Oink, Moo, Cluck Cluck

Here he is....

 ....my little man Chase.  Words cannot express my love for this little goofball.  He recently started walking and is currently in the wobble, take a little shuffle, stop and wobble some more... stage, which I have to say is a favorite of mine.  Chase enjoys snacks in all shapes and flavors and nibbles on them continuously throughout the day.  What I mean is, if he doesn’t have a graham cracker or goldfish in his possession at any point in time, he will scream until he has said snack in hand.  Did I mention I adore him?

As hard as it is for me to admit it, this little cutie is growing up and is turning ONE in June! (Yes I shed a tear!  Ok, a few).   Justin and I thought long and hard about what theme we wanted for our peanut's party and landed on “A Day on the Farm”.  OOOh, I can see the possibilities now.   

Here are a few things we definitely want to include in the party planning.  A mini smash cake for Chase to devour on his own (somehow I don’t think he will complain :), lots of pictures (naturally), plenty of Farm friendly decorations and yummy food that ties in with the theme.   I can't wait to start planning with Ash.

I will keep you posted on all of our details, but then again, I may keep some surprises to myself to reveal on Party day. 

One more thing, he enjoys making this face to let everyone know how cute he is...:)

Ya'll check back now, ya hear!  (Dorky? Yes!  But we promise, it's only for this post :)

Melissa & Ashley

Step Right Up...

Who doesn't love a good Circus?  The games, the animals, the sweet treats, silly photo booths...  Emy (our party girl :) turned 5 last week and she wanted a Circus party to celebrate with all of her friends.  Popcorn bags filled with all the candy a kid could stand, silly pictures, games and music were just a  few of the things at this little lady's party.  The kids had a great time and Emy absolutely adored her Circus themed bash.  We couldn't get an elephant, but we did have a whole lot of monkeys jumping around!

Melissa and I constructed a fun chalkboard yard sign that we can use at future Sugar Snap events.  I also designed and printed the one of a kind labels and invites right at our neighborhood Kinko's.

Games included Ring Toss, "The Flying Canon" and a Ring Master Relay Race.  We even had a face painting booth.  At each game station, the kiddos either won tickets or cashed them in for fun little trinkets.  They loved the feeling of being at a real Circus Carnival!

The Bubble Machine provided a great bubbly back drop.


The photo booth was a big hit!  The kids could dress up and be as silly as they wanted :p

We found many of the props right in Emy's toy bin at home.  The props we couldn't find came from the Dollar Store and Party City. 

      Even the adults got their silly on :)


After all the planning and preparing that went into Emy's Circus, it turned out to be a huge success!

Sugars (things we loved)
-We loved how playful, bright and fun the day turned out for Emy and her little buddies.
-Most of the props and things we created can be used at other events.  BONUS!!
-Last minute Sunshine kept the weather from raining on our parade (or Circus)

Snaps (things we learned)
-Anyone know of a good place that rents Elephants for next time? ;)
-Weather was a big factor.  We planned for both indoor and outdoor setup just in case the rain wouldn't hold out.


*A special thanks to Door County Confectionery for supplying the yummy treats!


What theme's are you doing for your next kiddo event?

See you next post!

Ashley & Melissa

A pair of sweet trios...

For about 5 years, I have been working for The Good Life Catering, a wonderful catering company based out of Mequon, WI.  Just recently, The Good Life teamed up with The Great Lakes Distillery (GLD) in Milwaukee to host a gourmet dessert and cocktail pairing.  The event featured delicious desserts made by Chef Karen Wilets and handmade cocktails created by the wonderful staff at GLD.

Fortunately for us, the distillery had just opened their gorgeous new tasting room to host our pairing.  To start the planning process, we did the first thing that seemed natural.  Karen and I were treated to a tour of their facility and a tasting flight of all of their amazing GLD spirits.  While we sampled, Karen came up with an amazing menu of sweet treats.

Guests could choose from two menus featuring a trio of paired desserts and cocktails

Melissa's beautiful shot of GLD Kinnickinnick Whiskey (which we had the pleasure of tasting)

Together, with the help of the distillery, it turned out to be a successful evening.  The guests raved about the trios and loved the Milwaukee atmosphere of the tasting room. 

