Ellaine Calas

November 22, 2017

Leah & Kevin's Baby Shower - Placentia, CA

Ellaine Calas

November 22, 2017

Everyone that follows our work on social media knows about my overwhelming love for my niece Olivia so when news broke out that she's gonna be joining the very exclusive "Ate (Big Sister) Club" I was ecstatic for her and for our families.

The Inspiration

You would be shocked with where my initial design started from? It's far from where it ended up and such a wonderful turn of events. Started my design around a cactus themed baby shower for my sister Leah & Kevin with a lot of bohemian flair thrown in - very boho chic to be exact. Like many of my ideas I discussed them with my trusted business partner (the hubby!) for his feedback and he gave me a very unsatisfying "meh" face. He reminded me of what I'm great at and that tying in the personalities of my clients to their events. Then the video game inspired baby shower was born in celebration of my brother in law and his son - Baby Ryan.

I chose to focus my design elements on 2 of the more iconic video games that almost everyone can identify with - Super Mario Brothers and Pac Man. It was a day of celebration for our families as we gain a new addition to the family with great food (brunch of course!), drinks (mimosas for the win!), a gaming station complete with Mario Kart for kids and adults to enjoy and a dessert table to send all our guests with sweet treats.

The Menu

We chose to host the celebration at Alta Vista Country Club which has become a great venue for us to host many different events because of their amazing staff and location. Their Sunday Brunch was something we wanted to try and offered a great selection for all our guests. Breakfast items included: made to order omelets station, eggs benedict, waffles, breakfast potatoes, bacon and sausage, biscuits and gravy while the lunch offerings included: chicken cordon bleu, chile relleno, beef tips over pasta and carving stations for ham, turkey and prime rib.

The Dessert Table

After collaborating with my friend Michelle last Valentines' Day for our Galentines' Soiree (click here to read all about it!), I knew we needed to collaborate more on future events & projects. Michelle designed a beautiful work of art made of balloons to highlight our dessert table. She chose color inspirations based on the more vibrant hues associated with Super Mario Brothers and it made a perfect centerpiece to our baby shower. We stocked our dessert table with different treats to make sure that every guest has something yummy to take home - Krispy Kreme donuts off our custom donut wall, Super Mario & Pac Man custom cookies and candy in video game inspired tins for the kiddos. No details were spared from the amazing baby shower cake that Amriel designed for us. She is such a wonderfully talented human that I'm so glad to have worked with. Her attention to the littlest detail of this cake is so charming that she hand painted each character that was on the cake. She is truly a force to be reckoned with in the cake biz - and she's only 19!

The Gaming Station

What would a video game inspired party be without a gaming station? Not the right kind of party I say! We knew we had to make it happen so we brought in a TV and a Nintendo Switch with several games for our guests to choose from. we decked the space with a Super Mario stand in and other decorative items to inspire our gamers to win!

In just a few short weeks, you'll be joining this crazy family baby Ryan - hope you're ready for us since we're all very ready for you - especially Ate Liv. Be ready to be showered with lots of love, laughter, loud voices, happy faces from so many that already love you so much.

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Ellaine Calas

July 11, 2017

Wedding Tips - Mast Brothers Chocolates

Ellaine Calas

July 11, 2017

Who wouldn't want to take home a decadent delicious chocolate bar as a parting gift after a night of great food and drinks at a beautiful wedding or party? we stumbled upon these beauties during a recent trip to one of our favorite cafes in Downtown Fullerton.

Mast Brothers chocolates are known for their bean-to-bar production. They pay attention to every detail of the process of making each chocolate bar so you know each bar is very special. Just the packaging alone will make you fall in love with them. I already see them in a place setting nestled on top of a beautiful menu card waiting to be devoured at the end of the evening. Enjoy!

Ellaine Calas

June 21, 2017

Sheryl & Rocky - How He Asked

Ellaine Calas

June 21, 2017

This is a first of these series that we've been wanting to do since we updated the website and blog earlier this year.

We're always inspired by the different couples that we meet with their love and actual love story. Today, we're excited to share one of our couple's engagement story as this couple is very special to us.

