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!