Going Gala Crazy

So where the heck have I been the past 2 weeks you might ask (besides neglecting my blog)? Well, I've been a) working, b) at rehearsal for Brigadoon and c) spending many hours every single day in the past 2 weeks working of stuff for the big Newtown Arts Company 30th Anniversary Gala.

The big gala is this coming Saturday, and the gala committee and I have been busy busy busy making sure everything is ready to roll with this big event. Me being the event graphic designer, I designed the save-the-date postcards, invitations and RSVP cards, placecards, basket raffle program (with evening of events listing on the back), favor tags, basket raffle tags, and signage for the favors, raffles, and placecards.

A sneak peek at the Invites (I'll post the finals after the event happens):

So many basket tags!:

The favors- Verdi (or cider for non-alcoholic option or underage guests) and a chocolate bar that has the Newtown Arts Company logo:

Believe me, once this event goes live, I am photographing the heck out of it! Oh, and I also got roped into agreeing to help with the decorations- centerpieces, decor for cocktail hour, paper star chandeliers (see my tutorial on these chandeliers here).

The paper chandeliers:

One of the centerpiece demos- each table is themed around a show the theater company has done in the past 30 years (this one is for "Our Miss Brooks"):

Being on the gala committee, I also helped put together the raffle baskets. We are having 30 baskets for 30 years- also themed around shows the theater company has done. (below is only a portion of the baskets)

So, the baskets in itself have been a large task. It has been a super busy few weeks as everything comes down to the wire and lots of stuff coming in last minute (placecards, the program, etc.) and I feel like a chicken with my head cut off- but I thought I'd pop in quick to just say, hello blogger land, I'm still alive, I promise!(I hope to get Totally Tuesday Picks up before next tuesday hopefully- *fingers crossed*).

Last week (among the chaos) I had a chance to go to my friend's "Friendsgiving" party- basically Thanksgiving with friends, as her family goes away for Thanksgiving (and perfect for people like me, who are working Thanksgiving). ;)

Hubs and I brought mini  Banana-Pumpkin Cupfins (cupcake/muffins) with cream cheese icing:

And we got to have our beverages of the evening out of hollowed out mini pumpkins. hehe

Once Saturday is over I promise I will be back to my normal blogging schedule next week, when I have my life back. lol
Have a great evening everyone. *fingers crossed this gala happens without a hitch*
-M

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DIY Circle and Star Paper Chandelier

I am part of the decorations committee for a theater gala that is in November, and I was DETERMINED to make these as part of the decorations. I found a bunch of great tutorials on Pinterest on how to make a paper chandelier from a hanging wire basket.
I'm kind of proud how it turned out, to be honest, especially since it was my first try. I still have to make another one, but I dig it. ;)
So here is how I made mine:

First, I painted the black hanging basket I got from the dollar store, gold. (the colors of the gala are blue, gold and white).

I started by punching everything out with my punches and planning out my pattern.

I then glued the punched out shapes to parts of curling ribbon and wrapping the ends of the ribbon around the bottom of the basket.

Then I glued the center portions together. The problem with the center portion is it doesn't wrap around easily- I had to glue them to the wire of the basket, then I glued another punch to the back (sandwiching the wire of the basket in between the two punches) and secure it with hot glue.

Then I wrapped the top layer around the top of the basket.

I think it turned out pretty good for never putting one together before. It isn't hard, just a little time consuming- which is why I watched Netflix while I put it together. lol

(you can see the gold ribbon wrapped around the top a little better when looking down into it).

I'm debating over putting some gold or white shiny tinsel in the basket to sort of hide the interior, but I think it will be high enough in the air, no one will notice the above parts.
I still have to make a matching one (they need two for the gala), so I guess I will have to find another movie to watch as I put it together! haha

Hope this helps someone else to know how to put a paper chandelier together- it is pretty easy and so far staying together quite nicely. I understand why circles are easier to do (they are wider all around, so they take up more space) but the stars serve their purpose. ;)
Anyways, Have a great day!
-M

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Pinspiration Monday: Get your Glam on!

Welcome to another Pinspiration Monday.

I'm glad that I'm finally starting to feel better, though I am still a little stuffy. I had a busy weekend filled with working on things for a theater gala I'm help plan, so with that in mind, here are some of my favorite glitzy-related pins.

Rock Candy in Champagne, via The Sweetest Occasion:

Source: http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/2011/04/modern-pink-and-white-wedding-ideas/


Sparkle Purple nails via My Nail Graffiti:

Source: http://selmanindunyasi1982.blogspot.jp/2013/01/trnaklarda-yeni-akmlar.html


Fabulous Chandelier, source unknown (I wish I knew, because this is too cute!)

