a. party style

merry christmas

2011-12-25T10:16:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

from my family to yours!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

I look forward to sharing what the new year brings with all of you, my awesome readers!

Hugs and Kisses!

garland christmas card display

2011-12-23T17:26:00.001-05:00

I'm back today with a couple pictures of how my neighbor displays her Christmas cards. Every year I admire it's simplistic creativity. She saw the idea in a magazine several years ago. It was hidden in the background of a photo, but she spotted and replicated it.

I really like the juxtaposition of the glamorous/rustic bead garland and the simple modern diagonal ribbon. Note the card holders are key chain rings - brilliant! Using those makes the cards easy to hang up, while still keeping them snug in their place. Strung across a window in her kitchen, Valerie essentially decorates the room with correspondence friends and family provide.

Every year when I see it, I swear I'm going to make one of these, too. Next year I will have to... I now have a kitchen window in my new house - It will be perfect! Thanks for sharing with us Valerie!

glitter advent calendar

2011-12-22T09:46:00.002-05:00

Today is moving day for us!!! I'm so excited to start a new year in a new home. Because of our hectic holiday season, I haven't done any decorating at our house. (No sense in putting up a tree just to take it down to move, right!?) But my crafty neighbor, on the other hand, has a couple of Christmas projects that I have to share with you. First up, is an advent calendar she made from these Martha Stewart instructions. I absolutely love it! It's magnetic and the kids can easily retrieve their prizes.

Tomorrow I'll show you the way she displays her Christmas cards. Stay tuned!

holiday favor bags

2011-12-19T22:04:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. How cute are these!? Simply brilliant!!! I love 'em!

(via Sweet Style via Pinterest)

christmas :: restaurant decorations

2011-12-18T21:34:00.001-05:00

You might remember back in October, I decorated a restaurant for Halloween for one of my clients. Well, I was afforded the same pleasure for the Christmas season. I really like how it turned out. I chose a gold and brown color palette for cohesiveness to the existing colors in the space.

I made these arrangements out of gold cardboard poinsettias from Walmart and white feather picks from Joann's. Cheap!

I bought six wreaths so I could put them back-to-back - decorations towards the street as well as inside the restaurant.

I didn't get great pictures when I was done because the staff was prepping for the evening crowd - I didn't want to get in their way. I am going to the restaurant's Christmas party this Thursday night though and I'm hoping to get a couple more shots.

kid-friendly christmas treats :: via pinterest

2011-12-09T09:56:00.001-05:00

I'm taking an hour for myself this morning - So nice! I'm sure I'm going to regret it later, but I just need to sit with a cup of coffee and relax for a bit. So, what do I do for pleasure!? Search Pinterest of course!

I spotted some really creative and easy desserts that kids would not only love, but love to help make too!

Christmas Cookie Bars via Ladies Home Journal

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes via The Cupcake Blog

Reindeer Noses Treat Bags via A Personal Touch

Santa Hat Cupcakes via Created by Diane

baby shower cake

2011-12-07T17:19:00.001-05:00

Hi lovelies! I am alive. Well, barely. I apologize for my complete lack of posts. I have been so busy lately... I know, I know, we are all swamped this time of year. Beyond my own personal holiday to-do list though (which basically hasn't even been started), we bought a new house and are trying to move, my husband had hand surgery, I was a guest speaker at a women's network group, a couple Christmas party dessert tables, a few cake orders, and I could go on and on. I do have two more events and then I'll be on vacation - well, if you call moving vacation! Ha!

I wanted to take a quick break though and show you something... This past weekend I had a baby shower cake order. The color palette for the party was pink and black. I love that combo, don't you!? I was really happy with how the cake turned out. I used a new technique from I Am Baker. (LOVE her!) It is so easy, but so pretty!

felt advent calendar wreath

2011-11-28T22:11:00.001-05:00

I have an uber-talented friend, Lesley, who is constantly surprising me with her creativity. She's a graphic designer extraordinaire, as well as a skilled seamstress. Yes, I said seamstress - a skill I hold high regard for. (My sewing usually ends up with me just hot gluing the pieces together!!!) While picking up our kids from school yesterday, we started talking about advent calendars. Our conversation reminded of me of the advent calendar she made last year. I love how it involves the kids without giving them something everyday. We all know the kids receive plenty during the holiday season, so an activity they like to do without "getting" is an extra bonus in my book.

Check out Lesley's creation and how-to here. And here for an extra little Christmas morning detail to the already perfect calendar. Make sure to check out the rest of Lesley's blog, too. I'm sure you'll be amazed at all her skill and creativity. (Like the these bicycle cuffs - Come on! So cute!)

fruit turkey

2011-11-21T21:08:00.001-05:00

My youngest daughter's preschool is having an all-school Thanksgiving Feast celebration tomorrow and everyone brings something to share. We are bringing this cute (and easy!) fruit turkey. Several years ago (Nov. 2007), I torn this idea out of a Family Fun magazine. A reader, a fellow Connecticut resident, submitted the idea - so clever!

The instructions included in the magazine...
"Stabilize the melon body by cutting a shallow slice off the rind to form a flat base. Using a section of bamboo skewer, attach a Bosc pear head to the melon, as shown. Cut a cheese triangle beak and red pepper snood. Attach both, along with raisin eyes, to the head with sections of toothpick. Cut red pepper feet and set them in places. For tail feathers, skewer cheese cubes and red grapes, then insert the skewers as shown. Pin pepper side feathers in place with toothpicks."

why didn't i think of that series :: stamped cookies

2011-11-17T09:53:00.001-05:00

As we move into the holiday season, my oven will be doing overtime for Christmas goodies. Look at this genius idea - Why didn't I think of that!? I'm going to have to try this.

(via Country Living via Pinterest)

While talking about stamping things... remember my tutorial on stamping plates? How about a pretty Christmas tree stamp for Christmas dinner?

laurel denise planner

2011-11-09T22:30:00.000-05:00

I just have to share the latest gift I bought myself. I'm a list freak - I think you all know that by now. I write everything down. Everything. I don't think my brain even works if there isn't a pen in my hand. I also plan and schedule to a fault - calendars are my friends. My days are organized (some argue over organized, but I say poo on them). So, you can imagine that a well-organized and extremely thoughtful planner makes my heart flutter. While attending the National Stationery Show in May, I found the Laurel Denise Planner. It's amazing people - Amazing! I wanted to buy one right then and there, but she was all sold out for 2011. After all these months of waiting, I ordered myself one last week.

Beyond the monthly calendar view (which is my favorite way to organize), this planner includes a weekly and daily format conducive to list making. But the best part of all.... you can see them all at once!!! No more flipping pages from the overall month, back to the week of and then having to turn again to the daily outlook. So, if your in the market for a planner, you have to check this one out. Obviously the pictures on the link will be better than my quick iPhone pics. You'll be able to see the beauty and function much better. Go, go on and check it out - you won't be disappointed.

pirate ship dessert table

2011-11-04T13:10:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned, I made the dessert table for a large Halloween party this past weekend. All the children in attendance were invited to participate in a "treasure hunt". They were given a treasure map with various stops throughout the house where they either received a prize or participated in an activity (ie decorated cupcakes, painted a pumpkin, etc.). The "treasure" at the end of their journey was the dessert table. (A sugar treasure - ahhh, the best kind of treasure!) Keeping with the theme, I decided to make the table a pirate ship. I really liked how this table turned out. I love the whimsy of it - I'm still a kid I guess.

The desserts included:

-pumpkin mousse cups

-shortbread finger cookies

-smore pops

-"cannon balls" (donut holes)

-skeleton suckers

-red velvet cake pops

-caramel pumpkin bites with dulce de leche drizzle

-graveyard pudding

-jello worm cups

-caramel apples

-popcorn hands

halloween candy bar

2011-11-02T11:57:00.000-04:00

This is the candy bar I put together for a big Halloween party this past Sunday. Aren't the bats cool!? I found them at Target for ten bucks! They are wall clings that I will be able to use for this client over and over. (I decorate their house every year for Halloween.)

I'll be back tomorrow with the pirate ship dessert table I made for the party. It was awesome!

halloween costumes

2011-11-01T12:41:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! I'm sure you all are swimming in candy too - I'm nibbling on a Kit Kat right now. (Shhhh, don't tell my kids I raided their buckets!)

This year Ella was the Chiquita Banana girl (and/or Carmen Miranda which many thought she was) and Bree was the Coppertone Girl. I usually don't use the same costumes because it's just so much fun to think of new ones, but the Coppertone costume was just too good to not repeat. I have to thank my mother-in-law for making Ella's dress. (As I've told you all before, sewing is a domestic skill I will never conquer - I call in the pros.) The headdress was a lot of fun to make. I used ostrich feathers and plastic fruit in an effort to keep the overall weight down. I love how it all came together.

halloween candy bar

2011-10-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

Is everyone ready for Halloween?!? I've still got a long list of to-do's, but I'm getting there. While I finish up party prep, I thought I'd show you some more pictures from an event I did last year. In addition to the Halloween dessert table I recently posted, I designed a separate candy bar for the party as well. (I'm wishing I had one of those Kit Kats about now - guess I could go raid the candy bar jars sitting in my office ready for this weekend's event!?) I really like the miniature bars hanging from the spooky trees and the tissue covered Tootsie Pops in the "bubbling" cauldron.

Hope everyone has lots of parties to host and/or attend this weekend! Happy Halloween!!!!

halloween :: restaurant decorations

2011-10-24T20:30:00.000-04:00

Last week, I was asked to decorate a local restaurant for Halloween. (I just love my job!!!) After buying all the supplies, making centerpieces and installing the finished products, I think it looks pretty good. I love the skulls in the colored water.

halloween dessert table

2011-10-21T12:08:00.002-04:00

This is a Halloween dessert table I did last year. By the time I was ready to post the pictures, it was near Thanksgiving so I just held onto the photos for this year. I have two favorite parts to this table. First, the food tags are just perfect right!? They are place cards that I found on Oriental Trading Company. I designed my own label and attached them. And secondly, I love the tall vase with colored water and vegetables. Looks so spooooooky....

