INSPIREMS

Ava in Wonderland Birthday Party {Event}

9/12/2018

Happy Hump Day ladies and gentlemen!
By this point in the week, we’re always craving something that’ll put a smile on our faces. We figured y’all can relate so today we wanted to share an absolutely precious birthday party with y’all! This special twist on an Alice in Wonderland birthday celebration was taken to the next level and we are head over heels with how everything turned out. Keep reading to hear from Celita Davis Norwood on how she put together the most magical “Ava in Wonderland” party for her darling daughter Ava!

{Tell us a little bit about you!}
Hi! My name is Celita Davis Norwood. I’m originally from Jackson, Mississippi. I graduated from Provine High School and attended Mississippi Valley State University. I graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a degree in Criminal Justice. I then attended Jackson State University and completed the masters in Rehabilitation Counseling program. I am married with one child, my daughter Ava Danielle. We currently live in Crystal Springs, Mississippi.

{Tell us about the party!}
This event was my daughter Ava’s 2nd birthday party! We had the party at the Oakhurst Subdivision Clubhouse in Clinton, Mississippi. The party began around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, we invited around 25 children to join us!

{How did you decide on this theme?}
Alice in Wonderland was one of my favorite childhood movies and for that reason it was a natural choice for my daughter’s birthday! I decided to take the theme of Alice in Wonderland and personalize it for the occasion by calling the party “Ava in Wonderland.” I also loved that this themed allowed for so many elements to be customized, making the whole event very unique!

{What were some of your favorite details?}
My favorite details of the events were the ones that translated straight from the story into the decor of the party. There are so many fun details from the story that I was able to incorporate into things like the cookies, decorations, and the cake!

{How did you manage to incorporate the Ava in Wonderland theme so thoroughly?}
I really have my vendors to thank for bringing my ideas and the theme to life. I knew I wanted to make my guests feel like they were actually in Wonderland and my vendors were able to make that happen! All in all, every single one of my vendors absolutely nailed it and I couldn’t have been happier.

{Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to plan a similar event?}
When planning any event, I would say it’s a good idea to make sure you write your vision down. Writing your vision down allows you to ensure all your details match up with the overall vision you’re aiming for. I also suggest having a thorough budget outlined and making an effort to hire vendors that you know will be able to help you pull it off. Additionally, it’s a huge help when the venue you chose lends itself well to the theme! Don’t forget that all the small details matter and choosing the right vendors for your event makes all the difference in the world.

Vendors:
Decor: Creations by Miss DP LLC| Cake: The Cake Diva| Catering: Elegant Catering| Personalized Treats: Sugar Coated Creations by Shimeka Drashon| Cookies: Creative Bites MS by Candace| Candy Table: Sweet Stuff LLC| Gift Bags & Face Painting: Prissy Paintbrush Studios LLC| Graphic Design: Covered Girl Designs|

Photographs provided by Celita Davis Norwood

Brown Bottling Group Presents a Total of $15,000 to 3 Local Charities {Insider Inspiration}

9/10/2018

Happy Monday y’all!
As always, we hope your weekend was filled with all things good, including football, a little downtime, and a whole lot of quality time spent with friends and family. We wanted to bring y’all’s attention to a really cool fundraising contest our friends at Brown Bottling Group sponsored this summer. Brown Bottling Group recently awarded three local charities $15,000 through their Pick Your Charity fundraising contest. Keep reading to find out more about the contest, a little bit about the winners, and Brown Bottling Group!

Brown Bottling Group presented three checks totaling $15,000 to three local charities on Wednesday, August 22, 2018, following the second annual Pick Your Charity fundraising contest supported by Dr Pepper and Canada Dry.

Between July 5 and August 8, one dollar from every case of Dr Pepper and Canada Dry take-home packaging purchased at select grocery locations in central Mississippi was collected to benefit the local charity finalists: DREAM of Hattiesburg, Canopy Children’s Solutions, and PALS Rescue.

These charities encouraged their supporters to vote online during the same timeframe, and at the end of the voting period and nearly 87,000 total votes later, PALS Rescue, a no-kill animal shelter based in McComb, Miss., won first place and $10,000 followed by Canopy Children’s Solutions and DREAM of Hattiesburg, winning $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

“These charities worked so hard this year to get out the vote to earn funding for their causes that they doubled the number of votes from last year’s competition,” said Shelley Brown Floyd, Executive Vice President at Brown Bottling Group. “We’re delighted these funds from Pick Your Charity are able to directly impact three charities doing such admirable work in the Mississippi communities we serve.”

