Owl Themed Baby Shower Ideas

Hi Lovelies!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Over the weekend I was looking through my Facebook and I noticed that a lot of my friends are having babies. This gave me the idea to post some pictures of a baby shower that I planned about six months ago for my sister-in-law. She was having a baby girl so I asked her what theme she wanted and she said she wanted an owl theme. There are so many cute things that you can do with an owl theme and it's not only a great theme for baby showers but can also be used for graduation parties as well as birthdays.

When I initially started planning the shower, I knew that I wanted to do something a little different so I started thinking of things that I could do that would be fun for everyone and decided to incorporate milk and cookies into the theme. We setup a table that had milk bottles with an owl cookie tied around the neck of the bottle, paper straws and a dispenser full of milk that guests could help themselves to. The bottles with the cookies served as the party favors. In case you're wondering, most of the items were purchased from Etsy so if you have a chance to visit these stores, they are all fantastic!

Bottles: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MylkandHoney

Paper Straws: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PartyPaperStraws

I forgot to take a picture of the milk dispenser 

but I purchased mine from Amazon for about $40. 

Owl Stickers: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lovelypapercreations

Ribbon: Michael's

Owl Cookies: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TSCookies

While I was doing research for the party, I came across an idea that someone had posted about Wish Cards. Wish Cards are basically cards that you leave out for guests to write well wishes, words of wisdom or advice to the parents to be. I also bought a photo album for the guests to put their cards in. Not only did the the guests really enjoy this but the parents to be enjoyed reading all the comments as well. Plus they got to take a little keepsake home with them.

Wish Cards: http://www.etsy.com/shop/beebusy13

I wanted to incorporate the baby's name into the shower as well and I was having a hard time thinking of how to do this. I wanted to tie it to the owl theme so I finally came up with the idea of hanging letters on branches to make it look like her name was hanging from a tree. 

Vase, Branches, Letters: Michael's

Lastly, I wanted to make sure that there was plenty of dessert to go with the milk so I baked red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and ordered a strawberry short cake. Told you I have a sweet tooth! 

Cake: La Patisserie (http://lapatisserie.net/)

There you have it, an owl themed baby shower! I hope this gave you lots of ideas that you can use for your owl themed celebration. As always stay beautiful and sweet!

Lots of Love,

Marcia

My Nighttime Skincare Routine

Hi Lovelies!

Hope you are all having a great week so far! I don't know about you but I can't wait for the weekend.

So, I thought I'd share my nighttime skincare routine with you and tell you what I think about the products that I use. I have oily skin and tend to break out every so often. I also want to mention that my skin is super sensitive so these products work pretty well with my skin. Let's get started...

First, I use Philosophy's Purity Made Simple facial cleanser to cleanse my skin. I wet my face first, put about 2 pumps in my hand and gently apply it all over my face and eyes. Yes, even my eyes! This cleanser is gentle enough to remove eye makeup and is freakin' awesome at removing makeup residue. It's also great to use with a Clarisonic cleansing brush. 

Philosophy Purity Made Simple

One-Step Facial Cleanser

www.philosophy.com

Second, I remove my remaining eye makeup with Clinique's Take The Day Off Makeup Remover. I put a dime size amount on a small towel and gently press down on my eye. Then I wipe off the makeup around my eye and rinse my eyes with water to make sure my eye area is completely clean. Be careful if you use a towel to wipe off your makeup though as it might stain your towel. I recommend using a dark colored towel so the makeup won't show. Alternatively, you can use a cotton ball or cotton pad.

 Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup 

Remover for Lids, Lashes and Lips

www.clinique.com

After my face is fully clean, I dab a little bit of Philosophy's Eye Hope around each eye. This eye cream is supposed to reduce the appearance of fine lines, dark circles and puffiness. I can't say whether or not this works since I don't really have fine lines or dark circles but it's all about prevention right? 

 Philosophy Eye Hope 

Eye Cream

www.philosophy.com

After applying my eye cream, I use Philosophy's When Hope Is Not Enough hydrating serum. I put about 4 drops in my hand and apply it to my face and neck. This serum is great at hydrating your skin and is supposed to firm your skin as well as help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. 

Philosphy When Hope Is Not Enough

Facial Firming Serum

www.philosophy.com

Last but not least, I moisturize my face with Philosophy's Hope In A Jar moisturizer. This is seriously the best moisturizer EVER! It's crazy because when you're applying it, you can actually see the water particles disappear into your skin. This is great stuff! I think this is even Oprah's favorite moisturizer. Can I just say that I love me some Oprah? :-)

Philosophy Hope In A Jar

Moisturizer For All Skin Types

www.philosophy.com

I wanted to also mention a new product that I've been using for a few weeks now that I actually think works pretty well. It's the Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Cleansing Pads. I use this about 3-4 times a week to cleanse my skin although it says it can be used daily. I choose not to use it daily just because it's a little drying on my skin but it seems to be doing a good job at preventing breakouts so far. When I do use this, I first wet my face and then take one of the pre-saturated pads on the textured side and gently rub that all over my face to exfoliate. Then, I turn it over to the smooth side, wipe it all over my face to get rid of any dirt and oil and rinse well. I find that it leaves my skin really soft and smooth and the best part is that it's only $6.50! Great for all you ballers on a budget out there!

Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily

Cleansing Pads

www.walmart.com

So there you have it, my nighttime skincare routine. Hope you enjoyed this and you get to try out some of these great skincare products. Until next time, stay beautiful and sweet!

With Lots of Love,

Marcia

A Little Introduction...

Hi Lovelies!

Welcome to my blog and my very first blog post! I'm so excited to start this blog and share my love of baking and beauty with you. I also plan to post about fashion, parenting, event planning and the list goes on (hence, the "Beyond" part of this blog). Before I start the fun stuff, I'd like to tell you all a little about myself.

First and foremost, I'm a wifey and mommy. I'm married to a wonderful husband of almost 6 years and I'm a mommy to a beautiful little girl who is now 2 1/2 and a handful by the way! :-)

I am addicted to all things beauty, fashion and baking. I love makeup whether it's putting it on myself or other people. Although I don't get the chance to do other people's makeup very often. I love fashion and have a serious online shopping addiction (just don't tell my husband). I also love sweets! I have the biggest sweet tooth ever and have no self control when it comes to baked goods, especially cupcakes. YUM!! I'm drooling just thinking about it!

I decided to start this blog because I've received so many compliments and questions on my makeup and clothes over the years. People usually want to know how I do my makeup, where I shop, etc. So, I thought why not start a blog where I can share this information with people that love the same things that I do?

I also enjoy baking so I figured I'd take you all on my baking adventures and share some recipes, tips and tricks with you. I am no Martha Stewart by any means but I like to make things that are quick and easy so I hope you are able to learn something new from me or at least save some time. Cause who really has time these days right?!

Well, that pretty much sums it up. I hope you enjoy this blog and please feel free to leave comments or suggestions on things that you enjoy or would like to see in future blog posts.

Stay beautiful and sweet!

With Lots of Love,

Marcia