How to throw an awesome party and stay stress free!

It's no secret, I love planning parties and events. I remember when my published my first novel, my publisher asked me to throw a launch party event.

The thought of throwing a big event terrified me! I realized I needed to figure out party planning details asap.

Fast forward a few years and 2 book launch parties and several blogger parties later, I have come to absolutely love throwing events! Whether It's a large event like a book launch, or even small family parties, you can have a great time and stay stress free with these easy tips.

1. Choose a Theme.


This seems obvious enough, but it's something that can get out of hand quickly if you don't reign it in! My favorite apps to use to help me brainstorm and pick great themes are Pinterest, A Joyful Riot, and Kara's Party Ideas. All of these sites are full of incredible themed parties and ideas that will leave you in awe. And remember to put your own special touch to it. That's what makes your event memorable!

My first book launch party was themed after my book cover, so I used red and black and tried to make everything sleek. Book launch number two was mermaid/siren themed and I used blues, greens, and pearl tones. And my daughter's first birthday party was a pink and gold glitter explosion.

Deciding on two or three colors is a great place to start for a theme!

2. Start planning way ahead of time. 

It's another tip that might sound obvious, but somehow party preparation has a sneaky little way of taking just a few too many hours than you had planned.

Make sure you've worked out food/catering, event location, and decor weeks before your event. It will keep you calm and collected on the day of your special event.

3. Use apps to take the stress out event planning. 

Eventbrite is a great site that lets you create an event, get the word out, and even let's attendees pay online for your event ahead of time. It's an easy way to stay organized and stress free while party planning. As for online shopping, Amazon Prime and Etsy are my favorite party supply sites and so much better than running from store to store the day before.


4. Enjoy the time! 

When you're in charge of a major event it's so hard to actually enjoy the moment. However if you start early enough and make a clear plan, you'll have so much for fun and be able to relax at your event.

Here's to many more awesome celebrations throughout the year!

Summer 2016 Updates

Oh my goodness, it's been a while! 

I'm sorry for the overdue update, but we've been keeping busy! Here's a little rundown of what's been going on in our family for the past few months :)

December: I launched my tee shirt company, Happily Hezface Tees! It's been a huge learning experience, and I'm still figuring out how to run a small business, but there's something I love about creating these fun shirts!

I'm glad I decided to just jump and start this adventure, even though it has been a lot of work! I'm also so grateful for all the support from friends and family. Thank you! <3

You can see what's new with my shop on instagram @HappilyHezface, and let me know if you have any suggestions for designs you'd like to see. So far the favorite has been the purple Best Day Ever Tee. Go Rapunzel!

January: We found out we were expecting baby number two in October!!!! The first trimester was hard. I get really sick and have no energy for weeks, so chasing around a busy, hyper active toddler was near impossible. Thank goodness for all of Kellen's help.

March: Kellen got accepted to Harvard and we went to Boston to check out the area! You can find a little Vlog of our trip here.

April: Kellen graduated from UVU with honors! Woot woot! So so proud of this boy and how incredibly hard he worked to get here. He went to school through summers, over family trips, and had to sacrifice a lot, so we're so happy to get to this point and so excited for him to spend more time with us this summer!

Sooooooooo, we are getting things ready to pack up and move. It's exciting, and scary, and feels like a big new adventure, and I'm hoping that I can handle a toddler and a newborn while in a new state!

We're also finding out the baby's gender this week! I really go back and forth daily on whether it's a boy or a girl. I've had a lot more people say they think it's a boy...so we'll see!

June will be a big month for us, Kellen and I celebrate our SEVEN year anniversary, and Kenzie turns 2! I've been planning her party, so stay tuned for that :)

It's been a little chilly so far, but I know that warm weather is just around the corner! I'm getting my Summer fun check-list all ready.

Summer, here we come!

Happily Hezface Tees

Guys, I am so excited to announce that I'm launching my tee shirt line early December 2015! I've been working hard creating cute, comfy, fun shirts that you'll love. Check Happilyhezface.com soon to see the full collection.

For now, here's a sneak peek of the Best Day Ever tee. Perfect for Disney days, birthdays, or any day you're spending with the people you love. Cheers to the best days ever!

Sticky floors and full hearts

My friend stopped by the other night to pick up something she had left at my house. My one year old was already asleep, so I let her in and we whispered in the entryway. After a minute she looked behind me and smiled. "I love it," she said.

