Sunday, May 27, 2012

Kentucky Derby & Cinco de Mayo

I had lots of decorating and party ideas for Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby, which happened to fall on the same day this year.  I would have liked nothing more than spending weeks shopping for the perfect props, creating decorations, and throwing a big ol' theme bash.  However, I don't have the time or the money to go all out for every holiday or special occasion (nor does my husband have the patience for that).  So this year the only things I did to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby were to wear this silly hat and drink wine from a margarita glass.  Maybe next year I will wear a sombrero and drink a margarita from a wine glass.

If I did have unlimited time and money, I would have taken ideas and inspiration from some of these fabulous fiesta and derby themed events I found around the web.  
Images found via http://blog.hwtm.com/2011/04/buenos-noches-adult-birthday/.
Image found via http://pizzazzerie.com/parties/host-a-mexican-fiesta-party/.
Images found via http://www.celebrations.com/content/mexican-fiesta-theme-party.
I know this is a wedding and not a Cinco de Mayo party, but it definitely has Mexican flare that fits the theme.  Plus, I am all for a party that requires wearing a costume or buying a new dress.  Actually, I would throw a Cinco de Mayo party just for the excuse to wear one of these pretty dresses and a big flower in my hair.  Gorgeous!  Or maybe I should say, muy hermosa. 
Image found via http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/2009/10/22/real-weddings-kristen-matt/.
Image found via http://www.hwtm.com/index.cfm?page=albums/view_album&albumid=5581#.
Image found via http://www.hwtm.com/index.cfm?page=albums/view_album&albumid=5581#.
Image found via http://loveandhomemaderecipes.com/2012/05/lets-talk-derby-recipes-and-party-ideas-for-the-kentucky-derby/.
Image found via http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/best-kids-parties-a-kids-kentu-148791.
Image found via http://www.southernliving.com/food/holidays-occasions/kentucky-derby-day-party-00400000043969/.
Image found via http://blog.hwtm.com/2012/04/kentucky-derby-taste-of-derby-official-party/.
Image found via http://blog.amyatlas.com/2011/05/derby-guest-feature/horse/.

All this talk about the Kentucky Derby reminds me of another kind of derby . . . Roller Derby!  If I can dig up some old photos, my next post will feature me as a 'Roller Derby Girl' in my favorite Halloween costume ever.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Pom Pom Leftovers


Not only did I have leftover food from Easter, but also leftover decorations.  Most things I packed away for next year (the leftover decorations, not the food!), but what the heck do I do with these tissue paper pom poms?  I wasn't ready to throw them out - - since I shopped all over town to find the perfect shades of green and orange (ridiculous, I know) and then spent two long evenings making them myself - - so I shoved them into these vases in our sunroom.  And here they still sit more than a month later.


I have a ridiculous amount of vases.  The reason I have so many is not because my husband sends me flowers every week (he is a great, but not that great).  They are mostly from the candy buffet at our wedding in 2009.  I keep thinking I should get rid of them or sell them at a garage sale, but they seem to come in really handy for creative projects. 


Anyway, these blooms have inspired me with more party ideas.  Perhaps some sort of garden party or "Bloom Where Your Planted" theme or maybe I should turn our sunroom into an overflowing flower conservatory or garden . . .   so many ideas for future posts.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Easter Excess

Easter brunch at our house!
 
I purchased the food and beverage labels on Etsy from Cupcake Express at  http://www.etsy.com/shop/cupcakeexpress.  
These donut hole labels are from Martha Stewart and can be found at http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/225202/donut-hole-and-jelly-labels-how.  The design is actually pink and white, but I printed them in black and white onto green paper so it would match my color scheme.  Unfortunately, the wording isn't customizable.  I say unfortunately because . . . do you know how hard it was to find cinnamon sugar donut holes?!?!  Geez, not a popular flavor.  I went to several different bakeries and no one had them.  I finally found a donut shop willing to make them for me.
The food labels came blank so I added the descriptions using my home computer and printer.
This adorable carrot basket is from Beverly's craft store.  
The food and beverage labels were purchased from Etsy, but I made the carrot banner and framed artwork myself using free clipart I found here carrot clipart (banner) and here carrot clipart (framed artwork).  I also made the tissue paper pom poms (you can see how in my "Kissing Booth" post).  The backdrop is a foam core board that I wrapped in green craft paper.
The quintessential Easter treat!
Somebunny loves you!
I made these photo props using free clipart I found here http://www.firstpalette.com/tool_box/printables/bunnymask.html.
Bought this cute little sign at Ross even though it didn't fit my green and orange carrot theme.
I had a mini egg hunt for our one and only child guest.  The sign is from Target.

I dubbed this post "Easter Excess" because I went way overboard.  I created all these decorations before I even decided to have a party.  I did the same thing with my kissing booth.  I tend to make decorations and party plans, yet I'm not actually having a party.  To be honest, I like (and am much better at) crafting and styling more than playing hostess, and definitely more than cooking (which is why you'll rarely see recipes on here!).  Plus, we don't know a lot of people in our area since moving here a couple years ago.  So, we have a limited number of people to invite anyway.  That said, we were able to round up two other couples and one toddler to join us for Easter brunch.  It was an eggcellent little party! 


