A Golden Celebration: How it All Came Together

After all the centerpiece mock-ups and the like... I could not wait to see how everything would come together in the end. It took my cousin and I nearly four hours to set up because we could not find any tape :P! Bummer!

So without any further delay; here is how it all came together in the end...

:::::The centerpieces:::::

::::Life is Sweet; Take a Treat:::::

:::::The Favors:::::

:::::The Head Table::::

And before I wrap this up, I will leave you with the theme for my mother's 50th Birthday Celebration. It was printed on the invitations, programs and inspiration cards.

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

~ Oprah Winfrey

A Golden Celebration: The Gold Rush

Do you remember this post? Well, the time has come for me to recap my mother's 50th birthday celebration. My oldest brother and I had been discussing and planning this event for almost a year. We were elated to see how it all came together in the end... and the look. on. our. mother's. face. was. priceless!!! {I have yet to receive the professional photogs}

First off, our vision was to have everything dripping in gold, crystals and pearls. Yes, we were caught in the gold rush! LOL! Truthfully, our mother is a single parent and we wanted this day to be very elegant and beautiful. She has never been married and so we took the concept of 50th wedding anniversary, which is considered as the golden anniversary, and used it create a golden celebration for our mother. We wanted this day to be one of the most memorable experiences of her life!

::::::::::And here is how it all begin::::::::::

As you may remember, I :::swoon::: when I see crystal trees and every time I get the opportunity to use them in my decor... I take full advantage :}! I really did not realize how difficult it was to find leafless tree branches in the summer. It took me almost two weeks to collect these. Thank God for pruning and grooming! Here are how the trees looked before the gold rush:

And here they are shortly after...better...but they still need a little more work to become ::swoon:: worthy...

Hmmm....that's more like....

Next up are the baskets... I purchased these at Hobby Lobby for 10 cents each during a 90% off sale. Can I say major score?

Here they are before the gold rush:

And after {sorry for the very, very bad pic}:

These were used to hold gift tags for the money tree as seen in the picture below. They turned out really, really cute if I must say so myself!

Up next.... how it all came together!!!

A Golden Celebration: The Center Pieces

This stunning eco-friendly and budget friendly beauty served as my inspiration for the one of the centerpieces. I saw it on Bridal Bliss who drew her inspiration from Project Wedding. You see, inspiration can be contagious... LOL...

::::So here is the original::::

::::And here is my take::::

Materials Used:

• Gold Silk Flowers (http://www.efavormart.com/silkrose.aspx for $14.99 for 84/pk)


• White Flowers (http://www.efavormart.com/silkrose.aspx for $14.99 for 84/pk)


• Gold Scrapbook Paper (http://www.onceuponascrap.com/ for $0.75 cents per sheets for 2 sheets)


• White Rhinestone Ribbon (http://hobbylobby.com/ for $1.00 per roll for 1 roll)


• Crystal Strand ( http://hobbylobby.com/ for $1.00 per pack of 2; 3 packs purchased)


• 7½" Glass Cylindar Vase (http://www.dollartree.com/floral-decor/202/index.catfor $1,00 each; purchased 12 total)


• Styrofoam Ball (http://hobbylobby.com/ for $3.99 per ball; purchased 3 balls & cut in half)

Have you drawn inspiration from a fellow blogger? How didi it turn out/

A Golden Celebration: The Guest Book

I wanted the guest at my mother's party to leave their mark at her celebration – with style! Guest books are a wonderful tradition and one that will be treasured for years to come; and I wanted my mother to have one that she would treasure for years to come... I found this beauty at Trees and Trends for around $5.00...

My mother said that once the party was over, she used this {beauty} to contact her friends, family and loved ones to call and thank them for taking part in one of the most memorable moments in her life.

A Golden Celebration: The Stationary

I love crafty goodness and when it came to creating the stationary for my mother's birthday; I was in creative heaven. {if there is such a thing}

I will spare you the all the details... But I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

::::The Invitation::::

::::The Program::::

::::An Open View::::

::::The Menu::::

::::The Inspiration Card::::

Okay, this is a little off the subject... But how do you like my shot of the menu? Any seasoned photographers out there? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated...

"Quote Me"

Since I can remember, I have always enjoyed writing and poetry. From time to time I get completely random thoughts and I immediately write them down for later use... The problem is that when I go back for them later; I have no idea where they are... So now when these thoughts come to mind I will post them here... Umm, what about starting right now...

Quote Me #01

Faithfulness is not something that you have to work at when you are with someone that you really love... ~M'Shonta

Who knows maybe with these random thoughts I can form a collection of books like one of my favorite poets Javan. His books are comprised random thoughts on love and life that speaks to us all. Here are a few a quotes from one of my favorites, "Something to Someone."

