A Yellow Giraffe in a Pink Ruffle Tutu

We had lots of birthday fun here last weekend! Evie was all decked out in her pink ruffle tutu. I planned on making her a fabric crown inspired by this...maybe next year! 

I did have lots of fun planning and had some help and great inspiration from Leah of My Bride's Aide. She recently opened her event planning business so I thought I would take advantage of her expertise. She gave me the idea for these fabulous paper flowers. 

I am not a cake baker but I had lots of luck with this one! The last stacked cake I made was for my husband's birthday and ended up sinking in the middle and falling apart. This cake was Evie's cake :) It is 2 6" cakes. The icing is homemade buttercream frosting. The ruffles were actually very easy! I watched this video first.

For the guest cake, I made a cream cheese frosting (delicious!) on 2 9" cakes. I used the remaining frosting for the cupcakes.

I found this amazing shabby chic tier stand for about $40 on Amazon. LOVE it! I can use it for other parties and so much more.

The white picture frame was a $2 garage sale find, painted and distressed by me.

The ruffle was super fun to make! I found pink cotton fabric at JoAnn's. I first sewed pieces together and then gathered manually by sewing machine. I tried another zigzag gathering tutorial first, but somehow the entire ruffle came out:(

Evie's party invitations were my first project for the party. I think I started them when she was only 3 months old! The rest of the planning was inspired by this.

 I had plans for pompops and a more elaborate banner, but ran out of time.

LOVE these striped straws! I found them at various Etsy shops and others, but they are cheaper on Amazon.

Evie received LOTS of fun new toys!

This chalkboard from Spell it with Style is awesome! We are using it in our kitchen now.

 Kristi was an amazing help once the party started. I would turn around to go do something and she already had it done! She didn't even make me pay her that day:)

We had tons of fun and Evie did a great job!

Yep, we're proud:)

Cassie & Joel's Vintage Wedding

Months before the bride and groom say I do, so much time, talent, and inspiration go in to planning every last detail of the most important day of their lives. Each element plays it's part in creating the particular look and style the couple is hoping to capture. The details may each be beautiful on their own, but when looking at them as a whole picture, the sight can be stunning.


So when Days Gone Design provides invitations or other paper goods for a wedding, it is always so exciting to see the photographs of our clients' big day and see how all the little details came together to create a wedding that is truly breathtaking.

Such is the case with Cassie and Joel's wedding. Photos courtesy of Red White and Green Photography.

I am currently working on their thank you note! Check them out:

I finally have all of Evie's 1st birthday photos ready so I will posting all about her pink and yellow party soon! Here's a little peak...

One Year Ago

It's so hard to believe that one year has already flown by since our baby girl was born! This time has been amazing for Matt and I as Evie grows and learns new things. Our love for her is unimaginable and really puts in perspective, God's individual love for each of us. Evelyn is totally unique, one of a kind and there will never be another just like her. She is one loved little girl! It blows my mind just home many people are so smitten with Evie.  She likes to show off her charm. She tries all her tricks at once so we have peek-a-boo, waving, blowing kisses and dancing all lumped into one. Pretty darn cute! 

We are planning a fun pink and yellow birthday party this weekend! More details and photos to follow!

Bride on a Budget

These days, brides are really having to find ways to stretch their dollars. So anything that can be done a little more affordable, without losing the chic and stunning effect you are going for, is always a sweet bonus.

I found this beautiful idea for a centerpiece on projectwedding.com. By submerging the flowers in a tall vase they will last longer, plus you can use just one or two stems which greatly cuts costs. Adding a floating candle and other surrounding candles definitely captures a romantic and whimsical mood!

Another super cute idea is this DIY Just Married banner that can be hung at your reception and then removed and placed on your car as you leave. Or personalize the banner with your and your sweety's names. Find out how to make your very own custom banner at marthastewartweddings.com.
One more sweet idea. And this one really is sweet! DIY homemade raspberry jam to give as a wedding favor. What's especially great about this is that you can make the jam and can it months before the wedding because it lasts for a whole year. Using mason jars and making the tags yourself will really save you some dough. Check out how to do this project at intimateweddings.com.

Doing as many wedding projects yourself with the help of your groom, and close friends and family can greatly help a bride cut back on the high cost of a wedding.

A Father's Day Gift For The Man Who Has Everything

It's that time of year again! Time to search and search for the perfect gift for dad. If your dad is like mine, he is the kind of man who doesn't need much, but what he does need, he typically buys himself. So every year it's a struggle to find just the right gift.

This year may be easy though. I came across this Custom Cornhole Table on Etsy.com. I have never seen this before and it's just so awesome! Not only can the table hold your drink, food, etc. while you play, it is also a scoreboard! What cornhole lover would not drool over this thing?! These are custom made with your team's logo, your favorite adult beverage, etc. right on top for all to see.

