Thursday, August 30, 2012

Personal Highlights....March ~April 2012




Good Morning Fabulous People....

How we doing today???  I woke up at 5am in a weird pregnancy haze...I don't think I slept well last night... my mind was spinning.  A nap may be in order sometime today ~ these next series of photos are highlights from my non professional world (the last snippet of events that occurred prior to the pregnancy).... Enjoy!

Fashion Show at the W Scottsdale with Kimmy Kimster:


So Glam....


Celebrating our 6 Year Wedding Anniversary:

 
Poolside....
Let's Go Out...


 
Sushi and Saki followed by a night cap at Valle Luna...Cheers!
 

Easter Sunday:

 
Lovely little Sunday afternoon at my Mom & Dad's Home....

Traditional Norris Easter Games...  

 
Precious Gracie (she's a big reason Justin is most excited about having girls!)
 
Cousins....
 
The was the last photo taken of my Sweet Grandma Jane....she was waving goodbye to her eldest Great Grandbaby... always a smile on her face.... she never missed a gathering. 
 
Photo Shoot: 
 
 
Cousin Johnny needing some studly senior photos... Casa Grande Style 
 
 He turned the camera back on us.... our last Easter (before becoming parents)  Can't wait for my little Easter Babies next year!!
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Putting on the Glam....Tantalizing Tables Event


What fun night!  J.Starr Stylized Weddings & Events was asked to be one of the featured designers at the NACE Tantalizing Tables Event last week at the lovely Hotel Palomar.  We were asked to put together a table based on upcoming trends and present about it.

To be honest, I really struggled with this.. because the truth is...  I'm not really a trend follower. I wish I was better about keeping up with these things... but I when it comes to "my style" I have my signature staples that I don't steer very far from.  So, I decided to keep my table within my "J.Starr" Brand while incorporating touches of trends. 

My J.Starr brand...is what it is...which I guess....is ME?  I never really thought much about it, until one day I sat back and looked at my business card, my website, my blog, my wardrobe... and thought to myself..huh... I guess I do have a certain "theme/brand" and I never realized it before.

Isn't it funny?  We all have a certain style, brand, theme to us that is SO EASY for others to see in us, but hard for us to see in ourselves?  I find this so fascinating. 

If I had to define my "brand" it would be:
Dramatic ~ I like darker colors... black, and greens, platinum
Classic ~ Again, I don't really follow trends..
Romantic ~ I like the lovey... dovey... flowing....feel good stuff
Modern/Touch of Edge/Rock in Roll~ Blame it on my Gwen Stefani Crush... I can't help it.
The trends that were incorporated:
Ombre ~ My talented Floral Designer Renata Hodl put together a fabulous elevated centerpiece incorporated the "ombre" color trend
Platinum and Yellow Colors ~ These are a new trend color combination for weddings.. they are the perfect blend of femininity and masculinity...in my opinion
Chevron~ this is a big trend right now.. people either love it or hate it... I'm loving it.  This pattern was picked up in the menu cards & place cards.
Then it was my turn to talk (holy pregnant bumble bee).  I had no idea what I was going to say....sometimes it's just so super weird to consider yourself " a professional".  I still feel like a little girl playing "grown up" most days.  I just rambled a little about how much fun it is to be able to come up with a design concept totally involving what you like.  


I want to send out a HUGE Thank You out to all the talented people who helped to contribute to this Table Design Display....

Laurie Southwick with Southwick Linens
Deb Beggs and Kaeley Olsen with Classic Party Rentals
Kimberly McDowell with The Event Essentials

and to My Amazing J.Starr Team.....
Renata Hodl ~ Talented Floral Designer & Partner in Design Crime
Germaine Davis~ Production Assistant and Comic Relief
Justin Starr ~ Photographer, Best Buddy, and Love Bug

I may be the dreamer...but there's a lot of talented people in my life who help to turn my "dreams" into reality...
I'm a lucky girl. 


Monday, August 27, 2012

Manic Monday Vol. 6




(20 Weeks Pregnant/5 Months with Twins) 

MANIC MONDAY ~ Have to catch an early train, got to be to work by nine. And if I had an air-o-plane I still couldn't make it on time. 'Cause it takes me so long just to figure out what I'm gonna wear...Blame it on the train but the boss is already there....

