It's A Pink and Yellow "You Are My Sunshine" 2nd Birthday Party!

"I'm back and just in time for a party!

I've absolutely been neglecting my blog here, I simply let life get in the way, you know how it goes!  Like many of you, I set goals for myself in 2014 and one of those goals was to focus more on and find a way to consume my time doing only the things I love!  So, since being creative, planning, shopping, partying, writing and reading are all things that I love, I'm back to my blogs sharing all of those things with others!

I have several months before my daughter's birthday, who I will affectionately refer to as "The Peanut" or "My Princess" from here on out, but the planner in me has already landed a theme, "You Are My Sunshine"!!  Of course I've begun the necessary party preparations and I begin all of my planning and preparation with research, looking for inspiration and great ideas that I can tweak and make my own.  During my research I came across some FABULOUS similarly themed parties and decorating ideas! I'm so excited!

I love all things pink and debated whether or not to do another all pink everything birthday party like the first party, however I currently have a serious crush on gray and yellow and thought-- add pink and VOILA!  So my color palette will be heavy on the pink with pops of yellow and gray base, I can't wait!

I created a mood board using ideas and images from other blog sites and web pages that have helped energize and inspire me as I kick start my party planning!  Pictures and posts of my own work in progress coming soon!

"You Are My Sunshine!"

The cake table decorations and the large framed "You Are My Sunshine" picture from ablissfulnest really kick started my planning and ideas, absolutely adorable!

Tissue paper wreath, well of course!  I created a tulle wreath for the Princess' 1st birthday party and had planned to do the same for her 2nd party using pink and yellow tulle instead of pink and white, however the pink tissue paper wreath also created by ablissfulnest might be the way to go!  Love the girliness of the tissue paper!

I love pictures and I make it a point to capture as many precious moments with my little girl as I possibly.  And yes, I am one of the few people who still actually prints photos.  For me there is just something about being able to flip through pictures or having the option to frame a cute pose or sweet moment to display.  I use photographs as a decorating tool, so pictures of my little girl on her special day will be a focal point!  That being the case, some sort of collage or wall hanging with photos is a must.  I created a similar 12 months banner for her 1st birthday party, the one above from PaperFever on Etsy, is similar to the one I originally created.  I will definitely put together another one for this party!
I'm thinking a pink backer, gray ribbon and pops of yellow for the captions!  I already have white glitter clothespins that will work perfectly...

Believe it or not the framed "you are my sunshine" art is a free printable, yes FREE, available from dimpleprints!  I was planning to create my own but found these and now, no need!  These fit perfectly in my color palette, I think I may try pink frames (which I have) instead of white or both!

A few of the essentials I've already snagged to help bring this theme to life!

 - A canvas with the lyrics to "You Are My Sunshine"!  Looking for a larger version to display. 

 - Mara Mi paper goods from Target had the perfect yellow and white paper tablecloth with matching plates and napkins!  The collection is called

- the Pink plasticware, also from Mara Mi  will be tied with a yellow ribbon or maybe a pretty paper flower...

 - Yellow/white and pink/white (not shown) paper straws for the drinks!

- I LOVE chalkboards!  This tabletop sized pink one will be perfect!

More to come!  Happy planning and hope to see you back!

-Pinkvillage

MY HOME - Project Paint!!

OK, with this blog I'm taking a slight departure from my norm, this post is not about fashion, at least not clothing or handbags fashion, yet another type of fashion--fashion for the home. My life for the past couple months or so has been consumed by paint chips, samples and swatches in preparation for the move to my new home leaving little time to focus 100% on my favorite past time. So, since I'm not thinking as much about clothing and handbag fashion (gasp!), I have decided to memorialize my latest project--painting and home decorating with a blog!

When the time came to begin preparing to move, there were "adjustments" of course, that needed to be made to the home prior to moving in, the first of which and possibly the most important is the choice of paint color. I can appreciate rich, vibrant paint colors however, I prefer a more neutral palette for the home, I gravitate toward greys, beiges and soft browns for my home. As far as my style of decorating I would describe myself as modern contemporary with a touch of "traditional-ism", hmmmm...

I begin most projects with a lot of research so "project paint" was no different. I consulted many design blogs for ideas, poured through many West Elm and Pottery Barn catalogs for decor and color inspiration, numerous home design catalogs again, gaining more inspiration, ideas, etc. I finally settled on the very sophisticated and chic (at least in my mind) gray for my home after a couple weeks of research. Not just a one gray, but I thought multiple hues of gray--soft, mid, to deep tones of gray was the focal color.

The picks:

The inspiration for my foyer, family room and master bedroom color came from the photo below, seen in Elle Decor. The wall color is Benjamin Moore's Sea Haze. A very soft gray, I felt this gray was definitely more gray/silver than blue which was key.

