baby lifestyles holiday 2011 magazine

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4 www.BabyLifestyles.com

Baby LifestylesLAUREN HALPERIN

Publisher, Creative Director

TARA STEINLEManaging Editor

ELLEN FELDMAN, STACY FINKELSTEIN, BETH MERAN, KIMBERLY MISHContributing Editors

LOLA STEEVENSSales Director

AUSTIN “Mr. Z” RAPPAPORTWebsite Architect

MICHAEL GUSTMANS.E.O. Management

Visit Baby Lifestyles online at www.BabyLifestyles.comfor inspiration, real baby showers, birthday parties, nursery reveals, hot products, news, updats,

contests, giveaways, and more

Would you like to contribute to Baby Lifestyles? Email our editorial staff at [email protected]

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Baby Lifestyles is published bi-monthly by Baby Lifestyles, LLC. All contents ©2011 Baby Lifestyles, LLC. All rights reserved.

On the Cover

This sleeping little guy was taken byAmanda Dykan of the photography team at

Mulberry Lane Studio. See more of babyJett on page 81.

5www.BabyLifestyles.com

http://bit.ly/tCWojP


IN EVERY ISSUE7 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

10 HOT PRODUCTS141 LAST CRY

STUFF WE LOVE11 HOLIDAY CARDS20 PIZZAZZERIE GINGERBREADS 26 DIY CRAYON ART30 DIY HOLIDAY WREATH34 DIY MAKE YOUR MENORAH36 HANUKKAH PRINTABLES

PHOTOGRAPHY81 MERRY CHRISTMAS PICTURES107 PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE

NURSERY REVEALS

47 RIVER’S NURSERY52 JACK’S NURSERY57 SWEET RETREAT62 HONEYCOMB HOME68 GREEN PROVENCE72 SHOPPING IN PARIS

TRENDSETTER42 SOUTH AFRICAN PRINTER

LOOSH SAYS WHAT’S HOT

BEHIND THE DESIGN77 DESIGNER KENNETH BROWN

TIPS AND TRICKS 16 CATCH MY PARTY’S TRENDS85 FLOWER CENTERPIECE TRICKS112 HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS

HOLIDAY TIPS

CELEBRATIONS91 PINK CIRCUS BABY SHOWER103 POLAR EXPRESS BIRTHDAY117 BABY’S FIRST XMAS PARTY123 GUMDROP DELIGHT131 BRIGHT AND MERRY XMAS

CONTENTSDecember/ January 2011-2012

PAGE 131 PAGE 20 PAGE 62

PAGE 123 PAGE 112 PAGE 16


Growing up in a Jewish household, I was always a little

disappointed with the lack of Hanukkah decorating done

in my house. While nothing made me happier than gush-

ing for eight straight days about all the presents I was

gifted with, there was nothing festive done in my home.

Nothing brought this to light more than going to my best

friend’s house to help her decorate her tree. I delighted in

throwing silver and gold strands of tinsel on the branches

of her tree, helping to put on sparkling ornaments, gig-

gling at the scenes from her Nutcracker music box, and

watching her home fill with poinsettias. When it came

to holiday décor, I always felt I got the short end of the

decorative stick.

As soon as I was living on my own, I started a new tra-

dition which my husband absolutely hates… the

Hanukkah tree. Each year, I put up my six-foot tall, pre-

lit, faux white tree, decorate it with star of David garland

and ornaments of menorahs, dreidels, and Jewish stars.

Any time I can find blue and silver ornaments, they get

purchased, and this year, my tree will be topped with a

Jewish star tree topper in lieu of the blue “Happy Hanukkah” ribbon that has graced it the past six years.

Having something to decorate at the holidays makes me so smile every time I see it, and with each passing year, it goes

up earlier and earlier so I can delight in decorating our living in Hanukkah festiveness. This year, inspired by the in-

credible party the Courtney Dial of Pizzazzerie shows us in this issue, I’ll be adding a Hanukkah gingerbread house

decorating party to my blue and silver mix, and hope it turns into another tradition of celebrating with family and

friends.

To all our wonderful Baby Lifestyles readers,

Happy Holidays

Lauren HalperinPublisher & Creative Director


Jenn SbrantiHostess with the Mostess

A safe and healthy delivery ofbaby number two.

Jillian Tohber Leslie Catch My Party

Enjoying time with friends andfamiliy.

Paula BiggsFrog Prince Paperie

Spending time with my family.

BirdBird’s Party

I'd like a nice powder pink cupcake stand to add to

my collection.

Kori ClarkPaper and Pigtails

Enjoying some down time withfamily to think of new fun ideas.

Courtney Dial Pizzazzerie

A little rest after my book launchto look through wedding

magazines.

CONTRIBUTORS’ holiday wishes


Marci GerlachEntwined Design Florals

I really just wantto focus on spending more quality time with my family.

Michelle KnoxI Do Invitations by Michelle

To spend time with my family, notworking and away from the computer. To enjoy the real

meaning of the holiday. {But a new pair of Uggs would

certainly be nice ;)}

Jamela Robledo

I would love to have a house. I know it's a big

thing to ask for but if not a new beautiful L lens for my

camera.

http://bit.ly/v45NAc


DDeeccoorraatteetthhee TTrreeeeBaby’s First

Christmas Ornament

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Blissful Christmas Twinkling Night Candy Cane Square

Hanging Hexagons Melodic Swirls

Merry Nutcrackers Painted Berries Welcoming Words

Starlight Script Wooden Checks Wreathed Charm

SSeeaassoonnssGGrreeeettiinnggssHoliday Cards

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Family of Trees

Brightly Merry

Christmas Quilt Flakes Fashionista Reindeer

Peace Love Joy Ornaments Holiday Stripes

Bold Christmas

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Christmas Canvas Pleasant Bliss

O Christmas Tree Delightful Pastels Row of Ornaments

Sloping Snowfall Whimsical Tree

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http://bit.ly/ut7pa4

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http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=83044&u=115491&m=12808&urllink=www.tinyprints.com/product/10781/christmas_cards_whimsical_tree.html

http://bit.ly/rOc6CE

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Colorful Blocks

Faith and Family

Peaceful Drinks Celebrate Dots A Retrospective

Contemporary Ornaments Holiday Ornament Grand Request

Merry Colors

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Confetti Collage

Modern Holiday

Uncorked Cheer Pattern Fun Color Block Party

Dazzling Wishes Painted Soiree Celebrate in Style

Tinsel

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2011 Holiday Party Trends spotted by Catch My PartyTrend #1 Gingerbread House Decorating

“What's fun about gingerbread house decorating parties is that your guests get to unleash their inner Picassos and then eat

their creations!” says Jillian Tohber Leslie, Catch My Party’s topcelebrator. “You can either buy pre-made gingerbread houses orpretty easily make your own. Then put out colored frostings and lots of candy toppings and you've got a great activity for kids.”

http://www.catchmyparty.com

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Trend #2 Christmas Cake PopsCake pops are cake balls covered in chocolate, decorated, and put

on a stick like a lollipop, and they are the latest trend in fundesserts. “These are easy to make with your kids with tons of

recipes to be found and, depending on how creative you want tobe, you can either keep them basic or design them to go with the

theme of your party.” Check out these from the amazing Bakerella.

Trend # 3 Holiday Party Printables Party printables are computer files you print and cut out to make

adorable holiday decorations. You don't even need to be "crafty" todo it. A pair of scissors, some tape, and pretty ribbon is about all

you need! “Since they're just computer files, they are pretty inexpensive. The best thing about party printables is that if you runout of decorations, you can always print more!” Get this set here!

http://www.bakerella.com

http://blog.catchmyparty.com/2010/12/15/free-christmas-printables-from-the-paper-dolls-shoppe/


Trend #4 Feel the Blues

“You don't need to stick to the traditional red and green this year,”Jillian advises holiday party throwers. “To liven things up a bit, we

recommend adding some winter blues into your decor.” Blue can beused to convey cold, so using it to represent ice with snowflakes isa greaty way to incorporate color into an otherwise ged and green

table. Add in some penguins, polar bears, igloos, mittens, and othercool winter ideas and you’ve got an updated look.

