I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

......and who isn't? I would love to have a beautiful snowy white Christmas but in this case I am talking about the movie White Christmas (a.k.a. my FAVORITE Christmas movie). This movie is filled with entertaining song/dance numbers and lovely fashion....it's an inspirational snack! I don't normally love musicals but I just love the way this one has been done! If you have never seen it (hopefully you have) please rent it immediately! You will not be sorry you saw this classic Christmas film!

Bing Crosby (top hat and all) and Rosemary Clooney singing at a piano...is that classic enough for you?

The Minstrel number is probably one of my favorite parts of this movie!

What's YOUR favorite Christmas movie?

Gingerbread Mug Perches

Check out these simply lovely mug perches found at Not Martha. How much do you want to make a million of these??? What a festive addition to your holiday traditions! These would make amazing garnishes for a Christmas party, and the PERFECT hostess gift for the times when you are the Christmas guest! I need to get into the kitchen and make these immediately!

You can find full instructions and helpful hints here.

Layer Cake Shop Christmas Lovelies!

Layer Cake Shop is FULL of ADORABLE baking compliments! My favorite part of the site to browse is the cake topper section. I can bake simple cupcakes from a box, add colorful frosting, and top with something festive and kitschy ....and I no longer have plain cupcakes...I have CUPCAKES!!! Check out this cuteness!

Oh tinsel tree ! Oh tinsel tree! How lovely are you branches!

(Silver Tree Picks $2.25 for 12)

Mmmmm peppermint cupcakes! top with a mini version of a Christmas classic and instant cute!

(Red Candy Stripe Baking Cups $3.25 for 50)

Layer Cake Shop is filled with all kinds of cute tags for pastry bags and boxes!

(Whipped Cream Bakery Labels 36 for $1.75)

I can just picture these train toppers individually on cupcakes surrounding a mini Christmas tree!

(Train Topper $3.75 1 set)

Now Bake away, bake away, bake away all!!!

(Merry Christmas Plaque .75)

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Dreaming of a white Christmas but don't live in a snowy state?

You can give your loved ones that white Christmas that you have both dreamed of with this clever idea! A girl that I work with came up with this and I think it's just too adorable not to share with you! This works best as a Christmas Eve project, it creates the most magic that way.

All you need to do is decorate your home with paper snowflakes , cotton ball strings, and paper chain ( anyone seen the movie Elf?)and turn down your thermostat to make is extra "snowy". I just love this idea! Imagine being a child awaken to your mother telling you "It's snowing! It's snowing!" when you live in Florida!

Further imagine the excitement you would experience when you get out of bed, put on a sweater, and rush through your house which has been transformed into a winter wonderland!! Magical!

DIY bib necklace

I have seen a lot of these bib necklaces lately, and i got to thinking that I could probably make that myself ! So I gave it a try!

Here are some renditions of the bib necklace that I found pleasing.

And here's what I made. Not bad for a first try, and I have worn it about ten times now!

For this project I used stiff felt, and some fabric scraps I had lying around to make the flowers and I braided some of the same fabric to make the rope.

I'd like to make some sparkly versions too!

They will be PERFECT for holiday parties, and gifts!

PartyParty Collection at Urban Outfitters....

....is amazing!   I'm just sayin'. Confettisystem has dreamed up this shimmering collection of home decorations and party favors.Garlands, ornaments, pinatas,party hats, and (of course) confetti have simple construction,  light-hearted intentions, and are absolutely dripping with whimsy!This collection is only available at Urban Outfitters, so get some soon and have yourself a PartyParty! 

Lay these lovely ornaments on a table, hang them , or add them to an arrangement for added charm to any party.

I LOVE these pinatas! I have been wanting to have a pinata at a party for a while now. I love those throw-backs to childhood. Things that make you feel like a grown-up kid. Those are that kind of things that are relaxing to me.  

This banner garland is certainly a nod to a classic, I like how there is paper fringe still but there is a twist with the added metalic.

I don't know what kind of parties you all went to when you were younger, but I don't remember party hats ever looking this cute!

Of course confetti is a part of the collection! With a name like Confettisystem how could it not be?

This garland is most certainly my favorite of the collection. I love when pretty things are sort of tattered. A garland of tassels, and curls, and fringe....oh my!

i am so inspired by the look of all these pieces. I could envision an entire party around this!I would also like to try and create my own fringey garlands and such! ....Maybe soon!

I hope you all fell in love as much as I did!

Homemade Thanksgiving Hair-Wear

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I decided to sit down and create some festive hair accessories! This is what I came up with.....

I made leaves out of felt and used thread to create the details.

Buttons found at a thrift store looked fantastic grouped together and attached to a headband.

I attached lots of small feathers to a piece of felt (isn't felt the best?)

and sewed on a button at the bottom to finish it off.

Now go forth and create you own festive Thanksgiving hair-wear!! Have fun and Happy Thanksgiving!

New Bridal Shower to Plan!

