Let's Connect Linky Party

Fresh off my trip from the Snap Creative Conference, I’ve teamed up with some awesome bloggers (5 to be exact!) Six different hosts mean there are 6 sets of readers linking up. Greater exposure and a lot more link ups! Here's a bit more about what to expect:  I’ve teamed up with some awesome bloggers (5 to be exact!) Six different hosts mean there are 6 sets of readers linking up. Greater exposure and a lot more link ups!

Meet the Hosts!

The Craft Nest //Designed Decor //Swish Printables //Creative Juice // Just Us Four //La Belle Parties

To add to the fun, we have a featured co-host. This week, the co-host is:

The Easley Family

Each week, we’ll have a new social media platform as the main theme of our link party.

This week, we’re linking up our Facebook pages!

I’m sure you already know that Facebook is an awesome way to engage and get your content in front of readers!

So, growing your Facebook following = growing your blog following!

Join the party and link up your Facebook page {NOT your blog homepage or a post link, please}

Your link will automatically appear on all 6 blogs!

Remember: Follow your Hosts and visit the others!

** The BEST way to grow is to spread the love.**

You will automatically be entered into our email reminder list by entering a link. You can remove yourself from the list at anytime.

Summer Picnic

I am so excited to share my picnic party for the Everyday Party Magazine design challenge. I am so in love with how it turned out!!

This challenge was all about the gorgeous printables from Chicabug and DIY projects. I loved the vintage feel of the printables and I thought what goes better with vintage than paper bags of course!!

 

 

I headed down to my local dollar tree and bought a package of paper lunch bags for you guessed it $1. Then I cut my bags apart and ruffled them to create the perfect paper ruffles to accent my printables. I also used the lunch bags as well as a few grocery bags to create the paper fans for that amazing backdrop. I punched out some circles from the coordinating patterned paper and added some star shaped brads with ribbon to add some extra detention and detail to the fans.
 

 

Because I'm a mom of 4 boys and 3 of them are 5 and under, I am all about practical food that they will actually eat. There is nothing worse than spending a lot of time and energy on making food that your kids refuse to eat. So I went with the tried and true PB&J sandwich, a bag of chips and a fruit cup for lunch. I served them up in easy to carry lunch boxes adorned with paper fans. I told you i have 4 kids so they have to be able to carry their own food.

 

 

 

There were also individual popcorn boxes, packs of cookies and cupcakes for the kids to enjoy.

 

To keep with the vintage theme, I had a vintage croquet set and a ring toss game for the kiddos to play. They had a lot of fun playing the games and no one hit anyone with the croquet stick so I am calling it a success.
 

 

 

 

Stay tuned for all the DIY projects I did for this party.

 

Thanksgiving Tablescape Ideas

I have a couple of super simple, super cute ways to add a little pizazz to your Thanksgiving table.

 

 

If you know me, then you know I LOVE to make craft projects and I love to add words to my tables. Here is a great way to do both!

 

I started with a roll of packaging paper from the Dollar Tree and some colored markers. I cut a strip of the paper to make a table runner and wrote the word family in different fonts and languages all over it.

 

 

 

Next, I wrapped some jars (you could also use cans) with fun fall fabrics, cut out the word family from colored fun foam and glued them on the jars. Then, I added some flowers and placed the jars down the center of the table.

  

 

Finally, took a couple of my little pumpkins left over from Halloween and placed them on candlesticks in the center of the table for some height and interest.



 

That's it! Super cute and easy and all about family!

 

 

For a more traditional look, keep the pumpkins and add fall leaves down the center of the table.

 

Simple, pretty and elegant.

 

Two different tablescapes, both budget friendly and perfect for your Thanksgiving table.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

 

30 Sucks

A few months ago I had the privilege of creating a dessert table for my friend Nicole" {The amazing photographer behind Simply Sweet Photography who happened to take all of these fabulous pictures.} 30th birthday. After much consideration she decided that she was not thrilled about turning 30 and the theme was going to be 30 sucks! I LOVED it!

I decided I would go with all hard candies. I loved how it turned out! It was so bright and fun!

There were suckers galore, along with candy sticks, pixie sticks, hard candies, and lemon drops and gumballs to display everything.

I love how cute the suckers look in the cupcakes. We also used more suckers as drink stirrers. So fun!

How cute are these glittery number 30 fondant lollipops? The amazing Brittany of Edible Details never disappoints! She is a fondant Goddess.

Finally, I created lollipops from paper fans and sticks for the backdrop and finished the table off with a sucker garland.

This was such a fun theme. I had a blast putting it all together!

DIY Embossed Frame

I took part in the Valentine's Day "Love" themed Designers Challenge and I won Best Favor! So today I am going to show you how I made these Fabulous frames. They are simple to make but create a huge impact!

I started with a with a $1 frame from the craft store, painted it black then I added the embossing.

To do the embossing I mixed spackling compound with just enough water to make a creamy consistency. Then I put it in a zip lock bag and created my design on my frame.

Next, I let it dry for 24 hours then painted it. I wanted my design to be subtle so painted it black and left it. {If you want your design to stand out a little more you can add a bronze or antique rub to the finish.} I LOVE how they turned out! To complete the project I asked each guest's children why they love their mommy, I typed it up and put it in the frame. It made the perfect favor!

I set them at each place setting so it doubled as a place card too.

Don't you love how they look on the table?

Dressing Up Dessert With Chocolate

One of my favorite ways to dress up desserts is to add chocolate. Who doesn't like chocolate? {Well actually my youngests child doesn't like chocolate but he's crazy. (:} Adding chocolate not only adds that extra special touch to make your treats look Fabulous, but it tastes great too!!

Here are a few of my go to teats that I like to use on my dessert tables.

Brownie Bites These are tastey on their own but when you add that little extra piece of chocolate it takes them to whole new level! Trust me when I say that your guests will LOVE them. The best part it that is so easy to do. Just melt some chocolate in a plastic bag, squeeze it into a chocolate mold, freeze the chocolate for 5 mins then attach them to the brownies with a little extra melted chocolate.

Chocolate Dipped Cookies Make a batch of cookies and dip half in chocolate. Such a quick and easy way to add some delicious color to your table.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows  These are so simple but they add such a great pop of color to your table. I like to dip my marshmallows in colored chocolate then dip them in colored sprinkles. The sprinkles really make the color come alive.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries  These are not only delicious, but they are beautiful too. They add a touch of elegance to your table. The key to making your strawberries look like you spent a fortune on them is adding the drizzle. I dip my strawberries in the store bought container of dipping chocolate and let them firm up. Then I drizzle a second color over the top. To add the drizzle simply melt the chocolate in a plastic bag, cut a teeny, tiny hole in the corner and drizzle. {I like to practice drizzling on a paper towl first until I get my rhythem down.} Your guests will be AMAZED when you say you made them!

Four delicious ways to dress up your desserts. Which one will you try first?