Auburn and Blue

Gray skies…and YELLOW !!

26
Jan

Recently I decided to change my dining room curtains to a soft gray and white.

I have not done this yet..but the idea took post and it is still in the back of my mind.

Gray is the new black. How trendy.

Problem is …it is still GRAY.

Everybody LOVES gray at the moment..but I am noticing something else.

Everybody needs a bit of cheering up right now….

I have just returned from a sunny country.

It is never more obvious than just upon return how gray the skies can be on the other side of the world.

It can cause severe mood disorders.

And who wants to bring in gray on the inside of the house, when there is enough gray on the outside at the moment.

But there are ways to make those gray skies go away .

One of those are …YES … the SUN….YELLOW !!!!

Maybe it all has to do with everyone’s mood out there, but I am seeing yellow everywhere this week. Certainly our souls are calling out – give us something to lift the spirit ! Winter has now been with us a while…time to start looking for the bright side of things again !!

Starting off this journey was this painting I bought on my recent trip to Vietnam.

I think it will fit perfectly in my gray diningroom – with the bright yellow of fall (ing) leaves.

I can’t wait to get it re-framed…it’s been waiting out there for me.

Everything else will be gray and white.

What do you think of this color scheme?

Just to give you an idea of the same scheme, different setting….

(by Michelle Hinckley)

mmmmm…don’t you think??

I found this while browsing around for inspiration on the site houzz. What a great site that is for replacing all your old magazine clippings?

If I have not convinced you of the yellow yet…..

tell me with a straight face that you did NOT notice that vase…?!

(by Fiorella Design)

And how cool is this?

(by The Lettered Cottage)

Magic touch there with the frame !

(by Michelle Hinckley)

And surely waking up to this can help a l-i-t-t-l-e (not a lot) with getting up in the morning …..

(by Michelle Hinckley)

This dining room would have been absolutely nothing without those chairs !

(by Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech)

And if you prefer to go with a little bit of a different shade…..still success !!

(by Emily Elizabeth Interior Design)

Be it the bright or the buttery version. Yellow just never fails.

oooh…. I can just imagine the home-baked bread to make this picture complete for a cozy ranch feeling…

(by Dreamy Whites)

I can go on and on here for the rest of the day. I am not wearing yellow for nothing today?! (Quick shot from my computer to let you in on what tipped me over today to bring all the yellow’s together…must have hit me already this morning in my dressing room !)

Yellow is not a team player. It pretty much does the job single-handedly..but what a great job it is doing to brighten up any space that needs a bit of oemf !

But, if I have not convinced you…there is NO one more convincing with color inspiration than Leslie with her blog, a creative mint.

For a treat, go over to decor8, where Leslie shares the rest of her color project for this month on Holly’s blog. Here is just a taste… I rest my case !

 

Make sure not to miss the rest of Leslie’s beautiful color combinations at  Color Me Pretty Time via a creative mint or on decor8.

Have a bright and sunny afternoon, even if the skies are gray.

Hope I have lifted your spirit a little and let me know what you think of my dining room plan !

Ilze

Good advice

24
Jan

Last week my daughter had surgery.  It was minor. For me – a big deal.

Seeing your little one being pushed into theatre makes all sorts of things go through your head.

I think it makes you slow down a little bit and it makes you think more.

About life and how you live it, what you have and what you take for granted, what is important and what will be  more important in future. Yes, it definitely makes you ponder on things a little bit more than on your ordinary day.

You cut out all the other things for a while and focus on the one thing at hand…

Untill it is done. Successfully. And you are relieved. Very relieved that all went well.

During this process I went to get a coffee at one of my favourite shops and noticed this sign on the wall.

On another day it may have gone by unnoticed.

But that day, I noticed.

It made me stop.

It made me think long after I left the place.

It made me want to follow their advice.

I think you would like it too…

It is good advice.

It sounds simple.

But it says A LOT……

Here is to a happy, simple life. I am certainly going to strive for that.

I have a problem saying no to nonsense..how about you? I am going to work on that…

But hey – if all else fail – I guess we can all keep up the smile – part ?!

Have a happy day everyone.

