baby shower centerpieces

these are so cute! lil' booties. they act as a centerpiece, and then, use the booties later. also comes in a vase that you can use! now that's my kind of gift! cute, practical, and reusable! 

for more info, email celina from Pampered Sweets: myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net

pampered sweets: another hit!

celina from Pampered Sweets came through again. this past weekend, i was in charge of planning and leading the games for my cousin's baby shower. so i thought it would be nice to have some spa cakes and cake rolls made for the winners. each of the cakes above (top 4 pix) have a towel, bath gel/lotion, and/or loofah inside them. so you can enjoy them as a display in your bathroom, or pamper yourself and have a mini spa day. 

the diaper cake (bottom pic) is the one i had personalized for my cousin, mel. i wanted an asian-inspired theme cake, one that i have not seen before. because at the time, we didn't know what the sex of the baby was, we opted for neutral colors, yellow and green. it makes for a great centerpiece. it's funny because i overheard someone say, "wow! nice cake!....oh, it's not a cake after all!" as they tried to swipe some icing. this is what is inside this "cake."

1 green carters onesie 

1 bottle

1 green carters receiving blanket

1 Gerber pacifier

1 travel J&J shampoo

1 travel J&J lotion

1 travel J&J powder

1 teething gel

1 travel pamper wipes

1 sample Gerber baby wash

1 disposable huggies washcloth

1 sample huggies lotion

1 sample dreft baby laundry detergent

i would have posted this sooner, but i wanted it to be a surprise. can you believe that 3 tiered diaper cake held up for a whole month!!!! it is very well-made, and you would think, especially diapers, it would fall apart! that's what i like about her products. they are made well, not sloppy or cluttered like others i have seen, but clean and simple looking. 

i will post more pix of other cute baby centerpieces/gifts she makes. they're so adorable!

if you want more info on these personalized, one of a kind creations (because she makes them by order, none of them are pre-made), email her at myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net

tell her, GUEN sent ya!

pampered sweets by celina

the pix above is a "diaper cake" present that i gave to a dear neighbor friend of mine, who was having her baby shower last weekend. i love ordering diaper cakes from Pampered Sweets because in comparison to other diaper cake makers online, she makes the most original and the best, in my opinion. i have seen diaper cakes that either look like a mountain mess of diapers, with "stuff" hanging around it, or it's just plain sloppy and unattractive!

all i had to do was give her some color schemes and a theme, and she created this beautiful, sassy, almost "sex and the city" homage "cake." i loved it! i have not seen anything like it, and i received a lot of oohs and aahs from the guests at the party. my neighbor does not want to take it apart! it was perfect because her theme for her baby shower was leopard print and pink! i think celina from Pampered Sweets exceeded my expectations.

some people might say, well, i can make that! which is probably correct, everyone's "crafty" these days. i consider myself a DIY crafter. but i'm busy with my business, family, puppy, and hubby and household...and don't have the time. if you're like me, don't have a lot of free time to make cute, personalized gifts, ordering from Pampered Sweets is the perfect gift making business for me! i put in my order, and picked it up on the way to the party. now that's a time saver. 

you can also see how much "treats" she puts in the cake. all the items that you see in the first picture represents the items she fills the diaper cake with. not to mention about 45 newborn diapers (that'll go quickly within the first month!!) that make the cake! she also makes favors, and smaller treat items. stay posted. i'll post those pix soon! she makes "sundaes," "cake rolls," and what she calls, "spa cakes." their the cutest. everyone i've given them to says they're too pretty to take apart, but the items are all practical, and nothing is glued on. just take apart, and use it!!

if you would like to know more info about Pampered Sweets, email celina at: myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net. tell her guen, from gj spiller photo sent ya!

sassy sisters

i am a DIY gal. i love to create custom, handmade items and give them as gifts, or use them in my home. but nowadays, especially with having my own photography business, i just don't have the time i used to, to create cute stuff. i love giving cute stuff to my friends and family, and especially my clients, who have been generous, warm and wonderful to us.

