2-24-10 Eliana is a gator for Mama's Bayou BIG BASH book launch

Friends:

I have been very busy preparing for the launch of my newest children’s picture book, Mama’s Bayou, illustrated by Holly Stone-Barker. Holly and I are holding our launch party this Saturday, February 27, 2010 at Octavia Books in Uptown New Orleans at 1:30pm. It’s truly going to be a BIG BASH!

The BIG BASH book party will include lively storytelling with audience participation (by moi) and an art demonstration by Holly Stone-Barker. You are not going to want to miss what we have in store!

We will be serving gourmet cake (in the shape of the frogs in the book) and swamp juice. The children will be given reading posters, bookmarks, and bear hugs postcards that they can stamp and mail to a loved one in addition to some other treats in a goody bag. We will be giving away door prizes including a GIANT Mama Frog and her big baby frog. Look at all these frogs!

2-24-10 Frogs sit in the office waiting for the BIG BASH book launch

In addition, we are holding other BIG BASH book signings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at Barnes & Noble Citiplace on March 5, 2010 at 7pm and in Thibodaux, Louisiana at Cherry Books on March 6, 2010 at 11am.

And of course, we will be personalizing books. Mama’s Bayou is a gorgeous book. Holly and I have worked very hard not only to create a book that grown-ups and children will read and love together, but we have downloadable activities available on our websites to enhance the reading fun. http://www.storyconnection.net/?content=mamasBayou

We hope to see you at our special events! It’s a BIG BASH on Mama’s Bayou and you don’t want to miss this party!!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-25-09 Eliana with her pile of presents

Friends:

This past Christmas was wonderful! It was spent surrounded by family and friends. My nieces, Camrynn, Ashlynn, and Jasmynn spent 2 nights with us: December 22 and December 23. On December 23, we took Eliana and her cousins to Miracle on Fulton Street in New Orleans.

12-23-09 Miracle on Fulton Street

There, they got to play in the “snow” (tiny masses of bubbles), see Santa, and mail letters to Good Ole St. Nick from the Rudolph mailbox provided. So cute!

12-23-09 Mailing Santa a letter at Miracle on Fulton Street

On December 24, Christmas Eve, we prepared for Santa’s visit. First, we delivered gifts to our wonderful neighbors. This is what we saw in the sky!

12-24-09 Christmas Eve Double Rainbow

After spending some time at my mom’s exchanging gifts, drinking hot cocoa, and eating cookies, we headed home. Santa was coming and we had to prepare! Eliana left a card for Papa Noel, cookies, and milk.

12-24-09 Cookies and milk for Santa

Then Eliana went off to bed. In the morning… surprise! Santa had visited!

12-25-09 Eliana discovers her Santa gifts! Woo hoo!

Eliana read her letter from Santa. It was a nice, long letter. He said he was a big fan of Eliana Cooks!

12-25-09 Eliana reads her letter from Santa

He left cool presents for Eliana. Soleil received her fair share too!

12-25-09 Santa's Gifts to Eliana & Soleil

Soleil received a wireless all-in-one printer, copier, scanner & fax machine, a lighted makeup mirror, and Harajuku Lovers perfume “G” by Gwen Stefani. Eliana got a new recipe binder, an apron and chef hat set, a teddy bear, and what she asked for from Santa: an iPod touch. It even came loaded with the “Cooking Mama” game!

12-25-09 Eliana with her iPod Touch and other gifts from Santa, including a new apron & hat set!

Then, it was time for all of us to open our presents. There were piles everywhere! We all had great Christmas presents. Antonio got a new flat screen TV for the bedroom and all kinds of new clothes. My big gift was a Flip HD video camcorder. Soleil got all kinds of new clothes and shoes. Eliana received cookbooks including Julia Child’s The Art of French Cooking and Memories from a Cuban Kitchen.

12-25-09 Eliana gets Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Then Abuela (my husband’s mom, Jennie) came over to give us her gifts. Abuela gave Eliana a new 19 inch flat screen TV for her bedroom!

12-25-09 Eliana gets a new flat screen from Abuela!

