Party Inspiration: Halloween

 

Vampire napkin rings and snackable bones.

Giant spider webs, creepy drinks and frightening cupcakes.

Cauldron dip, eatable brains and scary punch!

Cupcake Crawl

Last year I was trying to come up with something to do with a few friends for my birthday other than a spa day or a pub crawl, and thus the cupcake crawl was born. Yes, this post has really been a year in the making.

I gathered up three of my favorite ladies, and off we went on a sugar filled adventure through south Palm Beach.

The first cupcake shop we hit was just one we spotted from the street. We went in and ordered our heavily frosted treats - talk about a sugar rush.

We quickly decided that giant bottles of water would be needed if we're going to make it through this sugar filled day.

After our quick hydration pit stop we headed over to Jodi's Cupcakes in Boca Raton.

Jodi's shop is a little hard to find, tucked back among some warehouses, but it is so worth finding.  Her icing to cake ratio is perfection! Her banana fosters cupcake was to die for and Jodi herself was as sweet as could be.

After two large cupcakes we realized man could not exist on sugar alone, so we headed up towards our next stop in Delray Beach and wander the streets looking for a bite to eat. In keeping with our theme of overindulgence we grabbed a bite at Linda Bean's where we shared a lobster roll and a lobster grilled cheese along with one little side salad (to try to counteract all the sugar).

Lobster was followed an impromptu photo session in front of a vacant building before headed to our next location.

Cupcake Couture is seriously one of the cutest cupcake shops I have ever seen. We played it a bit smarter this time around and ordered a few mini cupcakes.  They did not disappoint.

Our last stop of the day was Sweet Surrender in Boynton Beach.  It was totally worth the drive for one of their salted caramel mini cupcakes. Admittedly this wasn't my first trip to Sweet Surrender, and I kinda planned the trip so I could end with a bite of that salted caramel goodness.

We all went home that evening with full bellies, great memories, and killer sugar hangovers*.

*Yes, a sugar hangover is a really thing, and let me tell you it is just as bad as the booze induced kind.

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photos by Kelly Coulson Photography

Party Inspiration: Super Awesome Fun

 

Even though my birthday was last weekend, my party is this coming weekend.  I normally try to have some sort of theme for my parties: Fiesta, Make Your Own Pizza, Etc. . . but this time I'm taking the easy route (so I don't end up spending the entire day in the kitchen) with world's easiest theme - Super Awesome Fun! So, basically lots of glitter and honeycomb decorations and other random things that make me happy. . . and no cooking! 

 

Oh, and my sister was selected to host a Desperados House Party, so we are combining the two to make one super awesome fun bash!

Party Inspiration: 4th of July

 

Sewn Star Garland and Sail Boat Placesettings

Red, White & Blue Lemonade,  Patriotic Decorations, and Sparklers in Coke Bottles

Patriotic Pancake Stacks and American Flag Bunting

Party Inspiration: Cinco de Mayo

 

 DIY Taco Piñata  & Mini Cactus Piñatas

Cactus Cupcakes, Mexican Street Corn & Steak Tostadas

Fiesta Table Scape & Paper Banner

Party Inspiration: Cinco De Mayo

 

Inspiration images: cake | mexican fiesta | modern fiesta | girl's night fiesta

 

Products:  mexican party banner | mexicali dinnerware | tealight candle holders | cactus margarita glasses | glass salad bowl | glass salsa dish | roses

Baby Shower Preview

Okay, so the baby shower I hosted for one of my best friends happened well over a month ago and I've been majorly slacking in the sharing of said event. . . but, I promise, I have my reasons.

While I planned on taking a ton of pictures before, during & after the shower, I wasn't able to snap a single photo myself. Every thing I planned and did the day of the shower seemed to go awry - the tea sandwiches took twice as long to make, the decorations didn't want to adhere, I had accidentally cut some of the table cloths wrong (they ended up being window swags), I forgot a very box of supplies at home, the cupcakes feel over in the car. . . etc. etc. etc. . .

I didn't get a chance to change into my pretty pink outfit before people started arriving. Lucky for me my friends took a ton of picture and no one seemed to notice all the details that went unfinished.

I'm doing my best to gather and edit the photos my friends took. Until then, here is a little sneak peek via my sister -

Baby Shower Planning Update & Sneak Peek

The baby shower is now less than a month away, invitations have been sent, the clubhouse has been rented and my brain is in full-on PINK mode. There is still a ton of stuff to do and I really need to sit down a write out a proper "to do" list, but at the moment it seems a bit over whelming. . . I may have gone just a tiny bit over board.

While the main theme of the shower is "pink", but has plans have developed, so have the sub-theme of "sugar & spice (& everything nice)". I didn't mean to go that route, but since there is going to be a dessert and candy buffet, it just sort of happened.

Here's a little peek of some of the candy buffet take home boxes with their newly added pink accents -

Please forgive the cell phone photo taken in the middle of the night.

Baby Shower Update - The Invitation

I had originally planned on hand making the baby shower invitations, but after putting together the guest list and realizing exactly how it would take me to put them all together (and the cost of the supplies), I decided to order them from Vista Print instead.

I choose three designs that I thought would work with the "Pink on Pink" theme and then let the mother-to-be pick her favorite -

The only thing I didn't love about this invite was that you couldn't change the font and font color, but for the price (I used a coupon) you can't really beat it. That, and the amount of time saved on not having to make them by hand.

If you can't tell, I'm still trying to convince myself that it was the best option. . .

Decisions, Decisions

A couple of weeks ago I shared that I was debating the merits of purchasing three of those glass beverage jars for my friend's baby shower. Just sharing the thought helped me realize that buying three giant beverage jars was a bit of an overkill. . .

