Easy (& Super Cute) DIY Photo Memory Banner

My sister-in-law put together the cutest memory display for my niece's 1st birthday party. Check it out:

Sorry for the photo quality. The camera on my phone doesn't take the best photos.

Each picture displayed a picture of Sadie at month 0-11 and was clamped to a ribbon by mini-clothespins. Adhere the numbers representing how many months old she was when the picture was taken and a few decorative circles with her initial on it and voilà ... a wonderful walk down memory lane.

This Ain’t Your Grandma’s Jell-O!

I ran across an super cute idea a while back that I was just waiting to bust it out. My brother and sister-in-law was going to hold a birthday party for my niece/housewarming party and  I was beyond excited to bring this darling dish:

Jell-O Fruit Slices

I first ran across the idea because a friend of mine had done something similar with oranges and had it posted on her Facebook wall. I wanted to learn how to prepare it so I went to the internet to learn how. I ran across a great tutorial at Not Martha and knew it would be easier than it looked.

I decided to try to make the Jell-O look like watermelon slices, super cute for a summertime party! I hollowed out ½ a watermelon, prepared the Jigglers recipe on the box as instructed and poured it in the rind, balanced it all in bowl to avoid tipping, and put it in the fridge to set. Voilà, finished! (well…almost)

Now here is where I made my error so please learn from my mistake. Not Martha said  to place the fruit upside-down  when you cut it. However, she was working with smaller fruits. I did this with the watermelon and got through 4 “slices” before the weight of the remaining Jell-O caused it to plop out. Bummer! At least I know for next time. I decided to cut up the Jell-O that came unattached and placed it around the slices to be devoured.

People thought the Jell-O fruit was a neat idea. Maybe next time I’ll add booze to make them into Jell-O shot slices. Yummm!

Bachelorette Party Favor Gift Bags

I put these cute little gift bags together for attendees of the bachelorette party that I helped plan this summer. What a cute take-away idea and gave the impression that the day was edgier than it really was!

About the gift bags - I have a friend who works promotions and she usually has leftover swag so I asked her for extra merchandise.  She gave me everything above plus a ton of shirts (which served as prizes for some games we played) and random extras. Favors don't always have to be expensive if you can leverage your resources.

 I always believe that the right music can make the day memorable so I also put together a bachelorette dance mix for the event. That way when you hear a song down that road a great memory comes to mind. And who doesn't love new CD full of fun music?!?

Sexy Silhouette Bachelorette Party Invitation

I just got Lisa's bachelorette party invitations back from SLW Designs and they turned out fabulous so I thought I would share.

Bridal Shower

Last weekend I was honored to host a bridal shower for my dear friend, Lisa. Given the size of the guest list, I kept it simple. Purple was the color of the event.  We had good food with wonderful family and friends. 

Invites made through Vista Print. 

A bride-to-be isn't complete without a sash!

 I had a jewelry holder that looks very similar to the bridesmaid dresses.

 Cake. Yummy!

Congratulations to Lisa and Tim! I am excited for your wedding on June 4^th!

I turned 30...so what!??!

Yeah...I turned 30 on April 2nd. Some people get sad and mopey about it, but not me. I said, bring it on 30, and celebrated by throwing a "Dirty 30" party. I rented the most outrageous party bus I could find (courtesy of http://www.partridgefamilypartybus.com/)  and we all dressed in our "white trash beautiful" outfits and hit all the Podunk bars we could handle. 
I apologize if anyone is offended, it was all in good fun.


For snacks I made dirt cake. Yum! I also had ho-ho's and beef jerky. My brother-in-law came with some very naughty chocolates he made in a special mold. Let's just say they were too graphic to picture here on this blog.  For drinks we had wine coolers, the ultimate "Dirty 30" - 30 packs of Busch Light, and some guests showed up sporting 40 oz beers.


I also made a killer CD mix that had people dancing on the pole in the bus from song #1!  Classy!  

The crew on top of the party bus.

 Outside & Inside~

I had some pretty cool buttons. {censored}

Think Peggy Bundy. "Oh Al!!"  All I am missing are my red high heels.

And my crazy looking husband.  This makes me laugh every time I look at it. His hat say "CEO - In charge of diddly squat". A great find from Goodwill.

 The invites were a piece of cake! I created them by using Publisher and used the postcard format. Easy-peasy! 

A big THANK YOU to all who made my day so special. I had a blast!

Dr. Seuss Baby Shower

I wanted to attempt to throw an fun themed baby shower for my good friend, Lisa. I decided that Dr. Seuss would be a distinctive and memorable design. After searching for inspiration on the web, I was left with soooo many great ideas. I didn’t know where to start.  I created my to-do list, bought the materials, and felt I was prepared and ready.

Well…I found out the hard way just how much work goes into prep the last few days before an event. I was working on set-up right until the first guest walked in the door. I didn’t even have time to style my hair! (at least I made time to apply make-up…whew!)

Unfortunately, I didn’t enough time to take a bunch of pictures before food was eaten and decorations were used. Fortunately, the party was a hit and everyone enjoyed themselves. I now have a better idea of just how much time is involved.

For decoration I gathered all the Dr. Seuss books I could find. I had a few and I borrowed the rest from my sister who hit the Seuss jackpot.  Books were a easy way to get people feeling Seuss-y. I also hung red and blue punching balls from the ceiling to give the place some Seuss-like finesse.

Here are some fun things I came up with.

Food & Drink:

Green Eggs & Ham (Green Deviled Eggs and Hot Ham Sandwiches)

Who’s Roast Beast (Shredded Chicken Sandwiches)

Pink Yink Ink Drink (Cranberry Juice and 7Up)

Brown Bar Ba Loot Truffula Fruits featuring Who Pudding (Grape & Yogurt Salad)

Water bottles w/ Customized Labels

Thing One Cupcakes for Dessert (since this was mommy’s “Thing One”)

I decided to use a candy station for decoration as well as treats. It provided nice color and everyone got to take a bag of goodies home with them.  The Seuss Sweet Station included:

Swedish Fish (One Fish, Two Fish Red Fish, Blue Fish)

Skittles

Fave Red Starbursts

Licorice Vines

Brownie Pops

Giant Swirl Lollipops

I hope you enjoyed your baby shower, Lisa. Congratulations on your adorable baby boy!

When you don't know how to start, just start small

A close friend of mine was celebrating her 30th birthday and I decided to bring a few "extras" to put around the party.  Since it was an 80's themed party I made sure to buy extra jelly bracelets, big clunky rings, neon bangles, and snap bracelets for others who may have forgot these 80's must-haves.

The snack table included some customized 80's candy bars.

Turning 30 sure does suck!



I made an awesome 80's mix for the birthday girl. I didn't forget to make extras for people to take as a way to remember her special day.



We all had a really great time talking about all the great fads of the 80s. Here is me in my rad gear! (Yes that is a tutu!)



Get Ready, Get Set, Go!

I have been procrastinating long enough. It is time to just go with it and start blogging. 

I have become more and more active in the party planning community and wanted to share what I have done. I am in no way a professional.  My ideas are usually "borrowed" and my photos are amateur at best.  Either way, I love the thought and planning that goes into a good party.  Ultimately, my goal is to grow as a self-proclaimed party planner to where people are “borrowing” my ideas for their own events.

Feel free to send me over pictures of parties you have helped plan. I admire other’s creativity!