Life is too short, and the time we waste in yawning never can be regained

I need to start remembering {and focusing} more on this quote from Stendahl, as I feel like I'm letting my dream somewhat slip away with the days - and i just don't know where it's going!

First off, I hope everyone enjoyed the nice extended weekend for Memorial Day, and that you remembered the reason for the extra day off {thanks to our past and present military men and women for the sacrifices they make for our country and freedom - God bless you all!}.  Mine was filled with working on the spring cleaning to-do list that at the time seemed to be a mile long {yet it's almost completely done!}.  I was so thankful for two nice days to finally get some yard work done {all the rain and other obligations has wreaked havoc on our poor, sad lawn and landscaping!}.

This long weekend also gave me a chance to catch up on some blogs and do some more research for upcoming posts.  It also gave me a chance to reflect on goals for the future Cammi Lee Events.  Sorry we've been so MIA lately - May has been a busy month for us with non-business stuff (dang real world always has to get in the way of my fun!).  I'm trying something new to keep me on track of my weekly blog posts, as well as on track for effectively starting this business up!  We hope you do forgive us and continue to read!  We'd love to hear from you as to what types of posts you would like to see in the future form us - is it more recipes, DIY ideas, wedding stuff, real parties - you tell us!  Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we update those pages on a more consistent basis with ideas, parties and weddings we love!


With it being the end of May {seriously, where has 2011 gone already?}, I wanted to follow up on my resolutions and goals for the year and see where I have been succeeding, and where I need work.  My goals and updates are as follow {for those who care to know! :) }

1. Build up to working out 3-times a week - this has been quite successful, to a point of almost annoyance.  My boyfriend, a personal trainer, wrote me a month-long work out plan with a calendar to go with it.  I've been so locked up in following that plan, I've kind of put my other stuff on hold - not good!  Time to figure out how I can fit everything into the schedule appropriately!

2. Try new recipe weekly {either cooking or baking} - this has been a failure resolution.  I think I need to start writing out my meals on a weekly basis, along with a weekly grocery list so that I can fulfill this resolution!

3. Read one book a month {business or leisure reading} - while I haven't finished a book a month, I'm pretty close.  I can't say this one is a total failure because some of my reading material is easier {and shorter} to read than others.

4. Have the Cammi Lee Events business plan written up by June 30th - another total fail.  This is probably one of the most important resolutions to follow, too, for getting the business off the ground.  This may have to be extended to December 31st :)

5. Plan at least 4 events in 2011 - I guess you could say I'm on-track with this one - I've help with the planning of two events thus far - my niece's Baptism and my "sister-in-law's" baby shower.  Now I just have to find two more people to let me plan their event in the next 6 months!

6. Create Web site for Cammi Lee Events - this one's coming along smoothly!  My graphic and web designer is working away on getting my site up and going {Estimated launch date: July 1st -  mark your calendars!}.  She's a gem - she's also working on my branding design... baby steps in the right direction!

7. Blog at least 4 times a week - well you all know this one hasn't been met!  Like I mentioned above - we're working on ways to get us more organized for posting... {fingers crossed I can keep up with it}

8.  Eat healthier - this has been so-so.  I was on a roll for a while, but then had some trips that kind of screwed it up.  Must. Jump. Back. On. Wagon.

9.  Find volunteer position in special events - this has been more difficult than I expected it to be!  My full-time {non-events related} job has hours that aren't very conducive to volunteer positions.  I will, however, ben helping with the planning of the MMRF Race for Research's 5K that takes place in September {not exactly what I was thinking, but it works!}

10.  Find seminars, classes, events for event industry to attend - major fail.  I'm not finding anything in the Twin Cities! {if anyone has heard of anything, please let me know!}

11.  Collaborate with other blogger - still in the works... I think it's hard to find bloggers to collaborate with when I haven't kept up on my blog myself!  If you or another blogger are interested in teaming up, please let me know!