There's nothing better than a relaxing backyard game of cornhole with dad! And you just know he'll be bragging to his friends about the wonderful son/daughter he has who bought him this sweet Cornhole Table! Forget about dad, I want one!

Pretty Chic Lace Business Cards

Business cards are essential for businesses so why not make them stand out? I designed these pretty little cards for my shop and really wanted them to reflect my branding, as well as stand outside from the rest.

Days Gone Design offers custom business cards, whether you are looking for a similar style or something completely different. Compliment your branding in style.

Timeless Wedding Details

Unwavering antique details add stunning touches to your vintage wedding. I'm a sucker for lush and intricate details shown in these photos.

Antique or antique style lace and embellishments add just the touch to get that timeless glamor appeal. Jaws will drop and your style will be remembered.

 

{via Wedding Bells Blog} 

I am loving this idea of photographing the bride with a hand mirror or wall mirror. I think to see the bride's actual reflection would really add dimension to your photos.

 

{via Jeza Photography} 

This creamy and lush bouquet has it all. The grouping of soft blooms, lace and final touch of the brooch make these pretty petals just right.

{via Emmaline Bride}

 Ruffles of lace and beautiful cutout back flow gracefully and would make the vintage bride quite a knock-out.

 

{via Wedding About}

Oh to plan our wedding all over again! These style ideas would be some definite top contenders.

The Mouse Spider and Other Summer Fun

Summer is nearly upon us and along with the joys of cookouts, vacations, and warm weather, we also have the potential risk of receiving visits from unwanted intruders. I don't mean your husband's relatives, but rather the threat of critters with eight legs. You may be asking yourself: Is there such a thing as a mouse spider? Honestly I'm not sure, but that is the name I've attributed to the invader I found in my home the other day.

I was sitting on my couch, minding my own business, when suddenly I caught a glimpse of a dark object scurrying across the floor in the next room. My immediate reaction based on the size of the creature was MOUSE!!! However, upon further investigation, I discovered this was no mouse, but the biggest spider ever to have the audacity to invade my home! Now one thing you must understand is that I have a severe dislike--no, hatred, for spiders. The thought of them gives me shivers up my spine and gives me that prickly feeling on the back of my neck. As the thoughts of how to either kill or trap this uninvited guest scrambled through my head, the intruder evaded capture by hiding itself under my desk. I searched for it, but to no avail.

Later that evening I told my husband about this massive critter, but I couldn't help but feel that he just didn't understand how horrific this spider was. Based on the half smile and unbelieving chuckle he gave me, I believe he really thought I was exaggerating!

The next evening my mom came over to watch our daughter, Isabelle, while my husband and I went out. When we returned, my mom exclaimed that she had killed the biggest spider ever!! "Ha!" I said to my husband, "See, I wasn't exaggerating!" My poor mother hates spiders as much as I do so I felt for her. She said it was so big she didn't know if she could handle killing it. I'll spare you the gruesome details, but it wasn't a pretty death. This spider came to its unfortunate demise, but it's possible it had friends who would not think twice about finding dwelling in my house. I share this story as a warning to all of you to be on watch for these unwanted visitors. Summer is fun, but it can be deadly. Well for spiders anyway.

On a lighter note, if your husband's relatives are planning to drop in for a cookout, be ready to impress them with these DIY cocktail umbrellas found on diylife.com from the June issue of Country Living magazine. If your husband's relatives are anything like mine, you may be needing a cocktail by the time the weekend is through!

And to keep the kids happy, here's a cute idea for a DIY beehive pinata. Also found on diylife.com from Country Living magazine, this adorable project can be done for around $10!

Newbee

Hi! I'm Kristi, Nikki's younger sister and new employee. I am also a wife to my loving husband, Joe, and a mother to my sweet baby girl, Isabelle!

I have been working with Nikki for just a little while now, helping her with tax preparation and other incredibly facinating financial stuff. But now that tax season is past, she has promoted me to blogger! I am very new to blogging so we'll see if I have any super blogging skills waiting to emerge from down deep!

Nikki suggested I start by checking out other blogs and wedding websites for inspiration. I did as the boss said and I came across this wedding favor on Ruffledblog.com.

If you're a coffee lover and looking for the perfect favor for your guests, this is it! I think it's such a cute and creative DIY favor that wedding guests would love! Check it out on Ruffledblog.com and they show you everything you need to make these yourself! And they suggest that since not everyone loves coffee (to each there own, I guess), you can do the same type favor with tea bags.

If time is an issue or you're craving a custom tag, visit DaysGoneDesign.com to have us create a favor tag just for you! We can help you make your favors a reflection of your own unique style! Even if coffee bag favors just aren't your thing, we can make custom favor tags for any sassy or sophisticated favor idea you can think of!

As long as Nikki doesn't fire me after reading this post, I hope you'll be hearing more from me soon!

A marriage proposal that will make the movies jealous

Love this proposal! Totally original and so sweet. You will laugh, cry and try to figure out how he pulled this off...