Jan 29, 2012

Mom's 60th Birthday Beatles Party

So it's finally done! I've been super busy the last few weeks with work and secretly planning my Mom's 60th Birthday Party! Mom loves the Beatles (and so do I) so a 60s Beatles themed party was perfect!

Last minute it got a little hectic, since Mom stopped by my house while we went to pick up the cake and saw some of the food. But luckily, we got it under control and she was still surprised when she got there.

But let's start at the beginning. First was the invitation. I took the album cover (yes album, not CD!) of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and altered it. I covered all of the faces with my Mom's pics. The Beatles in the front are Pop (as John), Angel (as Ringo), Mom (as Paul) and Richard (as George). Now I couldn't let my brothers have all the fun, so I put Grandma and myself in there too. I also added Grandpa, Angelito (my Mom's brother) and Mama and Papa in the background.

The invite wording had to be Beatles-y too, so I incorporated 7 song titles (and some lyrics at the bottom) to let everyone know about the party. Even the people that weren't able to come were totally psyched about the invite.

I themed out the food to all have Beatles song names as well. This got kinda hard when it came to the croquetas, but I figured it out. We had: Let It Brie, Chips & Glass Onion Dip, Octopus's Garden Potato Salad, Wild Quiche-y Pie, Cheese Please Me Taquitos, And Your Bird Can Wing, Piggies, Because the World Needs Croquetas, Something Bocaditos, and Happiness is a Warm Meatball.

The decor was pretty easy, just making sure my colors (teal, red, orange and yellow) were out there. I floated some balloons in the pool (which all got caught in the tubing for the vacuum), and with $2 worth of tissue paper, I made tissue paper tissue paper pom poms. You can see a couple under the slide.

I also placed a few pom poms underneath the tables on either end of the pool area. These tables got yellow tablecloths, which was a bit of a mission, since I had to cut them to get around the unbrella poles.

I pulled out the pop-up tent (to protect us in case of rain) and put the food under there. I had initially planned another table for the desserts, but the threat of rain all day on the news had me scared, so I kept it to one table. I did use the lanterns I bought for the cousins party on the tent again. I also put up some streamers behind the food table, but the humidity made them droopy.

The favors were fun but simple, love beads and buttons. I had buttons for each Beatle and ones that said Rosie's 60th too. Having a button maker does have its advantages. And everyone got into it and put on their buttons and chose which beatle they wanted to represent.

Of course it wouldn't be a Beatles party without the music, so I had all of my Beatles music on repeat throughout the party. Everyone loved hearing their favorite hits. And I had my Mom's (and some of my brother's) original Beatles records out on display.













I asked my guests to come in Beatles chic/retro 60s attire, and they didn't disappoint. I had some hippies, greasers, preppies and awesome mod girls. I went for the girls waiting for Beatlemania look. I even brought over some clothes for Mom, so she could change and be in fashion for the 60s!

One of the highlights of the night was the photobooth. I found this great free software on Curbly.com that made the photobooth super easy. Even my great aunts and uncles had a great time in the booth. The pics are so awesome. The software is for Macs, but all you need is a printer and a computer and you're good to go.

After we had all the photobooth fun, it was cake time! I had some desserts in addition to the cake: Apple Records, Strawberry Fields Forever, Marmalade Skies Cookies and Marshmallow Pies.

The Birthday cake was so fun. I had it made at Publix and it came out so cute. I wanted something more than just the regular cake we usually get to make it special.

After the cake we watched a video I made of Mom's pictures, from when she was a baby until now. Everyone loved seeing the pics. Then, like they did in New York back in the day, Mom opened all of her presents.

It was a great party. Mom loved it, she told me she just wished she could have helped with the planning. I'm so glad she had a good time and everyone else did too. 

I gotta thank everyone that helped me: my assistant photographer and sneak Mom around guy, Pop.

My beer and ice procurer, as well as sneak around the house and get stuff before Mom notices partner, Angel and my sneaky partner-in-crime, Abuela.

Happy Birthday MOM!! Here's to many many more!


Jan 21, 2012

Surprise 50th Celebration

It was one of my co-worker's 50th birthday last week, so we wanted to do a little more than the usual cake. We decided to have a breakfast party (with cake as dessert).
our delicious breakfast (with pastelitos & Colombian empandas!)
We found some cute decorations online from the party store. But when I went to the store to buy them, the store was closed. Can you believe they close at 8:30pm on Wednesday nights? What is up with that? Since we had already ordered the cake in the same colors, I decided to DIY it and headed to the dollar store and made some other decorations at home with the help of Photoshop.

Here is my 99 cent wall (actually about $4 worth). Since there were no pink and black streamers, I got some white ones and added a pink and black ribbon to make sure our colors were there.
Here's where the Photoshop magic happened. I made these from scratch on Photoshop. I think I'm getting a little better at Photoshopping, cause the three different designs I used took me less than an hour to create. And I modified them to make them all a little special. 


