The Florida Girl

𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖 𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕣 • 𝕞𝕠𝕞 • 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕣 • 𝕗𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕠𝕟

you’re ONE in a million

How do you design a party without a theme? You use your kid’s face, that’s how!

Get ready for the most dreamy & sophisticated yet kid-friendly party consisting of a color pallet of soft creams, buttery tones and warm brown accented with a fun blue-teal pop of color. Custom handmade details like the welcome sign, hanging backdrop, “one year of Bodhi” sign, handwritten acrylic food signage, & party favors are what create the special & personalized touches.

Our son, Bodhi is ONE in a million. I snapped a picture of him lying in our bed holding his feet when he was 7 months old and KNEW that picture would be the inspiration that drove all of the details of his 1st birthday party. My goal was to have a sophisticated & kid-friendly party that everyone would swoon over.

I recently attended an event at Bluebell hq and was blown away. I immediately determined I wanted to have the party in their space. It was the perfect blank canvas for me to create the my dream 1st birthday for our son!

Food is life, am I right? Just check out this spread! It was seriously a dream come true!

Although design is my passion and career and I love having my hand in all aspects of the event, the reality of it is, I also know I can’t do it all. This allows me to collaborate with some of the most talented people and brands to help me bring my vision to life.

My biggest tip to start planning as early as possible. When I began planning nearly 5 months ahead, some thought I was crazy, but if you pace yourself and spread it out a little at a time, the small details (which create the “WOW FACTOR” at the event) seem less daunting. Getting such an early start also allows me to stay organized, reach out to brands I want to collaborate with, and be sure all of the individual items are going to flow together.

Concept, Design, Styling, & Photography: Jen Feliciano, The Florida Girl (www.florida-girl.com) @the_floridagirl (www.instagram/thefloridagirl.com)

Event Space: Bluebell hq (www.bluebellhq.com)

Balloon Garland: Aquarelle (www.instagram/aquarelle.com)

Charcuterie Spread: Apricot & Olive (www.instagram/apricotandolive.com)

Round Acrylic Sign & Drink Stirrers: Floral Dust (www.floraldust.com)

Acrylic Sign at Photo Backdrop: Modern Birch Co. (www.modernbirchco.com)

Floral Design: Jen Feliciano, The Florida Girl (www.florida-girl.com) @the_floridagirl (www.instagram/thefloridagirl.com)

Roses: Grace Rose Farm (www.gracerosefarm.com)

Paper Tableware for kids table & dessert table: Oh Happy Day Party Shop (www.shop.ohhappyday.com)

Cake: Sugar & Bloom Cakes (www.sugarandbloomcakes.squarespace.com)

Cookies: Sugar Cookies by Anne (www.etsy.com/shop/sugarcookiesbyanne)

Key Lime Pies: Key Lime to Happiness (www.keylimetohappiness.com)

Donuts: Dandee Donut Factory  (www.dandeedonuts.com) & Donut Bragger (www.donutbragger.com)

Kids Sensory Dough Kits: MamaMaliDough (www.etsy.com/shop/mamamalidough)

Knit Dolls: Cuddle and Kind (www.cuddleandkind.com)

Ladies love brunch

Am I right or am I right…ladies love brunch? If you saw my Ain’t Life Peachy post, you’ll know I have been preparing for this day for a few weeks now! I don’t mess around! If you have been wondering what simple things I put together to make a huge impact, here is how it all turned out!

Outfit Details:
You can find my crop top HERE and my skirt HERE

The most important item at brunch is the food, duh! Check out this spread of biscuits & gravy, scrambled eggs, ombré pancakes, fresh fruit, and bacon! All the basics and a little touch of “extra” with the ombré pancakes…but they sure do add a punch (and help keep up the peachy theme)!

A few drops of red food coloring and voila, you have ombré pancakes! It makes such a huge impact. I am sure there is a natural food color you can use like beets or even blueberries or raspberries, but for time sake I just used red food coloring.

