Social Butterfly

Is it possible to be too Social in the world of social networking, I mean most people are connected through sort of social networking but I wonder is it overkill. I myself have Facebook, A Fanpage on Facebook, Twitter, A Blog, A website (that I am still working on), Pintrest (Recently Added) and a shop on Etsy. This seems like too much for my brain to handle sometimes. Trying to update and keep everything interesting is making me spin. I am putting this topic out there because I know I am not alone.
Everyday I get on the computer destined to find a way to attract more traffic to any one the pages listed but I couldn't help but wonder if it seems desperate. "Look at my Fan page", 'Check out my Blog", "Visit my Etsy". Seriously, is it really this serious! I may just opt out and get a store front! I am not even posting any links cause I just feel by now you should have them somewhere! I think I am my biggest fan. You get so obsessed with checking "comments" and "likes" that you loose yourself. I started this business for the love of everything creative and that simply means I would love for you to enjoy items I enjoy creating, I don't want to loose site of this and become a Social Networking Robot but this is a lot of work.

500 Facebook Fan Giveaway

It's been a long time since I offered something to you so I wanted to make this one special! You ready. I will offer a complete party package to 2 lucky contestants who leave me a comment regarding what they like most about Decorated Elements. You opinion matters to me and without you I have no inspiration, so I want to show my appreciation to you for all your support thus far.  The winners will receive Party Packages complete with 1 Banner, 12 cupcake toppers, 12 favor tags, 12 water bottle labels, 2 centerpiece signs, 12 cupcake wrappers and 12 invitations. Party Theme will be of course my Spa Party Theme since it's a preferred theme right now. The contest will run from Tomorrow Saturday May 28, 2011 12am thru Monday May 30, 2011 11:59 pm. A random name with be chosen through Random.org from a list of comments left here on my blog on Tuesday May 31, 2011. I only ask that you participate only if you are a Facebook Fan of Decorated Elements. I wish you all luck and thanks for participating, xoxo!

Water Bottle Labels

Favor Tags

Invitation

Complete Look Used for an Expo

Water Bottle Labels, Cupcake Wrappers and Toppers

Lollipop Tree Made With Centerpiece Sign

Designing Party Packages

I was reading over some of my previous post and it's always good to see where you were and where you are headed. Back in January I was determined to find my place in the Printable Party world. I had seen so many creative ways to decorate parties with these printables and wanted to take part. I researched and researched, invested in a cricut and cartridges, found so many awesome blogs or web pages with either tutorials or products and now I can say I have experienced this part of the event planning world. I think I almost forgot that I went to school to make cakes! Graphic Design will always have a special place in my heart and I think I started making the cakes because I felt like I could not afford to keep up with purchasing computer programs and all the other goodies to get you on top of your game in designing. Needless to say Photoshop is stll good to me and even though we were apart for awhile, we have since reunited and it feels damn good. I have desinged so many different party elements that I am now in the beginning stages of creating a line of DIY kits. I figure if Party City has so many generic party supplies that all look alike, why wouldn't someone want a generic party that has not been seen anywhere else in their neighborhood (unless designed by me). Now when I speak of generic, I don't mean no name brand, big white box with black letters, I am simply speaking of party design packages that you can pick up for anyone's party, Nothing is personalized and it can fit whatever occasion you use it for. So check out some of my creations in my Etsy Shop as I try my hands in the printable party world.

