Without Further Ado...

...I present to you, Mimi's baby shower.

Please pardon the fact that the shower took place two weeks before Eli was born, and I am posting this when he is about to be one month old.  No matter how you work the math on that, I'm tardy.  But still, I hope you enjoy!

My gift to Mimi was the shower itself, but I couldn't resist decorating the wall with this cute (and super easy!) clothesline filled with adorable tiny baby clothes.  And the bonus, of course, is that Eli gets to wear the decor!  I've seem him sport the socks and orange pants already.  And I must say, they look even better than they did on the hanger wall.

The centerpieces did double duty, too - each one was made up of eight individual ranunculus plants ('potted' in cute target mugs) and grouped together in the center of the table.  At the end of the party, each guest took one home as a party favor.

 I made the flower arrangements myself - I've still got a lot of learning to do when it comes to arranging flowers, but I sure do enjoy the learning process.  I knew that I wanted to use glass bottles as vessels and I love the way they turned out.  And they're reusable, too!

 Lorna's friend Amy made the candles - a fun little addition to the decor, huh?

Eli is one lucky little boy!  Mimi & Jacob got some of the most incredible gifts - I couldn't resist sharing this great shot of them mid-opening.  Not only do I just love the superhero onesie, but I think you should also note that Jacob is wearing a stuffed elephant in the baby carrier that's strapped to his chest.  Adorbs!

The hostesses - Laura, Aunt Helaine, and me - with the guest of honor.  

Can you guess which one is Mimi?!

A warm welcome for the mommy-to-be.

All photos taken by my very talented husband, also known as Eli's Uncle Sammy.

Farewell, Old Friend

I made a gigantic, life-changing decision on Sunday: I'm giving up Diet Coke.

It happened in a moment when I was actually considering going Vegan (?!??!) but I decided that, if I was seriously considering eliminating something from my diet, I'd choose cheese over (delicious) chemicals. Once the decision was made, I promptly drove to 7-11 and purchased a gigantic Big Gulp filled with the sweet, sweet nectar of life (aka fountain DC) for one last rendezvous. And I have to tell you - it was magnificent.

I've been trying to clean up my act for awhile now in preparation for hopefully starting our family later this year. Recently, I was lunching with a friend who is a bit older than me and has been trying for awhile to get preganant. Something she said resontated with me, about trying to only put 'clean' stuff into my body 80% of the time - cause aiming for 100% will drive a person crazy! That, along with a couple of interesting articles about veganism, has just struck a chord with me and got me thinking about being more mindful about what goes into my body, especially cause I hope it will be home to a little growing human one day soon! :)

I've been able to ween myself off of the spelnda I usually put in my morning coffee, so I'm feeling confident about the DC challenge. Although I must say that I am significantly less addicted to Splenda than I am to Diet Coke, so who knows! I've been 'clean' for only one day and so far, so good. I expect the shakes to kick in any moment now. Keep me in your thoughts.

To my beloved beverage:

I'll never forget when we first fell in love -

you were offered to me in mass quantities for just pennies at The Den (RIP) in Madtown.

Our affair was passionate and lengthy, spanning multiple jobs, roommates,

boyfriends, and states - you were with me through it all.

I will miss you, terribly.

Farewell, Old friend.

My Little Munchkins

Welcome to the world, Eli Gonzales! I am so excited to meet you and already so proud to be your Aunt & Godmother. I can't wait to squeeze your adorable cheeks and shower you with lots of Auntie love.

Of course, this isn't my first time as a godparent. I have the great honor of being Max's fairy godmother, too -and I can't very well complete this post without showing you how cute he is and how big he's getting! He's growing into such a little man and I just relish every second we get to be together (which, sadly, is not often enough). Max, tell your parents to just put you on the plane to LA and Auntie Natalie will take you to meet Mickey!

Crazy Busy & Crazy 'bout Pups

What's ironic about writing a blog that's supposed to be primarily about my budding event planning business, is that actually working on said event planning business keeps me too busy for blogging!

I have a page-long list filled with things I want to share with you: my new clients, the adventures of building a business, stories from my own wedding, a zillion inspiration photos I tore out of bridal magazine, and lots more fun stuff like that. Instead, I've been stuck doing things like prepping for our meeting with the accountant this weekend and dealing with other deadlines at the day job - along with all of the work I'm doing outside of regular work hours for my small but mighty roster of clients. It's a lot, I tell you.