The second most important brunch item for me is FLOWERS! Trader Joe’s has some of the most economical stems by far! Do yourself a favor and run there now! If you are not feeling creative they have some prearranged bouquets too. I love creating floral arrangements so I purchase a ton of different flowers (not only are they the best-priced flowers around they have some of the more unique stems too) like these peonies and ranunculus.

Check out my “We are here for the fun” Blog post to see some of my must-have neutral houseware items for serving a party!

Last, but certainly not least on my list of must-haves for brunch is a good cocktail (or mocktail in this case). I have been posting new mocktail recipes on Instagram every day around lunchtime. I even have a few story highlight reels where I have saved them all. One of my favorite recipes lately was a blackberry pineapple lemonade drink. I knew it would be perfect for brunch.

Oh, and I can’t forget laughs! Every good brunch is to be filled with your favorite friends and family, which ultimately will create the belly laughs!

Ain’t life peachy

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and even though the country is mostly on lock-down from the Coronavirus, I wouldn’t let this holiday go by without doing even something small…and pretty! I am starting with a little bar cart set up to prepare for the at-home brunch we shall have the day of!

If you couldn’t tell from the title, the color scheme and theme is “just peachy”. Peach was a great start but I had to throw in some soft blush and pale lavender too, because, why not? Well, really, I was inspired to add those colors after Grace Rose Farm so generously gifted me two dozen gorgeous organic heirloom roses! These roses are seriously some of the most fragrant flowers I have ever smelled, not to mention, look how beautifully they fluff up and bloom!

You may be thinking “Eeeeeek, I don’t have a cute bar cart like that!” Don’t worry… you can always set something like this up on the kitchen counter, a dining table or a console table! PS, IF you ARE looking for an amazing bar cart and happen to like this one, here is the link to mine shown here! (Check out these alternate options here & here).

Most all of the adorable tableware and accessories are from, the one and only, Target! I absolutely love shopping in the bullseye section (AKA the dollar spot). I snag things there all the time! You never know when you want to do a little impromptu brunch or party. I have linked the party goods here! Check out the plates, napkins, cups, silverware, water pitcher & cakestand! Additional napkins here and here as well as the peachy plates!

One of my favorite home accessories is this 18″ wide Rettle Kraft Paper Roller. I recently purchased the decorative accessory shelf and a roll of white paper to keep things light and airy and to coordinate with my new White GE Cafe Refrigerator (which has been my dream since completing our home remodel!) Next on the purchase list is the matching Oven–Microwave combo and Dishwasher.

The only thing left to do now is planning the brunch menu, come up with a signature cocktail (for mom), and a mocktail recipe for my 6-month pregnant self! Stay tuned for that blog, coming soon!

It’s a Great Day!

This past holiday season was full of cheer, bright colors, friends, family, and amazing food! I wanted to share this quick festive snack idea! In our home, we LOVE egg salad! Not just any egg salad though…egg salad made with Great Day Farms hard-boiled eggs. The reasons we use Great Day Farms hard-boiled eggs are because they are readily available to grab at the store and are an incredible source of protein.

I truly enjoy making my family’s egg salad recipe! Check out how simple it is below! Sometimes the simpler the better.

This year we decided to make them as open-faced egg salad sandwiches. I picked up some fresh soft baguette, sliced it into 1/2″ thick pieces, toasted lightly and topped with the egg salad. To add a little festive flare (and zest) I cut fresh green onions from our herb garden and served Sriracha hot sauce on the side.

Part of what makes the difference in event planning and food is how they are displayed! Find a pretty tray with height and or color and serve the egg salad sandwiches on them! In my case, I had the perfect pink milk glass cake stand that doubled as my serving platter. Cheers to a festive holiday season!

