nicole & blair: go bright for their wedding cake…
Posted: June 29, 2011 Filed under: business., cakes., personal., wedding... 3 Comments »nicole and i have been work friends for almost 5 years! we’ve had lots of great times at Nordstrom and have laughed a lot while working… she is literally one of the most FUN, and out there {in a really good way!} people i know… why should her wedding cake be any different?! this girl is always making some great fashion statement and has her own personal eclectic style that is just so…… nicole. her favorite color, turquoise was making a big statement at the wedding… the bridesmaid dresses, table details and even classic wayfarers… so when nicole said she wanted her wedding cake to be turquoise as well, i was totally on board!
her and blair tied the knot just a few weeks ago, and her cake ended up being one of the most colorful, knockout, bright, delightful and stunning cakes i’ve ever had the opportunity to make. i have to give props to her florist because the roses were GORGEOUS, and really just pushed the whole cake right on over to my favorites list.
enjoy the photos and CONGRATULATIONS nicole & blair! wishing you a lifetime of happiness…
i also received this to-die-for photo via text from the bride after the wedding! seriously?! but it completely made my day.
living small + my new favorite organization tip…
Posted: June 28, 2011 Filed under: favorites., how to., interiors., living small. 4 Comments »gil and i live in a townhouse and it’s pretty much the cutest thing ever. but let’s face it… it’s SMALL. we LOVE it and have decided we’re going to live here for as long as we possibly can… even if it means we have multiple kids here AND we re-model the kitchen AND we put in hardwood floors AND we build the french garden i’ve always wanted AND we paint all the rooms AGAIN for the 348,495,756th time. we know that sacrificing a bigger, fancier house means we’ll get to save up for new cars, splurge on a trip to Greece as soon as we have enough miles {we’re close!} and save for the future gatch clan we’d like to have… but it also means we have to stay organized. there is only so much space around here! we don’t have a technical linen closet OR a pantry but we’ve found ways to make our own and it’s working out just fine… i’m always trying to find new ways to organize things, create more space and get rid of things we really don’t need. i’m actually excited about the idea of seeing how long we can “live small.” people in new york city, people on apartment therapy and people in London do it right!? so why not us?
home sweet home...
i’ve been a human tornado around here the last few days and i thought i’d start blogging about the favorite ways i’m finding to make our house a more organized and happy home…
first: add shelves! in manhattan the air space is actually a hot commodity… you can’t build out, but you can build UP. where do you have space that you can go up? even if it means having to get a ladder to reach it…. you can fill the space with things you don’t use very often. just today i added a wire shelf in our laundry room {all by myself!} and it feels like a completely new space!!! {even the husband thought so!} now we have room to spare and i’ve been able to pull things from places like under our bed to put it this much better location.
second: use only clear containers! tupperware, zip-lock bags, whatever! if you can’t SEE what’s inside, you lose quality time searching multiple places trying to find what you’re looking for. also, add labels. {i just hand-wrote these on colored paper with a sharpie and then double stick taped them} this will help sweet husbands and curious kids find things when you ask for them! happy clear containers=happy family!
third: this is a new favorite!!! a fabulous mama {nickie} told me about this tip at church on sunday… instead of folding blankets {because seriously, they take up SO much space, always fall over and fit NOWHERE} you roll them up and tie them with ribbon. {use grosgrain because it won’t come untied} genius!!! she said she loves this because her 2 kiddies can untie them and tie them back up in their tv room… but it also saves a TON of space. these blankets were taking up so much space under our bed. {the pink one is a king size down comforter!} now they barely take up the tiny corner in our laundry room because you can keep stacking them up! {thanks nickie!! this made my whole day!}
these three fancy tips should get you started on at least one fun new project… let me know if they help and how they’re working in your home! be curious… hg
how to: indoor succulent garden
Posted: June 27, 2011 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., how to., interiors. 7 Comments »i’ve been seeing succulents everywhere for quite a while… on home decor blogs like here, in anthropologie stores, in magazines and we even just planted some at Nordstrom. i became enamored by the fact that there were SO many different kinds available! i’m not one to have indoor house plants {other than flowers} but i loved the idea of having something fresh and alive on our large coffee table, and i’m always up for a new how-to project that i’ve never tackled before! the BEST part is, they require hardly any work what-so-ever… no, seriously!! they do need full sunlight, but only need to be watered once a week {if the soil is dry} since they store water in their leaves {think aloe plant!} and can be planted indoors or out.