Then it was off to my mom’s house. First, Eliana and Soleil had find out what Santa left for them at Nana’s house. Eliana received a Nintendo DSi and Soleil got a new 160gb iPod Classic. Both girls were ecstatic!

12-25-09 Soleil LOVES her new 160gb iPod Classic! from Santa at Nana's house

After that, it was time for posed family pictures. We do this every year in front of my mom’s Christmas tree. It’s become a family tradition. Here I am with my husband, Antonio.

12-25-09 Dianne and Antonio

Here is a picture of Soleil and Eliana.

12-25-09 Family Portrait: Eliana, Dianne, Soleil & Antonio

Finally, there is the grand family photo!

12-25-09 The Whole Family

After that, the kids were dying to open all their Christmas presents. It was mad chaos. We were opening presents while guests came to the door. My mom was hosting a Christmas party too.

12-25-09 The kids are ready to open presents

Mom prepared a feast! There was a turducken (duck inside a chicken inside a turkey layered with sausage stuffing), brisket, roast beef, macaroni and cheese, green bean artichoke casserole, cornbread stuff, gumbo, pineapple meatballs, lumpia, stuffed mushrooms, bacon greenbeans, and more! Then you should have seen the dessert table!!

12-25-09 The Feast

My best friend, Lisa, and her fiancee, Lonnie came over to visit. I don’t get to see Lisa often and I always look forward to the holidays when I can reconnect with her.

12-25-09 My best friend, Lisa, and her fiance, Lonnie

She just got engaged over the holidays and the ring is absolutely breathtaking. They had it made and my mom had to examine it!

12-25-09 My mom, Josie, looking at Lisa's new ROCK

We had a ton of fun. We ate, drank, sang Karaoke, and even played games like Catchphrase. In our family, Christmas is all about being together. It was a fabulous day full of love.

12-25-09 Nana's grandchildren

So from our family to yours, Happy Holidays! May 2010 bring you much happiness and together time!

12-25-09 Happy Holidays from Dianne

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-19-09 Chef Eliana in her gingerbread best

Friends:

I hosted a Cookies & Cocoa Christmas sleepover for Eliana and her friends. It was a blast! We decorated the house with a Gingerbread and sweet treats theme.

12-19-09 Cookies & Cocoa party table

This is what the individual place setting looked like. The table is covered with gingerbread themed wrapping paper. The big “doily” in the middle is actually a tree skirt!

12-19-09 Cookies & Cocoa party place setting

We had yummy treats such as Sultan’s Hat cookies and Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Cream Cheese icing. Yum!

12-19-09 The sweet treats table

First, the girls decorated their goody purses with gingerbread decorations. Then they ate dinner.

12-19-09 Chef Eliana and friends

After eating dinner, we played games such as Dirty Santa and Pass the Pigskin. They had so much fun and won some fun prizes. But all the girls went home with tons of goodies.

12-19-09 Passing the pigskin game

Next, it was time to make Christmas ornaments. They decorated felt cut outs of Christmas trees, ornaments, and snowflakes with glitter glue and sparkly spangles.

12-19-09 The girls work on decorating ornaments

Of course, the girls had to make gingerbread too! They all decorated lolly gingerpops. They were so cute – little gingerbread people on sticks!

12-19-09 Eliana's lolly gingerpop

After making chocolate fudge, it was jammie time! The girls got in their jammies, made hot cocoa, settled in their sleeping bags, and watched “A Christmas Story,” the classic movie about Ralphie and his quest for a bee bee gun. The girls had a ton of fun and it was a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays!

12-19-09 Jammie Time!

Deck the Halls!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-17-09 5th graders make string figures

Friends:

Today was a big day at Bissonet Plaza Elementary. It was the 9th day of my Handmade Tales residency and my 3rd through 5th grade classes performed in a grade level Story Fest celebration. I saw all of the grades during their P.E. period. First was 5th grade. Ms. Brumfield’s class performed “The Pesky Skeeter” with string.

12-17-09 Ms. Brumfield's 5th graders perform The Pesky Skeeter with string

Then students from Mr. Joyce’s class performed the draw and tell story of “The Emperor’s Drazgon.”

