Brandy Ink

Happy Halloween

Halloween is my favorite. I love decorating for it, even more than Christmas. Plus, it's a great excuse to have a martini out of the rad glass my mom bought for me.

Here's wishing everyone a fun and safe Halloween!

The Art Party

It was Keiryn's 8th birthday this week and she looooooooves art so we had an art party! It was so much fun. Here's the cake (that really doesn't look like much) but it took a long four hours to make. I made the icing from scratch. It's a butter-cream icing and it was sooooo good. I got the recipe here. The time commitment was pretty huge, but it was a pretty tasty cake.
Of course because it was an art party, all of the kids got to paint a picture. The theme was "owls" and they each got a canvas to paint on. I did a little demo for them, but they mostly just did their own thing.

They turned out really cute...

Then we did a little photo shoot, which also turned out really cute...

Then it was time for cake... Keiryn was absolutely dying of excitement because she wanted her friends to see the surprise... which was inside the cake...
Don't you love the candles? Now for the reveal....
TA DA!! Isn't it beautiful? The kids all gasped when they saw me dish out the first piece... I almost peed my pants, I was so excited. I lost sleep over this cake the night before because I was so excited to cut it open and see what it looked like inside!!

And the fancy drinks were cool too. Ice cubes made out of Kool-aid in rainbow colors, served in 7-up. The kids loved these too...
And then Keiryn opened her presents... do you think she might have been a tiny bit excited about this gift? Keiryn thanked me eight hundred times after the party was over and said it was better than any party she could ever imagine. I'm so glad she appreciated it. She's good that way. And really, I probably had more fun than she did.

Good times!

Kienna's 10th Birthday

Last week was Kienna's 10th birthday and she requested a Spa party, so.... that's what she got! Ya, ya, my kids are spoiled, I know.

We started off with a foot soak and pedicure...

There were ten girls at the party and let me tell you, there were some feet in the crowd that were hurtin' for a little TLC. We also found a lot of stinky socks laying around after the party was over. Ewwwh.

Here's Grandma Jo (what a good sport). She painted EVERYONE'S toes. Auntie Brooke helped too but she refused to touch anyone's feet so she put on their face masks and makeup afterwards....

My China Doll niece wouldn't have anything to do with the face masks... and I can't say I blame her. They were a bit creepy looking. Ha. She was pretty frightened. But, she did opt for painted toes...

Awwwhh... she was so proud of them.

And she ate a crap load of green candy when her mom wasn't looking. Ha.

Below is the cake I made... which is also a bit creepy but Kienna thought it was the best cake in the whole wide world so that works for me :)
After an evening of foot spas, pedicures, painted toes and makeup... stawberries, caramel apples, veggie trays and punch... most of the girls went home but two of them stayed overnight. It was then that we headed out to the real spa (Little Cedars Spa) for Little Miss Manicures. And what a treat. Nicky sure knows how to treat little girls. It was fantastic! Thanks Nicky :) Here's a photo of her spa. Isn't it sweet? And, the girls think she's a rock star because she's so pretty and she has a cute little accent making her even more rock-star-ish.

All in all, a wonderful spa birthday party. What a spoiled child I have but she's TOTALLY, TOTALLY, worth it!

Wowzers. Friday was absolutely amazing. It really WAS my dream come true. I dreamt for years of having an art show but never actually imagining that I would DO IT. And I did it. Yay! It was spectacular. All of my favorite people showed up. My friends, my family, my blog fans, my customers, and then some totally random people. It was so cool. It was the biggest high I have ever got in life.

Don't you just love our matching track suits?  Ha. I think I did a blog once about ALWAYS matching your party theme. Here's a perfect example! People loved it!

I was worried about the red walls but they complimented my collection perfectly.

These two both sold. Yay!

The tables looked super cute thanks to Michelle at Buffalo Trails for adding that special touch of the watermelon candies. And by the way, she did a fantastic job of hosting the night.

Beth was the best cash register girl EVER!

Candace was one of my BEST customers - she bought cards, prints and even an original! Thanks Candace :) I love that you are one of my biggest fans.

I had the best evening I could ask for. Great feedback on my art, good conversation with friends and lots of questions about where my next series is headed and when my next show will be. Plus, I sold seven originals and tons of prints and cards so I'm super stoked about that. 

I will have more for sale soon on my blog for the people that couldn't make it to my show. And for those of you who did make it... thanks everybody! You rock!

"Who" made the cupcakes?

Right before my (totally awesome, over the top, relaxing) twelve day break from reality, it was Kienna's birthday. Pictured below is her 80's party, that she totally planned herself. She even made the invitations... and I'm kicking myself right now for not saving a copy of her cute little home-made invite. I'm lovin' the graphic designer in her. Anyway, it was a costume party, and everyone came all decked out, 80's style. It makes me smile every time I think about it.

She thanked me later for the "awesome party." I told her I was proud of her, for planning a stellar party. Oh, by the way, Keiryn and Kienna made the cupcakes. They rocked! They reminded me of something you'd see in the Grinch... which has nothing to do with 80's but is still cute no matter what...

 

Whoville cupcakes rock! They're totally 80's, with their rainbow insides... and I'm in love with the personalities that they seem to have.

Good job Kienna! I loved your party, and your cupcakes. You make an excellent party planner ;)

Party Decorations

I don't usually blog on the weekend, but I've been inspired to do so. I've had a lot of people asking for help with party decorations. Ideas. Suggestions. It's kinda cool actually, because I love that #$%@!

Below I have posted the baby shower that I held for my precious little niece, China Lily. She's gorgeous, and so was her baby shower. Black, white, and RED. Nothin but pure class for Lily. And, it turns out that Chinese babies look gorgeous in black, white and red. She pulls it off perfectly.
 

 

When I plan my decorations, I like to think BOLD. GRAPHIC. ELEGANT but in a FUNKY kind of way. Take your colors, or theme, and run with it! Make a splash (it helps if you own a print shop)! Napkins are a HUGE decoration... just buy lots of them in cool colors and patterns and scatter them around your room. Or, if it's a fancy affair, use mini lights. You can never have enough mini lights. Candles are good. Big huge photos of people are AWESOME. Food that matches your colors scheme is super COOL. I always put something on the bathroom mirror. A decoration or something to read. I always bring the party into the bathroom. Always.

Be CREATIVE. Be CRAFTY. Stretch your IMAGINATION. Have fun! Oh, and don't forget to wear clothes to match the theme! Matching your party is a MUST! (Sara - wear GOLD!)

Celebrating Love

Yesterday was the best Valentine's Day ever. Grady spoiled me rotten and I felt totally LOVED. Which is how I should feel on Valentine's Day. It was awesome. I'm so lucky.

Pictured above is Amber and Darren, the happy couple that will be married on April 26th of this year. They were the guests of honor at my Valentine's/Engagement Party last night.

 

The party was absolutely beautiful. Everyone showed up looking smashing, and the decorations were perfect. The ambiance was exactly what Amber ordered and it was a wonderful night of amazing visiting with great company. Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated the love. Amber and Darren were overwhelmed with the love and support that was shown.

Don't forget to enter YOUR LOVE STORY by midnight tonight for a chance of winning a PRIZE!  The PRIZE will be a FRUIT'S GONE WILD 8x10 print of your choice! Pretty sweet! Check out my series so far, pick your favorite, and be ready to WIN! See you tomorrow night when I announce the winner! Good luck!