New Year Decor at Valentino

6 hours, 3,000 balloons and 12 staff PRICELESS!

As the new Creative Director for Valentino Restaurant it is our pleasure to decorate for every holiday and points in between for the restaurant. Because the restaurant is so busy and the table formations have to be moved constantly during the evening the only way to decorate is up and that is what we did. We covered the ceilings of all the dining rooms and public spaces with a variety of balloons with gold and silver mylar curling ribbon, which adds a great shimmer as well as adding bouquets and unexpected decorating twists. It was a great success and very much appreciated by Clients and guests alike. This is one of my favorite photos because when you first look at it it looks like the ceiling is dripping gold. It's amazing the effects just simple balloons can create. Look to our photo gallery for more great photos of the restaurant.

After Christmas Sales

I was out doing a little last minute shopping today and all of a sudden it hit me after Christmas sales!!!! After Christmas sales are good for more than just buying holiday decor at great prices. They are great for all kinds of items. A lot of merchandise is brought in as seasonal but really isn't "Christmassy" it is just tagged as seasonal and put in with the after Christmas sale merchandise. This urn is a great example of after the holidays sale, Retail $59.95, Wholesale $35.00 after Holiday sale $17.98 PRICELESS

After Christmas sales are great for....

buying solid color wrapping paper and bags to use all year long
buying nice tablecloths and napkins to match that don't have a Christmas design on them
buying vases and urns for floral arrangements or display (Michaels already has some gold and silver ones that are 70% off)
buying decor items that are non-seasonal but that stores tag as seasonal
buying red bags or ribbon for valentines day gifts or goody bags
buying candles and candle holders for all year long

Best wishes and good luck finding those after Christmas bargains that you will be able to use all year long. Let me know how it goes!
Carolyn

Today was Bittersweet

I am so lucky to have my job, even though today was bittersweet. I actually removed Christmas from a Client's home today. Lance and I took a nice drive down the coast to Malibu, even though it was rainy and overcast the ocean is always spectacular. The traffic wasn't too bad and I was a bit concerned about mudslides and such after the terrible fires in October but everything was clear and there wasn't too much debris on the roads. It is really devastating to see the burn so close to peoples homes and all the way up to Highway 1, it must have been awful for those homeowners to see the fire so close to their homes. The bittersweet part of the day was cutting the beautiful 12 foot Noble Fir tree into 4 pieces to get it out of the home. I have brought it home in pieces and it sits in the back of the work truck waiting to be turned into fresh greenery arrangements. I know that the tree was enjoyed while it was up but it just seems sad that in all her splendor she wasn't enjoyed on Christmas morning. I know that sounds sappy but that is how it feels and I know that this what I do, but it always pains me to see the fresh in the trash after the holidays. On a more upbeat note the wreaths, garland and parts of the tree will be used to green my church for the holidays, so I guess in fact it will all be appreciated twice as much. I guess today just felt odd removing Christmas when I haven't had a moment to stop and enjoy Christmas yet. If all goes well I will have the few days before Christmas to relax and enjoy my family.

Coffee Is My Friend!

So I am officially a coffee junkie. I have never been a "gotta have my coffee" person except maybe in the mornings. But it seems lately that I am looking for my coffee fix in the late afternoon. Things are so crazy around here with all the holiday decorating, new Clients, existing Clients, New Years, holiday events and more I am now craving coffee to get me through the night. I know I'm addicted when I am finally back at home and working and get up to leave to go get coffee. [That is huge when you consider that I spend most of my day driving and since the holiday season began I have driven about 3,000 miles.] Thank goodness the Starbucks is close or my husband might think I am leaving to meet someone because I have never in the past gone out specifically for coffee. My coffee addiction is always the same Peppermint Mocha, venti, no whipped cream at 130 degrees, I am so predictable. And I'm not just craving the Peppermint Mocha because it is a holiday flavor, they serve it all year round. I remember when Starbucks first opened and I felt like such a coffee virgin, never knew what to order or how to order, what the sizes meant, it just seemed so complicated I couldn't be bothered, but now when I give them my request with the temperature and all the details I feel like a coffee pro, of course that is the only one I know how to order, but Hey the people behind me don't know that.HA! It's 9:35 at night and guess what I'm drinking coffee. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