12-17-09 Students from Mr. Joyce's 5th grade class perform The Emperor's Dragon

Last but not least, Ms. McLeod’s class performed “The Magic Star,” a cut and tell tale. I was so proud of this class because my storyteller from this group told the story without a script! It was such a pleasure to teach 5th grade this year! They were such a delightful group of students. To reward their hard work, I gave all the students string and taught them the double star string figure. Yay 5th grade!

12-17-09 Ms. McLeod's 5th graders perform The Magic Star

After a planning period break, pre-K came in. I told them the story of “The Mouse’s Wedding” and they loved the story with the little mice made of bandanas.

12-17-09 Performing The Mouse's Wedding for Pre-K

3rd grade was a lot of fun. They did a great job performing their stories. Ms. Fury’s class performed “The Girl Who Used Her Wits,” a cut and fold tale.

12-17-09 Students from Ms. Fury's 3rd grade class perform The Girl Who Used Her Wits

Mr. Boone’s 3rd grade class performed “Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle,” a story that needs nothing more than your hands to tell the tale! Ms. Arnett’s class had two students to represent them. They told the cut and tell story of “Papa’s Teepee.” Alex, the storyteller, forgot his script and I didn’t have a copy so he told the story from memory! He did an absolutely magnificent job. I was completely impressed. It wasn’t just a couple of lines. It was the entire story!

12-17-09 Dianne with students from Ms. Arnette's 3rd grade class who performed Papa's Teepee

Ms. Frechette’s 3rd graders performed “The Ugly Duckling” with towels. It was precious!

12-17-09 Ms. Frechette's 3rd graders perform The Ugly Duckling

Eliana, my 9 year old daughter, came with me. She comes to Bissonet every year for one day and the students love her! She was such a big help! In fact, she took almost all the pictures I am using in this blog! She helped me with some draw and tell tales and even told stories by herself! Definitely a storyteller’s daughter! I love you, Eliana! Thank you for everything!

12-17-09 Dianne's daughter, Eliana, draws Pile It on the Pie a Mile High

Here is Eliana telling “Mr. Wiggle & Mr. Waggle” while I demonstrate the story.

12-17-09 Eliana tells the story of Mr. Wiggle & Mr. Waggle while Dianne demonstrates

With Kindergarten through 2nd grade, I told stories including “The Mouse’s Wedding,” a handkerchief tale.

12-17-09 Performing The Mouse's Wedding for 2nd grade

I even taught the 2nd graders a partner game from Singapore called “The Pearl.”

12-17-09 2nd graders learn a partner game from Singapore

Unfortunately, I missed taking pictures of 4th grade because all the cameras we brought (3 of them!) either ran out of memory (from the videos we took) or ran out of battery and I didn’t have the charger! I am so sad!! But my 4th graders did a PHENOMENAL job, especially Ms. Morrow’s class who put their all into their performance. I was awesome!!

12-17-09 Dianne performs for kindergarten

Tomorrow is my last day at Bissonet. I will be performing a holiday show for all the grades!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

10-24-09 Dianne, Eliana & Fan

Friends:

I had the pleasure of being the storyteller at Terror on the Teche at the Shadows on the Teche Plantation in New Iberia, Louisiana. The event was sponsored by the Iberia Parish Library. Shadows on the Teche is an old plantation with its own graveyard! The spooky tales were on the grounds of the plantation. Too cool!

10-24-09 The audience at Terror on the Teche

I had a blast telling funny, spooky and creepy ghost stories. I was so excited to see my friend, Cheryl Robichaux and her little princess, Savannah. I met Cheryl’s husband and his children too. What a beautiful family! Savannah and Caroline came on stage to help me with some magic… “Bloop! I’m awesome!” (Those were the magic words that Caroline and the audience came up with. Too funny!)

10-24-09 Dianne on stage doing magic with Savannah and Caroline

Eliana, my 9 year old daughter, ran around, taking pictures. It was so dark and difficult to get really good pictures with my digital camera but here’s one of me telling a spooky story. Thank you so much, Eliana! You are wonderful and Mommy loves you!

10-24-09 Telling a spooky story

It was such a fun event and I can’t wait to do it again! Here is a picture of me and Eliana with Kristy Rose and Gail Garcia with the Iberia Parish Library. Gail is the director of the library system. They are such a marvelous team and afterwards, we ate at Duffy’s, a 50s diner in New Iberia with delicious diner dishes!