Spa Party Water Bottle Labels

Silhouette Mom Cupcake Topper/ Tag

Wii Home Screen Inspired Invitation

Party Banner Invitation

A Phenomenal Affair

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending my first Cotillion. This event was held at Fiesta Banquets and sponsored by Sabrina Ayala Sadler and the Phenomenal Women. Sabrina the Founder of Phenomenal Women is doing a wonderful job teaching children Charm and Etiquette. This event was something like a fairy tale. I watched and took part in converting the Banquet Room turn into an Enchanted Evening fit for a Prince and a Princess. I also assisted the children with changing into their clothing for the different sets of the program. The children were awesome as they performed their well rehearsed parts in the evenings affair. They Danced, Read Poetry, Preformed a Fashion Show and received their Right of Passage. Parents held their heads high this evening as they watched their children grown and mature right before their eyes. The highlight of the evening for me was the Father/Daughter Waltz. I was in awe as I watched Proud Papas lead their leading ladies around the dance floor so gracefully. They looked so comfortable in their White Ballroom Gowns and Tiaras. Almost like it was second nature. Sabrina is not only the Founder of this amazing organization but she is also the Author of the book 'Phenomenal Woman, When Did You Loose Your Power". This book speaks of real life topics that women deal with while in a relationship. I had the pleasure of participating in another event with Sabrina at the Phenomenal Women Expo earlier this month. It was my first expo as a vendor and it was an awesome experience. I am looking forward to taking part in more events held by Sabrina and The Phenomenal Women. Her vision is clear and her dreams are supported by all who know her. If I wore a hat, I would have to take it off to you Sabrina! You truly are a Phenomenal Woman.

Fiesta Banquet Hall (Beginning Stages)

Sabrina's Book Cover

Books available for Purchase

In Order from Left to Right, Mother Nicole, Daughter Misata and Father Michael

Ceremony

Arent They Gorgeous

Brenda and Sabrina

Happy Mothers Day

Enjoy these Free Mothers Day Graphics. A special Mothers Day Flower to all that are celebrating someone special this season.

Congratulations Graduates Of 2011

I want to send a special congratulations to the Class of 2011. Please enjoy these free water bottle labels as you decorate and celebrate such an accomplishment. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them. Matching toppers and tags are available in my Etsy Shop

Introducing DIY Kits

Decorated Elements is ready to take another step forward to service my community and beyond. I realized that many who have a creative vision may not know how to get started in making their vision a reality and then there are some who would love to hire an event planner but the fees are just not in the budget. Well I decided to produce a line of products that are made for you to have the best of both worlds. Decorate It Yourself is my new line of DIY (Do It Yourself) Party Kits. They accommodate all occasions and can be customized for your guest of honor. Packages that are available are designed and precut around a specific theme; Baby Shower, Birthday, Milestone Birthday, Anniversary and so on. All packages come with the following: A Banner, Table Centerpiece Plaque, Cupcake Wrappers, Cupcake Toppers, Thank You or Favor Tags and Water Bottle Labels for one flat rate. You can see some of the packages available in my online Etsy Shop. My packages are designed with you in mind. I want this to be an enjoyable experience that you are proud to display. 

Example of Baby Shower theme Package

Welcome Back

I have been away from my blog for a few months now and I know I have alot of catching up to do. I promise you my time away has not been just me sitting around and catching up on shows on my DVR, I have been productive. I am not quite sure how I am going to manage all of the catch up post that need to be posted but I will work it out. For starters, My website is up and running (Huge shout out and thank you to Latisha Horten over at Eccentric Designs.) She not only designed my gorgeous logo (below) but she gave the confidence to try and design the web page myself. It still needs some tweaking but it's not too bad for a beginner. So I will be back on tomorrow with some more hightlights since I have been away, Hope you I didn't loose too many of you. xoxo

Logo Design Created By Latisha Horten

Rude Awakening

Sorry to all who were directed here for a free printable. I was asked to remove the link because it is not supposed to be offered as a free digital item. I do apologize for this and if you know me, you know I try my hardest understand what I am doing before it is done! Well I guess I needed to read the terms more than once! So if you came here to download, Sorry, but I have since removed the listing. I am still new in this business and would never want to make any one feel like I don't respect their rules. So please be patient with me as I figure this out. I want to be able to offer you amazing items but it has to be done correctly. Thanks again!

