Wow, what a wonderful week!  We have been absolutely amazed and so very thrilled at the support for Ava’s Tea Party already shown.   A few friends have pointed out that August feels different this year, the weight and the sadness have been replaced by excitement and hope.  We’re planning while we’re remembering and as a family, we have arrived in August with so much to celebrate and look forward to.  It’s you..the people who have opened your hearts up and embraced Ava’s Tea Party, who have made that difference.  Thank you so, so much to all of you who’ve shared the link on Facebook, who’ve begun planning your parties and to businesses big and small who’ve  come up with gorgeous ways to become involved.  Here’s just a few:

The Lemony Cupcake here in Brisbane have offered to donate 100% of profit from cupcake orders in August to Paradise Kids.  (The calories don’t count if you’re eating them for charity.)

Cloud Dreaming have generously pledged to donate $1 to Paradise Kids for every cloud dream submitted through August. (Even more wonderful, Fran will double it if you can come up with something to suit the ATP theme this month!)
You don’t normally need an excuse to cloud-dream but this month, you’ll be helping out an amazing organization in the process!

AnK Boutique have made a gorgeous hair clip set specifically for Ava’s Tea Party and all proceeds in August are donated to Paradise Kids.  I’ve already heard they’re selling fast!

Please remember if you would like one of the limited edition invitations or tea party kits created for Ava’s Tea Party, they are only on sale until end August.

We’d love it if you could support these businesses who are generously offering time and products to help make Ava’s Tea Party everything we hope for.  Many, many more businesses have offered their support in beautiful ways but time is not on our side this year..which actually just means we’re already excited to see what will happen in 2011!  If you’re fund-raising as part of your ATP event this year, please send us details!  Remember we’re giving away an Ava’s Tea Party print if you spread the word at Facebook!   Just leave me a comment here letting me know.

Thank you thank you thank you.  We are so grateful.

Sheye & Family

xxx

As some of you know, last August we started the tradition of Ava’s Tea Party.  An idea borne out of wishing and missing and a beauty-full way to honor the birthday of our Super-Princess each year.   It was all we’d hoped for, and so much more.. a small gathering in our garden with close friends and family but also an invitation extended to all of you to share in time spent cherishing those you love.  We were so touched by the effort many of you went to – all the beautiful tea parties held in Ava’s honor – but more importantly, it meant so much to imagine people stopping their usual day to day and just sharing a cuddle and a moment to really appreciate one another.

Our hope is to see Ava’s Tea Party become something huge and wonderful and celebrated World over every year.  We have so many ideas that we want to see happen but we do need help along the way.  Belle and Boo’s illustration of Ava’s Tea Party was the first step in letting our dream take flight..  And then, just a few weeks ago, I received an email from Siobhan and Vanessa at Details Details..full of wonderful ideas and a beautiful proposal to grow Ava’s Tea Party a little more this year.  Oh how my heart sang reading those words and today, as they launch The Beauty Full Collection, a range of products specifically designed for this very occasion, my heart soars.  Such an incredible amount of work has gone into this project and much of what you’ll see has been so generously donated by wonderful well known designers.  Additionally, the majority of the proceeds from these sales will then be donated by Details Details to Paradise Kids.    To everyone involved in this project,  for the talent donated and time spent,  we are so very grateful.  Thank you.  We’d love it if you could take a moment to see what’s been so lovingly created and to perhaps give some thought to hosting your own tea party around August 22nd this year.  Simple or grande, for two or twenty.  Store-bought or home made and anywhere you wish.

In preparation for Ava’s Tea Party this year, we’ve also launched a dedicated website and Facebook page, which we’d love you to join and spread the word.  I’ve begun adding photos from 2009 Tea Parties to the galleries at both, of course if anyone does not wish to have theirs included please just let me know.  If you do take photos this year, please upload them in the 2010 album there – it means so much for us to see them!   If you’d like to go in the draw for an Ava’s Tea Party A4 print, please join the FB page and invite others to do the same..and of course leave a comment here to let me know you’ve done so!  Thankyou!!

I’ll take this opportunity to extend an open invitation to anyone who believes their product or skills would compliment Ava’s Tea Party..to those who sell handmade wares, to suppliers of pretty things, to anyone really who is passionate about being involved in something special..please send us a note! If you have your own ideas about how you could contribute to Ava’s Tea Party, we would love to hear them.  (While some elements of Ava’s Tea Party includes fund-raising and donation, this is not expected from those who participate).  It doesn’t need to be for this year but we would certainly love the chance to plan for 2011 with anyone interested!

Thank you again to all who’ve contributed thus far and to every single one of you who has helped us realize our dreams for Ava’s Tea Party :)  As always, seeing Ava’s memory included in beautiful ways means so very much to our whole family but this project has a very special place in our hearts..We do hope you will join us.

xx

Ava’s Tea Party Kit from Details Details | Image: Luminessence

A lot of what I would have said in this post has already been shared so beautifully right here.  And if you’re already a reader of Tara’s blog, you’d know that she’s one of the most down to Earth, warm, humble people roaming this planet, along with hilarious too.  Someone who makes a beautiful difference.  Oh, and something else…She’s not just a little bit clever on one side of a camera, she’s incredibly gorgeous on the other side too.

Ms Whitney, inside and out, you simply shine.

S x  

It’s true.  Each and every time I go to California, I fall just a little more in love.  Outside of downtown LA, there’s just so much to adore..the incredible light, the warm people, the old buildings, the beaches, the great Mexican food, the sheer choice that for us, makes America itself like no other place on Earth.   All the things that made ten days there with Krysta last month oh-so-wonderful but also crazy. busy.  I don’t think we realized just how much we’d scheduled into our non-scheduled vacation.  The chance to shoot sessions there is far from hard work but we did a lottt of it.  Finding ourselves with a rare free afternoon, we made a last minute decision to visit the Mission at San Juan Capistrano.  I’m so glad we did.  This little spot stole our hearts with it’s adorable tiny houses, cute cafes and endless flowers in bloom. Looking every bit the tourist, we roamed around, snapping aimlessly..relaxed and inspired and enjoying the time out.   Finishing our sunny afternoon at a gorgeous tea house was a perfect end to our sweet escape.

Just another thing to add to our ever-growing list of Reasons to Love the US of A.  It’s getting rather long.

Sheye xx

Canon 5d Mark II, Lensbaby
Processed with Eye Candy Actions Hush | Caramel Overlay

Of course gorgeous bebe Charlotte arrived in all her finery but here, I think she looks the most beautiful.  Could there be anything sweeter than baby skin? I think not.