Highlights of last week included:
~NACE Tantalizing Tables Event was a huge success. I was so proud of our J.Starr Table and had a great night out with some many awesome people. I was so happy that Justin was able to come along too...he captured some great photos that I'll share on tomorrow's blog post.
~Bridal Open House had a huge turnout...I was quite surprised as I thought in the dead of the AZ August heat that attendance would be low. I really enjoyed spending time with my clients, their families, and all of my vendor partners....nights like this always remind me of why I do what I do.
~After Thursday, I slept a lot
~Had a great weekend with my love bug....got caught up on a bunch of projects.....felt awesome
~Had a fabulous night with friends on Saturday night celebrating my dear friend Addie's Birthday. We so enjoyed a home cooked meal and hilarious conversation.  
 
 
Last week I learned:
~I had a huge bolder land right in the middle of my professional pathway last week. I was pretty crushed, not knowing how to navigate around it... but after a few days of patience the pathway presented itself.... it was a good reminder that life can change in an instant, be prepared for changes.
~I had to pass up, not one but three really awesome J.Starr Business opportunities last week...realizing that I'm going to have to slow down a little to prepare for these two little babies. It's kind of hard to slow the momentum....but so necessary for my health...and I have to remind myself that I wanted to be a mommy for a long time, it's time to relish in it a bit. I have to be "okay" slowing down....I'm not stopping by any means.... just being more realistic with time (something I've struggled with my entire life).
 
 
New fab finds:
~At five months pregnant my regular work clothes just weren't working anymore. I actually had to unzip my pants last week during a work meeting (how's that for professionalism??). So I took this as a sign that I had to buy some actual maternity clothes. I stumbled across Motherhood Maternity... and found some cute and stylish clothing!!! I even bought some dare I say "sexy" dresses. Who knew???
 
 
Feeling Appreciative:
~BABY KICKS....my little punkins are just kicking away...it's soooo cute!
~That August is ending, which means we only have one more month of this hellish heat. I hate complaining...but damn... it's HOT! And being pregnant makes my body temperature even hotter.
~For all the cool people who work in the wedding/event industry...they're all a little bit weird...which is so comforting because I fit right in.
~For Renata Hodl, my design partner in crime, we just work so well together...
***********************
On the horizon for this week:
~Not much at all....just continuing to catch up on projects.
~Aimee Sloan my homegirl will be in town this weekend... I can't wait to see her mug
~I need to finalize the Baby Shower/Halloween Party plans

 
Currently Listening to: The Dirty Heads Station on Pandora, LOVE

 
 
 
Confession:
~ I really need to work out. I've struggled so hard getting back into the gym during this pregnancy/heat...but I think I need to really push myself now...I know it would would help improve my energy level immensely.




Friday, August 24, 2012

Humor Me a Little Vol. 3



IT'S FRIDAY! 

It's raining....and I only have one commitment this weekend.  YEAH! Last night I was in bed at 7pm.... I woke up and felt guilty about that for a minute and then remembered I have two people growing inside me, and decided that was okay.

I have a million thoughts running through my mind....so instead of trying to put them together into a blog....I leave you with this.........

 


 
 
 





Enjoy your weekend!!!!!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Trend Watch: Ombre



Hey Hipsters....

How we all doing today??? Let's take a look at "Ombre"...I'm kind of loving this.  In fact, "Ombre" was one of trends that we worked into our Table Display on Tuesday night at the Tantalizing Tables Display Event. What do you think?




















Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Wow, just wow.


Good morning faithful readers!  Mama is EXHAUSTED today.  It's kind of a pet peeve of mine when people saw.... Oh I'm so tired....all the time...it's like yeah, aren't we all???....get over it.  What's saying it out loud gonna do for you, besides bring down the people around you?  But this morning, I feel that I'm allowed to say it....because I'm pregnant with Twinzies and I ran my bohine (as my mom would call it) off yesterday!  For Reals!  But some nights are worth the extra push, last night was one of them.

The NACE Tantalizing Tables Event last night was a huge success......being in this industry is so much fun!!! I'll save all the details for my upcoming post, when I can share some of the professional photos taken....(I'll see if I can talk Justin into editing a few tonight).  STAY TUNED.

So let's talk about this ridiculous photo above.  YES world, this would be my little family ~all six of us.  In the two pink tutus are Sammy and Olive Starr~our beloved wiener doggies...in the back my husband Justin and me... and the two little baby GIRLS inside my tummy.

