Puppy Love...A Grrrl's Best's Friend

I know you're probably thinking, "where have you been for the past six month?" Well:

• I completed my master's degree, officially have a Master's of Sciences in Integrated Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University:-)
• Went to Hawaii as a graduation/birthday/Christmas present...best trip EVER
• Slowly adapted to a single lifestyle. I even considered chronicling my efforts in a book...
• Haven't been in the kitchen as much as I wanted. Found out that my oven doesn't work, tried to replicate my infamous piña colada cupcakes to no avail. I eventually baked them over a friend's house and they came out perfect. 
• My best friend, Lucky, a German/Belgian Shepard mix of 13 years passed. Don't think I'll ever have another pet like him.

Couple of days ago, I wondered into a pet store to waste some time and play with puppies. I played with a Siberian Husky that was too cute for words. It wasn't five minutes before he tried to eat my purse, shoes, and scarf (which caused me to choke). The nerve, an outfit is all about the accessories! Needless to say, we handed that him back pretty quickly.

Photo Credit: Say Anything

Pearls of Wisdom Party: Part II

Earlier this week I shared my granny's birthday party, you can check out Part I for all the decoration details. Now for the yummy part....

Pearls of Wisdom Party: Part I

My grandmother turned 81 years old young last week. To celebrate, I planned a pearl themed party to honor  the pearls of wisdom she has provided our family and showcase her love for pearls (which also happens to be her birthstone)!

This party also marks the first time our small family has been together in more than a decade, so I hired a photographer to take family portraits while I snapped candids.

Candy Coated Celebrations

Want to throw a super shindig for your sweetie? Celebrate a candy lover? Try some of these party inspirations to make your party a Wrightful celebration! 

You can definitely make your guests feel like they are walking into a candy store with this colorful wreath made out of balloons!

HowDoesShe.com has instructions for creating this crafty and affordable accessory. You can use it as a door accessory or a wall decoration.

Hang a colorful Pier 1 paper lantern with matching lanterns in various colors to transform an ordinary room into Willy Wonka's candy (or was it a chocolate) factory.

Celebrate Michael Jackson's Life

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Michael Jackson's passing. If you have you want to pay homage to the King of Pop check out some of these party-starting ideas below.

Photo Credit: Vintage Blue

IT"S ALL ABOUT THE GLOVE! 
This was a signature part of Jackson's look and persona. Instead of wearing it, incorporate it into party decor. Use it in a centerpiece along with a fedora, sunglasses and black dancing shoes alongside a framed picture of Michael Jackson.

FILLERS  & THRILLERS
Shake up your party by hosting a Thriller dance contest. Play the music and see who can recreate the choreography from the legendary video best. Party goers can serve as judges.Whoever wins gets crowned as the "King (or Queen) of Party"! Use the same concept to see who's the best moonwalker!

MJ JAMS:
Any tribute to the music icon would not be complete without playing some of his hits. His music spans decades and transcends generations. You should have no problem finding "Best of...", "#1s", and covers of his greatest hits. Here's some of my fave MJ songs:

• "Man in the Mirror"
• "Music & Me"
• "Butterflies"
• "P.Y.T."
• "Will You Be There"
• "Heaven Can Wait"
• "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough"
• (and of course) "Thriller"

What are your favorite MJ tunes? 

Trying to Conquer a Fear

One of the things I love about Spring is all of the colorful party ideas, themes, and celebrations. However, if there is one thing that I hate fear most, its bugs! Unfortunately,  the Spring brings Butterfly birthday parties and Ladybug Luncheons. Things that I could never participate in because I have a HUGE phobia of all creepy crawlers (and fliers). 

I see all the gorgeous decorations and ideas, but hate to see these supposedly graceful winged insects and cringe. I hope to get over this fear someday, but for now its paralyzing. 

Despite this fear, I found these gorgeous party ideas and decorations.

This hanging butterfly (also available in orange, pictured above) comes from Save On Crafts. Its perfect for a fun eye-catching hanging decoration. 

