favors for the eco-friendly party host

happy earth day! hopefully you're doing your part to plant more trees, turn off lights, and recycle your newspapers, but why not share the wealth with your friends, colleagues, and family members. next time you host an event, consider these as your event favors:this is a colorado spruce tree, but you can find similar items in a variety of trees. they make great favors for weddings, showers, and corporate events, and are especially popular now that every wants to be "green." ask your guests to plant them in their back yards or on their patios.

if you think that your city-dwelling guests might not appreciate your "green" savvy rubbing off on them, get a plantable rosemary cutting instead of a tree. your guests will be able to plant them outside, or even in their kitchens, and will enjoy lots of delicious meals thanks to you!

a shower like no other

a couple of weeks ago, bride-to-be rebekah celebrated her upcoming nuptuals with a lingerie shower! there was a lot of giggling as the gift-opening portion of the evening began. this was no raunchy affair; although there were a couple of "fun" items, rebekah's friends showered her with some gorgeous and classy lingerie items, making everyone feel like their own lingerie drawers needed some updating.

the cosmos and hors d'oeuvres were a big hit. luckily everyone still had some room for dinner afterwards! best of all, everyone departed with a chocolate-y brownie favor to savor the evening's memories!

mooooooooooooooo

moo cards...what are they? an innovative and creative way to showcase your event or disseminate information at your event. you can choose a variety of photos and written material to use in the same group of items you order - business cards, postcards, invitations, mini cards, and sticker books. there are literally hundreds of uses for moo cards.

to stimulate your creativity, here are 10 of our favorite uses:

10. save the dates - can't choose your favorite photo? upload a variety of fun photos or images on one side of the mini cards, and your save the date information on the other. print different information on each card and then attach a few mini cards on one end with ribbon to showcase the fun details about your event.
9. thank you cards - use your favorite wedding photos to create a variety of thank you note cards to mail to your guests.

8. anxious for your guests to share their photos with you? set up a weblink where everyone can upload their photos to share. put the information on some fun mini cards and scatter them around your event for people to pick up and take home - on the bar, on cocktail tables, near a guest book.

7. can't decide on a theme for your business cards? share your business info on a variety of backgrounds.

6. looking for some creative and personalized bridal shower invitations? upload photos of the bride and groom on one side, and shower details on the other - each guest will receive their very own personalized invite!

5. are you wondering if all your guests will get along? create "table topics" cards with the mini cards by printing a different question or conversational topic on each card - how did the bride and groom meet; is it a boy or girl; what was the guest-of-honor's craziest job? your guests are sure to keep chatting for hours.
4. showcase everything your organization has accomplished by using invitation cards to create event programs. upload photos of your accomplishments and print these on the underside of the program card.

3. print photos of your organization's accomplishments on the greeting cards and mail them to your clients on their birthdays!

2. create holiday cards to mail to your clients. put your favorite organizational photos on them.

1. create personalized stickers to put on your party favors.

rocking my red pumps for HIV/AIDS awareness day

did you know that there are 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the united states? march 10th is national women/girls HIV/AIDS awareness day - show your support by wearing your red pumps!

paint your party

are you looking for a unique way to entertain your guests and at the same time create an incredible keepsake of your event? a live event artist is just the thing! it's a hot new trend at weddings, and makes for great entertainment at other special events as well - think golf outings, galas, VIP soirees.what is a live event artist? essentially, an artist will come to your event, set up a blank canvas, and start painting away. you will meet with the artist ahead of time and designate any important people whom you would like to appear in the artwork. your guests can watch the artist create a masterpiece, and at the end of the event, you get to take home a piece of one-of-a-kind artwork to display in your home, office, or wherever you like!

the picture above was created by laura swytak in seattle, but live event artists are growing in popularity and you will be able to find a great one in your area as well. the pieces often take anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to create, and come in standard sizes of 36x24 or 48x30 inches, although many artists will create custom sizes as well. artistic viewpoints vary widely, so be sure to interview the artists you connect with and choose one who's style is most representative of your own. these masterpieces can cost anywhere upwards of $1,000, but if that's too steep for your event budget, consider finding a local art student who would barter his talent for a free meal!

pearls for the elegant bride

surprisingly, many brides invest a lot of time and money in their wedding style, but then don't know where to get started in choosing jewelry for the special occasion. if you are a bride looking for something classic and elegant to compliment your wedding gown, look no further! Andrea D'Ambrosia, who has been designing jewelry for years, recently launched a new line exclusively for brides. either choose a piece from her portfolio, or have her custom design a piece for you. best of all, all of her pieces are affordable! after the big day, have her modify your "something new" so that you can wear it again and again!

save the date

save the date for the IONA Senior Services "art of caring" luncheon on wednesday, april 29 at the mayflower. senator Claire McCaskill will be the keynote speaker, and Ellen Proxmire will be the recipient of an honoree award. more information will become available on IONA's website.