Flashback Friday "Flashing Lights, the "Official" J.Starr Debut........

2011 was such a whirlwind for me, that I didn't have much time to post about any of the Events/Weddings that I designed and coordinated.

I'll always think of the "Flashing Lights" Wedding and Networking Event, as my first "official" J.Starr Debut! It was truly so special to me.

But I didn't want to let time go by without sharing these times with all of you.

(All my gorgeous "bridesmaid models" and me, such a fun night)

I based the entire concept/theme of this event on the Kayne West Song: "Flashing Lights"

I tend to base lots of my themes on songs.... I listen to the song a create a music video in my head... I've done this my whole life~ I really believe that music is truly the root of all design inspirations. (but don't watch the actual music videos ahead of time, that can ruin your vision)

This was an industry networking event, meaning the budget was zero.  Therefore I had to "sweet talk" several vendors into partnering with me.

 A very special thank you to all my amazing participating vendors:

Still Life Studios (Photo & Video)

Renata Hodl

Birkett Entertainment

The Bar Guys

A Piece of Cake Desserts

Jennifer Hall Catering

Twirl Bridal Boutique

Hair By Lisa Berger

AZ Eyelash Lady

There was food, glitz, and glam......

And a Photo Booth...

Wedding Cake.....

And of course, the Fashion Show...

And at the end of the Fashion Show, all of my vendors rushed in to give me a surprise group hug.  A big part of event planning is truly the relationships that you build with fellow vendors ~ it makes work so much fun! 

A very special to thank you to my dear friend, Matt Wheeler: Owner of Still Life Studios, and Curtis Whipple: Owner of (WEN) Wedding and Event Networking for hosting this event with me.

And a big shout out to my Design Partner in Crime: Renata Hodl, for her endless help, support, and amazing talent!

Humor Me a Little......Animal Style

Good Morning Peepsters,

I have like 5 minutes this morning, as I have a morning Wedding today. (morning wedding, on a Thursday, in June, in Arizona = totally random) but that's okay with me.  Here's  a little somethin to start your day off right. Enjoy!

You're Welcome!

Checking It Off....

It's been a long while since I evaluated and blogged about my 101 in 1001 List ~ It's time to do some updating.  I currently have 11 to check off, but I don't offically check them off until I blog about (weird rule I put in place for myself) So stay tuned for future posts!

Creating this list is by far one of the coolest things I've ever done.  I started this challenge back on June 21st, 2012 shortly after a very sad time in our lives.   I needed a pick me up, I needed a boost, I needed a plan, and I needed some accountability (which is why I posted it to my blog for the world to see~which some times still gives me midnight panic attacks....ahhh, I kid...kinda). 

And little did I know at the time, how incredibly rewarding this would be for me.  You see, by writing out these goals...they slowly seeped into my subconscious and one by one they started getting checked off almost naturally. 

There's been a ton of research on goal setting, not that I'm super familiar with.  But I will tell you, that from personal experience...this has really worked.  I now have less then a year to go... and several goals to still be checked off, but I'm determined to conquer as many as possible.

If you haven't taken the time to write down your goals, I highly highly encourage you to do so. If you're a more private person, then certainly don't feel like you have to post them online, you can simply keep you list in your wallet, or post it to your bathroom mirror... Justin's been working on one of his own, and I know for certain, the only one he'll share it with is me (maybe)... he's a private person and I totally respect that...sharing it is not important (unless you feel like you need the extra push) DO THIS FOR YOU, I'M TELLING YOU, YOU'LL BE SO THANKFUL YOU DID!

Here are some tips on how to get started:

~ Decide if you want to do a 101 goals in 1001 days list or a different goal list.

~ Start by writing down all the goals you’ve been putting off or planning to do for a long time.

~ Fill out your goal list by…

• looking at other 101/inspiration blogs,
• carrying around a pad of paper and a pen to write down ideas
• asking friends or family for ideas

~Fine tune them with a start and end date. For example: If your goal is:  Travel More (that's too vague and hard to measure) Get specific... For example: Travel to a new place once every six months for the next 1001 days.

~Write down or type up your final list. Print out a copy to keep somewhere you will see it often.

P.S.
Oh and here is a cool little calculator to help you figure out 1001 days from now. 

If you are doing a goal list and want to share, please let me know...I'd love to support you along your journey, as my readers have supported me.

Let's Give Em Something to Talk About.....

