Safari Themed Birthday Party

 

Photos for this Safari Themed Birthday Party were provided by and edited by the parents for posting.

 

Highlights from this animal friendly children's first birthday party included:

• Balloon Animals and Face Painting by the Safari Guide
• A Baby Animal Petting Zoo
• Safari Bean Bag Toss
• Cupcakes complete with Animal Theme Miniature Books
• Animals Around the World Beach Balls
• Safari Favor Boxes with Animal Masks
• And MORE

Photography: Josh Derek Photography

Venue: Floyd Lamb Park

Balloonist and Face Painter: Balloons With a Twist

Cupcakes: Cravin' Cakes

Event Planner: Parties by Paris

Decor and Games: Oriental Trading Company and One Step Ahead

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

  

 

Share your party ideas and pictures with us!  Submit your pictures and blurb about your event to partiesbyparis@gmail.com.  OR post it here!

Spa Day - JW Marriott Aquae Sules Spa

Looking to have a spa day with the girls?  We review a favorite local spot on the west side in Las Vegas. 

JW Marriott - Aquae Sules Spa

spa.jwlasvegasresort.com/

 

The Aquae Sules Spa makes you feel like you are outside even when you are inside the private areas of the locker rooms.  The windows in the workout room are from ceiling to floor and overlook the outdoor pool with multiple jet stations.  The locker room is well lit and the spa itself has a huge sky light bringing in the natural light.  It feels like you are outside!  I have visited the property a few times and had an overall good experience although not excellent as you might expect from a JW Marriott property.  Here are a few of my findings.

Staff: Only saw 1 person who was not super pleasant, just there. When my other guests arrived, she directed them to the nail salon and did not allow them the opportunity to put their items in their locker or get settled. No strong focus on superior customer service. I would have also liked a tour explaining the different areas. This was not offered.

Atmosphere: Light and airy with the sound of the water around you.  My last visit was during the winter and I was disappointed to find out I could not enjoy the pool as it was not heated.  The layout of the spa as a whole requires an escort to get to the salon or the specialty treatment rooms.  They have these showers where the water comes out hard from a huge faucet in the ceiling.  I still to this day don't know how to use them properly so I just stay away from them.  They hurt!



Amenities:  They do provide you with slippers, a robe and plenty of towels.  The shower area had shampoo, conditioner and lotion.  There was also hair products available with brushes and other items needed when getting ready to leave.  The major issue I had was the lack of previous items that I had come to expect when I visit.  The spa used to provide tons of fruit, granola and juice so if you worked out, you could have a snack and a pick me up.  The only thing available on my last trip was an apple and a single serve tea bag.  I actually went at 6am to work out and was looking for the juice and granola and was told that they no longer offer it.  They do however have a mini fridge where you can keep anything you bring in or you may now purchase juice.  This is not a deal breaker but I hate it when you come to expect something and it isn't there when you get there.

BTW, if you want to eat after your spa experience, head over to Ceres for the breakfast buffet.  It is fantastic!

 

Services: The massage I had was great.  I also had my nails done and they did a good job which can be different from some of the chop shops I have been to.  We had our nails done for a wedding and wanted a certain sparkle design.  Unfortunately, they didn't have the right kind of supplies to do the design we wanted. That was a shame but our nails looked good when we were done.

Price: The pricing is right in line with the other local high-end spas in town.  We were able to use the locals 20% discount combined with some holiday specials they were running.  They even let us use some gift cards we had collected as well.  The was EXTREMELY accommodating of them and an unexpected bonus! 

 

 

Overall I give this spa experience 3.5 stars!  I had some great services but wasn't able to enjoy the pool.  And in the end, we had a big no no with the payment.  I had held the appointment on my credit card and the rest of my party left before me and tried to pay.  The system was down and they took her info to run the payment later but it ended up on my card at the end of the day!  You will see me back and hope to see some more stars next time!

 

Which spa is your favorite local spa in Las Vegas?  We'd love to check it out while we are on the search for the perfect spa experience.





Nitrogen Bar - Do You Know What You Are Missing?

