Notes from A Cottage Industry

A second idea on an Easter tablescape with a farm-to-table feel.

I hope two tablescape posts in a week (back to back, no less...) isn't gonna be overkill here, but I saw an idea and I was overcome with inspiration to try my version of it. (A fellow instagrammer used fresh baby carrots down the center of her table, and that's all it took...)

I had fun creating this look, and again, other than buying a bunch of baby carrots at the grocery store, everything came directly from my own home.

I started with a runner made of artificial moss that I have had for a gazillion years as my backdrop, and I gathered up several of my flower pots to set the garden mood, along with my always-on-hand Ikea fake mini boxwood shrubs.

A short stack of old books borrowed from my entertainment center shelf added some height for one of the pots, a few plastic eggs (The kind that are meant to sort of look real-ish) and those inspiring baby carrots came together in less than 5 minutes to create my vignette on the table. Here is a look from the back side of my vignette...

I opted for my wicker trays to use as placemats or chargers, my old thrifted Sur La Table grey cloth napkins tucked in water goblets, and I then whipped up some fun little tags with a charming, and oh-so-serious bunny wearing a carrot and green onion bow tie. A bit of Dollar Tree jute replaced the white string on the manilla tag, and attached the tags to the pair of baby carrots on either plate.

Easy peasy, and quick too.

Now, I just need to decide which of these two tablescapes I'll use on Easter (or will I come up with another one?) as well as deciding on my Easter brunch menu. 

My latest favorite color combination in a simple and relaxed Easter time tablescape.

I have a little eye candy inspiration for those of you who enjoy setting a pretty table for holidays. (Or, any day!)

Have you noticed how popular the pale blush pinks and corals have become this spring? I am loving them so much that I decided I would feature them in my Easter tablescape...

I started off shopping my house for weathered worn tea-stained colors, and I came up with some old books missing their covers, a couple of my peat pots, and a pile of old dictionary pages. (Think outside of the box! It needn't be a kitchen related item, or a vase of flowers!) I also grabbed a couple of my painted clipboards in the blush coral shade,(Yummy!) a few of my printed out copies of vintage postcards.

I decoupaged some plastic eggs from the Dollar Tree with torn pieces of the pages, and printed a couple more pages with the coral stripes to use clipped to my clipboards. These then became my placements. (..or chargers, whichever you like to think of them as...)

I put the plates on the clipboards, and added a printed postcard as a little accent piece, then added my flatware and napkins.
I placed a blush colored gift box (Filled with Easter candy, but it could hold any little gift or treat you like!) adorned with a vintage print of some sweet bunnies in the weathered shades of creams and camel, and tied it with a camel colored ribbon. A name tag for "You" and "Me" made them extra special.

A peat pot with some Dollar Tree excelsior straw and a decoupaged egg tied with a snippet of pale pink and camel ribbon and a small millinery flower  placed by each place setting added another little Easter touch.

For my centerpiece I stacked the old books, and used a flower pot from my yard filled with an Ikea artificial peony plant. More decoupaged eggs and an additional printed bunny postcard rounded out my centerpiece.

I have the cutest (I think so, anyway...) little vintage silverplate pepper shaker shaped like an egg, that I added to the table, along with my favorite silverplate salt cellar, and my tablesetting was complete.

I hope this post has inspired you to shop your own home and set a fun table for a meal sometime soon!

As usual, I started my entertaining plans off with an invite.

Am I really the only person left on the planet that likes to send paper invites to events?

(I am pretty sure I am.)

While I appreciate the efficiency of electronic reminders and having appointments and such magically show up on my iPhone calendar, I am always charmed by a thoughtfully crafted invitation. I whipped these up on my computer and then decided to print on the envelopes as well. 

(Time and a watchful eyeball on the weather reports will tell if I am going to need to follow this invite up with a group text to say, "Just kidding, we will be eating inside!")

I'm back to blogging, just in time for my favorite holiday.

It's been a minute since I last managed to get a post up here, so it is entirely possible that no one will be reading this.

I want desperately to get back into writing here on a daily basis, and I am determined to carve out the time for it. (The saying "the older we get, the faster time goes" is truer than I ever imagined, and time flies whether we are having fun or not, so we will see how this goes!)