Fabulous On Facebook

I have to say I have grown! from the last time I did this til now, I have met so many more amazing people on Facebook. Inspiration is all around us if we just take the time to acknowledge them! While researching the web as I so like to do, I came across a page on facebook that I have not yet expereinced! Yes I know everyone's talent is different but I literally mean I have yet to find this craft while researching! Appliques have always been a favorite of mine and I cannot wait to enjoy some of her work! After finding her page I realized that I may not be the only one who has not found her because she had less than 100 fans, I figured with so much talent, she should surely be up in the hundreds of fans, So I am asking you to help me support her by becoming a fan. Please don't quote me as saying this is a charity case because she is standing her ground on Etsy for sure but I would love to share her with you guys on Facebook as well! So Again join me in celebrating Party Kat Planners, She's oh so Fabulous on Facebook!

Love Thy Neighbor

Children's Party Network Logo

I just had to blog about the love and positive energy that radiates on CPN (Children's Party Network). For those of you who are new to the party world like myself, there is no other place to be. The amount of support and encouragement is so overwhelmingly awesome (if that makes any sense) Bottom Line, it's where you need to be. Natalie and Kristy are two of the most inspiring people I have met since deciding this career choice and that doesn't include the host of other woman who just bring so much peace to this business. I know little to nothing in comparison to these ladies but amongst them, I feel on the same level. We are a circle, a community, and friends! To all of you on CPN, This Blog's for you! xoxo!

No Party Bullies Please!

Quality Time is Job #1

My Children are the love of my life and with all the time I spend in front of the computer trying to stay on top of the event planning buisness, I have to remember what's important! My daughter Jahmira wants so bad to bake like her mommy, seriously those are her exact words and I love it but there are times when I need to get projects done and I need that time alone without the distractions. I feel bad feeling this way but I can't help but to feel it's necessary. I work a regualar 9-5 so sometimes the weekend is all I have to work on any size project. So I decided to do something special for her this weekend. I purchased some cookie dough and I made it up in my mind I would decorate cookies with her. She saw the dough yesterday and waited up all night to see when I was going to start making them. She is too cute! A coworker of mine brought her a cookie making kit for Christmas and I think we both forgot that she had it so you can imagine her face when I pulled out her very own set of baking supplies. Watching her cut out her cookies and put them on her baking sheet made me feel like this is something I should have been doing long before today!

Love is in the Air

I must admit this was an awesome experience. I got a chance to team up with some amazing talent to offer my very first giveaway. Looking forward to doing this more often, In fact I actually went ahead and offered another giveaway exclusively for my Facebook Fan Page followers. I want to give a special thank you to Latisha Horton of Eccentric Designs for giving me the opportunity to be a part of something so wonderful! Love is in the Air! I urge you to keep these talents close so you can be informed about up and coming offers! I also want to thank Natalie of Little Shindigs and Kristy of The Purple Pug for putting all of this talent in one central place, The Children's Party Network! I had a blast working with all of you and look forward to doing it again Very Soon!



TIni Posh Giveaway Mommy and Me Love Tees




Eccentric Designs Giveaway 8x10 Photo Print and 10 Postcards



Sweet D'Saenz Candy Buffet Giveaway
LOVE banner, PINK kisses, 4 Lollipops, & a $10 Walmart giftcard 

The Cavity Shoppe Giveaway
Cupcake in a Jar!

The Party Animal Giveaway
Stuff a Plush Monkey

Evolutionz Face and Body Art Giveaway
A Glitter Tattoo Kit

Photo Credits Belong to:

Tini Posh

Eccentric Designs by: Latisha Horton

Sweet D'Saenz Candy Buffets

The Cavity Shoppe

The Party Animal

Evolutionz Face & Body Art








7 Days, 7 Giveaways

We kicked off this weeks Sweet Week with my Chocolate Covered Oreos and there are so many more items to win. I have teamed up with some wonderful women and each are offering you something special!
For more information please visit Decorated Elements, Evolutionz Face and Body Art, Eccentric Designs by: Latisha Horton, The Cavity Shoppe, Tini Posh , The Party Animal and Sweet D'Saenz Candy Buffets