10-24-09 Kristy Rose, Dianne de Las Casas, Gail Garcia & Eliana

Before we left the grounds, Eliana said I had to take a picture of the graveyard. And what is that spooky orb in the picture? A ghost? Who knows…

10-24-09 The Graveyard at Shadows on the Teche Plantation

Eliana and I loved our brief but fun visit to New Iberia. Afterwards, I had to head back to New Orleans to catch a 6:15am flight to Chicago. Thank you to Gail, Kristy, Cheryl, Acadiana Lifestyles magazine, and everyone who came to Terror on the Teche. Have a spooktacular Halloween!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

10-23-09 Diva Witch Dianne & Judy Boyce as Max from Where the Wild Things Are

Friends:

Tonight, I had a spooktacular time at the West Baton Rouge Parish Library. Eliana, my 9 year old daughter accompanied me. She’s such an adorable little witch!

10-23-09 Eliana the Adorable Witch

The Monster Mash is an annual tradition at the West Baton Rouge Parish Library. Judy Boyce, the Youth Services Coordinator, asked me to participate this year. The Halloween festivities start at the West Baton Rouge Museum with a trick or treat. Then the trick or treaters, following the fire truck, parade to the library a few blocks away.

10-23-09 The Grand Monster Mash Parade

Eliana and I rode in the library van. Originally, we were supposed to ride in a convertible but the weather was too chilly. One of the firemen took a picture with me. I only knew him as “Big Daddy” because that’s what was on his t-shirt. LOL

10-23-09 Dianne & Big Daddy Fireman

After the parade, everyone went into the library for a cozy spooky storytelling session. It was so much fun.

10-23-09 Telling a spooky story

I even had the children participate with me, dancing and shaking dem bones! A special thank you to Eliana, who took all the performance pictures.

10-23-09 Dianne & kids shaking dem bones

It was a terror-ific time and I loved spooking in the stacks… Thank you to West Baton Rouge Parish Library — Beth, Judy and Jim. You guys rock! And thank you to all the trick or treaters who came to the event. It was monstrously marvelous!

10-23-09 Dianne the Diva Witch

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

What a whirlwind week it has been! I returned from California at 1am on Saturday morning and performed at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge at 2pm. First, I performed in the Storytelling Tent, telling The Cajun Cornbread Boy, singing “Shake Dem Bones,” an original song, and telling “The House That Witchy Built,” an original story. I had a great crowd. Both children and grownups alike participated in the show!

10-17-09 LA Book Festival - Even dads participate!

I got to see old friends and even make new ones!

10-17-09 LA Book Festival - Dianne with a fan

After my show, I signed books in the Barnes & Noble Jr. tent. It was nonstop busy. Several fans and friends bought my books. Yay!

10-17-09 LA Book Festival - Dianne signing books in the Barnes & Noble Jr. tent

My oldest daughter, Soleil, goes to LSU in Baton Rouge so she spent the day with us! Eliana was so excited to see her big sister again…

10-17-09 LA Book Festival - Eliana & Soleil

One of my dearest fans, Aly Guidry, who is now a beautiful 12 year old young lady, came to see me perform and even had the courage to wear Madame Poulet on her head. You rock, Aly!! I <3 U, girl!

10-17-09 LA Book Festival - Aly and Dianne

After signing in the B&N tent, it was time to sign at the Pelican Publishing Table in another tent. Again, it was busy and VERY windy. The wind knocked down one of the poles that held up the tent. The tent did NOT collapse but it was a scary moment!

10-17-09 LA Book Festival - Dianne signing books at the Pelican Publishing table

I can’t believe how quickly time passed. After my last signing, it was time to go… but not before taking a picture of Wonder Woman!!

10-17-09 LA Book Festival - Eliana is Wonder Woman!

The book festival was a blast. I look forward to next year!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

8-1-09 Eliana Skypes with Soleil from one bedroom to another in the same house!

