Where is the thrift at the Thrift Store?

Yesterday I had to go get fabric at my fave fabric store for an event I am planning. It just happens to be across the street from one of my fave thrift stores. It's a Goodwill that receives a lot of Target donations, so I usually find some great items or clothes that are brand new.

I have really cut down on my thrifting habit the past few months (can you hear hubby clapping) so I was pretty excited to go to this Goodwill and get a "fix". So I perused. And perused. Then perused some more. Everything was.....Just. So. Expensive! I'm like, Where is the thrift in a thrift store? Is it me or are prices getting jacked up at these places? Even a child's tee shirt was $4.99 that I could get brand new retail. However I did find some cute Children's Place tee shirts and a pink Hurley jacket for my daughter.

The only thing I got for myself was this cute pink thermal pot. For $7.99! Barely used, but wow that's kinda steep. But it will be perfect for a Picnic Tea Party that I have planned in my head..........along with all the other tea parties that are in there, just waiting to be planned.

It cleaned up really well, after I did my thorough hot water and denture cleaning treatment. Whenever I buy a thrift item and it can't be put in the dishwasher, I use denture cleaning tablets (I get a box from the .99 cent store) and put a few tablets in the item (tea pots, etc.) with hot water to get the cleaning bubbles inside hard to reach areas especially the neck of a teapot. Then wash with antibacterial dish soap and hot water, rinse really well with hot water. Generally it is not a good idea to use dish soap inside teapots as it may altar the taste of the tea. So I only do it the first time I purchase one new or used. Thereafter I just use really hot water with a clean sponge that doesn't have soap on it, and rinse well.

Would you like to join me?
I have been wanting to host a blogging Tea Party for the First Day of Spring, so maybe this thermal tea pot will be my inspiration and reason to go ahead and DO that Picnic Tea Party, or something else. If so, leave a comment and I will make a graphic banner for a tea party invitation to put on your blog. I don't want to do it if it looks like I will be having tea by myself!

Name Correction

If, per chance, you have Googled my name from the TeaTime Magazine feature and are trying to locate me, the magazine miss-spelled my name.

It is spelled Risa Provencio - not - Risa Provincio ........

*eye twitching*

He Loves My Heart

I hope everyone had a romantical Valentine's Day! Since the two out of three of my kids were home sick with a fever and strep throat (again! the second sick-o round this month!) I was not able to do anything special. Usually I make a really nice Valentine's Dinner with candles, and I let the kids drink sparkling cider from plastic champagne flutes and have "fancy" yummy stuff for dessert.

But not this year. They got Pick-Up Stix that hubby got on the way home after picking up prescriptions. So it was not a "love is in the air" day, but more like "germs are in the air". And because I have been in lock-down with sick kids I wasn't able to get dear hubby anything. Not that we really do romantic gestures anyway, because we both think Valentine's Day is overrated.

However, he did bring me a gift from Brighton. I kind of chuckled (internally) when he handed me their signature yellow-y, very graphic gift bag with the bright printed pink tissue paper. And the chuckle was because....well, he always gives me Brighton. Not that I'm complaining, it's just that a few years ago when I first discovered Brighton jewelry I was really into it at the time and loved their bracelets. But ever since then, at Christmas, Mother's Day, my birthday or special occasion, it's a guarantee I'll get to add to my Brighton collection. I don't have the heart or know how to tell him that I'm really not into that kind of jewelry anymore. (gosh I hope he doesn't read my blog!)

But, for some reason this gift meant something more. It was much more significant than the others:

It is from Brighton's Go Red for Women, in support for the American Heart Association. He chose it as a gentle reminder that he wants me to have a healthy heart. Sometimes he is concerned that I don't take better care of my health, which is true.

After I opened it and gave him a hug, he said "You can take it back if you want, or exchange it."

Nope. Even though I have plenty of bracelets, this one is a keeper.

And so is he....

Photos from the Photo Shoot

Thanks to Stephanie Warner of All About You Photography & Design, she provided the images from our photo shoot for the TeaTime Magazine feature. There were so many to choose from, it was so hard to decide!

So here are my favorites, located in my photo gallery. I also included "behind the scenes" photos of us setting up the shoot. Talk about having a hard time trying to get cute for the head shot, after sweating it up from the set up! I could have seriously used a hair & makeup stylist. But when you are on a budget, cute gets crossed off real quick.

Click here to view the photos.