The master bedroom will be finished with dark wood furniture, pure white bedding with pops of yellow and darker gray accents. The family room will have a taupe/earth toned sofa and love seat, dark coffee table and accent tables. There is a wall of windows, not shown in the photo, for which I have not settled on the color or type of panels I will hang there. I am teetering between tonal drapes to match the walls or perhaps taupe/linen color panels, I think I will make my decision after all the furniture is moved into that room.

The Inspiration - Benjamin Moore's Sea Haze

The dining room and living room will be painted Benjamin Moore's Amherst Gray. A deep-toned, sophisticated gray I thought worked really well with our dark wood dining table and chairs. The trim will remain bright white, I like the contrast of the white wainscoting with the charcoal gray. I'm not sure who to credit with the inspiration photo of the dining room below, but I chose that pic, not so much for the decor (although I think the decorator did a fabulous job!), but for the representation of the Amherst Gray color shown. The walls are Amherst Gray and my dining room has the same wainscoting detail and trim, my dining table and chairs are a bit larger and more traditional in a darker cherry wood finish, however I felt this pic was an excellent representation of how my dining room might look.

The Inspiration - Benjamin Moore's Amherst Gray

For our offices I chose Benjamin Moore's Pewter, a mid-tone shade of gray. I didn't load before pictures of the offices as the before pics will simply show 4 walls of blah beige color. My husband works from home and we have very distinct style tastes, so it was definitely necessary that we each have our own office space in the house. Both spaces will be painted the BM Pewter, my office will include pops of pink and black and white for contrast. I'm dying to include a cozy furry white rug and crystal chandelier to really glamourize my space! The accents for my husband's office, also painted Pewter, are TBD. I'm trying to figure out how to make his whiteboard which he insists we hang on the wall, more attractive. Suggestions are welcome! Note: The BM Pewter I am describing is BM# 2121-30, Pewter. I specify the chip number because there is a color made by BM called Revere Pewter, which after some research I noticed that people tend to use the names of these two colors interchangeably but that is incorrect, both colors are nice, but they are very different colors.

For guest room #1, I chose BM's Oat Straw, a cheery but neutral beige/brown that worked well with the grays. I just thought I wanted something a bit brighter for the guest room and bath. The room will be finished with a dark cherry wood sleigh bed fitted with West Elm's pin-tuck duvet in Sea Spray, additional accents TBD. The bath, painted in oat straw as well, features warm honey oak cabinetry. The bath will include very "natural", spa-like accents--lots of glass containers, sponges, white and beige towels, etc. I chose the inspiration pic below, again not so much for the decor but for the color shown, Oat Straw is the color of choice for this decorator as well. Very neutral, yet not at all boring, but warm and inviting. Thanks to Yojmac for the great picture! I included a swatch photo of the oat straw color as well below.

Colors for guest room #2 and guest bath #2 is still TBD at the time of this posting. I'm leaning toward Oat Straw for that bedroom as well, but not 100%, that particular bathroom won't get a lot of natural light so keeping that in mind as I continue to search for the perfect color.

There are no after pictures posted yet, as the house painting is in the works at the time of this post. In the meantime any feedback, tips, suggestions or plain ole' commentary on the paint choices or decorating thoughts please share!

A couple before pics are below, stay tuned for the "after" photos...

Foyer before - basic blah builder's beige

Family Room before - same blah beige...

Dining Room before

"All Things Fashion" Fashion Question of The Week..."Are Fanny Packs EVER A Fashion Do"?

To kick off what I hope to be a weekly fun topic where I can get accurate feedback and dialogue on crucial fashion topics through my new vehicle, "All Things Fashion". For the inaugural post, I opted to start with what could possibly be a controversial subject, however one that is extremely near and dear to my heart--accessories. Within the accessory world, one accessory item in particular I'd like a dialogue around, are you ready....FANNY PACKS! I am a huge accessory lover and there are few accessories that I don't like or can't find a use for, but fanny packs are the one true exception. Fanny packs have to be the most heinous accessory item ever!

Just to ground everyone in exactly what a fanny pack is, as defined by Wikipedia, "fanny packs" are small fabric pouches secured with a zipper and worn at the waist by a strap around the hips. The name 'fanny pack' is derived from the fact that they were traditionally worn facing the rear above the buttocks, for which fanny is a slang term in America.

Now that we are all clear and understand exactly what fanny packs are, please see "exhibit A" to your right if there are additional questions, can I just say again, I hate fanny packs! They are one of the most ridiculous looking items ever created. I do understand that fanny packs apparently serve a useful purpose for some but people, there are alternatives available for your car keys, wallet, gum, or whatever it is people carry in fanny packs! I can accept that my hatred for fanny packs is just that, my personal hatred for fanny packs and I honestly don't begrudge any fanny pack lover the right to own or even (ugg!) wear a fanny pack., however I feel strongly that I am not alone in this. I know that there are more fanny pack "haters" out there and I would like to hear from the masses on this subject....

"Are Fanny Packs Ever a Fashion "DO"?

Please cast your vote below!