12.  Complete ONE Scrapbook - I'd like to say that with all the time I've been away from the blog lately, it's been because I have been scrapbooking... but unfortunately, that's not the case.  I will tell you that I took out my Cricut for the first time ever {it had been sitting in its box brand new for over a year} and it doesn't work.  What's a girl to do, or scrap, without her Cricut?  It's probably best to contact customer support - just hope they help me out since I've it for over a year!}


Well there you have it - my goals and resolutions and where they stand.  As a recap for myself - I'm looking like a major slacker.  I think I need more to-do lists, and less internet perusing {I think part of my issue is that I just love looking at what all of you do, do that I forget to follow my own stuff!}.  Here's to hoping the next 6 months are more organized and fulfill my goals and resolutions than the first six months have!

2011 Welcomes... Evangelyne AnnMarie

Yep, that's right (if you're a fan of CK Events on Facebook, you probably already know this news!).  My little niece finally made her debut into this crazy world on Saturday (1-1-11) at 7:06 a.m.  She weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.  I'm already in LOVE!  Tomorrow I took the day off to spend as much time with my new little peanut as possible!  I'll be taking some photos (I'm already planning on part of her 1st birthday present being a scrap/baby book - another part - the planning of her party!) tomorrow - so I'll have more to show in addition to the few I have below.

I think her little feet need some lotion!!

Look at that adorable little face!

Eva... my little peanut

baby and mommy

I just wanted to update everyone as to why we've been lacking in posts the past weekend.  I'm setting up my resolutions and goals for this year - where I'd like myself to be on both a personal and professional level by the end of 2011.  I love hearing from my readers - what would you like to see more of from CK Events in 2011?  Do you want more birthday parties? More baby showers?  Real weddings?  Stationery?  You tell me!

Here's a little peek at what I would like to see happen with the CK Events blog in 2011:
- more collaborations with other bloggers and businesses
- present more giveaways to my readers
- blog more often
- update blog with more work created by CK Events
- update look of blog to look more appealing (to both reader and operator)
- continue to grow and gain new followers!!!


Well - that's a quick update!  We will have plenty more to come in 2011!  Be sure to leave a comment about what you would like to see from us this year!

Baby Shower #1 Weekend Recap

This weekend was my sisters baby shower, and wouldn't you know it, Minnesota gets hit with a whopping snow storm that started Friday night and carried through the whole day Saturday (my neighborhood alone got dumped on with 12 inches!)  Welcome to winter I guess!  Needless to say, everyone was quite concerned about the weather, although we only had a couple of people who didn't show up.  Most guests showed up early (before I was even finished setting up, because the weather made my commute across the Twin Cities longer than it should have), so I wasn't able to take any pictures of the actual party set up (ugh, how terrible... my first baby shower that I've planned and I have no photo evidence).  I do plan on taking photos for the entire party set, maybe I'll even try to "redesign" the shower somewhat (believe me, I have plenty of desserts left, especially cupcakes!)

I do have another baby shower coming up this next weekend - this time its for one of my good friends from college and she's having TWINS!  Hopefully there isn't going to be another snow storm in the forecast... I don't think I'm ready for all these storms quite yet!  But I do PROMISE to take pics of that shower!

I hope everyone had a good weekend!  I'm excited to see all the parties from this past weekend!


PS - with the baby shower preparations for this weekend (and our power has been out for the past two days due to the storm, so I'm going to be playing catch up), posts will probably be a little light!  We'll be back in full swing for sure next week!

I dare you....

.... to come up with as many words that can come to mind that you correlate with a baby girl. Some examples: beautiful, soft, angel, princess, spoiled...

I'm working on a project and need your help!!! :)

Who's the bad blogger? {Cammi raises hand}

I seriously can't get my head in the {blog} game lately - this summer is flying by and there's so much going on I can't seem to enjoy it all!  I promise to try and be better... if I even have any readers out there left! :)

This little post is going to be short and sweet - I have a college friend's bachelorette party this weekend - one that I've been helping plan.  I'll be back to blog Sunday night or Monday to share all the fun {appropriate} pictures and {PG-rated} stories - plus show you the cute printables I created for the event!