And then MissAmandaGinger pointed me towards this beverage jar tower from Z Gallerie -

Talk about two birds with one stone! This baby could totally solve my problem, I mean, come on, awesome would that thing look with three different pink beverages?!

Too bad the nearly $70 price tag places it way out of my budget. . .

So what is a girl to do? Should I pony up the cash and buy the tower of my dreams, should I stick to my budget and buy a cheapy version from TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Homegoods, etc., or should I rethink the beverage situation completely. . .

To Buy or Not To Buy?

I really really really want to have a beverage "buffet" for the baby shower. . . and I've fallen in love with the idea of this beverage jar -

Really, I've just been looking for an excuse to buy one. Thing is, if I have said beverage "buffet" I would need at least 3 jars. I have found some at a discount store for a great price, but what am I going to do with 3 giant beverage jars after the fact. . . Storage is an major issue.

I could go with simple clear glass pitchers, but I've sorta got my heart set on the beverage jar. . .

Ugg, I'm torn. . . what should I do? Buy?

Baby Shower Timing

I always find that one of the trickiest parts of planning a party is the timing. I've been to way to many showers where the quests just sort of sat and stared at each other for the first half, I've also been to showers where there was barely any time to greet one another before someone was getting wrapped in toilet paper (sadly, this is true for both baby and bridal showers).

The key to avoiding the awkardness of either extreme is in the timing.

The first step is picking the perfect starting time - 2:00 pm. Why 2 o'clock you ask? Well for one thing, at 2:00 guests don't expect a full meal, which save you from having to provide a full meal. *

Next you should give your guests between 15 and 30 minutes to arrive and greet the mother-to-be.

Next up, hit the buffet and let the games begin. Give yourself between an hour and an hour and a half for food and games. I find that it is helpful to have lots games planned in case you have some quick wins, and also be prepared to skip a game or two if you start running over.

What comes next? Presents!! Again, give the mother-to-be between an hour and an hour and a half to open all her gifts (also making sure have a deicated thank-you-list writer). Of course, if you are having an extra small gathering or a giant blow out, this is the one area in scheduling that isn't as easy to plan for.

Finally, the last 30 minutes or so should be spent on dessert and goodbyes.

There you have it folks - the timing break down for a baby (or bridal, for that matter) shower.

Here's the find print: This party timing is based on my own personal experiences of throwing and attending showers. It has worked well for me in the past and I plan to continue using it in the future.

* Now, there is nothing wrong with having a full meal, but some guests eat faster than others and some are pickier than others which can lead to some guests sitting around waiting for others to finish (again, the dreaded staring blankly at one another) before you can start your activies.

And The Winning Baby Shower Theme Is. . .

Drum roll, please. . .

PINK ON PINK!! So, yes, that means my friend is having a girl and we are all super excited for her (well, her two sons aren't so much). Actual serious planning has begun and I'll keep you updated as I go.

Gosh Darn Modest Baby

So this was the week that my friends were suppose to find out the sex of their baby (hence the massive invite postings of last weekend), but the baby decided to be modest and kept his or her legs crossed. . . So it will be a full month before we'll know if we're hosting a Pink on Pink or Sock Monkey baby shower.

I know I've said it before. . . but I am sooooooooo not good at waiting. . .

Shark Week Baby Shower Invite with Download

Here is a mock up of the Shark Week invite -

The beauty of doing the ivites online is you can print youself for cheap or use a service like Moo or Vista Print and have them look totally profesional.

Double click the small blank invite to open the photo in a new window, then right click and save to your computer. You can add your own text in Photoshop or even in Word if you're going to be printing them yourself at home. Or, better yet you can upload and add text on Picnik, seriously, I heart Picnik.

Garden Party Baby Shower Invite with Download

Here is a mock up of the flowery invite -

Double click the small blank invite below to open the photo in a new window, then right click and save to your computer. You can add your own text in Photoshop or even in Word if you're going to be printing them yourself at home. Or, better yet you can upload and add text on Picnik, seriously, I heart Picnik.

The beauty of doing the ivites online is you can print youself for cheap or use a service like Moo or Vista Print and have them look totally profesional.

Sock Monkey Baby Shower Invite with Download

This is my choice theme if the baby is going to be a boy.

Here is a mock up of the invite -

The beauty of doing the ivites online is you can print youself for cheap or use a service like Moo or Vista Print and have them look totally profesional.

Double click the small blank invite to open the photo in a new window, then right click and save to your computer. You can add your own text in Photoshop or even in Word if you're going to be printing them yourself at home. Or, better yet you can upload and add text on Picnik, seriously, I heart Picnik.

I am also going to shave a the D.I.Y. for a Sock Monkey invite if you'd rather go the handmade route.

Pink On Pink Baby Shower Invite with Download

I have pretty much decided that if the baby is a girl this is the theme we're going with. You really can't go wrong with an overload of pink.

Here is a mock up of the invite -

The beauty of doing the ivites online is you can print youself for cheap or use a service like Moo or Vista Print and have them look totally profesional.

Double click the small blank invite to open the photo in a new window, then right click and save to your computer. You can add your own text in Photoshop or even in Word if you're going to be printing them yourself at home. Or, better yet you can upload and add text on Picnik, seriously, I heart Picnik.

I am also going to shave a the D.I.Y. for a Pink On Pink invite if you'd rather go the handmade route.

Possible Baby Shower Mood Board: Shark Week

All items are from Party City and Candy Warehouse

Possible Baby Shower Mood Board: Garden Party

All items are from Party City. . . I totally got lazy on this one.