Trend #5 A Hot Chocolate Bar Why serve the same hot chocolate out of a pot? “At a hot chocolate

bar, you serve the belly-warming beverage and then set out different types of toppings to let your guests create their own personalized cups. Examples of items you can put out are: cinnamon, crushed peppermint candies, crushed toffee bits,

marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, caramel syrup, candy canes, etc. “Everyone likes to experi-

ment, and this is fun, easy way to add a little something special and unexpected to your holiday party.

See the rest of this hot chocolate dessert buffet and many otherholiday party trends at Catch My Party.

http://www.catchmyparty.com


GGiinnggeerrbbrreeaadd HHoouussee DDeeccoorraattiinnggwwiitthh CCoouurrttnneeyy DDiiaall ooff PPiizzzzaazzzzeerriieePPhhoottooggrraapphhyy bbyy BBeetthh TTiilllleeyy GGrreeeenn

GGiinnggeerrbbrreeaadd HHoouussee DDeeccoorraattiinnggwwiitthh CCoouurrttnneeyy DDiiaall ooff PPiizzzzaazzzzeerriieePPhhoottooggrraapphhyy bbyy BBeetthh TTiilllleeyy GGrreeeenn

Gingerbread houses were a memorable part of CourtneyDial from Pizzazzerie’s childhood and a wonderful tradition during the holiday season. She still has a

gingerbread house she made as a child. This holiday season, she’s sharing with us her tips and inspiration

for hosting your own children’s gingerbread house decorating party.

http://www.pizzazzerie.com


Gingerbread Decorating Party Tip #1Have houses ready to go for guests

Build the bases of the houses so that work is already done. Thisway, your guests can get to work decorating as soon as they arrive

and no one will have the bother of their house falling over. Whilegingerbread is the old standard for decorating edible holiday

homes, if you need a quick and easy solution that will go a longway for a crowd of party goers, try substituting graham crackers.Anyone who has made gingerbread houses before knows that

frosting doesn’t always make the best glue for keeping a house to-gether. A great tip for creating sturdier ginger-glue is melting brown

sugar in a sauce pan at low heat until it liquefies. Make severalbatches of royal icing ahead of time as well and your little guests

can concentrate on just decorating and fun.

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Gingerbread Decorating Party Tip #2Be Bright with Candy

Before they are decorated, gingerbread houses are plain old brown. Provide a fun and colorful assortment of candies for

kids to decorate with. M&Ms, ribbon candies, gumdrops, peppermints, candy canes and red hots work great and come in vibrant hues. And don’t forget about other fun decoration

like ribbons and figurines for toppings.


Gingerbread Decorating Party Tip #3Dress up your Table!

Use a fun, patterned wrapping paper along the top of your table.It will give your tabletop a burst of holiday flair, and will also catchany fallen icing and candy, making for easy clean up. Place the

pre-made houses on plates for the kids to transport their finishedproduct home easily. Try decorating the table with candy cane

topiary trees and ribbons, it will add to the festivities.Turn on somejoyful tunes and let the kids get decorating! It is amazing to see how each child creates something unique and beautiful. They save really well too – just store them in an airtight container.

Create Your Own Candy Cane TopiaryTopiary Supplies:

* Styoform tree cone* Candle holder – glass works well

* Floral tubes, (find them at craft stores)* Glue

* Recipe for Royal Icing “Glue”* Two sizes of candy canes

* Christmas ribbon

Peppermint Instructions:1. Glue the clear floral tube into the glass candle holder.

2. Make a recipe of Royal Icing.3. Using the back of a spoon or a spatula, spread the icing all over the cone.

4. Push the lollipop into the top of the tree.5. Place the candy canes around the tree alternating the sizes.

6. Make a ribbon bow and place under the lollipop.7. Using an icing decorator, pipe little stars on the tips of the candy canes.

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DDoo IItt YYoouurrsseellffMMeelltteedd CCrraayyoonn AArrtt ffoorr NNuurrsseerryy

Gorgeous melted crayon works of art have become the hottest DIY art.They’re not that hard to make and really fun, although they take sometime. Want to make your own? Stephanie from 52 Kitchen Adventures

broke it down in this easy step by step tutorial to help you make your own.Imagine how amazing this will look coordinated with your nursery colors!

MATERIALS:1. a generously sized art canvas2. a hot glue gun and glue stick3. a hair dryer4. lots of crayons5. newspaper.

TIP: For this tutorial, Steph used a16″x20″ canvas, two boxes of 64crayons, plus some extras from a boxof 24.

http://www.52kitchenadventures.com

27

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Pick out the colors you want to use and line them up until yourun out of space. For this tutorial, Steph used a rainbow, but how cutewould a little girl's nursery room art look in lavender, pink and green?

Step 2: Using a glue gun, make a line of glue across the crayons.Quickly place onto canvas in a line, as shown below, with tips facingdown. TIP: if you want a certain part showing, like the label, be care-ful to put the glue on the opposite side.

Step 3: Line your floor with newspaper,place the canvas against the wall, andstart blow drying! "I started out on highand warm settings on mine, and alter-nated with low at certain points. Youhave to experiment a little to see howyour hair dryer works with melting thewax. It sometimes splatters a little, so besure to cover the floor and surroundingwall, and turn to a lower setting ifneeded."

It takes 5-10 minutes on each area,with 4-5 areas across this 20″ canvas.Aim the heat at the mid to bottom ofthe crayons where the tips are. Once


the wax starts melting, move the dryer around as needed to preventsplattering and get wax to go straight down.

It took me about an hour to make it across the canvas, getting allthe colors to melt sufficiently. Oddly, some colors melt much faster

than others. Yellow is particularly slow.

Step 4 (optional): After getting all the colors to melt, I went backover certain colors that I wanted to go further down the canvas.

And voila! You have a fun piece of art to hang on your baby’s wall.


http://bit.ly/vrSNoN

http://bit.ly/vT9Qaw


DDoo IItt YYoouurrsseellffMMeerrrryy CChhrriissttmmaass OOrrnnaammeenntt WWrreeaatthh wwiitthh BBaallll GGaarrllaanndd

When it comes to the decorating with pizzazz for the holidays, sparkles,glitz, glitter and glam are all part of the accessories. This incredible

hanging wreath chandelier from Jessica of Two Shades of Pink captures all these goodies and more in a fabulous display of chic perfection.

MATERIALS:1. 16 inch (or larger) Styrofoam wreath

form2. Floral tape3. 2 packages (16 count ea.) 1 inch

Styrofoam spheres 4. Fishing line5. Textured white spray paint6. Four faux pine garlands

7. Strands of silver cording8. O ring9. Mod Podge10. Metallic crochet thread11. Scissors12. A yarn needle13. Ornaments

http://www.twoshadesofpink.blogspot.com


DIRECTIONS:

1. First Jessica wrapped her wreathform with floral tape2. Then wrap your form with yourpine garlands to give it a green look.To make it thick, push each wraptightly together and tuck the endsunder the wrapped pieces. 3. In order to give the wreath a freshfrom the snow look, use the tex-tured spray paint which will producethe perfect snow kissed effect.Lightly spray with a sweeping mo-tion. Tip: don’t saturate it in onearea or it will become too white.

4. When one side is dry, flip it overand spray the other side. It will takeat least three hours to become com-pletely dry. When it is, it will be stiffto the touch.5. Tie four strands of silver cordingequidistantly around the wreath, inbetween the wrapped layers of gar-land. Tip: Push the garland backaround the tied cording to hide thepart that is tied.6. Attach the ends to an O ring (Jes-sica used a key ring she had).7. Choose a location to displayyour festive wreath and hang!