Friends:

It was an interesting weekend at our house. Because Soleil has been sick with the swine flu, Eliana had been staying with my mom since Wednesday. She was really missing home. So we decided to let Eliana come home on Saturday, August 1, 2009. With Soleil quarantined to her bedroom, the sisters spoke to each other by Skype. Eliana was on her mini laptop in her bedroom Skyping with her sister next door! hahaha But it helped keep the girls connected.

Soleil was feeling a little better so we decided to go out for a bit. Eliana is entering a gourmet burger cook-off contest for kids so we decided to shop for her ingredients. She is making “Flaming Flamenco Burgers,” with a taste of Southern Spain and “Ragin’ Cajun Burgers,” with a taste of Louisiana! We went to St. James Cheese Company on Prytania Street in New Orleans for our cheeses and Serrano ham.

8-1-09 St. James Cheese Company's cheeses

Afterwards, we went to Sucre’, a “sweet boutique” on Magazine Street in New Orleans. The desserts at Sucre’ are a sweet tooth’s dream! Walk into the store and a sugary, chocolatey aroma engulfs your senses, rendering you unable to walk out empty-bellied. Decadent desserts that look like mini sculptures, deliriously dreamy artisan chocolates, mouth-watering gelatos, and jaw-dropping, towering cakes covered in edible “sparkles” tempt the palate. A journey into Sucre’ is not for the weak-willed! Dieters, be forewarned…

8-1-09 Sucre's marvelous macaroon cake

Eliana had the pleasure of meeting Chef Tariq Hanna, the sweet shop’s pastry chef and owner as well as his lovely wife. Sucre’ is the kind of place that fans of Willy Wonka congregate when they are “grown up.” The shop has a sophisticated yet still playful ambience. Chef Tariq is the master of engaging all of the senses in creating his delectable treats. He was so “sweet” and talked to me and Eliana for quite some time. Such a master is Chef Tariq, that he is one of the chef’s competing in TLC’s Ultimate Cake-Off, which airs episodes this month. You can catch a sneak peek tonight on TLC at 9:00 p.m. CDT.

On Sunday, Soleil woke up with a swollen eye. But it proved to be temporary and by Sunday night, she had joined the “general population.” My mom even came to visit for a little while. Eliana and I spent most of Sunday cooking. We tested her new recipe for “Flamin’ Flamenco Burgers,” which was very tasty but still needed to be “tweaked.”

8-2-09 Eliana grills Flamin' Flamenco burgers

She also made her “Devil’s Food Monster Muffins,” yummy low-fat chocolate muffins. Eliana did a video tutorial. You can find it on her website, Eliana Cooks! Cooking for her family is one of Eliana’s joys.

8-2-09 Eliana makes Devil's Food Monster Muffins

It looks like Soleil is feeling a lot better. I disinfected her room and washed her bedding, taking every precaution to prevent the spread of this illness. She is on her last day of Tamiflu and it looks like she’ll be able to return to work tomorrow. So far (knock on wood), no one else has contracted the bothersome bug. I am looking forward to a completely healthy household!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

7-24-09 Dianne, Antonio, Eliana & Soleil with Tulum Mayan Dancers in Mexico

Friends:

It was supposed to be an idyllic family vacation in Cancun, Mexico. Turquoise waters. Sugar sands. Mayan Ruins. Fun in the Caribbean sun. And it was. Until we got home.

7-25-09 Soleil and Eliana being goofy in the hotel room on our last night in Cancun

Our family (my husband, our 19 year old daughter, Soleil, our 9 year old daughter, Eliana, and I) vacationed in Cancun, Mexico from July 20-26, 2009 at Dreams Resort & Spa. On the last day we were there, Soleil didn’t feel well and stayed in bed while we went to Mercado 28 downtown and took a last dip at the beach. Before we left, Soleil asked if she could see the resort’s doctor but there was no time. We had a flight to catch.

7-26-09 Last day in Cancun, view from Dreams Spa & Resort hotel room balcony

We arrived home late Sunday night, July 26. Soleil went to work late on Monday. By Monday evening, she was complaining of a sore throat and asking for tea. She went to work on Tuesday but later that night, she began coughing and sneezing. She felt so bad that she decided not to go to work on Wednesday. By this time, her nose was dripping and we thought she had a really bad cold. She took over the counter medication, which provided little relief.