I hope everyone has a superb weeekend! And yes, I did just say superb.  I'm off to a girls weekend in the clouds... well St. Cloud that is! :)

BIG Changes here at Simply Stunning Ideas!

... Starting with the name.

I'm working on starting up my own event planning and design business and know that soon I'll be trying to launch a web site. I just love blogging so much that I thought I should keep it rolling with the new business - after all, the whole reason I started blogging was to ensure that I can keep my attention focused on events for longer than a couple of weeks.

As you may have already noticed, I'm making some switches to the Simply Stunning Ideas blog. I'd love for my readers to continue following me in my journey of starting my own small business. I've got a lot of work to do to start up this hopefully prosperous business - but trust me, I'm willing to put in the time and effort!

I'd love to hear feedback from my readers on the new blog. What would you like to see more of? How's the new layout work? What sites do you use to make your blog look sassy?

I promise to keep the same type of content posted on my blog - there's so many creative bloggers out there, how could I not?! I'll try to post on my new journey as well! :)

QUESTION FOR MY READERS: Eventually I'd like to change the web site from http://simplystunningideas.blogspot.com to http://ckevents.blogspot.com... but I want my followers to still be able to follow - will switching that in blogger URL make it so you have to start over?! Any information will be greatly appreciated!!

Team Barbie

As some of you readers may already know, my grandmother was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, which is a form of bone cancer, this past January. Since then she's had many doctor appointments, many tests and many treatments. Because her body's been taking these treatments so well, she hasn't even had to do any chemo! What a blessing!

I did some research and found that there is a "Race for Research" 5K run/walk event being put on by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), a non-profit organization that helps raise money to fund Multiple Myeloma research. Because my grandma has been so incredibly brave with attempting to overcome this disease, I've decided that I'm going to toughen up and run this race! I've never ran a 5K before - and to be completely honest, I'm not a very good runner. But if she can brave through cancer treatment, I think I can brave through a 3.1 mile race!

With that said - I've registered to be a participant for the event... which means I've got to get myself in the gym and training!!! I'm trying to put together a team to represent my grandma, Barb... our team name? Well "Team Barbie" of course! So far our team includes myself, the boy, my sister and my brother-in-law.

I plan to make t-shirts for each group member of Team Barbie. To help raise additional money for MMRF I'm hoping host a small fundraiser and to sell some logo space on the t-shirts. I've never hosted a fundraiser before... so if you have any suggestions - PLEASE let me hear 'em!

If you're interested in placing your logo on a shirt, please contact me! Or if you're interested in sponsoring "Team Barbie" in the MMRF Race for Research, click the link here. For t-shirt sponsorship information, please email me at simplystunningideas@gmail.com.

It's a baby shower!

I've got BIG news! I mean BIG!

I'm going to be an AUNTIE! I found out just two weeks ago while I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the toilet and bathroom floor of our old townhouse (I know, sorry for not sharing the news earlier - it's been a very hectic past couple of weeks... hence my absence. Sorry!). Imagine that news while doing that daunting and not-so-fun task! I was pretty excited, and it lifted my mood a bit.

So now it's a shower to plan! We started talking about it already - thinking about who we're going to invite, decor, etc., etc. Well, with my parents living in Mississippi and my sister and I and most of our family living in Minnesota and Wisconsin, we're thinking a post-baby shower is the way to go. That way everyone gets to see the little guy (or girl... that's what I'm hoping for!) and my mom will be around for it. Also, according to the various Internet calendars (she hasn't had her doctors appointment yet), she's due New Year's Eve, which means Christmas is a week before and we all know how stressful and busy the holidays can be!!! A post-baby shower is probably the best way to go!

My goal to get GREAT ideas for her shower is to feature a different baby shower each week. So if you have found a baby shower that you're just gah-gah over, please, send it my way! I'd love to feature it! (and place it in my baby shower ideas folder!!) If you just love looking at parties, like I do, make sure you check out my blog weekly!