Well, it would seem to me that the entire world has jumped from Halloween to Christmas, and I for one, am not ready for it. We are hosting Thanksgiving this year at our little cottage, (for thirteen guests total if I am counting correctly!) and I am in my plan-it-to-the-smallest-detail-and-glitter-it-up-glory. (Planning events, both big and small, is my jam, as you may recall, with "more is more" being my mantra.)

Seriously, I get so carried away with details that I have trouble falling asleep at night, and when I do fall asleep, I am dreaming about my plans.

(Am I alone in this?)

Getting back to Thanksgiving, I must say that it is without a doubt, my personal favorite of all of the holidays. I love the autumn season, and the food and gathering of friends and family, with new memories added each year. If you forget to put out the cranberry sauce, or the gravy is too salty, it's turned into a laughable story to be shared for years to come.

If you've seen photos of our petite dining room, you might be wondering where we are planning to seat all of these guests.

Good question.

I may very well have lost my mind, but I've been planning an outdoor Thanksgiving supper, on the covered patio. (Remember the winter blahs outdoor January soiree' I hosted a few January's ago? My photos were absolutely horrible, but a great time was had by all.) I have two heat lamps, and we will have a fire roaring in the firepit on the other covered patio as well. Also, I have fleece throws for everyone, and mittens, so I was thinking we all would be toasty, thankyouverymuch.

Until yesterday.

That is when the dreaded iPhone weather app showed that little snowflake imoji.

Gasp.

Say it ain't so!

Now, I'm trying to keep the faith, and wondering (hoping and praying my guts out...) if snow happens, could we possibly still be toasty out there with the two big ol' heat lamps, and our warm fuzzy feelings for one another. Otherwise, I may need to fall back on Plan B. (For the record, my current Plan B is Plan A, but with a lot more whiskey, and since four of the guests are under eleven years of age, that may not fly.)

The iphone weather app is wrong far more often than it is right, so I'll continue to cling to my romantic Traceyville vision of a Stars-Hollow-meets-Martha-Stewart outdoor Thanksgiving gathering idea until Thanksgiving morning, and make my call then.

 

 

The fall season hits my booth space at Camas Antiques. (And with it comes papergoods...)

I told you yesterday that I have been busy, and I wasn't kidding. I have added all of my Halloween and Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving Banners and table decor to my booth at Camas Antiques, with backups arriving in my booth later this week. I am still a little concerned that my booth may be looking a little too "banner heavy" if there is such a thing. What do you think? Is it banner overload, or is it okay?

I made up some sweet little painted peat pots with moss and pumpkins, which I showcased on a mock table setting.I placed the peat pot on a small book page on the plate, and a sheet music page beneath it. I then used rectangular wooden chargers as my base. I like the simple charm of it, and the multiple layers add interest and texture.

My little party crows have made an appearance again this year, and while I'm more of a harvest than Halloween girl, I am pretty partial to these little fellas, as I am with my glittery party flags.

All of my paper party goods are available as digital downloads, or in hard-copy form in my etsy shop, or from my booth at Camas Antiques. How do you decorate for the season? Are tablescapes your sweet spot, or do you go all out all around your house? I'll be sharing my front yard later this week, as well as my mantel....I'd love to hear about your decorations for autumn!

Thank you for reading my blog, and taking the time to comment. It means everything to me!

Flip fops and lemon drops, because girls just wanna have sun. (and cocktails!)

I recently (over the course of a couple of weeks, during breaks from studying for you-know-what) created a basket that I donated as a silent auction item for an upcoming breast cancer fundraiser in mid May, and I thought I'd share it today.

The theme for my basket was "Flip Flops and Lemon Drops", a fun girl's-night-in summer martini party basket. I somehow forgot to take a decent picture of the basket as a whole before I left the house to meet my friend to drop off the donation, so this lousy photo I took on the Starbucks table will have to do.

The basket included lots of fun goodies to decorate the bar area, patio, and fun little prezzies for guests. It was so fun to put together, with these darling flip flops from my local Dollar Tree. (I simply tied the yellow and white striped ribbon to the toe divider, and they looked like a million bucks!) and a "Chill" banner I made...

Yard flamingos I found last summer at a thrift store, (...exactly lie the ones I had bought at World Market!) and a canning jar filled with fake lemons (again, from the Dollar Tree!)

Thrifted martini glasses (with my homemade martini charms on them) silly flamingo straws rounded things out, and I even managed to score a fabulous white enamel tub to hold it all.

Yellow shred from the Dollar Tree, and some cutie-patootie handmade signs for the table, as well as a lemon drop martini recipe, and the basket was set to go.

