Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Humor Me a Little Vol.2

Good Morning All! Just another crazy morning in the Starr House..... barking weiner dogs, Justin rushing off to get his Crossfit in, and me realizing I have nothing to wear to work and I must go shopping asap!!!

 Happy Wednesday All, here are few gems I stumbled across recently.....Enjoy!

 



 









Tuesday, July 17, 2012

"Settle Down"....Oh Yes!



The new No Doubt Video launched last night, and I'm so loving everything about it.  I just want to crawl into the screen wearing bright red lipstick and dance around!!! Their  new album "Push and Shove" is scheduled to debut on September 25th, 2012!
This is a BIG deal to me, since their last album came out ten years ago. I've grown up with their music...and it's inspired me through so many of life's phases.....high school/first boyfriend/break up/ cruising around Casa Grande endlessly/college/heartbreak/more college/getting ready to go to work at Joe's Crab Shack/ my wedding....oh the list goes on and on.  I love most of Gwen's solo stuff too, but she's the BEST when she's with her ND Crew!!  So happy that now I'll have some new inspiration for bringing these little babies into world and entering Mommyhood....Bring It! Now where can I find two mini rastafarian hats at?

Monday, July 16, 2012

The BIG Announcement.....


It's double the giggles and double the grins, and double the trouble because
we're having twins!
Saturday Morning....we decided it was finally time to announce our pregnancy to the world on my personal facebook page... I was 14.5 half weeks pregnant (3.5 months) we had told our of our family and really close friends in person or over the phone...all the doctor's appointments assured us that the babies were looking very healthy... so, it was time to share our big news.

We had done a photo shoot with our very dear friend, Matt Wheeler ~owner of Still Life Studios about two weeks prior...in which we worked in a couple different ways to announcement the pregnancy and also had him capture some final shots of "just us".   We had the final selected photo all ready to go, but had to wait until we made the last of the rounds with sharing the news with close friends.

Saturday morning, we finally decided it was time... my heart was pounding as I pushed "post".  And then a wave of emotion just hit me.....BIG TIME.  I just lost it, tears were streaming down my face, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk... I completely broke down for the first time during my pregnancy. Justin walked into the office in pure shock,  thinking something was terribly wrong....he put his arms around and asked..."Are those tears of joy?".... I shook my head yes, he laughed at me.

At that moment for me, it was really real.  I couldn't handle the amount of joy and excitement in my heart.  Up until this point.... I was in shock, disbelief, and sub consiciously in protective denial..."This is just too good to be true".... but after getting through the first trimester, and starting to grow this little "bump"...and posting our most special news for the world to see... I realized....

This is really happening, I'm going to be a mommy!!!  I've wanted this for SO LONG~ but the timing had never felt quite right before.  And, to top if off, we get TWO little babies to love at the same time!!!!! I've never experienced so much joy before, it's so overwhelming.  I have no doubt in my mind that our angel up above (Mom Starr) helped with this plan, Justin and I are so happy and feeling incredibly grateful. 

Since our big revel, we've had a few questions:

Q: How did you end up with twins? Did you do something special?
A: Nope, just lots of love :) We don't have any family history of twins and we didn't (thankfully) have to do in vitro fertilization~ these little babies are totally natural~ purely miraculous.  In fact, without sharing too much info...these little ones were quite the surprise, we weren't planning on "officially trying" until this summer... these little babies had other plans (hence their Christmas due date!) I did however, always have a very strong feeling that we would have twins~ more on this later.  

 Q: Do you know if they are identical or fraternal?
A: Yes, we know now that they are fraternal, which thankfully makes the pregnancy at a lower risk because they don't have to share food~ they each have their own supply. (This is great news, considering they are Justin's children!)

Q: How far along are you?
 A: 14 Weeks, I'll be 15 Weeks on Wednesday.

Q: Do you know what you're having?
A: Not yet, we will find out the second/third week in August, we can't wait...although Justin has a strong hunch....

Q: When are you due?
A:  Technically January 9th, but my doctor tells me that with twins I'm considered full term at 38 weeks (which would make my due date December 26th).  The more twin mamas I talk to, tell me that they delivered even earlier than 38 weeks, so we shall see.  It would be amazing to be home on Christmas with the babies. But it's not up to this event planning momma. (yikes)

{For all my December and January Brides to Be...don't you worry your pretty little heads, I already have you all taken care of, I'll be calling you soon to go over all the details and game plan}   

A big thank you to everyone for your kind words, prayers, and excitement.  Our lives will change pretty dramatically in the next 6 months, but we're ready.  It's time!  





Thursday, July 5, 2012

Writers Block and Beauty Products.......



I wanted to write a deeply, personal, heartfelt post this morning on some touching 4th of July moments yesterday...but truth is I'm having some major writers block at 6am this morning..... maybe next time folks....