here are a few photos i thought were inspiring…
ummm... gorgeous!
ahhmazing idea for a cake!
here’s what you need to get started:
- a planter {with a drainage hole if you’re planting outside…}
- drainage rocks {if you’re planting inside and your planter has no drainage, like mine…}
- cactus soil {hold 25% more water than traditional soil, your succulents will love it!}
- succulents! there are so many to choose from so have FUN picking them out! i bought mine at Lowe’s… they were $4-$9 each, depending on the size. i really mixed them up to create interest… {i also wasn’t sure how many i would need so i bought a bunch and returned the 2 or 3 i didn’t end up using.} prepare for foreign language… i bought: echeveria {lola & dondo,} donkey tail {burito,} pachyveria {blue pearl,} hens n’ chicks {pacific blue ice,} platter plant & sedum species…
i'm usually like pheobe when it comes to potterybarn, but gil and i had a gift card and i thought this would be the perfect planter... i love it!
love!
it’s really important NOT to over-water succulents… they’ll die! and since this planter doesn’t have a drainage hole you’re going to make your own by covering the bottom layer of your planter with drainage rocks. this way, IF you happen to over-water, the h2O will have somewhere to go… then the soil can suck the water back up as soon as it needs it. genius!!
next, you want to start adding the cactus soil and then place your plants {and water them once before you plant them…} i started in the center with the largest ones, spreading them out evenly then i layered in the smaller ones, followed by the fillers.
don’t get discouraged if you don’t like it right away! i think i started over at least 4 times… gil was cracking up, but i wanted it to be perfect {according to me!} my only warning is: BE VERY CAREFUL! succulents are very fragile… be sure to pick them up by the roots only and nestle them gently. keep adding soil so that they are tucked in tightly…
the final product is to DIE for! let me know how yours turns out… hope you enjoy and be curious!
sweetness…
Posted: June 24, 2011 Filed under: business., personal. Leave a comment »remember the sweet baby cake for willa bleu?! well, mama Jennifer just blew me away with the sweetest blog post ever over at her blog: A Southern Foodie… check her out here. I CANNOT wait to read more of her deliciousness. hip! hip! be curious… hg
happy anniversary: chad & kim…
Posted: June 24, 2011 Filed under: business., cakes., personal., wedding... 2 Comments »i have been excited about this blog post for quite some time… not only are chad and kim dear friends of ours, but:
- kim was one of two very special roomates i’ve had in my life… i loved living with her.
- chad and gil have a long friendship rooted in music…
- i not only had the honor of designing their wedding cake, but i was a bridesmaid as well…
- and i remember the day kim and chad invited some other friends over to our house after a soccer match… i was building cake boards on the living room floor when a guy named gil gatch waltzed in and changed my life forever… {i owe you two sweeties for being a huge part of gil and i getting connected, thank ya!!}
- chocolate cake with raspberry filling
- white cake with strawberry and cream cheese filling
- chocolate chip cake with cannoli filling
- almond cake with chocolate ganache and rasperry filling
- espresso cake with chocolate ganache and cream cheese filling
my bestie and other bridesmaid bethany and i in the car on the way to the church relieved that the cake was now safe and sound at byron's southend... here we go!
i was HONORED to tie this bow... and i still have no words for how breathtaking this dress is!
- i <3 you kimmy!
