And the Most Deserving Momma is...

Thank you to everyone who entered our Most Deserving Momma Contest! Reading your stories of the challenges of mommyhood (and how you've overcome them) was very inspirational! One mom really stood out to all of us, and that was Brandi. Congratulations!!! You are the winner of the Most Deserving Momma contest. 

 

Here's what Brandi had to say:

I am a Stay at home Mom of 3 little girls. Makaylah is 6, Rianna is 3 and Jacklynn is 22 months old. I have been trying so hard to be able to stay at home with my babies. My fiance just went back to work about 1 month ago after being laid off for the winter at a new job so we couldn't collect E.I. We have been living off of my Child Benefit this whole time. I have no idea how, but we did it. It will take us some time to catch up. To win something....well I never win anything so it sure would be nice. Also been dealing with my Mother in law who was diagnosed with Stage 3 Inflammatory Breast Cancer March 2011. She beat the odds and won the battle! Totally amazing! When we found out I immediately organized avery successful fund raiser for her to cover travel costs, medical bills and at home bills. Because of that her Husband of 30 years was able to be by her side every step of the way for every long and daunting trip to Victoria,BC. And at home. Needless to say, it has been a very long year for all of us and it would be so nice to win something. It would almost feel like an award :) Thanks for this opportunity!

Thanks again to all our wonderful sponsors:

Materni-T

Dainty Bugs Boutique

Monili

Haute Chocolate

Why not show them some love by sharing their Facebook pages with your friends & stay posted for all the latest products and promotions from these amazing mompreneurs!

Most Deserving Momma Contest {Mother's Day Giveaway}

With Mother's Day right around the corner, some of my fabulous mompreneur friends and I have partnered up to host a big Giveaway to award one deserving momma (or mom-to-be) with a prize package worth over $350.00! The winner will receive some great prizes including gift certificates for stylish maternity & nursing clothes and baby accessories, beautiful handmade tutus, handmade jewellery and custom designed party decorations!

Let's face it, being a mom is fun, challenging, rewarding, and well, a lot of hard work! We want to know - what makes you (or someone you know) a deserving momma? Tell us your story for a chance to win this amazing prize package!

Prize Package Includes:

• $150 gift certificate from Materni-T
• $80 gift certificate from Dainty Bugs Boutique
• Custom Party Decor Package from Haute Chocolate valued at $75
• Swarvoski Crystal pendant necklace from Monili valued at $50

Materni-T - $150 Gift Certificate 

Whether you are a rooky to the mommy thing or an experienced nurturer, when you are expecting you want to feel good about yourself, strong, comfortable, sexy, well surrounded, supported, feminine, and understood. www.materni-t.com was created for you; for women who are confident, and self assured, who know who they are and are not afraid to show it. During pregnancy you’re going through so many changes and so many emotions, materni-t.com is a store where you will find items you need throughout the next 9 months and more!

Dainty Bugs Boutique - $80 Gift Certificate 

Dainty Bugs Boutique creates quality, custom accessories for even the littlest lady. Tutus, headbands and hair clips for your wee little lovely to suit her unique style. For the grown Miss we offer custom bridal accessories including garter sets, bridal sashes and custom hair pieces to blend perfectly with your special day. We even design fully custom belly sashes for those gorgeous maternity photos you were planning, why not announce your little bean with Dainty Bugs style?

Monili - Swarvoski Crystal pendant necklace valued at $50

Jewelry is crafted from beads found worldwide. Pieces are one of a kind and usually made to order. Hand crafted pieces using top quality supplies add sparkle to your everyday style. Accessories for every day or special occasion pieces. Send me your ideas and we can create your own line - or simply choose from ready made products!

Haute Chocolate - Custom Party Decor Package valued at $75

Haute Chocolate is a couture party styling and design company, specializing in creating custom party decor & printables. Whether planning a birthday party, baby shower, engagement party or wedding, we help you celebrate in style! Choose any one of our existing themes from our Etsy shop and receive a printed & assembled party package worth over $75.00 to help you celebrate in style.

How to Enter: Use the Rafflecopter app below to start your entry. Let us know you Like us, by becoming a Fan of each Page and by Liking this Blog Post. Then, come back to this post, and leave a comment bellow telling us why You or Your Mom or Your Friend is the Most Deserving Momma! It's that easy! We really want to know who deserves this prize so you must leave a comment on the blog post to be entered!

The fine print: Contest is open to residents of Canada and the USA. Winner will be announced on this blog, on Mother's Day (May 13, 2012) and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. If the winner does not claim within that time frame, another winner will be chosen. Winner will be selected based on filling the entry requirements. It is the winner's responsibility to coordinate with each sponsor to redeem their gift certificate/prizes. Winner pays any applicable Shipping & Handling fees. This contest is not affiliated in any way with Facebook.

{Real Parties} Enchanted Garden 1st Birthday

Earlier this month, my cousin Sophie turned one. She's a sweet little girly girl, so when it came time to help her mother plan the birthday party, I knew that we had to have lots of pink and pretty little girly things. We decided to go with the Ladybug & Butterfly Garden Party Collection from my Etsy shop to add some pizzazz to the decor. 

