Tuesday, September 28, 2010

FABRIC SCRAP NECKLACES (AND GARLAND!)




Remember these fabric scrap necklaces that I did as a part of the art camp I held for my daughter and her friends? Well, since then I've been dreaming of making these en masse to use as a garland on my Christmas tree. This year, I'm finally taking this on and the time to start is now! I'll keep you all posted on my progress.



For a complete tutorial, go to Cakies and then gather up all those scraps. I have a feeling that once you start making these, you won't want to stop.



Monday, September 27, 2010

MARSHMALLOW GOBLINS

Originally posted on October 30, 2009.


Remember these? Well, here they are all packaged up and ready to be delivered. I love the way they look in groups of three. Each little marshmallow personality shines right through when presented this way.



Don't you think?


Now if I could somehow successfully photograph cellophane packaging, that would really be a trick!

Friday, September 17, 2010

I LOVE A GIFT THAT GIVES TWICE!


(Full disclosure: I work for this company but do not profit from the sale of these bracelets. My commission goes directly back to the foundation.)

Have you noticed that back to school time also means birthday time? My kids have been back to school for less than a month and the birthday party invitations have been rolling in like crazy. After several moments of panic over gifts for all of these parties (some of these invites come last minute, have you noticed?), I decided to take control of the situation and plan ahead.


My daughter has this adorable foundation bracelet from Stella & Dot and wanted to give one to a good friend who had admired hers.
So I decided to order a bunch and save them for all of the birthday parties that are sure to arise throughout the year. The best part? 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of the foundation bracelets go to support three charities that focus on creating positive change for women and girls. (buildOn, Girls, Inc. and ACCION USA) In only the first month of sales, enough money was raised to build an entire school through the buildOn organization! I think that's pretty amazing and something that I definitely want to be a part of.


The foundation bracelets are available for women, as well. (I have the pink with gold charms and it such a beautiful, warm combination of colors.) I may or may not have stocked up on a few of these as well, planning ahead for some holiday gift-giving. I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises, of course...

Along with the bracelet, which comes beautifully packaged in an adorable tin for girls or a chic and stylish box for women, I include a little note letting the recipient know that their beautiful bracelet represents a donation to the foundation that supports these three incredible charities. Like I said - I love a gift that gives twice!

Oh, and if you do get a last minute invitation - not to worry. Shipping is lightening quick; you will receive your order via priority mail in 3-4 business days. Love that!

Friday, September 10, 2010

FREE HALLOWEEN PRINTABLES FOR EARLY BIRDS!

Originally posted on October 22, 2009.


I was going to title this post: Download at Your Own Risk, but I thought that may be a little too scary! On a whim of procrastination, I whipped up some halloween downloads just for you. With children ranging in age from almost 11 to just-turned 3, I need to walk a very fine line between creepy enough for the big brother, but cute and fun enough for the baby. I think this set does just that.




Eat at Your Own Risk

First up are cupcake picks! Print on cardstock and cut with a 2 1/4" circle punch. Attach lollipop sticks or coffee stirrers and you're done! I was going to bake cupcakes and take pictures for this post, but realized that Halloween is just nine days away. You don't have time to wait for such nonsense. You need these now! (my waistline thanks you for that). Download the Halloween Cupcake Picks here.


Read at Your Own Risk

Next up are cute Halloween Note Sheets. Just print, cut down the middle (at 5 1/2 inches) and start jotting down all those Halloween reminders. Print up a set of 6 or 10 and attach a pencil for a sweet little Halloween treat. (maybe in your Boo bag? - just a thought!) Download your Halloween Note Sheets here.

Open at Your Own Risk

Finally, bag up all your Halloween treats in a lunch bag embellished with this scary/sweet sticker. Simply print out the sticker on a label sheet, cut around the circle and stick to the bag. Download your Halloween sticker here.

