for only $9. Love how it’s so simple yet adds so much to the backdrop. I purchased the adorable ornate picture frame also seen on the mantle from Poppy Tree Frames.
The kids are all a bit too young to have any fun games but they all definitely enjoyed the balloons as we got a few pictures of them in front of the table before they were off playing with toys 🙂
Without further adieu, here are the beautiful photos taken by Ellie Piper of Photography Studio 37. I will say it over and over again, she always makes my tablescapes look way better than they actually are. She’s beyond talented and oh so sweet.

Happy Birthday, Camryn Jolee! Can’t believe you are THREE. We love you more than words can express and we had so much fun planning your “George” party. The smile on your face + you being so excited to have all your favorite people in one room is what it’s all about. Cami’s favorite part? When we all sang Happy Birthday to her, as you can clearly tell in the below picture. LOVE. Or that shiny new Camero my sister’s got her was pretty cool too 🙂


Vendor Credits

 All Paper Products, Custom Sign + Styling: I DO invitations by michelle
Photography: Ellie Piper of Photography Studio 37
Custom Monkey Shirt + Curious Name Tees: *golden*
 Headband: AMK’s Boutique
Cupcakes/Cake Pops/Desserts: Lillycakes & Desserts
Monkey Cookies: Allyson Jane
 Yellow Hat/Banana/Chevron Cookies: Flourish Sweet Shop
Cake: Polka Dot Bakery
“Curious Cami” Cake Billboard: The Purple Pug

Hand Painted Chevron Name Plate: Aedriel Originals
Chevron Pennant Banner: Paisley Handmade
Red Chevron Table Runner: A to Zebra Celebrations
Chevron Spoons/Balloons/Chevron Treat Bags/Striped Straws: Shop Sweet Lulu
Gumballs/Tubes: Polka Dot Market
Flowers: Town & Country Gardens
Tissue Flower Poms: PomLove
Boxes {holding Poms}: Blumebox
Large Frame with Cami’s Photo: Poppy Tree Frames
DIY Ribbon Wreath + Fabric Garland: I DO invitations by michelle

#ElleryWear ON SALE NOW!

#ElleryWear ON SALE NOW!

Our Pantry Makeover

Our Pantry Makeover