Posts tagged #Celebrate

Star Wars Birthday!

I'm so excited that I'm finally posting these pictures for you guys!! Bella requested a Star Wars theme for her birthday this year and I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. I am not familiar with the movies, like she is, but luckily I had my friend, Denise, to assist me. She also happens to be a huge Star Wars fan!

Dessert & Favor Table

The dessert/favor area was the main set up. We scaled this party down a bit from our usual party decor but I think the details we did incorporate made a big bang!! 

  • Glow stick light sabers: Dollar Tree glow sticks, duct tape, and sharpie marker
  • Tie fighter hanging by command hooks.: I purchased mine here: Tie Fighter 3D Model kit
  • Darth Vader and *pink* storm trooper cupcakes
  • Storm trooper goodie bags: I used a storm trooper graphic and printed them out. I cut out the faces and used rubber cement to glue them to your typical white lunch bags.
  • "Come to the dark side We have cupcakes" print out and pink frame provided by: Everything But The Cake

The backdrop is a twinkle light star wall. It's super easy to make. You can take a black foam board and use a drill bit to drill holes in the board for your lights to poke through. I secured the back with duct tape to make sure the lights stayed in place. Regular white Christmas lights would work.

Food Labels

Chewbacca's Chips

Sarlacc Pit Dip

Vader Veggies

Jabba Juice (not pictured)

Vader, storm trooper, and ship cut outs were also provided by Everything But The Cake. In the hallway we tried creating a star wall with twinkle lights and a black table cloth but the photograph didn't do it justice.

Pink Storm Trooper Cupcakes

Initially I had a plan for a cake but poor planning didn't allow that to happen. Instead I whipped up these super easy cupcakes topped with a pink marshmallow storm trooper. I used a Wilton food marker to draw on the faces.

Invitations

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You can order your own custom Star Wars invites in our SHOP!

Party Fashion

Check out my friend Denise's shop for the shirt and bow: Wonderland Bowtique

What do you guys think? I think this would be super cute for a Girl Scout overnight with a Star Wars theme!

 

World!

S'more Ice Cream Sandwich

It's Summer Solstice today and what a better way to kick off the new season with this summer treat! We recently went to a BBQ with some of our friends and these little goodies were a big hit! I LOVE ice cream and I knew that day was going to be a hot one so this tasty cold treat was just what the kids (and adults) had in mind.

Ingredients

  • Graham Crackers
  • Hersey's Chocolate Frosting
  • Marshmallows
  • Chocolate ice cream (in a cardboard box container)

Start by laying out your graham crackers for roasting the marshmallows. Gently break each cracker in half and arrange 12 on a baking sheet. Put one marshmallow on top of each cracker.

Broil on low for 3-5 minutes. Make sure to keep a close eye on them so the crackers don't burn. You might want to do a test run first to see what time works best depending on your oven. Five minutes worked perfectly to get the nice toasty glow. Once you have pulled your roasted marshmallows from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Set aside.

 

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Lay out 12 more crackers on a another sheet or dish. Heat up your chocolate frosting in the microwave for 30 seconds. Use a spreader or spoon your frosting on the crackers to create a think layer of chocolate goodness. Place them in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Take out your chocolate ice cream and remove the sides of the container so you have one rectangular brick of ice cream. Use a knife and slice sheets of the ice cream about 1 inch thick. If it's too frozen you can let it thaw for about 10 minutes but you want it pretty solid. Cut your sheet of ice cream in half ( should be the size of your graham cracker). You might have to slice off a little to make it fit.

Assemble

Lay your chocolate frosted crackers down, put one slice of ice cream on top, and finish with your marshmallow cracker (facing down). Press down to slightly smash the marshmallow. Freeze the sandwiches until you are ready to serve. 

BOOM! These as super simple and so sweet! I hope you enjoy!

What are your favorite s'more recipes?

Ryleigh's Pink Dino Party!

Ryleigh's birthday party was last month. There has been so much going on in our house and I've been trying to organize everything with Girl Scouts that I didn't have an opportunity to post this yet! I figured I had to get it in before Christmas and New Year's.

She has a undeniable love for Dinosaurs and when I asked what kind of party she wanted she specifically called for PINK Dinosaurs! We had custom printables designed by myself, a Dino Adoption, and a smoking lava cake! See more deets and get your free printables! 

Posted on December 21, 2015 and filed under Celebrate.

Pink Dino Party Printables!

Hi Ladies! 

Today I'm really excited to share with you my latest party I have been planning. Ryleigh turns 4 and her party is next week. She has been in love  with dinosaurs lately so I just had to use this as the theme. Here is the preview and a printable for you, including fill in invitations, dinosaur adoption certificate printable, and A7 envelope inserts!

I hope you enjoy!