Sugars (things we loved)
-Working with the Great Lakes staff to plan this event
-The beautiful setting for taking some great pictures
-Finding out the awesome bartender and local artist pictured above is the designer for a few of the labels on their bottles

Snaps (things we learned)
-It was challenging to photograph in such low light since the event was in the evening
-We will have to wait 5 years for GLD to stock their long anticipated Aged Bourbon Whiskey.  Hopefully we can get on the waiting list :)

A special thank you to The Good Life Catering and The Great Lakes Distillery!

See you next post

Ashley & Melissa

Join us for Tea...

When asked to do a photo shoot for a special little cutie who was turning three, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.  Ashley and I got our wheels turning and began to think of all the ways to make Kenadee’s set up playful and fabulous, just like her.  These photos would be featured in her party invitations, so we wanted to make them a little more special.  It was time to design our very first styled photo shoot.

K's rainbow themed birthday party was just around the corner, so we decided to incorporate lots of colors into our design.  As we thought about the perfect idea and setting, a whimsical rainbow tea party started to come to life and all of her favorite little loves were invited.  We strung balloons, made petite napkins and spread our most precious baubles around the table for her and her guests.  And no party is complete without a fluffy pint sized tutu to wear for all of her friends to see.

 

Handmade Snap Pea TuTu by Sugar Snap

 

The K was made with a wood letter, scrapbook paper and Mod Podge

Ashley and I loved how this session turned out.  Styled photo shoots are a fun way to add personality and bring pictures to life with a story.  Our dream is to do an entire styled photo shoot featuring other local vendors and their products. (Bakery, Linens, Invitations, etc)

Now, here is a section we will include in all of our posts.  Sugars and Snaps, what we loved and learned through each project we take on.  We always strive to get better and build off of every experience that comes our way.  This will show you how we recap and learn from our process.

Sugars (Things we loved)
-Feeling of walking through the woods and finding a vibrant little tea party
-Giving Kenadee something special that was inspired by the things she loves

Snaps (Things we learned)
-Survey site locations before day of shoot so no off-roading occurs (that's another story:)


Thanks for reading!  See you next post.

Melissa & Ashley

Snapped by Sugar Snap

Well, here it is!  We are proud to begin our blogging journey after many months of planning, replanning, redesigning and making decisions about how we wanted to share our projects and ideas with you.  Finally, we would like to introduce Snapped.  Our blog about our successes, hiccups and everything in between, while we create and build our business: Sugar Snap events, photography & design.

First, a little background on us.  We are Ashley and Melissa, the sister duo that make up  Sugar Snap.  We’ve created a business that combines planning events, photography and design in one lovely place.  As a team, we work together to create all unique and fabulous moments that you and yours will love and remember. 

Ashley:

The Event Planner extraordinaire and idea woman (Melissa’s words).  Since Ashley loves to be creative and organized, she has always been the go to girl for tablescapes, decorating and coordinating details.  Planning events with an imaginative and artistic spark is her passion.  Ashley has an amazing boyfriend, Dave and a brand new sassy furry addition, Dixie.  

AKA: Dixie Girl/Sassy McSassersons :)

Melissa:

The Photographer, one half of the creative team and an expert in sister ESP (Ashley's words). Her attention to details and keen eye help make her photography beautiful and fun.  She has two adorable kiddo's Evan (3) & Chase (11 months) and a handsome hubby, Justin.  These boys help complete her amazing little family and give her plenty of photo ops with her camera!

Together, we have always been a creative team.  Whether we are hosting an elaborate dinner party, wanting to capture all of life's moments through a lens, or trying our hand at the latest DIY projects, we love adding fun touches to everything we do.

This blog is our way of sharing how we will tackle projects, learn new things and build our own business as a pair of determined and creative women.  We plan to share our accomplishments and downfalls with you along the way.

Our latest success was a styled photo shoot for a pint sized cutie that we plan to share in our next blog post.  Keep checking Snapped to discover new things we are working on.  If you have any suggestions or ideas that you have been dying to see, let us know and your idea just may be featured here.  Thanks for checking us out!

-See you next post

Ashley & Melissa