On Thursday morning (July 30), she barely had any voice. When I looked at her, she was flush. I touched her skin and she was burning up. When I took her temperature, she was running 102.5 F fever. She didn’t want to eat the soup I made for her and complained of achiness and chills. I was alarmed but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Still, my mind wandered… “We did just return from Mexico. She has all the flu symptoms.” I called the doctor’s office and talked to a nurse who advised me to bring her in right away.

So, of course, I did. While waiting for the doctor, she had uncontrollable chills and was still burning up. She wanted nothing more than to lie down. After a long wait at the “Urgent Care,” they finally called her name.

The doctor swabbed her nostrils and said she tested positive for Influenza A – H1N1, commonly referred to as the “swine flu.” Concerned about pneumonia, he took chest x-rays, which fortunately showed no signs of pneumonia. The doctor prescribed her Tamiflu, Ibuprofen 600 for the headache and aches, and Robitussin with codeine for her cough and mucus build-up. We were also given a “Swine Influenza” information sheet.

7-30-09 Soleil's Influenza A - H1N1 medications

After filling her prescriptions at our Neighborhood Wal-Mart, we went home where she promptly crawled into bed. Unfortunately, Soleil has to be quarantined. If she comes into the common areas of the house, she has to wear a mask. I am supposed to wear a mask when I enter her room. Because she is quarantined, I have to wait on her hand and foot. This, I don’t mind. I am her mother. That’s what mothers do… We take care of our children and we pray for their speedy recovery.

We had to send our 9 year old daughter, Eliana, away to stay with my mom. She is young and we wanted to minimize her exposure to the illness. This, I mind. She’s starting school soon and I am sad that I don’t get to spend as much time with her.

The swine flu is a costly illness. Soleil is missing a lot of work. Since she is a student worker, she does not get paid for the days she does not work. She has no “sick leave.” The doctor visit included the H1N1 swab, x-rays, and medication administered on-site. That will no doubt cost a pretty penny. Tamiflu is not cheap either. Fortunately, we have health insurance but all these costs add up and we pay for it, one way or another.

The good news is that Soleil seems to be responding well to the medications. Earlier today, she was listless and exhausted. This evening, she was sitting up in bed, asking for orange juice. She has been drinking a ton of water so dehydration shouldn’t be an issue.

When we booked our vacation, our resort promised a “swine-flu free guarantee” or they would give guests three free vacations. It is even advertised on the hotel’s Facebook page. As soon as we arrived home from the doctor, I wrote a letter, attached a photo of Soleil’s prescriptions, and emailed it to their customer service department. It will be interesting to see how they respond in the face of a claim. I will let you know how all this works out… Of course, I wouldn’t trade three free vacations for my daughter’s health any day. Her well-being is tantamount. But I do hope the hotel follows through with their guarantee as a show of good faith. One of the reasons we chose that hotel was because of that guarantee. We postponed our family vacation from May because of the swine flu epidemic and U.S. travel advisories.

Thank you to everyone who sent their well-wishes. Soleil is strong and is already conquering this swine flu. It too will become yet another story in our lives…

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

6-28-09 Eliana the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl

Friends:

Wow! What a weekend! Because Eliana and I have been on the road touring, we haven’t had a chance to celebrate her birthday with a big bang, until now. Last night, we went to the “Greatest Show on Earth,” The Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It was a spectacular show.

6-28-09 Soleil, the makeup artist with Eliana, the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl

Today, we had Eliana’s Diva Rock Star Birthday Party.We mailed out invitations a couple weeks ago that included a hand-created pink zebra electric guitar and star clapper personalized with the guest’s name. The invitations were mailed in a large bubble envelope covered in “Diva” and “Girls Rock!” stickers. The guitars were very big.

First, we tackled the party set-up. We decorated to the hilt. The colors were pink zebra and purple leopard. Check out the table! A large vase of fresh flowers (don’t all divas have fresh flowers delivered?!) are on top of a cake plate, which is set on a platform of 4 glass blocks, forming a square. A pink and black feather boa is wrapped around the base of the glass blocks. Pink candles sit on each corner of the glass blocks. There are hot pink and black table cloths which is accentuated by a square zebra print runner. The guitar in front of the vase is the party invitation created by my oldest daughter, Soleil.