Ilze

Ilze

Choosing a gift

22
Jan

Back to the business of blogging….I have so many things on my mind!

I am unpacking …and amongst the things I have brought back with me is the chocolates I got for Christmas from my niece. Unbelievable that I did not eat them straight away..but the last time I intended to eat them, I took a photo instead and left them untouched again.

A chocolate for Christmas can be a very ordinary gift…or it could be like these…too damn cute to eat !!

Yes, she is just 1 year old, so I know her mom picked it out..but it brings me back to the issue of attention to detail when you pick a gift.

Just looking at this – you know that the decision was to buy a chocolate..but then it could not just be any chocolate..it had to be special, it had to stand out, it had to be something I would remember when I next Christmas try to think what I got from everyone and it had to create special emotion when seeing it, opening it….

And it did all of the above. Mission complete. These chocolates were cute, special, memorable…and I don’t even know what they taste like… but who cares.

My son says that I can’t eat them now, because then I will have to tweet about it…

Let me just correct that. I have not stopped eating. I still intend enjoying all good things in life. It is the overeating that will send me tweeting !!

Just wanted to share the cute-ness and impression of a gift that was carefully selected. Paying attention to detail pays great dividends in the heart and mind of the receiver of such gift !!

Ilze

TWEET..don't EAT !

21
Jan

I might be all brave and say that I am not going to have the same old boring New Years’ Resolution, like a 100 million other people, to lose weight this year…but what if reality tells you that you HAVE to ??!!!!

Yes, I just returned from one of THOSE holidays…EAT, DRINK and be MERRY !!!

But..I have also read that it is not that simple to just decide something and then it is done.

“THEY” say… only 3 out of every 200 people can change a habit by simply taking a decision about it.

They ALSO said that you can only break a habit by replacing it with another one.

So, here goes… I have a habit of nibbling…. mindless eating when I am not hungry…..just boredom…comfort…..time-killer….. whatever the reasons might be.

So, I decided that I am going to put a new habit in place – to TWEET every time I want to EAT when I should not or need not be eating….

If you are not on Twitter – sign up ..come on !!! Get with it!! It’s 2011…..

Find me at http://twitter.com/idodetail

Ok, you are going to hear a lot from me on TWITTER then this year ! But I don’t have a following on Twitter..so I guess that is a fairly safe place to go and dump my thoughts every time I get the urge to stuff my mouth. If I would do that on Facebook, I can be sure to be blocked from a few friend’s feeds, as I too can’t handle the traffic when people start telling you when they put ketch-up on their food…or just blinked. I promise not to tweet non-stop about my eating habits or what I did or did not eat the minute before, but rather tweeting about something on my mind, something I might see or feel right that moment. So, if you want to be in for a huge chunk of what is going on in my life on a daily basis, follow me on Twitter, because I am going to bring it on BIG time !!! Please do note that I will sometimes tweet not out of a need to eat..but simply because …

Follow me on Twitter to share my journey.

Or let me in on your secrets of how to shed the pounds after the Christmas eating frenzy, by leaving me a comment on the blog.

Or just for fun – tell me about your solutions for breaking old, bad habits?!

Would love to hear… and if you tweet about it – let me know …

Sorry, gotta go…need to go TW-EAT !!

Ilze

New Year's Resolutions

6
Jan

It is January, 6th and I am only now  posting the draft I wrote for my blog on the 1st day of this new year! I hope this is not indicative of my year ahead…but on the other hand – the important thing is that all things do eventually get done, even if it is a little later than originally planned !

I had no internet for a month…that explains  a lot on the silence this side… but I have limited internet for now and maybe just enough to get this draft posted !

So, this is what I was wondering on that first day…..

Are New Year’s Resolutions  becoming something of the past? Is it even possible that such a tradition can become obsolete…??? Or are people just getting more “scared” to put it out there…. getting more pessimistic as life goes on about what is possible or likely to happen vs what their past results have shown…

Why else then – when I asked people about their resolution, 8 out of 10 answered by saying “I don’t make a resolution anymore since I never stick to it?”. How boring. Somehow it took a bit of the fun out of “making conversation” just after the clock struck that magic midnight hour at the turn of another year…

My response “oh now?!…have one??!! ..after which they naturally asked – so what is yours??!