In the midst of our crammed schedules, Sam and I did squeeze in an actual date last weekend - I showered and put on make up and wore heels and everything! So that was a big deal and a lot of fun. Aside from that, the Lembecks have been all business lately and, as a result, I have been boring and inconsistent with my blogging. I apologize. I'll get better at it, I promise.

One thing that I always have time for - my sweet, sweet pooch, Bella. I know you all love her as much as I do, how could you not?? Look at this face:

I know. She's adorable. It kind of hurts, right? I wish I was with her right now...

Anyway, as my gift to all of you, to help you out of your mid-day slump and make up for my lack of blogs, I am stealing - er, borrowing - this post from one of my daily blog destinations, Elements Of Style, and sharing it with all of you because I know it will make your day. For all you self-confessed crazy dog people out there - and I know many readers of this blog fall into that category - this one's for you. Enjoy.

I know, I know. You're Welcome.

All images by Fat Orange Cat Studio via Elements of Style Blog.

Me Lately

I've been all over the place lately, working on lots of fun projects and personal things. Blog writing time has been slim, so I'm giving you a quick glimpse into my world, courtesy of my ever-present-but-leaves-a-lot-to-be-desired blackberry camera phone. Here's what I've been up to lately...

...gushing over my best friend's first born: Jordan Eva Moore. How cute is she?! So much character in that face - she is not generic at all. I am counting down the days until I get to shower her with kisses and gifts and love - in person!

...waking up to the sweet face of my own baby girl -

look at her all snuggled under the covers with me...

...prepping the flowers and favors for Mimi's Baby Shower

...handmaking tags for the shower favors. (The E is for Eli the name of my soon-to-be-born nephew and godson! Last week Mimi asked Sam and me to be Eli's godparents and we said "Yes, Please!" It's looking like Eli will make his debut sometime in the next week - hooray!)

...flying to Vegas to help with MTV's Real World 25 Premiere Party at the Hard Rock. I was there for a day, it was super fun, I worked with great peeps, and I got a big slot win at the airport on the way home - with ten minutes to spare before my flight!
Living on the edge, I tell you...


...booking another wedding for Sunny Day Strategies!
*I know this shot's not from my blackberry, but I wanted you to 'meet' Adi & Todd, who just hired me to plan their September wedding at the Malibu Nature preserve. The photo above was taken at their ceremony site - it's gonna be a really ugly wedding, huh?

...planning my hubby's talent-show themed 30th birthday party.

I know this picture is also not from my blackberry, but I needed to share the clip art photo above. It is, I kid you not, the exact photo Sam sent to me in a document titled "very important, thorough talent show research" - and this was the entirity of the inspiration board included in said document.

I love him.

That's all for now! I'm off to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. I have lots of other stuff in the works that I am excited to share. I'll be back for another blog post soon, I promise!

Daydreaming...

I spend probably an hour or two nearly every day looking at real estate listings and home blogs, just daydreaming about becoming a homeowner. I have something beyond home-envy - the disease I have is way more intense, and sometimes threatens to take me over completely - and given the fact that I have never been much for patience, it takes everything I have to remain calm and sane (and hold back from making decor purchases - even when the discount is unbeatable) while Sam and I wait until we are more financially ready to be homeowners. Which will hopefully happen sometime before we are one hundred years old. Like sometime this year would be sweet.

At any rate, I bide my time oogling and drooling over (and imagining myself living in) other peoples homes. I guess this is probably helping me define my style (which, at this point, I might call rusticvintageanthrocozydiyretro?) and what I'm looking for in a home. Here's what I'm pining over as of late:

Hello, welcome to my home, would you like to come in?
With this entry way?! Absolutely!

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Yellow dining chairs? check. Repurposed vintage dresser as a buffet? check. Retro pendant light fixtures? check. I'm loving everything about this rustic vintage eat-in kitchen. This kitchen and the stairway below are both from the same Apartment Therapy house tour, which I have had bookmarked in my favorites for almost a year. I love the vibrant green color and am a sucker for any sort of eclectic photo collage display.