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8.

FOR EXTRA FANCINESS:8. Jessica added two small gar-lands to criscross underneath thechandelier using a 16 count pack-age of 1 inch balls of StyrofoamBrand Foam for each garland. 9. Wrap the one-inch balls of Styro-foam Brand Foam with silver cro-chet thread. While you want to wrapcompletely but don't worry if someof the white still shows.

10. Glue the ends with Mod Podgeand let dry.11. Thread each one onto fishingline using a thicker needle used foryarn.12. To further fancy her wreath, Jes-sica strung silver bells. She tied aloop at either end of the fishing lineto hang it up using ornament hooks.13. Add ornaments in complimen-tary colors. Jessica used silver.


DDoo IItt YYoouurrsseellffHHaappppyy HHaannuukkkkaahh:: AA GGlliitttteerryy MMeennoorraahh

With Hanukkah around the corner, Sara is getting into the spirit of the holidayseason by setting her sights the festival of lights. While normally focusing on recycled crafting, crochet projects and simple DIY décor for her home, Sara,

the Creative Jewish Mom shows us how she made her own menorah with her two sons in this easy and fun DIY project. “I have to say this was a huge

success. My boys each felt a huge sense of accomplishment, and I know they're going to be so proud when they see how it!”

MATERIALS:1. A box that holds a roll of

aluminum foil or saran wrap,for the base

2. Cardboard tube for the candles3. Heavy metallic gold

cardstock/cardboard

4. Heavy aluminum foil or arecycled aluminum pan you can cut

5. Silver glitter6. Gold sequins7. Glitter glue/"tulip" in a few colors8. Bottle caps for the feet9. Hot glue

http://www.creativejewishmom.com/


DIRECTIO�S:1. Open your cardboard box so that itlies flat. On it, draw a design on the boxwith pencil. “We left the area where thecandles would sit blank, but you can planahead and decorate that too if you knowthe sizes of your "candles". Older chil-dren should be encouraged to draw thedesign themselves, but for my boys I

knew they'd enjoy the project more if Igave them something to trace.”2. Retrace the design with glitter glue, ina few colors, and set aside to dry.3. Cut the cardboard tube into sections,for nightly candles 3" high and for theshamash, 5" high.4. Brush on watered down glue, and coatwith glitter by sprinkling the glitter overthe tube and turning the tube as you go.TIP: Do this over a plate so use canre-use the glitter that falls.

5. Cut out flame shapes from gold card-board. Then apply lines of glue and havethe kids apply sequins. Set aside to dry.6. Using hot glue gun, glue the boxclosed so that it is a box once again. Glueat least three bottle caps to the bottom forfeet. Then glue the candles to the box. 7. Cut circles of heavy aluminum foil about

1/4" bit larger than the tubes all around, andglue those to the tops of the tubes. Thenwith scissors make slits in the circle andfold down over the tube to form a cap. 8. Using scissors or a knife, carefullymake slits in the aluminum foil caps, andinsert flames. 9. Sit down and gaze upon your beauti-ful creation! If you like, kid's can addtheir flames as Hanukkah progresses.


PPaauullaa ooff FFrroogg PPrriinnccee PPaappeerriiee wishesthere were more parties dedicated to

Hanukkah as she finds that the traditionsand meanings are truly beautiful! She puttogether a simple HHaannuukkkkaahh display and

included a few DIY projects.

TThhee FFeessttiivvaall ooff LLiigghhttssTThhee FFeessttiivvaall ooff LLiigghhttss

http://www.frogprincepaperie.com


Her display includes an un-traditional menorah,with eight votive cups for the eight days and a center “helper” candle for the shamash andused cups with sugar to help hold them in place. Sparkly scrap book paper created the

base. “I’ve been dying to use donuts in a displayand was thrilled to find out donuts were

Hanukkah food! The oil for frying, like the oilused for lights, is the significant part.”


Apothecary jars filled with gold, blue and silverbulbs created a nice back drop for the display.The little candy offering were served in regularwhite cupcake wrappers dropped inside printedcupcake wrappers. Included in the printable packare some neat paper craft dreidels, perfect for

filling with gelt or other treats! Another wonderfulitem included in the pack are the milk cartonboxes – one for every day of Hanukkah.


“This is a great little project for parents wanting to spread some light on other culturesand traditions for their children. It can all be put away or used for something else after

the display is done.”See more beautiful holiday printable collections

at FFrroogg PPrriinnccee PPaappeerriiee.

http://www.frogprincepaperie.com


http://bit.ly/vsOYZ1

http://bit.ly/upBC6S

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Enrika Brianskyte is a graphic designer turned event planner inSouth Africa. Together with her friend Mandisa Ndovela, they runLoosh Creations, a personalized stationery and event planning

company. With a huge passion for organizing and planning gorgeous events, designing personalized stationery and bloggingabout all the pretty things that inspire me, Enrika showed us howmoms and expectant women celebrate babies in South Africa.

SSoouutthh AAffrriiccaa PPaarrttyy TTrreennddsswwiitthh LLoooosshh CCrreeaattiioonnss

By Lauren Halperin

http://www.looshcreations.blogspot.com

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Parties get started with invitations!How much influence do you think aninvitation should have for a party?Invitation design is one of the most impor-tant aspects of the party planning. A partyinvitation will leave the first impressionabout the event you are organizing. Thatis why you should always ensure that thestationery perfectly reflects your party oryou as an individual.

How are South African moms gettingcreative with their invitations? South African moms are very creativewhen it comes to party organizing. Theylove personalized stationery for their kids’birthday parties. The invitations usually re-flect the cute theme of the party and often

include an adorable photo of the child. Al-though most mommies still prefer to sendemail invitations, printed cards are alsohigh in demand.

What are the invitation trends in SouthAfrica? Unique in design, reflecting specificthemes and bright color schemes. Thelook and feel of the invitation is usuallycarried across all the party stationery anddécor.

How important is it to your moms tohave coordinating paper products thatmatch their invites in their baby show-ers or child birthday parties?It is very important as it adds that special


touch to the celebrations and creates afabulous first impression.

Are party printables becoming popularin South Africa?Party printables are in high demand.Moms particularly like printables offered ina variety of themes as they can chooseaccording to their child’s party theme.They request personalized food labelsand menus for their children parties. Print-ables add such a beautiful sparkle to theparty décor.

What are some of your favorite ways toadd spice to party décor?I always look for creative ideas to add aspecial touch to make each occasion

memorable. I like to spice up the partywith some surprise details such as a per-sonalized movie about the pregnant cou-ple for a baby shower, or the inspirationalboard with pregnancy photo shoot thatcould be used as a décor element. I be-lieve these touches make the party somuch more personal.

How do you feel about DIY projects inparties? I absolutely love DIY projects because Ilike sticking, cutting, scrapbooking,arranging, designing, crafting, paintingand ribboning. I particularly like DIY partyfavors, cup and cupcake wraps, pompoms, windmills, all these décor detailsthat I can use in my parties.


What are some of your favorite partiesyou have thrown or designed for andwhat did you love about each? The most special party I organized wasmy best friend’s baby shower. This babyshower had everything from the beautifultable setting, which was really kicked up anotch with absolutely darling food labelsthat sported cute baby clothing and per-sonalized favors – chocolates with thewriting “Thank you for making Laura’sBaby Shower so sweet”, little baskets witha dummy sweet and some flower seedssaying “Plant these seeds in honor ofLaura’s new addition and watch your har-vest bloom as her new baby grows” andpersonalized popcorn “Laura is about topop”. In addition, the beautiful décor in-cluded my handmade pom poms, hang-ing crystals, windmills as well as

personalized baby shower games andeven a story board/ canvas with the pho-tos from my pregnancy photo shoot.

