Nov 28 2015

Designer Christmas Crackers

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: 2 Comments

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 6

Homemade Christmas crackers have come a long way since I made them as a child out of crape paper and toilet rolls. I am super excited to share today’s idea with you as it is my first ever video tutorial! This idea also comes with 2 free downloads – the Christmas Cracker template and our Cracker Jokes.

Tip: When printing out your template, print onto paper that is slightly thicker than your ordinary photocopy paper (120gsm – 160gsm). You can also print directly onto scrapbook paper if you cut it to a size that will fit your printer.

Download your ‘Christmas Cracker Template’ here.

Download your ‘Cracker Jokes’ here.

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© 2015 As You Wish Events Ltd. Want to use this article in your E-newsletter, blog, or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement: Auckland, New Zealand – Event Planner & Designer Nadine Crozier publishes the ‘As You Wish Events’ blog filled with secrets, tips and how-tos for planning your fabulous event. Get your exclusive inspiration, tips and tricks at http://www.asyouwish.co.nz. As You Wish Events is an event planning and design company based in Auckland, serving the Auckland region and certain areas of Northland.

Nov 27 2015

Delightful Decoupage Décor

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: 1 Comment

12 Days of Christmas 2015 – Day 5

Pinterest is a great source of inspiration. I recently saw this idea and thought I just had to give it a go. Its so simple, yet so stunning. The technique used is called decoupage. You’ve quite possibly heard of it before – but if not this is the art of decorating objects with paper cut-outs. You can pretty much use any kind of paper and apply it to any type of surface, as long as the surface is smooth.

All you need for this project is:

Decorative Paper – I cut out my letters from some scrapbooking paper with foil accents.
Bottles or other objects if you’d prefer.
Adhesive and Varnish – Back in the day we’d use PVA to glue the paper to the object and then once it was dry we’d varnish/seal it with polyurethane. But now-days you can by a product that both sticks and seals. The most common brand for this is Mod Podge, they also offer a choice of finishes (either Matt or Gloss).

Decoupage Bottles Foil paper decoupage

Decoupage for Christmas

What to do:

Cut out your desired shape from the paper.
Glue it to your object and once it is dry apply the sealer. If you do use Mod Podge or a similar product be sure to follow the directions on the packaging.
Let it dry and your done.

Christmas Decor Foils in decor

Decoupage Decor for Christmas

This is such an easy project. It makes for a nice additional to your Christmas décor or even a nice gift. So why not have a go and don’t forget to send us pictures – we just love seeing the creativity of others.

Shopping Credits:

Bottles – purchased from Kmart
Paper & Mod Podge – purchased from Spotlight
Faux Red Berries – Lynne’s ( 500B Pollen St, Thames. They were on sale as she is going out of faux flowers)

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Nov 26 2015

How to Stress Less this Christmas

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: No Comments

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 4

A little pre-planning can go a long way towards reducing Christmas stress, which is why today’s idea is a planning one.

My family’s Christmas in the early days.

I’m from a family of five girls. If you’re thinking ‘Oh your poor Dad!’ no need to worry, the son-in-laws and grandsons have finally tipped the numbers in his favour. We are also quite a busy bunch and even when we are on holiday there is always a lot of activity. One day while on holiday together, and having just survived another last minute call to gather as a full family at another location, my sister (mother of 3 boys under 5) and I got to talking about how stressful it was to rally our families of pre-schoolers and get somewhere in 20 minutes – after all it can take that long just to get the kiddies to put on their shoes!

My family’s Christmas now.

Next time the holidays came around I was determined to reduce the stress and enjoy our time together. I figured that a written schedule for the busiest part of our time together (this just happened to be Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day) would be very helpful in achieving this. So I gave my parents and my sisters a call and explained that I wanted to be able to enjoy our time together with as little stress as possible – which was something they all wanted too. I asked them what their hopes, plans and expectations were for this period of time. We also agreed that the schedule was flexible – we could easily change anything on the schedule as long as everyone was consulted. I typed up the schedule and sent out copies to everyone. All my family were happy and it worked well – yay!

Now I get that being this kind of organised is not for everyone, it really does depend on what your family is like. For our busy and super active family it worked well. But let’s just strip this idea back to the basics for a moment – stress comes when relationships are put under strain and let’s face it Christmas comes with straining factors. So why not try these 3 basic principles:

Talk with those you are spending your busiest times with this Christmas season. Explain why you want to talk with them about their plans – when people can see the ‘why’ they are often quicker to buy into it. Find out what their expectations of you are and of the holiday season in general – unmet expectations lead to disappointments which leads to strain and stress.
Write stuff down and put it somewhere it can be seen – don’t expect your loved ones to remember every detail of your social calendar and what tasks need to be done. This is the busiest time of the year and it is also the end of the year, so they are probably worn out and ready for a holiday too.
Be flexible – prepare yourself for the fact that things may not go according to plan. Think about what might go wrong and organise a ‘Plan B’ now. Do this purely for your own peace of mind, no one else needs to know.