I had a great time creating this basket, and knowing it's going for such a good cause, with a fantastic organization made it all the better. If you live locally in the Portland area, consider getting tickets for the Pink Sistas "Pink in the Gorge" event. More information can be found right here. 

A new year's mantel-scape.

I have a dear friend flying in on New Year's Eve morning and I've been busy around here taking Christmas decorations down, (The poor Christmas tree was so dry that I fear I will be vacuuming up pine needles through August!) and putting a few New Year's decorations up.

I collect old alarm clocks, and each year I like to gather them up from all around the house, and put them on my mantel as part of my decorations for the magical time when one year ends and a new one begins.

How about you? When do you take down Christmas decorations? Do you do any New Year's decor at all, and if so, what do you like to do?

Leftovers never looked so good.

I created a Leftovers Station as part of my tables cape themes at the event at Camas Antiques a short while back, and I have it available in my etsy shop now. We will be using these cutie-patootie leftover containers at our Thanksgiving this year, which my Mom is hosting.

You can take your Thanksgiving up a notch too, by creating a little to-go leftovers station. (If you are not hosting, how fun would it be to show up with this ensemble to make clean up a little easier for your hostess?!)

Get the Printable version here. Get a hard copy setup for six here.

Let the countdown to Thanksgiving begin!

 

#Thanksgivingleftovers #Friendsgiving  #leftovers #thepamperedguest

Making something out of nearly nothing.

Maybe I should say, making something without spending a dime.

I'm working on tablescape items (are you sick of hearing about this yet?) and I decided that for second tablescape on my list in this post, the the elegant farmhouse harvest supper (creams, whites, golds and silvers, with open old books used as chargers beneath dinner plates) I would do a couple (or three or five) of dictionary page banners swagging above the table.

Are you picturing it?

Let me add to the visual in your head by sharing this sneak peek, (which I shared a couple of days ago on facebook...you may have already seen it...) Here is a basic idea of how the place settings will look, and the banner will swag above it all...

Now, can you see it?

I am considering adding a dusting of glitter across the banner pieces, and die cut leaves out of glitter paper to scatter on the table to glitz things up.

Anything I might be missing? I love getting all of your feedback!

 

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Getting my quarterly Mingle fix.

So, this arrived in my mailbox last week, and I literally squealed out loud when I saw it in there.I know we can all find anything under the sun on pinterest, but sometimes a girl needs a paper magazine or book in her hands, along with a cuppa something and some good music playing in the background.

Do you read this magazine? Oh. my. ga.

It's every entertainer's inspiration, and this issue does not disappoint. I mean, starting with the adorable trailer turned cocoa bar on the cover, for gosh sakes! With all of the scary stuff happening in the world (and in our own neighborhoods) I find the idea of celebrating everyday events a refreshing, and welcome diversion, myself.

How about you? Do you find magazines like this inspiring? Any others out there I might be missing out on? Do tell!

#letmeentertainyou #mingle #charmedlifeonashoestring

Setting the party tone even before you come through the gate.

I should have been working on so many other things this weekend, but last night I took a little creative break, and whipped out a friendly little sign on an old ugly suitcase to use anytime I entertain.

I used my usual transfer with chalk process to paint my words....

and then added a sweet little tag to finish it off.

Now, anytime I want, I can plop the suitcase outside at the gate, or next to the porch, or, as in this case, at the top of the driveway, directing my guests into the backyard....!

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Will this sign make my party look fun?

I mean, along with the other little signs I'm making....

I'm in my happy place when I am creating, and this backyard soiree' has sent me into the heart of Traceyville, let me tell you...

 

I can't show all of the signs and decorations just yet, because I want for my guests to get to enjoy things at first sight at the party, but these will give you another peek at the party theme and colors.

My fellow Junkers, the other booth vendors at Camas Antigues, are all crazy talented at what they do. The displays never cease to amaze me, and their eye for detail is unsurpassed. I'm so looking forward to an evening of fun, and I want for my decorations to wow them. So far, I think I'm on the right track. I can hardly wait to be able to set up the patios for this party!

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Junking has never been so chic.

It’s been a little while since I’ve planned any sort of shindig, and I’ve been just itching to host a girls night.  I’m working hard on a new project…a new etsy shop…and it occurred to me that I could throw a fun patio party to launch my new venture. I’ve invited  several of my local Junker friends, and I thought I’d share the invites and other paper details with you today! 