How do South African moms celebratethe holidays for their children? Christmas is the most popular family cel-ebration in South Africa. Despite the heatduring Christmas season, moms still or-ganize the traditional white Christmas fortheir children that involve a “fake” Christ-mas tree, father Christmas and lots of lotsof food and presents.

Are dessert buffet tables popular inSouth Africa? Dessert tables are becoming a hot newtrend in South Africa. They make an ex-citing addition to the party décor and to thevisual presentation of the food.


What is the hottest dessert to have onyour table in South Africa? All things small and pretty are the latestand expected trends for 2012. I think as aconsequence of the financial crisis, thereis a trend towards more communal dining,hence the popularity of bite size portions;as well as nostalgic 'home cooking', re-working classical desserts like cake popsare a modern variation of petit fours.

What trends do you see emerging inbaby showers and children’s in SouthAfrica? Baby showers are moving from the tradi-tion informal gathering to a more plannedevent, with attention to detail and theming.

Children’s parties are no longer just kidsplaying in the garden with the cake andballoons but are becoming more thoughtthrough events from the party décor, sta-tionery to the food. The party packs for thekids are no longer just sweets and un-healthy processed food but more healthieralternatives. The traditional cake has beenslowly replaced by the personalized cup-cakes.

What’s the best party planning adviceyou ever got?Always have a back up plan when organ-izing an event because some things youcannot predict and prepare ahead asmuch as possible.

AA RRiivveerr iinn tthhee FFoorreesstt BByy TTaarraa SStteeiinnllee


When Kate and her husband,Dan would daydream about theirson, they would think about walk-ing through forests with him,laughing and skipping all the way.They decided to name their sonRiver, feeling he would be a bea-con of peace in their lives. Theyfollowed their daydreams by cre-ating an outdoorsy nursery forhim to have as his sanctuary.

The first things they boughtfor River’s room were two pillowsand the whale ceramics. One pil-low had a squirrel on it and theother a fox and a tree. “I loved the

colors used in these pillows, sothat was the inspiration for thecolor scheme. The ceramicwhales that are now hanging fromthe ceiling we bought just becausewe thought they were cute, butsoon inspired us to create a wholeoutdoor theme. Most of his roomis like a forest, but the corner iskind of our “sea” with the blue cur-tain and the whales hanging.” AsKate’s family lives close to theocean, they didn’t want to over-power the room with an ocean feelas he doesn’t have to go very farto experience the real thing.

http://www.kateleverenzphotography.com


Believe it or not, the roomwas already painted in this greencolor when the family moved in.While Kate knew she would paintRiver’s room either green or or-ange, when she first saw it sheknew it would be perfect for herson’s room. She continued to addgreen and orange from the pillowand then added other bright col-ors as she found them.

The birch trees and bird de-cals that are on River’s wallsmake Kate feel like they are in theforest she and Dan used to day-

dream about. After much deliber-ation between blowing leaves andbirch trees, Kate found the perfectset on Etsy. Kate placed his cribon the wall with the decals as shewanted him to be under the birchtrees so he could sleep in his for-est. The letterpress art on the wallare sayings from “Where the WildThings Are”, which was Dan’s fa-vorite childhood book.

“Some of my favorite itemsare the items that I made, proba-bly because I am not much of asewer but I somehow managed to


pull it off. I made his diaperhanger first and let me tell youUittook forever! It’s now one of myfavorite things because I remem-ber the hours it took me to get itright. I also love the hangingwhale ceramics because they re-mind me of Dan and I’s trip to Col-orado and how excited we werethat we were having a baby boy!”

As a photographer, Kate tellsus that lighting is the key elementto taking great pictures of yourbaby’s nursery. “Open all of thewindows and photograph yournursery at a really bright time ofday, like mid-morning or early af-ternoon. Make sure the room isclean when you are photographingit and pay attention to small detailslike if the rug is flipped under or thecloset door is cracked a little. ”

Most of River’s room is com-posed of items either Kate or herfamily and friends handmade.“That is probably what makes hisroom so unique. Nothing has thatout of a package/store boughtlook, because nothing is storebought. I sewed the crib bumpers,curtains, toy retaining wall and di-aper hanger and the remainingwhimsical items we found at ran-

dom places.” For instance, theowl hanging from the ceiling wasfound at an antique shop. “It wasone of those finds that is just soperfect and makes your wholeweek brighter.”

All of River’s books are fromKate’s childhood book collectionthat her parent’s saved for me.“Books were a huge part of mychildhood. My Dad read to meevery night and one of the firstthings my Dad did when visitingwas read River my favorite child-hood book, Chica-Chica-Boom-Boom. That was a very sweetmoment.”

While finding enough storagespace in a nursery is a problemmost parents have, this was oneissue Kate was happy not to dealwith. River has a huge closet be-cause the staircase is right behindhis crib wall. “It reminds me of alittle hobbit hole, I’m sure Riverwill have many imaginary adven-tures in his little closet nook. I alsowas able to hide things behind theblue “sea” curtain. That is wherewe keep our DVDs, books, andother random items that are lessvisually pleasing.”

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WWiillddeerrnneessss iinn GGoollddBByy TTaarraa SStteeiinnllee


When it comes to her personalstyle, Maria Fe Calvo-Piercewouldn’t call herself a minimalist,but more modern with a glam-orous twist. She loves clean andsimple lines and translated thisfantastic flair for her son Jack’snursery. Years before she waspregnant, she saw the Wildernessin Gold wallpaper and alwaysknew she wanted to use it in herhome.

Decorating for her baby’s nurserygave her the greatest excuse totest out this beautiful paper. “It

was my starting point for this proj-ect, every other element in theroom was inspired by it,” Mariasaid. “I always knew I wanted awall accented with this paper, butI wasn’t sure at first how much Iwanted to use.” To keep it as afocal point Maria decided to doonly one wall. She never consid-ered going bolder with her colorchoices than the neutral tonesshe chose, not wanting other col-ors to compete with the gold al-ready in the room. Instead sheadded black accents to add atouch of masculinity.


Once all the big decorative ele-ments including the wallpaperwere in place, tying them togetherwith accessories proved to beharder than Maria originallythought. “It’s the small details thatreally make the room, and Iwanted to chose items that wheremeaningful and special.”

Upon entering Jack’s nurseryroom, guests are greeted by asunburst mirror over the changingtable. “It’s one of my favorite itemsfrom Jack’s nursery. It is a gold

Syroco mirror I got on eBay forless than $20.” Another one of herfavorite decorations is the blackand white picture of Maria fromher maternity shoot. She placed itin an ornate black picture frame.

The light fixture is a handmaderattan pendant lamp. “I knewwanted something that wouldemit a soft and warm glow, thenatural material of this wovenpendant does just that! Whenturned on, it gives such a beauti-ful diffused glow!”


The rhinoceros was a pieceMaria’s husband Brad picked.“We saw it at a home decor storeand he said it would be perfect forabove the crib. We wanted tokeep it simple since the patternwas already every elaborate andnot add anything else.

After the wallpaper, Maria had a dif-ficult time hunting down the perfectrocker. She added the rug, not onlyfor the texture, but to bring warmthto the room. The biggest “uninter-rupted” wall was the one she usedto place the crib against. “We knewthat the focal point of the room wasgoing to be the wall with the wall-

paper so it was the perfect fit.”

To solve her storage dilemmas,Maria decided to get a dresser andconvert it into a change it table byadding a changing pad to it. Nowshe has plenty of room for all ofJack’s essentials plus six ample-sized drawers for all his clothing,basics and extra bedding.

“Stay true to your taste,” Mariaadvises to others. “Don’t be influ-enced by trends, those will alwayschange but your taste most likelywill not. Take your time decidingwhat direction you want to takewhen creating your nursery!”