Mmmmm….. good question….

I have thought about my own and refused to fall within the category of the top 4 resolutions as we all know them – AGAIN…?!

* to lose weight

* give up smoking (by the way – not mine – but on the top 4 list worldwide!)

*give up drinking

* exercise more

Basically a healthier lifestyle?!

Yes – I admit – I do fall in this category above…but I want it to be a little less what I aim  for everyday I open my eyes…

So, I thought about it for a while and two video clips that I saw earlier this year inevitably came up with that thought process….

One of them is about this guy on TED talks whose theory is that once you have told people what you are intending to do, you are more than likely not going to do it. This is one of the reasons I probably too have to agree that New Year’s resolutions are fun but highly ineffective.

Since I have watched this, I have become a believer of this too…. it has certainly happened to me… I wanted to share this insight with you….but with my limited internet can’t search for it right now..and will have to share it later… (hope it does not fall into that category of “said I will, so now I won’t..?!)

So, moving on –

Second part of the problem is that we always want to make that perfect new start at a substantially significant point like the beginning  of a new year – instead of just STARTING..just DOING it… exactly what clip nr 2 so perfectly inspired me to do.

Do yourself a favour and watch Ben as he did exactly this ! This 5 minute clip might just change your life for the better in 2011 !!!

May 2011 be the year where you DON’T tell people your resolutions, but simply start and DO them!!

And keep me posted if you have any success following this approach.

I do have big plans for the year with my blog, and a  “business with a cause” I plan to undertake…but before I tell too much and have my theory becomes reality…

HAPPY 2011 EVERYONE !!!!

Take care

Ilze

Ilze

Sharing our burden

8
Dec

Life was so different since I got that call in Vietnam about my mother’s health… and I have not even shown my pictures to my lovely husband since I returned.

But today I looked at them…and spotted this one that I took the day before I got the news. Before it would have been just another picture, but given the context of my life the past few weeks, it got new meaning…. as life-changing events make you see things differently.

It reminded me of how we carry our heavy burden during a time like this while life around us carries on….

In fact …things around me whizz by at top speed, while I have felt a heaviness and have been moving at a slow pace.

We all grief differently, but I decided to share my load…. by sharing my pain, my photo memories of my mom and by blogging about her  passing away.

It is wonderful how each and every one of my friends responded and took that burden off my shoulders…by sharing my feelings, acknowledging my pain, even shedding tears for me, offering help and support, by listening to me and simply gave me the space to be who I am and to just make me aware of the fact that they are all there for me….

Imagine this woman’s load taken off her shoulders and be carried further by 97 strong people …. it almost starts to seem ridiculously light in that scenario…..which would totally allow her to start to focus on other things again and to be able to bend, stretch and reach out to others again. How much lighter my load became when almost a hundred friends each personally sent me a note, a mail, a facebook message, called, visited….some whom have never even met my mother…but they know me and they care….

I feel blessed beyond measure…

I want to thank each and every one who stood by me and my family.

I will miss my mother every day, but I feel every day how my spirit is lifting and how the people around me are helping me to carry on….without the load on my shoulders alone.

I feel inspired to start blogging again   – and that is a good sign.

I hope to write a few posts before the year ends…and I am looking forward to the New Year, hoping to bring you some great posts from all over about Life’s little details!

Ilze

Ilze

20 White Roses

2
Dec

Today is the first day I have the courage to visit my blog again. Three weeks since I left my last entry and I am still not sure I have anything creative to say even though I have had a lot on my mind over the past 3 weeks..

But maybe writing about some of what ‘s on my mind will help even if it is not the most inspiring piece.

I have stood at an open grave for the first time in 14 years…. and for the first time ever at someone’s in my immediate family. My Mom.

My mother has lived with Alzheimers for the past 7 years. She was only 67 years old when she was diagnosed.

There were definite markers in her journey where you knew that she had entered a new phase. After every decline, a considerable period would follow where she would be in that new “state of mind”. Sort of like taking one step down a ladder, but then staying on that step for quite a while..nothing significant changing…but all those around the patient knew that things are not quite the same as it was on the step just above….. Throughout all of this she had been in good physical health though. Her mind going, but her body remaining strong….