Thank you to so many of you who have left congratulatory comments or emails regarding the feature! I've heard that you can find TeaTime Magazine at Borders or Barnes & Noble, possibly WalMart but it is all hit or miss depending on their distribution and supply. So the best way is to call Hoffman Media at (888) 411-8995 and then press 1 to go to Customer Service to purchase a copy of the March/April 2008 issue. Do it soon, because once it becomes a "back issue" the price increases!


Okay.


Sigh.


*tapping fingers*


..........just waiting for Oprah's peeps to call.........


*tapping fingers*


Or Martha.

TeaTime Magazine Feature

So I was checking my email and Donna from Party Wishes sent an email congratulating me on the TeaTime Magazine feature. I email her back that I haven't even seen it yet! So I run out to my mailbox and THERE IT WAS!

I guess all the subscribers are getting the issue first before it hits the stands. So many friends have asked where they can get a copy, and honestly I don't know since I am a subscriber. I guess you will have to call TeaTime Magazine and ask for the distribution, or purchase one copy over the phone.

Now that the magazine is out, I will provide a link to the photo shoot so you can see all the photos that Stephanie took. But I have to get them from her on a CD, there were so many.

A big thank you to Stacey Norwood, the associate editor that helped me through the whole process. She is just the sweetest person. And I appreciate all my family, friends, blog friends, party planning friends and group board friends who have been a great support and encouragement!

Thank you for fulfilling a dream come true!

Risa, The ParTea Planner

Happy Birfday Ryan

That's how he used to say birthday - "birfday".

Sigh. I miss those days when it was so cute when they would mispronounce words.

My little guy, my middle child, has turned seven.

They say that mom's don't have a favorite child, but we all know they do. And Ryan is mine.

I knew that night you came into my life seven years ago, and watching you sleep under the jaundice lights, that you were something special.

And I was right.

Happy Birfday Ryan!

Photo by Stephanie Warner

Face Painting for C.H.O.C.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to do face painting for C.H.O.C.'S (Children's Hospital of Orange County) Holiday Party for their neuro patients and families.

I wasn't sure if my friend Regina would show up since she is in chemo treatment, but sure enough - the trooper that she is, was there! I was so excited to look up from painting someones face to see her mom and Regina standing there in line!

For those of you who read my blog may recall of Regina's Princess Tea Party that I did for her this past summer.

Regina is so girly-girl, as she wanted purple snowflakes!

So here is my Purple Winter Princess:

Here she is with mom and her brother:

To view the rest of the darling faces from this event on my gallery, Click Here.

A ParTea Photo Shoot!

I don't know where to begin. What a whirlwind it has been the past two - no few - weeks.

There was Thanksgiving. Then my son's 9th birthday party last Friday which was supposed to be a "camping" theme and I had a real camp site reserved and everything. But then the forecast predicted rain so I had to change everything within a couple days. So we ended up having pizza at a Round Table then took them all to see Fred Clause at the theater across the street. And it did rain, so I'm glad we were able to make Plan B happen. But I have never had to deal with 14 nine year old boys all at once. WHEW! I was exhausted. Even though I'm a professional party planner I like to do planning and design. You know. Fluff. NOT be an activities director....

And then yesterday was it. The photo shoot for Tea Time Magazine. I can't really divulge any details, and honestly and am too pooped from it all and am recovering. But I must give some credit, some cyber hugs and show my peeps how grateful and sincere I am for pulling it all off (in about a week's notice).

First off, I'd like to thank....hey wait a minute. This feels like I should be holding a golden teapot or something, like I won an Oscar.


Ok, I'm serious now. I really appreciate Mari Robeson from Mari Robeson Home for creating a beautiful, perfect, and ever-so-darling custom hand painted banner. We became acquaintances from blogging, and she had offered to make one for me a while back just out of the generosity of her big heart. When I found out about the photo shoot I thought it would be such a unique idea to have one in our set-up. So when I found out we had a quick deadline, I emailed her if she could do it. Poor thing stayed up really uber late to get it done and shipped to me in time! I was so excited to see it delivered on my porch! And when I opened it, I was so inspired by her color choices that I ended up adding a color to my table scape (which Amanda -see below- told me to have in the first place, but I balked). Which meant the NIGHT BEFORE the photo shoot I was high-tailing it up to Joann's to buy fabric to make a runner and get that color ribbon. Crazy. So thank you Mari, from the bottom of my tea lovin' heart for making such a work of art for me!