A Sweet Retreatby Lauren Halperin


Since 1997, designer AaronChristensen has been helpingfamilies and companies designand create children’s rooms andkid spaces for the young at heart.“Children see the world as a placeof possibilities, where anythingcan happen. I'm the guy that cre-ates that "anything" in my studio.”For this client, he took the soft-ness of colors and the trend ofbirds and trees and created anursery that Baby Elizabethsurely will have treasured memo-

ries in. “It's no surprise that birds andtrees are a very popular motif fornurseries,” Christensen ex-plained. “Nature is always wel-come in spaces for children. Birdshave symbolism around the worldand throughout history. The Owlembodies wisdom and virtue, thecrane eternity, the eagle powerand courage and the nightingalelove. Regardless of whether theybe animated silly birds or decora-tive tweets on fabrics and furnish-

http://www.EmbellishmentsStudio.com


ings they bring nature in and her-ald joy as in the joy of spring.”Knowing that they were having agirl, this family wanted the nurseryto be feminine while sophisticatedto compliment the Arts and Craftsarchitecture of the room andhome. “The room has beautifulnatural cherry oversized trim,beams and window casings. Myclient, whose gorgeous craftsmanstyle home sits remotely out in thecountry, asked that I create aroom befitting their home andthought a natural theme wouldcomplement their style and their

surroundings.”Before it was a nursery the roomwas a playroom for their older sonand a guest room. Undecorated,it was one of those rooms thatended up with a lot of odds andends for furniture.Taking the 22-foot tall vaultedwalls into consideration, Aaronchose a neutral tone for the wallsto help de-emphasis the scaleand bring out the richness of thenatural woods in the room. Thepinks, which range from brightraspberry to a muted mauve,were chosen to offset the wall's


neutrality and add playfulness tothe room's color scheme. “Broad-ening the pink palette to includevariations in hue and tone gaveus great levity in choosing bed-ding fabrics. We wanted to utilizeelegant textures with simple pat-terns.”To make the room more cozy andbring the viewers eye down Aaronincorporated a hand-painted treemural. “Doing murals by hand al-lows me the freedom to designmy murals in any style, form of ex-ecution and content. You can re-ally see the artist's hand when the

piece is painted freehand. For thewalls we chose a neutral wheatcolor upon which we hand-painted a mural of poppies, a treeand various birds. We located thebirds at a comfortable viewingheight and outlined them withempty vintage frames. This drawsthe eye to the center of the walland room, reducing the vastnessof the room.”

Custom draperies and beddingwere commissioned in a selectionof terrific textures. The draperyfabric had a hint of arts and crafts

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NNuurrsseerryy SSeerreenniittyyBByy LLaauurreenn HHaallppeerriinn

After creating a sensational,cheerful nursery for her first sonGraham, Amy of B-Line mixed itup for her youngest son's nurseryspace. "Graham's nursery (ourfirst) is vibrant and full of energy.It's a really cheerful space. Per-fect for playtime. Rowan's has amore classic feel and is calmingand relaxing. It actually sort offeels like peaceful naptime, if thatmakes sense." It absolutely does!Rowan's nursery has a grown-upfeel to it which seems to suitAmy's latest addition, as she sayshe "seems to have a bit of an oldsoul." With clean, crisp lines and agentlemanly feel, this nursery will

transition easily into boyhood.

By far the smallest room in herhome, Rowan's nursery has toserve as both his nursery andAmy's only guest room. Sheopted to fill the space with a sub-stantial bureau/changing table, asthere is no closet in the room, thecrib, and a queen-sized sleepersofa. Along with having two wallswith large windows, the full-sizeddoor to the attic is also locatedhere. "Since we never go in theattic, we opted to camouflage thedoor by placing a large mirror infront of it. Not only does it helpdisguise the attic access, it also


reflects a lot of light from thosefour windows and brightens thespace quite a bit. We also de-cided to paint the walls and trimshades of white and opted for afairly light carpeting to keep theroom on the bright side, andchose white to provide a nice con-trast to the dark grey bureau andnavy honeycomb curtains."

Without a lot of real estate in theroom, Amy used picture ledges todisplay books face-out and put afew other pieces of art and knick-knacks up as well. Felt bowls helpkeep the boys' toys tidy. "On theright is a portrait I took of oursweetie when he was five daysnew. On the left, our new family"crest", which features the four ofus racing along. And in the center,a colorful hot air balloon mobilemade from paper."

Amy says her favorite parts of theroom are a toss up between thecurtains and the mobile. "I lovedeep, dark blues and the curtainsreally add a wow! factor to theroom while grounding it at thesame time. And the mobile is themost colorful (and cheapest) ele-

ment in the room--just a splash ofcolor to keep things interesting. Iknew that I wanted dark blue forthe curtains and wanted to stayaway from solid draperies, so Idesigned several fabrics onspoonflower (all navy and white)and when the honeycomb swatcharrived, we knew it was the one."

Nursery resources:Wall color/ Benjamin Moore De-signer White (Eggshell)Trim/ Valspar Semi-Gloss WhiteCrib: Ikea GulliverDresser/changing table: Ikea Ed-land 6-drawer dresserSofa: West Elm “Henry” Book shelves: Ikea Ribba Clip lamp: Ikea Jansjo in whiteCurtains: made with navy honey-comb fabric (printed at spoon-flower)Pillows: made by yours truly withregatta and navy scales fabricand West Elm napkins Crashing waves water color:painted by a family friendBalloon collage: made by me Balloon mobile: made by me frompaper Wooden race cars, house blocks,and little boys: painted by me


http://bit.ly/s77Lrk

http://bit.ly/s77Lrk

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Henry Cambraia has apersonal design style that iscontemporary and classic. As adesigner of nurseries for morethan ten years, when it cametime to decorate a nursery forFelipe and Rebeca, boy andgirl twins, he created a couturehome for some lucky babies.

After a fantastic trip to theProvence, France, he foundhis inspiration in the Frenchchateau style with predomi-nance in gender neutral green.Despite having a baby of eachgender, Henry decided ongreen so that the nursery couldbe used again in the future foranother baby.

He based the design for theroom around the wallpaper byDolce Spazio and appliedFrench techniques to the walls.On the walls, the boisieretechnique was used as frameswere used to decorate thewalls. The angels on the wallwere made by one of Henry’sfriends who works with plaster.

“I like to think the angels aretaking care of the baby,” Henrysaid. “I love the frames with theangels.”

The crib, bed, dresser andarmoire were custom made forthe room and were eachlacquered in white. The bigarmoire provided lots ofdrawers in the dresser and inthe bed, which solved anystorage issues.

The canopy and the beddingare Henry’s favorite compo-nents to the nursery. Thenursery bedding was hand-made in cotton and wasmanually embroidered usingthe same color of the wallpa-pers. He used leftover fabric todress up the dolls in the room.He also chose the fabric andthe color of the armchair andottoman in shades of green tocompliment the décor. “The sit-ting area with the armchair ismy favorite part of the nursery.I like to sit down there and sim-ply watch the babies.”

Ooh La La!Avenue des Champs-Élysées

by Tara Steinle

Ooh La La!Avenue des Champs-Élysées

by Tara Steinle


Before this nursery wastransformed into a vision of Paris,it was a minimally decoratedguest room. Mom Kelly had justredone renovating her homewhen the stork came to visit. Ifbaby was a boy, it would havebeen a fireman themed room, asit’s what her husband does for aliving. But thinking pink for daugh-ter Kerrigan, she decorated in herobsession: vintage Paris. “I lovethe watercolor paintings sold onthe streets of the river, the fashionfrom the 40’s and the timelessbeauty it portrays women, & Pariswas one of our favorite cities thatwe have traveled too.”