This is how we revealed to the world that we're having TWIN LITTLE GIRLS.  This just feels so surreal to me... and I can't believe that I'm going to be a mommy to these little girls by Christmas. 

As for the photo, sometimes I don't know how we get ourselves into these kind of situations they just happen.  But seriously...how stinkin cute are these little weenie dogs???  They were having so much fun enjoying their little tea party. 

The entire photo shoot shockingly only took about 15 minutes (not including set up) and a big thank you goes out to our dear friend, Matt Wheeler, owner of Still Life Studios for capturing this shot!!!  Everyone's been asking....how did you get that shot???

Well here's a few fun/weird secrets:

~Justin had taped down the tea party set to the little pink table with duck tape.  Then each little tea cup had peanut butter inside.... that's why the girls we so eager to stand at the table....


~We had Matt Wheeler take the photos, he's the REAL DEAL.. and besides sneaking in some kisses from Sammy...handled the shoot like a real pro!!!  He tried making friends with Olive, but she has trust issues

~The shoot took place down at Still Life's Studio

~How did we get the girls to look at the camera?  We told Matt to say to them  Do you want a treat??

~The little tutus (I bought for my baby girls, the human ones) kept sliding off the Sammy and Olive, so binder clips were used to lessen the waist band

~All the party streamers and balloons came from Party City

~The little table and chairs are from IKEA

~The tea set came from Toys R Us

~My dress and Justin's tie we actually bought at Walmart... we were running out of time and Justin needed a pink tie...and I actuallly didn't own anything pink in my wardrobe (as much as a girlie girl as I am...I'm not really a "pink" girl).  So I tried finding the maternity section....no luck.  And just grabbed the only somewhat pink dress I could find {it cost 12 bucks!}...didn't even try it on....and jetted out of the store

~THE SHOES,  the pink heels...I know. They are fabulous....... Justin talked me into it... and they were so fun....they totally didn't match the dress...but they matched the scene and that's what we were going for.

Moments, like these.... make me so happy that I married Justin... he makes life fun and usually will go along with my crazy ideas..and he's the one that actually can figure out how to make them work.... we can't wait to be parents!!!  Our lives have always been crazy, wild, and busy...adding twin girls to the mix really only makes sense! 

Happy Wednesday All!!!! Tonight I have another long day ahead of me, as we're hosting a Bridal Open House/Entree Tasting at my home venue Superstition Springs Golf Club....I hope to see many of my brides there!!!


Monday, August 20, 2012

Manic Monday Vol. 5


(19 Weeks Pregnant with Twins )

MANIC MONDAY ~ Have to catch an early train, got to be to work by nine. And if I had an air-o-plane I still couldn't make it on time. 'Cause it takes me so long just to figure out what I'm gonna wear...Blame it on the train but the boss is already there....

Highlights of last week included:
~Finding out that we are having TWO LITTLE GIRLS!!!
~Seeing the excitement in mom and dad's eyes when we revealed the big news to them
~Celebrating the birthday of one of my best friends~ Miss Melissa at NORTH with a few fabulous women
~Putting on the most ridiculous photo shoot we've ever done
Last week I learned:
~The only way to accomplish things somewhat successfully is to only concentrate and fully engage in one project at a time. 
New fab finds:
~hmm....can't think of anything at the moment
Feeling Appreciative:
~I'll never forget seeing Justin's face during the anatomy ultrasound when the tech announced that we were having two girls...he was so happy.  What lucky little girls to have him for their daddy.
***********************
On the horizon for this week:
  ~NACE Tantalizing Tables Event on Tuesday night.  I'll be show casing a table display and speaking about the hot trends, should be a fun night!
~I'm hosting a Bridal Open House at my home venue: Superstition Springs on Wednesday night. I'm looking forward to seeing all my brides and vendor friends.
~Celebrating Addie Jo's Birthday on Saturday night
~Perhaps officially getting the approval to start home hunting

Currently Listening to:  Neon Trees, Everybody Talks , I like it.

Confession: Pre-Pregnancy I highly doubt I would ever wear form fitting horizontal stripes.  (Wearing stripes or patterns is a huge no no on a photo shoot)...but now that I'm sporting a bump I feel a lot less critical of myself which is super refreshing.  Us women are sooo hard on ourselves, but something about being pregnant makes you feel more confident to rock the curves.