- all photos courtesy of seth snider photography…
baby shower: willa bleu
Posted: June 23, 2011 Filed under: business., party. 5 Comments »a sweet friend of mine, erin maynor {listen to her make beautiful music here} asked me to design a cake for the baby shower she was hosting for her friend jennifer… she described jennifer as someone who is fun, eclectic, loves anthropologie, and let’s be honest… has to be pretty great if she’s naming her new baby girl: willa bleu.
i was excited about this “eclectic” baby cake and really wanted to go a not-so-girly route while still matching the polka dot invitations…
i filled the 3 layer white cake with my cream cheese filling, strawberry jam, and fresh strawberries… ummm, yum.
welcome baby willa bleu!
and thanks erin for being one of the sweetest people i’ve ever met… i hope we see each other soon. hg
be curious…
happy 1st birthday beckham!
Posted: June 22, 2011 Filed under: business., party. Leave a comment »the very first birthday is one of the most special! although i’m not sure any of us remember ours, i’m reminded of how family & friends gather to celebrate the first 12 months of a little ones life! christina had big plans for her son beckham’s first birthday party including LOTS of guests and a really, really fun cake! bright colors, lots of layers, and stars shooting out of it?! yes please!!
enjoy the photos of one of my favorite first birthday cakes so far… and sadly i forgot to snap a photo, but there was a GIANT matching polka dot cupcakes for beckham to dive in… talk about crazy fun!
hope it was a happy first beckham!! be curious…
{buttercream icing, with fondant details…}
happy anniversary: elaine & tc…
Posted: June 20, 2011 Filed under: business., cupcakes., wedding... 4 Comments »i was going through a really rough time when my friend elaine set her wedding date… honestly, the timing was perfect. i was so happy for her, but i needed something to keep me busy and my creative juices flowing, i needed to be surrounded by a friend and have my focus and attention taken off myself and my problems for a while… and sometimes the best way to get over hurt in your own life is to start serving others with everything you’ve got.
so, i didn’t just decide to help her plan her wedding but without even thinking i decided to do as much as humanly possible. i declared myself her honorary wedding planner and from there, things just went crazy. she was on a tight budget with 2 little ones, and a husband who traveled for construction work, but still wanted everything she’d ever hoped for in her wedding. i was so excited to invest all the extra time i had to help make it a reality. we had a lot of work to do in just a few months and it was some of the most fun i’ve ever had…
looking back it was quite a whirlwind… we set the date, and then made the what seemed like endless list of things to do: i remember it all like it was yesterday. the two of us booked the church and set the date for marriage counseling. we shopped and found the most PERFECT wedding dress… i was the model for bridesmaids dresses since most of her best friends all live in ohio. we made the guest list and i printed and sent out all of the invitations. we found a great reception site, met with the manager and worked out all the details of the rentals. dj, done. photographer, done. hair & makeup artist, done. candles, printed napkins, done. i even remember being in the shoe store almost FORCING her to buy gorgeous silk wedding shoes even though she didn’t “feel” like they were important… {the photographs now show that i was right about this particular purchase} since her husband is italian, we had a lot of fun booking a great italian caterer, everything we tasted was delish! and he even offered us an eggplant dish just for me 
i was excited to take on the wedding cake, {complete with cannoli filling} cupcakes for all the kids who would be attending and ALL of the flowers. man! we found gorgeous red roses at wholesale and her mom, sister, bridesmaids and i spent the night before the wedding doing all the bouquets. {that was way more work than i’d ever imagined, but hey! you learn something new every day…} we made all the rose balls and white paper flowers on the floor of her bedroom weeks before the big day and made really cute favors: cd’s of all of their favorite songs. the day of the wedding, meet me, the coordinator. i had NO problem making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be… getting the brides dress on and telling the flower girl to go at just the right moment… making sure all the vendors got their final payments, and even re-stocking the bar a few times throughout the night… i can honestly say it was the most fun wedding i’ve EVER been to. their families are tons of fun, and i felt like a part of them when it was all said and done.