When searching for Parisideas, everything Kelly found waspink and black with either poodlesor Eiffel towers. “It felt generic andalmost a little to “Hard” for a babyroom. The soft palette plays withthe feeling of calmness that I wantpeople to feel when they enter theroomU even the pink chandeliershades make the room have a softpink glow.”

One of the standouts in theroom is the amazing wall, handpainted by Kelly’s dad. When sheand her siblings were kids, hepainted Winnie the Pooh, Tigger,Dumbo and more on their walls. “We talked about what I wanted the


wall to look like. He did somesketches and literally started on thewall over the weekend and had itfinished within two days. Since wehave been renovating our housewe had an abundance of test sam-ples in our garage so we didn’teven have to go buy a lot of paintfor the mural!” The finished result isthe first thing Kelly sees when sheopens the door to Kerrigan’s room.

“I really didn’t have manyfamily heirlooms to add as far asthe baby room was concerned,but I do feel that letting hergrandpa paint the mural like he

did mine as a kid really broughtthe family aspect into the wholeroom! Built by the family.”

“The curtains were storebought, but Kelly custom madethe buttons and tie backs tomatch the same fabric on theglider. The shelves are from Pot-tery Barn and the match the furni-ture in color perfectly. “The creamleather chair was from the Home-Goods. It was one of the last ad-ditions because my husband waswatching me rock in the glider andasked “Where am I gonna sit?”So I kept an eye out for a chair or


chaise lounge and stumbled uponthe chair you see in the pictures.”

With so many different quotesto choose from, Kelly chose oneabout angels. “We believe that re-ligion is a big part of our lives. Wemet in Sunday school and feel soblessed that we got pregnant evensooner than we planned on! I feelthat Angels watching over her andus is such an amazing blessingand that the only thing to do after achild is born is to rejoice, and whatbetter way than to dance!”

Kelly’s favorite details of theroom are the mural and the glow

that the chandelier and shadesgive to the room. “I feel like it is al-most stepping into a differentworld and a different time thatwas just so peaceful and fresh!”

“Decorate it in a way thatsoothes you as well as baby,”Kelly advises. “You are the onethat has to look at it and spend aridiculous amount of hours in be-fore your baby even realizes allthe work and details you havedone. You may laugh, yell, and cryin the process but it is somethingthat you will never get to experi-ence again.”

Behind the Designswith Kenneth Brown

By Lauren Halperin

Behind the Designswith Kenneth Brown

By Lauren Halperin


Designer Kenneth Brown’s daughterHarper has had not one or two, butthree different nurseries since shewas born. For her first, he wanted abackdrop that was classic, and heupholstered her walls in a soft greywool to achieve the effect along witha vintage Veninni chandelier. Laterhe brought in purples and teals toadd pops of color in the bedding andhand painted furniture. Her nurseryspace now has transitioned into atoddler’s room, her accent colors arenow more vibrant in orange andbright pink, perfect for a growingprincess of design. His five-month-

old son Sawyer’s nursery was done in blue and cream stripes with amodern walnut crib, vintage styled metal furniture and an industrial-styled changing table.

After years helping some of the biggest celebrities achieve great de-sign, Brown was inspired by his own children to create the KennethBrown Baby Collection so that everyone can get that same great lookin their own nursery. Currently available at Amazon, the cool, updatedpatterns work in both modern and traditional settings. He enjoys thewall art, which helps make any baby feel right at home in their room.

Kenneth Brown has learned that design is in the details. With a signa-ture look of blending warm Southern hospitality with clean Southern-California lines, he knows it’s the smallest details that most people noticewhen they are in a space. As a design expert, he is a man who knowshow to make a house into a home. We got to ask him his advice formaking four walls into baby’s nursery.


Do you prefer to design arounda theme or around a colorpalette?I like working with a color paletteand introducing a few variousways to implement it. I try toavoid themes – they date them-selves too quickly.What’s your favorite decoratingadvice to give?Create a furniture plan to scalebefore shopping for furniture. Somany people end up with furniturethat is too big or too small be-cause the pieces look different inthe showroom than in a typicalroom. Get creative with storageby using wall space keeping floorspace for play and tummy time.Do you prefer to design a nurs-ery knowing what the gender ofthe baby is? What challengesdoes not knowing pose to you?Yes – it does allow more person-alization when you know the gen-der of a baby – when you don’tknow the gender the design canbecome impersonal. To be hon-est, every time I’ve designed agender neutral nursery we’vegone back in and updated it afterthe baby was born. This doesn’talways mean blue for boys and

pink for girls.It seems the parentsnotice that the room felt imper-sonal and now that they see thepersonality of their baby theywant to show that in the design. Do you see parents decoratingnurseries in a whimsical way ormatching the rest of theirhome’s décor? What trends doyou see emerging?Most nurseries are beginning tolook more like the rest of thehomes design – less like a themepark. I see wallpapers and fabricsas a great way to personalize anursery and create a unique de-sign, with parents relying more oncolor and less on themes. I’mseeing adult furniture scaleddown to kids’ size – mini wing-back chairs, sofas and table/chairsets. How do you incorporate ele-ments into a nursery so it willtransition seamlessly to a bigkid room?Keep the backdrop (walls,drapes, lighting, and flooring) incolors, textures and styles thatyou can see growing with yourchild. You can change out lamps,pillows, art and bedding as yourbaby grows.


Is being eco-conscious still abig factor in determining how anursery room is decorated? Yes – everyone should look at la-bels – there are too many toxicitems out there that can harmyour child. Look at the paint / fin-ish on your crib, the type of fab-rics your baby sleeps on, the paint– less fumes is always best! I tendto like organic fabrics and softnatural materials .How has the economy changedthe way parents are designingtheir nurseries? Where do you

suggest parents can save moneywhen it comes to nursery?They’re thinking long term. Suchas, can the baby grow into a roompainted a certain color etc. Par-ents can save money by re-pur-posing a dresser or chest youalready own by placing a chang-ing table on top. Spend moneyon a good rocking chair/glider –you will spend a lot of time rock-ing, sleeping and resting in thischair.Why do moms spend morewhen decorating for a girl babythan a boy?Of course moms go more all outwhen decorating for a girl. Thereare more options to choose from.It’s the same with clothes – howmany floors are dedicated towoman’s clothes vs. men’sclothes at your local departmentstore? Same holds true with fab-ric, furniture, lighting, and bed-ding.What’s the best part of being adecorator for nurseries?The best part is seeing howhappy families are when theyhave babies. It changes theirlives.

Holiday Newborn Photography

by Amanda Dykan of

Mulberry Lane Studio

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http://www.entwineddesignflorals.com


#1 Think Outside the BoxChoosing to create centerpieces that wouldn’t normally

be used can really help set a party in motion. While using the literal approach to choosing your centerpieces is agreat option, the flip side of that coin is thinking completely outsideof the box. Choosing to create centerpieces that wouldn’t normally

be used can really help set a party in motion. If you’re hosting aparty and its theme does not lend to easy centerpiece options, whynot be innovative and change the entire environment to the party.

When doing an “elephant theme” baby shower (left photo), we werelimited in choices, like no baby elephant or gray flowers. Instead we“showered” guests with flowers hung from custom made umbrellas

set in color coordinated centerpieces.

The reality of a baby shower is thatmost have seen a diaper cake.Customizing your shower to thehonoree will make not only yourmommy to be happy but will allowyour guests to feel as though they arereally sharing in her special day. If shehas a passion for succulents and theocean, why not add a couple succu-lents delicately placed around hercenterpiece or a sea shell plate to helpaccent your floral pieces. Special at-tention to these details might not beevident to your guests but really helpenhance the appearance and mighteven spark conversation at the table.

#2 Add Special Touches


#3 Be Literal

Let your babyshower’s theme

be your reference forinspiration.

Choose your vessels for literalshower and partythemes first and

let your floralchoices speak

from themselves.

