Hosting bridal showers, baby showers, birthday parties, and other celebrations is one of my favorite hobbies. The only thing I dislike about these events is the inevitable exhaustion to follow! Last week’s shower/bachelorette party took a little bit of ingenuity to plan and host (gladly), because the guest of honor is a dear friend of mine with deeply held convictions and passions. As a result, my co-host and I wanted to make the party as tailored to her personality as possible.

We wanted the party to be eco-friendly, nontraditional, and thoughtful. Our menu was mostly vegetarian (with one fish option) and used mostly fresh, organic ingredients and plenty of wine (our guest of honor is a fan!). Instead of lots of silly games, we wanted to have intimate conversation with a few close friends and one film-based game featuring the groom. Our decor and favors used fresh herbs and succulents as well as mood lighting. And instead of a shower based on a pre-made registry, our guests put thought into getting the couple something to use for each time of day with a “Round the Clock” theme.

The Menu:
Wine & Champagne
Rosemary Pineapple Water
Cheese & Crackers
French Onion Gruyere Cups
Tilapia Fish Tacos with Mango, Avocado, and Arugula
Rosemary Skewers with Bocconcini (Mozzarella Balls), Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, & Balsamic Vinegar
Chocolate-Covered Fruit
Vegan Cake Balls (courtesy of Poison Berry Bakery)

From Drop Box

What I’ve been doing with my time lately….

Tomorrow, we’ll coordinate around 50 volunteers to provide 50-100 refugees and their children with free health screenings, essential health care information, and plenty of healthy snacks.

Please say prayers for a smooth, successful, and relationship-building event!

I can’t stand our couches. They’re furry, they’re uncomfortable, they’re purple. But they were a gift from a near-stranger. Here’s the story…

As most of you likely know, Joe and I were next door neighbors from around May 2006-May 2007. We each lived with several roommates in one big gender-and-door-divided house in Cleveland Heights. About halfway through this year, we got engaged. Furniture was the last of our thoughts as we were putting final touches on the wedding plans, but when our landlord found out her two tenants on either side of her house were getting married, she was enchanted and decided on a whim to offer us the two couches she had left behind in the house. We were thrilled.

Then we spent 3.5 years in pain, wrangling around, trying to find a way to keep the cushions on the back of the couch, the fur off the couch, and the support on the neck (there was none). We decided to check out a furniture liquidator store to see if we could find an affordable couch that wouldn’t break the back, or the bank. We should have known it wouldn’t work out when we saw this foreboding sign in the parking lot…

From Drop Box

(Yes, that’s a dead animal and a vulture, in the parking lot of Randall Park Mall, which was once called “The World’s Largest Shopping Center”. Oh, Cleveland, I’m so sorry…)

We noticed that most of the couches that were affordable were essentially just a body, seat cushions, and throw pillows. Seeing as we have 2/3 covered, I embarked on a journey to find affordable throw pillows in various patterns and colors to not only make our couch comfortable, but also to jazz up eclectic our living room design. And whatdya know.. it worked! I found most of the pillows for around $5-7, and we already had a couple on-hand!

Here’s our couch makeover…

Before

From Drop Box

(Please note furriness, lumpiness…)

After

From Drop Box

That’s more my-style, fur-proof, AND more comfortable!

..That’s not to say I won’t be inquiring about a dear friend’s white leather sofas… how I long for freedom from fur!