i don’t think i knew at the time how much helping her with her wedding was healing me from the inside out… the Lord was using this new marriage to restore my own that had just ended. it’s funny how things work out huh? enjoy photos of the incredible day…
{my favorite cake photo of all time...}
all photos courtesy of crystal genes photography...
elaine and tc: thank you SO much for allowing me to help so much with your wedding. it’s something i’ll never forget… i’m convinced it played a part in my heart being healed from the past and paved the way for my present and future. i love you both and here’s to a very happy 2nd anniversary!
feeling way too much like gilligan…
Posted: June 13, 2011 Filed under: personal., sunday funday... Leave a comment »it’s been nothing short of a crazy weekend. scrapbook mending for a friend, very early mornings, great leadership experience + guest speaker from New Zealand at church, {who by the way is my new favorite person!} yummy dinners + making eclairs from scratch for the first time {blog to come,} green room fabulousness + menu planning + grocery shopping, saturday wedding cake + delivery to the big chill with assistant olivia, 6 batches of turquoise buttercream, & cupcakes for miss mecklenburg county {& future miss nc + miss america.}
so, when we got invited on the lake today i thought it would be the perfect way to wind down, relax, get some sun, and take a few deep breaths before the next busiest week of my entire month. oh… if only it were true.
me in the car on our way to the lake. happy as a clam...
we grabbed starbucks, hit the boat deck and hopped on board. i remember one of the dock boys mentioning rain, but i thought “no way, we are not having that!” we headed out of the marina, and i saw grey clouds gathering in the distance… us girls were joking and singing the theme song to Gilligan’s Island while the guys decided we’d go in the direction of the sun-beamed sky. we had a whole lot of fun for a while, out-running the clouds, chatting about life, the amazing weekend we’d all just had and the future… but then…
lightning bolts, thunder, and a cold breeze that just didn’t feel right swept over our shoulders. as the sky continued to get darker we contemplated a plan… “should we hit an island and hide?” “well, trees don’t sound like such a good idea right?!” “should we try to speed the 30 mins back to the dock?” “it’s not looking too good over that way…” “do we just take cover and wait it out?” “it’s coming right for us!” we eventually settled on, “well if we all die here at least we’re all together…” nice. that’s the best we can do?! i immediately wrapped up all the iphones in a dry towel and tucked them inside my red longchamp bag… i knew it would get us through, because if i can’t tweet and instagram about this asap i’ll die! we decided to try to make our way back and huddled together in the back of the boat with our towels wrapped over our heads. right now, cramming my 6 foot tall frame inside the tiny bathroom cubby wasn’t sounding too shabby…
the storm rolling in... it showed us who was boss.
the rain came harder, and faster. bigger drops, and more darkness. okay, now we’re in the middle of the lake, with nowhere to go, and we’re half an hour from where we started… we managed to make our way over to a random dock {and not one that was in any condition to be attaching a boat to.} the girls hopped the ledge and made a run to land {actually i cowered under someone’s garage door ledge for quite a bit while the guys took care of tying up the ship.} i had no idea where we were… but the house next door was recognizable, even to me. “weird i think i’m having deja vu.” apparently we know the people who live here… seriously?!
not only were they home, but they brought us clean, dry towels, invited us in, put our soaked clothes in the dryer and offered us anything we could ask for. now, this is not only the craziest thing ever, but it’s a miracle. ptl!
there's nothing like being in your baithing suit in a strangers house, while you're clothes are in their dryer...