I'll start these features soon - as I have to find some still! I'm heading on vacation tomorrow night, so I'll try to post some early next week. Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

It's that time!

Tomorrow morning. 9 a.m. Closing time. I've been scattering around the house trying to get everything done for the big moving weekend... and of course, I feel like nothing is getting done! The boy isn't being much help, as he's working long hours this week and hasn't contributed to packing at all! UGH! Anyway, tomorrow after closing we have A MILLION more things to get done - carpet cleaning, window measuring, lock changes, cable installation, furniture delivery... oh and then you know, moving all of the crap we've collected over the past year and half (not to mention all the crap we had before moving into together!). I'm also heading out of town tomorrow night for a wedding. I get to miss the moving part, however I know I'll come home to a new house full of unpacking. A wedding then unpacking, er.... I can't foresee anything good coming from the night after a wedding! :)

It may sound like I'm complaining - trust me, I'm not. I'm relieved this whole process is finally closing and our lives can get back to normal - well somewhat, at least. I just have too much to do, and NO time to do it... where do the days go?

I'll post pictures of the new pad once we have internet again (I kind of procrastinated calling the internet company, and they can't come out until Tuesday morning to do the install. Lame.)

Have a splendid weekend every one! I'll post when I can! :)

My wish list

Ahhh, I wish I was one of those people who was really good at saving... or one of those people who just had a lot of money. But I'm not... so that's why I create my wish list. I'm hoping that by putting my Wish List on paper (ok, I guess it's like Blog paper, but whatever!) it'll encourage me to save for these wishful items.

Things I really, really, really want:

- An iMac.

Last year I bought a new MacBook, however I would really love to have an iMac, too. It'll be so easy to create stuff in Adobe since the screen is ginormous... and I'm only thinking the 22"! That's not too greedy, right?! :)

- A nice digital SLR camera.

I'd love to take higher quality pictures than those that I get on my point and shoot digital camera. I've always had a love for photography and I feel that a digital SLR camera would really further this hobby that I'd love to take part in. Plus, this ties in with both my new computer AND my other hobby of scrapbooking!

- A new car. (is it weird that in my head I heard the guy from Price is Right saying that??!)

So about a month ago I go into a car accident with some jerk who doesn't have insurance...or a license - 100% his fault yet I get to pay for it 100% myself. (FYI - I'd like to say other bad words about him and the whole situation, but I'm really restraining myself!) :) Anyway, I went car shopping this past weekend with my brother, who knows way too much about cars; found few, but nothing that WOW'd me. I guess I'm a little particular... and poor for my dream car. My car still runs... but is banged up, so I'm not considering running 'er into the ground... we'll see how long I stick with that idea!

- Adobe Creative Suite classes.

One of the local community colleges here in the Twin Cities offers a continuing education package to take classes on some of the programs offered in the Adobe Creative Suite (like InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator). I'm trying to teach myself, but I'd love to learn in a more hands on manor. PS - has anyone taught themselves about Adobe through the "Classroom in a Book" series? Or any other books offered for that software? I'd love to hear about your experience, as this is an option I'm considering also!

- TONS of party and decorating stuff.

I guess I'm gradually accumulating this stuff over time... even though I have no parties to

plan or throw. I just like the idea of having it if I need it! I love looking at all the parties that my blogger friends throw - such inspiration and cute ideas... and a lot of them do it on

a budget! We just bought a house so I'd love to have it completely decorated... however I do

understand this evolves over months of collecting... and my ideas of decor can change all the time - which is not surprising!

Now that you know what things I'm wishing for... what items are on your wish list?!

I'm still kickin'

I can't believe it's been a week since I've last post... man oh man, am I slacking!

These past few weeks have been nothing but busy! We FINALLY found our house (wooohoooo!) - so we've been busy with inspections, negotiating, shopping (OK, that's not real hard work, but still...) and so much more! We also had friends in town over the weekend, and I went shopping with a friend whose wedding I'm in... whew - hard work I tell ya!

Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we didn't have to sleep? I've been thinking about that a lot lately... well in between thinking about a million other things - like what I'd like to accomplish within in the next 8 months (can you believe it's April already..... geesh!), what to blog (I'm having a hard time getting inspired lately.. big bummer), and of course, I've got house stuff on the brain. It's like my mind is going a million miles a minute - there's no stopping it!

Anywho... I just wanted to update you all on what's goin' on in my life. I hope to have some fun, creative ideas up soon. We close the 23rd of April and I'm getting my own office in the new house (I can't even begin to explain my excitement for this!)... hopefully that will inspire me beyond belief! Hopefully. :)

I hope you're all having a fabulous week!

I think we finally did it... we found "the one"

My boyfriend and I have been house hunting for what seems like an eternity - I swear, most of our Saturday's (not to mention the hours searching online) have been devoted to hunting for "the one"... and I think we finally found it! While I'm not going to post the pictures displayed on the MLS listing (because trust me, they don't really do it any justice), I thought it would be WAY more fun to show photos of decor and furniture inspiration... kind of like window peeping!

The MASTER BEDROOM: Our bedroom furniture looks NOTHING like the photo below, however I'm in love the idea of placing a collage of mirrors above the night stands. I also like the idea of hanging a set of 3 of 4 photos on the wall above the headboard (note: I wouldn't do both... just in case I had readers out there cringing and going "she's really going to do both of those?!"). I love our bedroom furniture, so the decor is the major element I'll need to work on. As of now, I'm thinking deep purples or soft teal and brown. (image via the style files)

The DINING ROOM: We actually have an oval black dining room table a 4 black leather chairs similar to those shown below (which I'm absolutely obsessed with to the point of being adamant that we NEEDED a separate dining room just so we didn't have to give up the table). The dining room in our "it" house is actually connected to the kitchen, like a big eat-in area. I envisioned putting some type of shelving in... and when I came across this idea, I loved it! Dining room inspiration - CHECK! (image via Ikea)

The BASEMENT: One of the biggest thing my boyfriend was looking for in a home was a place to make his own - to display sports memorabilia, have a pool table and ping pong table, a place to hang with his friends - you know, all the elements of a MAN CAVE! This house definitely has it, and I think the photo below is just what he would envision his man cave to look like. Add a nice bar, some more sports stuff and you're good to go. (Mental note to self: make sure furniture, carpeting and decor is easy to clean up - the smell of stale beer is NEVER a good thing!) (image via mybadpad.com)

The FAMILY ROOM: There's a nice family room right off of the living room that this would look perfect it - the main focal point of this room is a HUGE fireplace. We're thinking of mounting a TV above the mantel, making this the perfect place to hang out and watch some movies or my favorite design, decorating and craft shows! I love the furniture below because it looks amazingly comfortable and functional for a family room. :) (image via CSN Stores)

The LIVING ROOM: The living room has a dark bluish-grey paint color that we both actually really dig, and both thought it would look great with black furniture and accent pieces. Here's a living room set that I really like - ample seating, while still looking simply and classy - although, I'm not sure how comfortable it looks, but hey, you get the idea! (image via furniture store NYC)

The HOME OFFICE/CRAFT ROOM: This will most likely be my favorite room to decorate because it's going to be ALL MINE (he has his man cave, I'll have my office/craft room). Because it's my favorite room to dream about, I couldn't just pick one... so here's three favorite choices, but believe me... there were WAY more that I loved!

While this would be like my dream office - I don't think it's something I'll be able to afford anytime soon... (image via favoritespaces.org)

Something like this is more do-able, while still allowing enough space to do all the things I love! (image via Cheyenne Milwork and Custom Cabinets Ltd)

Another good one and probably the most affordable because I've already got a desk that looks like those! However not sure this one allows enough space to do everything I'd like to do in my office/craft room. Maybe adding another desk so it makes an L-shape would be ideal, at least for space. (image via good design)

While I could go on and on DREAMING of decorating what I hope is my future home, I better make myself stop as it's making me "decorating hungry"... and we all know that's not good for a bank account - especially the bank account of a new home owner!