I turned around, not quite sure what she was looking at. I hadn't done a thing to my house all day. In fact, as far as I was concerned it was still the usual disaster of toys, shoes, and children's books that it usually is. But then I realized that's exactly what she was looking at. 

"It just makes me so happy," she said. "It looks lived in and happy." 

I kind of laughed and started explaining the messes around the house. Now that I realized how messy it was, I felt a little embarrassed, but then she said something that changed my mind. She said she hoped that her home looked just like that when people came over and saw her kid's messes. She hoped they saw a well-lived in, cozy, happy home. 

I loved that thought. 

After she left, I turned off all the lights and walked around my home. Normally I rush around before bed thinking of the never-ending to-do list I have. 

The norm is something like: Oh right, I need to call and take care of that tomorrow. And I cannot forget to run this errand. And I can't put this off any longer! And look at the dishes, ahhhhh. 

Then sleep. Then wake up and be a mom, wife, author, primary counselor, friend, sister. Do all the things. Then repeat. 

But instead, I ignored the to-do list and stopped to appreciate the mess in front of me. I felt this wave of gratitude thinking of the thousands of prayers that I said before Kenzie came. Of all the time that I so wished for sticky floors, scattered toys, and baby socks and shoes all over the house. 

Tonight I looked at that mess and got teary-eyed. I thought about how not very long ago I wished for this more than anything else-- and I am so grateful that this is my norm. 

It's chaotic. It's crazy and messy and most of the time we can't find our remotes. But I love it so so much. This is exactly where I want to be. 

And you know what? Life doesn't have to be perfect to happy. Or in my case, my home doesn't have to be spotless to be a happy.

So next week when the days get just as crazy and the dish pile looks just as high, I hope I remember back to this moment and remember what true happiness is. 

Much love, 

Heather 

Our Fall Fun List

Today is first day of Autumn! Can you believe it? I love scrolling through Pinterest and looking at fun fall to-do lists. Everyone has different things on their fall checklist, but I wanted to make our own family one with things we do every year to celebrate our love for the season :)

Come November I'll check in and see how many of these we actually accomplished! But even if we don't finish them all, it will just be fun to have family time and enjoy the season. 

Warm sweaters, hot chocolate, and pumpkin treats, here we come! 

Fall Fun List

Make pumpkin treats

Decorate the house

Take walks

Go to a fair or carnival

Visit a pumpkin patch

Drop off Halloween treats to a neighbor

Stay warm in a cozy sweater

Carve a pumpkin

Watch Hocus Pocus

Go trick or treating

Make a Halloween craft

Crunch leaves

Eat candy apples

Feel crisp autumn breeze

Choose a new Thanksgiving recipe 

Give thanks!

Fall family photo shoot

Drink hot cocoa outside

Read a book (hey, I know a series you might like ;)

Watch Thanksgiving Day Parade 

Enjoy the season! 

Beanie: Radswim // Lips: NYX Matte lipstick in Aria

Coral and Lace

  

Guys, this dress, I am so in love. So much so that I turned into that heart-eyed emoticon when I first saw it. It's a coral and lace dream! 

Have you ever found the perfect dress but wish you could tweak just a few things? Making it just a little bit longer? Changing the neckline or adding sleeves? You can do all those things on Eshakti.com and it's kind of amazing.

You pick your favorite dress, jumpsuit, or top (there are tons!) then choose the neckline, length, and sleeve you want. 

Where has this site been all my life? High school dances would have been so much easier to get a dress for! Back then my cute mom was always trying to hurry and sew on sleeves or find a matching cardigan for my prom dresses. I should really pull out some of those old prom pics and share them! 

But before then, check out Eshakti and look at their darling dresses! There are so many styles that are perfect for fall. And Winter. And Spring. Okay, for all seasons! Also, wouldn't it be great for bridesmaid dresses or any other special occasion? I think yes. 

Coming your way!

Hello lovely friends! Here's a few things I wanted to let you know:

Today I did a guest post over at Brea Getting Fit! It's all about taking small steps to a healthier life and what I do to stay healthy, happy, and sane with a chaotic schedule! Check it out here and let me know what you think! 

Also, I have some super exciting posts coming your way, including: 

*Fun fashion posts (one featuring a gorgeous gown from Eshakti).

*New videos talking about growing hair long and healthy, mascara versus eyelash extensions, and how to create vintage Hollywood curls. 

*And some motivating words about going for your dreams. 

It's gonna be fun :) Stay tuned next week, and Happy Weekend!