Okay enjoy - I've got to get back to work on the pirate ship table I'm working on for this weekend! Arghhh!

halloween breakfast

2011-10-18T11:05:00.002-04:00

How perfect is this for Halloween morning!? I love it!

(via The Whatever)

why didn't i think of that series :: cupcake carrier

2011-10-12T12:31:00.001-04:00

Things are super busy here at A. Party Style. As it does every year, October gives me a run for my money! So, while I make some headway on my never-ending to-do list, I wanted to share this gem of an idea I saw via Real Simple via Pinterest. I fits perfectly in the "Why didn't I think of that series"... With as many cupcakes as I transport, really, why didn't I think of that!? A lot of the times I even carry them in shirt boxes. I will be taking it one step further now with this brilliant idea. I own actual cupcake carriers too, but I never seem to have enough. This is perfect!

Image and idea via Real Simple

picnic party

2011-10-09T20:26:00.003-04:00

Yay, the Picnic Party... I finally got my rear in gear to post! Here are the pictures and details about Aubrey's third birthday. (Warning: grab a cup of coffee, this is near novel length!) I kept the styling true to classic picnic through red/white gingham, baskets, games and ants. LOTS of ants! With the checkered fabric, of course red and white became the basic color palette, but I also added yellow sunflowers to the mix for a third dimension of color. The weather was perfect that day - picture perfect for an afternoon picnic!

Obviously, you can't have a picnic without sandwiches, right!? We had a sandwich bar, of sorts, where guests could choose their favorite ingredients to build their own mouth-watering masterpiece. Other traditional picnic fare included both pasta and potato salads, veggie dip cups, corn on the cob, and of course, watermelon! I also couldn't resist making, ahem, Ants on a Log! (Just an extra little tidbit... for allergy reasons, I used cream cheese instead of peanut butter and it was quite tasty. I had never tried it that way.)

The "plates", if you will, served two purposes. Beyond being a plate, it was also one of the favors for the guests to take home. I found frisbees (only 50¢ each!) at Michael's early in the summer season. I put a paper plate inside the frisbee for eating. The frisbee provided much need stability while piling on the grub. For the favor aspect, we made custom stickers for the top. Not only could the guests play frisbee with each other at the party, they got to take them home for some fun too. We put all the "plates" in a huge basket for quests to easily grab at the beginning of the food table. The paper plates were perfect right!? Ants and all! The huge basket was originally a part of an arrangement I received. When my grandfather died earlier this year, I received an extremely nice sympathy gift of a hydrangea plant and a rose bush. Impressed with the basket, I knew I should keep it for "something down the road". A basket for a picnic party - how perfect! This is a good example of how to build up prop inventory.

We had lots of games and activities for the guests. The bounce house is always the favorite!

At most of our parties, we manage to stay in the backyard, but this time we spilled out into the front. Because we were going to be eating an actual meal (verses just finger food) we set up tables in the backyard. Since we live on a little lot, that didn't leave much room for all the games/activities - ergo the spillage into the front yard. We do live on a pretty quite street, but I still wanted to make sure the kids stayed safe in the front yard. I looked into buying some cute barriers that still fit the theme, but I'm a pretty cheap, I mean frugal, person and they were a little pricier than I was willing to pay - even from Oriental Trading Company.

So what did I do!? Cue handy-man hubby... (Remember the VW Bus he made for last year's party? Yeah, that architect hubby!) Jeromy headed to our local hardware store and asked for a couple of shipping pallets. They gladly obliged - a few less they have to deal with. He disassembled them and re-worked the pieces into a split-rail fence. It looked like it had been there for years and it fit the classic picnic theme perfectly.

That just might have been my favorite part of the party! Two reasons- a) it was absolutely free and b) it provided both function and aesthetics to the party. (And hint, hint... you will see this fence again real soon. It has a special spooky quality to it too! Talk about getting some bang for your buck - We are going to have 50 feet of "decoration" for two different occasions for absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero dollars! I love me a bargain!)

In our playroom, we have a little toy market. Along with a cash register and play food, obviously the girls use it for imaginative play, but we have also used it for a lemonade stand during our tag sale last year. And now add another use to the list - party candy bar. The "fruit bins" displayed the wrapped candy beautifully and a few berry baskets on the "top counter" held the scoopable candy. (Hint: Buy your candy at the dollar store. You have lots of color options and it's only a dollar a bag.) My crazed party self really wanted to change the canopy to match the party, but time was not on my side so that did not get done.

I know I showed you the cake before, but come on, I can't have a party post without some frosting!!!

I'm so excited to tell you about the centerpieces that I arranged throughout the party. So excited because they were so cheap and easy! I received the cans from a family friend who owns a local specialty grocery store. They sell several ready-made recipes at their deli counter. Being Italian, a lot of the recipes call for tomatoes and/or olives. I asked for the empty cans. Like the pallets, they were happy to help (as they always are), but this also got the cans out of their way. Free cans - check! The day before the party, I bought several packages of day-old marked-down fruits and veggies from my big box grocery store. I bought enough for 15 arrangements for only $10! At the same store, I asked the bakery if they had any old bread they were selling for discount. The head baker told me to return that night at 11pm and I could get them for free! So, cheap fruit and bread - check! And finally, the same week as the party, I spotted sunflowers discounted (again at the same grocery store) for $6 per bundle (each bundle had 5 flowers). They were huge and beautiful so I ordered 5 bundles! For 25 huge flowers, I paid $30! Don't discredit the floral shop at the big box stores. Where else can you special order flowers for $30!? To recap, I made 15 arrangements in the cans, an arrangement in the little grocery cart we have (pictured below) and an arrangement of sunflowers next to the candy bar for forty dollars. $40!!!!!! See, I told you I was ~~cheap~~ ~~tight~~ frugal. Be resourceful and you will be surprised what you can come up with!

For the drink area, I used several different serving methods. The iced tea and lemonade were in my glass beverage dispensers that you've seen several times before. (Sidebar: I bought them about two years ago at BJ's for $25 each. I recently saw the EXACT same dispenser for sale in a boutique magazine for $110 each! Shop around!) We also had cherry and lemon sodas (color coordinating finds at TJ Maxx), beer and water. The vintage-style sodas bottles and water were served over ice in our red wagon. Use what you've got!

As I said before, we had lots of ants... Some small (arranged perfect on the food table), some large (as part of the centerpieces) and some real - a REAL ant farm. The kids loved it!

Since the frisbee favors were for everyone, I decided to do a little something extra for the little ones. I found these little picnic baskets at Michael's, used my 50% off coupon, and started crafting! In addition to the gingham fabric, I added a little sunflower detail to really customize the baskets to our party. I filled them with Lemon Head candy and they were complete!

One more little detail I want to tell you about is Aubrey's outfit. While looking for something completely different, I happened to find the gingham and eyelet skirt at Goodwill for 99¢! Her size and everything. I have lots of friends that can't believe some of the stuff I find for my parties. Finding this skirt even had me pretty amazed! What are the chances!? To really bring the theme home, I had my friend Lesley tack on three little ants to her t-shirt for her third birthday.

And again, a special shout out to Stephanie Anestis Photography for capturing the day so beautifully! If you are in Connecticut and need a photographer, I've got your girl! Stephanie is a gem and such a sweetheart. Not that I have to prove to you that my photography skills are sub-par to hers, but here is a perfect example. She took a couple of quick shots of this party's invitation - see mine here. Yeap, I told ya she's good!

picnic party cake

2011-10-02T10:27:00.003-04:00

I recently received the great photos from Bree's picnic birthday party. (Stephanie Anestis Photography blew me away - such talent!!!) Since there are so many pictures, I thought I'd break this up into a couple post so I don't overwhelm everyone - or lose you to, ahem, boredom!

Here is the cake. I didn't go too crazy because I only started it the night before. Yeap, it ended up being an all-nighter. The sunflower cupcakes were chocolate and the cake was vanilla. I airbrushed the watermelon layer and was happy with how it turned out. I have to say the little ants have got to be my favorite part though. They crack me up!

mingle magazine

2011-09-28T12:22:00.000-04:00

Okay friends, humor me for a minute. I'm kinda crazy with excitement!!! (Warning: excessive use of exclamation points in this post.) The Mingle Magazine will be on shelves in 4 days!!! As I've said before, not only am I surprised (and humbled) that I'm in a magazine, but this past weekend, I found out the one and only Kim from The TomKat Studio is featured as well. This is just nuts to me... She is one of the party stylists who I have looked up to and "wanted to be when I grew up" since I started my little business/blog. As I told her this past weekend, she has provided inspiration to so many of us to do what we love to do and showed us how to do it with such poise and humility. To be included with someone who I have such adoration for, as well as other talents, is a weird feeling. I can't believe this is happening!!!

So, this Saturday, I will be driving around town to see the magazine on shelves. (I know, I'm a dork right!?) In the meantime, look what I spotted yesterday... the table of contents for the premiere issue for Mingle. There I am!!! On page 90!!! I can't wait!!!

sneak peek :: picnic party

2011-09-22T10:57:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated my youngest daughter's third birthday with friends. It was a classic picnic theme with plenty of gingham, sunflowers and ants! After many hours of hard work, we pulled it off - barely! I could not have done it without the constant support from my husband and lots of friends pitching in to make my vision a reality. I got an extremely late start on this party prep due to other jobs, so their help is what made this party happen. Thank you, Thank you!!!

I also have to give a shout out to my friend and skilled photographer, Stephanie. She did an absolutely fabulous job capturing the event! Check out her beautiful work on her website and her blog. I can't wait to show you all the pictures, but in the meantime here is a little sneak peek of the day.

retirement cake

2011-09-21T11:29:00.002-04:00

Last Monday, I delivered a cake for a surprise retirement party. It was a big cake that took me a long time - 56 hours to exact! (Ouch!) I was given a list of items about the retiree and included them all on the cake - a collage about him and his 26 years of service as a safety director of a construction company. My favorite parts were the fishing pole and the hard hat. (Major props to my hubby for building me an outstanding base for the hard hat! Doesn't it look great!?)

picnic invitations

2011-09-16T11:51:00.000-04:00

My daughter's third birthday party is coming up this weekend - busy, busy!!! (Anyone wanna come help!? Please!?) While I finish up last minute details, I thought I'd share the invites I created. I've had this idea for years and was so excited I finally had an event to use it for.