I’m calling it a Ladies who Junk Backyard Cocktail Soiree’ and I am going with a dusty coral and various shades of brown color theme.

(Yummy, no?)

I worked on several prototypes, and so you'll see some differences in the various photos, as things evolved....I colorized the sepia tone photo in picmonkey (see their rosy cheeks?) as well as adding  some brown shading to the black and white vintage photo of a sweet gal getting ready to go for a car ride with her swan.

I stuck with my signature brown kraft paper boxes for the favors, adding some vintage seam binding ribbon and my hand crafted labels...I filled the favor boxes with Junker’s essentials, which I will share after my party, because I want the favors to be a surprise!

I'll share a few more details about the party tomorrow. Stay tuned!

 

 

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Party favors for those ladies who junk.

As promised, here are the cutie patootie party favors I created for the Ladies who junk party I hosted Wednesday night. Part of what makes a gathering fun are all of the little details, and for me, a great party favor is the perfect ending! The favors I made for my fellow junk friends were little Junker toolkits.

So much fun to make!

I started with some hand sanitizer, which I dolled up with fabric, twine, and a tag...

I then added a retractable tape measure and a cloth tape measure as well....

and I added a custom wrapped chocolate bar.

I put the items in each kit assembly line style...

...and set them out for guests to take with them as they left the party.

I hope my guests liked what they found inside their boxes. I know I had fun designing and creating them!

Hawaiian chicken sammies with a little aloha tablescape.

A couple of years ago, when I went to Kauai with my best friend since fifth grade, I got some pretty adorable vintage look wooden post cards. I planned to use them as coasters for beverages.

But I never got around to it.

Then, last week, in Maui, I came across the cutest hula girl tea towels, and I knew they needed to be with my wooden coasters...er postcards, so I bought them, and popped them in my suitcase.

Tuesday night I was making grilled teriyaki chicken sammies, with Swiss cheese and grilled pineapple slices on toasted buns, and I figured that was about as Hawaiian as I ever really get in the kitchen, so I should put those little treasures to good use.

I started with some old thrifted rattan trays for placemats, and added the wooden postcards, and tea towels as napkins.

So cute!

Getting my craft on with more wedding related items for my bride-to-be friends.

I've been working on several fun crafty projects lately for two different girlfriends who are engaged. My fabulous hairstylist saw an idea on Pinterest she was wanting to do to invite her nearest and dearest friends (and sister) to be part of her bridal party.

(Of course you know I jumped on that to see if I might whip them up for her!)

A flurry of texts later, complete with photos of ideas for her winter wedding colors and style, and I was happily crafting until the wee hours because, when it comes to paper projects (Truth be told, any kind of project, for work or fun) I am a woman obsessed.

I created two tags for small bottles of champagne, and foofifiied them up with tulle and ribbon. They came out so cute that I will be adding them to my etsy shop soon as a printable kit.

Since I have multiple friends getting ready to head down the aisle, I have a few more projects to share in the wedding shower theme, so stay tuned!

 

Birthday party in the motor home.

Last weekend marked the inaugural expedition in the motor home. We were joined by Ralph's sisters, and one brother in-law (Who had coincidentally gotten an RV the same time Ralph did; how fun is that?!) and it happened to be his sister's birthday last week.

Well, we couldn't let that go by unnoticed. While we were en route to the beachfront campgrounds in Tillamook, I was busy with the helium tank, inflating clear balloons in a rather unsuccessful attempt at mimicking champagne bubbles. (I saw it done on Pinterest, and it didn't quite duplicate as planned, but it was festive anyway.)

Once we reached our destination, and were parked in our side-by-side camp spots, we spilled out and checked out the camp ground area.

It was fabulous.

(You will have to take my word for it, because at this point I forgot all about taking any photos for the entire rest of the trip.)

Anyway.

We then invited everyone in to our motor home and there we had our surprise birthday celebration. It was a hit, with balloons, a banner, and even a party hat for the special birthday girl.

We toasted her with champagne in the most fantastic plastic champagne glasses I have ever laid my eyes on. (Gotta love the Dollar Tree Store.)

We all had a grand time, and agreed it was far too short of a trip. (We planned just one night's get-a-way as we wanted to work out any and all glitches we might experience with motor home camping...) We're already planning to hit the open road again soon for our next big trip.

I can't wait!

 

Hey Peeps, it's almost Easter.