While being in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Halong Bay, Vietnam (considered for one of the NEW wonders of the world 2010)…. I got a call from my husband. Telling me that my mother’s health took another turn. This time it was not her mind, but her body…or differently put….her mind shutting down her body. She stopped taking in food.

This time the turn in her health lasted only 3 days…. and only a day after I learnt about it….

On my flight back from Vietnam, she passed away. From the airport I left to get my clothes, my husband and kids and then returned straight back to the airport to take on the 20 hour journey home….. to be with my family.

Her journey with Alzheimers was a long one…and still her death came unexpected and sudden.

I have tried to prepare for that day over the past 7 years….ever since the day I realized that her diagnosis was marking the beginning of an end…. This does not mean, in any way or form, that it is less painful to finally face the facts when reality brings you this news. I experienced somewhat of a zombie state for a while where the world became a blur and where you turn to your most basic needs and emotions and that’s it. Anything beyond that simply does not matter for some time – one of those being a blog….

The moment somebody dies, every image, every conversation, every interaction with that person exhanges into a memory. Everything present becomes past. For that person that is where it all ends here on earth. For you, and all those staying behind….. that is where a new era starts – one of remembering… a new challenge of how you are going to deal without that person, a feeling of insecurity of how the “new you” will cope with that part of your existence and being taken away… A friend told me losing your mother is like having one of your security cushions taken out under you…. The mere thought that you are now in this world alone without a mother… Even if she was not mothering you anymore….. And at the same time you are dealing with the comfort and peace of knowing that she is released from this world, from the claws of an illness that took her captive and that she has been restored to full glory in Heaven.

I had no unfinished business with my mom. During her lifetime she did all she could for me and I did the same for her. She wrote me tons of little notes and letters and told me how much she loved me. I did the same. A couple of weeks ago, I recorded a telephone “conversation” or rather “interaction” we had via Skype. My dad took the computer to her place of care so I could see her and hear her voice. Not knowing that this would be the last time ever that she would speak to me…..I ended saying that I loved her…and she said that back to me. After having a conversation which made no sense whatsoever and in which she did not respond directly to anything I said, that was a truly amazing response and I felt so happy. I recorded that conversation…why – I dont know….but today I have that and I feel so blessed. So when time came to say goodbye, and I could not be with her, it was a blessing to know that there was nothing more that I could have said or done for her in her final moments.

My mother was an INCREDIBLE and REMARKABLE person! Everybody knew that and talked about that – in her life and after her death. What an amazing priviledge to have been the daughter of such a remarkable women. What a blessing to have had a loving, caring, unselfish, chirpy and cheerful mother who did not only look after her own family, but who was a mother to every needy, sick, homeless or illiterate person while taking her place full on as the wife of a prominent husband in the community, filling her days with nothing but meaningful, solid relationships with so many people and God.

LIfe is not accurately measured by the number of breathes you take, but the number of lives you’ve touched. What a life she had…measured in that means !!!!

It is during a time like this, that you feel the love and the support from your friends and your community. We can not face these times alone and it was just a wonderful thought that I could just be still and know that there were so many who had us in their thoughts and prayers. It is in times like these when friends matters…Thank you to each one who was there for me…..

I was reminded again of a few things about my family during this time… we stick together, we have a good sense of humour, we have forgiven each other a lot over the years and the impact my mother had on each of us is enormous…. she lived life to the fullest…she gave life to all of us…she loved each of us unconditionally and her life was more important than her death… the way it should be.

Today, if you read this, I can just say a few things

– tell those you love, that you do…today.

– have no unfinished business with anyone – you never know when a life ends…and then it will remain unfinished forever.

– care for others while you can and they will care for you when you loose your ability to care for them or yourself.

– be part of a community. They will carry you through the tough times.

– live life to the fullest…making the most of what you have… while you have the ability to do so.

– Touch someone else’s life – that will make your life count

– be an inspiration….. you will give life and meaning to others by doing so

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE LEMONADE… My mom lived by this.

