EAST COAST ROCKS!!

So I'm part of an AWESOME group of party lovers at Children's Party Network and we recently wrapped up a challenge to benefit Project Night Night, a sweet charity that donates books, stuffed animals, and blankies to homeless children. It was the East Coast vs the West Coast, and we split up in teams to design tablescapes to raffle off to benefit PNN. Our theme was black & white with some colorful comics thrown in. I was SPEECHLESS when I saw the finished setup from the East Coast ladies .....

I provided the pouches of confetti. I was excited just to be a part of this!

SO many great details ... where to start?!

didn't Kristy do a fabulous job getting this all put together?!



Go HERE to place your vote & check out more pics, and also to check out the adorable submission by the West Coast team!

Easy Peasy Holiday Craft

As soon as I spotted this crafty creation on AllYou it immediately got my attention. Looks pretty simple to make ... possibly time consuming, but it definitely would be worth it for me. All you need is a mirror, some paint, ornaments, a glue gun, masking tape, and a drop cloth.

.... I wonder how heavy this baby is?

Gifts in a Jar

image from Flickr.

Looking to save some money, but still send gifts the recipient will love? Consider putting together a Gift in A Jar. They're inexpensive, easy enough to make that even the little members of the family can be involved, and they're something that most, if not all, recipients will use! Just add the ingredients in a mason jar, and tie a card with the baking instructions onto the jar.

Squawkfox has an awesome recipe for Smores in a Jar.
Ingredients:
Layer in a large wide mouthed 1 quart mason jar:

•1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (one sleeve of crackers, crushed)
•1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows.
◦•1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or mini Hershey Kisses or M&M’s
•1/3 cup brown sugar

Combine all items (reserve marshmallows) in the jar with a 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Press mixture into a 9in baking pan and cover with marshmallows. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, let cool completely, and then cut into bars.

Also, found over at Squawkbox: a recipe for chocolate chip muffins:
This recipe makes a single batch of muffins.

Ingredients:
Layer in a large wide mouthed 1 quart mason jar:

•1/3 cup sugar
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1 cup chocolate chips, or substitute raisins, dried cranberries, or nut.
Combine sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Place in quart mason jar. Add chocolate chips.

Mix 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 egg in a bowl. Gently mix in the ingredients from the jar, then spoon the mixture into muffin pans. Bake for 20-25 mins.


Hot Chocolate in a Jar is a pretty popular choice, here's something with a little extra spice, found here.

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Jar Mix Recipe

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups nonfat milk powder
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup nondairy creamer
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup miniature marshmallows
optional: 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks to decorate the jar
You will also need 3/4 cup of hot milk.

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together milk powder, sugar, cocoa, creamer and cinnamon. Gently stir in marshmallows. Pour Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Mix into an airtight jar. Can be stored in a cool, dry place for about three months.


Chicken noodle soup in a jar? Pefect for this time of year. Also found at Squawkbox.
This recipe makes a pot of soup.

Ingredients:
Layer in a 1/2 quart (2 cup) glass jar:

•1/4 cup of red lentils
•2 tbsp dried onion flakes
•1 1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules
•1/2 tsp dried dill weed or dill seed
•1/8 tsp each celery seed and garlic powder
•1 cup medium egg noodles
•1 bay leaf
In a 2 cup glass jar, layer from bottom in the order listed above.

In a saucepan, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Stir in soup mix from jar. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf and stir in 1.5 cups of mixed vegetables, and 2 cups of cooked, diced chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Hope the ideas above gave you a little inspiration? Kitchenlink has a HUGE list of recipes and ideas for Gifts in a Jar. Go check it out!

LOVE this time of year!

I love almost everything about this year - holiday music, holiday parties, continuing family traditions, all the great sales .... lol. I think the only thing I dont love about this time of year is the weather. I hate waking up to frozen windshields and icy roads! But I digress - I wanted to do a couple of posts this month relating to my favorite things about the holidays. Lets start with Christmas tree ornaments. I scoured the internet to find some of the ornaments I'd love to have hanging from my tree!

No longer will you only find these creatures under the sea! Find them at Pier1

Oh NO SHE DIDNT complain about the weather and then choose a sno-cone?!

Lol yep I did. & I'll take one of these!

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE video games? Well, mainly Super Mario. Check this guy out. On sale at Amazon for $14.99.

I love ANYTHING Sex and The City. On sale here for $49.99 for the set of 4.

Have yourself ... a Couture Christmas! Love the bling!

Is there any other word for this ornament besides .... YUM?

Ok I'm done. Maybe next I'll tackle the stockings!

Halloween Bash

It was the perfect party for a perfect 3 year old little guy and his friends. I'm still waiting on getting the professional pics back, until then you have to settle for pics off of my cell phone.



the dessert table. Halloween oreos, pretzel sticks, Lofthouse cookies, strawberries, creme puffs, and of course, MARSHMALLOWS for dipping into delicious orange chocolate!

the dessert table backdrop was created using a black shower curtain and strands of curling ribbon

i love creating custom cake stands, and i think the ribbon i found at AC Moore was perfect for this party! the adorable (and delicious) cupcake toppers you see here were created by TwoSugarBabies

simple, but effective candy centerpieces for the kiddos!

SWEET ideas for Halloween!

I plan on having cupcakes decorated with custom toppers from Two Sugar Babies for the Halloween bash later this month, but while surfing the web I also found these sweet ideas for Halloween cakes:


this is DEFINITELY my style! love the zebra stripes! check it out
here!



Simple, but still makes a big statement. I found this Spooky Kitty cake at Country Living




this isnt your traditional cake, but what kid wouldn't love one of these candy cakes from Cookie Pots?

Mmmm ... Chocolate!

Since I'm working on a Halloween party right now, I decided to post some of the vendors/suppliers I'm using when I'm stuck on what to post about otherwise. Because I always like to have something for the adults at parties, I thought a Halloween party was the perfect time to bust out the chocolate fountain. Who doesn't love a good chocolate covered ...... ANYTHING?! And to make things a little more interesting, I've ordered orange tinted chocolate from Sir Chocolate. You can order 4lb and 7.5lb bags of chocolate in a wide variety of colors, and all you need to do is microwave the entire bag and its ready to serve. Not to mention that I love that its women owned and operated!

Because this is a lunchtime party, I plan to keep the dipping options limited to strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels, and an assortment of cookies. Yum!

Candy Corn + Cheesecake!

I've been all over the internet and flipping through magazines in search of dessert ideas for the Halloween party I'm currently working on. I came across these fun little squares of deliciousness (dont check the dictionary, you wont find that word!) from Hershey! The recipe follows below just in case anyone is interested in giving it a try!



Ingredients:
3/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (about 20 wafers, crushed)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter or margarine
12 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Corn Flavored Candies
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
Additional HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Corn Flavored Candies, unwrapped



Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 8-inch square pan with foil, extending foil beyond sides of pan. Stir together vanilla wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.

2. Remove wrappers from 12 candies; place in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until candies are melted and smooth when stirred. Beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until blended. Beat in eggs, milk, remaining 2 tablespoons flour, vanilla and baking powder. Gradually beat about 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture into melted candy; beat this mixture into remaining cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until center is set. Cool to room temperature. Spread whipped topping over surface. Cover; refrigerate several hours or overnight. To serve, lift dessert from pan using foil. Peel back foil, cut into squares. Serve each square garnished with candy piece. 12 to 16 servings.

Two Posts In ONE Day?!

..... YES WAY!

Gotta represent for the East Coast ladies! We're part of a pretty amazing challenge right now, designing a children's NYE tablescape to benefit Project Night Night, an organization providing books, blankets, and stuffed animals to homeless children.

FRESHstart!

I have to admit .... between raising a two year old, working a full time job, taking two classes, and everything else that comes along in life I haven't been putting as much effort into my company as I should have. But lately, several things have been going on to motivate me to work a little harder, and definitely a little faster. The first would be a class I'm taking on completing a business plan. It's more work than I initially thought, but SO NECESSARY for someone like me, who apparently HAS NOT done enough of her "homework" before getting started. I really need to study the market, my competition, and work on pricing so that I'm competitive with other planners, but still making enough of a profit for it all to make sense. The second push comes from a new exciting network of people like me who LOVE planning parties for children. There's nothing like being surrounded by successful, inspiring people who are supportive and encouraging. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Children's Party Network, and I am SO excited to be a part of it!

With all that said, I've ready to make some major changes - first starting with a business name that reflects who I am a little more than the name I use now. As soon as I get the letter saying that the name has been registered to me, then I'll share the news! Keep your fingers crossed for me until then!

Click the button below to join a fabulous group of women!

Love Print Trunk Show

Recently, I found out that I had the opportunity to sign up as a vendor for the Love Print Trunk Show April 10th in Waldorf, MD. This event is FREE to the public, and will consist of a live dance performance, food tasting, meet and greets with authors, guest speakers, and the chance to meet NY celebrity designer Camille Cesari. I'll use my 6 ft table to showcase a tropical themed spa party package that I will offer. So far, I've picked up some adorable mini lanterns from Michaels that I got at a STEAL for .50. I'll be making a trip to IKEA ( one of my FAVORITE places in the world ... seriously! ) this weekend, mainly in search of the perfect tablecloth to fit the design. I'll post my finds sometime this weekend!

If you would like more information on the show, feel free to post a comment below, or email me at eventrulyyours@aol.com