if you're like me, you don't have the time, you wanna hit up the SASSY SISTERS, kim and michelle. they are the creative minds behind the cutest products!!! i recently bought 2 boxes (see pic) for 2 colleagues of mine, as thank you gifts. they also have these cute, one of a kind, post it notes. i like to give these as gifts, because it's something practical, cute, affordable, and it's stuff people will use, but might not buy for themselves (we're always thinking of others). 

they also make custom invitations, cards, clipboards, and lotion! the lotion,which was a citrus grapefruit fragrance smelled so good. i can see myself using this to start off my day!

they have pre-made stuff, but they also can customize any item. great ideas for shower gifts, favors, and thank you knick knacks for your fave person. 

 here's their blog! (they are also featured on our "links" side bar menu- see right) read all about them. if you want to know more info, email them: sassysistercrafts@yahoo.com

tell them guen from g.j. spiller photography sent ya!

artistic "ipu" art and decor

another great idea for gifts. check this out! 

patrick taoipu is the man behind this artwork. he is the owner and creator of TRADITIONAL TRENDS. the cool thing is, YOUR pictures become a piece of artwork. if you click on the pictures, you can see it in more detail. he is a woodburning artist. he creates portraits from burning images on wood. here you see framed portraits on pieces of wood, and wooden plates, and also these implements, "ipus," which are usually used for polynesian dancing. here.

i am in the process of decorating my house, and of course we're going with a modern/island feel. we want our home to be a reflection on who we are. we want our home to filled with things we love or remind us of things and people we love. so, i am thinking of this picture of me and my grandfather for patrick to gather inspiration from and create this portrait. this picture reminds me of my grandfather, and his fighting roosters. i was only 2 years old, and in the picture, i looked so intense, and interested, as my grandfather, so young back then, looked over me, holding the rooster.  this portrait is part of my heritage, and in a sense, something i would love to pass on to my children, if and when i have them. it would be sort of a family heirloom. 

patrick is very talented, and he loves collaborating with his clients. he feels that this piece should be a collaborative experience between his clients and the artist. working together to create something beautiful, original, and custom made, is all part of the experience. 

if you would like to see more or know more info about TRADITIONAL TRENDS, you can contact patrick : traditionaltrends@yahoo.com

ideas for gifts

rainbow of moo cards, originally uploaded by Master Foto G.

i stumbled upon this on flickr.com, and thought this was the sweetest thing. it's just these lil' cards that you can either personalize w/ your own text and picture, or choose from many designs. they are these lil' cards, that can be used as cute calling cards for your business, or personal fun notes! they have a whole list of things you can do w/ these "moo" cards. check out their site! i just took a picture of my sample of moo cards today (see above!)

we plan to use them as part of our thank you package w/ maybe their best shots on the cards. it also has this cute keychain holder. too adorable!

My Rave of '07

My newest and most fun discovery! Pampered Sweets! I wanted to give a gift that was not only practical, but also pretty and original. Pampered Sweets' gifts were just what I was looking for!

This started as a woman who was determined to make her own baby shower favors, and she stumbled upon a unique and innovative way to make gifts and favors fun and decorative.

She specializes in the Diaper Cake (Top).It is a three layered "cake" filled with baby goodies, like onesies, pacifiers, ointment, lotion, washcloths, you name it! You'll see that this looks almost good enough to eat! My favorites are the little Spa Cup Cakes, (middle and bottom photo) made out of a hand towel, and all the pampered things a busy girl needs to relax and feel pretty. I bought a few of these for my cousin's baby shower, and gave them away as raffle prizes. They were a hit! These come in a bigger size, also, called Spa Cakes, which use a thick, full body bath towel, instead!

Each product she makes is truly one of a kind. You pick the theme, the colors, the size and the products. She does the rest!! She customizes it for ALL of her clients. No pre-made packaging here!! And you get all the credit for being so thoughtful! From what I hear, most of her recipients of these gifts do not take the centerpieces apart. They're too pretty !!

Contact me, or contact Pampered Sweets directly: myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net, if you want more information. Tell her that GJ Spiller sent ya!