I love Kobe. I love him as a player, as a Laker, as a person. And last Thursday, I love him just a little bit more.His basketball camp, Kobe Basketball Academy, was held at the UCSB campus last week and weekend. Kids, family, and friends from all over have come to watch, learn, and play with him. And for a few lucky kids, the weekend is a little more special.There is a place called Smokey Mountain in the Philippines. A large dump, it also houses millions of the country's very poor families and children. A few Filipino kids from there and others received scholarships from Kobe to attend the camp. (photos) This makes my heart smile. Combine that with bringing his support towards the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara County, and my love for Kobe continues to grow.Last Thursday I spent my lunch at the Events Center with fellow Lakers fans. The group of about 15 people gathered at the exit, waiting for him to leave for lunch. We waited, shared stories, got our cameras ready, and then he emerged!
It was a mad rush of everyone trying to get some face time and a photo with him.
He only had one security person with him and was willing to sign a few autographs.
I saw people who couldn't get direct access to Kobe getting photos of themselves with Kobe in the background. A kind girl took this one of me. Funny faces + Kobe = my fave photo :)Crossing my fingers his camp returns next summer!
I am so happy. Beyond words. The Los Angeles Lakers have won the NBA Championship for the second year in a row. It is a beautiful thing.I love the team, I love the sport, and I love the city. I love everyone I was tweeting with. I love the feeling. I love that my Lakers theme wedding is sandwiched between their 2009 and 2010 championship season :)It is a happy day! Happy Friday everyone!
*note: Since we are still waiting for our pro photos (I saw a sneak preview and jaw dropped), I think I'll write a few posts about the remainder of the DIYs and small details of the wedding.*The stacks of take-out boxes grew higher and higher.
The count almost reached 200.
They were everywhere! But what to put in them? Candy, ofcourse! And lots of it!!
We love the look of color-coordinated candy buffets (a la Amy Atlas) and sweet treats in matching packaging. But the wedding was 2 weeks out and the only personalized purple & yellow candy we had ordered were M&Ms. A bit panicked, we headed to Target to load up. I knew candy wouldn't be hard to find, we just had to choose the correct candy wrappers/packaging: anything in yellow, gold, or purple.Enter these yummy bites:
They are just a portion of the many bags we bought.
For those interested, here is the amount of candy we purchased.
Kisses: 10 bags dark chocolate (purple wrapping) and 5 bags almond (gold wrapping)
Jelly Belly: buttered popcorn, island punch, lemon drop (to match our martinis)Cadbury: 3 bags (purple wrapping)
Hershey's Nuggets: 5 bags of various almond, toffee, dark (gold wrapping)Hershey's Bliss: 7 bags (purple wrapping)
M&Ms: 4 bags personalized, 4 bags Lakers (purple, yellow, white)
Lemonheads: 6 boxes (yellow)
Almond Roca: 1 container (gold wrapping)
Ferrero Rocher: 5 containers (gold wrapping, delicious)
Tobleron: 3 bags (yellowish wrapping)
It ended up being way too much! I would say about 2/3 of what I purchased would have been fine for our 120 guests. Less mini chocolates but definitely more M&Ms because they were a hit!For containers, I had amassed a nice collection of apothecary jars from Michael's (all thanks to their 40% off coupons). The jars were perfect to display the candy.
Here are just a few of the jars (photo taken w/ BB camera).Next step was signage!
Signage for the candy bar :) I used PaperSource Plum Scallop Circle Labels to print out the candy contents of each jar, and cut circles from lavender paper to provide the labels with sturdy backing.
Font is freebooter script from dafont.
Wide yellow ribbon went around each jar and the labels were attached to them. 
We also tied some ribbon around the jars for a cute look.
We packed the candy, jars, and take out boxes nice and tight, and handed them off to Anna of Love & Splendor the day before.
About 1.5 hours before the reception ended, the candy bar all set and ready to go! Anna set it up perfectly. It looked super stylish and too sweet!! Here are a few photos taken by friends :)
So much chocolaty goodness :)
Purple and gold foil look so nice and shiny.
And the take out boxes rounded off the look nicely :)
My favorite part was the personalized M&Ms! We ordered ones that said "Jella and Matt" and "9.26.09", and custom ones with Lakers logos :) It was definitely a crowd favorite.
Will you be having a candy bar? What candies did you choose?
Blog title is from lyrics by Gwen Stefani
They are adjustable, delicate, and sweet :) Their dimension and details come together as a subtle statement maker.
Check the rings out here!!
Maroon 5 played the SB Bowl last night. It was another amazing show filled with a great set list and lots of crowd interaction.
Loved the energy and passion.
Loved the lighting.
Loved Mr. Levine. Did you know he's also a Lakers fan? (Carly even spotted him at a game!)
Yellows and purple earring set
Purple and yellow rose double flower ring
Purple mum and yellow rose double flower ring.
Triple flower pendants in a soft, buttery yellow and light lavender.
Amethyst pendant.
The parking lot was full so a little hike was in order.
Hollywood Hills.
I love the architecture.
An interactive periodic table of elements.
The different stars.
The heat sensing camera was a favorite.
I love a gorgeous LA day with minimal smog. 
The new addition was full of models, planets, and stars. 
There was a time line of the universe illustrated by an impressive jewelry collection!
It was probably my favorite part, until we saw the Leonard Nimoy Theater...
Live long and prosper!
And an NBA championship is not complete without a few congratulatory signs. I love the one at Pink's! If only their line was shorter...
The count almost reached 200.
They were everywhere! But what to put in them? Candy, ofcourse! And lots of it!! 
They are just a portion of the many bags we bought. 
Here are just a few of the jars (photo taken w/ BB camera).
Signage for the candy bar :) I used PaperSource Plum Scallop Circle Labels to print out the candy contents of each jar, and cut circles from lavender paper to provide the labels with sturdy backing.
Font is freebooter script from dafont.
Wide yellow ribbon went around each jar and the labels were attached to them. 
We also tied some ribbon around the jars for a cute look.
About 1.5 hours before the reception ended, the candy bar all set and ready to go! Anna set it up perfectly. It looked super stylish and too sweet!! Here are a few photos taken by friends :)
So much chocolaty goodness :)
Purple and gold foil look so nice and shiny.
And the take out boxes rounded off the look nicely :)
My favorite part was the personalized M&Ms! We ordered ones that said "Jella and Matt" and "9.26.09", and custom ones with Lakers logos :) It was definitely a crowd favorite. 
