Found these beautiful photos from the amazing designer Pheobe Howard on her website at pheobehoward.net. I get lost looking at all of the amazing room designs she creates. She also has a blog (Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper) that makes it easy to just browse through random photos of beautiful pieces that she offers or you can click on specific categories if you are looking for something in particular. 
I know I'm a little late to report about Mother's Day, but mine was so great and so very relaxing that I had to share (and maybe even brag a little)! First of all, my mom happened to be in town on Mother's Day, so just getting to share breakfast with her before she got back on the road was such a treat. The rest of the day was me in my p.j.'s...which was Mother's Day enough for me! My children and husband all spoiled me with beautiful hand-made cards and gifts that they spent time on and made just for me! My daughter Claire made me a very special beaded necklace that I just L-O-V-E. A lazy day in my jammies with family and lots of special handmade gifts made me feel like the luckiest mom on earth.
Clockwise from top left: The Isabel Collection from Serena and Lily, Pretty Princess invitation, photo from "Great Parties for Kids" by Hammick and Packer, watermelon blaster drink from Martha Stewart Kids Magazine (see recipe below), Butterscotch Plaid invitation and stationery, Eat Cake invitation, photo from "Pretty Party Cakes" by Peggy Porschen, heart candy dot favors from Martha Stewart Kids Magazine.
My favorite vase is a piece of French Faïence that resembles a fancy little chest of drawers. I found it in a little antique store in Atlanta while shopping with my mom and sister Leigh Ann. This is one of my favorite little collectibles! I filled it with a few colorful zinnias from my garden, but it really looks prettier with a fresh bouquet of snapdragons which give it a little height. It's one of my favorite things and it always reminds me of our fun shopping weekend in Atlanta...we found so many great things that my sister had to drive us all back in a U-Haul truck.
You can celebrate at home, at the park or at a nearby pool, beach or aquarium. I found these photos in a precious book titled "Great Parties for Kids" by Hammick & Packer which gives great inspiration for Mermaid themed parties and tons of others as well. I just love the way they take inexpensive items and ingenious ideas to turn an average party into a one-of-a-kind event. 
And here are a few little "Mermaid Party" ideas to get your Under-the-Sea festivities started...
Here are a few shots of my office at Stacy Claire Boyd. We are so lucky to have the very best company mascot ever! Adelaide "Addie" is our official greeter, stress-releaver, bring-a-smile-to-your-face member of our team. It is amazing what she does for all of us...she definitely makes the work day a lot sweeter. And the best part of all...you can always count on her to be here. She's never called in sick...ever!
The invitation was the inspiration for the entire weekend.
Here is Annie and her adoring dad giving each other a tight squeeze. 
The Candy "Bar" was a magnet for all who attended...young & old.
These petite cupcake pops were both decorative and delicious.
The favors for the boys were brightly colored take-out boxes filled with candy.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was the theme of the party. These sassy girls appeared in lots of the little details - like on the smoothie cups and as large near-life sized cut-out decorations.
A framed silhouette of Annie was a great way for guests to send their good wishes.
The desserts were AMAZING!
Here's a picture of my sisters & myself: Allison, Lauren, Me & LeighAnn. It was great getting to see all of them at the same time!
My family loves Mexican food and although our interpretation of "Mexican" might be laughed at by our friends down south of the border, this has become one of our family's most loved recipes over the years. I make it all the time because it's fast and easy, and just plain 'ole dee-lish. I make it with a store bought lemon-pepper rotisserie chicken, which saves loads of time (don't forget to keep the bones for soup stock).
I am one of the few, brave coffee drinkers that is not ashamed to say that I take mine in a glass, not a mug. That's right...I am in love with iced coffee. Not only is it like drinking dessert for breakfast, but I also can validate it's sinful sweetness by reminding myself that I'm getting in a nice glass of 1% milk, which is great because I am not the biggest fan of milk served straight up (don't tell mom). I used to brew my own every morning, but then my good friend Cathy turned me on to Coolbrew, a gourmet coffee concentrate from New Orleans Coffee Company. The bottle is great because it ingeniously measures out a perfect ounce so that you never have to guess how much to pour. I just add one ounce of coffee into a full glass of ice and milk, then stir in a Splenda...done. Yum!
I recently picked up this month's issue (May 2009) of Parents magazine and I was excited to see that they had a little "Let's Party" section that gives creative party ideas for children's birthdays. They have some super-cute favor ideas and one that stood out to me (because it was not only adorable, but so affordable) was titled "Candy Couture". They fill a small tin with colorful cereal O's, life savers and licorice laces so that kids can string their own neckaces and bracelets. I stopped by the drug store today on my way home from work and picked up the few ingredients necessary to make this precious edible bling. Although we are not having a party, I thought that my ten year old Claire would enjoy making this fun little craft. It was a big hit and she's planning on wearing her colorful bracelet to school tomorrow.
In honor of Earth Day yesterday, I planted some nice succulents I picked up from the local garden shop. I only spent around $20 on the plants and two different colors of moss. I already owned a clear glass container that I used...the base of the container is long and thin and I alternated the two mosses in the base and then added a little potting soil on the top. Succulents like indirect light and you don't water them often. They are a nice choice because of their low maintenance. The plants that I used were: ogon sedum, hens & chicks, blue chalk senecio and blue spruce sedum. Adding a little "green" to our home...happy Earth Day!
