• Celebrations,  Christmas,  Favorite Things,  Home Decor,  Winter

    Hot Chocolate Bar

    Baby It’s Cold Outside! Here in my neck of the woods, we have been having record-setting rainfall and flooding. It’s downright miserable out there! When my kids get off the school bus, they are pretty cold, so I wanted to create a little something special to help them warm up. I am just thrilled at how my little hot cocoa bar turned out. Now that I’ve got it all set up I just have to refill the carafe before they get home and everything else is ready to go! Using canisters I purchased at Tuesday Morning, I added hot chocolate mix, marshmallows and some cute little candy cane sticks that…

  • Birthday,  Celebrations,  Summer

    Surf’s Up Dude! — The Perfect Summer Party for the Surfing Enthusiast

    That moment when you overhear one of the party guests tell his mom “Can I stay longer, I’m having the time of my life!!” Three hours into the party, I was feeling pretty tired and just as I was starting to lose steam, his comment was just the thing I needed to hear to let me know it was all worth it! This Surfing Party was a fun theme for my son who just discovered surfing during our spring break trip to the North Shore of Oahu, HI. What a fun adventure! I couldn’t believe my eyes when my little nine-year-old boy got up on his first try. It was…

  • Create an invitation that will really excite your guests
    Birthday,  Celebrations

    Invitation in a Bottle

    Create an Invitation that will Really Excite Your Guests  Everyone loves getting letters in the mail, but these days it’s a rare occurence for sure. What little boy wouldn’t be thrilled to get his own message in a bottle delivered right in his mailbox? Over the years I have done several variations of this invitation from mermaid parties, luau dinners, pirate parties and now a surfing party. It always draws attention and it always gets the guests excited for the upcoming event. Believe it or not, these invitations in a bottle can actually go through the mail. I add just under 1/4 cup of sand to the bottom of the…

  • Celebrations,  Summer

    Beachy Graduation Party

    8th Grade Promotion Luncheon Just days ago my baby girl had her 8th grade promotion ceremony and is now moving on to high school in just a few months! This calls for a celebration! For her luncheon, we decided on a soup bar. I served salmon chowder and French onion soup with crusty bread sticks, croissants, spinach artichoke spread, shrimp and krab. About a month ago, I found these cute seafood forks at Tuesday Morning. It’s not entirely clear in the photo, but they have a crab at the top. I thought they were perfect for serving up the krab. Here is my trusty tiered server that I use for…

  • Backyard Elegance Birthday
    Birthday,  Celebrations,  Summer

    Backyard Rustic Elegance Garden Party

    If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would fall in love with all things burlap I would have thought you were crazy…but it’s true — I did! Seriously can’t explain why something that used to be seen as something kind of old and crummy can be made to look so sophisticated. Well, actually I can explain it…have you looked on pinterest lately? Some truly lovely ideas for decorating with burlap. But I digress…For my 40th Birthday celebration I designed my theme around all things burlap and vintage. Twine, crocheted lace, bulap…even damask printed burlap! This girl loves her neutral colors and this burlap and lace pairing…