What types of decorating tips do you have for a new home owner? What chic (and cheap) designs and tricks are up your sleeves? I'd love to hear them!

What I did last night...

Well if you read my last post, you know that my grandma has recently been diagnosed with cancer. As a reminder that myself, my siblings and my cousins are always thinking of my grandma, we decided to make her a little care package. While I don't have a picture of the entire package put together, I thought I'd show you a couple of the pictures I took of those things I made myself - including some homemade chocolate, caramel, cookie lollipops and a card.

I found the link for these adorable lollipops on another bloggers site - although whose site I saw it on is escaping me at the moment. However, her blog post directed me to Parents magazine's web site, which is where I found the ingredients and directions on how to create them - it was just one of a few different Valentine's treats that I'd love to try out - which hopefully I'll be writing about soon that I've made them and will have pictures, too! Now, let me tell you, the 'pops that were shown in the picture look WAAAAY better than the ones I made, but hey! - it was my first round at this... I know my next one's will be better! I also learned a thing about melting chocolate - don't mix in milk or it will make a paste (rather than making it creamier, which is what I thought would happen... silly me!). Another thing to note, make sure the bowl that you are using for the melted chocolate is deep enough so you can dunk the 'pops in there - my bowl was too shallow so I ended up spooning the melted chocolate on the cookies... not as efficient!

The next thing I made was my grandma's card... I know, I know... there's a lot more I could have done with it - but with the short time I had to spend on Joann Fabrics, and not having all of the supplies laying around, it's what I came up with - I don't think it's too shabby, though! I bought a stack of blank cards from Joann Fabrics, along with some "grandma" stickers and voila, you've got yourself a homemade card! Next card I make will include more embellishments, ribbons, rub-ons, etc. Hopefully the next card to my grandmother will one for her being in remission!

I hope you enjoy a peak into what I do other than blogging and working all the time! :) And please don't don't mind my photography skills - I'm still trying to get down the whole lighting thing!

The love of a DOG!

So I mentioned in my "About Me" section that I have a dog named Pebbles. Well, I'm absolutely in love with taking pictures of her. Here are some that I took after we got a dumping of around 2' of snow overnight! The best part was watching her try and wade through it - those little legs sink fast in that fluffy snow! I've also added some more expressions of Pebbles snackin' on the one of the lollipops she got from Santa in her stocking this year!

I hope you enjoy checking them out as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Welcome, Welcome!

So it's the new year (and new decade... whoa!) and I've just made my 2010 New Year's Goals and Resolutions - one of them included starting a blog.

As you will - or may already have - read in my "All about Cammi" section, I'm an aspiring event and wedding planner looking to get my feet wet in the industry. I currently work for the fuel industry doing data entry and problem solving (I have nothing to do with the price of gas, so PLEASE don't be mad at me - it angers me as much as the rest of America!) In addition to working there full-time, I intern part-time at an event planning company in St. Paul.

I currently live with my boyfriend and our dog, Pebbles, in a townhouse in a suburb of Minneapolis. We are currently house-hunting - I'm hoping we find a good one soon so that we (well, I) can start to put our own decorative spin on the place! I dream of the day of decorating my own office, spare room, living room - well everyone room really! I've recently taken up scrapbooking, which I absolutely love. That hobby goes great with my love for taking pictures (another hobby I'm looking to get into on a more creative level). I also love reading - whether it be fiction, magazines (fashion, DIY, crafts, decorating, etc.), biographies, event and wedding planning magazines, etc.

I hope everyone enjoys learning more about what I find interesting, intriguing and inspirational. I'd love to hear from everyone with other ideas and love finding new blogs and web sites to visit when it comes to the industry.