At last, the cake. It was custom made to match our decor by Cake Designs by JC. My friend has most of her special occasion cakes made by him. His cakes are beautiful and delicious, I can see why she keeps going back to him.


So here's the room all ready for the party to start. Not to bad for some DIY and dollar store goodies. See you can make a party on any budget, you just need to know how and where to use your dollars.

Jan 16, 2012

2012 Golden Globes: Fashion

Ah, awards season is upon us once again. I love watching the fashions grace the red carpet. And I totally love that Ricky Gervais is back. He's freaking hilarious and the celebs need to suck it up and take it.

But now let's get to the main event, the fashion. (WARNING: This post is SUPER image heavy!)

First off the trends. You had your usual array of black and nudes on the carpet, but there was also surprisingly color on the carpet.

There was burgundy:
Emma Stone in Lanvin
Emma is one of my new favorite actresses out there right now (and it also helps that she's a redhead). I'm usually not a fan of Lanvin, but I think his latest collection may change my mind. This one is stunning. The shades of burgundy looked great on her and her hair even stayed looking red (this is a feat sometimes wearing a color like that). The eagle belt was all the bling she needed for this.

Julianna Margulies in Naeem Khan
I love Julianna and she was wearing one of the colors of the night, but this dress was just too matronly on her. She was so covered and sequined, I was not a fan. I did love the contrast of her jade earrings though.

Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta
Tina finally is a fashion do! This lady is one of the funniest out there, but her fashion on the red carpet always makes her the target of the joke. This gorgeous dress finally has her looking like the lead actress that she is. Go Tina!

Another beautiful color on the carpet was peacock:
 Freida Pinto in Prada
Freida looked beautiful in this Prada gown. The color looked amazing on her. And the simple accessories really completed the look. The fabric of the gown had a texture to it, so the simple silhouette made it look classic with a modern feel.

Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang
Sofia Vergara always pretty much goes for the same va-va-va-voom look. It works for her, but I'd love to see her in something else. That being said, her Vera Wang was predictable, but very pretty. The layers of what looked like organza ruffles on the tail of her mermaid gown really gave it the touch it needed.

There was also green on the carpet, but the ones that looked best mixed the green with darker colors:
Evan Rachel Wood in Gucci Premiere
Evan Rachel Wood is one of those hit or miss people on the carpet, but I think this was a total hit. The gown had sequins, what looked like scales and even feathers, but the ombred look was just picture perfect. I'm glad she's back to being a blonde, it really helps to lighten the look. This was just stunning.

Zooey Deschanel in Prada
People don't get Zooey's fashion most of the time. She usually goes for actual vintage or vintage-inspired looks. When I saw her arrive in this green and black one-of-a-kind Prada, I was shocked and amazed. She kept her hair and makeup 60s, but the Prada, with it's lime green beaded bodice, fit her quirky personality while showing that she can do modern looks too. 

And the one trend you could spot a mile away was the bright yellow:
Mireille Enos
Ok, I admit I had no idea who this was. Then I heard she was from The Killing, and then I realized this was Joey's second wife, Kathy from Big Love. It's so weird to see her all dressed up. She looks stunning in this yellow gown and the red lips really brighten up her face.

Missi Pyle
A slightly different shade of yellow on Missi. I think the color isn't the best shade of yellow, and I also think the blondes have to be careful with this new yellow trend. Missi's overskirt looks like the same tone as her hair.


Paula Patton in Monique Lhuillier
The yellow gown of the night was worn by Paula Patton! The shade of yellow looked beautiful with her skin tone and the design of the dress really showed off the fun vibrant color. Her simple jewels and hair really helped set off the look perfectly.

Now here are everyone's favorites, the celeb couples:
Amy Poehler in Naeem Khan & Will Arnett
Funny in the house! Amy Poehler and Will Arnett left the kids at home and got all dressed up serious-style for the big night. I wasn't a huge fan of Amy's dress, but I'll let her pass. Leslie Knope in 2012!

Elton John & David Furnish
New daddies Elton and David wore classic tuxedos, but added a little bling. Elton wore a brooch and David wore blinged out shoes. They looked great and so happy.

Harrison Ford & Calista Flockhart in Gucci
Harrison and Calista haven't been out in a while, but they looked great. When I first saw Calista's dress, I loved it, but I hadn't seen the full body shot. I feel like they forgot to add the last layer to her dress. She looked great, I just wished it was longer.

Nicole Kidman in Versace & Keith Urban
Nicole needs some self-tanner if she wants to keep wearing these light colors. The dress was really interesting with all of the studs, but she's so pale, you can barely tell where the dress ends and her skin begins. Thankfully she always has the adorable Keith at her side.

Angeline Jolie in Atelier Versace & Brad Pitt
The king and queen arrived and haven't looked better. Angie's dress was stunning. It's so nice to see her out of her usual black. And Brad looked great too, cane and all. His tux was classic as always, but his hair is what I really loved. I like Brad's hair longer, but longer and clean is just swoon-worthy.