I have to thank my friend and florist, Amanda of Fantasy Floral Designs. She put up with all my annoying calls for wanting her input. She's the ying to my yang. She likes to do things a little *off* - a little askew, where I am so matchy-matchy and *safe*. So we meet in the middle and have created some very cool events. Thanks Amanda for creating gorgeous florals and adding your fab midas touch to the shoot!

She said she would forward the link by tonight, so I am anxiously awaiting to view the photos taken by my friend and professional photographer, Stephanie Warner. We spoke earlier today, and she said some of the shots were just *insert heavenly choir sound* awwwwwwwhhhhh! So thank you Steph for providing your professional services, for helping with unloading the mountain of stuff out of the van and for helping me feel at ease during the actual shoot. Your encouraging words "lemmee see that sparkle in your eyes" while shooting was comforting (especially during such an out-of-body experience). I can't WAIT to see the images!

Thank you to Dayna, she is the representative and coordinator at Occasions at Laguna Village where we did the shoot. Even though she injured her foot and had a foot brace on, she was still schlepping up and down the stairs bringing the food down. And then she helped out with some of the piddly stuff that needed to be done, when I felt pulled in a hundred directions and having her help out was such a relief. Thank you so much Dayna for your help and patience. I'm sorry we went over the time limit and you couldn't be in the shoot! sad face :(

I want to thank my mother and daughter "models" Kathy & Maggie (and baby Jake) for coming down and providing us with their beautiful smiles and sense of humor as we played pretend tea party. Because the setting-up and styling took a lot longer than anticipated, they had to wait around which is no small feat when you have a baby to attend to, on-site. But they were most gracious and since Kathy is originally from the South, she wouldn't of complained. At least not out loud.....wink. Thank you ladies for your time, and for rearranging your schedules at the last minute to make yourselves available for me!

There is no way, NO WAY I could have made it without Rebecca. Our friendship is kinda odd, because in a way she is my direct competition since she stared her own tea party business a few months ago. But we have gotten close and have such a camaraderie. In a heartbeat she offered to come down and help me out. Man, she was a work horse! And she was there when I was barking out requests for this and that. And because she is a perfectionist herself, she understood my pickiness and all. So I have no idea how I would have been able to get it all done had I not had her there helping out. Shudder to think. So thank you so much Becs for being there - physically, emotionally and encouraging me all the while.

Well, someone has to watch the rugrats while mommy is running around crazy doing a photo shoot. So a huge thanks to my mom and dad for staying with my kids and taking care of them while I fulfill a dream. A sorry to my children who only heard for the past 10 days "No, mom is busy, I can't". Thank you for understanding and letting me get things done. And lastly, to my dear hubby. For helping me find stuff. For moving stuff. For trying to be comforting when I broke the saucer and had the melt down. For accepting drive-thru food for dinner. A lot. And a thank you in advance for having to enter in all the receipts in Quicken and tying to make sense of all this business stuff from my self-diagnosed ADD.

So again thank you so much to everyone for bringing your talents and/or support to this project which means so me.

Here is a snippet, as I can't show any photos yet! The feature will be in the March/April issue (fingers crossed). Can't wait to hear what the editors decide to use!

Face Painting for Fundraising

Last night I was able to provide face painting for my daughter's preschool fundraiser.

They had a Fall Carnival & Silent Auction (it was belated due to the So Cal fires and the date got pushed back), so myself and Rebecca, my fellow face painting and party planner friend came to help out. We had a great time and I think we were able to contribute to the fundraising efforts as the room was filled the entire time with children and parents who were waiting in line. Click here to view a few photos I took of the "quick design" faces I painted.

I have really been enjoying face painting more and more, it's very addictive and rewarding. Check out the site I made just for face painting: Colorful Face Painting.com

Fund Raiser TIP:
I highly recommend face painting as a fund raiser for your school or other event. Not only does it give the event an element of partyness (is that a word?...well it is now) with kids and adults walking around with color on their faces, but it is also a form of entertainment.