now about the deja vu… i didn’t actually know this family personally, but i recognized the house and 2 of their children from a photo they showed me tonight. a girl i knew from high school and her very gorgeous older brother… it hit me that the only other time i’ve EVER been stranded out on the lake, THIS was the VERY house we ended up getting rescued at. {the short version: me and my besty were jet-skiing/tubing with my dad… we left the jet-ski idle for a while we were just floating around in the water for a bit, but little did we know our tube rope was getting tangled in the motor… we rolled it over trying to get the rope out, with no such luck. the jet-ski was done for and my dad’s cell phone was wet and dead and we were in the middle of the lake. oh, and it was getting dark. the 3 of us swam about a mile dragging the jet-ski to this VERY house, where the handsome older brother of the girl i knew from high school cut the rope for us and sent us back on our way.} can you even believe this?! i had to blog about it while it was fresh in my head and while i’m still in awe of these 2 stories colliding. what are the chanches? i have no more words.
“rescues” hold a very special place in my heart.. in situations like this one i’m constantly reminded of how the Lord rescued me out of tragedy and brokeness. i never thought it was possible but, he pulled me up and out of the distress that i sometimes still can’t believe ever happened. He is my rescuer. and He is your rescuer. but sometimes we find ourselves washed up on a familiar shore and we’re hoping for a rescue, a miracle. don’t be discouraged by where you’ve ended up, even if it’s happened before… call out for help and surrender… and you too shall be rescued. {the Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemed. psalm 34:22} {the Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom… 2 timothy 4:18}{God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits. rescued us from the trampling boot, His love never quits. takes care of everyone in time of need. His love never quits. Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits! psalm 136:23-26}
alas, we all made it home safe and sound, and even shared dinner with our lovely rescuers… sunday funday it is… and it was SO fun. i’ll never forget it. oh, and ginger and mary-ann are 2 new nicknames i’ll be using starting now.
me… a runner?!
Posted: June 9, 2011 Filed under: personal. Leave a comment »i wouldn’t say i’m the most athletic person i know… although i swam competitively when i was younger and had a quick stint on the lacrosse team in high school {i’m positive i only thought this was a good idea because of the skirts and super cool expensive gear.} i like to stick to classes at the gym, riding my bike + basket to the market, or heck, my job at Nordstrom as my routine workout. i spend a lot of my time there climbing ladders and moving things 3 times my size…
my husband gil on the other hand, is the most athletic and honestly the most disciplined person i know. football scholarship, can run like a million miles, 6 am weekly workouts and he’s getting awesome at + loving some golf! i want to be just like him… and i’ve always wanted to be a “runner.” i’ve got the shoes, the stacks of nike tempo shorts, dry fit tee shirts and the playlist, but i needed a little help. as a sprint swimmer i always had a hard time pacing myself, and it’s followed through with running. it’s easier to just run FAST, then stop as soon as i feel a good solid cramp, and the urge to throw up… but i asked for some help and the hubs came to my rescue.
he assured me we’d start slow, and i assured him i wouldn’t be able to run to the end of the street. and like the crazy girl that i am, made him check my heart rate a few times to make sure i wasn’t close to death. we started with 2 miles. 2 miles! that’s a lot for someone who considers walking up the escalator at work 30 times a day exercise! and well, i did it! we ran the first mile together, and while gil went to run another 5 {seriously} while i ran the mile back to the house.
the first time was tough. really tough… on the mile back home, i prayed aloud while trying to breathe at the same time all the way back to the front door. it was the only way i was going to make it. not because i was so sore, but because it was SO hot, and i was SO out of breath. {my poor lungs!} it took me about 20 minutes to cool down and regain normal consciousness… oh my. the 2nd time was much better! i actually ran the both miles only stopping once to turn around {and snap a photo to text to gil, showing him how far i’d gone} he was amazed actually and i was happy! had i really JUST ran an entire mile without stopping?! was i REALLY making progress this quickly?! praise God!
we agreed i’d run 2 miles, 3 times a week. so far, i’m on my 2nd week and i’m actually loving it… crazy. running later in the evenings has been quite nice… and this past time i noticed i was hardly worn out when i returned to the house… my {trainer} husband says i just may have to up my length… maybe next week. but i’m RUNNING and that’s all that matters.