Are you hosting a baby shower with a “tea party” them? Place acollection of delicate florals inside tea cups you collected from localestate sales and use them as your table centerpieces. Remember

that being “literal” should look like it was done with intent not accidentally, so use classy literal interpretations, not cheesy ones.For a butterfly wonderland baby shower, we placed florals inside

old birdcages and wiring butterflies dancing around the centerpieces to enhance the themes overall appearance.


#4 Go Monochromatic

When your desire is to create a dramatic statement,nothing packs more of a punch then an

all-monochromatic floral pallet.

By choosing a single color for flower centerpieces, any and all florals become the focus of the table, thus adding a specific pointof interest for your shower guests to focus on. To add even more

impact, use monobotanical florals with a monochromatic pallet throughout the rest of your shower and the visual impact

results will be stunning. Having a “glam” mommy shower? Nothing screams glam like ruby red roses and tulips paired

together in a monochromatic color palette.


#5 Let the Season Be Your Guide

Let the season determine what colors to enhance your party with.

When planning a party, some mommies-to-be decide to base theirtheme on colors instead of actual physical items. When using coloras your guide, let the colors of the season direct your color palette.Utilize burnt oranges with accents of buttery yellow to capture the

essence and warmth of autumn. Purchase gourds from your local pumpkin patch and use them as centerpieces or as accentswithin your florals. Springtime showers can inspire you to use ahost of colorful options for your guests. Create centerpieces thatlook as though they are growing out of the centers of the tablesthemselves. When creating a “Woodland” themed baby shower

we used flowers found in the springtime to switch a normally darker feel into a bright and cheery event.


#6 Stick with SimplicityWhile there is beauty to a tall striking centerpiece at a baby shower, there is an underlying elegance to

a simple understated piece.

It’s been said over and over again but the truth is that simplicity has its place if done correctly. Try using smaller vases with florals

of the same color hues and gather them together in a less constricted way. Let your flowers cohabitate in their natural state

to allow your guests to feel as though you’ve gone to your backyardto pick the arrangements for the shower. Let your flowers flow

out of the centerpiece or allow full blooms mixed with tight budsto enhance your look.


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Nestled in Orange County California, Kim and Mike Landi werethrown a baby shower by their dearest friend, Allee Woods. With a girl to be named Avery on the way, Allee was thinkingabout pink. Lucky for the hostess, she has the right connections to throw an incredible party. Her mom, invitation designer JudyScurlock, and her mother-in-law, event designer, Sue Woods,

came together to decorate this beautiful pink circus baby shower.Allee called in her college friend, photographer Jamela Robledo

to make sure that all the details were captured so Avery could share them later.

Every where you turned, something was adorned in pink andstripes and set out beautifully for the pink circus themed babyshower. Not only was Kim surrounded by her amazing friends,family from Chicago flew in for this lovely occasion. From pink flowers to pink cake pops to rosé champagne and Little

Avery is going to be spoiled with love!


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Winter themed parties are usually white and light blue, but photographer Shalonda Chaddock mixed it up with the silver for her daughter’s Polar Express birthday party. The silver and white inspiration came from the silver in the jingle bell which is a key symbol in the movie and of course white is always reminiscent

of snow and winter, even in their hot hometown of Houston, Texas.The rest fell into place with giant white snowflakes and

miniature snow globes featuring trains. “And then of course we had to rent the actual train.”

http://www.chubbycheekphotography.com


The jingle bell detail was usedthroughout the day, with Shalondaeven tying it into the wording onthe invitation. “We always writepoems for out invites and this yearwas no exception!” She printedthem on a pearl luminescentpaper type, so they looked silveryand glittery. She added a stickablerhinestone to the center of eachsnowflake for more girly glitz.

Snowflakes of all sizes wereeverywhere, with Shalonda hang-ing them in shades of shimmerfrom her entry way chandelier aswell as above the dessert table.

“Everyone seemed to get a lightdusting of glitter from the glitterysnowflakes as they entered thehouse. The giant ones hangingover the dessert table were ahuge hit! The mantel of our homewas lined with all white, silver, andcrystal snowflakes tree toppersand looked divine!”

Shalonda decided on a delicious,white dessert bar that included anall-white array of delights. Shecovered the tables with regularwhite linens but then added ashimmery see through fabric ontop to add more glitz and sparkle


and added to the effect of thegiant snowflakes in the backdrop.Her printables for the table wereon pearl paper to create a silverlook and were bedazzled withrhinestones. The kids loved thewhite chocolate cake pops, whitecake and white iced cupcakeswith fondant snowflakes and jinglebells, the most immaculate whiteand silver train cookies, bite sizesnowflake cookies, strawberryshortcake shots, silver Hershey’schocolates, cheesecakes and ofcourse, a favorite of the kids, whitepowdered donuts! The favors were


miniature silver snow globes witha white Christmas train inside.

For activities, all the little guestssnuggled in their jammies andwatched The Polar Express.“Wearing pajamas to a birthdayparty in the middle of the daywas definitely a favorite part ofthe party by most of the youngerguests!” But no Polar Expressparty could be complete withouta train! Shalonda had a train takeall her guests for a ride on theirvery own Polar Express. “Theyloved the train, especially Addi.The best part was that we invitedjust the right number of guests soeveryone got to ride the train asoften as they wanted, even the

parents got to ride.”

While Shalonda had planned afabulous build your own hotchocolate bar to fit in with herfrosty affair as it was a huge partof the movie, the warm weathergave her an idea for a twist. Shechanged it to a frozen hotchocolate bar, serving the kidsmilkshakes in paper coffee cupswith silver and white straws.“They loved the feeling of being‘big’ drinking out of the cups butdrinking yummy milkshakes! Itcould not have been a betterswitch, after riding the train every-one came inside to enjoydelicious coffee cups of frozen hotchocolate.”

Photography by Shalonda Chaddock Fondant jingle bells and snowflakes by Two Sugar BabiesSnowflake cookie bites by Two Southern GirlsTrain cookies by Beesknees Creative

Photography by Shalonda Chaddock Fondant jingle bells and snowflakes by Two Sugar BabiesSnowflake cookie bites by Two Southern GirlsTrain cookies by Beesknees Creative


Baby Lifestyles is so lucky to feature the incredible picturesof so many professional photographers.

Here are just a few of the beautiful moments in timetreasured by parents as they celebrate the baby’s world.

Photo by Elizabeth Ann Photography

Photo by Amy Majors Photography

Photo by Ashley Mauldin Photography

Photo by Christina Dely Photography

Photos by Megan Hayes Photography

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ttaabbllee..

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ttaabbllee..

www.hwtm.com


Holiday Table Tip #1 Sitting Pretty

Don’t forget about the option to decorate the chairs around your table! It’s often those little, unexpected details that end up making the biggest impression. You can make mini chair garlands out of things like pine cones, raffia and artificial berries, or even out of the same “snowy” silk rose

petal strands used in the hanging centerpiece mentioned above.

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HolidayTable Tip #2 Glam YourGlasses

Glam up your wine glasses by tying a small piece of maraboufeather boa around the base of the stem. You can easily find

feather at your local craft store. You can also add small holidaycharms, sparkly rhinestone stickers, or tiny ball ornaments

to act as drink markers and help guests keep track of which drink belongs to them!

HolidayTable Tip #3

Sweet Shot

For a fun and {surprisingly easy!} twist on the traditional cheesecake, try serving up a batch of raspberry cheesecake parfaitshooters, which make for an eye-catching addition to any red and

white holiday dessert table. Just alternate layers of crushed grahamcrackers mixture, cheesecake filling, and raspberry preserves in miniparfait or cordial glasses, then top each treat with a fresh raspberry.

Holiday Table Tip #4Personalized Place Settings

Make your guests feel extra-special placing personalized or unique ornaments picked out especially for them at their

table place setting. For example, if your Aunt Susie is a shoe fanatic place a shoe-themed ornament at her place setting, along with her name. This makes for a thoughtful

take-home gift idea that also doubles as table décor!