The food and sweets were kept simple and dressed up with pretty paper products from our collection. A little bit of paper and some imagination goes a long way in creating a fun & welcoming atmosphere so that guests are ready to party!

We welcomed guests with a personalized party sign. For the frame, I dressed up an inexpensive Ikea frame with pretty butterfly embellishments to make it a little more interesting. Mini cupcakes are always a hit with kids and adult alike, and they're a great way to add more variety to the dessert table. I always go with mini cupcakes if I'm serving cake as well, otherwise it's just cake overload.

For the drinks, we served three flavors of lemonade in this large drink dispenser. The dressed up mason jars were a big hit with the kids. To make our mason jars pretty, we used a scallop punch to cut out party circles and attached to the jar with some pink tulle that we simply wrapped around and tied to the jar.

The Table was filled with lots of candy. Because the party happened the week after Easter, we were able to get a large variety of candy in the colors we wanted on sale! For the favors, each guests got to take home a bag filled with candy. We filled pink and purple cello bags with candy and tied them off twine and a personalized favor tag.
 

Around the table we used jars full of candy embellished with butterflies we found at the dollar store to pull the Enchanted Garden theme together.

One of my favorite details of the party was the backdrop we created. They have a huge tree inside the house that is always kind of in the way. For the party, we moved it behind the table and hung lanterns and butterflies on the branches. It really helped to created the Garden feel, even though we were indoors and it was actually snowing outside!

For more photos of this pretty party, check out the album on the Haute Chocolate Facebook Page

{Giveaway Winner} $75.00 Custom Party Package

Last week we held a giveaway to celebrate reaching 200 Facebook fans! The prize is a custom created party package worth $75.00....and the winner is Amber L with her Planes, Trains and Automobiles theme! Congrats Amber - you can email me at rachel@hautechocolate.ca or send me a facebook message to claim your prize!

I working on several new themes to be released soon, but if you don't see exactly what you are looking for in my Etsy shop, I am always happy to create custom themes to suit your party needs! In fact, 90% of my work is customized for the client in some way, whether it's color, or pattern or a new design. Just let me know what you envision and I will strive to make it come to life. You can contact me at rachel@hautechocolate.ca to get started!

Amy Atlas Guest Dessert Feature {Modern Easter Party}

Just about two years ago I stumbled upon Amy Atlas' website and blog and was blown away with how she used desserts and props to create such artistic tablescapes. Seeing her work lit the fire of my own creativity and inspired me to start my party styling & custom party decor business. So to have one of my parties featured on her blog today is a huge honor!

I'm so excited to finally be able to share our little Easter party with you - hopefully it inspires some ideas for this weekend! Here's a peak, but head on over to Amy's blog for more photos and details of the party!  Thank you to Emily from Emelli Photography who captured all the prettiness for me with her fantastic photography!

Fun Easter Printables

Easter is less than two weeks away! Seriously, where does the time go? We hosted an Easter party playdate on Friday for my son and his little friends and it was a lot of fun! I'm excited to share the photos with you soon - but for now, I thought I would share some of the printables I created for the party. Here's a little peak and you can head to my Etsy Shop to purchase any of these DIY printables to add some fun to your party or Easter brunch! Other Easter designs are also available in the shop :)

{Giveaway} Celebrating 200 Facebook Fans..and counting!

Happy Monday everyone! I had a very busy but fun weekend - on Friday I put together a cute little Easter party for my son and his friends and had the lovely Emily from emelli Photography come take some pictures. I can't wait to share them with you soon, as well as some Easter Party tips & tutorials!

We also reached 200 Facebook fans last week, woohoo! It's amazing to know that people find your work interesting and cool enough to follow what you're up to :) To say thank you for all your continued support I put together a fun giveaway with a great prize!

All the Sweet Details

How to Enter:

I want to know what you're up to! Tell us what party theme you'll be putting together for your next celebration & Like our Facebook Page to enter. You can also receive an additional entry by 'Liking' the post. Just use the Raffelcopter Entry Form to get started!

What you Win:

I will work with the winner to create a custom party package in their theme! That's right, something completely custom for you, right down to your theme and colors. Then, you'll receive a Party Package, fully assembled, delivered right to your door!

The Package Includes:

Invitations (12)

Banner (1)

Party Signs (4)

Cupcake Toppers & Coordinating Cupcake Wrappers(12)

Favor Tags (12)

Chocolate Bar Wrappers (12)

Tent Cards to use as Food Labels or Place Cards (12)

Centerpiece Signs (2)

The fine print: 

To qualify you need to (1) Let us know what Party Theme you're planning next by leaving a comment below and (2) Liking us on Facebook. For an additional entry, you can also 'Like' this blog post.
 Open to residents of North America only. A winner will be selected on April 2, 2012.

Ready...Set...Go!

a Rafflecopter giveaway