(you get two today) ~ My darling little doggie Olive Starr is in need of doggie training asap.  I was reminded of this first hand this morning.  I woke up super early feeling ahh-mazing and super rested.  So, I took Sammy and Olive out for their morning walk and decided to take a quick drive over to Starbucks drive thru line.  (hey, I'm alloted one cup of caffeine a day)... everything is going so beautifully...it's so nice outside and so peaceful.  After parking back home and walking with the girls back up to the condo, a random dude turns the corner and all hell breaks lose.  The dogs go nuts, causing me to spill hot coffee ALL OVER myself.  This "random dude" decides he's going to try and pet my insane dogs while they're going nuts, I tell him no... and the next thing I know Olive nips him in the back of the legs. After trying to make sure that this guy is okay... I get these wild beasts upstairs and have a complete pregnancy meltdown {how are we going to handle this dog and twin babies at the same time????} at Justin all before 6:30am this morning.  Which resulted in him telling me he will get Olive signed up for training this week.  Stay tuned.  

 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Meet Kevin Kossman, Owner of Piece of Cake Desserts


T.G.I.F. My Friends!!!

I can say that today, because I have the next two days off! What a crazy busy week this has been... but tons of fun.  I'd like you all to meet Kevin Kossman... he's just a super cool dude, and his witty comments and observations on life keep me refering brides to him.  I like people who make me laugh....don't we all??? Enjoy!

 
(Meet Kevin Kossman, Owner of Piece of Cake Desserts along with his wife Amy~not pictured)

Name of your company?
Piece of Cake Desserts


 What does your company offer?
We specialize in wedding cakes, but in the off season we make cakes for all occasions

How long has your company been in business?

We have been creating amazing cakes in the valley  for 9 years. We’ve actually be around for 11 years, but those first 2 years… well we don’t talk about those cakes

What does your company pride itself in?

Taking our cakes seriously, Not ourselves
What sets you apart from other companies like yours?

We are great at what we do, but so are most of the cake companies in the valley.  What really sets us apart is our partnerships and the quality of the people that trust us to make certain that their clients get a wedding cake they will love.

What do you love most about what you do?

I don’t even know how to answer this.  To start, we make cakes for a living... cakes… for a living. That’s like making a living kissing puppies. You know who is happy to see the guy with cake? Everybody.  If there were a high school for food, cake would be captain of the football team. What don’t I love about what I do?
What’s an embarrassing moment that has happened to you/your company on the job?

One time I walked down the catwalk (at one of J.Starr's Events ) in my chef’s coat…
What’s the most memorable/special moment that has happened to you/your company on the job?
About 7 years ago, my wife and I were finishing our final wedding cake for the week.  We didn’t have any help back then, we were tired, frustrated with how the cake looked, and it was nearly midnight on a Friday night. I said to her ”We both know that we are going to have to re-do this cake, right?” So we did.  2 hours into the re-decorating I said to her “THIS is the kind of company we are going to be. Most companies would have let that cake go out the way it was, but I don’t want to be most companies”. I really believe that our “do it right or do it over…no matter how bad it sucks” philosophy has played a huge part in our success in the wedding industry the last few years.  

Thursday, August 16, 2012

2013 Trend Watch


Okay, so since being asked to a speaker/presenter at the upcoming NACE Tantalizing Tables Event on this coming up Tuesday night....I've been doing a lot of research on up and coming 2013 Trends~ wedding trends, fashion trends, and music trends.

I actually have been freaking out about this quite a bit...because.....CONFESSION: I'm not really a trend follower...I like to think of myself as cool enough to be a trend setter (how's that for a conceited compliment to myself before 6:30am?? Ha!) Or maybe I'm just too big of a dork to really pay attention...(more likely the real truth)

I haven't completely finalized my design concept for Tuesday night, yet...but it's almost there. So who wants to hear about all the upcoming trends I discovered through my research....knowing this information may just make you seem a little more "in vogue" at your next social gathering...... stay tuned to see which trends I decide to incorporate!!

Chevron Patterns

 Dress Trends ~Transformers

Neons

Ombre

Dress Trends ~Rainbow

1920s

Backdrops

Bark

Birds

Braids

Dress Trends~ Portrait Backs

Chicken Wire

Garland

Laser Cuts

Dress Trends~ Lace Nouveau

Mint

Dress Trends~ Color

Paper Laterns

Dress Trends: Peplum


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