----->>>>Download Dino Party Printables here!<<<<----

 

I hope you enjoy and check back for some more pictures of the final party!

For more ideas for throwing a Pink and Orange Dino Party check below....

Posted on November 15, 2015 and filed under Celebrate.

We're Batty for Halloween!

I'm really excited to share this super cheap, super easy Halloween craft that you can make with your Girl Scouts troops or just as decoration for around the house! I can't remember how I came about purchasing black tissue paper back in July, but thankfully I did and this idea popped into my head. I've been a little nutty, (with fall product..lol) using tissue paper for all of my designs, lately.

Materials:

Cut tissue into a 8in x 8in square. Make a 1 inch fold along one side. Using the accordion method, continue to fold back and forth 1 in.

Use your scissors and cut a half circle out of each of the ends.

Fold at the center and crunch up and flatten. Insert clothes pin in the center and fan out your tissue paper to look like bat wings.

These would make cute napkin ring decorations or you can string the on some garland or fishing line! Happy Halloween planning!!!

Posted on October 12, 2015 and filed under Celebrate, Create.

A Baptism for Penelope

This past weekend we had our newest little angel baptized! Baptisms always get me teary eyed! They are so beautiful and such a joyous celebration! We were also fortunate enough to have some very special out of town guests come in that we haven't seen in years! 

All of my kids have been baptized in this same gown that has been passed on    from 3 generations on my father's side of the family. My father was baptized in this gown and I was, too. As you can see, it looks a little antique so I wanted a headpiece to match! My dear friend, Denise, made this lovely little floral headpiece with the birdcage. You should check out her shop, Wonderland Bowtique. She also made these adorable purple rosette sandals! Perhaps I need a separate post on her attire for the day. The lace romper in the above picture was purchased on Amazon for only $12.99.

Preparations started about 2 months in advance. I didn't want to end up stressing myself out at the last minute like I always do. The theme was a lavender/plum and Champagne(gold/silver). I really do love the way the colors looked together!

I made all the printables myself including invitations, envelope liners, bible verses, and thank you notes. I bought the white candles in a jar from the Dollar Tree and dipped the rims in a champagne gold paint.

"For it is by Grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:8

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Proverbs 3:5

 

 

Final product!!! This was my first experience making a naked cake and I think it turned out rather well! I would recommend giving it a try. It's super easy and looks great, plus, you don't have to spend too much time perfecting it because it's not completely frosted!  I used a 9 in round baking pan with white boxed cake and purple food coloring.The centerpiece is fake! I used silk flowers and a styrofoam half sphere to put it together. This is one of my favorite tricks! I even did this for my wedding cake years ago.

I've been in love with making these tissue tassel garlands, lately. This was my first try with the mylar tissue. I used the Martha Stewart fringe cutter, but I still have mixed feelings about the thing. It doesn't cut as well as you would expect it to, which makes me angry, MARTHA! But, I still like if for a general guide.

I really fell in love with this invitation. I love creating my own. I purchased the rose graphics from an artist on Etsy. Making your own invitations is really easy and you can use something as simple as Microsoft Publisher. You don't really need the fancy Adobe Photoshop, although it's nice when editing photos. I printed out my own invites on a fancy card stock and they look very professional, especially with the envelop liner. If you are doing invitations yourself, spend the extra money on the nice paper. I did a tutorial on the envelope liners here: Jazz up your invites.

Baptisms are so beautiful!!! Gosh, I'm getting teary eyed again.....

And now.... on to the next celebration!

Posted on October 5, 2015 and filed under Celebrate.

Champagne Coconut Cake

There is still a little bit of summer left. It's a perfect time to make this Champagne coconut cake! Doesn't it look pretty? I made this cake for a bridal shower and everyone loved it. It's nice and light, perfect for someone who doesn't like a heavy dessert.

What you need....

  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (you will need a little more to grease the pan)
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan (a little extra for the pan)
  • 1 1/2 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large whole eggs
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • Pink petal dust.

What you do...

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch (6-cup) Bundt pan. In a food processor, pulse coconut, flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.

  2. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, egg whites, and vanilla; continue beating until incorporated. Add the flour mixture in three alternating batches with the coconut milk, beating well after each addition.

  3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into middle of cake ring comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool in pan, 30 minutes.

  4. Trim bottom of cake to make a flat base. Run a small knife around edge to loosen. Flip cake onto rack and let it cool completely.

  5. In a bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. In a separate bowl, toss remaining cup coconut with , adding just enough to reach the desired shade. Drizzle icing over top of cake; sprinkle with pink coconut. 

    *Tip: Make sure the cake is completely cool and you are in a cool area when you drizzle the icing, otherwise it will melt right off.

Posted on September 17, 2015 and filed under Food.

Jazz up your invites with this easy trick!

Hey everyone!