I will miss her, I will remember her… .

but she LIVED a LIFE worth celebrating, worth remembering…..

Ilze

A Comfort Queen

11
Nov

I have a very generous husband when it comes to ME.

He has never denied me anything with regards to indulging myself  in ME needs, ME treats or ME comforts (within reason goes without saying !).

Tomorrow I am off to Vietnam with a few girlfriends and he will look after the kids over the weekend. How lucky am I ?!

While I’m off I leave you with a little insight into ME and what I try to live by.

This I decided just now while I was packing and  discovered one of my old notebooks – (at least 10 years old) . I hardly ever throw away my notebooks – they are almost like the diaries / journals I never got to write. Mainly because I usually buy books and stationery by their looks as much as their purpose!  An ugly book needs to be award winning for me to buy it !

(Told you I have a thing for form & function combined !!)

But this book in particular I have kept (it has a special place in my closet) because on top of being cute and whimsical, it personally appealled to my outlook on life. Right when I picked it up, I knew – this is SO ME !!!! And today it rings true for me as much as it did then.

It is late in the day and natural sunlight is nowhere to be seen…so bare with the photos as I shot them in my bedroom while packing, grabbing the first “comfy” thing I could lay my hands on…so I will quote them below too:

 

LIVE BY WHAT YOU TREASURE:

harmony
comfort
spirit
grace
wisdom
simplicity

Opening the front cover there is a sort of ” declaration” of a COMFORT QUEEN:

Do I even need to TELL you that I TOTALLY declared myself a Comfort Queen way back when??!

And I am not ashamed to say that I have lived by that credo ever since.

Did you get that ?……

A Comfort Queen:

Rules her own life.

She treats herself with the same kindness

and respect as she does the people she loves.

She has a healthy sense of humor about herself.

Rest, self-nurturing and harmony

are her imperial rights.

She keeps her eye on the unfolding path of her life

and lives by what she treasures.

Or at least she tries.

And then the page header that further sparked so many ideas over the years as I filled the pages…

 

It’s hard to read but it says:

What one thing could I do today to become the person I most want to be?

I wonder what your answer would be to that ? Anyone?

And finally on the  back page:

“Each one of us has an inner feminine voice – your Comfort Queen – a voice that will soothe and befriend, strengthen and support, helping you to treat yourself with the same kindness and respect as you do the people you love”

Created by the best-selling author: Jennifer Louden. And today after all these years, I went to her blog and website to see who the lady is to whom I owe so much in finding a piece of my own self many years ago when I bought her notebook ! You can visit her blog and website for many more wonderful insights and inspiration at The Comfort Queen. Thank you Jennifer !

I AM LOOKING FOR ALL THE COMFORT QUEENS OUT THERE whom these treasures and life philosophy ring true for ??? Are you with me ? Let me know !

If you have a different philosophy or comfort I would love to hear that too.

It is important for us women in the world to keep on discovering ourselves and share it with others so we can constantly better ourselves.

For those who love to share, do so and I will check on your comments upon my return from Vietnam.

In the meantime I wish you a happy, comfy weekend with your loved ones

Ilze

Ilze

Tips and Ideas for planning a theme party

9
Nov

Moms – ALERT !!!! Here is one of many posts about a themed party. I have recently posted about a BARBIE birthday but this post is a bit more of a tutorial in general on themed parties of any kind!

So if you are not a mom or your kids are old enough not to resort to duckie parties…you can still get some tips on general party planning for a party with a THEME !!

We all know planning a party takes a great amount of detail…but sometimes the end result does not actually display how much effort has really gone into that party !

For an event to eventually display and highlight every bit of detail, you need to think carefully through every step of the event and do those things that will in the end create the effect you were hoping for.

For a party we have the following elements to think of:

– Choosing a theme

– Invitations

– Venue decorations

– Food decorations

– The actual food

– The cake, in case of a birthday or anniversary

– Party favours or goody bags at birthday parties (yes – who started that idea??!)

It all sounds very basic and obvious untill you look at the end result of your party and realize that somehow you lost the WOW factor !! All that money you spent and all that trouble you went for, not being noticed.

