The Gold + Bee Craft Party

For those cold dreary winter months why not call a group of friends together and craft near a warm fire.  Let creativity go wild  as your guests enjoy creating beautiful art with champagne in hand and appetizers to graze on?  Gold + Bee will create a splendid event for you.  Please contact us for details about craft options, food, and pricing.

DIY Holiday Gifts

This year I made the decision to make holiday gifts for all the special people on my list.  The beauty of this is that I don't have to spend hours in a crazy mall, spending too much money on mass produced stuff that nobody needs, and instead I get to stay home (with a glass of wine) making one of a kind gifts while exercising my creative muscles.  Hooray for projects!

This weekend I started off with some feather charms and leather cord that I had stashed away in my jewelry drawer, but needed something special to make it pop.  Suddenly, I came across this angel wing keychain my mom gave me before leaving for her winter trip south.  Ta-daaaaa, an earthy necklace with special meaning was born!  So I decided that something like this would be amazing for some of my girlfriends, and went onto etsy to scour the shops for some unique pieces that reminded me of each one of my besties!

Another great idea I had was to flex my culinary skills, and make some cutesy gift totes filled with my homemade jam and southern corn muffins.  Magically, on Saturday morning, my wonderfully talented friend, Sarah, invited me over for a day of canning and holiday cheer. I was thrilled!  Yesterday after shopping for ingredients, we spent the day canning in the kitchen. We sang along to Mumford&Sons, sipped local beers and made a scrumptious dinner as well.  So MUCH BETTER than the mall.  

The final result....9 pints of "Mae-Bee's Very Berry Jam" (aka, strawberry-raspberry-blueberry jam) and a dozen half pints of Sarah's scrumptious Lemon Curd.  I absolutely cannot wait to get some sweet fabric and ribbons and tags to personalize them. Stay tuned for the finished packages!

Miss Mae, decked out in her favorite apron while reading us some new
recipes from the holiday issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Cheers and Happy Gifting!

xoxo, Gold+Bee

A good gift is hard to find

what is it about finding the perfect gift for someone?  occasionally i nail it... usually without much effort and more about luck...but sometimes I obsess about it.. waste a ton of time "looking" and then end up with something that I could've spent 10 minutes looking in Anthro for... why do we try so hard?

i think it's spectacular when we give a gift that a loved one with open, squeal, and cherish.... at least this is the reaction I strive for... but why does it not happen when we try so hard?

ok... so my conclusion is...i think people really value the heartfelt touches... the handmade card... the photos from a recent activity together... the cute personalized packaging... the homemade cookies in a cute mason jar adorned with bright ribbon... this is what makes a gift special... it is the heart that you put into it.  as simple as that!

For those recipients who value the monetary value... my 2 cents is (ha)... no matter how hard you try... it will never be enough so cut your losses and move on.

oh, and if anyone reading this would like to get me a gift that will make me squeal... look no further...

Cheers!

Cyber Monday Buzz

Happy Cyber Monday y'all!

Now that you've feasted on the turkey and busted down the doors of department stores at 4 am, it is definitely time to start thinking about your big holiday party! Holiday celebrations don't have to be stressful though, especially with Gold+Bee.

 Whether you're planning  a gingerbread decorating and holiday sing-a-long for the kids, or a Yankee-Swap Cocktail Party for grown--ups, Gold+Bee has you covered, and all with 30% off!

The details: Email Gold+Bee (gold.and.bee@gmail.com) between today and Friday, November 30th and receive 30% off your holiday event*. Percentage off will be based on full priced event quote. Holiday event must take place between December 10th, 2012 and January 31st, 2013.

Cheers & Happy Holiday Planning!
xoxo,
Gold+Bee



 

Vintage Game Night!

Last Friday evening Bee hosted some great friends for a vintage style fall game night in her home. Inspired by the whimsy and cozy feel of the invitation above (really, it's a scarf wearing quail for goodness sake!) we went with a 1950's hunting lodge look for the decor and refreshments.

The color scheme included hunter greeen, burlap, gold, and cozy plaid mixed with  woodland animals (deer, wintry birds, etc). The menu was a modern twist on classic mid-century comfort foods ( ruffled potato chips with homemade french onion dip, mini meatloaves, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts) and an autumnal Sailor Jerry rum punch. 

