Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone, from my family to yours! Hoping your holidays are filled with joy, laughter, and delicious food with those you love! I had the perfect Christmas Eve at home with family, yummy food, dance party on the Wii, fireworks overlooking the beach, unwrapping Christmas pajamas, and watching my son and nephew make cookies for Santa Claus! Christmas morning is here and I am ready for a fabulous brunch and loving every minute of my son's child wonder and excitement!!

xoxo, 

Ashley

B is for the Birds and the Bees

Hosting and creating parties are somewhat of my specialty and baby showers are one of my favorites. My own baby showers were nothing short of magical, and now that I am pregnant with my second child and already having aquired all the baby gear, I will have to wistfully sit this time out. On the other hand, planning friends baby showers are incredibly joyful, especially when you are throwing one for your best friend who just so happens to be fabulous! Whether I am hosting a dinner or planning a themed party, the attention to detail is what always creates a successful event. The details in this baby shower were so playful and whimsical, from the bee theme down to the play on the letter B. B is for the Birds and Bees and Baby Eve was the theme of this unique and beautiful shower. Everything served for dinner (braised tenderloins, baby shrimp scampi), and even the drinks began with the letter B. Bellini's were served to guests as they sipped on water out of colored baby bottles. The mother to be is quite a foodie, so I hired a dear friend who happens to be an incredible chef to cater the event and together they came up with a dinner menu that left every guest speechless. The gourmet Nutella filled vanilla cupcakes were made to resemble flowers and even had marzipan bees handmade on top. The Birds and Bees baby shower theme, played on everything with the letter B which made for a one of a kind shower experience and hopefully left the mommy to be with unforgettable memories.

The bright floral centerpieces were chosen to complement our B sunny theme.

Handmade marzipan bees on these delicious iced gourmet cupcakes. Dinner menu appetizers were polenta, shrimp scampi, and crab cakes. The main course featured braised tenderloin, homemade truffle mac and cheese, and a mescaline salad.. Desserts were flower-shaped Nutella filled vanilla gourmet cupcakes. Cupcakes and event catered by Lillian Monroe.

Beautifully wrapped Pottery Barn frames were placed in front of each place setting and given to each guest as a gift in honor of the mommy to be who happens to be a photographer. A memorable gift that each guest will surely enjoy!

I created this one of a kind artwork to be framed next to the candy and personalized bags on the dessert table. Always frame a sign or the event invitation and place on a coordinating table for a personalized look that guests are sure to notice.

Personalized bags that were individually hand drawn but any design can be printed and pasted on gift bags as an easy alternative. Take home gift bags are always a nice touch and guests certainly don't mind going home with an armful of goodies!

The candy dessert table featuring all candies that began with the letter B.

Mommy to be and one of my dearest friends!

I hosted the B themed dinner baby shower at my previous home on what turned out to be a lovely evening. Photos by Lindsay Parks Photography. http://Lindsayparks.com/

Gender Reveal Photo Shoot

{I let go of the pink balloon to announce the arrival of our baby boy Emory James Worsham}

I love the way that different styles of clothing can affect my mood. When I style my own personal photo shoots, I feel most pulled together when the look feels timeless yet reflects my personality. When I am planning for any successful photo shoot, I create a styling list or a look book which dates back to my days as an assistant art editor at Ocean Drive magazine.

I had so much fun styling my pregnancy photo shoot. This was the chance for me to throw all the rules out the window and be even more whimsical and over the top girlie than I am usually. To figure out my desired looks, I pulled many outfits and started taking photos of myself to see what worked and what fell flat. I needed to make sure that every clothing look was unique from each other but at the same time every outfit needed to enhance my pregnant belly. 

My first look styled the gender reveal photos. I wanted these shots to be the most over the top and a tutu dress seemed to fit the bill perfectly. My idea was to create a look that revealed the gender of our baby in a cotton candy inspired sugary sweet confection shot. The rest of the pregnancy looks I wanted to feel romantic and natural. When styling my son and husband, I simply coordinate their outfits to mine. Never do a matchy matchy family photo, the look will come off as contrived and no matter how much time is spent planning, the photos should always look effortless.

               

After the outfits have been chosen, shoes and accessories help add the extra sparkle and fun to photos. Jewelry needs to have a prescence and make a bold statement. Remember the more outrageous and fun you have with jewels the more likely your accessories will be captured in print. It goes without saying that I love beautiful necklaces and this flower necklace I purchased at  Anthroplogie is certainly no exception. 

Packing for traveling with your family and styling my pregnancy photo shoot could get a little hairy because I naturally overpack  for a normal travel weekend. I style my outfits ahead of time to prevent insane overpacking. Before I travel anywhere I try on my outfits and make sure they are correct for the occasion and time of year. I like to have everything organized and packed efficiently and it's certainly one of my OCD traits along with keeping my closet merchandised. Here are some photos of my packing process:)

We traveled to my hometown in Central Fl to meet up with one of my best friends who is an amazing photographer. She has pretty much documented my entire adult life. Love her so much! Check out her amazing website...     

http://www.lindsayparks.com/

The location was at Lake Louisa State Park which could not have been any prettier or more of an idyllic setting for the rustic nature look I was going for.. I love the finished photos and especially the balloon gender reveal shots which evoked that whimsical cotton candy charm but at the same time captured the beauty of my country hometown. My endearing family photos with my son Easton and my husband are memories we will share with each other and Easton's little brother Emory for many years to come...