New one-man-band on the block

I have a thing for one-man-bands. Brian brought it my attention and even made me a one-man-bands mixed cd for my birthday. It's true, most of my favorite music involves just one man and a guitar. John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Ray LaMontagne, Eric Hutchinson and Brett Dennen top my current list. Well, I have news for you guys...there's a new one-man-band on the block!

Over the weekend while enjoying a beautiful San Francisco day at Tour de Fat, our ears were treated to Sean Hayes. Having never heard of him and considering we were at a festival in the park, I was delightfully surprised! He reminds me of a mix between Brett Dennen and Jason Mraz. By the end of his set, I was just as eager as the hippie lawn dancers for an encore. Best of all, he's from San Francisco meaning he'll be playing in concert here again soon. Wednesday, Oct 28th to be exact.

Here he is performing his goofy and very catchy song, Alabama Chicken. Give your ears a treat and take a listen.



To learn more about Sean Hayes, check out his website! Music available on Itunes.

She's Crafty

Check out these adorable cards made by my crafty mom!

I love this paper. I love the way she used a flower punch I've had for years in a way I never thought of using it. I love that she used glitter paint on the center of the flowers, coordinating perfectly with the glitter on the paper.

Most of all I LOVE that I learned from and continue to be inspired by her craftiness.

LUNAFEST

I found out about this cool event from my friend and co-worker who is lucky enough to be one of the film screeners! I attended last year for the first time and loved it. Not only do you get to watch unique, inspiring and heart warming films, you are also supporting women film makers and The Breast Cancer Fund.

I plan to attend the premiere again this year on October 1 in San Francisco. Care to join me?

If you're not in the bay area, I encourage you to attend an event in your area!

Pumpkin Spice & everything nice

Today is the first day of September which means we are one step closer to Fall. It also means it's officially Pumpkin Spice Latte time at Starbucks!

While I can't believe another month has gone by, I'm actually really looking forward to September. Not only for my favorite latte, because I love Fall! Although it doesn't officially start until September 21, I'm already looking forward to the change of the season and the fun activities we have planned...college football begins, Chelsea and Trevor's wedding in Telluride, several visitors to the bay area and celebrating my two year anniversary here in CA. Meanwhile I will be treating myself to delicious lattes!

Confetti Couscous

Here's another good find from Cooking Light magazine. I've made this recipe twice, once for a party and once to have at home. Simple to make and is just as delicious, if not more so, the next day.

Confetti Couscous
total prep/cook time: 45 mins serves 8

Ingredients
2 baby eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 yellow squashes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups uncooked Israeli couscous
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation
1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Note: I don't have a grill so I roasted the veggies in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

2. Brush eggplant, squash, and bell peppers evenly with 4 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Place vegetables on grill rack; grill 3 minutes on each side or until slightly charred. Cool and chop. Place vegetables in a large bowl.

3. Bring 2 cups water and broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until couscous is tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add couscous, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper to vegetable mixture; toss. Combine vinegar and mustard in a medium bowl, stirring well. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup oil to vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over couscous mixture; toss to coat. Stir in basil.

Enjoy!

a mention in The Green Bride Guide

This May, among a whirlwind of friend's weddings, I was hired to help plan a wedding. I was fortunately referred to the couple - Becca and Greg - by a coworker whose wedding I helped with last summer. From start to finish it was a delight to work with Becca, Greg and their families. Although I was working, I can honestly say it was one of the best weddings I've ever attended. Classy, casual and a perfect reflection of their love for each other and the people who surrounded them. One of their big priorities was to have a green (eco friendly) event. Since they had very green lifestyle to begin with it wasn't hard to carry out their vision.

This week I found out their wedding is being featured on The Green Bride Guide. It was great to see the wedding pictures, read their story again and I was so touched to be mentioned as their wedding planner (and floral designer!). It was a honor to work with them and even more so to be acknowledged in the story. View The Green Bride Guide story and pictures here.

A few side notes...
Image 4: who is that in the background?
Image 5: as mentioned in the story, the flowers were purchased from a local farm. The flowers were GORGEOUS. If you ever need flowers for an event, consider ordering flowers from a local farm. Save money, support a local business and recieve flowers that were cut the same day.
Image 10: What you can't see in this photo is the handsome bartender/my personal assistant for the day, Brian. He was such a huge help and I had a lot of fun working with him.

My friend Chelsea...

was my roommate in college. We lived together for 3 fun-filled years in our sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta.
and I knew shortly after meeting that we were meant to be friends! best friends to be exact.

is a hard worker but knows to never take life too seriously. She's thoughtful, funny and has a great sense of style. Just a few good reasons why we get along so well.

lives in beautiful Durango, CO. I wish it was closer to CA.

is engaged to a fabulous man, Trevor. Talk about a match made in heaven!!

is tying the knot in 23 days!

will be a gorgeous bride!!

Before she gets hitched it's only proper she be showered with love, best wishes and a few gifts! Over the weekend her mom and lovely ladies in Durango did just that. While I was unable to be there in person, I was honored to make her invitations. It was one of the my best creative challenges to date.

Here are a few pics of the invite...

Page 2 was a detachable recipe card for the guests to share their
favorite recipe with the bride and groom.

And a few pictures from the shower...

Guest of honor making mimosas

Cute party favors - filled with granola

Beautiful flowers from mother of the bride's yard.

She's also growing and designing all the wedding flowers!