Bears for Haiti is a huge success!

Bears for Haiti has become a huge success: it grew to include two other schools. I cannot believe the outpouring of love from the kids at Noah’s school. The kids got so excited everyday seeing the mound of bears growing, and by the end they brought in 2,202 bears! The total amount of bears collected between all three schools is over 4,000!

I know that there are plenty of other needs like food, clothing, and shelter. But I just keep thinking about the child who has lost everything, some their whole families. How great would it be to bring them a little hope. To give them something to call their very own. Think about how excited little kids get when they get a surprise or a new toy. We need to take care of their hearts, too. I know their hearts will grow when they find that other kids in another country are thinking of them.

It just makes me so excited to see that these kids here in Georgia have a heart for children that they will never meet and are able to think outside of their own circumstances. How wonderful to get kids thinking about these things early in their lives and thinking globally!

Our goal for Bears for Haiti, and for us as a family, is to help Noah see his good intentions to the end. How wonderful would it be for him to be there to help distribute these bears, to meet some of these kids and to see how it affects them. From one kid to another!

We initially were working with one organization that was going to help us get the bears to Haiti but now it has gotten too big. We have to find another way to get these little gifts down there to the children.

We are putting it out there. God has completely done something here and I know he will make a way.

Great job to all of the kids at Chattahoochee Elementary, Berkley Lake Elementary, and Chesney Elementary!!!

Tune in to WSB Channel 2 News on Monday at 5:00 to see Noah being interviewed about the bears!

Heidi + Michael

It is so great when a bride entirely trusts your creative style. Heidi was so sweet to work with. The more she talked about the details of her wedding the more excited I got. From her gorgeous color scheme down to the vintage yard furniture, croquet set, and all of her other fun little details, this wedding is just so stinkin' cute! And those adorable yellow bridesmaid's dresses! The wedding was held at Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, GA where they were married under a huge, gorgeous tree. Woodland Fields did an awesome job of capturing Heidi & Michael's special day...

Other vendors include John Gandy Events, Klassic Katering, Sandy Stone, and In Tent Events.

For more photos of Heidi & Michael's lovely wedding, check out Woodland Fields' blog.

Bears for Haiti

In Haiti alone, there are 490,000 orphans, tens of thousands orphaned by the recent earthquake. Living in the poorest country in the hemisphere many of the orphanages are barely habitable, much less licensed.

Mission: to provide the orphans and children of Haiti a glimpse of hope and comfort (the plush toys) in an otherwise hopeless situation.

Bears for Haiti all started with my kindergartner Noah telling us over the course of a couple of weeks how badly he felt for the kids in Haiti. He would say, “Mommy, I really wish we could do something for the kids over there, a lot of them have lost their Mommies and Daddies.” I thought, what a huge concept for a 5 year old to consider…

So we started talking as he was playing with one of his many stuffed animals. [We have two other boys so you can imagine the amount of stuffed animals we have around.] I asked Noah if he would like to send one of his animals to the kids in Haiti who have lost everything. He looked at me and said, “yes, let’s send them all!” From here birthed a huge conversation about how those kids have lost their homes, families, brothers and sisters… everything.

Our goal for Bears for Haiti is to really get the kids involved: for them to make a conscious decision to give to those less fortunate when we are beyond blessed. By giving up one of their new or gently used stuffed animals they will directly affect another child’s outlook on their situation, kids who may have lost their favorite doll or toy and have nothing to call their own. We want the children to draw or write a note and tie it to each bear so the kids will see that someone cares about them and they are not forgotten. Kids helping kids.

If you or you would like to encourage your child to send any new or gently used plush toy please send it to:

Amy Osaba c/o
Bears for Haiti
3535 Peachtree Road
Suite 520220
Atlanta, Ga. 30326

Photo Shoot at Sun in My Belly

This is from a cute little photo shoot I did with Heidi and Emily at Sun in My Belly. I am so in love with the delicate little cute flowers and white anemones!

The Art of Weddings

My sweet friend Heidi Elnora launched her 2010 bridal collection at the fabulous Bill Lowe Gallery for The Art of Weddings show this February. The event was a showcase of so many wonderful and talented Atlanta vendors. Everyone got together for such a great cause, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama. And a huge shout out to the talented Erin from Aregrayline Photography for coming out and taking these gorgeous photos!

Each vendor was given a piece of artwork and a piece from Heidi's collection for his/her inspiration. Mine was 'Requiem for a Princess,' which was very organic, full of texture, and just so lovely.

Congratulations Heidi! Your dresses were absolutely stunning.
Click here to check out all of the talented artists and designers involved.

"Perfectly Courted" in Nonpareil Magazine

I am so in love with the images from our photo shoot for Nonpareil Magazine. Erin over at aregrayline photography did an amazing job. My sweet friend Melanie who has the stinkin cutest blog ever Lucky + Lovely came up with this concept of a precious little courthouse wedding. #SC2010 :)

Raney O’Keefe did the hair and makeup. She is one of my faves-very talented lady.

And I cannot forget the adorable models. I am doing their wedding in May!!! You may remember them from here. They have been so sweet to work with. Not only are they absolutely adorable but I feel like we have become friends.

Thanks to all of you guys for making it happen. I am beyond the moon over this shoot. Stay tuned for many more lovely images to come…

Check out this month's Nonpareil issue "Color Me Inspired" right here!

Lindsay + George

I was so excited that my sweet friend Max from Sun in My Belly referred me to Lindsey & George. They got married at the lovely Sacred Heart Catholic Church this past December. We used lots of white anemones, black magic roses, berries, red ranunculus, big burgundy peonies, and branches to create a 'wintery' feel without it feeling too 'holiday-ish.' Daria from Circle of Love Weddings coordinated the entire day beautifully. Everyone headed over to Magnolia Hall at Piedmont Park for a super fun reception. Scott Chester took these beautiful photographs, Max from Sun in My Belly served his awesome food, and Lindsay (& her mom) were just so sweet and charming to work with. Big thanks to Scott & Max for always being so good to me.
Congratulations Lindsay & George!