Pop-Colored Nutcracker Christmas

Grab a cup of hot cocoa or coffee and enjoy our home tour featuring the most joyous pop-color themed Nutcracker holiday decor. To say I was elated to be a part of this year’s Design Council 2019: Holiday Style Stars with Treetopia is a bit of an understatement! Christmas is not only my favorite holiday, but it’s also the birth month to my daughter, Hendrix. She is the color in our life, so it is only fitting we decorate and prep for her second birthday that’s fast approaching. Last year I specifically wanted to have her party be Berry Sweet (but not holiday-themed). This year, we changed gears and it is gun-ho Sugarplum fairyland!

This year Treetopia is hosting their 8th Secret Santa Giveaway where one winner AND their friend will each win 1 Treetopia tree of their choice! The giveaway runs from Nov 17-28, 2019. Be sure to enter HERE!

These gorgeous Treetopia Frozen Fir Flocked Artifical Christmas Trees were gifted to us and are the perfect showstoppers and canvases for our pop-color Nutcracker theme.

And, as if it couldn’t get any sweeter, Treetopia sent us the coordinating Winter White Artificial Christmas Wreath and Garland. I automatically knew I wanted to hang the garland over the chalkboard at the coffee/hot cocoa bar, and it is perfect!

These gorgeous shots are just the tip of the winter wonderland iceberg. Stay tuned for more details to be revealed in the upcoming birthday blog post.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the other creative Holiday Style Stars to see how they implemented other fun Treetopia products and accessories!

I am already scoping out the Treetopia website for other fun colored trees for future projects!

Colorful Christmas Trees

Green Christmas Trees

Wreaths and Garlands

Bootiful Cocktail

I have always wanted to make a pretty cocktail (or mocktail) that went with the theme and decor of my party. Am I the only one? I can’t be! This bootiful & refreshing blackberry cocktail was exactly what I had in mind!

I have no clue where my muddler was, so here I am improvising with a wooden spoon handle…and it worked just fine!

Just 3 simple ingredients (5 if you count the ice & garnish)…

Celebrate the Details

I wanted to write a quick blog post to share all the little but mighty & meaningful details from Hendrix’s “One Is Berry Sweet” 1st Birthday. I can’t believe it took me almost a year to finally get this blog post out. SMH. In fairness, I did cover a few details from it in my “2019, I am coming for you” blog post. Perhaps I am also just finally getting to it because I have been consumed with wrapping up details of the Halloween Boo Crew party we are about to host and are just starting to plan her 2nd birthday, so parties are fresh on my mind? Who knows. Either way, I hope you enjoy and get some creative inspo for your next event or party!

How ironic was it that my jammies matched the color theme? My coffee bar chalkboard is one of my favorite ways to add a personal touch to my events. Here I am erasing away and the party hasn’t even started. I accidentally wrote in her birth weight and height, not her measurements from one year old. Whoops!

Now, that’s better and more like it! This “milestone” chalk art was a great way for me to document several of her favorite things & accomplishments from her first year.

While were are here, can we just appreciate the photos of all of the sweets below? All which were made from scratch by her Nana and, yours truly. The mini homemade apple pies are my grandma’s secret family recipe & were given as the party favor for our guests, along with the cupcakes.

My husband and I had a red velvet wedding cake and there is a ton of meaning to that flavor so we wanted to have it for Hendrix’s birthday (not to mention they were the perfect color & coordinated with her berry theme).

This gorgeous cake came out of a bunch of chaos, and I love it. It was my first time making a “naked” cake and I’d say it came out stunning, wouldn’t you? The addition of fresh flowers and berries added the perfect dainty feminine touch I was looking for.

The elegant paper plates (yes they are paper) came from one of my favorite tableware sources, Sophistiplate. I knew I wanted to set the table for the party but didn’t want to be trapped for hours doing dishes afterwards. After-all, isn’t brunch best when you can pig out and then veg on the couch?

One of, if not my favorite, decorative accessories for a party is flowers. I know they may not be the cheapest and you may not feel like you have the “know-how” to arrange them, but I promise you, Pinterest is your friend and is great for inspiration. I always choose monochromatic tones and use LOTS of greenery to enhance the arrangements. I also love to use different styles of vases and vary the height of them to add dimension.