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This is the home of Susan Feldman - it's no surprise that her home is amazing, being that she is the goddess behind creator of OneKingsLane, my favorite daily deals site. Again, I'm loving the eclectic photo display here and, as I've mentioned before, I love a good built-in filled with personal artifacts and actual books on display. I'm also really digging the blue armless chairs here - they provide a nice pop of color and give the room a nice open, spacious feel.

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If you are a crazy HGTV aficionado like myself, you will recognize the rustic living room above, as well as the kitchen below, from Sarah's House, one of the great Canadian imports on HGTV. I am insanely obsessed with exposed beams - I just love the character they add to a home - and recently said to Sam that exposed beams are a requirement for our first home. Not quite the same as, hmm, I don't know - a second bathroom or a fenced in yard, but an essential in my book, nonetheless.

And I am gaga over this kitchen - I love, love, love the yellow island and I think the farmhouse sink and country style cabinets are the bees knees. Love everything about it. I promise I will cook every single day if I can do so in this kitchen. Pretty please??

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I love the color combo in this master bedroom - it manages to be soothing and calm, while still featuring pops of vibrant yellow and has some other unique hints of personality and texture from interesting trinkets and furniture pieces. I love how they've surrounded the TV in with an ornate, empty frame. I thought I was so clever doing that with a boring corkboard in our office, but class-ing up the TV takes the trick to a whole new level. A few more pics of the great bedroom details are below:

I must have this yellow chair. It's a necessity. Like air.

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I have longed for this armoire from Anthropologie for years. I actually added it to our Anthro Wish List/Registry when we were getting married a few years ago, thinking some secret benefactor might graciously dole out the $1,800 to make my every dream come true. Alas, we remain armoire-less. And today I discovered that it's no longer available for sale online. But since this post is about dreaming, I'm showing it to you anyway. I love the room above, but the armoire I'm really in love with is called the Bird-Cut Armoire, but that picture is giving me problems so I just can't show it to you today.

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I love the giant map on the wall for a lot of aesthetic reasons, but I also love it because it reminds me of a great story my dear friend Dan Semo tells about the year his mom got him and his sister giant maps for hanukkah - "Maps, HUGE maps!," she said enthusiastically as the two youngsters burst into tears.

Well, we've arrived at the end of our tour. I hope you've enjoyed your peek into my imaginary home. I've loved having you and look forward to welcoming you into my real-life home. You can expect your invitation sometime in the next century - fingers crossed!

This & That & Ryan & Susanne

What a busy, wonderful weekend! Mimi's baby shower on Saturday was a huge success and so much fun! Pictures will come soon, but my photographer hubby left his camera at the venue so right now I've got nothing for ya.

I spent most of yesterday touring wedding venues with Colin & Amber. I'm happy to report that there's definitely a frontrunner, but we're still going to do a bit more searching, so I'm not spilling any beans yet...

One of the places we looked at was Calamigos Ranch, a gorgeous venue in the hills of Malibu. Our friends got married there last year in one of the most colorful, personable, warm and fun weddings I've ever been to. Sam went to film school at USC with Ryan, and he and Susanne are two of the most creative and artistically talented people I know - and they are so super friendly, too!

Here's a look back at Ryan & Suzanne's vibrant summer wedding:

I love the way they mixed in modern colors and design, while still keeping things rustic and pretty. The balance was perfect!

I just adore the bright and inviting colors they used throughout the ceremony and reception venue (how pretty is the tree they got married under?!) and I have to give them props because they, too, had a choreographed first dance - I like to think that Sam and I had something to do with the inspiration for that decision!

Nothing about their wedding was over the top, a feat that's hard to pull off when you are trying to seamlessly incorporate some carnival-themed elements into the mix - it's easy to head into cheesy-ville, but these two stayed on the right side of the line the entire way through. There wasn't a detail that didn't go unnoticed, and their personality was really present throughout the whole night.

When done right, you really can't go wrong with a ferris wheel, photobooth, cupcakes, dancing, and popcorn! And these two did it all right, all the way. I had nothing to do with the planning of this affair, I was just lucky to be a guest!

Their photographer Kali Kraum did an excellent job capturing the night, and she has a great website - I could get lost in her blog!