So instead, here's a few beauty products ~I've found recently that I'm totally crushing on.....

Chanel Lift Lumiere Foundation


Pure Bliss! I've been searching for awhile now for a foundation with nice coverage, but not too heavy, or too orange, or fades away after a few hours.  Since the begining of this year I've tried Origins, Mac, and Philosophy none being perfect matches until I found Chanel!  Just heavenly....glides on so smoothly, the color match and perfect, and the coverage is just right, not too heavy not too light, LOVE.  I'm overly excited about this find!

Moroccan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner


My hair stylist: Lisa Berger turned me on to this. It's so good for your hair and just smells delicious, like summer time should smell!


Bamboo Style Boho Waves 


Another Lisa Berger recommendation.  This is the easiest product needed to style your hair.  All you need to do is shower before going to bed then spray the Boho waves in your hair scrunch your hair a bit, then wrap your hair all the way on the top of your head in a bun (don't dry hair)...then in the morning you'll wake up with super sexy summer waves.   



Tuesday, July 3, 2012

What's Trending in Weddings for 2012?

Gooood Morning Readers! 

 Today I'm posting about a few wedding trends that are hot right now and why I love or hate them. Enjoy!
barn reception

Ritzy Ranch Weddings

The setting? A 200-year-old barn complete with long exposed-wood tables, large chandeliers and ambient lighting. The flowers? Lace-wrapped bouquets of wild roses, lilies of the valley, Queen Anne's lace and gardenias. The food? Delicate wild game like juniper-spiced venison, cider-braised pheasant and pan-roasted quail, Brides will be channeling the Old West with a rustic-elegant spin. 

Jen's Take On This: Personally, I'm not a fan.  I think this would be cute for your bridal shower or rehearsal dinner, but not for the wedding.  Call me old fashion, but I like keeping the wedding look..clean, elegant, and timeless. 

lace dress

Long Sleeves and Lace

Brides can thank Kate Middleton and the latest Twilight installment for this wedding fashion trend -- long sleeves and lace!Think: sheer backs and illusion sleeves. And don't be surprised if the look of lace pops up on everything from the wedding cake to the decor.
Jen's Take On This: I LOVE!

white bouquet

Enchanting Flowers

The magical settings of these Snow White-inspired movies and even much-anticipated fantasy film The Hobbit will have an effect on wedding decor, with brides opting for a woodsy vibe. Think: soft, decadent bouquets filled with flowers like cabbage roses, peonies and dinner plate dahlias.

Jen's Take On This: I think this is cute for day time garden wedding, but for an evening wedding... I prefer a more modern look when it comes to bouquets.  I prefer tight, clean, round bouquets with a touch of sparkle or accent.

watercolor escort cards

Watercolor Designs

On dresses, invitations and table designs, watercolor touches give weddings the perfect creative bent for 2012. A-list designer Carolina Herrera showed stunning watercolor prints in her spring 2012 bridal collection. And the color palette to do this in? Pastels like pink and lilac are the "it" colors of 2012!

Jen's Take On This: I think this is great for a beach wedding but not for a traditional wedding.
group portrait
The Panoramic Wedding Portrait
Just like critically acclaimed movie The Artist was shot on film without sound, the trend in wedding photography is to steer away from all the overdone effects (like odd angles and lots of added filters). Instead, photographers are shooting turn-of-the-century-inspired wedding portraits with a formal, classic approach. One shot that's totally mantel-worthy? A panoramic wedding portrait where every single wedding guest is in the photo.

Jen's Take On This: NO!!! Don't do it!! I thought this trend was going away!  Honestly, this is the biggest waste of your time and the photographers time!  And seriously, you can only really see the first three rows of guests anyways. 

 I've had several brides request this shot, and really the only way to pull it off successfully is right after the bride and groom are pronounced husband a wife and they march down the aisle and pause. Then I'm waiting at the back with a ladder for the photographer and the minister asks all the guests to turn around in their seats to pose for a photo. 

To me, that is just such a magical moment for the bride and groom....it's their first moments as husband and wife, why kill that moment of magic for a silly group shot? 


Monday, July 2, 2012

New J.Starr Ad

Good Morning All!

It's Monday, did you have a good weekend?  I hope so. My Saturday was action packed with a special project that I'll be sharing with you soon...and Sunday was pretty relaxing...  I'm looking forward to this week because I'll be signing contracts with two new J.Starr Brides, yahoo and 4th of July is right smack in the middle of the work week, love it! 


Just thought I'd share with you the new June 2012-June 2013 J.Starr Ad that will be featured in Arizona Weddings Magazine for the next year.  A special thank you goes out to Bridget Levi, Designer Extraordinaire over at Still Life Studios for creating this beauty for me!


Friday, June 29, 2012

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!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

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!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

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.


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

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!


Monday, June 25, 2012

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.




Friday, June 22, 2012

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!!!! 

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