I had the pleasure of planning and executing an amazing wedding for Kristina and Dan recently and loved all the special touches for their special day.  One of the most amazing discoveries was a bar of popcorn in an assortment of flavors, frozen by liquid nitrogen to order.  It was so cold, the smoke coming off of it actually made me a little afraid to eat it!  It is fantastic!  Just a little bit results in serious smoky dragon like breathe and feels so funny. 

The effects last about 10 minutes and can create a tingly and bubbly sensation in the mouth.  But the most exciting part is the whole unexpected surprise your guests feel.  At our events, we are offering this service to our clients as on the most unique dessert stations.  If you ever have the opportunity to check it out, you gotta come see it! 

 

 

Holiday Cards

We decided to create our own holiday cards this year to share more pictures of our little boy Gavin.  There are so many sites to choose from to make these really great cards.  We ultimately chose shutterfly.com since we have used it before and find it easy to use.

Check out our creation!



http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EauGbdwzcNHVQ&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET

So the question is - Is everyone still sending holiday cards?  With all the buzz going on with the post office limiting days of service and possibly trying to go to a commercial service, how practical is it to continue to send a paper card versus an ecard?

Are you sending paper or electronic?  And what is your favorite place to go to get your special occasion cards?

Signature Drinks

Signature drinks are a great way to make your event special and memorable.  Here are a few ideas that our brides have chosen in 2012!

Alcoholic Cocktails:
Purple "Hoot"ers - for an Owl themed reception (Owl always love you - everyone together - awwwwww)
The "S" - Sangria served in a Hotel themed reception (Hotels such as the M, the D, etc.)
Lavender Champagne - served primarily because the color matches the event (just use food coloring)

Mocktails:
Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Swizel Sticks - served at a holiday time reception (just add baileys?)

What are some of your favorite signature drinks?

Pairing Wine with Food

While reading my fellow bloggers articles, I clicked on a dinner party featured on www.greylikesweddings.com.  A great party to be sure but I really get interested when someone posts their menus and wine choices.  As someone who loves to throw my own soirees, I am always curious about pairings of food and wine and how I can adapt them for my own use.  Check out these perfect pairs.

1. Cheese Platter, breads, nuts, and fruits served with Champagne and Sauvignon Blanc
2. Seared Scallop served with Sauvignon Blanc
3. Mushroom Ravioli served with Pinot Noir
4. Duck served with Pinot Noir
5. Caesar served with Chardonnay
6. Clams served with Chardonnay
7. Lamb served with Red Zinfandel
8. Panna Cotta served with Red Zinfandel

Try one of these pairings at your next party!  Or, if you are looking for a great place to go to for a tasting, try Spago's in Caesar's Forum Shops in Vegas.  

Corner Office - What's a Girl to Do? Part II

Been waiting for more coaching tips from the Nice Girls series?  Here are some additional things you can do to make change in your professional life right away.

"Surround yourself with a Plexiglass shield."  This shield allows you to see out while keeping out the negative and disparaging remarks of others.  It bounces off your shield!  Don't let the naysayers discourage you!  One of my favorite movie line comes to mind, "Don't let the man get you down."

"Create the word on the street."  Write down what you want others to be saying about you then follow it up with specific actions to make it happen.  When I made a change in careers, I knew I was leaving a field where people viewed me as an expert and moving to a field where I would have to prove myself.  This tip especially important to me!

"Recognize resistance and put a name to it."  If someone seems to be resisting your efforts to grow into the position you want, question it.  Ask them why they don't agree with your statement or idea and give them your bullet points as to why it is pertinent and/or a successful idea.

"Ask for feedback."  Ask your friends or trusted colleagues for feedback by using open-ended questions about your actions.  Trust me, people want to be asked to share their views and will impart their wisdom on you more often than not.

"Don't aim for perfection."  You can't be perfect.  Some things we don't excel at, some just don't fit with your style.  Aim to do many things well and the rest will fall into place.  For those of you that are a Virgo (like me), join in me in my quest to stop looking for perfection within ourselves!

Stay tuned as we look at the the #1 mistake on How You Play the Game.