Sweet touches like printable gift bag tags, banners, and welcome signs are a great way to keep a cohesive theme going throughout the party space. Check out these relatively generic gift bags that I added tags to. In addition, I enlarged a version of the birthday invitation and mounted it in an acrylic standing frame on the favor table, which doubled as a welcome table in the foyer.

You might have thought after hearing how much I love flowers that they were they way to my heart (and although very close) food is really the way! Ha! In order to hold the guests over until brunch, we served a simple charcuterie board filled with tons of delicious cheeses, fresh meat, & scrumptious fruit.

A mimosa and juice bar is never a good idea at brunch (said no one ever)! We had several bottles of champagne for the guests to chose from… even a non-alcoholic version from Ready to Pop. Add fresh fruit, a few different juice types, some flowers, balloons, and decor and you’ll have the perfect setup that will draw everyone in and keep them coming back for more!

Cake time! Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Hendrix. Happy Birthday to you!

I used our Rettel Craft Paper Roller as a big family birthday card. Each person signed her a wish and we are saving it for her to read one day.

One of my best tips of advice is get all of the kids and “necessary” (aka the pictures you want to look relatively put together and pretty) out of the way BEFORE the party starts. As seen here… I am still in my jammies trying to get Hendrix to smile, and failing miserably.

Eventually she warmed up some and we got some pretty cute pictures I’d say! This girl melts and warms my heart all in one!

Balloon garlands are probably one of the most economical decorative accessory you can get to make the biggest impact for photos. They are brilliant for backdrops!

Photography: Crystal Swass of Blue Anchor Love Photography

Party Styling & Decor: Yours Truly @the_floridagirl

Sweets: Nana and Moi

Custom Gift Bag Tags, Birthday Invitations, Floral Signs, “One is Sweet” Banner, “Eat”, “Drink”, “Be Sweet” Banners, and Floral Signs: Shauna @stayinghomesawyer

Spooktacular Fun

This festive tent set up is revving up our excitement for the Boo Crew Halloween party we have planned in just a few weeks. Several of these pieces will be sprinkled into that party. In the mean time, check out how adorable they came out and how we have transformed some basic Halloween decor into something spooktacular!

We hit up the dollar store for these plastic skeletons and spiders. We also snagged some styrofoam headstones but I will be honest, they shriveled up after attempting to spray paint them. Ultimately we got new ones from Walmart (4 for about $7 versus 4 for $4 – so not too bad) and they held up so much better!

With a few cans of colorful spray paint these blah headstones, skeletons, spiders and some dollar store plastic cups were transformed in just a few minutes. Voila! You can create a brand new custom look if you simply remove the base of the plastic cup and spray paint them a fun color! I went with black in this case because I plan to tie hot pink name tags around the stem of the glasses for each boo crew guest.

Between now and the party, I will be plotting what to draw on my coffee bar chalkboard, Hendrix surely will continue to play hide and seek in the tent, and these little bits of decor will remain out for everyone’s enjoyment. Stay tuned for more details coming in the blog post after the party! Oh, and be sure to check out my “Let’s chalk it up” blog post for chalk art inspo.

A Love Affair

I have some of the best girlfriend’s ever so why not celebrate them BIG TIME, right? I wanted to put together a super love-filled day full of color, food, and Rosé, compliments of the Wandering Wines of course!

My coffee bar and chalkboard are one of my favorite areas to decorate! A local baker, Two Fat Cookies, designed these incredible sweet treats for us, and OMG, they were delictable!