Source: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/2d/cb/21/2dcb21959389f286038c0f89075c1450.jpg


Sparkle Mason Jars via Cakery Papery:

Source: http://www.bestdiyideas.com/2013/09/mix-water-with-elmers-glue-and-brush-the-inside-of-the-mason-jars-add-glitter-of-your-choice-to-the-inside-of-the-jars-and-rollspin-the-jar-around-until-the-glitter-coats-the-sides-let-dry-and-a/

Gold Baby's Breath via Wedding Discuss:

Source: http://www.weddingdiscuss.com/post/45844904905/spray-paint-babys-breath-gold-silver-for

Thanks for stopping by for a glitzy Monday in Pinterest land! You can follow me on Pinterest, or my Pinspiration Board itself.

Have a great Monday and enjoy the week!
-M

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Work it! Wednesday #4

Welcome to another Work it! Wednesday! So what is happening in our world, you ask?

 Well, I'm going to be honest here- this past week and a half has not been easy. We haven't really gotten much done around the house or in our lives, due to back and forth trips to the hospital to visit my mother-in-law who suffered a stroke last Wednesday. Therefore there isn't really a whole lot I can say that we are working on that is new, per-say, project-wise.
 However though, I did add something new this week to my life- I'm Working Out! lol. Now, I HATE the gym. I despise the gym. So when I read somewhere that the Kinect Dance Central games have a workout mode that tells you how many calories and how long you've been working out for, I had to try it.

Sure enough, they do! And it is WAY more fun than going to the gym. So far I've done 50 minutes each day for the past two days, and I hope I can keep up with it. My body is a little sore, but that's a good thing, right?! I love to dance, so this is a great alternative to the gym. Also, a friend of mine recently became certified to be a Zumba instructor, so once she starts classes, I hope to join that too. I'm to the point in my weight loss where I have plateaued, and I have a feeling the only way I'm going to lose the last 10 lbs is by exercising.

 (Miss Aubrey is my favorite avatar/character to dance as. lol)

Other than that though, not much more was completed this past week, as far as our Work it! list.

We still want to work on our fence and do some gardening/yard work.

We want to install our newly painted chandelier and finish our giant wall clock made from the backing of an old mirror.

We want to finish our benches for an outside firepit area.

 ...and we want to figure out what the heck to do with this rust bucket.

So, yeah. Nothing really has changed (bummer).

Anyways, I hope you all are working on something new and got something done this past week that you are proud of!
Have a great day all!
-M

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Work it! Wednesday #3

Welcome to another Work it! Wednesday.

So what are we working on? Well, first- we hope to finish up these benches by upolstering the fabric to the chairs. Right now, the benches are looking mighty cute on our patio, so until it is grilling season, they might just find their home there.

We also hope to finish the chandelier. Now that it is painted, I just want to add some jewels to drape from it and install it in the hallway right when you walk into our house.

We also are working on our taxes (boo!)

The hubs and I are both on the play-reading committee for the theater company we are involved in, so I'll be busy reading plays and listening to musicals' recordings, to help pick the shows for the 2014 season. I'm also in the midst of designing wedding invites for a co-worker, and working on the program design for the upcoming production of "Cheaper by the Dozen" with Newtown Arts Company. Designing invites and programs always keeps me busy throughout the year. haha

Our big project coming up- not sure how long it will take, we want to fix up our picket fence. It has a lot of old wood, so my husband suggest we tear down the old back brace of the fence, and replace that wood- but still keeping the existing pickets (which will be attached to the new brace). Does that seem feasible?

We are starting to get in the mood for spring, and are chomping at the bit to start on our garden (or lack there of). We want to fix up the spot to the left of our shed, and have a veggie garden. We just ordered from my husband's co-worker a jalepeno pepper plant, so we shall see!

Lastly, we are trying to figure out what to do with this thing (below). It is a shed on the side of our house in the backyard. The doors fell off and it is all rusted and gross. I'm trying to figure out a crafty way to make this into something cool, or make it look nice for storage of things like our spare yard chairs, etc.- stuff that doesn't need to necessarily be locked up. Any ideas readers?

So what all are you working on?

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what we are working on this Work it! Wednesday. :D
-M

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Work it! Wednesday #2: prepping for a party

Hello all! Welcome to another Work it! Wedensday.

So this week, we are kicking it into high-gear to prepare our house for our big '80s Prom birthday Party. So besides from decorations, signs, food, etc. We've been doing a few other things around the house.

We've been painting a LOT. Spray painting a mirror...

... the chandelier...

...switch plates (a LOT of them)...

Painting multiple coats of gloss to the benches for the future fire pit seating...

Putting up wood letters in the "its missing something" corner of our dining room...

And me struggling with my sewing machine to make these cute garland things out of squares (My sewing machine HATES me and gets stuck after I get about a foot of the garland made. ugh!)

So we have been busy this week, and will be busy leading up to the big party. I can't wait! So much to do before then, but it will be so fun!

 So, what are you all working on?
-M

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