The party theme is classic picnic. Like I said, I have had this idea stored in my head for a long time, but I do have to give a shout out to Jessica from Two Shades of Pink for one awesome element. While designing the invites, I searched other picnic invitations. I stumbled upon Jessica's and just had to use her genius RSVP idea for the milk carton. Hilarious, right!?

The envelope is made from a brown lunch bag. (I included a photo on how to fold it.) For the sandwiches, I made each individual piece, put them all together and then placed the finished sandwich in a fold-over sandwich bag. The lettuce is a crumpled piece of green Post-it note. The cheese is cardstock punched with two different sized hole punches. For the meat, I raided my never-ending stash of paper; I cut it out and then outlined the edge with a marker. The bread and tomato were just printed from images I found online.

When creating an invitation, you should always include the who, what, when, why and where. So each piece of the "picnic lunch" represented on of those elements.

1. The napkin includes the "who" (Bree), "what" (a picnic) and the "why" (3rd birthday).
2. The pickle states the "where".
3. The sandwich tells guests "when".
4. The milk carton captures the necessity of RSVP-ing in a comical way.
5. And finally the watermelon, was left for any other notes. In our case, requesting guests to come empty handed.

halloween inspiration :: balloons

2011-09-13T16:49:00.002-04:00

(image and how-to via Crafty Crafty)

As Halloween approaches, I have been spotting lots of great ideas and inspiration. Like this beauty - spider web balloon. So cool! So creative! I've got to find the supplies and try this myself. Has anyone else made these? Any hints for us rookies?

In other news, I have a little feature over at Be @ Home. Wow, I'm with such great company. More blogs to get wrapped up in...

ms halloween magazine

2011-09-09T10:29:00.000-04:00

It's here!!! The annual Martha Stewart Halloween magazine is on newsstands now. For me, this day has the same level of excitement as the day I receive my Girl Scout cookie order - it's the little things that get me excited. I picked up my copy yesterday and read it from cover to cover last night (while watching my OSU Cowboys beat Arizona - Yay!).

There is a lot of repeat ideas from years past, but a good balance of new inspiration as well. A couple of my new favorites:
1. Every year the cover is Martha all made up in a fabulous costume. This year does not disappoint - "Motha". I love it!
2. A how-to for spooky, haunted house windows using card board.
3. A witch template to adorn your candy apple sticks.

With Halloween creeping into my job schedule, seeing supplies/decorations at the stores and now reading the "official" Halloween magazine, I getting amped up for my favorite holiday!

published :: mingle magazine

2011-09-01T19:48:00.000-04:00

I'm giddy as a school girl over here folks! While on vacation, one of my dreams came true. I found out I'm going to be published in a magazine! So cool, right!?

I was contacted by Stampington & Company asking if I would be interested in being featured in one of their magazines. (Ahhh, yes please!) With 30+ different magazines, each one about different aspects of the arts and crafts industry, you are sure to find inspiration in your area of interest. Their newest publication will be called Mingle and it hits stands this October. Mingle will be a magazine all about party planning, as well as DIY decor. My article will be in the premier issue - I am over the moon excited! I will update details as the release gets closer. I can tell you the magazine will be available at Joann's, Michael's, Barnes and Noble, Lowe's and Costco.

I am extremely honored and humbled to be given this opportunity. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I guess I have to start dreaming up a new dream... bigger and brighter things ahead. Believe you can and you will. And I also have to thank all of you, my wonderful readers, for your constant encouragement and support.

miscellaneous

2011-08-26T19:49:00.000-04:00

Hi all! I have neglected my little blog space for awhile. So much going on... We enjoyed a wonderful vacation on Cape Cod and then another week in California. I've decided I want to be a professional vacationer! During vacation, I had one of my all time dreams come true. (Details to come!!!!) Now that we are back, we are prepping for 'Mean Irene'. I've never been in a hurricane and apparently this one is headed right for us. So, I wanted to check in before she made landfall in case we are without power afterwards. I hope and pray everyone up and down the east coast stays safe! See you on the other side...

s'more cocktail

2011-08-10T21:19:00.001-04:00

In case you haven't heard, today is National S'more Day! A timeless summer treat that evokes childhood memories in all of us. Well, today I found a little twist on the campground dessert that is worthy of adult memories.

(image and recipe via examiner.com)

S'moretini

32 oz. Vodka

16 oz. Chocolate Liqueur

1 sleeve graham crackers (or more if needed)

1 jar marshmallow creme (Marshmallow Fluff)

1 bag wooden skewers

1bag miniature marshmallows

Pour vodka and chocolate liqueur into a 64 ounce pitcher and stir. Refrigerate for several hours until very cold. Crush graham crackers and place into a small bowl. Rim 16 martini glasses with marshmallow creme. Dip glasses into graham cracker crumbs and shake gently to remove excess. Place marshmallows on skewers and toast over an open flame (grill or fire pit preferably). Pour 3 ounces of cold drink mixture into each prepared glass and garnish with toasted marshmallow.

Doesn't this sound good!? I'll take one and then s'more! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

green dessert table

2011-08-07T20:03:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, two of our dearest friends recently got married. I, along with my incredibly helpful hubby, created the dessert table for the event. The venue was a great space in Brooklyn, NY called The Green Building. In turn, green became the color of the wedding. It was perfect - modern, clean, and so them!

Now, trying to make a green dessert table was a bit of a challenge. I obviously wanted to incorporate the color, but in a natural form. Most green foods fall in the veggie category (not all that helpful when trying to create sweet treats.) So, I used green fruits, pistachios and little garnishes to capture the color, while keeping the rest of the foods a neutral white/cream.

We also incorporated color with paper and ribbon details on the runner, boxes and vases. The name tags and their holders contributed more green to the table. Funny story... the tag holders were a serendipitous find in the Michael's dollar bin. During the design process, we wanted the green little cubes, but decided against them due to their high cost through the MoMA store (the only place we could find them). I'm sure I scared a few customers when I cheered out loud upon seeing them at Michael's for $1! And it was only a few weeks before the event. Oh, the little things that make a planner happy...

Due to the logistics of the day, I wasn't able to have the photographer shoot my table. So Jeromy and I set it up briefly, earlier in the day, so I could take a couple shots myself. With that said, there is one detail missing - the spoons for the kiwi shortcake shooters. I didn't put them in for the "mock-up" because I was afraid they would sink down too far and not look their best at the event. For the final presentation, the spoons were in. Seems silly to call attention to this, but I have had a few people ask "how did people eat the kiwi shooters?", so I wanted to make sure and clarify.

The desserts were kiwi shortcake shooters, vanilla cupcakes, margarita cupcakes, macaron pops, key lime pies and pistachio cheesecake truffles. Yummy!

max + jejon wedding

2011-08-03T19:08:00.001-04:00

(image via Khaki Bedford Weddings)

A couple of weekends ago, some of our best friends got married. It was a beautiful wedding!!! So much so, that today it was featured here on Brooklyn Bride. Congrats Max and Jejon!

PS - I soon as I get my act together, I'll show you the dessert table I did for them.

xmas in july :: giveaway winner

2011-07-31T16:54:00.002-04:00

The winner to the $25 gift certificate from Tiny Prints is #4! Congrats! I will send the winner an email. And with that, the Christmas in July series is complete.... Until next year!

xmas in july :: ornament storage

2011-07-30T08:03:00.000-04:00

After all the gifts are opened and the guests have left, the next holiday season job is the decoration take-down. A big job! (Doesn't it always seem like much more work to take it all down than it is to put it up?) Here are a few brilliant ideas to help with your ornament storage.

(image and how-to via Design a la Mod)

(image via Martha Stewart)

(image via Re-Nest via Pinterest)

xmas in july :: christmas cakes

2011-07-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

These are a couple of holiday cakes I've done in the past (and previously posted), but I couldn't do a Christmas series and not have any holiday goodies, right?!

xmas in july :: wine bottle wrapping

2011-07-28T09:27:00.000-04:00

A bottle of wine is a very traditional hostess gift. During the holidays, why not make it a little more festive with jingle bells. Simply tie a bow from any wide holiday ribbon to your bottle of wine. Next, tie jingle bells cascading down onto a very thin wire ribbon. Wrap and tie the bell ribbon in front of the bow. Viola!

xmas in july :: sponsor preview + giveaway

2011-07-27T09:18:00.004-04:00

My sponsor, Tiny Prints, emailed after seeing my Christmas in July series and wanted to get in on the action! It is never too early to start thinking about your Christmas cards. So, they wanted to share this holiday preview with you. There are some pretty cute designs this year! What's your favorite?

Now, for the giveaway... Tiny Prints is giving one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate! Sweet, right!? I will keep this contest simple. To enter, simply go check out the link above, come back and leave a comment here telling me which design is your favorite. I will use Random.org to select the winner. Make sure to include your email so I can get a hold of you if you're the winner.

The winner will be chosen and announced on Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 12:00pm. Good luck!

xmas in july :: wants and wishes

2011-07-25T10:42:00.005-04:00

In last year's series, I did a list of personal wants and wishes on the 25th (exactly 5 months out from Christmas!) Guess what!? It worked. My mom went back and looked at that post and sent us one of the gifts from my list. So sweet! So, I'm going to try again this year! :) Just kidding, my main reason for sharing is maybe you will find some gift inspiration for those on your list as well.

Keurig, please! I'm a wee-bit addicted to my iced coffee's.

For the whimsical! You have to check out this etsy shop. Amazing little jewelry creations (some of which are hilarious). I figured I needed the one with the piping bag!

I was so happy when I stumbled upon this product. It made me feel better to know that others are as overwhelmed as I am when it comes to remembering all those passwords, log-ins, and usernames.

Password Log by See Jane Work

Ahhhh, any designers dream... a full set of Pantone markers. (I think my heart just skipped a beat.)

