Buckets of Inspiration

I'm back...I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post.  Since that time, I turned another year older (which I refuse to acknowledge) and have gone through quite a lot of heartache and sadness in my professional life.  But in that time and despite the horrendous roller coaster my family and all of my brothers and sisters have been riding, I have never been more proud to work for who I do, stand with those who have chosen to stand up, and hold out hope and continue to have faith that in the end, good triumphs over evil.  The battle has just begun and believe me, someone has picked the wrong fight this time. 

In addition to the inspiration I've gotten from those I have the honor of working for every day, I also have gathered tons and tons of inspiration for planning Grace's 7th Birthday Enchanted Prom.  Because as every party gal knows, "the show must go on!"

So after a month or so on hiatus fighting the good fight, I've returned to working little by little on getting ready for The Prom.  Grace is on spring break this week and I managed to take a few days vacation.  Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Mother Nature it is Spring - we received almost 18 inches of snow since yesterday!  I have to remind myself that it is March 24th!  Ahhh....spring time in Wisconsin!

Since we are stuck inside, I wanted to work on a few things for The Prom.  My first inspiration came from Amy's BEAUTIFUL Glittery Ballerina Birthday Party she gave her daughter.  The details of this party are truly amazing.  It makes the Ballerina Princess Party I gave Grace a few years ago look like amateur night :)  As soon as I saw Amy's party, I knew I had to steal some of her ideas for The Prom.  In fact, I told Amy so and she gave me permission to copy away :) 

I just LOVED the glittery ballet dancer she made for the backdrop of the sweets table.

As soon as I saw it, I knew I found my inspiration for the backdrop of Grace's sweets table.  Instead of the ballerina, I thought I'd incorporate the "prom girl" from the invitation my talented cousin designed.

And here is what I came up with (yes I know it's backwards!):

The frame was on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $11 (marked down from $111!).  I know it is not the exact correct size, but that adds character :)  I placed light pink fabric behind the frame.  It has a touch of sparkle that the camera did not pick up.  The pink sparkly tulle matches Grace's "prom dress" she'll be wearing.

 And a close up...

I'm particularly proud of the little wrist corsage I added :)

I plan on anchoring the prom girl with 2 of these ribbon mirror balls on each side.

The inspiration for my second project comes from Lindi at Love the Day.  Would it be cheesy to say that I Love Lindi!  Her ideas are modern yet classic, clean yet detailed.  A while back she posted pictures of these beautiful yard stakes that are for sale in her Etsy shop. 

I'm no graphics designer, but I managed to put my Silhouette to work and use some of the materials I gathered for the party and put together my own yard stakes.  I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out!

The crown and disco ball are actually invitations I originally purchased a while back to use for the invites.  After deciding not to use them, I think they've found a good re-purpose!

I added "bling" to the crown.

Now let's just hope the snow melts in the next month or so or these stakes will be finding a cold home in a snow drift!

In closing tonight's post, I just want to express my gratitude to all of you who have sent your prayers and thoughts over the past month.  As I keep reminding myself, God doesn't give you more than you can handle!  And as my mother keeps telling me, "everything happens for a reason."  Let's just hope that reason turns out to be a good one!