Sources: (Pottery Barn Floating Shelves, Industrial Wall Sconces, 3-Tiered Stand, Ninja Coffee Maker, Gold T-Knob Cabinet Hardware, White Rectangle Platters, White Cake Stand)

If you ever get stuck on how to make your party look high-end or custom – just add flowers! Flowers everywhere! Select a monochromatic color pallet and get funky with your arrangements. Also, using different style vases, with different textures and heights creates visual interest. Use cake stands or wrap old shoe boxes with pretty paper and use them to create height changes! Don’t just take a bouquet from the store and plop them in a vase. Break them apart and get creative! Don’t be scared! Pinterest is your friend and provides lots of inspiration. Another simple decorative trick is to use double sided tape and stick balloons to the wall for an awesome photo backdrop!

Sources: (Red balloons, Purple & Pink balloons, custom laser cut wood names, pompom and heart garlands, heart plates, black curtain panels)

Does brunch even really happen without Bloody Mary’s? Ummm, the answer is NO. I have found THE BEST mix . The Real Dill is seriously the real deal! They not only have the most delicious bloody mix, they have the most scrumptious pickles and rimming spice! Trust me when I say it’s seriously to die for!

Another MUST have is a wine bar! My go to wine maker & distributor is the Wandering Wines. Their line of brands include a range of white, red, rosé and even includes a sparkling rosé! My favorite!

Sources: (tassel garland, similar bubbly bar banner, stemless wine glasses)

Thanks to the local Boynton Beach TooJay’s Deli who provided us with the their most delicious breakfast scrambler platter! No one left hungry!

I can’t have my girls leaving empty handed with full bellies & hearts! Everyone left with a personalized single initial goodie bag that had a sweet little heart jewelry plate as well as a mini bottle of Moscato and a 9oz. Stemless Pink Hearts Allover Tervis tumbler. A cute and simple DIY gift tag that said “will you accept this rosé was tied to each mini bottle!

Sources: (Mini Barefoot Moscato bottles, Valentines Washi Tape for tags, another option for gift bag, black wall mirror, clear acrylic table, wood stools

2019, I am coming for you!

How in the world did I get into this thing called “social media influencing & blogging”.  What is influencing anyway?  Am I really influencing people to do something, feel something, or think about something?  When I consider that even being a possibility I am super intrigued and I get excited.  I love making friends, talking with people and being social, so this felt like the perfect fit.  I guess it all began during my pregnancy.  I thought, “Let me start using Instagram as an official organized picture storage platform to document my pregnancy & life with a baby and possibly meet some other moms that I could chat with and get advice from”.  Well, it has been perfect for that and so much more!  Never did I think I would become friends with people all around the U.S. & some in other countries.  I mean, actual friends.  Friends I talk to daily, vent to, get advice from and hang out with in person.  It honestly is so cool.  In addition, I never thought I could have so much fun.  I knew it was possible but I never really thought I it would be me.

One of those amazing relationships that have blossomed through Instagram is my girl Bonnie Stone @haveakidtheysaid.  She has decided to start a mom blog challenge with some incredible women in order to promote creative blog posts and social media support!  She has challenged us to join along in blogging at least once a month.  Genius or crazy?  The jury is still out if you ask me!  I suppose my answer will be derived after I see how long it actually takes me to write this one blog post (yes, I have opened and saved it about 20 times so far, and counting).   And, umm, did someone say challenge?  That’s all anyone has to say and it’s ON!  Who can relate?  But in all seriousness, I am scared shitless of this challenge. It’s hard to explain but I will try.  I feel like I am pretty witty in person but I don’t think I’m captivating or exciting when I write/blog.  I have never really felt comfortable or confident writing.  I second guess myself.  I suppose it’s because I have time to see and hear it out loud and have the ability to backspace the hell out of the stuff I don’t like.  Whereas, when I shoot from the hip in person, I typically just end up inserting foot in mouth if I sound like an ass (which may be more often than I like).  By the way, where is the backspace button in real life?  Anyway, back to the real reason for this blog, each month either Bonnie picks a topic or we come up with one collectively and what is more fitting to start out 2019 than, “goals for the year and how you will take care of yourself?”  So, that leads me to this first blog post… and it goes a little something like this!