Me and my sister have done a few parties together and we do have the same genes…..therefor I can proudly use her most recent birthday party for her beautiful little girl who just turned 1, as a great example of a themed birthday party that got pulled off with great success. And no doubt in anyone’s mind what theme she was trying to portray !

Theme:

In selecting a theme, the safest way to go is to pick a theme that the birthday boy or girl is familiar with and love…that way you know already they will be comfortable with it and with little ones..they will easily identify and be in their happy element when they recognize elements or toys at the party that they adore.

It was not a big guessing game to figure out what this little one loves…her favourite toy – hence the duckie theme !

Invitations:

When you plan a theme…start already when you send out the invitations. This already gives the guests  a good feeling for the spirit of the day. Why send out blue balloons if in fact your idea is to go with yellow duckies, spiced up with red ?

On the day of the party, guests will realize that you have properly planned the party long before they have arrived for the big day and this will make them notice the further details on the day so much more. You created some expectation in their minds and you are delivering to meet that idea that they visualized.

Pay attention to the small details as you prepare your invites. It does get noticed !

These invites have all been made at home, by hand and home-printer, so you do not need to spend a fortune on having invites specially made and printed by a professional.

There are so many scrapbook stores around these days to make life an absolute pleasure when it comes to making crafty paper products.

There are lovely electronic versions for invites, which I will post another day…but it must be said that old-fashioned invites via regular mail can still not be beaten !

If you do not wish to give your theme away beforehand or you have not finally decided by the time you send the invites…. you can simply make the invitations in a colour scheme you plan to have for the party or something that will set the general tone and ambience you wish to create. For eg – dont send “earthy” if you wish to have a happy, sunny kids party !! Make it black for elegant, make it polka dot for girlie..anything in the line of your general mood for the event. Just stay away from a pretty invite that is way off track with your intentions.

For a theme to make a great impact you need to select a colour associated with this theme that will be used right through. And then – REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT this colour over and over in everything you put forward. Colour is what binds the whole thing together beautifully where themed elements not always do. Do not buy elements that all support a theme, but then they are in such different colour ranges that it is difficult to pull it together in the end. That way a lot of money is wasted on a ton of small things that all dissappear in the background and the effect is lost.

Choice of Food and Decorating the Food:

Next is to plan the menu. The choice of food has to fit into your theme as much as possible and yes…now we are pushing it…but here is where the little trick comes in……let it fit in with the color scheme of your theme !

The actual food forms part of your food decoration.

For the little 1-year olds, soft sandwiches and cheerios were 2 great picks and they were served exactly in line with the theme and colour scheme.

Note that the serving sizes are just perfect for the little tummies they are meant to fill !

Do not think for one moment that rainbow coloured cheerios would have given the same effect – it would have distracted from the yellow and red chosen for this party. The food blends in with the overall colours.

Little duckies toothpicks – a great touch to an otherwise boring little utensil ! Where the food can not speak for itself…let the decorations do the talking !

It can become very “forced” if every single item varies just between red and yellow. So here a little green is brought in…to brighten up the overall look without distracting from it. The overwhelming colour of this chips bowl is still red ! But you will later notice how the green is cleverly integrated in the juice containers.

Little ones love lollies and how perfect to have home-made chocolate that can easily melt and provide that little sweet treat every 1 year old deserves at a birthday !!

So much better than the sticky version they tend to put everywhere.

Little cheese blocks and cherry tomatoes served dual purpose between kids and grown-up food and is therefor a great hit where parents are concerned about healthy treats for their little ones.

Still on food and we all know that at a 1-year old birthday, for every baby there is at least one, if not two parents there. Pay attention to their food as much as the little ones…here Kit Kat bars and custard cakes are all still very much in line with the red and yellow that has by now been impossible to NOT notice !!!

For the drinks…why let a good thing end with the food?

Carry the colours of the food (and the party) all the way through to the drinks.

Look how beautiful these juices compliment the snacks and overall look of the food table. And how cleverly the juice labels works together with the green of the flower arrangements as well as the chips bags I showed you earlier.

The cake:

Well, no party is complete without the cake and here is one

……homemade, with love…and yes, you guessed it – a DUCK !

Quack Quack !!