Bee hit the jackpot at Target when she stumbled upon some fabulous Patch NYC pieces on clearance. 3 items, each under $12 and a few favorite holiday scented candles, Sparkling Angel.

 With added oversized floor and throw pillows and a wooly granny blanket that were found tucked away in storage, the space was transformed.

 The goal was to play a few different games, but we had so much fun playing Taboo that we never made it to the others. It was a fantastic evening with the best of friends. We hope this inspires you to plan a playful party just for the fun of it!

Cheers and happy partying,
Gold+Bee

Sailor Jerry + Fresh Apple Cider = Surprisingly easy and delicious



Hoot Hoot

Gold's vintage deer worked so perfectly on Bee's snack table

Mini meatloafs, playfully dubbed "Meat Muffins", were the hit and euphamism of the night
(note this awesome patterned burlap and our new stag pedestal dish)

Our cute little acorn card holders

Mae, the party animal, totally passed out on the plaid floor pillows

 

An Opening to Remember

Gold + Bee is so excited about the opening of the hottest new Yoga studio in Jamaica Plain.  JP Centre Yoga had its grand opening last weekend and Gold + Bee was given the privilege of organizing the bash. 

The founders, Sejal and Daniel, wanted the event to be an opportunity to introduce the studio to neighbors and friends alike. the beautifully renovated space, located on the top floor of one JP’s oldest buildings, is airy and full of light with dramatic 14 foot ceilings and blonde bamboo floors. The decor simple  with industrial salvage touches. the studio is stunning all on its own,  so Gold+Bee's task of dressing it up for a celebration was simple!

We began creating our inspiration board with certain yoga-inspired elements that we loved. A juice bar, Indian spiced popcorn, Local organic fruits, illuminated lanterns, hanging lights.  To keep guests engaged and make them want to stay we added interactive elements like live music, a henna artist and free massages for guests.  The event had a good flow and framed the space in a natural way.  

Daniel teaching the inaugural class on Friday night

The gorgeous slide show combined yoga with construction!

Indian spice popcorn bar

We love their old shutter turned shoe rack , so guests were happy to leave their fabulous shoes behind to party!

Our hand crafted juices were worth every minute of effort, huge hit with the yoga crowd! 

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A simple strand of bulbs dressed up the yoga prop shelves and lockers. 

Bee showing off for the camera...

Guests packed the lobby waiting for their turn to do henna tattoos. 

Live music courtesy of the lovely Erica Magro Cahill, yogi and musician. 

The glow sticks were a huge hit with the mini yogis at the party. 

G+B are obsessed with these lanterns, they compliment the space perfectly! 

Ryan Hill, massage therapist and yoga instructor provided some relaxation for guests in the treatment room. 

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gorgeous henna art provided by Nik Tharpa Cartier

We were very honored to be a part of this wonderful party.  The vibe was sublime- happy smiling faces were abundant- it was a perfect party to celebrate this glorious place!

To find out more information about JCPY (or sign up for classes) check out their website http://jpcentreyoga.com/. 

Namaste,
Gold+Bee

Evite Shmeevite!

I am so bored with evite... although I think they have a great system, so user friendly, and some cute designs BUT I found a new site with even cuter designs and lots of great add on detail- Paperless Post.  

I have always loved paper invitations, cards, letters... having had numerous pen-pals as a kid I adore cute stationary BUT in this new on-line world, sadly, paper is obsolete.  These are some of my favorite offerrings by Paperless Post.  

Woodland Dance

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the Paper Kites song "Featherstone". The song was so lovely, that I just had to hear it again.  Upon finding the video, I was hooked. It had an organic innocence and the earthy images were harmonious with the song itself.  Immediately, I wanted to design a celebration with this as the design vision.  Below are some of the images for my inspiration board for a Woodland Party.  Let me know what you think!

 

*(Coincidentally, "Woodland" is also the name of the Paper Kites album)

 

Inspiration is everywhere...keep your eyes open!

Happy planning!

Gold+Bee