Just feast your eyes on the prettiest of pretty parties for a second birthday celebration. a Swan Soiree is definitely the correct term to use, swans to be seen everywhere!

I do not have any favourite items, I really love all of it.  The swan theme has been incorporated in such an understated, classical way, and though it is everywhere, it is tasteful and does not seem overwhelming at all.

The peach colour palette is also not something you come across everyday, well done to the team from GnT Designwww.gntdesign.co.za

Enjoy the pictures and happy Monday!

VENDORS

Concept, Styling + Stationery l G 'n T Design
Photographer l D'amor Photography
Flowers + Decor Hire l Bella Fiore
Sweet Treats l Mmm macarons
Cake l 180 Degrees Catering & Confectionery
Catering l Fat Barista
Teepee l MiGi Designs

This year for in celebration of Mother’s Day, we decided to give-away a ‘Mom & Daughter’ make-over and styled shoot.  Everyone was so excited, that once the winner, Melissa, was chosen, we planned, executed and, Marethe, finalised the images within a month!
 
Thank you to all our lovely sponsors who just made it such a great day and did such a fantastic job – you are all rock stars!
To the winner, Melissa, and Mom, it was so nice to treat you, you were a pleasure to work with and you are both just the sweetest ladies (Mothers!). 
 
I hope you enjoy the pictures for years to come – you both looked lovely X

Planning, coordination and styling:  @planmepretty
Thank you to @marethegrobler for beautiful photography
@thebeautybrand.co.za l Make-up
@simone.pretorius.90 l Hair
@urbanbistro.za l Food
@vintage_on_main l Room and Gardens
@bellafiore_styling l Flower arrangement and crowns

This cute Tutti Frutti birthday party was hosted by the lovely lady behind lifestyle blog, Ellie Love, Caley Rosenberg, for her little girl, Zoe's second birthday.  Caley is also a party planner and this is clear in all the fun details and fruit themed party decor used through out.

I think this is just such a fun theme for little kiddos, whether a boy or girl.

Some of my favourite details are the jelly lemon wedges, the party packs are super cute and the fruit-themed balloon garland adds a special touch.  
Enjoy the pictures.  

Venue: Family home
Planning & Styling: Caley 
Stationery: Kerryn from The Arty Party https://www.facebook.com/theartyparty1/
Cake & Treats: Jadi Clark https://www.instagram.com/jadiclark/
Food: Kim Shea – Suburban Café https://www.facebook.com/suburbancafe/
Photography: Heather Fitchet http://heatherfitchet.co.za

I love this trend of using bold, bright colors for special events at the moment. And this is exactly what this Mom ordered for her birthday breakfast, a color fest themed party.

The combination of yellow and deep pinks is just so pretty and unique.  Enjoy the pictures!

​SERVICE PROVIDER CREDITS
​
Function design and planning - Vintage Rose Weddings & Events
Photographer and Stationary - Spiekerish
Florals - Royal Functions & Flowers
Cakes -  CocoVanilla Foods
Caterers - Taste Cafê
Decor - Vintage Rose Weddings & Events

For the month of February we have a beautiful A3 desk calender for your to download, print and pop onto your desk.  Keep yourself super organised and up to date at a glance, with this one month calender.  It even has a little note section for you to write down your brilliant ideas or important reminders.  

I printed mine at Postnet, on the A3 Gloss sheet for a very reasonable R11.50.
Another idea is to print it on an A4 sheet and stick it into your diary or workbook, so that you can easily plan your month.  
Or pop it onto your fridge or on the wall in your office, 

Thank you to Nicole from Nicole and the Striped Flamingo for this absolutely stunning design, super yeah! 

This is such an original and creative theme for an artsy soul.  I love the use of so many colours, which makes it easy to find and fit together different décor pieces.  Literally like all the colors on a painters paint palette! 

​Enjoy the pictures.  

​SERVICE PROVIDER CREDITS
​
Function design and planning - Vintage Rose Weddings & Events
Photographer- Spiekerish
Petit Fours & Macaroons - Nicoles Macaroons
Chocolate thank you gifts -  De Villiers sjokolade
Flowers - Royal Functions and Flowers
Decor - Vintage Rose Weddings & Events

Debra from Bella Fiore, put together this fun, fruity and flower filled bridal shower. By playing with shades of pink, orange and yellow, Debra was able to accentuate the playful side of the Tutti Frutti theme, while at the same time creating a cohesive, elegant look and feel.  I also love the fact that so many different blooms were used, it creates variety and texture in each arrangement. 

The venue is the beautiful Iskia in Pretoria - a newly listed venue in the Plan Me Pretty directory.   

Awesome cake by Sweetly Detailed, Sumari never disappoints!

The stationery by Pistachio Designs is just perfect. I love all of it.

Venue l Iskia
Flowers, décor hire & styling l Bella Fiore
Photographer l Pistachio Photography
Stationery l Pistachio Designs
Cake l Sweetly Detailed 
Macarons l Nicole's Macaroons

More Bridal Shower Inspiration:

I say this every year and I am going to say it again, this festival remains one of my social event highlights of the year! I love going to the opening on the Friday and just being able to roam through the beautiful floral displays and getting lost in a room full of roses, while sipping on, this year specifically, delicious rose-infused Wilderer G&T's, Warwick wine and loads and loads of bubbly. 

The theme this year  was 'The House of Roses'.
The Rose Shed was divided into 8 'rooms': bedroom, kids room, bathroom, dining room, living room, bar, kitchen and the courtyard, with every room filled with thousands of roses, roses and more roses.

Ludwig's Roses also introduced a range of limited edition, rose inspired décor items and accessories. These included scatter cushions, napkins, doormats, bath products and earrings. 