6-28-09 The Diva Table

The rock star paperware was purchased from Oriental Trading. This is what the individual place setting looked like. Each rock star had her own setting. On top of the plate is an electric guitar luggage tag (in which pictures of the girls were inserted). Behind the plate is a pair of glittered star sunglasses, which every diva MUST have! Guitar glitter is sprinkled all over the table.

6-28-09 Girls Rock! Place Setting

I assembled fab goody bags that even included Eliana’s Diva Party Mix. The goody bag contained stickers, a tiara, hair extensions, a “Diva” or “Girls Rock!” necklace and bracelet, blow-up microphone, a jewel tattoo, a rock rubber duck, eye shadows, and lip gloss. Each bag and all its contents were personalized.

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Star goody bag

The girls were instructed to come dressed as rock stars and they totally did. First, they went to the hair station, where they had their extensions and tiaras done. Then they they moved to the makeup station where fantasy makeup was applied by Sassy Sunshine Beauty.

6-28-09 Bienelyn gets her makeup done

They then went to the nail station where they had diva nails done with glitter, designs, and cool colors. Finally, they had a fashion photo shoot. I set up a back drop with pink and zebra fabric. The photos were for their “album cover” and “concert promotions.” They posed with electric guitars and microphones. The girls were so sassy!

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Stars, coming in concert soon to a venue near you!

These cute girls so totally rock!

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Stars totally ROCK!!!!

Breanne, the rock chick in the neon green, had a special outfit on. Her grandma and mom sewed it the night before! How awesome is that?!! After the photo shoot, the girls munched! They had jumbo popcorn chicken, pizza rolls, spinach & asiago chicken sausage, quesadillas, mini quiches, star sugar cookies, deli wheels, grapes, raspberries, and blackberries. They even toasted the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl, Eliana!

6-28-09 Raising a Toast to Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl, Eliana

Afterwards, they did the birthday “cake,” mini cupcakes creating the shape of an electric guitar. I drew a guitar template on thick poster board secured to a cookie sheet. “Happy Birthday, Diva Eliana!” was written in white frosting on the poster board. Nine hot pink candles adorned the cake, on the neck of the guitar. Here are the girls with the birthday star.

6-28-09 Eliana's Guitar cupcake cake

After eating cupcakes and Itty Bitz ice cream (just like Dippin Dots), the girls rocked out with their favorite karaoke songs. Here are Breanne & Eliana jammin!

6-28-09 Breanne & Eliana rock out to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face"

Eliana opened presents and got some really cool gifts. Nana, Paw Paw, Uncle Gary and her cousins gave her GUITAR HERO for the Wii! Now that’s in keeping with the theme! Uncle Gary also gave Eliana a Lady Gaga CD. She LOVES it!

6-29-09 Eliana gets Guitar Hero & Lady Gaga CD

A special thank you to Nanny Lisa for being such a wonderful “guest hostess!” Unfortunately, we were so busy taking pics of the girls that we forgot to take pics of each other! We gave the girls one final parting gift – a customized album cover with their name, photo & album cover. Special thank you to talented Soleil for doing her magic graphic design work to create the album covers. Pictures of the girls were uploaded to the computer, manipulated in Photoshop, printed and inserted into thin line jewel cases to act as both a CD and picture frame. The girls even picked their album names. We had “Divalicious” (Eliana), “Rock Angel” (Josie), “Rock Princess” (Bienelyn), “Attitude!” (Jasmynn), “Girl Power” (Breanne), “Rock Star” (Camrynn), “Ready to Rock!” (Jaden), and “Girls Rock!” (Ashlynn).

6-28-09 Breanne with her "Girl Power" CD

As a final thank you for coming, each girl will receive something special in the mail. We wanted to make Eliana’s 9th birthday a celebration for everyone, making each girl feel special – like the Diva Rock Stars they are!

6-28-09 Jaden & Eliana take the world by storm!

Eliana, I hope you had a wonderful birthday party. Breanne, Bienelynn, Jaden, Camrynn, Ashlynn, Jasmynn & Josie, thank you so much for coming. You girls ROCK!!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne