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Today is the first day of December. That means that since all the decorations are hung, it’s time to open that first gift of the advent calendar. They’re great reminders that Christmas is right around the corner. And who doesn’t like receiving presents for 24 days straight!?! Beginning in 19th century Germany, the advent calendar was a daily reminder for those of the Lutheran faith to physically count down each day before Christmas. Today, these festive  elements come in all shapes, sizes, and uses. From your traditional card stock illustrations with windows to hanging garlands of mittens, there’s certainly something surprising for everyone. We’ve taken a minute to hunt the internet highways for the most interesting takes on these jolly gadgets, and complied them in a list below. How do you and your family gear up for the holidays?

A Story A Day Advent Calendar App by via Shiny Shiny

Advent Koenecke Sausage by Butter via LovelyPackage

$1 Million Advent Calendar by Porsche Design via BornRich

Worlds Smallest Advent Calendar by University of Regensburg’s Micro- and Nanostructures Group via Royal Society of Chemistry

-William Fogler
WM Events

Now that everyone is full and fully rested from their Thanksgiving feasts, it’s time to deck the halls in preparation for the Holidays. We were at the Fox Theatre yesterday preparing the vintage venue for decadent decorations. See below for some action shots of the dynamic duo fluffing the Fox’s Grand Salon and staircase. Or go to the consulting services page to see the whole gallery! How do you decorate for the holidays? Tell us in the comments below.

-William Fogler
WM Events

After our numerous posts promoting the Caring for Others Caring for Art event last month, we’re finally ready to share the celebration pictures with you! So, head on over to our social event gallery page to check out all the great shots. Thanks so much to all of our sponsors & vendors: Atlanta Gallery Association ,Saigon Cafe, Bradford Event Gallery, and Jabari Grover. Everyone did a great job, and without you we would have never been able to raise the $15,000 for this great organization that prevents homelessness everyday!

-William Fogler
WM Events

Here at WM Events, we’re all about breathing new life into old or otherwise unusable objects. So, when a pair of her white leather shoes got a little scuffed, Leigh looked for a wonky way to spice up her spikes. Inspired by a contest on DoodlersAnonymous.com where the website gave away a pair of Sam Pierpoint doodled shoes, she took to her red sharpie and went to town. They’re relatively symmetrical, and filled with interesting patterns that will make any little black dress pop with artful flair. These conversation pieces took about 2 hours and 5 sharpies total. What are your favorite ways to cover up imperfections? Would you wear shoes like this down the aisle? Leave your comments below!

-William Fogler
WM Events

Whether you’re celebrating Veteran’s Day, 11/11/11, or just Friday, today is the perfect Fall day to stop and relax for half a second. And ok. We may be going a little overboard with the tea thing, but it’s a serious comfort drink that a lot of people are serious about. To be honest, we’re just a little excited about the first onset of cold weather. Here it Atlanta, it always happens much later than our northern counterparts, and we’ve been a little jealous. So we’re wrapping up the week of with a slew of special additions to your tea-drinking traditions. These cool design finds are perfect for stocking stuffers, welcome baskets, or corporate take-aways.  Have you ever tried the products below? Tell us in the comments!

White Teas via Republic of Tea

Tea Top Brew Travel Mug via Mighty Leaf

Sugar Time Capsules via Erez Bar-Am

-William Fogler
WM Events

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a HUGE fan of doing the dishes. It’s messy and gross. However, you might convince me otherwise if I had these incredible dishtowels (tea towels for our chaps across the pond) to do the deed. ToDryFor certainly has the down low on everything aesthetic and absorbent. These towels are the perfect gift for your out of town guests, bridesmaids, or secret Santa. Started in 2008 out of Oxford, England, ToDryFor is the brain child of husband and wife team, Sally and Dave. They source and  commission designer tea towels for sale through their secure website. They even ship internationally. Now the only question is whether to use them or frame them!

-William Fogler
WM Events

Fall is all around, and even here in the South, it’s time to warm up with a warm cup of your favorite tea. So we’re proclaiming this TEA WEEK in honor of that unique drink served hot or cold, but always with a side of comfort. Now, rather than just reaching for those old bags in your pantry, why not spice it up with a special blend of loose leaves to create a unique taste for those buds? Well, no matter your preference, we’ve got some interesting infusers that are sure to flavor your cup of tea in just the right way. Did we mention they’re environmentally friendly as well? Below are our top picks. Share your thoughts in the comment section!

1. Sharky via Toxel

2. Tea Leaf via Woot Finger Tips

3. Tea Bag via Like Cool

4. Submarine via The Teatropolitan Times

5. Armed with Technology via ModCloth

6. Rubber Duckie via Steamy Kitchen

-Wiliam Fogler
WM Events

Pomegranates are delicious. (Pomegranates dipped in chocolate are even more delicious). Extracting all those magnificent morsels is NOT delicious. And now that it’s finally that time of year to partake in this fantastical fruit, we wanted to help you avoid those stained counter tops and worn fingernails by introducing Shoham’s ART. Short for Arils (the seed casings) Removal Tool, the ART is a brilliant concept that anyone can use. The directions tell you to Cover. Hold. Strike. and Eat., but we suspect it’s a little more complicated than that. At the very least, it’s by far a more exciting way to prepare the seed for yourSparkling Berry Punch and Pomegranate Cheesecake. Visit their online store to pick one up and see for yourself.

-William Fogler
WM Events

You may remember us saying a while back that one of our favorite Colorado venues to work in was the Denver Art Museum. Ponti Hall’s 5,500 square feet and 25 foot ceilings are a perfect blank canvas to paint your party picture. With cards and dice in hand, we decorated the space for a corporate casino party that impressed and inspired.

Guests were thrown into a sensory spectacle, eagerly tasting all of Kevin Taylor Catering’s delectable dishes, smelling Newberry Brothers‘ bold floral arrangements, and seeing ESP’s spectacular LED light show. Designworks provided beautiful glowing bars that perfectly complimented the tables from Indigo Sky and the linens from BBJ. Meanwhile, casino tables challenged coworkers to duke it out with royal flushes, while Danny Showers‘ jazz ensemble entertained the full house. After grueling roulette and black jack sessions, guests were invited to relax and converse in the luxurious lounge furniture brought it by Denver’s latest addition to the event rental scene, Charming Chairs. Enjoy David Wegwart’s amazing pictures below (more on the corporate page), and feel free to contact us to help you plan your next corporate party!

-William Fogler
WM Events

We’re talking Old Hollywood for this gruesome celebrity costume party- like OLD old Hollywood- like DEAD old Hollywood. In this party inspiration we’re taking to the hills to create a scary soiree guests will never forget. Invite your closest friends and family to join your frightful fete by dressing up like their favorite dead celebrity, keeping in mind the way in which they actually kicked the bucket; it’ll be more fun if everyone stays in character!

Welcome guests to your home with a blood red carpet regal enough for Hollywood royalty, and creepy enough for an October 31st night. As they strut their zombie stuff, you can offer red paint for walk-of-fame handprints. Blood orange martini’s, severed lady fingers, and chocolate covered insects are perfect treats for an undead guest. They can also enjoy a spooky display of candy pills, candy rope, and sour candy arsenic with accompanying coffin gift bags for a Pick Your Poison Candy Bar.

Guests will have a blast acting out their celebrity deaths in a game of Creepy Charades. Or have a friend dressed up as a tabloid reporter interviews your visitors for some chilling coverage of the corpse crowd.  While you’re partying it up with the deceased, make sure your dance mix includes these favorites:

-Heads will Roll by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s
-Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
-Janie’s Got a Gun by Aerosmith
-Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People
-Goodbye Earl by The Dixie Chicks
-Cellblock Tango from Chicago the Musical
-I Shot the Sherriff by Bob Marley

With the right makeup, food coloring, and red paint, you’re on the fast track to a murderous monster mash.

