I am one of those people who is always looking forward to the next party or celebration. I just love making the most out of any holiday or event. I absolutely loved helping two of my daughters plan their weddings and I honestly can't wait to do it again someday for the next one! I live for this stuff! What's fun is that each wedding is as unique as the people getting married. This past July Elizabeth and Jon got married at the Cork Factory Hotel in Lancaster, PA. Elizabeth had a vision and knew exactly what she wanted. In case you missed the last post, you can find a little recap here. It was truly a beautiful day. One of our favorite things from that day was the paper flower wall that stood as a back drop during the ceremony and reception. We made it ourselves. It was a labor of love and we were thrilled with the result. We thought it would be fun to share the progress of such a big project with you.
It all started when we had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Martha Stewart Bridal Market Party in New York City last October. It was a real Who's Who in the event planning world. It was a fantastic night and as you can imagine there were amazing things to see and do. One of the things that caught our eye was the photo booth. The wall behind it was covered with white flowers. It was beautiful.
At the time, Elizabeth was engaged and the minute she saw the wall she said " I want this at my wedding!" So naturally, since I'm her mom and a person who loves a creative challenge, my answer to her was " Then you shall have it!" We stood in awe of the wall taking pictures and examining the flowers. The whole thing was made from paper. It was so cool. No big deal...right? Well, sort of...
Soon after we returned from New York City we began the process of making this wall happen. We had 9 months, which was plenty of time, but we couldn't find a how-to anywhere. Not on Martha Stewart's website and not even on Pinterest! So we decided to just figure it out. We started by making tons of paper flowers. We made patterns and cut them out of everything from single sheets of copy paper to rolls of craft paper. The varied weights in paper gave the flowers a few different looks.
Elizabeth made a job out of designing and cutting paper flowers.
We had flowers everywhere so we carefully attached them to a bare wall in our basement to keep them from getting wrinkled or torn.
While we were creating the flowers, Jon and his dad constructed a 12' high by 8' wide wall that would wrap around the fireplace in the ballroom at the Cork Factory. We tested the fit before the big day to make sure it worked. The Cork Factory staff was fantastic to work with and were happy to accommodate us with this project. We just love them!
Once the wall was constructed we attached the flowers to it. We used a combination of glue and staples.
In order to make it portable Jon and his dad used five separate boards to create the wall. Three across the front and one on each side. They would all be attached together at the venue.
Once most of the flowers were attached we stood each section of the wall up to see how it looked (it helped that Jon's dad's basement had high ceilings!). We added more flowers to completely fill the wall.
The wall was transported to the venue the day of the wedding in a covered truck. A HUGE thank you to Jon's dad Glenn for making that happen!
When the wall was set up in the ballroom we touched it up with a few more flowers and a little bit of glue. We lined the base of the wall with glass vessels filled with water and floating candles. It softened the look and gave the wall a romantic glow.
Mission accomplished!
This paper flower wall was truly a labor of love. Elizabeth had a vision and with some hard work and the collaboration of some amazing people it became a reality. And it was perfect!
Have a beautiful day!
Leslie xo
The entire pan is placed in the refrigerator again until the chocolate is set. You can serve Tandy Cakes room temperature or cold. I happen to love them cold!
I don't hide the fact that I'm someone who refuses to give up sweet things. I just can't imagine life without sugar and even though I have total control most days there are many days when I cave to the craving. During the summer months ice cream is my weakness. Some days it's a scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream with peanuts on top and other days it's an all out party at our local 
Shredded Coconut
Sprinkles or "Jimmies" as we call them in my house
Last week I spent a few days in New York City to celebrate my birthday. The weather was perfect and the vibe in the city was upbeat and happy. I love wandering around Manhattan this time of year and as I've mentioned before, I like to discover new things each time I visit. This time I found an adorable little flower shop on the Upper West Side called 
Even though it is currently surrounded by scaffolding, this little flower shop jumps out at you when you are walking down the street.
The store is literally overflowing with fresh flowers and plants.
There are buckets of seasonal flowers inside. You can make your own bouquet or have Posies create something for you.
I was amazed at the selection of flowers offered in such a small space. There were so many varieties and colors to choose from.
If you can't decide or don't have time to make your own bouquet, you can choose one of the premade bouquets that are lining the wall. This was my favorite part of the store. The bouquets were gorgeous and inexpensive.
I love garden roses and hydrangeas together so I chose this beautiful bouquet to take home.
If you need a vase or vessel for your arrangement Posies has those too.
I didn't need a vase so my bouquet was carefully wrapped in purple tissue paper and cellophane, tied with a raffia bow and placed in a large white shopping bag. I love that! So simple but so very pretty. This little flower shop gets a huge thumbs up for me! It was a great little find and a fun stop to make in the middle of a busy day. If you visit the Upper West Side head to 
I love the detail on this little glass cake stand and the dome on top just makes it extra cute.
This pink cake stand was a gift from my children. I love the color. It makes serving cake more fun!
This square cake stand is great for serving things like brownies and bar cookies.
This stand is from a 
I took this photo during the 
It's hard to believe June is upon us! I don't know where the time goes but it seems like every time I blink, another year goes by! My house is buzzing right now. There are kids home from college, a wedding coming up and people coming and going every day. It's total chaos and I love it! Everyone has a different schedule though so planning meals can be tough with a full house. It's a challenge to keep the pantry and fridge stocked let alone have something prepared when someone needs a quick meal. There are certain things that are great to have on hand during busy times and pasta salad is one of them. It's inexpensive, easy to make in large quantities and tastes great, especially when you have a recipe like the one I am sharing today. It's an old recipe that has been in my family for several generations. My grandma made it, my mom made it and now I make it. It's simple but delicious.
Small pasta shells, tomatoes and cucumbers are the main ingredients in this recipe.
It's easy to make. Just boil the pasta, rinse it in cold water and drain.
Add chopped cucumber and tomato.
Toss with McCormick Salad Seasoning, onion powder and Wishbone Italian Dressing.
That's it. It doesn't get much easier!
Simple syrup and a pinch of salt were added to the fresh berries as they were pureed in the food processor.
I sprayed the top of the tiles with Acrylic Coating (again, in a well ventilated area). I waited for it to dry and repeated the process numerous times until the labels were well coated and the tiles had a nice shiny surface.
After the tiles were completely (and I mean completely) dry, I flipped them over and attached four felt pads to the bottom of each one.
I now have a set of coasters that are not only fun to use but make great conversation pieces. Each one tells a different story or has a special memory and for that reason, I loved creating them.
This is my maternal grandmother. She was an amazing woman. She loved unconditionally, had tremendous faith and a compassionate heart. She touched everyone's life in a positive way and treated every person she met with love and respect. She was full of wisdom and an absolute joy to be around. She was an amazing role model.
This is my daughter Lauren with her son Braden. I will never forget the day he was born. It was one of the happiest days of my life. You can't imagine a joy greater than your own child until you have a grandchild. The past two years have been some of the best in my life.
Sparkling wine in a can? This 
Executive Chef 