That girl right there, pictured above, is my reason for this post!  I started this social media journey about a year and a half ago when I found out I was pregnant with Hendrix.  It’s insane to me that she is already ONE and how fast time is truly slipping through my fingertips.  Some of you may know (more of you probably don’t) but my journey to becoming a mom was a very long one!  11 years, the loss of a precious baby, IVF and she’s finally here.  Wow, that sounds so simple and straight forward when I type it out in black and white, but God it was anything but that!  What I can say is, I always describe it as “an amazing emotional journey that was worth the wait”.  Hendrix is our heart walking around in real life.  She is our best creation.  (We also can’t believe we kept this little human alive and thriving for a year!  Yay, go us! :))

I had been dreaming of a family life like this for as long as I can remember and it’s finally here – and more amazing then I could have thought it would be.  Ok, maybe my house could be on the inter-coastal and I have a large boat out back on a dock, but everything else is pretty damn near perfect! Ha!  Motherhood has been beautiful and has filled me up more than I imagined.  I feel my most authentic self for sure!  I am honored to be Hendrix’s mom, a wife, a daughter and friend to many.  One thing I never thought was going to happen was to create friendships from a social media platform like Instagram.  At times it has been slow and arduous but it certainly has provided me with so many awesome connections and collaborations.

As Hendrix’s first birthday was approaching I knew I wanted to make it super special being that I prayed and waited so long to celebrate her.  In reality I knew going all out was more for me but I went there anyway…and it was freaking amazing! 🙂  So how does this tie into my goals for 2019 you ask?  Well, my ultimate vision is to use Instagram as my primary source of income.  Don’t get me wrong, I am still using it for the reasons I mentioned previously, but after utilizing the platform I clearly see the potential and am ready to tap into it.  I am just now, after creating content for a good year and a half or so, starting to see steady income & product incentives.  Ultimately I am committed to blogging and creating content that others love and get excited to read, follow, like, & comment on!  So this mom blog challenge is the perfect opportunity to put that into action! 

WHITE CUPCAKE STAND & DINNER PLATES: SOPHISTIPLATE @SOPHISTIPLATE

The reason for me focusing on and building my blog platform is to support amazing brands and companies who are willing to trust me to represent them in the best light.   I mean, after all, it’s a mutual benefit and gain to collaborate with companies.  In planning Hendrix’s 1st birthday, there were so many details I wanted to include.   I reached out to several companies to establish collaborations.  Many declined, many did not have space in their calendar, and a few agreed and graciously sent us product!  I am so appreciative!  Don’t get it twisted…again, that sounds so simple and straightforward, just ask and you shall receive (from some), but no, it’s quite the opposite.  The business of blogging & creating content on social media is seriously a TON of work.  There are many hours of researching companies you want to represent, communicating the benefit you bring to them as an influencer, creating the content (meaning taking 383,938 photos to get the 1 or 2 perfect ones), wrangling kids if you have them, battling the elements like weather, editing the photos, creating captivating captions, posting at the perfect peak time, and then spending hours engaging with your audience.  Phew, I am exhausted just thinking about it!  I now see why so many people give up on it so easily when the likes and comments don’t come in and no one is knocking at your door to collaborate. 

Here’s the thing for me, I lead with love and am open and supportive with this community and it has reciprocated!  I have shared what I have learned and experienced.  I refuse to be stingy with it.  I receive tips and advice wherever possible, taking things with a grain of salt.  I am not the first, nor will I be the last person to blog and post content on social media, so I am committed to enjoying it to its fullest. 

I will leave you with some other beautiful pictures from the party! 

X<3 X <3 , Jen 

NON-ALCOHOLIC CHAMPAGNE: DRINK READY TO POP @DRINKREADYTOPOP
18″ RETTEL CRAFT ROLLER: RETTEL CO @RETTELCO
GOURMET CHEESE: TILLAMOOK @TILLAMOOK

Photography Courtesy of Crystal Swass @blue.anchor.love