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2016 Year In Review – Holiday Parties

January 9, 2017
Celebrating , Decor , Holidays , Tablescapes

To help create special moments for my family, I enjoy celebrating each holiday and marking the passage of time with mini celebrations. I host themed play dates for Juliet, play dress up, produce photo shoots in holiday colors, bake themed desserts with my little one and have fun re-decorating the dining area with her. Here’s my 2016 year in review showing how just one small area of a NYC apartment came to life each season.

For all the details from this adorable, “Wild For You” themed Valentine’s PJs and Pancakes play date, click here!

The girls played with their furry stuffed animals, sprinkled toppings on heart-shaped pancakes and brunched like little ladies while wearing their matching animal PJs. It was so much fun that I hosted another Wild For You play date during Valentine’s with a slightly different setup. For this posh play date we decorated heart-shaped Valentine cookies and wore heart printed sweatsuits. Click through for all the details and tips on how to create your own!

For her birthday at the end of February, I turned our dining area into a Mickey Minnie black and white themed space since our Disney kid was clubhouse crazy!

Click here for all the budget-friendly details! The next month, I hosted a princess themed play date featuring a Beauty and the Beast screening, ballroom dancing, and mommy and me manicures. With free printables, I transformed the buffet area to a blue and pink sparkle and sweet station. Click here for more!

I’ve never been one to celebrate the fourth of July with such enthusiasm until recently. Decorating my home in red white and blue has become a tradition ever since having a little one. I want to celebrate every holiday with her in a fun, stylish and meaningful way. Besides being festive, holiday decor is a talking point from which teachable moments can spring forth. My little one learned about the American flag, identified stars and stripes, and practiced color memory with these visual aids as a baby. Nowadays she likes and insists on getting involved with the decorating!

During my birthday month (Sept.) I used some remaining party decor to make the place feel festive. Hubby agreed to cook me his first dinner ever as part of my present. What better entertainment on my birthday than to watch him try and figure his way around the kitchen I thought? Juliet and I set the table with all our Oh Joy for Target items leftover from last year while daddy fumbled through the Hello Fresh kit with all the dinner ingredients. Below was the end result!

I opted out of hosting a Halloween bash this year and instead hosted some close friends over for a crafty trick or treat pre-party. Here’s our dining area transformed once again with a damask shower curtain and homemade banners on the wall.

And for a simple and comparatively minimalistic Thanksgiving scene, I cleared out the dramatic Halloween decor and re-purposed items around the house for a totally different look. Using fall favorites such as white pumpkins and apples, I created an elegant scene with pure white with silver accents.

Then I held a posh play date sponsored by 7 or 8 brands under the theme, “sprinkle some fun” which you can see here and got to re-use the backdrop from Juliet’s bunny birthday party as well as the princess party.

These are some of my favorite looks using whatever I had around the house, gift wrap, shower curatains, re-purposed party decor. I hope this inspires you to change it up every once in a while and give your home a fun festive look for your favorite holidays in 2017!

Happy new year!

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Hello Kitty Cafe Pop-Up in Irvine, CA

July 21, 2016
Life , Travel

sanrio clothes, sanrio cafe, hello kitty kids fashion, hello kitty fashion, hello kitty irvine

I feel so lucky to have accidentally timed our family vacation to the Orange County area with America’s first-ever Hello Kitty cafe. Upon learning this, Juliet and I knew we just HAD to go.

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I made sure to pack her new Hello Kitty printed romper for the occasion.

And what better to accessorize with than a giant bow a la Hello Kitty style?

This adorable pop-up was actually just a girly pink shipping container that dramatically unfolded out into a sprawling cafe.

We got there early and got to watch the transformation. Juliet was enthralled!

Good thing we got there at opening (thanks dad for saving our spot while we enjoyed the nearby kid-friendly rides).

I say this because the line quickly grew out of control as Hello Kitty fans descended at a rapid pace for a taste of this cuteness overload! Thankfully, living up to the hype, the Sanrio sips and sweets were as adorable as one would expect.

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There were so many Hello Kitty adorned pies, cakes and cookies to choose from. Juliet’s favorite was the heavily sprinkled ‘birthday cake’ shown on the left. But unfortunately 30minutes after opening, it sold out to the person directly in front of us who we overheard saying that she came back 3x trying to get that sold out cake. So I suggest that if you want this, you make sure to get there before opening time!

The news has broken out that this cafe has actually had to close as early as 2pm because they had sold out of EVERYTHING. So Hello Kitty fans, let that be a warning to you. If you have your heart set on a specific dessert, get there EARLY. The below tiramisu type dessert is what Juliet chose. She called it the golden Hello Kitty.

I for one had to try the Hello Kitty faced cookie and bow.

hello kitty cookie, hello kitty pop up, hello kitty cafe, hello kitty bow Here’s the full menu. Overpriced, yes. But worth it? If you’re a Hello Kitty fan like me, then YES!