-William Fogler
WM Events

Konnichiwa. Ni Hao. Sa-Was-Dee. Magandang Araw. Xin Chao. Greeting your guests is the first step in throwing a stellar Southeast Asian Extravaganza. Though yours may not be elaborate as some Royal Asian Weddings, below we’ve gathered a few inspiring pictures and ideas to throw a Bali-Bash or Singaporean Soiree perfect for you. Let the colors,  culture, and cuisine motivate you to throw on your favorite Kebaya (traditional Cambodian blouse) and host the most amazing Southeast Asian party yet!

Here are lanterns designed for the Chinese Garden at Montreal Botanical Garden’s Le Magie des Lanternes, an annual festival celebrating the tradition of these skillfully handcrafted decorations.

Speaking of lanterns, Thailand celebrates it’s annual Yi Peng Festival by releasing thousands of Khom Fai (floating lanterns) into the sky. The candle inside the rice paper lantern generates enough hot air to gently raise each twinkling light high above the crowd below. Why not add to the night sky with your own Yi Peng Festival?

Traditional music of Southeast Asia is both eclectic and inspiring. Play your guests gong-chime or khim recordings they’re sure to love!

Guests are sure to work up an appetite, so why not offer a traditional Ponorogo Chicken Satay? Javanese street vendors offer these delectable treats of skewered meat or vegetables dipped in sauces (peanut or pineapple, for example) for passerby’s. Of course, noodles, rice, banana leaves, coconuts, and fruits play a large part in SE Asian cuisines.

-William Fogler
WM Events

What do you know about Bhutan? That it’s situated on the eastern end of the Himilayas? Or that its national sport is archery? Or that it’s capital is Thimphu? We’ll here’s one thing you SHOULD know: they just had a royal wedding! Though not as highly publicized as the nuptials of Will and Kate, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck & Jetsun Pema tied the knot on October 13th (now a national holiday in Bhutan). Let’s delve a little deeper in comparing these too royal affairs.

Engagement:
An adorable story suggests that Jigme, 10 years her senior, asked Jetsun to be his wife at a family picnic when she was just 7 years old. On one knee, the then-prince said, “when you grow up, if I am single and not married and if you are single and not married, I would like you to be my wife, provided we still feel the same.” How pragmatic! Both went on to study in the UK, the king at Oxford and the queen at Regents College. Obviously, Will and Kate studied in the UK as well, both graduating from St. Andrews. Both engagements are particularly interesting as the women are of common ancestry, while the men are deeply grounded in royal blood. Lastly, the “Dragon King” asked for his bride’s hand in marriage earlier this year, celebrating a short 5-month engagement just like William and Kate.

Attendance:
Unlike the Brits, Jigme and Jetsun did not invite Sir Elton John to join in the festivities. Actually, the entire wedding was kept rather intimate, predominately members of Bhutan’s royal family.

Ceremony:
Both couple enjoyed their ceremony with pomp and circumstance, ceremoniously traveling to nationally important landmarks past streets lined with spectators. The brides both wore exquisit garments created by skilled designers, though Jetsun’s answer to Kate’s Alexander McQueen gown was a traditional kiras made from handwoven raw silk. And let’s not forgot those head coverings. Princess Eugenie and Beatrice made headlines with those awful hats, but Jetsun’s crown was an embroidered piece of artwork.

Honeymoon:
While Will and Kate took to the island of Seychelles off the coast of African, the Bhutanese couple decided for a honeymoon closer to home, touring by train the state of Rajasthan, India. They too will leave a few days after the ceremony to celebrate their romance in an exotic land.

Both nuptials were incredibly important to the nations and cultures they represent. And as American’s we can only admire from afar at the royal love stories while we flip channels between Kim (Kardashian) and Kris and Kim (Zolciak) and Kroy. Thanks again Bravo.

-William Fogler
WM Events