Cupcakes were added for easy eat and extra portions….

Red Velvet was perfect to go with the red and yellow – but I think it had more to do with mom’s favourite type cupcake !!

……but are these cupcake holders not just to die for !!?!

They are available at Blue Ribbons.

Decorating the Room:

For room decorations, you don’t need to go overboard – especially if it is at a venue which is not your own. Make something already at home, easy to put up and easy to remove !

This laundry line is a great display to celebrate the first year of a newborn’s life up to this BIG day.

All parents love showing off their little ones and here it is no exception.

Just in preparing this laundry lane, it will take you as parent on a trip down memory lane and it will just make the birthday all the more real and a big highlight. It passes so quickly – so do take the time to enjoy every step of the way in preparation for the big day.

And it surely beats the happy birthday banner we so easily resort to!

No offense – they do wonders when you are short on time – but here our aim is to WOW and nobody has ever WOW’ed a printed shop banner… not that I know of .

Goody bags/ Party favours:

Moving on there is always a point where the party fades and people start going home and yes – then there is always anticipation of the “goody bag”. I have no idea who invented that and although it adds a fun element to a party, it sometimes get out of hand and guests leave with a bigger gift than they gave to the birthday person. Yes – it has happened to us on more than one occassion.

So, my advice to you is to keep the goody bag a nice presentable gift, but keep it small enough so that no guest would feel their gift was insignificant in comparison.

Make it pretty right till the end – here the popcorn looks like bubblebath and the little tubs are a useful toy for the little ones to carry home !

The little duckies are inexpensive and the bath toys goes right with the theme. Do not fall flat here and give them little cars or dolls. Keep that theme going strong all the way to your goody bags!

There is no doubt in my mind that every guest appreciated the thought and effort that had gone into creating a theme and a colour scheme for this birthday.

If you do not have time to make all these things by hand, you can surely buy them anywhere.

Just be creative and smart in putting the different things together.

Do not bend in front of the temptation to bring in “misfits” into your room or table or menu. You will regret and the Detail-Dragon will haunt you !

Think of the big picture and remember that the big picture is made up by all the small parts and the little details that needs to work together to create a WOW party that will linger in your guest’s mind long after they have left.

So, to recap – 7 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL THEME PARTY:

1. Choose a theme that lies near and dear to the heart of the person whose party it is

2. Make the invites in line with the theme or a general colour scheme that supports the ambience you wish to create

3. Food can be decorated, within theme, but is even more appealing to the eye if the food itself can serve as decorative elements in terms of colour and theme.

4. Keep venue decorations simple but special and noticeable.

5. Buy or bake a cake and decorate in line with colour and theme. Add cupcakes for extra.

6. Provide goody bags that are cute but not excessively stocked, and keep it inexpensive in comparison to gifts people bring.

7. Stick to your guns in making every single item you place in the room or on the table within your specified theme or colour scheme or you risk losing the WOW factor !!

I think this was a job so well done. It ticked all the right boxes in my list of planning, preparing and executing for a themed birthday party. Hats off to my sister for hosting this theme party.

Let me know if you agree.

And tell me if you have some more ideas on this topic !

One last tip – dress in line with your theme and colour scheme. A pastel pink dress will not go down the same way for the party girl than a bright red one !!  Are you willing to try that next time you plan a party ?

Ilze

Ring Ring…..and Radiation

7
Nov

Today I’m on about phones !

Yes – one of those VERY functional must-have items in the house but very often not fun to look at or use..

Does BORING come to mind when you think of your own phone?

And since this blog is so much about combining function with beauty, I have something to share with you …well we’ll see later if we can really call it “beauty”…but my point is:

I have found that using the phone as a little decor item is a minor detail that goes a long way to enhance the ambience in your house to show that you are paying attention to the little things!

To underscore my point I will show you a few of the phones that recently, and not so recently, made their way into our home!

The phone in the lounge is the more sophisticated, expensive and stylish phone. I love talking on this phone. It is like putting on a designer jean..it just fits better, gives you pleasure and you don’t know why. We got it 12 years ago, it has never outdated and it enhances the look of the room… it is a little expensive to tuck away in a back corner, bedroom or office unless you have the luxury of spending that much on a phone that nobody will see or enjoy. So, I showcase mine.