Steven Spielberg & Kate Capshaw
I think Kate had some more work done, but who cares. Steven Spielberg is back! They both looked classic and elegant and I liked Steven's scarf. It was a cute classic Hollywood touch. But most of all I'm just glad he's making movies again.

Here it is the main event, best and worst dresssed. We'll start off with the best (in no particular order).

The Best Men:
George Clooney
You can't tell in the picture, but apparently Mr. Clooney's tux was midnight blue. This guy can just wear a tux. He will forever be on my best dressed list.

Ewan McGregor
Is it weird that I just want Ewan to burst out into song? He just looked great, skinny lapel tux, skinny tie, but classic slicked hair that just completed the look. So handsome, so Hollywood.
Gerard Butler
This is another of the super dark blue tuxes. What I loved about Gerard Butler was that he just looked so Scottish. The three piece classic tux, and another one with the longer hair. And Gerard is one guy that should always be bearded, so sexy.
 
Jonah Hill
This was my guy surprise of the night. Who would have thought that "the fat guy from Superbad" as my mom calls him, could clean up so good. He lost some weight and is doing some serious movies now, so I think he's taking it to his full advantage and looking like a real actor. Go Jonah!

Mark Wahlberg
Marky Mark is awesome in Hollywood, be it as an actor or producer. And this boy knows how to layer clothes over his Calvins. Always classic.

Now onto the Best Women:

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace
Like I said before Angie looked amazing in this Aterlier Versace. And I'm sure it was no accident that her lips matched her dress perfectly. Her chignon was perfect too. It was figure hugging without showing off too much. Stunning.
Ariel Winter in Dolce & Gabbana
Who would think that the nerdy sister from Modern Family could look like this? The dress is adorable and the tea length is just perfect for this pretty teenager. This is age appropriate and still fashion forward at its best.

Claire Danes in J. Mendel
Oh Angela Chase. When Claire walked onto the carpet, I was so happy to see her in this great graphic dress. This looked great on her and seemed to suit the grown up Ms. Danes (though I still think of her as Angela).

Dame Helen Mirren in Badgley Mischka
When I grow up, I want to be Helen Mirren. How does a 66 year old still look so good and fashion forward all the time? This Badgley Mischka was so perfect for her. It was so elegant and modern and current, but in no way made her look like an old lady. (Meryl are you taking notes?)

Viola Davis in Emilio Pucci
This woman is just amazing. How she could be the sweet, strong Aibileen in The Help one moment and this beautiful, glamorous actress the next is a testament to her talent. This Emilio Pucci was perfect for her big night. She looked amazing. (P.S. She should have won that Globe!--sorry Meryl)

Here comes the fun, the worst. First, the Worst Men:
William Hurt
You're a nominee, can't you at least comb your hair? There is no excuse. You can buy a comb at any corner drugstore, I'm sure you could have stopped somewhere along the way.

Viggo Mortensen
Viggo looks like he's going to a political fundraiser, not an awards show. Big props for the MLK pin, but what is up with that prep school tie?

Trent Renzor & Atticus Ross
Trent & Atticus have no excuse this year. It's not their first time at the rodeo. You went through this all last year, can we at least get something that fits over your growing belly (Mr. Reznor) and can you do up your tie too (Mr. Ross).

Michael Fassbender
Ok, so maybe you can golf without a club, but you still need to get a jacket that actually fits you properly.

Ed O'Neill
You're one of the stars of one of the biggest comedies on TV in years. Why the need to show up looking like you just rolled out of bed?

And at last, The Worst Women:
Sarah Michelle Gellar in Monique Lhuillier
Some fashionistas may love this dress, but it looks like it was washed with a blue pen that exploded in the wash. I'm just not digging it.

Michelle Williams in Jason Wu
Michelle is not as old as she looks. This dress ages her. I know she can dress well on the carpet, remember that orange dress she wore to the Oscars in 2006? I know you can do better than this  Michelle.

Jessica Biel in Elie Saab
Rumor has it that Ms. Biel got engaged over the holidays to her on-again boyfriend, Justin Timberlake. Is she trying to play bride here? She looks like she rummaged through her grandma's attic and found this. Plus she almost has NO makeup on. Come on Jessica, I hope you do better for your real wedding.

Katharine McPhee in Donna Karan
NBC brought out Kat McPhee to show off their new star. And this was her big introduction to the acting world, so why did she wear a dress that looked like it had shrunk? This dress looks like it's missing the bottom of it, and I'm just not a fan of this shade of nude on her. With no jewels or anything else to contrast the look, it just seems so blah.

Charlize Theron in Dior Couture
This is another one I saw the fashionistas online go crazy for. I just don't see it. Too pale, too weird, and it needed a little sparkle at the neck. The sparkly headband was cute, but I think she desperately needed a necklace instead. And this is another girl that needs to get back into color. She's been on a nude kick lately, but girl you need some color in your life.

There you have it. The Globes are over and now we just have to wait for the big show, the Oscars.

What did you think of the fashion? Did I mention any of your favorites?

all pictures from Getty and TV Guide