I really enjoy sharing these Halloween treats with you, but please remember that they are for personal use only.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

LILLY PULITZER INSPIRED PINK & GREEN PARTY



Finally a chance to write up Peanut's Lilly Pulitzer inspired party! I absolutely loved the pink and green palette for this party, inspired by the Desert Tortoise party invitation that caught Peanut's eye one day while I was shopping our local Lilly store. You can see the desert tortoise design featured on these awesome oversized pinwheels that were a must-have for party decor. They also served as the perfect favor for the birthday girl and her best friend and cousin of the same age.


You know that no party is complete without a Happy Birthday banner or two!


Special edition Lilly Pulitzer animal crackers found at the local grocer along with Izze soda, pink lemonade and fruit punch and apple juice boxes (chosen for the color or the cartons, of course!) made for a fun and delicious display at the dessert table.

(I apologize for this poorly-lit shot. I obviously have yet to master backlit photos!)

Here is a wider shot of the dessert area. This shot is taken before the actual desserts were added, which is sad because they looked delicious! Above the dessert area, I used wrapping paper in the dessert tortoise pattern to make a pennant banner. (note: after I measured and cut the wrapping paper into triangles, I reinforced them with cardstock to make them sturdy enough to hang properly without rolling.)



After running around like a crazy person getting ready for the party, I realized that I had forgotten to pick up the pink flowers that I had planned for these cute white vases (vases courtesy of a Martha Stewart flower surprise delivery from my "boss"). With no time left to run another errand, I went out to my garden and cut bunches of bright green autumn sedum just before they turned color for fall. Add some pink ribbon and I saved myself the cost of flowers. (sure, they weren't the pretty pink bouquets that I envisioned, but they worked in a pinch!)


Like the Happy Birthday banner, no party is complete without tissue poms and the birthday girl insisted on balloons!


After the enormous Paris print that we had for Petunia's party, I felt the need to have a party-themed wall hanging for Peanut's party as well. Although I have to admit, I wasn't willing to be as extravagant this time around. So for this wall hanging, I simply wrapped a lightweight piece of foam core with wrapping paper and decorated it with a printout honoring the party girl and a couple of tissue flowers that Petunia and I whipped up last minute. Then I glued a long length of ribbon to each end for hanging.



Unfortunately, I did not get many shots of the food all wrapped up pretty and labeled in pink and green (was I too busy serving or eating?), but luckily I did get a shot of these delicious cheese balls from Tastefully Simple. Chosen for their colors (green key lime dip and pink strawberry), I had never tried them before. They were amazing and were gobbled up in a flash!!! A definite must for all future parties no matter the color scheme (although I wonder if food coloring could help "adjust" the colors...).


And of course, the food and the decorations are lovely, but isn't this huge grin what these parties are all about?


Happy Birthday to my little Peanut. Thank you for choosing such a cute little theme so Mommy could have soooooo much fun putting it all together for you.


I'm pretty sure she thoroughly enjoyed it!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

MITETEES PERSONALIZED PRINCESS SHIRTS



Check out these adorable, personalized princess shirts from Mitetees. They are on sale for $14 (reg. $22) through Sunday, August 22nd! I absolutely adore all of Mitetees products, (cute, clever and impeccable quality), but I especially love this crown. A perfect gift.




For older princesses, I adore this sweet little sterling silver crown charm from Stella & Dot. Add it to one of their fashionable silk bases and you have yourself the perfect gift for princesses of all ages!

Speaking of gifts, I am sorting through photos of Peanut's Lilly Pulitzer-inspired party. I promise to share all the deets later this week!

Monday, August 16, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEANUT! (AND A SNEAK PEEK OF HER PARTY)


Today is my little Peanut's Birthday!!! I can't believe she's four already (sniff, sniff). With 5 years between her and her next oldest sibling, she is truly the baby of the family and she is getting big much too quickly for my liking. Above is a quick little peek at the birthday festivities. I'll return tomorrow with all the fun details!!!!