It is a Bang & Olufsen and it is yellow – for the simple reason – it makes a statement and it does not actually need to blend in with any given decor, but it also does not stand out a sore eye if you decide to change the colours of the room. It simply then becomes an object on its own.

I think the phone is just more pleasing to the eye than what a regular phone would be. It helps me create a more polished look on the coffee table, rather than having just the plain phone.

 

versus

Spot the difference? I certainly do. Do you agree with me on the difference of functional phone vs decorative piece?

I admit that a B&O is an expensive item and you do it when the opportunity comes… but there are many inexpensive ways to achieve decorative results with your phone.

This phone hangs on the kitchen wall.

It takes all the leftover coins that lies around in the house – just a gimmick , you don’t really need to pay to make a call like some people thought! – but it is fun to use …The kids actually take interest in answering and on top of that it adds character to the kitchen. The kitchen is in black and white and I used the phone as one of the few red items I place in the kitchen to brighten up the black and white.

Then there is the really, really horrible phone that the kids picked ?! Yes – I agreed to buy it, since it stands on their homework desk and they think it is really cool and jump to get to it first…the eyes light up when it rings. It was really cheap but it works and since it fits in with the black and white colour scheme of the room, I got my arm twisted and gave in. Why not ? I did after all start this “let’s have fun with phones” journey.

No, it is not still part of the Halloween decorations.

Yes, I agree –  it is horrible. But it was cheap and it actually works.

Warning – too many of these “wacky” phones can indeed be a decorative disaster in your house, so do be careful where you place them ?!

But here is the REAL phone kicker that I want to get to today…

Earlier this week my husband came home with the latest of our gimmicky phone collection and hence sparked the idea for this post!

An iclooly phonestand!

It is a phonestand for a mobile phone (cellular phone as known elsewhere).  Does it really “add” to the decor…well, it fits in (if it does not meet that basic requirement, it will NEVER make it into my house !!) …but not necessarily enhance the room decor…and it might even be a little of a hassle….

So why then have it?  There are many reasons to use it..according to the box….

but here is the great benefit !!! In case you missed it in the last line…

It cuts down radiation by 96 % …

Now come on – we all pretend as if we don’t quite believe that story about the radiation.

Why? It might just mean we have to cut down on using our cellphones..and oh my…what a life changing moment that would be??!!! But secretly we all, or well definitely me, do think about that when I read a report on what possible effects constant use of our cellphones might cause. Like this one – Warning

There are many times that I use my i-phone in the house, even though there is a normal phone around….just easier, just habit….

So, I fell for it ! It now stands on my desk and has proofed to be quite convenient during the past few days that I have used it ! I can speak on the phone while looking up contacts or send text messages, it is charging while being on there …. great !

Proudly presenting my i-phone on its’ iclooly stand…

So, if you’re interested in this phone, check their site – iclooly

That’s my story on phones.

I ask you again – have you converted to downright functional when it comes to phones??

So, a little challenge from me… when you need to have fun next time – don’t go buy new shoes or a bag…go buy a phone. One that you can keep for years and years..or even just for a small while to make you smile.

It will give you pleasure – it will not break like a vase, it could be a talking point, it could make your room pretty (or horrifying…like our skull phone)…all I beg of you…

MAKE SURE THAT:

– it fits in with your colour scheme or it makes a statement on its own

– it fits in with the general ambience and use of the room ( do not put the “payphone” with your designer couch or the skull phone in the kitchen!)

– it does not become tacky and start to clash with the furniture to create a sore eye…

– it is something that you can keep for years and years if it is expensive like a Bang & Olufsen or that it is really cheap if you want to throw it in the bin when the kick is over like the skull

HAVE FUN !!!

But – the question of the day – what do you think of the radiation theory?? Is it true? Does it scare you? Does it make you use your phone less? Are you happy to see there are possible ways in which you can cut down the risks??…or perhaps an easier question…are you going to consider buying a phone next time that enhances your decor in the house? Come on –  join the conversation.

Till I ring again..

Ilze

Ilze

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