I hope this helps you as we approach this year’s silly season. I have truly found that when we approach life head on and are deliberate in our planning great things happen.

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Nov 25 2015

One Super Juicy Idea

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: 1 Comment

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 3

I recently spoke to a lovely group of ladies in which I used the example of creating a Hot Chocolate station. I love Hot Chocolate stations, they look great, the drinks taste amazing and they help to create a warm and cozy atmosphere. Sadly, for those of us living in the southern hemisphere Hot Chocolate stations at Christmas time are not such a practical idea. So this got me thinking – what could a summer alternative be?

Since I have a number of family members who love smoothies and fresh juices I thought how about creating a make your own Juice station.

Fresh fruit and vegetables

Strawberries and tall glasses

Homemade Juice Station

Armed with a few books from the local library (prior to this idea I knew very little about juicing) I went shopping for a variety of fresh fruits and veggies. The key here, so I learned, is to buy what is in season. If you grow your own even better. Also try and avoid using over-ripe produce. I decided to keep it very simple, but if you want to, you can get quite fancy. The little bit of fancy that I added were some bottles of sparkling water. I figured some people like to water down their juice a little and others like bubbles in their juice – so sparkling water seemed like a fun and healthy way to provide this option.

Juice bar set up

Juicer and glasses

Gathering the equipment was the next thing to do. Glasses, knife, chopping board and a rubbish bin were some of the basics. And of course there was the juicer itself. I was fortunate enough to have been given a juicer a few years back. There are a few different types of juicers on the market. They all have their pros and cons, but at the end of the day they all make juice. So whatever you choose is fine. I’ve also seen these on Trade Me and in the second hand stores – so don’t feel you have to spend big bucks.

When Life Hands You Lemons

Finally it was set up time. Really you could set this up anywhere and in a variety of ways, but I opted to go with a bit of a rustic look that had a fresh and citrus twist. I used some wooden gift boxes to create the shelves. I lined these with vibrant wrapping paper that I brought from Warehouse Stationery. And I then added a chalkboard sign which I made out of an old picture frame that I found in a second hand shop.

And there you have it – one ‘Make You Own Juice Station’. There are so many reasons why I love this idea. Yes it’s healthy, looks good and tastes great, but it is also a help-yourself-solution to serving beverages that is fun and interactive. A little bit of pre-planning and setting up beforehand means you can enjoy the time you have with your guests even more.

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Nov 24 2015

Fabulous Foils for Christmas

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: 2 Comments

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 2

Foil christmas cards from Pinc Ltd

If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time you will most likely know how much I love shiny things. Yes, I’m quite the magpie. While on a recent search for wedding stationery I came in contact with Margriet, from Pinc Ltd. This great local business, having started out specialising in pocketfold envelopes, had recently branched into foil printing and the minute I saw the samples I fell in love.

Margriet from Pinc Ltd Having had the pleasure of seeing their foil product range grow over the last few months, I was thrilled to have Margriet join us in an interview for our 12 Days of Christmas Ideas – after all what time of year goes better with shiny and foil than Christmas, right!

A few years ago Margriet started manufacturing pocketfolds and sleeves for wedding invitations and gift vouchers. This range quickly grew to accommodate various other small items, embellishments like starfish, charms, printed ribbon and more. Earlier this year they were presented with a wonderful opportunity to start foil printing, which they took on with much excitement. The business is now based in Red Beach on the beautiful Hibiscus Coast here in Auckland.

Margriet, it’s lovely to have you join us. Can you please tell us about your range of readymade foil products?

We started the foil printing earlier this year, like you I am drawn to shiny, sparkly things and as soon as the idea of foiling was presented to us I was so excited! We have printed such a range – business cards, wedding invitations, Christmas cards, packaging… and more recently we have acquired a large format foiler that can do up to A3 size. We’ve been having a lot of fun with that machine, making décor prints and various wall art pieces. Doing one off little frames as art pieces too. We currently have gold and silver foil for the A3 prints, and we’ve actually just today ordered some samples from a local supplier to see if their coloured foils work on that machine. So many options! Very exciting!

Foil christmas cards

They are just so beautiful. How would we go about getting our hands on some of these?

At this stage we have a facebook album with prints for sale – click here. You can message us via that or our contact details are on the page too. We have also attended a few local markets which has been a lot of fun.