I'm so excited to share with you today my weekend project and my latest obsession! 

Envelope Liners!

This is seriously so easy to do and it makes the invitation feel like a million bucks. 

What you need...

Here's how you do it!

1) Grab my free pdf A7 envelope liner template and print it out.

2) Cut out the template and lay it on top of the paper you wish to use as your liner. I would recommend a fairly thin paper, such as the decorative scrapbooking paper.

3) Trace the template on to the paper and cut out using scissors or a paper cutter such as this one...

4) Insert liner into the envelope. Once the liner is inserted and evenly arranged, lift back the liner to separate the envelope and dab glue on the edges of the back side of the liner.

5) Allow the glue to dry before you insert the invitation to make sure there is not excess glue that will stick.

And your done! Doesn't it make such a difference? These would look really special with thank you notes, too!

Don't have an A7 envelope? Check back soon for more sizes and shapes.

Thanks for following along! I'm in the process of creating some custom liners that you can just print and cut! 

XOXO, Katie

Posted on September 1, 2015 and filed under Create, Celebrate.

Hello Kitty Birthday!

It's been almost a month since this precious girl turned 6. This was a hard birthday for this mama. She is my oldest and I couldn't help but reminisce of when I turned 6. It's the earliest birthday I can remember of my own. I look back to that day that I turned 6 thinking I was changed and different. Thinking that I was growing up and I started to feel much older. LOL at only 6 I had those feelings.

Perhaps it was from this memory that this birthday for my little girl was a little tougher than the previous. The years are going by so fast and I'm just wanting to take a step back and enjoy the present.

My sweetheart has been so in love with Hello Kitty for some time now and I was excited to decorate her party for what she loved so much! We bought her this cute dress from Target and paired it with a pair of black leggings and the Hello Kitty hat. You can't see it now, but there is a Kitty on that hat.

Sweets Table

I generally don't like to give out candy at a birthday party. Yes... I am one of those moms that prefers non-sugar party favors but the colors and the idea just seemed so much easier this year. The kids always get a kick out of it, too. So it's a winner!

I found these cute polka dot take out boxes from the dollar spot at Target. The colors went well with the rainbow color theme. My wonderful friend

Denise

helped me with all the printables for this party including the lovely "thank you" sticker labels on the boxes. I filled the boxes with colored tissue left over from the

tissue tassel project

.

The Cake

I found a Hello Kitty cake pan on clearance months ago from Joann Fabrics. I used a marshmallow fondant for the white frosting. For the eyes, whiskers, and bow I used black and red sparkle icing. For the nose, I rolled up some of the marshmallow fondant and used some leftover yellow food coloring to paint it on the nose. Bella really loved the cake!!

Hello Kitty Fruit Skewers

I wish I could tell you where I saw this idea. Honestly, I found it years ago and it came to me when planning the party. I used the edible pens to draw the faces on the marshmallows.

Table Tent Food Labels

Denise also assisted in this department. She made me some custom food tents as well as some extra blank tents!

Those are a few details for our Hello Kitty Party! What do ya think?

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Tissue Tassel Garland

My daughter's 6th birthday party was this past weekend and I'm excited to start sharing some of the deets with you. The first detail I wanted to share in a post all its own was the tissue tassel garland!

I've been dying to make one of these and the color scheme just seemed to fit so well. This is also something perfect for spring, Easter, or an "

April Showers

" baby shower theme! I love the pastel rainbow colors!.

Materials used

tissue paper in assorted colors

crafting thread

scissors

hot glue gun

Step One:

Fold your tissue paper in half twice.

Step Two:

Along the second fold cut tissue paper in half. Put one half aside. Fold the other piece of tissue in half length wise aka hot dog.

Step three:

Fold over a 1 inch flap. This is to help guide you when cutting so you don't cut too much.

Step Four:

Cut length wise starting at the folded corner. Cut about a 1/4 - 1/2 inch apart. Do not cut into the folded area.

Step Five:

Open up the folded tissue and cut on the folded edge from top to bottom to form two separate pieces of tissue.

Step Six:

Set one piece aside and unfold the other piece of tissue.

Step Seven:

Roll the tissue paper.

Step Eight:

GENTLY twist the tissue starting at the center and twisting an inch in each direction.

Step Nine:

Make a small loop and begin twisting the already rolled tissue paper together adding a dab of hot glue as you go. Add a dab of hot glue at the start of the loop, at the end, and throughout the twisting to ensure a secure set.

Step Ten:

complete the process with as many tissue tassels as you like. Once you have assembled the amount you desire, fluff them down so none of the tassels are curled up. String them on the crafting thread and hang in a fun place!

This is such an inexpensive and easy craft to add some fun and festive color to your season or occasion. I love the versatility with the colors and you can save the tassels and stitch it throughout the year.

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