My brother just got engaged and I am in the process of planning a bridal shower with my mom. Jenny (the bride) is not super duper girly, but she has said that she wants something elegant for her wedding with a little bit of "beach chic" so that is what I am thinking for the shower too. However I was thinking instead of the usual "beach" ideas, I might just allow myself to be inspired by the idea of sunshine. I'm thinking of a sunny, whimsical celebration!Here are some things that are inspiring me so far for this party.

Ideas for the menu so far include:

-mini smoothies (like the ones pictured above)

-yogurt parfaits

-spiked lemonade

I would also like to find some more foods that would be good to serve at a venue, we want to make the food ourselves but we want the foods to be fairly self sustaining for the afternoon since we aren't sure if we will have access to ovens or fridges. If you have any ideas for me then please share!

I also think that presentation is very important in making the foods you are serving appealing. Even if you are serving cheap, simple foods , you can present them in a way that makes people feel different about eating them. The food becomes a part of the party experience. I love the idea in the photo above, this simple glass of lemonade becomes so much more with the addition of the adorable ribbon adorned skewers!

As far as colors for this event...I am thinking that oranges, yellows, and pinks are the way I am going to go. Obviously the colors represent "sunshine" , and Jenny loves these bright and happy colors! 

I'll keep you posted as this party develops! 

Pom pom love!

Who loves pom poms?? Oh! I do! I do!! This Christmas season as I think about how to decorate my tree, and adorn my gifts one thought keeps springing to my mind....pom poms!I want to put them on everything! I would love to add them gifts as embellishments, wear them in my hair, add them to the bottom of my scarves....I want pom poms EVERYWHERE! So, you know what to expect to see form me in the future......yes indeed I have found a new muse ;)

How cute would it be to give someone a pom pom bouquet for their birthday?

I just love the oversized pom poms against the plain brown paper!

Go forth and craft!

Hello Holidays!

Well well well.....it's that time of year once again. It's almost time to preheat the oven for the turkey, bust out your famous pumpkin recipes, and spend time with family and friends! I have to frequently remind myself to not forget about Thanksgiving every year. Christmas is just the best! I love the gift wrapping, the lights, the musics, and all of the holiday events that allow you to slow down and reconnect with people you haven't seen all year.  This year I am roasting a pre-Thanksgiving Turkey at my house to celebrate before I celebrate with the rest of my extended family on Thanksgiving day. The menu is coming together nicely. This will be the first year I put something like this together but I am excited! I plan to find a few affordable  touches to make the table look fantastic! I would also love to make these turkey pops that I posted about last year! Get out your rolling pins and roasting pans....thanksgiving is almost here!

Recent Yard Sale Deals!

Oh yard sales, you are awesome! I spent $22 and got a lot of bang for my bucks!

Some of my treasures included a porcelain server with a lid and laddal, a retro fondue pot , two blue mason jars, and eight champagne glasses.

I got these four colorful margarita glasses for $1!

I also got three board games for just $2! Because no party girls entertaining supply is complete without some fun board games to break the ice!

I went yard saling with a friend and so I packed us a yard sale breakfast!

Here's what I packed:

-2 "yard sale sandwiches"

-two containers of chilled mandarine oranges

-iced coffee in a thermos

-and tater tots!

Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff cookie sandwiches!

These days I find myself short on spending money, so what should I do when a friends birthday comes up ? Well, I never tire of baking and cooking for loved ones. I really enjoy finding or created recipes that are suited just to their taste! For my friend Amber, I decided on peanut butter and marshamallow fluff sandwich cookies! I used the recipe on Modern Marie for "babysitter cookies" ....and they were so quick and delicious! I made them mini  and just added marshmallow fluff in beteween!

The cute final birthday package!

I fit 9 cookies into a white square box I had in my gift wrapping stash.

..and a sweet note makes the gift complete!

For The Birds Table Setting for Four

Here is a table setting I created the other night when we had some friends over for dinner and board games. The "table cloth" isn't really a table cloth at all, it's actually a bead spread from Urban Outfitters that I got for a cheap $10 about two years ago. In fact , I think that I have only ever used it as a table covering! I got the place mats from the Dollar Tree, and everything else is pretty much either from Ikea or from Target. ( Gotta love it!)

I wasn't really sure about the mix of plum in with the blue and the green, but I quite like how it turned out! 

There's nothing like going over to a friends house for a run of the mill dinner only to find a little fanciness ( is that a word? It is now!) injected into the everyday hum-drum of life! 

Why be plain? Insert some fun and mix it up!!

Sorry Readers!

I'm a bad blogger! I have neglected my blog for months now! Well, not anymore! 

My inspiration is renewed and I am full of new ideas! This week I will devote more time to getting some of the inspirations that are in my head out here for all of you to see! 

Citrus Party!

Summer is a time for hot hot sun, bbqs, and for some reason fruit! No wonder this was the inspiration for a lovely table setting! Check out these fruity ideas from the Hostess with the Mostess!

Such a simple centerpiece, and when you are done it can be dessert!

Dress up paper napkins by tying them with ribbon to match your color scheme.

Using festive colored beverages is a great idea! What a refreshing decoration!

Plain colored flower pots get a makeover when you add playful ribbon!

Anyone throwing a citrus party for the last hoorah of summer?