Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Live, from Sacramento, it's Thursday Morning!

I don't know about you, but I love my couch. I really, really do. It's cozy and comfy, and has a very snuggly throw blanket on it.

So how marvelous would it be to invite not one, not two, but three Faeries into my living room without having to get up from said couch? It would be AMAZING!

And now...we can! Through the power of television *laugh*. Tomorrow morning, between 9 and 10 am, 3 Faeries will be entertaining a very sparkly group of children on Good Day Sacramento. There will be Face Painting, Balloon Twisting, and even a banjo sing-along with my faerie good friend Fae Diddle Diddle! (Ah, the notorious F.A.E. *giggle*)

Oh! If you don't have a TV (or you don't live in Sacramento), you can also watch on the internet! Technology, we love thee...


Huzzah!

Pirate Ships and Dolly Grips,
Violet


Saturday, February 14, 2015

Just the right amount of love for Valentines Day!

I'll admit it - Valentines Day isn't really my most favorite holiday. I think it's because a) I have an early February birthday, and so was oversaturated with heart-wielding teddybears and pink plushies when I was wee, or b) I like to let the people who I love let them know that I love them all the time, so having one day for that feels...redundant?

It also could be that it lends itself towards parties of two, which can be fun, but I like to celebrate things with as many people as is humanly (or faerie-ly) possible!

That being said...sometimes it is nice to allow a leeeeetle bit of cheesiness in...just a small, adorable size amount...and I think I found the perfect amount here.

Faeries. We're suckers for tiny things. *laugh* There's quite a few more videos to see if you want to ham it up this Valentines Day! Here's the link!

Ribbons, Bows, and X's and O's,
Violet




Tuesday, February 10, 2015

These Monsters are more kooky than spooky!

One of the fantastic things about being a Faerie for work is that my coworkers are also Faeries! (Well, there's also several Elves, a couple Mermaids, and one Hobgoblin who helps with the invoices *laugh*.) As such, they tend to be a pretty creative bunch...and sometimes we collaborate...and then stuff like this happens!


Lucy's House of Monsters! That Mermaid's voice sounds pretty familiar...

Faerie June came up with this most remarkable idea, and Paisley, Rose, Beauregard, and I were more than happy to participate! You can follow June's Lucy adventures right here - happy viewing!

Seashells and Doorbells,
Violet

Friday, February 6, 2015

Wait, *that's* what you use Post-Its for?

Technically, I work in an office. We have many of the things that other offices have - computers, inbox trays, a microwave, and a temperamental printer. I even got "Caged"on April Fools Day last year! (Thank you, Paisley!) But we definitely don't have some of the things that are staples of other, more "official" offices...staples, for one, but also cubicles, fluorescent lighting, and passive-aggressive notes.

Ah, the passive-aggressive note. I discovered the potential hilarity of this form of correspondence thanks to the internet, and because I had a huge backlog to get through, I binge read them. At first, I laughed! Then, I laughed a little harder! Then...I did that thing where you've been laughing really hard, but suddenly you realize it's not quite as funny anymore, so you kind of stop laughing? Yeah. That thing. And then, I just felt...well, a bit sad, because these missives range from annoying to hurtful, and could be quashed with open, honest communication.

Which is precisely why notes on my computer don't make me sad, because if things are bothering us in the office, we let one another know. Openly. Shocking, I know, but that means you get nice messages like this one:

It really did!
Or this one!

She's really a Jill of all Trades *laugh*
This one is sweet...

Ghost remains at large.

This one might seem odd, but is very high praise:

We really do love manatees...

And this one, which..just...awww...
I love you too!

How different it must be to dread, or just feel mildly annoyed by, those small fluorescent squares of sticky paper!

I was thinking about all of that (umm...I mean I was diligently responding to important emails and updating our deposit logs...) when I heard giggles from down the hall. Naturally, I had to get involved (because hello, giggles) and so I followed the sound to the Little Mermaid's Room and this is what I saw:

I told you there was a Mermaid.

What's that?! Is it...a note?? Is it of the Passive-Aggressive variety?!?!?!

There was a third??
Nope. Notes in the Treehouse remain splendiferous. Either kind and supportive, weird and hilarious, or...umm...this.

Missives and Magic,
Violet




Wednesday, February 4, 2015

But seriously, why is this not a thing?


As I'm sure you can imagine, Faeries like to have fun. We like loud music, dancing, dressing up, giggling, and general merriment.

And sometimes, we go rococo!(Thank you amazing photographer friend Kenny!)
The hard part is that we also really, really, reeeealllly like sleep! *laugh* So staying up late, while fun, can be difficult when you have bunnies or dragons or tiny humans who like to wake up before 7 am and demand your assistance *wink*.

Faerie Wendy and I with our "fur-children" - err..."shell-child" for her...she has a thing for mollusks!

