A Shower for Hannah

My friend and neighbor Sylvia is having a baby girl. Finally! After 2 little boys, she's ready for some ruffles and roses. My EX neighbor Kim and I pulled our resources and threw, what I considered to be, a successful shower. (I say ex because she broke my heart and left me! The wounds are still fresh and I'm still trying to deal.) Sylvia had friends, family and neighbors here to shower her with gifts for little Hannah that will hopefully be here soon! Here are a few shots of the festivities. 

It was so sweet. Sylvia's mom gifted her some of her dresses and blankets. They were darling and crocheted.

It was so much fun putting it together. I love a good reason to have people over and this was definitely the perfect reason to celebrate. 

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Custom Baby Shower Cookies- Made by Kim's cousin. If you live in the Phoenix valley and need a referral for a baker...let me know!

Veggie Tray- This included brussel sprouts! That was a bit different for me but I loved it!

The Yummiest Ginger Ale and Cranberry Juice Punch EVER!- Canada Dry ginger ale and cranberry juice- Seriously, so yummy!

Naked Cake- box cake with a few adjustments. I'll make a separate post all about the cake! I have never done a cake like this before, but I am so glad that I tried. It turned out great!

Orange Scones- Pinterest discovered recipe that I have used over and over! It. Is. Heaven! For those of you that asked for the recipe...Sprinkles and Sugar Orange Scone Recipe

Deli Sandwich Tray- Courtesy of Sylvia's Amazing Mama. Purchased from Jason's Deli 

Decor

Wood chunks- Courtesy of McKenna (awesome friend of many years)

Cake stands- Courtesy of Lindsey (awesome SIL of ALMOST 2 years. Thanks for getting married so I could borrow your gifted cake stands that you may never see again except in pictures from the awesome cakes I'm going to bake to put on them. I might even share the cake)

Glass milk Bottles, Paper Goods- Party City  I have looked on Etsy several times wanting to purchase these. Party City sold them for less and I didn't have to pay shipping. I'm all about shopping from small businesses, but sometimes saving money is the decision maker. I loved the plates and cups that we got there. They had the prettiest floral design on them that was bright and feminine.

Paper Straws and Tassel Garland- Petite Party Studio (I told you I like to shop small! This is the most darling little shop in Down town Gilbert. They have dang near everything that you could possibly need to throw a great party and it's all spot on with current trends. One of my favorite things in their store is their wall of felt balls. They have shelves floor to ceiling with giant jars full of different colored felt balls. I want to make a felt ball garland from balls purchased there so badly! I just forget and haven't done it yet. One of these days though...

Basically all of the floral decor that you see- Michaels This includes the garland at the base of the cake stand, the flowers by the jar of mints, the moss letter 'H', and the wreath for my door. (The wreath was 100% necessary for the shower. Scouts honor.

Overall, it was a great time! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you Sylvia!!!

New Year's

Getting ready for a New Year's celebration can be tricky. From deciding what to eat, to finding ways to keep everyone entertained until the golden hour. Personally, since I had kids I've been a bit of a dud on New Year's Eve. I have rarely made it to midnight. Every year I wake up thinking, "What happened to me?" So this year we'll be hosting a few friends in hopes that I can party like a rock star ALL. NIGHT. LONG. Here are a few ideas I've picked up around blogland for the celebration.

Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip from King Arthur Flour

I LOVE zucchini and this looks fabulous! I don't know anyone that wouldn't love to have this tonight!

Sweet n' Salty Honey Cheese Dip from My Recipes

Who doesn't love a good cheese log!?! These are one of my favorites. 

Queso Blanco from Pennies on a Platter

Being a Mexican food LOVER  a good queso is always on my appetizer list.

Good luck with your New Year's celebration. Stay Safe!

H & N

Here's the next segment of the Birthday Party DIY.

This next project is something that's been in the works for about a year. Must be spectacular right? Nah! I purchased the letters about a year ago from Hobby Lobby for $.50 ea. They are normally $1, but they were half off. Can't beat that. Then I had a heck of a time deciding what to do with them. When it came time for the party, I finally decided I just needed to do something. I purchased the frames at Wally World for like 5 bucks each. I loved the size and the detailing was perfect, especially since I was planning on painting them. I ended up leaving them gold and I love it! Anywho. The original plan was to secure an empty frame and letter separately. Then I realized that the glass panel and a bit of gorilla glue would work even better. I glued the letters right to the glass. (After spray painting the letters of course) 

After they were dry I simply hung the frames on the wall. Super easy and they look great, if I do say so myself! Hope you enjoyed. 

Birthday Garland

As some of you readers know, last Saturday was my boys' birthday party. I put together most of the decor myself. It was only my first party so I learned some things and found some things I would like to be different. Anywho. . . As promised here's the first portion of the party breakdown.

The garland was one of my favorite things. I saw this tutorial over at Visual Vocabulary. I knew I HAD to do it for myself! 

I followed her instructions almost exactly. 

I don't have a round roll cutter like she does so I had to cut it all by hand. Not a big deal, but when it came to the foil paper (gold), it was impossible to cut. It would have been nice to have a cutter like hers.

I got the colors of tissue paper that I wanted  and went to work. It was great because my niece was able to help. I did learn that this is easier with 2 people as apposed to 1. If you want to make it yourself, make sure you have someone to pull the rope tightly while you twist the tissue paper. All in all I was very happy with the end result and it was fun to put together. Plus, I felt super awesome when people said they like it. haha. You may be laughing but you know you feel the same when people compliment something you made, so don't judge! The best part is that after the party I just moved it to my son's room. They love it because now they have a "Birthday Party" in their room!!! 

Check back later for more tips on putting together a party.

Birthday Party

This past week was my boys' birthdays! H my oldest turned 3! N my baby turned 2! That's right! They are Exactly 53 weeks apart. Keep me busy. Anywho. . . I haven't had a birthday party for them since. . . well never. So this year, now that we're back home by friends AND family, we had a party. (last year I just forgot til it was too late. oops) 

Some may say I went a little crazy, but I had fun putting it together. I couldn't have done it without the help of my awesome SIL Kim and my BFF Heidi! You gals are the BEST!!!

Here are a few pics of the spread. I'll be putting together some tutorials for some of the little things. Enjoy!

Thanks for looking. Come back soon for all the juicy details!