Sweet Heart Sweepstakes

Christmas has passed and for some reason I am still in the spirit of giving. I am currently giving one random comment left here 6 Valentines Day Chocolate Covered Oreos. This sweepstakes will run from today, Monday January 24, 2011 until Sunday, January 30, 2011 11:59pm estern time. To enter to win all you have to do is view my blog, leave some helpful hints (comments) on how much you love the information, or how I can improve and add my Facebook Page to your favorites. Yup that's all! Your opinion matters that much to me. So I wish you all luck and thank you for participating.

Giveaway Girl

WOW, I won the party package from Giveaway Girl Do of Piggy Bank Parties on The Children's Party Network. I am the winner of One Custom Banner and One Custom Mini Banner. I am so excited for this and can not wait to see what Do will create for me. After visitng her Etsy Page, I quickly became a fan of her creativity. Check out some the links posted and see for yourself. Thanks for reading!

Dessert Tables

Very First Baby Shower Dessert Table

I have been looking to start decorating tables as my signature approach to event planning, this will give me a chance to put all my favs in one location. I enjoy baking but I also enjoy decorating and making things look pretty. During my research I have found so many people who decorate such beautiful table displays, so I am super excited to get some creative juices flowing. I first had the pleasure of decorating a table back in August of 2010 for a friends sister's baby shower. I really enjoyed seeing the end results come together and make such an impression. I will never forget how the guest of honor felt about every item on that table! So I will be concetrating on building my portfolio of dessert tables and trying build on becoming not only a planner but also a vendor. Wish me luck! As always thanks for reading.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

I finally got a chance to decorate fondant! I decorated some cupcakes for a babyshower over the weekend and I must say I was pretty pleased with them. I saved many of pictures on my laptop with cupcakes decorated with fondant toppers but had none of my own for my library! So here they are in their debut. They actually were a featured photo on The Children's Party Network so that does wonders for me in my still beginning stages of event planning!

Back To The Drawing Board

As I explore this event planning business I am finding out a lot about myself and this field. There are many successful planners out here as I am finding out in my new home at the Children's Party Network. If you are starting out in this business, here is where you need to be. Everyone so far has been so helpful and thoughtful to the fact that I am still in my novice stage of planning. I titled this post "Back To The Drawing Board" because of my background in graphic design taking a profound place in my business. Everywhere you turn someone is designing printable artwork to make it easier for the not so savvy event planner seem like they are on top of their game. Well I wanted to know where I fit in with designing printable graphics and I am nowhere as knowledgeable as I thought. I have been searching for tutorials and asking everyone I can how to get on board with this new party hit. So I will be back at the drawing board and possibly looking to take a class or hitting my other favorite place the library trying to understand this. I want to be in this business with little to no contracted work out. I would like to be able to provide all services for my clients but this will take a lot of time to get all these skills perfected. Wish me Luck and Thanks again for reading!

A New 365

Most of us wait for the New Year to start things fresh. Maybe it's to diet, or exercise, quit a bad habit, or just take things in your life a little more serious. Well if you're like me, you have made no empty promises of any of the above and you are just choosing to live! I have made way too many resolutions only to break them a month or 2 later. Life is to be lived and enjoyed, yes I would love to say I am going to x, y, and a little of z but the truth is I am happy with me and all my faults. It's whats makes me, me! So I will only try and make a better me one day at a time, or one month at a time without all the extra effort to do things outside of my character. I read a post today that basically said "that you are perfect as you are. God doesn't create faulty life. No. Everything created by God is perfect, and so are you. So stop driving yourself mad with endless ways to improve, and just accept the glory of your being as is." So in a nutshell, I am who God wants me to be and where I am in life is where he wants me. As long as I keep him top priority, I will see what needs to be changed and will have been given the tools to change it. Have a Happy new Year Everyone and Be Easy on Yourself in 2011.