I know I seem to be more acting like a woman possessed about getting my booth space for Camas Antiques ready, but, I've been working on a couple of other upcoming events as well.

(Admit it. About now you're thinking, "Oh, thank Gawd. She's going to talk about something besides that booth space at long last. We get it: you're excited, but we're over it,already.")

I'm hosting an Easter brunch, and I'm planning on having a cute little sparkling-cider-slash-mimosa bar, complete with marshmallow peeps to adorn the rims of the glasses. (How cute is that gonna be?)

I made a sign last night to add some whimsy to the beverage area.

I think all of my peeps attending brunch will like it.

A roadtripping themed Valentine breakfast.

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I love to entertain, and I especially love entertaining with a theme. I surprised my Rock n' Roll Buddy with a road trip themed breakfast for Valentine's Day this year, and I had an absolute blast planning each and every step of it.

(I got the idea well in advance of Valentines Day, so I got a little carried away with details.)

(Thank you, Pinterest. You are both a blessing and a curse.)

My Rock n' Roll Buddy and I both have lots of places in the good ol' U.S. of A that we want to see, and we've made it to a few of them already. We've been debating the pros and cons of traveling in an RV as opposed to using a car and hotel stops, and the idea of buying a motor home instead of renting one. The biggest plus I see with a motor home instead of a car or flying, is the fact that you can buy bigger(and more) stuff on your trip to schlep home. (And I have no problem accumulating stuff on any and all trips.)

Anyway.

I decided this year to capitalize on all of our recent travel conversations and bucket lists of places to visit with a road trip theme for Valentine's Day. I started with a vintage colored map of the US. (Can I just pause a moment here to tell you how much I heart Amazon Prime?) I glued it to a piece of sheet insulation from Home Depot, and then put it in a simple frame.

I added manila colored paper blocks bullet pointing the trips we have taken together (these were actual vacation type trips, and not the usual trips to see family)

I placed flags on the locations, and tethered the boxes to the flags with embroidery thread.

I personalized it a bit further....

I wanted it to be a complete surprise, so I hung it in the hallway just before breakfast, and I made sure to have him sit on the side of the dining table where he would not be able to see into the hallway.

I built the entire Valentine breakfast theme around the map, however it was the last present I presented to him, so let me change gears here now.

The more I planned this theme, the more ideas I came up with and the more all-too-perfect (In my humble opinion) gifts I came across. (The internet has made the world of shopping far too easy.)

I set the table with a matching map. (Okay, truth be told, I mucked up gluing the map the first time to the insulation board. If you do this idea, us a simple glue stick, and not heavy duty spray glue. I used the spray glue the first time and it bubbled up hideously for some reason. I managed to peel it off, but it was a bit crumpled, so I quickly ordered another map, and used the first one as my table cloth....it works, am I right?)

To add to my travel theme, I used a couple of my vintage suitcases, and then made a couple small signs with road trip quotes.(You know I am a quote junkie...)

I wrapped the accompanying gifts in my signature brown kraft paper, with more quotes....

I got a copy of one of my personal all time favorite movies, The Long, Long Trailer, with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez Jr. (Which was why that package had Lucy and Desi sitting behind the wheel on the tag for that package)...

And a couple of too-perfect books on road tripping...

...and then I added a sweet little box that gave him instructions on how to find the fabulous map...

...hanging in my hallway.

Oh! After he opened his Valentine prezzies, we had a yummy Valentine breakfast of heart shaped waffles smothered in butter and warm maple syrup....

 

In the end, I am 100% positive fairly certain that I had far more fun plotting and planning and prepping for all of this than my Valentine did in receiving it, as he tried to figure out where I was going with this Valentine's theme, (Oh, the vast difference between men and women.) as he was much more interested in the waffles. (I can't really blame him...they were yummy!)

 

The cozy winter supper menu from my girl's night on the patio gathering.

Nothing beats the winter blahs better than comfort food.

For my gathering last week, I took the easy route. My cooking mantra is that if I can buy something ready made that tastes better than I can make it, I will. I can then spend more time cooking or baking something else that is amazing. For this meal I chose deli soups from my local Safeway; baked potato chowder and tomato bisque. What made them extra special was the presentation and the details.

For the baked potato chowder, I added toppings to choose from; shredded cheese, chopped green onions, and crispy cooked crumbled bacon. I offered up grilled cheese croutons for the tomato soup. I simply made a yummy grilled cheese sandwich on artisan sourdough bread, and cut into small cubes, then stacked on wooden skewers.