One off framed foil print

Do you take orders for custom designs? If so how would someone go about that?

Absolutely! We’d love to add to the range so message us your ideas, we’ve very happy to do custom designs.

Thanks Margriet, for taking the time to share these gorgeous products with us.

Wow, this is exciting stuff. These would truly make beautiful gifts or lovely additions to your Christmas décor. Make sure you get in touch with Margriet and her team at Pinc Ltd. You can do this by visiting their website www.foilprinting.co.nz or keep in touch with them by following them here on Facebook.

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Nov 23 2015

7 Christmas Terrariums We Love

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: 1 Comment

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 1

Growing up I remember going to visit my Aunty and Uncle who had these amazingly detailed little ceramic houses displayed on the shelves in their living room. I would spend ages staring at them imagining what it would be like to play in them had I too been of a miniature size. It was like a window into another world. A world where my imagination would take over and everything seemed magical. It is this same sense of magic and imagination that has drawn me to include this as one of our Christmas Ideas for 2015.

So whether you call them terrariums, snow globes, aqua jars or something else completely, I hope this collection will inspire you for your own creations.

As seen on: Shopterrain.com

As seen on: ‘Simple Every Day Life On The Hill’ blog via Pinterest.

As seen on: 1800 Flowers

As seen on: Cute Cottage Overload

As seen on: ‘My Name is Yeh’ Blog

As seen on: HGTV Gardens

As seen on: Pink Pistachio

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Apr 30 2015

10 Things Event Planners Can Do For You

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: No Comments

Header Image

If you follow us on Facebook you might find today’s article vaguely familiar since we ran this as a series of posts sometime last year. This time, though, we have made a few tweaks and gathered all the points together in one place. So here we go …

# 1 – We bring all of our experience to your special occasion. Even if you enjoy planning your own parties, you don’t necessarily know, what it is you don’t know. With the experience of having planned and managed many events we can help you ask the right questions, find what you need and tick all the boxes to planning a fabulous event that is talked about for years to come.

#2 – A good Event Planner will work to understand the vision you have for your special occasion, as well as suggest ways to enhance it that are consistent with your wishes and budget.

#3 – This is likely to be no surprise, but an event planner helps to reduce the stress you experience when planning your special occasion. Our planning process brings a method to what otherwise could be madness. By managing your planning tasks and providing emotional support when needed, we can ease your load and increase your level of joy in the planning process considerably.

#4 – We can save you money by helping you to stay on target with your budget. We can also help you find the best deals for your special occasion as well as provide tips and advice on how to make your money go further.

#5 – There is so many beautiful design options available to brides and event hosts, that it can be difficult to know where to start and even where to stop. A good event planner will seek to understand your personal style preferences and then help you to bring together a cohesive design plan for your occasion.

#6 – Because of our experience in the industry we are able to provide you with vendor recommendations that will compliment your special occasion’s style and budget.

#7 – We lead you through the planning process. Planning an event, especially a wedding, can be a rather daunting task. Many people try and do too much too soon, or they leave it all to the last minute. We can help set the right pace for you and your occasion and lead you through the planning process step by step, breaking it down into tasks so that everything is done in a timely manner and nothing is forgotten.

#8 – An event planner will create for you a detailed schedule for the day of your wedding or event. This will mean everyone involved will know exactly what to do and when to do it.

#9 – We make your plans become a reality. On the day of your special occasion we make sure it all comes together nicely. If problems arise we sort them out quickly and without causing a fuss. This means you and your guests can sit back, relax and fully enjoy your day.

#10 – On the day of your special occasion we enable you to fully absorb every joyful moment. Because of the relationship we have built with you throughout the planning journey you’ll know without a doubt, that everything will be taken care of to a standard that will exceed your expectations.

If you are interested in having us help you with your wedding or special occasion feel free to get in touch by emailing us at info@asyouwish.co.nz and we can arrange a time to chat about your planning needs.

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Apr 01 2015

How to Make Your Own Little Easter Baskets

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: No Comments

Our cute little Easter baskets

These cute little Easter baskets, inspired by Jane Lake of All Free Crafts, were featured among our Easter ideas in last week’s blog article. And as promised here are our instructions on how to make them.

Step 1: Begin with a square piece of card. If you wish your basket to have a decorative edge, now is a good time to add this. Then divide the card into 9 equal sections as shown and fold along the lines.

Step 1

Step 2: Cut along four of your folded lines and apply double-sided tape as shown below.

Step 2

Step 3: Bring the end pieces from the same side up so that the corners meet each other, then fasten in place using the double-side tape. Repeat this on the other side to form the basket. Once that is done stick down the inside flaps to strengthen the sides.