Don't feel like you have to be a Picasso in order to face paint. If you decide to give it a try, here are some tips:

• DO NOT use acrylic or tempura paints to face paint with. Even though it may say non-toxic it is not wise or safe for use on the facial area. PLEASE use products that are made just for face painting. I use Snazaroo face paints which is one of the most popular brand of face paints on the market. You can purchase Snaz products at their website (they have a discount for non-profit orgs) or from Silly Farm which is where I get my FP supplies. The best brushes to try are a Round #5 and #3 that you can buy at Michaels or Silly Farm. I like the American Painter brand.
• Search online or Google the most popular face paint designs. It does not have to be complete, full face designs but you can do a mask, one eye or half face. Cheek art can actually take longer to paint than a quick butterfly, mask or muzzle.
• Check out step-by-step how to's face paint designs on You Tube
• No matter the results or outcome of your design, children don't care, they just absolutely LOVE having paint on their face!

Featured in Special Events Magazine

Thank you to Special Events Magazine for showcasing the Mary Poppins Birthday Tea Party
that we (I) produced. Click on the link to view the online version article. It is quite an honor to be featured in such a respected industry trade publication. I haven't received my copy yet, but will post when it arrives.

To view the slideshow photo gallery of the Mary Poppins event click here.

Pumpkin Carving Party

Yesterday we had our annual block Pumpkin Carving Party. This is a party that I've coordinated since we all moved here six years ago - wow, time has flown by! I tried to find photos from the first couple of years, but unfortunately that was back when I didn't take many photos. Now I'm bummed.

To view all the photos from this party click here.

Photos from the past:

2003 (pre-third child days)

2005

2006

2007

This party is a highlight of my year. I guess because it kinda officially kicks off the holidays. Next thing you know it is Thanksgiving, then Christmas.

I wasn't even sure we were going to be able to go forward with the party due to the So Cal fires which made the air quality here in Orange County unbearable. Kids were home from school on Thurs. & Friday. But Saturday, thank goodness came some drizzling and a breeze which brought back our beautiful weather and were able to come outside again.

How To:

If you would like to plan a Pumpkin Carving Party here are some party tips:

• Send out an Evite to your friends, family or neighbors letting them know the date and time. We also have a Chili Cook-Off and have a couple of pots of chili, hot dogs, pizza, salad and desserts. You can set-up in Evite which food assignments you need for your potluck. Also assign someone to bring paper goods such as napkins, bowls, plates, plasticware.
• Everyone is BYOBeverages and a snack to share during the carving time.
• Everyone needs to bring their table, chairs, table cover or newspapers, pumpkin carving tools, garbage bags, hand or diaper wipes, tea light candle and of course, their pumpkins. And their camera!
• Ask everyone to wear colors such as black, orange or Halloween theme T-shirts.
• We've done activities such as Halloween tattoos, crafts from Oriental Trading, cookie decorating, bounce the eyeball game etc. I was going to try to do face painting this year, but time got away.
• For a yummy "Screamcicle" drink, last year I filled a large pickle jar with a quart of softened vanilla ice cream and a 2liter bottle of orange soda (or was it two bottles?). Stir until the ice cream is mixed. Yummy!
• Gotta have music! To set the party atmosphere, play Halloween CD's. One of my favorite ones is Kid's Halloween Costume Party CD.
• For the past two years, (this is in lieu of an apple dunking game), I've done a donut eating contest which has become a huge hit with the kids. Simply tie a small rope across two poles or trees. Cut curly ribbon to hang from the rope. Then tie on powdered "Ghostly Donuts" to the ribbon thru the hole, at different heights. The kids have to have their hands behind their backs to eat the donut. It is sooooo funny! They love it!

• Then at the end of the party, we line up the carved pumpkins and had out small labels that I've printed on Avery 8167 size, that say Most Unique, Most Scary, Most Funny, Most Creative and everyone can put their stickers on the pumpkins as sort of a contest. Everyone wins!

It's a great party.....

Really Cute Personalized Plates

I've gotten emails requesting where you can get the personalized plate that was from Isabelle's First Birthday Party.

You can order custom plates and other really cute items at Timree's.

Isabelle's First Birthday Party

It was a lot of fun planning Isabelle's First Birthday Party. I've done First Birthday Parties before....my own kids.

The mom wanted a party that was cute and elegant. So to come up with new ideas for this party was a fun challenge. What I mean by challenge is how to make a cute, "elegant" party for wee little ones - mostly two years and under. Snacks for little hands were provided, and sippy cups were at each setting. I fluffed up the Birthday Girl's high chair with pink organza and marabou trim around the tray. Initially, I wanted to have a lady come out and do child's hand impressions in clay, but it would have gotten rather pricey. So I came up with the idea to have them have painted hand and foot on canvas boards as an activity and take home favor. It was so much fun painting their chubby little hands and feet! Then I sprayed it with a paint sealer.