We were pondering this one evening while decorating ourselves for the evening's festivities (sidenote: getting ready for a fun evening can sometimes be the highlight of said evening!), and we realized another ludicrous thing about staying up late at night...it is dark! And often chilly! And when you spend all that time curating the perfect outfit and meticulously applying all three pairs of lashes (just me?), it feels silly to put on a coat and frolic in the darkness. Wouldn't it be much better to go out dancing when it's warm? And light outside?

And that, friends, was the "aha!" moment. You know when it's warm and light? Daytime. You know when it's dark and good for sleeping? Nighttime! Why are we switching these two?? There's only one solution.

Rage all day, sleep all night.

Yep. Let that sink in.

It just...makes sense. And part of being an adult-kind-of-type person is getting to live by your own rules, right? So...I will absolutely go out at 11 and not get home til 4, or even 5!

It will just be that I'll be leaving around 11 am after having a nice productive morning, and then I'll be home in the late afternoon...just in time to eat some yummy dinner, take a bath, and crawl into bed around 8 pm!

Rage all day, sleep all night.

It just makes sense.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

We interrupt regular scheduling for this very important employment announcement!


In case you haven't been able to infer from my gushing thus far, I'll say it plainly: I LOVE MY JOB. Yes, performing is incredibly fun and sparkly, but being a part of Happily Ever Laughter means the world to me beyond the glitter and the glorious costumes.

The Faerie family is incredibly tight-knit - more than I ever could have imagined. It is a supportive community, where we encourage one another to reach for our highest dreams, pool our creative resources, and provide reinforcement whenever needed. It is a truly astounding thing to be a part of.

See? We're helping each other house hunt! Toadstools, am I right...*sigh*
And yes, while performing at parties is definitely the sparkliest facet (literally - my car shimmers on the inside! *giggle*), I adore working in the Treehouse. Being able to set the tone of our future visits makes me feel all glowing inside...I can't believe how many families contact us and are surprised when we're friendly and upbeat on the phone or through email. I get to talk about parties all day; it's pretty easy to be happy! *laugh* Also, the "office environment" (ooh, that sounds obnoxiously corporate!) is so warm and positive - I actually enjoy coming to work. Wow.

This happened in our office. Yes that is cake, made by Meadow...who is also a Secrefaerie. Be a Secrefaerie, get cake.

So this all sounds like a lot of fun, right? *wink* I promise, it really, really is!

If you're interested in being a Performer, we are currently hiring in the Bay *and* LA! (Or as we call it, La-La Land!)

Here's the link for the application: http://www.happilyeverlaughterparties.com/faerie-job.html

Or, if you live near Santa Cruz and think you might like to be part of Team Treehouse, you can find the Secrefaerie Application here: http://www.happilyeverlaughterparties.com/index.php?id=326

I encourage you to be as creative as possible with your applications, regardless of which aspect of the Faerie realm you'd like to join! 

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Facepaint! Costumes! Enthusiasm! and...Referees?

Alrighty: I'm hoping that this topic isn't too incendiary for post #3, but Faerie Rose is very, very excited about today and it made me think about how oh so different we Faeries can be from one another, and so while I wait for the food I will only eat one time a year to finish baking, I wanted to write about something I bet you never thought you'd read about on this blog....non-Quidditch sporting events.

So. In general, Faeries and Sporting Events are kind of like Penguins and Redwood Trees...people can like one, or both, but the two don't interact much with one another. In fact, it wasn't until last week that the rest of the Secrefaeries in the Treehouse realized that today was a slow day for bookings due to the Superbowl.

And I get it - well, kind of. I mean, I understand where the Faerie/Sport divide comes from in theory...but in practice? Um. Give me something that necessitates my dressing up in theme colors and costumes, and being loud and enthusiastic in a large group? Sign. Me. UP!

Perhaps it's because the Humans to whom I am closest have specific teams that mean the world to them, but I find it exhilarating to be around a large group of people who, regardless of other differences they may have, are united in this one goal - to cheer! I will admit that after spending a lot of time with one Human in particular, I have narrowed my reckless enthusiasm down to one team...but even though I've only been cheering for them for 6 years as opposed to my whole life, other fans do not care. They like the solidarity, I think! Whee! Not only that, but even though they might find the way I dress to be a bit odd at other times, when you show up with a black and yellow flower crown, they love it *laugh*.

Also I get to wear these socks. Basically, I can dress up like a fancy Hufflepuff. Come on!
It's funny - within the Faerie realm, this gets a little bit more inclusive...because so few of us are excited about this Human tradition, we eschew any sort of rivalry and just say "yay teams!"

And sometimes, we paint ourselves beautifully. I'm looking at you, Rose. Oh! You all want to look at Rose too?? Here she is!

Glitter and Football? Sure, why not!

Get it, girl!
Anywho. No matter what you are doing today, I hope you have a glorious time *smile*. I will say that if you want to get in on the lots-of-snacks-watch-tv-in-a-group-get-excited activity, but football isn't your thing? PUPPY BOWL. Squeeeee!!!!

Apple Trees and Nacho Cheese,
Violet