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

DIY Apothecary Jars

Okay, this project is not my original idea.  These DIY apothecary jars are all over the internet. Even so, I thought I would share the ones I made . . .  
You can use whatever jars you already have at home, but I went out and bought jars of salsa because they came in the shape and size I wanted.  I also bought cheap glass candlesticks which are often sold at the Dollar Store, thrift stores, garage sales, etc.  The wooden finials on top - - I didn't even know what a "finial" was until I did this project - - can be purchased at craft stores like Michael's.  

I spray painted the lids, candlesticks, and finials green.  Once they were completely dry, I glued the finial to the lid and the jar to the candlestick using E-6000 Craft Glue.  Oh, somewhere in there I think I used primer on the candlesticks before spray painting them.  As I said in a previous post, all of these projects were done before I had the idea to start a blog, so I didn't keep proper track of each step.  I only took these photos to show my Mom!  :)   

I wanted the jars to resemble a carrot (for my carrot themed Easter brunch which I will feature in the next post), that is why I chose green paint and orange Reese's Pieces candy.  I thought the finished product looked a little dull so I added the ribbon.
As I said before, this project is all over the internet.  Below are links to some of my favorites.  There are so many cute ways to decorate and use these jars!  The Halloween ones are my favorites.  I will for sure be making those come October.

Easter Vignette

I was on a bit of a crafting and party planning high after my Valentine's Day shindig, so I immediately set my sights on the next holiday.  I skipped St. Patrick's Day and headed straight to Easter.  In February, I was already decorating for Easter and created this little vignette.  I've become a big fan of vignettes.  They are so charming, even the word is charming.  
I don't usually decorate for Easter (Halloween is my big holiday!), but a couple years ago my mother in-law bought me the ceramic bunnies and Easter basket so I thought I should finally display them.  I already owned the apothecary jar and just added the fake grass, candy eggs, and chocolate bunny.  I also already owned The Velveteen Principles - - good book, by the way, but more self-help than storybook - - and bought the other little book for cheap at Marshall's to complete the look.  As much as I love to shop, I tried to use what I had.
This vignette was going to be the extent of my Easter decorating, but once I got into it I had so many more ideas and things I wanted to do.  My next post will feature those ideas including DIY apothecary jars, and an orange and green carrot themed brunch.  

Monday, May 7, 2012

Kissing Booth


This kissing booth I built gave me the idea to start a blog - - a place where I can document my silly whims and creative ideas.  An idea I've had for years was to build my own photo booth (I saw so many cute DIY booths on wedding blogs back in 2009 when I was planning my own wedding).  Since Valentine's Day was coming up, my photo booth idea evolved into a kissing booth.  

Building this booth was just "a silly whim".  I had no plan or purpose for it.  But after it was built, it seemed a little sad that no one would see it except for my husband so I decided to host a Valentine's Day dinner party.  I am not a chef or a carpenter, but somehow my attempts at cooking and woodworking turned out well.


A good craft blogger with more experience would have included step-by-step instructions on how this was built. However, since I built this months before I had the idea to start a blog, these photos are all I've got.  What I can tell you is that I bought the lumber and supplies from a local lumberyard.  The lumber was cheap (less than $20), but it was the paint and other supplies that got pricey.  I went to three different stores before I finally got over my intimidation and found a very helpful salesperson to assist me.  I was intimated because I wasn't exactly sure what to ask for (type of wood, exact dimensions . . . I had no clue), so I just explained to the salesman what I wanted to build and how I pictured it to look and he helped me figure out what I needed.  He even cut the wood to size which was very helpful since I didn't even own a saw (did I mention that I am not a carpenter?).  Plus, I needed him to cut the pieces small enough to fit into my car (a minor detail I didn't consider in advance). Although I didn't have a saw, my husband did have an old drill buried in our shed that I used to screw all the pieces together.  It may not have been perfectly level or straight, but it looked cute!

Painting it pink!  I then painstakingly added the stripes using painters tape and a ruler.

These wooden letters were purchased from Beverly's craft store and spray painted black.  I then attached them using double-sided mounting strips.

Ta da!





I asked for this portable printer on my Amazon Wish List thinking someday I would get around to making a photo booth. When I received it for my birthday, it prompted me to actually put my DIY photo booth idea into action.


Photo booth props like these can be purchased all over Etsy, but I created my own simply by Googling "free mouth template" or "free lip cutout" and saving the images to Word (hopefully I won't be sued or sent to prison for violating copyright laws!).  I then printed them on heavy cardstock, cut them out, and taped them to the sticks.

Creativity breeds creativity, so after the kissing booth was built I couldn't stop crafting and made a bunch of these tissue paper pom poms to adorn our house.  You can learn how here http://simplysavannahevents.blogspot.com/2011/06/pom-pom-pretty.html.

The cutouts on the tree are free printables from Magnolia Creative Co. that I found on the Catch My Party blog at http://catchmyparty.com/.

The kissing booth was my main project, but I also threw together a mini dessert buffet and cooked a family-style Italian dinner (spaghetti and meatballs a la the romantic scene in Lady & The Tramp).   I didn't need any of my husband's help building the kissing booth, but definitely needed his help with the cooking.  Thanks, David!  Both cooking and carpentry are new endeavors for me.  As is blogging.  We'll see where this goes . . .