This way, we all had the option of eating the little grilled cheeses on the side, or in our soup!

So cute.

And, so yummy.

A basket of "Everything Crackers from world Market, and sliced sourdough bread completed the main course.

The real show stopper was dessert. I made homemade toasted coconut marshmallows from this Ina Garten recipe. The Barefoot Contessa is my all-time favorite, and let me tell you, homemade marshmallows are actually easy to make.

We roasted them over the fire pit, then smooshed them in between a graham cracker and a bit of a chocolate bar, and oh, my.The marshmallows hold their shape, and then, when you bite into fresh-off-the-fire gooey goodness, they disolve into a heavenly clod in your mouth.

They were dee-lish.

 

 

Prepping for girl's night...

 

I wanted to share a sneak peek at one of the fun buffet table decorations I’ve come up with for Wednesday night’s Winter Blah’s get together. I found this wine online, and had to search a bit to find out where to buy it. (It got good taste reviews…) It turned out that it is sold at Target stores, of all places. I skedaddled right on over there, and was amazed at the selection of wines with catchy names! Handsome Devil, Fancy Pants, and Middle Sister, just to name a few.

Who knew Target had such fun stuff on the wine aisle?

Pleasant surprise of the week for me.

I made the buffet sign and I was pretty thrilled with the results.

(Is that old photo perfect or what?)

Oh yes, this is gonna be a lot of fun.

It's the other most wonderful time of the year.

If you like pro football, that is.

(What? Doesn't everyone?!)

Aah, yes. The playoff games start this weekend, (And the next, and the one after that.) culminating at the grand-daddy of all games, the Superbowl. 

(Go Hawks!)

I'm starting to scan Pinterest in search of unique and yummy recipes to try out on this year's buffet table, and I'm cheering for the Seahawks to make it to the biggest game of all. I like to feature something different each year, and right this minute, I am stumped on what my feature food will be. I've done pulled pork, and then sloppy joe sliders. Hot dogs and then chicken wings and pizza were featured in the past as well. I've even started the pre-game with biscuits and gravy, and so far this year I am undecided.

I could do a chili bar, or chowder bowls. (Or possibly tomato soup with mini grilled cheese sammies?) Hmmm, maybe even a mashed potato bar? (I did one a million years ago for a holiday party, serving the mashed potatoes in martini glasses, and it was a huge hit!) I haven't done a taco bar yet either...

I'm currently stumped on what to feature, as you can see. What kinds of foods do you like to serve (And eat!) for parties? I want to know!

Busy bees.

The Saturday before last, I was in my glory, baking and dcorating the sweetest little cookies for the baby shower brunch my daughter was hosting, and I just had to share.

The baby shower theme was "Mama-to-Bee" which you might remember from my daughter's own baby shower, and from the Bingo game a couple of weeks back. (Some of these are already in my etsy shoppe, and the rest will be there very soon!)

Speaking of etsy, I popped over to etsy and found the perfect little cookie cutter here.

In the end, I didn't make any of the bumble bees, but opted instead to make little pale pink frosted hearts.

So sweet.

(Pun intended.)

There were other yummy treats as well. Mini cinnamon rolls, just-right sized yogurt, fruit and grannola parfaits, and lemonade in the bee skeep beverage server.

It all made for a  darling display, and a yummy spread, and it has inspired me to get back into baking this summer, when fresh fruits abound, and my creative juices are flowing.

Because it's STILL all about the details when you turn sixty.

Why yes, I am still chattering on about the biggest birthday extravaganza I have ever planned. (so far.)

I've shared the wrap job for the presents, and the totally-Tracey way that I presented the surprise trip. Today I am going to share some of the details that started the trip off on a high note.

Because I started planning oh, so far in advance, I kept coming up with more ideas, for each and every moment of the trip, and I had a blast every step of the way. (The hardest part was not letting anything slip out in conversation during those long months!)

If you clicked on the link in yesterday's post to read the book I created, you know that one part of the big birthday surprise was that my Rock and Roll Buddy's best guy-friend came along with us on the trip.

You see, they were friends from way back, as well as band mates in their earlier days of rocking and rolling. While looking for something on my computer, I came upon two old photos of them setting up band gear in what appears to be a country field but was actually Ralph's sisters yard. A couple of years ago, his brother in law had given me a lot of old pictures and these were in the folder.