Holiday Table Tip #5Peppermint Bark

Make your guests feel extra-special placing personalized or unique ornaments picked out especially for them at their

table place setting. For example, if your Aunt Susie is a shoe fanatic place a shoe-themed ornament at her place setting, along with her name. This makes for a thoughtful

take-home gift idea that also doubles as table décor!

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BByy BBiirrdd’’ssPPaarrttyy

http://www.blog.birdsparty.com


Baby's first Christmas is amagical milestone in anyfamily, and these are a feweasy ideas to help you

decorated baby's nurseryor their special nook in amore personalized waythan the rest of the home.

Using versatile party printables from Bird'sParty Snowman Xmas

Collection, you can wrapand decorate gifts,

personalize a Xmas babyshower, decorate shelveswith a cute paper banner,make paper Xmas trees, oruse the little cute snowmencut-outs as mantle decora-tions or to embellish a fewyummy Xmas cupcakes!


If you're expecting gueststo come and see baby atXmas, you can createthese easy little hostessgift pouches filled withcandy and personalize

them with a cute party tag!They also make really funXmas tree decorations orstocking fillers for familymembers! Alternatively, filllittle baby food containerswith assorted sweet treats!

For easy Xmas cookie decorating ideas, simplyuse colored fondant paste(from baking stores) todecorate homemade cookies! You can even

freeze one or two cookiesfor up to one year forwhen baby is ready to

taste them!

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The printables are also aneasy and inexpensive wayto create DIY Holiday

cards or a scrap-bookingphoto albums to helprecord those beautifulmemories of Baby's first

Christmas!

Find this Snowman Xmasprintables collectionand many others at

Bird’s Party!

http://www.blog.birdsparty.com

GGooooddyy GGooooddyy GGuummddrrooppss!!GGooooddyy GGooooddyy GGuummddrrooppss!!

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http://www.paperandpigtailsparty.com


IInnvviittaattiioonn,, CCoolloorrss aanndd OOvveerraallll DDeessiiggnnOne of my favorite things about gumdrops are their bright, festive,

colors which led me to an untraditional holiday color scheme of orange, yellow, red, green, and purple! I designed the invitation

first and it served as the inspiration for the whole party. I decided to design this party outside, both to bring in more color, and

because I know there are many other places that are still enjoyingbeautiful weather and would love taking advantage of it!


KKiiddss’’TTaabbllee For the kids table, two picnic tables were put togetherand covered with linens. At each place setting was a colorful plate, favor bag of gumdrops, and a personal

lunch in a little kit! The centerpiece was a large gumdropcovered "tree". The smaller trees were ones that the kids made from ice cream cones by spreading them

with icing and sticking on gumdrops!


GGuumm DDrroopp AAccttiivviittiieessThe kids at the party had a blast making their own gumdrop trees!We used sugar cones and let the kids coat them with icing, thenstick on the gumdrops. The other fun activity we did was make

gumdrop candy necklaces! The gumdrops are really sticky, so wecould only string about five on before the thread got way too stickyto work with, so we used ribbon to tie onto the ends! And check out

the gumdrop shirt for the gumdrop party!


DDeesssseerrtt TTaabbllee aanndd SSwweeeettssIf you have a gumdrop party, you have to have a lot of sweet

treats! The center of the table boasted a gumdrop cake, and oneither side of the table was a Blumebox holding "gumdrop

buttons". I used Pastry Pedestals to make the skewers. Acrossthe front of the table was a variety of gumdrop cookies from

Bees Knees Creative sitting on a bed of gumdrops!

For the 2011 holiday season, Michelle Knox knew she wanted to see something with bright colors. To create her merry and

bright holiday collection, she chose aqua, fuchsia, lime, purple and chocolate as her main colors and we’re in love how her

party turned out. Perfect for kids, it’s a new twist on the traditionalholiday colors and it’s so much fun! Sydney, Annabelle,

Mindy, Presley, Tinley and Michelle’s daughter, Camryn, werethe gorgeous little girls enjoying this holiday soiree. “So much

fun was had by all and I can honestly say this is by far my favorite party to date. I just love this time of year.”

The "Merry&Bright" KidsHolidayCollectionbY I DO Invitations by Michelle

http://www.idoinvitationsbymichelle.com/


In the dining area, the girls each had their own cupcake with matching name topper that sat on top of matching plates and

napkins. A piece of shimmering aqua paper was set underneath the plates for some sparkling color contrast. “In the corner of the dining table I used a black little shelf I had to display the DIY yarn trees I made. I wrapped yarn around three different height tree foams and hot glued on little balls as ornaments. They are one of my favorite elements and were so easy to

make! I spray painted glass candlestick holders that are holding the large ornaments also seen in the black shelf.”

She also added tissue poms to the wall by adding push pins for a nice and inexpensive touch.


“The absolutely adorable outfits all of the girls are donning were just beyond perfect. I knew I wanted everyone to be in the

color scheme and everything came together perfectly.” Handmade holiday tees, custom hair accessories, pettiskirts

and adorable necklaces made all the girls look perfect for celebrating the festive holiday season.


To decorate the main dessert table, Michelle and her husband got busy with spray paint. She sprayed a fake wreath in the color Key Lime Rust Oleum, wrapped ribbon around it and

added some matching picks to it. Making it a main focal point, she added it to her fabric backdrop. “I've never seen a spray

painted wreath before, but it covered so well and looked great!Spray paint is now my friend.”

For the side “MERRY” table, Michelle added ornament picks in a green and pink glass vase and added gems and ribbons to it. Little goody bags for the kids featured a custom favor tag with

each of their names on it and were accented with aqua washi tape. “I even made a custom piece to put over my clock.”


Yummy and pretty sweets on the dessert table were Santa hat cake pops, cookies, fondant cupcake toppers, chocolate covered

Oreos and a polka dot cake. “I added a craft stick and someribbon to the invitation design to use as my cake topper. I also

added a few of the fondant trees on the cake as well.” Michelle also created snowmen out of donuts. “I bought a package of white mini donuts and added black food coloring to make theeyes and mouth and pushed a piece of candy corn inside the

hole for the nose. I also made the marshmallows by dipping them in white almond bark and adding some sprinkles, a craft stick and a matching tag.” The pink, aqua and lime mini trees were from Hobby Lobby. Michelle also added some ornaments and

hot glued other mini ornaments as well.


All Paper Products + Styling: I DO invitations by Michelle

Photography: Photos by Vitella{FASHION}

Custom Holiday Tee's: *golden*Pettiskirts: Lilies & Things

Hair Accessories: FrillsNecklaces: Miss CoCo Designs

{SWEETS} Cake Pops: Lillycakes

Sugar Cookies: The Cookie JarFondant Cupcake Toppers:

Lynlee's Petite CakesCake: Cakebakinbri

Cupcakes: Sweet Dreams

{DECOR + MORE}DIY Yarn Trees + Wreath:

I DO invitations by MichelleFlower Arrangement:

Town & Country Gardens"MERRY" Banner + Ribbon

Garland: A to Zebra Celebrations Cake Stand: OliviaDru

Plates/Napkins/Balloons: PolkaDot Market

Fuchsia Treat Bags/Straws/Tis-sue Garland: Shop Sweet Lulu

Tissue Poms: Pom LoveOrnaments + Bright Trees onDessert Table: Decorated by

Michelle Knox

Merry&BrightKids PartyCredits

""BBeeffoorree yyoouu wweerree bboorrnn................II lloovveedd yyoouu..""

baby lifestyles holiday 2011 magazine

Documents

baby lifestyles magazine

real baby showers

thehanukkah tree

faux white tree

ajewish star tree topper

silver ornaments

cameto holiday dcor

sparkling ornaments