The take home goodie bags consisted of a custom photo cookie that I did the photo graphic and had made by Schmerty's Gourmet Cookies. They are wonderful at this bakery and very quick with shipping! Then I made "The Best Homemade Play Dough" in pink and green colors presented in a jar with a personalized label and a copy of the play dough recipe.

I decided to use my new thrift find that I painted, add a foam ball covered in silk flowers and ribbon. I think it was either a votive holder or my friend thinks it is a wine bottle holder. Then made paper cones from 12x12" scrapbook paper.

Here is the before and after of my cone holder:
Click here to view my photos from this event. The client had their professional photographer there, as they did a family portrait before the party. It was such a pleasure to see Melinda Kim in action and I can't wait to get the images of the party that she took - they looked amazing from what I could see in her view screen! Will post the photos later when I get them.

Here is the recipe for the play dough, the cream of tartar is what makes this one the most like the real thing:

The Best (and Baby Safe) Homemade Play Dough Recipe
4 cups flour
4 cups water
1 cup salt
1/2 cup cream of tartar (approx. a 2.5 oz. size)
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Variation: Add one package of unsweetened powdered Kool-Aid while mixing. This will give it a nice smell and will add a slight color to it.

Mix all ingredients in a large sauce pan. Heat and stir over low to medium heat, use a whisk to get out flour lumps. Continue to stir – consistency will first look like cake batter, then lumpy then clumpy. Stir until it becomes dough, completely formed and no longer sticky. Allow to cool slightly, knead a little bit to form a big ball before storing in an air tight container or zippy bag.

Happy Birthday Pamina!

I was contacted just a few days ago to put together a Birthday Dinner Party, so I procured the caterer, rentals, linens, music entertainment and the flowers. Pamina loves pink and orange, so I made the floral design in those colors. Since the dinner and dessert was to be outside, even though there were heaters, I brought orange fleece blankets for warmth and cuddling.

Click here to view the photos.

My Friday

My friend Kelly is a fellow wedding and event planner in Florida (we've never met, just know each from an industry "members only" message board). ANYHOO, this girl is a nut. A couple of weeks ago she created a montage of what kind of day she had as a wedding planner. This is her montage:

You can read about the details on the post on her blog. Stuff about creating a new DVD cover for a client, getting a tour of a gorgeous new venue, loving her Starbucks, shopping for a client, updating menus and budgets yadda, yadda. She looks so glam - hair styled and sporting Nicole Richie sunglasses. So "J-Lo". So wedding planner-ish.

And then there's MY kind of day as an event planner. Here's my montage:

(To view up close click on the montage. Hopefully I don't have any chin hairs showing.)

Left to RIGHT, Top to Bottom:

1. Went to the flower market to get flowers for Mariela's Birthday Party.

2. This is what greeted me at the entrance. I love gerber daisy's. They are just. Happy.

3. She's my intern. Don't mention anything about her height, she's a little self-conscience about it.

4. Stopped at McDee's before going to the flower market. So there Starbucks. Don't see a drive-thru at your place! Now I will have money left over to buy that McGriddle, and not spend it all on a Venti.

5. Yup. That's me. In my usual state of glamourousness - a baseball hat and no makeup. Didn't take a shower either, cuz flowers don't care.

6. I'm glad to see my lil' intern is very Green, and drives her electric car to work.

7. I wonder if David Tutera has ever had a power lunch at Funtown Hot Dogs?

8. All the flowers I purchased unloaded and in buckets on my front porch. Some one's gotta be the white trash on our street....

It was a great day.

Seriously, it was fun. I took Raina with me and we had a great time, she really likes to help me. And the flower market is literally across the freeway from Lego Land, and we have passes. So we went for a couple of hours which was also a lot of fun since we usually have "the boys" - dad and two brothers there, and they don't like to go on the kiddie rides. And it is so worth going there just for the Granny Fries. Omigawd. They are the best. They fry diced green apples, coated in sugary cinnamon, accompanied with a vanilla cream to dip them in. HEAVEN.

But I had to drive home like a maniac to pick up my son from school in time. Of course I hit traffic on the freeway. Took some side streets, hit every flippin' red light. When I got there to the school, they had him waiting in the office. The office ladies already know I'm NOT one of the totally-have-it-together-moms like all the rest of 'em.

But that's okay. They didn't get to see really happy gerbers....