Winter Wonderland Wrap-Up

Almost two weeks ago, I hosted Winter Wonderland at the RH School of Performing Arts. With the help of a dedicated troop of volunteers, blaring Christmas music, and a super dedicated boyfriend that dressed up like Mr. Kringle, we pulled off a fab event!

Children got to read off their wish lists to Mr. Claus and received gift bags with coloring books, toys, snacks, and coupons!

The kiddies piled into the activity room where they got temporary tattoos, coloring pins, and played games! The best part of the whole event was seeing the kids play with each other.

Santa even got kinda competitive with the bean bag toss! I put up more pictures on the facebook page, be sure to check it out! Don't forget to become a Wrightfully Social fan as well!

This event was made possible by Nicole Jones of Sensual Steps Shoe Salon, Thomas Cole of Diamond Bank, Frances Wright of Allstate Insurance, Pink's Child Care Academy, and Rhea Henderson of the RH School of Performing Arts.

www.sensualstepsinc.com
www.dbdiamond.com
www.pinkschildcare.com
www.rhspa.com
http://www.allstateagencies.com/FrancesWright/

Color Me Bold: Lisa Frank Inspired Party

I was in the store the other day and saw a set of Lisa Frank folders. Aside from swooning right there in aisle four, I became inspired to post this bright, bold post inspired by the artist!

This is a fun theme for children's parties, especially ones that include arts and craft activities.

Use bright shades of purple, pink, blue, and yellow to unify splashes of color for your party.

Guests will surely love this rainbow Sprite cake. I found the recipe over at Onomicon for all those brave chefs out there. Find it here. Rainbow lollipops and rainbow sherbet also provide treats for the mouth and eyes!

Give attendees gift bags filled with Lisa Frank activity books, pencils, rainbow stretch bracelets, and porcupine balls.

Make funky centerpieces with these button bouquets. These can be found on Etsy. You can check out my earlier post on button themed party ideas here.

Music playlist inspired by this post:
Prince "Pink Cadillac"
Prince "Purple Rain"
Aerosmith "Pink "
Beyonce "Greenlight"
Kelly Clarkson "Behind these Hazel Eyes"
Beatles "Blackbird" <-- one of my faves! Donovan "Mellow Yellow" Michael Jackson "Black or White"

I am personally grateful to this artist. I used these folders to learn about aesthetics, especially how to draw. Earlier on in elementary school, we would showcase our Lisa Frank school supplies proudly. Any girly girl growing up in the 90s should understand! By the way, this marks her 30th anniversary, congratulations!

Cute as a Button

Celebrate your little one's birthday or arrival in style with this "Cute as a Button" theme. Here is theme that is ideal for a baby shower or early birthday party that you can do on a relatively small budget.

You can create garland like the one pictured here by cutting flowers out of felt material. Secure the floral layers with a hot glue gun (3 to 4 max). Attach felt flowers to ribbon, which can be tied to arrangements for hanging. Recommended for mantles, doorways, and chairs.

Place picture frames with your adorable guest-of-honor on tables and on the walls around the party. This can be another crafty decorative project, glue assorted buttons on the frames. Accent with ribbon to make those pictures pop.

Make guests comfortable with these pillows (pictured right) by Letter Perfect Design. Place on couches, sofas, and arm chairs. You can contact the designer for custom pillows. Pick a design that incorporates personalization by using your little one's first initial.

Make it a tea time affair with this adorable and affordable centerpiece by Really Bad Kitty. Place atop a pink table runner sprinkled with buttons. You can also add coiled floral reeds or curled colored pipe cleaner to spruce up your attention getting centerpiece.

NOTE: If small children will be in attendance, you should secure the buttons with glue dots or a glue gun to avoid choking.

Want a unique favor? Try these flower magnets (pictured below), also by Really Bad Kitty. Couple with a personalized card thanking each guest for attending. Serve brownie pops for a tasty alternative to a traditional cake. Check out my post on the benefits of these unique desserts here.