Step 3

Step 4: Take another strip of card to make the handle. Slide it in between the side flaps and fasten it in place with a staple. You could just use double-sided tape, but I found that a staple provided a stronger join which is better for carrying heavier objects.

Step 4

Step 5: Decorate your basket any way you wish. We gave each basket a colourful base with details on the sides of the handle which also hid the staples from view.

Step 5

These are such neat little baskets and they are so easy to make. If you have a go at making your own we’d love to see pictures of them – either send us your photo via email or upload them to Facebook or Instagram using #cutelittleeasterbaskets. Have a lovely Easter!

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© 2014 As You Wish Events Ltd. Want to use this article in your E-newsletter, blog, or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement: Auckland, New Zealand – Event Planner & Designer Nadine Crozier publishes the ‘As You Wish Events’ blog filled with secrets, tips and how-tos for planning your fabulous event. Get your exclusive inspiration, tips and tricks at http://www.asyouwish.co.nz. As You Wish Events is an event planning and design company based in Auckland, serving the Auckland region and certain areas of Northland.

Mar 26 2015

Little Bunnies and an Easter Egg Hunt

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: No Comments

We had a lot of fun putting this Easter party together. We hope you’ll find some inspiration amongst these photos for your Easter celebrations.

These cute little baskets were super easy to make.

I liked the idea of having a defined child-sized entrance way. The handmade paper bunting was perfect for this.

Sometimes an overgrown garden is a Stylist’s dream.

Dotted along the pathway were the bunnies guarding their nests of eggs, ready for the children to visit.

The bunnies and other characters were crafted from white cardstock and coloured paper accents.

The pathway led to a little table that was set for a special morning tea.

To set the party scene we hung a handmade ‘Happy Easter’ bunting banner and then set the table to match.

Instead of serving Hot Cross Buns, we thought we’d have a go at making some Hot Cross Bun cupcakes. Oh, so yummy!

As an additional ‘take home’ gift we put together these cute ‘little bunnies in a nest’ inside glass cupcake domes.

Check back next week to learn how to make these lovely little baskets.

All the best for your Easter preparations.

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Mar 19 2015

A Fresh Look At Hot Cross Buns

Author: Nadine Crozier • Discussion: No Comments

With Easter just around the corner I have been on the hunt again for some great Easter ideas. Many of these you can see on our Pinterest page, click here if you want to have a nosey. For me every celebration has it’s essential things and if those things are missing I find myself questioning whether that celebration ever really happened. For example Christmas needs decorations and family, birthdays must have a cake and for Easter it is Hot Cross Buns (and maybe Easter eggs). I love a good Hot Cross Bun. The aroma of the spices bring back happy childhood memories and all the good feelings of being on holiday – so you can imagine my excitement when I saw all these wonderful ideas that take Hot Cross Buns beyond the toast then butter.

Yummy Hot Cross Bun Cupcakes – much quicker to make because you don’t have to wait for the dough to rise.

As seen on: BBC Good Food

These Hot Cross Bun, Pear and Toffee Trifles look mouth-watering. This is one I’m going to have to try.

As seen on: Woolworths.co.za

Microwave Hot Cross Bun in a Mug. Now you can have them any time – quick and easy.

As seen on: losebabyweight

Hot Cross Bun Loaf – instead of making the dough into buns, here they roll it with a tasty filling inside. Yum, yum.

As seen on: Williams-Sonoma

Hot Cross Bun - Bread and Butter Pudding

This is a great way to use up any leftover Hot Cross Buns after Easter. But I’m not sure I can wait that long. Definitely another ‘must try’.

As seen on: Amuse Your Bouche

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As You Wish Events

Celebrate More, Celebrate Well.

Holiday Parties

Designer Christmas Crackers

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 6

Download your ‘Christmas Cracker Template’ here.

Download your ‘Cracker Jokes’ here.

Delightful Decoupage Décor

12 Days of Christmas 2015 – Day 5

All you need for this project is:

What to do:

Shopping Credits:

How to Stress Less this Christmas

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 4

One Super Juicy Idea

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 3

Fabulous Foils for Christmas

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 2

Margriet, it’s lovely to have you join us. Can you please tell us about your range of readymade foil products?

They are just so beautiful. How would we go about getting our hands on some of these?

Do you take orders for custom designs? If so how would someone go about that?

Thanks Margriet, for taking the time to share these gorgeous products with us.

7 Christmas Terrariums We Love

12 Days of Christmas Ideas 2015 – Day 1

10 Things Event Planners Can Do For You

How to Make Your Own Little Easter Baskets

Little Bunnies and an Easter Egg Hunt

A Fresh Look At Hot Cross Buns