I met Sheryl a few years ago during her sister's Shanelle's consultation meeting and we've loved her since then. Her relationship with her big sis reminded me of my own "baby" - I totally get their "Ate/Baby" relationship. I was over the moon the day that Shanelle shared with me that Rocky (Sheryl's fiancé) will be proposing very soon. I waited and waited and waited until I saw all the posts on social media that confirmed that Rocky's popped the question and finally sent the couple all my love. I'm excited that they've chosen our team to be there on their wedding day to help them with the planning and coordination of this day. We still have a few more weeks/months to go before the big day but I'm excited to share their engagement story for now with all of you. For the full post of this big day, click here to see their feature on How He Asked.

How Rocky Asked

With the beach of Santa Monica as the backdrop to their love story, Rocky knew that this was the perfect spot to ask Sheryl to be his wife. They were celebrating their 6th anniversary of being together last September 17 with a day packed of activities that included a couples' massage at Burke Williams followed by watching the sunset on the beach and a romantic dinner at the Santa Monica Pier.

As they were walking on the shore, Rocky grabbed Sheryl's hands and started sharing his love for her. Before Sheryl even knew it, Rocky was down on bended knee asking her, “Will you marry me?” After Sheryl gave her astounding YES and gleamed at her beautiful ring, Rocky proceeded to tell Sheryl to look up towards the edge of the pier where their family & friends were witnessing this special moment before their eyes holding engagement signs for them. Rocky had everything planned out including having this whole moment captured on video by Sheryl's cousins & brother for them to treasure even past their big day.

Watch their engagement story unfold in the video below.

Ellaine Calas

February 13, 2017

My Funny Galentines' Soiree

Ellaine Calas

February 13, 2017

My Funny Galentine is the perfect inspiration for this group of girls that we were hosting for a special Galentines' soiree. Adelyn & her girls are definitely the funniest, bubbliest girls - so fun and quite charming. A few months back, I crossed paths with a very talented friend from high school while having dinner out and we decided that with both of our talents and passion combined, we MUST collaborate soon on a very special project. Michelle is a true artist and you definitely need to follow her on Instagram if you're not yet one of her followers. This My Funny Galentine’s party has all the sweets, pink drinks and inspiration you need to host the perfect day filled with love, friendship and laughter!

We planned a charming Galentines Day party for Adelyn (Michelle's daughter) and 7 of her closest girls. Everything you need to host the perfect Galentines Day Party is here.

The Invite

Yes the truth is Michelle texted all of the girls' moms to invite them to this Galentines' Day party after school. Galentines' Day is all about fun and no fuss so we went the easy route. But we also found Valentines' Day cards that would make the perfect invite to this day. In today's world, we can all use a little more love.

The Menu

What would a Galentines' Day be without any sweets so we knew a dessert spread was another MUST. The dessert table & bar cart were filled with all the must haves snacks for these girls, raspberry french macarons, donuts, heart marshsmallows, Pocky sticks, mini merengues, candy, and a beautiful pink marble cake designed by Amriel (Adelyn's sister, the Rogers family is quite a talented bunch!) to match our Galentines' soiree. Michelle curated a woven installation that gave the perfect focal point in our dessert table.

The Drinks

We served up bottles of these Rose Lemonades to all of the girls - a yummy and girly drink perfect for the occasion.

The Decor

We were inspired with all of the rage of balloon arches and Michelle designed a heart balloon arch as the perfect backdrop for Adelyn & her friends to take photos with their Instax cameras. The heart balloon arch was another inspiration for this Galentines' soiree that was hung in front of a macrame curtain courtesy of Anthropologie. We used a sequined champagne blush tablecloth with an ombre runner for the tablescape. Small floral bouquets with Japanese ranunculus, wax flowers and coffee berries lined up the table. The XO wood decor pieces was a score from one of our favorite stores, Target. Happily Ever Etched provided these gorgeous rose gold custom laser cut wood names for each of the girls adding a personal touch to each of their place setting -- and a wonderful treat to take home.

The Music

Instead of streaming through Spotify or Pandora, we opted for some tunes out of the pink Crosley that was used as part of our decor as well. After dinner, the girls decided to do their own Karaoke Showdown that ended the night on a very high note.

The Activities

The girls along with Alec, Adelyn's younger brother exchanged Galentines' cards & messages to each other. Hearing their sweet and very funny messages were the best - things like "you're the beans to my rice you're my BFF".

Thank you to all of our creative partners that collaborated in this fun day. Special thanks to my partner Michelle Rogers for sharing her talent with us. :)

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