Happy Holidays

Hello Everyone & Happy Holidays!
It has been a whirlwind of activity here since the middle of November. We have been busily decorating clients homes and businesses. We have had the chance to create some fabulous holiday decor this year. We are so fortunate to have wonderful clients who love our work and trust us to make their holiday dreams a reality. Thank you one and all for allowing CHS to make your holidays brighter! We are finally starting to get some of our holiday decorating photos up, to take a look visit our photo gallery.
Best wishes for you and yours for a wonderful Holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year!
Carolyn Horten & the CHS Creative Productions Team
This is one of my favorite photos from our holiday decorating this season. This was an awesome Christmas tree that was decorated in lime green, chocolate brown, copper and golds accented with feathers, glitter elements and fabulous fabric. This was not your average Christmas tree and it was gorgeous even if I do say so myself.

Valentino Restaurant chooses CHS Creative Productions as new Creative Director

CHS Creative Productions is proud to announce that they have been chosen as the new Creative Director for the Valentino Restaurant in Santa Monica. We are so proud to have been chosen by this famous 5 Star Restaurant owned by Mr. Piero Selvaggio the very well known chef and restaurateur. We are excited about all the new adventures this new business relationship will create for us. For more information on the Valentino Restaurant visit their website. Our first task as Creative Director for the Valentino Restaurant was creating custom holiday decor. CHS created custom holiday decor to match each of the private dining rooms and public spaces. in the restaurant. To view more photos of the Valentino please visit our photo gallery.

Moroccan Tent

When Carmen Q. contacted CHS Creative Productions to create a Moroccan tent for her daughter's Quincinera she was about at her wits end with the run around other event decorators had given her as well as quoting her prices that just were not in her budget and was about to give up on the idea altogether. But lucky for her she found CHS and her dreams of a Moroccan tent came true. At CHS we understand that every client has a budget and we do our best to work within that Clients budget. We were able to create a fabulous 20' long x 12' wide x 10' high custom tent made out of sheer fabric in the four colors, purple, hot pink, orange and blue that had been chosen by her daughter for the color scheme. We created a draped head table to showcase the Birthday Girl and her court along with palm trees, Moroccan lanterns, greenery and rose petals we added hanging lanterns with lights to give a great ambiance to the evening as well as understanding that young girls do not like to dance in full light. The tent was everything and more that Carmen and her family had expected and it truly created a magical back drop for a very special evening for a very special girl. It was my absolute pleasure working together with Carmen and her daughter to create exactly what they were looking for to create the event of their dreams. To see more photos of the event visit the photo gallery.

Wedding Decor

CHS was hired to create a feeling of warmth in a very large banquet room as well as create a custom wedding arch that would not be in the way of the very tall grooms head and all the florals. We began by draping the ceiling in a burgundy sheer fabric to match the colors of the wedding which helped to bring the height of the room down from 22' high to 14'. (This ceiling drape is a great inexpensive way to customize any location and add a bit of unexpected drama). We also created a wedding arch covered with white fabric and custom floral arrangements that would not interfere with the photos or the view of the golf course fairway where the wedding was being performed. CHS designed and created all the florals for this very unique fall wedding. It was truly a pleasure and a challenge to combine all the colors chosen, burgundy, orange and yellow by the Bride and combine them in such a way as to look elegant and classic yet with a bit of fun and flair that was so much the Bride's personality. It is always a pleasure when our Clients allow us to create and add to their vision of an event and this was no exception. To view more photos of the decor and florals please visit our photo gallery.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog, created for those who are planning any type of event. I will share ideas, tips, advice, resources and photos to inspire and help you with your event planning needs (I will also share my ooops' so that you can learn from them) and also share with you a day in the life of a party planner. (it isn't always glamorous)
This photo is one of my favorite. I was inspired by this idea from of all things a Sam's Club flyer, they had done it on a straight up and down staircase, but I knew it would look better on a curving staircase. I don't have a staircase, but lucky for me I have a Client with the perfect staircase I was able to re-create this idea, and personally I think it looks better on a curving staircase as opposed to the original idea. It was easy to do. I printed each letter on a single sheet of paper and enlarged the letter to within the depth of the stair step. I printed them out, cut them out and then traced and cut them out of black card stock so that they would be stiffer. They were attached with painters tape, so that they wouldn't pull off the paint. Even us creative people tend to see others ideas and come up with a way of re-creating them. When looking for ideas look past what you and see and take inspiration from how you can make it better or how you can make it work with what you have.
Talk to you later