• ~Can I live without you, now that I know you, now that I know you exist? Can I sleep at night without seeing your smile, now that I've seen it for real? Can I be the same, now that I've changed with the gentle touch of your hand? Now that I'm divided by my need for you, without you, can I be whole again?
  
• ~I thought it funny when they asked if I felt cheated now that I've lost you; for I could have lost you only if I had owned you the way I might own a coin. But you are another person traveling through life, and I was lucky just to have shared a part of your journey. So how could I feel cheated when there are so many who have never known you at all.
  
• ~For a few moments in my life, you made me feel as if I truly meant Something to Someone....
  
• ~It's so easy to think about love, to talk about love, to wish for love. But it's not always easy to recognize love, even when we hold it in our hands.
  
• ~So often I hear it from others, others who are struggling to make their relationship what it should be naturally. Yet they don't hesitate to say, "With so many people out there surely you can find someone." But my problem lies in the fact that I don't want just someone...I want the right Someone.
  
• ~What a price we pay for experience, when we must sell our youth to buy it.
  
• ~I am not very good at this game called Life, for I've not learned to see children crying without feeling pain, for I've not learned to watch animals being destroyed without wondering why. For I've not yet met a king or celebrity that I would bow down to, or a man so insignificant that I would use for a stepping-stone. For I've not yet learned to be a "yes man" to narrow minded bosses who quote rules without reason, and I've not learned to manipulate the feelings of others to be used for my own advantages, then cast aside as I see fit. No, I am not very good at this game called Life, and if everything goes well, maybe I never will be...
  
• ~You can know someone better in a moment of Honesty than ever you can in a lifetime of Lies..
  
• ~Watching you walk out of my life does not make me bitter or cynical about love, but rather makes me realize that if I wanted so much to be with the wrong person, how beautiful it will be when the right one comes along.
  
• ~There are so many words, yet there are no words, for when I look into your eyes, no words need to be spoken, and the warmth of your smile is a statement in itself. And how could I ever try to explain the trembling in my body when I touch your face? There are no words to explain an emotion, so I open to you my mind, that you might walk among my dreams and memories. Then...and only then, you might understand my silence.
  
• ~I will know Love no matter what circumstances the world may give me, no matter how many people choose to turn and walk away. I will find love in the laughter of little children, in the gentleness of animals, in the beauty and glory of Nature, in the knowledge of myself. And when the day comes that I find someone who does not turn away, I will give Love with all my heart.
  
• ~Just how high can the human heart rise in a world so full of uncaring eyes? Where animals suffer and children die, and people fight wars without knowing why? Where alcohol and drugs cause wasted lives, and shelters are full of unwed mothers and battered wives? But should the day come that man learns to care, and no longer wants just to take, but also to share, and he learns that everything has the right to live, and life is something he can take, but not give. When he learns to approach life with a heart full of love for everything on Earth and in the heavens above. When he learns to do these things he will have opened the door to knowing just how high the human heart can soar.
  
• ~I've been touched by the morning sun that chases the night away, and I've been touched by the gentle words that love-struck poets say. And I've been touched by the morning mist everyone calls the dew, but it all seems more beautiful now that I've been touched by you
  
  
• ~Whether it was chance or that thing called fate that brought me to you, I really can't say, and I don't believe it really matters. For I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to hold you, not just in my arms, but also in my heart. And should the winds of time blow hard enough to take you from my arms, you can rest assured they will never take you from my heart.

• ~I am a collection of characteristics both physical and mental that makes me completely unique. No one else anywhere is exactly like me. And I realize that now everyone who crosses my path will be interested in what I have to offer. But my strength comes from the belief that someone somewhere can and will appreciate me for what I am.~I don't wish to be everything to everyone, but I would like to be something to someone...

I have owned his complete collection for over 10 years and I can honestly say that it has been the one most influencial secular books that I have ever read. I often find myself sifting through the pages from time to time in search of inspiration. If you would like to own this collection {which I highly recommend} please click here. You can buy the entire collection for less than $20.

Read through a few of them, and lemme know which ones are your favs, okay?

Quote Me #02

Is there someone in your life that you have come to this road with as you are traveling to your destiny? If so you need to stop for a moment and let them off at their final destination. You can not allow anyone or anything prevent you from fulfilling your destiny.

{Source}

And if your are worried about being lonely... Don't! Who knows what road ahead may bring... Perhaps you had to let that person out so someone else could come in... and this someone may hold a key to your destiny!

{Source}

Quote Me #02

"You can't create an authentic connection with a counterfeit companion." ~M'Shonta