Good Morning Luvas,

I only have 8 minutes to write this blog, as I slept in a bit and have to be to work by 9 and have a looooong day ahead of me with the Bridal Open House. But I wanted to post a quick blog to give you a little eye candy on this Tuesday morning.
First and foremost, do you follow me on pinterest?  If not you should, click here to join the fun! Here we can share ideas on stylizing your next event.

So, today I thought I would post a handful of ideas on how you can make your wedding or next event "different". Guests love "different", that's what they will talk about later, that's how they will remember your day.

Less is more, no need to over do in the "different" department.... we can talk more in person on how many unique elements you should incorporate, until then here's a handful of ideas:

Gold Star Sparklers, yes please!

Who doesn't love cotton candy?? This would be darling as a "warm welcome" into the reception, or this would be cute at a Bridal or Baby Shower.

The cupcake trend is starting to die out, how about mini pies instead??

A smores bar, super fun!  Maybe not ideal for a wedding, but this would be a hit at a birthday party!

Baggo! Let the groom have some fun, by incorporating bridal baggo into the cocktail hour, all his friends will be like "Dude you married the coolest chick"....

Late night snacks are a huge hit and a totally unexpected.  Mini shots of beer paired with mini burgers. (Again with "Dude you married the coolest chick")

Frozen flowers in the in ice cubes...cute for a small girlie gathering.

What a fun way to get the guests to engage, plus you're guaranteed to get a photo of everyone who attended.

When the adults are toasting champagne, why not have the kiddos toast with milk and cookies, they would love it! Maybe you plastic champagne flutes rather then glass.

Okay, gotta jet.....Happy Tuesday All!

Para Para Paradise

This past weekend was truly PARADISE to me.  It was the first Saturday in six weeks that Justin and I had the day off together with ZERO plans.  The past Saturdays had been filled with Weddings, Preparations for the Bridal Show, Family Events, and so on.  It's typically common that I have at least one wedding per weekend or that Justin is photographing a wedding...and it's very rare that it's the same wedding.

Until we hit the end of JUNE... and then we typically have nothing in July and August... don't get me wrong I love my job, love it, and feel so lucky to be a part of such and amazing industry...but it is nice to have a break, just enough to make you miss it.

So our Saturday was filled with:
Shopping Trip at Target, because Target is amazing..we all know this
Shopping at the mall, which led me to purchase an insane pair of hot pink heels.
Afternoon nap and cuddle session with Sammy and Olive ( the doggies)
Dip in the pool
Olive Garden take out (Zuppa Toscana is heavenly)
Watched three back to back horribly distrubing murder shows on t.v.

Even though we set out to accomplish a million things on the "To Do" list...we didn't do a single one...days like these are soooo needed.

Paradise....Cold Play Style ~  How fantastic is this song???? I love the lyrics and so relate to them in this journey we call life... and video is awesome... and Chris Martin, well... for a goofy looking dude, dang he's sexy!!! I'm not sure if it's his weird dance moves or his piano playing... he's intriguing, I dig him.

Enjoy, Check It Out Peeps.  How bad do you wanna join that elephant band, in the middle of South Africa??? Yeah, Me too.

Coming Up for Air....

Hello Strangers,

It's June, it's hot, season has slowed down and......I'm still here, I'm still alive.  I've just been a little m.i.a. from cyberworld working on several different projects that I'm super stoked to share with you in the near future. And, the truth is I've been a little annoyed with "Blogger"... sorry blogger but it's the truth. I've been exploring other options for blogging, so we may have a few changes and updates happening soon to this little bloggity blogster (change is good and I'm challenged with anything "simple"... I must overcomplicate)   but until then I needed to get my blog on!

I've so missed blogging, what a nerd... I know.  Truth is, blogging brings me such a sense of connection, accomplishment, and release of creativity....to write about day to day happenings.. and forces me to stop, reflect, and appreciate what's going on in life.

 I used to worry so much about saying the wrong thing, but over the past two years life events have made me realize.....I'm over that.  Haters gonna hate, judgers gonna judge, and lovers gonna love.  So many people I admire have real guts to put their thoughts out there, and that makes me like them even more...so I'm challenging myself to share more.  If you don't like, don't read.  I plan on keeping it real ~ for realz.

So....I'm back! Let the typos begin!!  Stay tuned for: 

~Flashback on 2011, and all the fun during my first official year in business

~Personal Catch up and Highlights on life in 2012

~Some Guest Bloggers will be making an appearance

~ Exciting Announcements

Until then TGIF friends!!!!