Corisha's 30th Cirque De Fete

Inspired by the Cirque de Bebe baby shower on Hostess with the Mostess; I decided to do a Cirque De Fete themed party for Corisha's 30th Birthday Celebration. I had a blast! I think that Mr. Falsetto was absolutely right when he stated that I had as much fun planning the party than the guest had at the party :)! Planning is a party that I can have all by.my.self {that's me posing for the photographer as she worked on her lighting; I grew tired after 4 shots}!

Let's take it from the top shall we? For the invites we decided to do a large poster. A huge shout out to my girl Printable Bride for setting the stage for the party with the smashing poster invite seen below.

Corisha has a huge clientele base and we wanted to ensure that everybody was invited. We hung the poster in the fourier of her business and provided a feathery pen and a flashy guestbook for her guest to RSVP. {I had the pen on hand and purchased the guestbook from Hallmark; I embellished them both with bling, ribbon and feathers; can you say a Fete with a little Feathery Flair}?
The walls of the room in which the party would take place were painted lime green and purple! Ideas begin to instantly race through my mind about how I could incorporate those colors and still create a fabulous party for an emerging business leader turning 30!

So I did what I do best and took a field trip to Hobby Lobby. With the photos from the Cirque Bebe in mind; I suddenly found myself traveling down the feather aisle. And then it happened... I laid eyes on package of lime green and magenta pink speckled feathers. The light bulb went off, the sirens sounded and the bells rang! Magenta pink, lime green, purple, black and zebra print. I know it sounds like a lot, but I assure you that there was an instant love affair between the theme for party, the colors and me! I can't wait to show you how it all came together!

First off the cake! I surfed the web and found about five inspiration photogs to carry to the cake designer. The first photo is of my original inspiration and the second one is of the actual cake. I must admit that I liked ours much, much more :)!

Secondly, the cake stand! I wanted the cake presentation to WOW the guest! So, I solicited the help of a great friend {thanks Jana} to help me cover two large square boxes... I was sooooo happy with the outcome of the stand! Did I mention that I had bling EVERYWHERE?

I love all of the new connected birthday banners that are being created using scrapbook paper, ribbon and the Cricut! I decided to try my hand at creating one for this birthday bash. I was really pleased with the outcome! I think I found another hidden talent!

I hung this banner over the magenta photo backdrop that I ordered online for $4.99! It showed up really well.

For the centerpieces I alternated between ballons and feathered glass centerpieces seen below... I used a little bling and floating candles in the glass centerpieces. They were absolutely adorable with the lights out!!!!

I was very pleased with the overall outcome of this event and the guest were double-ly impressed! I just thank God for the gift of creativity and the ability to make it all come together... Give me your vison and I will make it your reality at Visuality Planning and Events!

I will leave you with some bonus pics.... enjoy!

The gift that keeps on giving...

The welcome table...

And that all folks!

Until next time,

M'Shonta

A Pink & Zebra Print/ Top Model themed 13th Birthday Bash

Back in August, yes August, I planned a 13th birthday bash whose theme consisted of a perfect blend of zebra print, hot pink and ANTM. Oh, how I love the three...

First off the invites... Playing off of the "Tyra Mail" that is given to the on contestants on the show ANTM, we went with the "Kristin Mail" invites seen here... From what I here they were a hit among her friends and classmates! Can I say S-C-O-R-E!


Inside of the invitations were two inserts: one provided the directions and the other one instructed the girls on what to wear for the fashion show, which was scheduled to take place during the party. So on the day of the party all the giddy teenagers arrived with garment bags containing their outfits of choice.


The fashion show was a blast! Over a year ago, I found a Make Me a Fashion Model themed cd at the Dollar Tree with the expectation of using it to volunteer with a local 4-H club's fashion show. I didn't get use the cd for that event, but it sure did come in handy for this one! Thank God for good deals!
We found these adorable zebra print plates at Hobby Lobby! It took us nearly a month to purchase enough of them for the party. I think that it is safe to assume that the zebra print was very popular for events in our area. (On a side note, I judged a Jr. Miss pageant a couple of weeks ago and they used these plates as well). Assumption confirmed! Ha!


I decided to take the simplistic, yet chic route with the decor for this party because I had so many other events taking place around the same time. If I must say so myself, everything turned out A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! Sometimes less is best especially when you are dabbling in the animal prints.

Next up were the party favors. I originally found them on Etsy as seen in the the photog below, however, I just could not bring myself to pay full price for something that I felt could be done for a fraction of the cost.

So the birthday girl's mother and I collected toilet paper rolls for over a month. I purchased the zebra scrapbook paper, filling and ribbon from Hobby Lobby and she provided the labor and lavish treats that rested on the inside of these lovelies! Another successful DIY! Check!

Lastly, the birthday cake! It seemed as though every child in our area had a birthday in the month of August. It became seemingly impossible to have a cake made with our most popular cake decorators in the area. I guess with shows such as the Cake Boss everyone wants a fabulous cake for their events and heck, I can't blame them! We went with a lady who does cakes part-time out of her home, and boy were we pleased! The cake was beautiful and quite tasty too!

In my other world, I am Kristin's pageant coach. So, I could not resist the opportunity to coordinate our outfits with the party theme!


Fierce!

Until next time,

M'Shonta

{Speaking} the Words, {Demonstrating} my Love

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of assisting a friend in planning her surprise 9th Anniversary celebration. She was sooo excited to express her love for her husband in a special and unique way. It wasn't long until her excitement spewed over into me as well...

Her theme for the night was {Speaking} the Words, {Demonstrating} my Love and colors were red, black and white. I could not wait to help make her {Vision} a {Reality}. And with being said, my bloggy friends, it was another event for Visuality!

Playing off of the word {words} she selected 9 words that best described the nine years of their marriage and we created cards that expounded on that one word. For example, she selected the word "Grow." And the card read a little something like this:

Word: Grow

Meaning: To increase in amount or degree; intensify. To come into existence from a source; spring up.

Demonstration: My love for you has grown so much over the past 9 years. I have grown in {love} and I have {grown} in love. As our love for one another continues to intensify; I will be forever grateful for the seeds of love, joy, forgiveness and assurance that you have planted into my life.

Gift: A Packet of Seeds

Now, that you have a little clearer picture... Let's share a few photogs... The first few are pictures are of the cards. There were nine cards; each one symbolizing a year of their marriage.




Next, are photogs of the dollar tree finds that I was able to dazzle up using some scrapbooking embellishments that I already had on hand... You likey?






Her neighbor was kind enough to bake them this delish Alabama themed Anniversary cake. Ha! A very funny inside joke!



And lastly, are photogs of the room once we were all done with the decorating...







I am sure that the night was thoroughly enjoyed by the married couple and I was gracious for being a part of their 9th Anniversary celebration.

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. ~ 1 John 3:17-18