I'm tired. I'm tired of writing my address. (Yes, I know, pretty lazy.) I want one of these address stamps from Paperwink.

And finally, a guilty pleasure. I know I don't need another cake stand, but why not, it's Christmas, right!? Wait, BLACK!?! I take that back, I do NEED a new cake stand. Martha's collection via Macy's.

xmas in july :: homemade gifts

2011-07-24T09:54:00.001-04:00

Every year I make a few homemade gifts for neighbors, friends and others that help me throughout the year. I started looking for ideas for this year's gifts and thought I'd share some of the gems I found.

Homemade Granola

(image and recipe via Country Living)

Homemade Salt Scrub

(image and recipe via Sunset)

Homemade Flavored Sugars

(image and recipe via Style Me Pretty)

(you can also use other flavors like vanilla, peppermint, etc.)

And for the kids...

Snowman in a Box

(image and how-to via Make it Do)

xmas in july :: eco-friendly holiday cards

2011-07-21T08:48:00.006-04:00

This idea is from December 2010 Martha Stewart. I tore it out because I thought it was such a great idea. You use one piece of paper for the card/letter and then fold it into the envelope. Not only is it one less piece for the sender to purchase, but the environment will thank you, too.

(image and how-to via Martha Stewart)

xmas in july :: advent calendars

2011-07-19T08:14:00.003-04:00

Kids love Christmas. The countdown until the 25th is like torture for them. How about making it a little easier with some of these creative (and adorable) advent calendars.

(image, tutorial and free printables via Just Something I Made)

(image and how-to via Homework)

(knitting pattern available for purchase here)

xmas in july :: creative wrapping

2011-07-17T15:00:00.001-04:00

It's been said a million times before, but definitely deserves to be said a million more times. The presentation of a gift can be as important as the gift itself. The way it is wrapped can build even more anticipation of what lies beneath the paper. The recipient will appreciate, and feel special, for the extra effort. Here are a few examples/ideas of taking your gifts to the next level.

(images via goodhousekeeping.com)

(image source and how-to)

xmas in july :: christmas card

2011-07-15T10:14:00.001-04:00

My husband and I design our Christmas cards every year. (And every year I say "why do we do this to ourselves?!") We are usually up until wee hours of the morning designing, printing, trimming, embellishing, etc. for several nights trying to get them out the door. Last year I came so close to ending the annual tradition of making our own. Especially after I saw this simple, but funny card on etsy.

(image source)

Oh and for any new readers, if you're interested, you can check out a few of our past cards here, here, here and here.

xmas in july :: decorating with ribbons

2011-07-13T21:32:00.001-04:00

Almost all of my Christmas trees have ribbon incorporated as part of their overall decoration. I wrap wide ribbon, thin ribbon, even curly wrapping ribbon around and around for depth and more color. They are all wrapped horizontally around the tree starting from the top all the way to the bottom. Until now! In last year's Grandin Road Christmas catalog, I torn out this picture. The vertically oriented ribbons give a whole new look. I love it! As you can see from my scribbles, I also love the feather plum topper.

xmas in july :: ornament display

2011-07-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

In last year's series, I shared a space-saving ornament display that I had seen at the National Stationery Show. At this year's show, I spotted a similar idea, yet even simpler, at the MoMA booth. It's ideal for apartment dwellers who are tight on space, yet still want to decorate. Also, look at those beautiful ornaments! I lust after them every year in MoMA catalog. So bright and cheery!

xmas in july :: pink tree inspiration

2011-07-10T18:44:00.003-04:00

I have a decorated tree in every room of my house - each with it's own theme. Some are big and some are small. After Christmas last year, I found a pink 6' tree for $8! Not that I needed another tree, but it was only $8! How could I pass it up!? And it was pink! You should have seen the look I got from my hubby! I still don't know which he was more upset at - the fact that it was pink or that we don't need yet another tree. :)

So, since this will be the first year I'm putting it up, I'm on the hunt for inspiration. I gathered a few ideas. Which one do you like best?

A) Iridescent and Glass Ornaments

(image source)

B) Candy/Sweets

(image source)

C) Pink Ornaments

(image source)

xmas in july :: mantel decorations

2011-07-07T21:34:00.001-04:00

One of the first things I do when putting up my Christmas decorations is to decorate the mantel. It gets me in the holiday spirit, plus it's a small enough area that can be completed fairly quickly. Quick is not the case for this beautiful display I spotted via desire to inspire! 500+ glass ornaments hand wired and twisted together - WOW! Now that's a mantel!!!! I definitely have a new inspiration for my own fireplace. Simply stunning!

(image source)

xmas in july :: annual series

2011-07-05T21:07:00.000-04:00

It's baaaaack... last year I did a little series called xmas in july. Throughout the month, I shared Christmas traditions, ideas and crafts from my own family as well as showcased some other great ideas I had stumbled across. If you are anything like me, the holiday season sneaks up so fast and I feel overwhelmed. So, in an effort to alleviate those stresses and actually enjoy the season, I thought I'd get a jump on things. It worked last year, so I wanted to do it again. (If you like it, we can turn it into an annual thing???) I know it's weird to be thinking of Santa Claus, white Christmas' and eggnog while the thermostat soars outside, but just think how nice it will be to be one step ahead.

To kick us off, I go to the amazing Martha Stewart team. I have had this idea saved in my Christmas inspiration folder for years, but unfortunately I only have one tree in my front yard. If you are blessed with trunks, check out the supplies needed and how-to here.

And wait, I just had an ah-ha moment.... Since we just celebrated the 4th of July, stars and stripes are on my mind. This project would work for Independence Day too! You could use red and white lights for the stripes and blue lights for the star. To do this, make sure to plan ahead and buy the colors this holiday shopping season.

happy birthday america

2011-07-04T10:56:00.000-04:00

(image via flickr)

Happy Birthday,

AMERICA!

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Please remember our current soldiers, as well as past, who have worked so hard for our freedom.

fourth of july ideas

2011-07-01T17:18:00.002-04:00

I just finished putting together a couple of last minute 4th of July gifts. I wanted to share in case anyone else needs some last minute ideas.

My family and I are meeting some friends tonight at our town's firework display. I made all the children in our group a little favor - a bag of perfectly ripe summer fruit. (Isn't it ironic that strawberries, blueberries, and cherries are all in season around the 4th of July!? Sure comes in handy, huh?) I started with a gusseted poly bag. For the fruit, I used Rainier cherries because they are red and white along with blueberries to round out the colors of this patriotic holiday. For the tags, I printed little American flags, cut them into circles sized to fit some tag sale tags I already had on hand. Then, to finish the package, I tied a coordinating ribbon. Quick and easy, but still festive!

Next up, is a little hostess gift I threw together. (I was inspired by this idea from You Are My Fave via Pinterest.) Tomorrow we are headed to see some friends that just moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts. Beyond their housewarming gift, I also wanted to bring a small gift thanking them for having us. With it being the holiday weekend, I took a patriotic spin for the ribbon and tag. A gift we can all enjoy together while making memories. And, who doesn't love to eat watermelon on a beautiful summer day!?

And finally, look at this other fabulous idea found via Pink and Green Mama via Pinterest... we will definitely be doing this on Monday! The kids will love it!

ny rangers cake

2011-06-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I filled a cake order for a woman who bought a gift certificate I donated to a cancer benefit for a little girl who is still in a fight for her life. (Prayers welcomed and needed!) The purchaser decided to use her certificate for her husband's birthday. As you can probably guess from the finished product, he is an avid New York Rangers fan. I had the logo printed on sugar paper and placed it front and center on top. Along the sides, I made plaques with numbers of well-known players and a hockey cake wouldn't be complete without a few sticks and pucks about.

new look

2011-06-24T13:56:00.000-04:00

www.apartystyle.com

Welcome to the new look of A. Party Style! I am thrilled with the new design and I hope you like it too. Beyond the look, there are a few other things I'd like to point out. There are now pages at the top (some still "in the works"). I also switched domains in the process, so new web address as well as a new email. I'm a dot com now - I feel so grown up! :)

I didn't do this alone - trust me! I could not have done it without the talent (and patience) of Carolyn. She was fabulous to work with! If you are in the market to tweak your blog or do a complete overhaul, Carolyn is your gal. You will not be disappointed. Check out her work here. (While you're there, check out her cool stories about living in Austria.)

under construction

2011-06-23T15:29:00.001-04:00

Please excuse the mess for the next couple of days.... a new site design and a domain switch are in the works. (I'm so giddy with excitement!) So, if something looks off and/or weird, that's why. Bear with me while we work out all the kinks.

happy summer

2011-06-21T20:09:00.000-04:00

Well, the summer season is now officially upon us. Here's to drinking lemonade, lounging on the deck, watching baseball games and visiting the beach.

Speaking of beach, tomorrow I'm doing a little cake decorating with my daughter's kindergarten class. This should be interesting! :) They are each going to be making a simple little beach scene atop their own cupcake. I made a mock-up for the kids to look at and sharing it seemed appropriate on this summer solstice day.

happy father's day

2011-06-19T18:33:00.001-04:00

Wishing all the wonderful dads a

Happy Father's Day!

Along with some friends, my family and I had a little breakfast on the back porch. A small celebration of gratitude to my husband - the best dad a wife could ask for! And, of course, I have to thank my own father on this day. I wish I could have made him breakfast too, but unfortunately the miles between us make that impossible. In his honor, I listened to Jimmy Buffett's Little Miss Magic - our song. Not only did I listen to that song countless times with my father throughout my childhood, but it was the song my dad and I danced to at my wedding.

I love you both!

flavor flags

2011-06-17T09:16:00.002-04:00

{image scanned from Martha Stewart Living July 2011}

Did you see these adorable favor bags in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living? Fantastic right!? These would be perfect for any 4th of July celebration! I searched for a better photo online (it's not even on marthastewart.com yet!?), but came up empty handed so I just scanned the magazine. For the ease of your eyes, I have re-typed the how-to/instructions below.

Gift To Go - Flavor Flags
A spirited holiday celebration calls for a fun take-home treat, like this goody bag of candies arranged to resemble the American flag. Start by partially filling a 2-by-10 cellophane bag with blue candies to stand in for stars. Then add red and white candy sticks to mimic stripes. Tie the bag with red waxed twine, and don't be surprised if you catch yourself humming "Stars and Stripes Forever".
Cellophane bags, 2" by 10", $6 for 100, groovycandies.com. Blue sixlets, $6 per lb., economycandy.com. Cocoa stirrers, in Vanilla and Cinnamon, $8 for 5 oz., hammondscandies.com. Waxed linen thread, in Country Red, $13 for 100 yd., caning.com.

teacher gift :: hand-stamped tote

2011-06-16T13:43:00.001-04:00

The end of the school year is fast approaching. (Well, for those of us on the east coast anyway. We are still paying for the awful winter we had. Snow days are fun until you have to make them all up! Our particular district doesn't get out until June 27th - ouch!) So, with the end of the year comes teacher gifts. For my daughter's kindergarten teacher, the class parents are collectively pulling money to buy her a gift card. She will get to pick out something for herself, but we also wanted to give her something that captured the students she impacted this year.

I bought a burlap tote at Joann's (on sale even!) and fabric paint. I went into the classroom (secretly on a day the teacher was absent) and helped the children stamp their hand prints onto the tote. The tote was the perfect size - the front and back was just enough space for the 17 students in her class. After the paint was completely dry, I wrote their names below each of their hand prints. (I made sure to take note of who's hand was who's while stamping.)

I hope she gets good use out of the bag - holding her lunch, transporting papers or simply carrying a good book and sunscreen to the beach this summer. I also hope it reminds her of a group of students that love her dearly and are forever impacted by her gift of teaching.

Thank you for a wonderful year, Mrs. Ferguson!

homemade ice cream

2011-06-14T22:21:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, we hosted a little going away party for some of our neighbors who are returning to Boston. (We will miss you, Larco family!) For the menu, I decided to go with a Mexican theme - fajitas and margaritas. Yummy! The food was good, but the company was great! Now as you can imagine, no one leaves my house without dessert. We made homemade vanilla ice cream (which is one of my all-time favorites), but I gave it a little Mexican flair to fit with the theme. I garnished each dish with a cinnamon-sugar tortilla and cayenne pepper caramel sauce. Have I peaked your interest yet? If yes, recipes below!

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

5 egg whites

1 3/4 cup sugar

5 egg yolks

7 cups half and half

1 3/4 tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites in large bowl until foamy. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. In small bowl, beat egg yolks until lemon in color. Add 1 cup sugar and beat until dissolved. Fold yolks into egg whites gradually. Stir in cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until think (about 12 minutes). DO NOT BOIL. Stir in vanilla. Chill thoroughly. Freeze per ice cream machine directions.

Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas

1 pkg 8-inch flour tortillas

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp sugar

Place tortillas on a cookie sheet. Cut tortillas with a pizza cutter for uniform size/shape (or break into uneven pieces once baked). Brush liberally with butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 400° F until crispy and sugar has melted onto the tortillas (about 7-8 minutes). Let tortillas cool completely.

Cayenne Caramel Sauce

16 oz. store bought caramel sauce for ice cream

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

In a small saucepan, warm caramel sauce, cayenne pepper and cinnamon over low heat. Drizzle on top of ice cream. Serve immediately.

Oh, great! Writing this is making my mouth water again. I may just have to make this for the two different sets of house guests we are hosting this weekend.

tuscan dessert table :: part two

2011-06-07T09:28:00.000-04:00

You might remember a tuscan dessert table I did awhile back. I recently received some photos from the photographers of that event and wanted to share them with you. As I expected, these photos are far better than any of my pictures.

(photographed by studio duda)

(Ayub, food photographer for Leon's Restaurant)

rainbow cake

2011-06-04T13:07:00.001-04:00

For those Pinterest addicts like myself, you have probably already seen this fantastic cake. I still wanted to post it for a couple of reasons though. One, for those who are not on Pinterest and secondly, because what comes after dark clouds? A rainbow, of course! When I sat down at the computer, this cake was the first imagine that caught my eye today. Since I've been grasping at straws lately to have things turn around for the better, I took this as a sign that brighter days are ahead.

(image source)

Isn't this cake gorgeous!? Brings a smile to my face. I love when simple designs prove to be superior. Here's to better, brighter days...

dark cloud

2011-06-02T22:45:00.001-04:00

I've been a very bad blogger - so sorry! In my defense, it's been a rough few weeks around here; my grandfathers passing was only the beginning. A dark cloud of sorts. Lots of hard, sad stuff happening lately that has taken up any of my free time. I continued to fill orders, work on projects and teach classes, but unfortunately, there has been no time left for blogging. But, seeing as this a party blog, no need to talk about all that - lets talk about fun stuff! I just wanted to check-in and say things are starting to turn around and I'll be back soon. I have lots to share... As soon as I finish up some more orders and a cake for this weekend, I'll be full swing again. Thanks for understanding.

On a happier note, I do have some exciting news to share that will benefit all of you. I am currently working with a talented designer on a blog redesign. I am so thrilled and hope you like it too. Coming soon...

grandpa riedel

2011-05-19T11:41:00.000-04:00

My heart is heavy. My beloved Grandpa Riedel suddenly passed away yesterday. Some of you might remember I just lost my Grandma, his wife, just a few months ago. I like to think they just couldn't be apart - he went to join her in heaven. I can just see them, in their restored, non-hurting bodies dancing their infamous German polka.

I love this picture of him and my daughter from a couple of years ago. What a discussion they were having! As usual, he was passing along his wisdom and love.

So bear with me while I travel to be with my family, reminiscing about all the great things this man did in his life and healing our aching hearts. I feel really bad about not posting lately, but sometimes life just gets in the way. While my parents were visiting, I really tried to stay away from the computer and enjoy our time together. And now there is this. I'm sorry and I'll be back soon.

national stationery show

2011-05-12T13:50:00.000-04:00

I am having such a fun week! My parents are visiting us from California. We don't see each other very often, so when we do, we really try to live it up. We are doing a lot of shopping, playing golf, heading to NYC for a Broadway show and (the best part of all) my mom and I are headed to the National Stationery Show on Monday. Yay!!! I love going to the show, but this year will be extra special because I'm going with my best friend. We jokingly call her my "west coast correspondent", but she really does do a lot for my business and blog. I value her design eye and she's constantly helping me through the process on a lot of my projects.

Another thing that really has me excited about this year's show is one of the guest speakers - Darcy Miller! Yeah, you know the editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings. Cool, huh!? I'm looking forward to hearing her perspective on the current/future trends.

So after my family leaves, I have so much to share with you - my Bloggy Boot Camp conference details and all the eye candy from NSS.

happy mother's day

2011-05-08T23:19:00.002-04:00

I hope you were all pampered and appreciated today. I felt very loved - handmade cards, flowers and lots of yummy food! Seeing as we were out of town, all three meals were eaten out today. Um, yes, I loved not having to wash any dishes, but now I will be wearing elastic pants all week!

My husbands birthday happened to fall on Mother's Day this year so we celebrated together by taking the family for a fun little get-away to Beantown. While there, I also attended Bloggy Boot Camp. It was a lot of fun and I met several new "blogging buds". (My head is full of fantastic new tips/info - great conference!)

On Friday night we stayed at the hotel where the conference was taking place, but Saturday night we had to switch hotels because the first one was already booked. No problem - besides, I kind of like seeing different hotels. So, we checked in to the new one, made our way to our room and had just started enjoying the view when there was a knock at the door. It was flowers!!! My sweet hubby called the hotel to get a florist recommendation while I was at the conference. Aren't they pretty!? I've never gotten flowers delivered to me at a hotel. I felt so special. I felt so loved.

The florist was Winston Flowers. They are amazing! My photo does not do this arrangement justice. If you have any floral needs in the Boston area, I would highly recommend you call them. Jeromy said they were very helpful and really listened to what he told them I liked. Case in point, he mentioned one of my favorite flowers are calla lilies, but due to us traveling he just wanted a little arrangement. So, they fixed him up with a mini calla lily arrangement. Another detail I loved was they use beautiful, classic and very unique containers. I've never seen one like I received before. Even the message card sticks were cool! I'm weird, I know, but the little details get me all aflutter.

Also, while strolling down Newbury Street on our way to play in Boston Commons today, we just happened to walk by a Winston Flowers shop. I was even more impressed!!! More unique containers and more beautiful arrangements. Anyway, this is a wordy post (sorry!) to tell you about a wonderful floral resource in the Boston area. I will definitely be using them again. Matter of fact, I'm going to write them a little note telling them how happy we were with their service. I know I loving hearing from my customers. Great job, Winston Flowers!

And one final note...

Happy Mother's Day!!!

why didn't i think of that series :: vw bus cookies

2011-05-06T12:06:00.007-04:00

Lately, I keep coming across stuff - images, food, household ideas, etc. - and find myself saying the old adage...

"Now, why didn't I think of that!?"

So, here in starts a new series. As I find some of this "stuff", I'll pass it along. Most will be party related, but some won't be; some gems that are just too good not to share.

First up are these adorable VW bus cookies from the always inspiring i am baker. Aren't they cute!?

I sure wish I would have thought of these for my daughter's peace/second birthday party. They would have matched the VW bus photo booth we made perfectly.

These cookies would have been great on the dessert table!? Why didn't I think of that?

cinco de mayo :: margarita cupcakes

2011-05-05T10:47:00.002-04:00

Margaritas (my favorite drink, by the way) are obviously synonymous with Cinco de Mayo. So what do you get when you mix my favorite drink with my favorite food group (frosting, ahem!)? Margarita cupcakes, of course! I have always wanted to try and make some, but just haven't gotten around to it. (What's the hold up, Anne!?) Anyway, check out this round-up of pretty 'rita's!

(via a dozen eggs)

(via more via evnets by candace via two become one)

(via ray makes do via created by diane)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Now, I'm off to make a batch of margaritas - It's five o'clock somewhere, right!

construction cake

2011-05-03T19:11:00.000-04:00

I had a cake order this weekend for a little guy who loves construction - especially construction cones! His mom provided me with his favorite construction toy trucks and I included them in the design. I "excavated" out some of the cake and made a mound with it along with a little flag. I added a fondant road, some candy rocks and there you have it - an edible construction site!

A little sidebar I have to share... I still get nervous every time I deliver a cake. While driving, all I can think about is "I hope they like it, I hope they like it, etc." I always hope I have exceeded the clients expectations. Well, this delivery was awesome. Not only did they like it, but the mom even started crying! So sweet! She made me as happy as I made her. Thanks Kary!

may day

2011-05-01T10:18:00.000-04:00

Happy May Day!

My daughter and I are headed to a May Day birthday party today - so exciting! So with May Day on the brain, I had to share this clever cake from none other than Ms. Stewart! It's an oldie, but a goodie! I found it in my Martha Stewart Living 2002 Annual Recipes cookbook.

royal wedding fever

2011-04-28T16:02:00.000-04:00

I still haven't quite decided if I'm setting the alarm for 4:30 AM to watch the pomp and circumstance tomorrow. Are you? None the less, tomorrow's nuptials promise to be the wedding of the decade. Can you imagine being Kate right now!? Knowing MILLIONS of people are going to be looking at you would have me in a tizzy.

So, in honor of the festivities, I thought I'd share this fantastic (yet easy) fruit pizza I saw via Birthday Girl. Adorable and perfect breakfast fare!

Happy wedding watching!

camera to cartoon

2011-04-27T10:23:00.000-04:00

In last months Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I saw a great resource. The Story Studio section on Crayola.com. You have to check this out - so cool! You can turn one of your photos into a cartoon, print it and color it. How fun is that!?

After you log-in, you upload your own photo (or take a picture with your webcam) and the program uses facial recognition software to make a caricature of the photo. You can also add other details like accessories or fun backgrounds.

When I saw this, I immediately thought of kids' parties. Wouldn't these make a great party favor!? A custom coloring page and a small pack of crayons - perfect! You could even coordinate the story background with your party theme. Like the photo sample that's on the home page, your caricature in a baseball park for a baseball-themed party.

There are so many possibilities with this fun resource - from kids to adults! You could use this for invitations, tags, posters, etc.

easter basket cake

2011-04-24T22:36:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday! Here is the quick cake I made to take with us to some friends house. Being away from family on holidays is very hard, but we are so fortunate to have friends that open their home to us and welcome us in. Thank you Ferraro family!

grassy place card

2011-04-23T17:27:00.000-04:00

I'm working on an Easter cake for tomorrow, but I thought I'd take a break and show you a great little last-minute Easter dinner detail. I saved it from Martha Stewart Living a few years back. It's so easy and so cute! Check out the how-to here.

(image via Martha Stewart)

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

spring decorating

2011-04-20T22:57:00.000-04:00

I just have to show you guys something... While decorating one of my clients homes for Easter recently, I fell in love with a beautiful set of springtime terrarium bell jars. I was at the house by myself, so I couldn't inquire about where they got them, so I did the next best thing - flipped it over and looked for a tag. Of course, I should have known since they were so gorgeous - Williams-Sonoma! As soon as I got home, I searched Williams-Sonoma high and low to buy myself some, but, unfortunately, came up empty handed. They must be from spring collections past. How did I miss these!? So, like me, there's not really anything you can do about it if you like them, but I still had to share. They are so pretty!

My clients had several of them, so I grouped some together (above), but they also show beautifully being displayed individually like this picture below.

Beyond the look, another quality I love is they are not real glass - not too heavy and less likely to get broken. That's a plus in my active kid house! Maybe I should try and make some myself!?

april showers bring ella flowers

2011-04-19T11:29:00.000-04:00

Okay, are you ready for some pictures??? (Well, actually a lot of pictures!? a.k.a - long post! You've been warned!) As I've mentioned, we had an "April Showers Bring Ella Flowers" themed party for my oldest daughter's 6th birthday. With all of Ella's previous birthdays, the weather has been cold, wet and rainy, so this year we decided to embrace it and have a whole party themed around April showers. Ironically, the day actually ended up being one of the prettiest days yet this season. Of course, right!? With amazing help from my husband, we made everything you see. I also want to give a little shout out to my friend/photographer, Kate Panza. She captured the day perfectly. Enjoy!

Being married to an architect has lots of perks! Jeromy shares my passion for good design and layout. So, with a program called SketchUp, he modeled the room so we could best plan the space. With ease, we could move/switch things around. Below is one of the quick sketches. As simple as the drawing seems, it was a tremendous help. We used the sketches constantly to verify measurements for hanging elements, spacing activities, count seating, so on and so on. I realize not everyone has access to such great resources - both my husband and architectural drawing programs - but everyone DOES have a pencil/paper and a tape measure. With all of my jobs, I do a layout plan - with or without a computer.

Before I start the pictures, here is a quick refresher of the invites. Umbrellas and flowers - yep, that's what they got at the party too!

The wall opposite where guests walked in was covered in stacked umbrellas. Beyond being the initial site line for guests, the umbrellas provided a colorful backdrop to the food table. Since the party was from 1:30-3:30 we just needed a few snacks and, of course, cake!

We set up two long tables in the space - one for eating and one for the craft activities. Both tables were covered with hanging umbrellas adorned with acrylic "rain drops". Both tables also included astroturf runners with little rain boot centerpieces. Each place setting at the eating table had a flower placemat, plate and umbrella garnished cup!

This is a close-up photo of the craft table. At each seat was a little terra cotta pot and paper mache frame to be decorated with supplied foam stickers, markers and paint pens. They used the pot later in the party to plant their own pansy to take home. Likewise, for later, the frame was to put in their photo from the photo booth. (More on both of these a little later in the post.)

This was the donation area. Our family was blown away by the outpouring of contributions to benefit the devastated children of Japan. Along with a place for guests to drop their donations, the table housed another spring arrangement and the party favors. The favor bags, embellished with a thank you tag, ribbon and cocktail umbrella, included a packet of zinna seeds, a mini terra cotta pot and a soil disk for planting.

An easy little detail... toothpicks for the fruit and veggie trays. I hot-glued all the extra flowers from making the invites onto toothpicks. The kids loved these!

Look at these little ones eyeing the decorated umbrella cookies I made. Notice the rain boots behind the cookies? Since I had a few extras, I used them as the cake stand, too. I used the extra cocktail umbrellas for the kids' cups. They loved them! As a kid I remember how cool it was to get a drink with an umbrella in it!

Here are the girls hard at work decorating their pots and frames!

Another great part to the party was the multi-functional cloud - a centerpiece and a pinata! When guests first arrived, it was hanging high with the sewn paper rain drops "sprinkling" down. Directly under the cloud and rain drops, was the hopscotch board. We made the hopscotch numbers to resemble puddles; like the rain drops above were dripping into the puddles. (I doubt the kids made the connection, but I know the adults did.) After a fun round of hopscotch, we lowered the large handmade pinata and it was the next party activity for the girls.

Now, I might catch some slack for doing this... I read a book to the girls. I know, I know, not the most exciting thing to do at a birthday party (especially since they were enamored with their loot from the pinata!), but this book was perfect!!! Ella's Umbrellas - It is a cute little lesson book about sharing/giving.

As mentioned before, the girls decorated picture frames. We had to have something to go in the frames, right!? So we built a photo booth. We built the angled overhang "cloud" from foam core board and stuffing/batting. We added a few more sewn rain drops like the ones on the pinata. The blue backdrop is just cheap gift wrapping paper spliced together. On the floor, we put down a large piece of astroturf. After throwing in a few props - a couple of umbrellas and a bundle of flowers - the girls were ready for their photo shoot! There were both individual and group shots. So fun!

After all the planned activities, it was time for CAKE! It is truly an honor for me to have the skills to make my children's cakes. I love creating something special for them every year on their birthday. The two tiers are frosted with vanilla buttercream, but the rest of the decorations are gumpaste. This was the first time I ever made gumpaste flowers. I've still got lots to learn, but I thought they turned out okay for my first try.

Look at that smile - she is so happy! It just melts my heart.

One more...

On the invitation, we asked the kids to wear their rain boots. Getting the guests involved in the "decorations" always makes it fun. Kate captured a few fun shots of the kids in their boots. Adorable!

We held the party at a local park building. At this particular park, they have a lot of farm animals. Since it was such a beautiful day, the park ranger asked if we would like to take the guests out to see them and feed them. Ahhh, Yes! It was such a bonus for the kids. Ella got to ride in the park truck while the other kids ran behind - they were so cute and laughing all the way! They fed miniature horses, played with baby goats and petted show-winning rabbits. The kids got to go in the goat pin and run around with the momma and babies. They LOVED it - both the kids and the goats! They are all "kids" afterall! :) Ironically, one of the baby goats was named Ella. Very apropos!

THE END!

april showers bring ella flowers :: sneak peek

2011-04-14T22:55:00.000-04:00

I'm sifting through 150+ beautiful photographs... Wowza! This is going to be difficult.

Like this one...

See what I mean!? Gorgeous pictures!

Kate you are amazing!

I'll be back soon with a full post on the party.

april shower cupcakes

2011-04-11T20:50:00.000-04:00

Well, Ella's party was a lot of fun! I'm pooped though. With two large events in the last 10 days and a sprinkling of other little jobs too, I'm playing catch up. So, let me catch my breath and then I'll show you some pictures. I am so excited to see the photos my friend/photographer Kate Panza took of the party. She is very skilled behind the lens and I know she captured some beautiful shots!

In the meantime, look at these precious rainy day cupcakes. So cute. So clever. (I really thought about doing them for Ella's April Showers party - they would have been so perfect!)

Imagine via Bake it in a Cake

tuscan dessert table

2011-04-04T23:56:00.002-04:00

Remember the fundraiser dessert table I mentioned last week? Well, here are a few pictures... the theme for the evening was Tuscan. Sal, the beloved honoree of the evening, was Italian and used a tuscan color palette throughout his home so the theme was very fitting to him. I used photos from a trip to Tuscany a few years back to steer my inspiration. I put a couple pictures together as an inspiration board... sunflowers, yellows, lemons, cypress trees, rolling landscapes. Enjoy!

I thought my floral arrangements turned out nicely in the tiered basket and stacked bushels. In addition to the sunflowers, I used faux lemons and grapes from the dollar store.

I made everything except these beautiful macarons. (I figured trying them for the first time while on assignment wouldn't be the wisest choice!) I bought them from the delicious La Cuisine Bakery in Branford, CT. One little tidbit I have to share... the garnish atop the mini vanilla cupcakes are chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I love when little details like that come full circle to really drive the theme home.

Here are the amaretto tiramisu on dessert spoons and limoncello mousse cups. I used a chocolate mold to make the little lighting bolt shaped garnish.

These are marscapone tarts with blackberry and almond garnish and Nutella pineapple. Look at those cute skewers I found at the party store - I just love them! I cubed pineapple, piped on a circle of Nutella and topped with chopped hazelnuts. See the card holders? I thought they were reminiscent of all the cypress trees and topiaries I saw in Italy. I added a little sunflower detail to the base.

And finally, this "sunflower" tower is made up of chocolate covered Oreos and yellow tissue squares. A very simple dessert made special though presentation. The display is not my original idea. I saw it on the ever-amazing Rebecca Thuss website. Once I saw it, I knew I was going to use it for this table. It was so fitting to the theme and a great way to add height to the table. When you have 600 pieces, you have to go UP!

april showers bring ella flowers :: rain boot centerpieces

2011-04-02T19:30:00.003-04:00

Just another little sneak peek of my daughter's upcoming party... What goes along with rain and umbrellas? Rain boots, of course! I found these unfinished boots at Oriental Trading Company. (Only $16.99 per dozen. Love that!) I hand painted them to match our color scheme and thought you'd like to see the process. I still have one final step yet to do - spray them with high gloss spray paint to give a shine just like the real thing! These will be the centerpiece holders for all the "Ella flowers". Okay, one week to go... gotta get back to the list.

In other news, the fundraiser event I was a part of this past week was fantastic! I had a blast and really loved how my table turned out. The other vendors knocked it out of the park as well. I met so many delightful people and have such a renewed spirit of humanity right now - I'm on cloud nine! I took a few pictures that I'll share soon, but I also have shots coming from two different photographers too. (Yay! I'm sure you'll enjoy looking at those photos a lot more than mine!)

sunflower cake pops

2011-03-30T09:31:00.001-04:00

Busy, busy... tomorrow night I have a dessert table for a gala fundraiser at the ACES Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, Connecticut. At this year's event, the school is honoring a lovely client of mine that died suddenly last October. He was a great asset to the city and will be sorely missed. From what I've heard, the ticket sales for the event are the highest they've ever been - that just shows you what an amazing man he was.

So as I'm busy finalizing details, I thought I'd show you a quick sneak peek of one of the desserts - sunflower cake pops. As I put them in their carrier for transport, my little one just couldn't take her eyes off of them. I think someone wants one!

flower placemats

2011-03-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

A simple, yet sweet little craft I did this weekend in preparation for my daughter's birthday party - flower placemats. It's not hard at all - just time consuming. I'm sure it's been done a hundred times before (probably not even worth a tutorial!), but just in case someone wants to know how I made them...

You will need:
1. 10" cake rounds (available at any cake supply store)
2. Fake flower petals (I bought them cheaply through Oriental Trading Company here - other colors available too)
3. Hot glue gun and lots of glue sticks
4. Patience - unfortunately I ran out of this! After 19 boards and 900+ petals, I was ready for a new craft!

Glue petals overlapping around and around until you get to the center. Yeap, I told you it was hard! :)

Viola! A pretty placemat. I think the hot pink cake plates I bought will look great atop these beauties!

These are for my daughter's April showers party, but how about these for your spring table!? Easter brunch!? So cheap and easy.

april showers bring ella flowers :: part one

2011-03-24T15:50:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year again... my oldest is celebrating her 6th birthday in a couple weeks. Since she has an April birthday, the theme for this year's bash is "april showers bring ELLA flowers". Now that I'm sure all the guests have received their invites, I'll share. (It is so rare to get actual mail anymore that I didn't want to spoil the surprise for those invited. Well, their mom's anyway; I doubt there are too many 5-6 years old checking out my blog!)

So, lots of raindrop, umbrella and flower photos coming your way soon!

q & u wedding cupcakes

2011-03-22T13:35:00.003-04:00

I am really swamped right now (I'm sure you've picked up on this with my infrequency of late). Some upcoming events, my daughter's birthday party, teaching cake decorating classes, amongst other things... One of those "other things" was a quick little task for my daughter's kindergarten class. I think this idea is so original, and I just had to share. I had never heard of it anyway.

As with all kindergarten curriculum, my daughter's class has been learning the letters and their sounds for fundamental reading skills all year. But this past week was a very special week... they did two letters - Q & U. And they got married!!!!!! Isn't that adorable!? (Give me a tissue!) Since almost all words beginning with Q are followed by a U, the "wedding" is a great learning tool for the children. Q & U - together forever. I bet the kids don't forget it! So, of course with a wedding comes a reception, right!? I made the wedding cupcakes. Mr. Q sporting his bow tie and Mrs. U all white and sparkly - both atop fondant hearts and paired together in rows as they walk down the aisle. :)

Anyone else have any Q & U wedding stories? Wish my kindergarten teacher had been this creative.

sponsor :: tiny prints

2011-03-21T22:04:00.001-04:00

I want to introduce you to my first sponsor, Tiny Prints! (Yes, I'm pretty excited!) I have been a long time fan of Tiny Prints - even before they contacted me about a sponsorship. You all know by now that I love a good piece of correspondence. I design/make a lot of my stationery needs, but it is so nice to have a great source of things if you don't have time to do your own. Not only does Tiny Prints have adorable options of stationery, business cards, notebooks, to name a few, but they fit in with my blog perfectly - hello party invites!

I received some new business cards and a few Mother's Day cards for review and I am thrilled! Everything is fantastic! The business cards are printed on nice heavy cardstock and the Mother's Day cards are quite unique. The Mother's Day card designs I chose (exclusive to Tiny Prints) are designs by oh joy and Dwell Studios. Aren't they cute?

I want to mention some details on the envelopes accompanying the cards. First of all, the openings are oriented on the short end - cool and different. Little details like that are what set Tiny Prints apart - in my little humble opinion. And secondly, they are embossed with "to" and "from" on the front side. Again, little details... well I'm giddy anyway.

(Rough photo, I know, but I wanted you to see. See the "from" up in the corner too?)

They also have a new Easter collection worthy of sharing. Check out some of these designs - adorable right!? (I want a dog just to do the bottom one!)

And a little more info on Tiny Prints from the company itself...

Tiny Prints provides simple, modern and unique stationery from Easter cards and Mother’s Day cards to personalized greeting cards, thank you cards, business cards, and even custom wedding invitations. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch! They offer perfect party invitations for every occasion and memorable personalized photo-gifts like notebooks, photo books and calendars.

Welcome, Tiny Prints! I'm so happy to have you on board!

for japan

2011-03-17T21:08:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I will be participating, with hundreds of other blogs, in a bloggers day of silence. Hopefully this awareness will make a big impact and in turn provide some relief to those suffering in Japan. Our help is needed. Desperately. No matter how small, collectively we can make a difference.

To donate: www.forjapanwithlove.com

green me :: pot of gold

2011-03-15T18:00:00.001-04:00

A St. Patrick's Day series wouldn't be complete without a pot of gold!!!

(image via eighteen 25)

I love this "pot of gold" so much I'm copying it for one of my Irish friends/neighbors! Check it out here. (Besides, this will be a great way to give her back her jar. She gave me a very thoughtful treat via this jar and now I'm returning the fun. Maybe we can start a little game - The gesture jar!)

(image via Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Look, Look!! That's a donut hole for the "pot"... fantastic huh!? I thought it was sculpted fondant or something. Nope, even easier. Read all about them here. (Oh, and get ready to giggle - Kristan's a funny lady!)

(image via paper, plate and plane via Candian Living)

And my personal favorite! How can someone be this creative!? Those are painted Gladware!!!!! (Silly me, I just thought they were for storing leftovers. I'm such an underachiever!) Full tutorial here.

green me :: rainbows

2011-03-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

Like shamrocks, rainbows are also synonymous with St. Patrick's Day. So for today's "green me", look at these rainbow treats.

(image via Family Fun)

Cupcakes - so easy to make and kids will love them! Find the recipe and how-to here.

(image via it is what it is)

Treat bags - no cooking required! Easy how-to here and free printable here.

(image via makes and takes)

Pudding cups - Love this! Sophisticated whimsy, right?. Check it out here.

Tomorrow's "green me"... what's always at the end of a rainbow?!? Pot of Gold treasures, of course!

japan

2011-03-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

I am so concerned and heartbroken for all those affected by the devastation in Japan. Talking parties or more St. Patrick's Day (which is what was scheduled for today) just seems trivial. I will, of course, return to usual posts, but for today I want to stop and send my heartfelt condolences and prayers to our brothers and sisters across the Pacific. If you can, please donate. There are obviously tons of places to contribute, but the Redcross makes it very easy. Just text REDCROSS to 90999 for a $10 donation charged to your phone bill. No matter how small, together we can make a difference.

green me :: sweet "potatoes"

2011-03-11T09:00:00.005-05:00

I wanted to share a few great St. Patty's Day ideas that I've seen recently so I put together a little "green me" series. "Lucky" you! (I just love when a holiday to conducive to cheesy puns. I'm such a dork - I know!) So let the shamrocks fly....