Headquartered in Ridgeland, Miss., with more than 500 Mississippians employed throughout the state, Brown Bottling Group is one of the nation’s leading independently-owned Pepsi-Cola distributors. Brown Bottling offers Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Muscle Milk, Lipton, Starbucks and Aquafina, as well as a diverse portfolio of Carbonated, Non-Carbonated, Coffee, Water and Tea products.

For more on Brown Bottling Group please visit their website.

To find out how you can help support these amazing organizations please visit their websites.
PALS Rescue Inc.
DREAM of Hattiesburg
Canopy Children's Solutions

Soggy Sweat Craft Beer & BBQ Festival {Events}

9/7/2018

Happy Friday y'all!
We wanted to bring your attention to an awesome upcoming event from the Mississippi Brewers Guild, the Soggy Sweat Craft Beer & BBQ Festival. If you like cold beer and delicious barbecue this is the festival for you. Keep reading for more and mark your calendars for September 15th!

The Mississippi Brewers Guild (MBG) recently announced the inaugural Soggy Sweat Craft Beer & BBQ Festival is scheduled for Saturday, September 15 at Smith Park in downtown Jackson. The festival, exclusively celebrating craft beer made in Mississippi, will be the first of its kind. A collaborative Czech Style Pilsner brewed for the Mississippi Brewers Guild, Lucille: Drink’em on Down, is perfect for Mississippi summers and will be released at the event. Mississippi Craft Breweries will also create custom beer for the festival with samples available at brewery tents. Soggy Sweat gives beer manufacturers the opportunity to put their own spin on a festival beer with a BBQ element. Local BBQ enthusiasts will also be onsite creating their own delicious BBQ to pair with the newly created beer. Samples of the specialty firkin beer, Lucille: Drink’em on Down, and BBQ will be available until gone.

“We are excited to have the Soggy Sweat Festival where we can solely highlight our Mississippi breweries,” said Matthew McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Mississippi Brewers Guild. “For the past couple of years, we have held different Mississippi Brewers Guild events, however, we are excited to have a branded annual festival. Soggy Sweat gives our state breweries an opportunity to create specialty beers for the event as well as to have their popular brands onsite. It is going to be a great afternoon to enjoy the newly renovated Smith Park, listen to music, sample beer and BBQ, and enjoy Downtown Jackson.”

The name of the festival, Soggy Sweat Craft Beer & BBQ, is derived from the renowned speech given by Judge Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat, Jr., a judge, law professor and state representative about the repeal of prohibition. When asked if he was for or against prohibition and whiskey, he answered candidly about the different sides of alcohol and it’s effects. His speech termed the phrase “if-by-whiskey”.

The Soggy Sweat Craft Beer & BBQ Festival will feature live music by John Causey and the Jason Daniels Band, samples of festival created beer and BBQ, food trucks and beverages. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, September 15, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Smith Park in Downtown Jackson. Advanced tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased at soggysweat.eventbrite.com. Event day tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the gate. Children are free and must be supervised by an adult. Proceeds benefit the Mississippi Brewers Guild. For more information about the Soggy Sweat event, visit facebook.com/mscraftbeer.

Photos and Copy provided by the Mississippi Brewers Guild.

Price's 100 Acre Wood {Events}

9/5/2018

Hey y'all!
We hope y'all had the most restful Labor day weekend ever! With fall birthdays coming up we wanted to share a precious baby boy first birthday party with y'all. We love every detail of this sweet party, especially the darling cakes! Keep reading for more and let yourself be inspired!

Friends and family were welcomed to Price’s Hundred Acre Wood to celebrate his 1st Birthday! “My son, Price, loves Winnie the Pooh,” smiles Bethany Cooley. “So we combined his love for Winnie the Pooh and outdoor elements and used a soft color palette for his special day.”

The focal point of the party was a boxwood hedge wall. Bethany attached to the wall one of her favorite quotes from Price’s Winnie the Pooh books. “There are so many sweet Pooh quotes in the books we read to Price, so I thought it would be neat to take one of my favorite quotes and have it hanging on the wall,” says Bethany.

One of Bethany’s favorite moments of the day was singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Price. “I briefly stopped singing, looked around at all the people that love him and felt an overwhelming sense of happiness,” smiles Bethany.