Owl Baby Shower

Owl Themed Baby Shower

Last Saturday I helped throw a baby shower for an awesome momma-to-be. This first-time mom has nothing to worry about because she is surrounded by an amazing group of friends and family. I had so much fun planning and being a part of this great party! I got the inspiration for this shower from these awesome napkins (found at HomeGoods). I knew they’d be just perfect for a baby shower. The fun, bright colors led me to all the special details for Kathy’s owl themed shower. (This girl loves owls, and turtles, and any cute, little, round shaped animals. Oh, and Snoop Dog. But, more on that below.) DIY tutorials for the flowerless pomanders, pendants, ribbon chandelier (sadly not pictured below), bubbly bar wall, cupcake toppers, and bird’s nest favors coming soon! I wish I had a chance to get some better pictures, but everyone was having so much fun I completely forgot. As a special treat for Kathy and Baby Maxwell, guests were encouraged to write a special message or wish for Baby M on sheets of origami paper. They could opt to fold the paper into a crane (which is much harder than it looks) or leave it flat for

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Adiós, Army! Military Retirement Party!

My brother-in-law, Tim, served in the Army for more than ten years. During his service he was sent overseas on short assignments more times than I can count and was deployed for up to a year and a half multiple times. Meanwhile, my sister (and her four children) served the country too. The entire family, like all military families, made countless sacrifices for our freedom. So I was THRILLED when my sister asked me to help her plan a “freedom party” for my brother-in-law and the family when they were finally done with the Army. I started brainstorming ideas immediately and came up with quite the list. When I went to do a quick search to see how other people celebrate this momentum occasion I came up with nothing. I couldn’t believe it. So here it is folks. Spread the word! EVERY FORMER SOLDIER DESERVES A CELEBRATION LIKE THIS! End of Military Service Retirement, Discharge, Who Cares, We’re OUT Party! Important note: My dear brother-in-law has a very hard time moving his lips into a full-fledged smile. It’s like he’s the tin man in need of oil. So just trust me on this, he’s having a good time. It’s taken

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Halloween Brunch

Halloween Brunch Ideas: Just Another Excuse to Celebrate

It’s the last day in October and I have a confession to make. Halloween is not my favorite holiday. There, I said it. In part, I just don’t understand what it is we’re celebrating. I do enjoy a good costume, but really? You expect me to traipse all over the neighborhood in this: So, I was delighted when a fellow grocery shopper (spotted shoving a case of booze and six bottles of champagne into her car at 8am on a Saturday) let me in on the smart way to do Halloween. Host a Halloween Brunch! I’ve been thinking a lot about brunches lately. Maybe it’s my intense love for quiche and bloody marys. Regardless, what a unique way to celebrate a holiday traditionally done at night. And so, I give you: The Benefits of Hosting a Halloween Brunch It’s family friendly. And since it’s during the daytime, you can absolutely tell all the kids to go outside and play some fun Halloween games. There are the classics like bobbing for apples and donuts on a string. Or, make an adorable “squash bowling” set and let them go to town.  Brunch makes it perfectly acceptable to have a drink in the morning. After getting Johnny and

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Dyed Cupcake Liners

Dyed Cupcake Liner Extravaganza

The majority of my weekend was spent making a very time-consuming decor element for an upcoming event. Dying three to four HUNDRED cupcake liners is only step one. I’m not ready to spill the beans about what we do with all these dyed cupcake holders, but trust me it’s freaking awesome. In the meantime, I want to share my experience with this crafty cupcake trend that Lauren over at Little Wren started. Lauren makes it look so easy (and beautiful). My experience was a bit more frustrating. First, I could not get my colors to come out the way I wanted. I had my heart set on purple, pink, seafoam, blue, and yellow. Based on Lauren’s experience, this shouldn’t be so hard. I KNOW that blue and red make purple. And red and water should make pink, just like Lauren says. So why did mine look like this: Eventually, I blamed the problem on crappy food coloring, took a deep breath, and decided that blue, seafoam, and yellow would be just perfect. For my project, I needed 300-400 cupcake liners. Which means I spent my entire afternoon peeling apart liners, dipping & swirling them, and covering my fingertips in dye. Oh, and

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