(image via Martha Stewart)

Look at these faux sweet "potoatoes" from the always amazing Martha Stewart team. Find the recipe here. Children will love to help make these and give them to their friends. Notice the stamped shamrock detail on the bag - it's just a heart-shaped stamp using green ink. Love the resourcefulness of that little trick!

my latest obsession :: pinterest

2011-03-10T09:55:00.000-05:00

Do you "pin"? If not, you should! I can't pull myself away from the computer. (It's getting ridiculous actually - like I'm afraid I might even forget to feed the kids! Not to mention, the actual work I need to be doing.) Pinterest is yet another platform (but the best in my little humble opinion) showing just how much "cool" is out there. I love finding new and stylish ideas and this site is the mother load. I'm completely gotten. I'm completely in love. I'm completely obsessed. Wanna come share my new obsession with me? Let me know in the comments section and I'll send you an invite - make sure and leave your email so I can send it to you. You can check out my boards or follow me here. Happy Pinning!

polka dot cake

2011-03-06T21:07:00.000-05:00

This is just too pretty to eat - it took my breath away! I love when a design is so universal it could be used for almost any celebration... from baby, birthday party, a wedding. Gorgeous!

(artist Damien Hirst, image via pretty little things)

march fourth

2011-03-04T09:00:00.030-05:00

Today I march forth with my goals... March 4th (get it!?) is a perfect day to not only reflect on goals you have accomplished, but also a day to set new goals to fulfill. Publicly writing them down (both professional and personal) will hopefully keep me on track to making them happen.

March Fourth 2011:
- initiate more relationships with fellow bloggers in my interest areas (and further develop existing relationships)
- switch to my own domain name (apartystyle.com coming soon!)
- finish redesign / better my blog
- complete business organization project
- work on more collaboration projects
- do something nice for someone (stranger or friend) everyday
- turn off "work" and spend more quality time with my family (hard to do when you work from home!)
- finish designing / start family room and master suite renovations
- finish dining room tabletop

Anyone else celebrate "March Fourth"? What are your "March Fourth" goals?

beach themed desserts

2011-03-03T12:48:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple more things I made for the beach themed bridal shower I did last week.
(I had taken pictures of the table, but they were awful!!! They looked like my lens had been dipped in Crisco!? You can't see anything! Thankfully, I had taken a couple quick shots before I headed to the venue. I was actually just playing around with "rainy day" lighting photos, so these aren't stellar pics either, but I'm lucky I have anything to show!)

Anyway, moving on... Chocolate covered strawberries with little blue swimsuits piped on. This was so hard by the way!!! The client had asked for it and I struggled. Just keepin' it real! I played around with putting the suit on several ways, but this method was the only one that somewhat looked like an actual swimsuit.

Cheesecake bars with a candy mold seashell on top. I airbrushed the shells to give them a little shimmer. These bars are delish!! They always get rave reviews. They are pretty time consuming, but really good. The original recipe here from Martha Stewart. It's actually intended to be a "flag" cake with strawberries and blueberries, but I obviously left off all the berries for this theme. The following photo was the one I made for my daughter's red, white and blue party last year.

flip-flop mini cupcakes

2011-02-28T19:17:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I had a beach themed wedding shower dessert table. Here's a little sneak peek... I think I like these little mini cupcakes because they remind me of the spring / summer months that are right around the corner! Here's to wearing flip-flops again soon...

red carpet cocktail

2011-02-24T12:00:00.011-05:00

Ready for the Oscar's this weekend? I just happened upon the perfect drink to accompany any Oscar soiree. I love this!

The Red Carpet Cocktail
(image and recipe found here)
-1 1/2 oz. Vodka
-1 oz. Campari
-1 oz. Pomegranate Schnapps
-1 oz. pomegranate juice
-1/2 oz. simple syrup
-lemon slice for garnish

Combine the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon slice and serve.

Sounds good right!?

walnut baby shower game :: part two

2011-02-23T11:17:00.003-05:00

I have to start by saying thanks to those of you who participated - I chuckled at each of your guesses!

And the answer is......

twenty seven!!!!

Can you believe it!? I wish I could see all your faces right now - that's the best part of this game by the way. Yes, 27! Now some items might be a little "subjective" to some, but I just left it how my grandmother had it. (So don't send me nasty emails how you don't agree with this or that. :)) You can pick and choose what to put in your shell. I have also thought of a couple more things that could be used - listed below. One thing I really like about this game is it will be new to all your guests. I can pretty much guarantee no one will have seen it or played it. My grandmother made this and played it 50-60 years ago!!!! So, it is a new and fresh idea.

Here is a photo breakdown so you can see it all come together. First up, the bow. Use blue or pink depending on the sex. Or if they aren't finding out the sex, any multi-colored baby ribbon would be perfect.

Next up, the rubber banding. You would have to do this regardless if there were items in the shell or not. It's two halves and they won't stay together by themselves. Then when you add 27 items you definitely need a rubber band.

This photo is just the nut as soon as I take the rubber band off. I just wanted you to see how tightly it's all stuffed in there. You have to get creative. Tuck things here, tuck things there. Anyone who is a good packer would be good at this job.

This next picture shows a good example of how tight you have to be. My grandma stacked all the flat items together, used the thread (one of the items) to hold them all together, then tucked the stack into one side of the shell.

Next is all the items spread out and the list.

1. safety pin

2. cotton ball

3. gauze

4. baby asprin

5. baby tooth

6. baby bracelet (the pink and white beads - this was actually my mom's hospital id bracelet!)

7. baby picture

8. cherrio (I bet that tastes fresh!)

9. toy

10. miniature clothes pin

11. miniature bottle

12. newspaper birth announcement clipping

13. lock of baby's hair (I put it on a little piece of paper so you could see it better)

14. heart locket necklace

15. key to baby's bank

16. money (need lots of this to have a baby - definitely more than just the dime shown!)

17. baby ring

**Next 3 items related to devout Catholics like my grandmother

18. baby rosary

19. Guardian Angel baby prayer

20. mother and baby medallion

**Next 7 items are obviously a sign of the times when women made their children's clothes / blankets

21. thread

22. ribbon

23. elastic

24. baby button

25. yarn

26. ric-rack (apparently a prevalent detail on baby's clothes years ago)

27. snap fastener (you know, on onesies)

So there you have it! A fun, new and creative baby shower game. Thanks Grandma Riedel - I miss you!

I also thought of a couple more items you could add...
- rice cereal (put it in tape like the hair clipping)
- a baby fingernail clipping (but maybe kinda gross!?)

And onto the winner... Angel who said "I am going to be brave and guess 8." Angel, I don't have your email so you'll have to email me (apowers.apartystyle@gmail.com) to receive your prize.

walnut baby shower game

2011-02-21T14:04:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited to share this baby shower game with you guys! Now, I love a good shower game every so often, but sometimes there is a need for a non-cheesy baby shower game. (Especially when the daddy-to-be and his buddies are part of the guest list.) And this one is great! My grandmother, who was a genius party diva in her day, made this and used it years ago. She gave it to me and it's a keeper!

It's call "The Walnut Game". You take a walnut shell, hollow it out, and fill it with baby items - as many as possible.

As I write this, I'm deciding to turn this into a two part post. Let's have some fun! First post, we'll have a little friendly competition! Comment with your guess as to how many baby items are in this walnut. Whoever is first to answer correctly (or closest without going over) will win a prize - I don't know what that prize is yet - I just now decided to do this. Just means, I'll have to go shopping! (And my husband says I'm not spontaneous!) Make sure to include your email so I can contact you in case you win.

On Wednesday, I'll post the answer and show the "behind-the-scenes" of this game. So tell me, how many things do you think are in this walnut?

top hat wine bucket

2011-02-18T13:32:00.000-05:00

On a recent trip to the party store, I saw this top hat wine bucket. Wouldn't it be fun for the upcoming Oscar's!? Very festive! It was only $12.99. I like to buy pieces that I can use for more than one theme/party. With the top hat there are a slew of other holidays/celebrations you could use this for. To name a few...

-New Year's

-Oscar Party

-Hollywood Theme Party

-Snowman/Winter Party (use it as the base for snowman centerpieces)

-Alice in Wonderland Party (Mad Hatter)

-Prom

-Weddings

-Halloween (spook it up for decoration or use as a candy bowl)

You could also use this in lieu of a basket the next time you are giving a gift basket. Say like a movie themed gift - movie tickets, popcorn, candy, etc. all tucked into this hat. Cute!

Any other ideas???

And look at this "fancy" one available here. More expensive obviously, but so p-p-pretty!

feature :: mermaid party

2011-02-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

I recently received a party submission that definitely needed to be shared - lots of hard work, planning and cute details! Stephe out did herself for her daughter's third birthday. Check out her blog for more photos and details about this great mermaid party. Here are a few of my favorite details from the event. Great job, Stephe! Thanks for sharing with all of us!

I just love this pettiskirt with the starfish detail. (And would you look at that smile!)

Festive mermaid wands for all the invitees.

Look at the "Seaweed Banister". Love it!

Okay, here's where it gets really good - Look at that backdrop! And the enlarged, framed photo of the birthday girl is just icing on the cake!

Speaking of cake, look at these cupcake toppers! Now, that's personalized!

And finally, would you just look at those clam cookies! Adorable!

happy v-day

2011-02-14T13:29:00.001-05:00

Much love to all you wonderful readers! I love you all! Your comments and emails are what keep me blogging. Each one sweeter than the last - Thank you!

Okay, now check out this candy sculpture by Nathan Sawaya called "Sweet Heart". I can't decide if I like it or not??? Kinda gross, kinda interesting.

(image source)

And, of course, a special Happy V-Day message to my honey! I love you, Jeromy!

valentine heart tart

2011-02-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

Our neighbor, Valerie, who is very talented in the kitchen by the way, just brought these adorable little valentine heart tarts over for my girls. Get it... heart tarts like pop tarts!! Aren't they cute!? So cute that I just want to eat them - oh wait, they're not for me. In case you can't read the tag (it is a quick iPhone photo after all), they are raspberry cream cheese heart tarts. She gave them to the girls a day early so they could have them for breakfast tomorrow - how thoughtful is that!? I had to share in case any one needed a last minute Valentine's idea. Watch the full tutorial here. Valerie packaged them up so nicely with little tags and gingham ribbon. So "sweet" - Thanks Val, the girls can't wait until morning!