The festival ran on the 6th and 7th of October, so unfortunately you missed it, but as a consolation prize, here are some beautiful pictures of the show, by the very talented Marethe Grobler. 
Also note the beautiful Nomzano rose, a coral beauty, that was unveiled.

Don't miss out next year, there is loads to do for the whole family and literally thousands and thousands (maybe millions?) of roses in bloom!

This was such a special celebration for me.  After three years of marriage, my hubby and I were blessed by falling pregnant with twin boys. As I am writing this, the two munschkins have arrived and they will be 8 weeks old this coming Sunday and they are just too beautiful for words.

What made this day so special for me is just seeing and experiencing how excited and happy all my friends and family was for us. I just felt so extremely loved, adored and indulged and that is something that I am so grateful for and will remember always.  

Even now when I potter around in the babes' room, and I see all the baby things and clothes, I am  amazed how spoiled the boys were.  I was literally showered with gifts and love, what more could any girl ask for?! Everything and everyone just made my heart swell with HAPPINESS. 

My shower was organised by my sister and two of my best friends. They got it so right!  There are few things that I enjoy more than an afternoon spent in the sun, bum on grass, yummy picnic spread and a cold glass of bubbly with a group of my besties. (Obviously I got the alcoholic-free kind)
And the theme? Bunnies, always bunnies for me. Paired with decor that was earthy and understated, I loved it. 

Some of my favourite details?
The canvas 'guest book' - where each guest had to leave a finger print, which now hangs in my baby room. 
The 'Milestone' wine tags.  Each guest had to bring a bottle of wine and attach a milestone card with a message.
The cheesecake! 

Enjoy the pictures, and download all the printables at the bottom of this post.

Feast your eyes on this beautifully styled gold and pink, twinkle, twinkle, little star, themed first birthday celebration by Outlandish Events.  

My favourite details?
- The cake!
- The star and flower candy table backdrop
- The star shaped pinata!

​Enjoy and be inspired. 

We finally have some pretty pictures of the winner of our 'Win-your-Party'competition last year.  Happy birthday Princess Lenieke - hope you had a great first birthday!

Hope you can put together something pretty and special for your Mom this Mothers Day by using our free printable set.

Thank you to Nadine from Sstudio Stationery and Design.

Download the printable's by clicking on the link below

This year for Mother's Day I am making a meringue lollipop for each guest which I will serve with some strawberry ice-cream, topped with sliced strawberries. You can use any fruit of your choice, or drizzle with a nice salted caramel dessert.

Four tips I can share:
1.  Follow the recipe to the letter.  I did and the meringues come out nice and crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
2. You can do them using a handheld beater, I did, and all went well!

Needed:
3 Large Eggs
150gr Castor Sugar (no other sugar)
Hand/bowl mixer
Gel Coloring
Piping Bags
Wax Paper
Piping nozzles to get different patterns in the meringue.
I used a large star tip nozzle to pipe the lollipop and small nozzles to add the detail.

Recipe:
​I used the very famous recipe by the Meringue Girls. 
The 150gr sugar with 75gr egg whites is the ratio I used and will be enough to do your meringue pops..
Once the meringue is perfectly mixed and not grainy anymore, transfer your meringue into a large piping bag with large star nozzle.
Pipe your pops from left to right onto a piece of baking paper.
Once piped, press your stick in (remember to pre-soak your sticks in water, and when piping, keep in mind how your lollipops on sticks is going to fit into the oven)
Remember to keep a little meringue separate to color for your detailed elements.
Carefully fold the coloring into the meringue.  Pipe detail and then add your sprinkles before popping into the oven.
Switch off your oven when meringues are done and let them cool in the oven.
Add your gold leave and Immediately transfer to a air tight container.  

We are halfway though Autumn, and Winter is just around the corner.  This is the perfect time of the year to incorporate the color of the year,
​Ultra Violet, into your special function/celebrations' color scheme.
It is warm and inviting and really just looks lovely!

I have a put together a mood board to inspire you in planning your Winter event.  
For images sources and more inspiration, please go to our pinterest board.  

Today I am just sharing a few images of this beautiful garden, set-up. for a special bride-to-be! 
​Enjoy the pictures and your week!

I have set this calender as my mobile phone and laptop wallpaper, and all I can say is that these tones of ultra violet and plum, make me happy every time I look at it! 

To help alleviate the Autumn blues, download and set as you wallpaper immediately. 

It is almost that time of the year where we all have a solid excuse to gorge on Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns! 

To add a bit of fun to your Easter Weekend, SStudio Stationery and Design has designed the loveliest Easter printable's for you to play around with.

Hope you enjoy them and we would love to see some pictures!  

EASTER EGG HUNT PRINTABLE SET

Includes a set of 6 signs that you can cut out, glue to a stick, and pop all over your garden.
​Download here.

​The Beauty Brand is the brainchild of Maureen Grobler, image coach and makeup artist. Linking together a host of products, services and suppliers, Maureen's ultimate goal is aimed at developing her client’s beauty and brand to unlock self-confidence.
 
Approaching image and style with an ethos of authenticity and deep-seated value, The Beauty Brand services and products look much further than skin deep, offering longevity to your personal brand, born from understanding and embracing who you are.

I have known Maureen for many years and it is truly her passion in life to unlock self-confidence in the female sex.  You will not leave a session with her untouched, inspired by her zest for life and va-va-voom.  

Remember to enter our give-away on our Instagram Page 

Pink and silver and sparkling - what more could a girl want for her 17th birthday celebration?!

Ishrat's love and passion for her work really shines through in every function that she does, in every little detail.  Thank you for sharing.

Enjoy the pictures!​