I printed copies of those photos, with rock and roll quotes below them to use as fun labels on one side of the goodie bags I made up for the long plane ride. On the other side I had a different fun quote about the birthday boy.

I somehow never photographed the goodie bags with my camera, so the only memento of the goodie bags that I have to share is the one and only picture I took with my phone to share with a gal-pal while I was organizing things the day before we flew out.

Sorry 'bout that. You'll have to picture the details in your mind.

Anyway.

When we got ready to board the first flight I gave them each their treat bag with the old photos facing away from the guys, and once we were air born, they both took a peek inside the bags at all of the treats. Now, Ralph is accustomed to having a lil' sumthin' sumthin' as a surprise (usually peanut M&Ms...) on pretty much every plane trip we take, because...well, that's what I like to do for him. His buddy Mike was a bit more gobsmacked by the surprises awaiting him in his custom goodie bag.

It was easy to make ordinary snacks special. I made simple tags and attached them with a hole punch and a small piece of ribbon - "You're all that and a bag of chips" on bags of chips (what else?) and "Sometimes you feel like a nut" on peanut M&Ms and chocolate covered peanuts. Ear-buds so we could all watch TV on the computer (I bought this way-cool amplifier/splitter thingamajig that allowed three sets of ear-buds to plug into one laptop for easy viewing. What will they think of next?!)

I also had a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Trivia calendar for me to test their rock and roll knowledge, and I have to say, they didn't disappoint. They knew most every answer, and it inspired lots of old stories and belly laughs.

I had the latest issue of Rolling Stone as well as a Seahawk themed magazine for some theme focused light reading, although we were laughing and talking far too much to ever crack the cover on either one of them.

They loved all of the airplane surprises and snacks, but when I told them to flip the bags around to see the photos, they both had a good laugh, (The groovy overalls, the long and possibly-even-permed hair, the vintage equipment...) and we took a mini vacation down memory lane.

I nailed it on that one, if I do say so myself.

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Because half the fun of a surprise is in how you present it.

Okay, are you ready for the rest of my story from yesteday? So far, I shared that I wanted to do something epic for my Rock and Roll Buddy's big birthday, and I was stumped.

That is, until my friend at work came up with the perfect gift...

She suggested I take him to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Wha...?!

"Where is that?!" I asked, realizing we had just struck gold.

"Detroit", she replied.

Well, not quite.

I googled it and it turned out that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, Ohio.

(Of course, it is. Cleveland rocks, after all.)

...

And so, the idea was born, early last October. (It was a no-brainer, what with his background in music, and being a Beatles fan since the age of six...)

The real kicker came less than a week later, when I discovered a thing called a Hall Pass on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website. A Hall Pass is a ticket you purchase that gets you into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Shut the door.

Oh yeah, I knew then that I had the makings of an epic birthday present, and for once, I was planning things far enough out to leave no detail to chance.I decided it would be a total surprise, with us flying out the morning before his birthday, and I would give him his present the night before we would fly out.(Wow. I made that sound more complicated than it was. I gave him the presnt Frday night, we flew out Saturday morning at Oh-dark-thirty, and his birthday was Sunday.)

Anyway.

Week by week, I planned and plotted, becoming quite well acquainted with the folks at the Rock Hall via email. (They were the ones who recommended we stay in Fairlawn Ohio because it is halfway between Canton and Cleveland.) The trip became more and more elaborate, and all of the teeny-tiniest details became focal points for me. (Things like Goody-Bags for the plane ride, and printed movie schedules, and thrift store and brew pub maps...)

As the time for the surprise birthday trip neared, I realized I needed a fantastic-never-to-be-forgotten way of presenting his present.

That's when I found this company. (Thank you, Pinterest. And as it turned out, they are just outside of Portland, Oregon...I love this place.)

I designed and ordered a teaser slide show from them to get things started. (It's so easy! You can use photos, or colored backdrops, and you can add text over any of them!)

There were so many details I felt I needed to share with him before we took off, that I decided to create a book from my most favorite book design company.

I ended up crafting this book with all of the pages done in a chalkboard backdrop, and creamy letters, with pops of orange throughout. I answred the who-what-when-where-and-why's and then walked him through the day-by-day itinerary of the milestone birthday surprise. You can see (and read!)my book creation here.

Suffice to say, the presentation of my Rock and Roll Buddy's Big 6-0 Birthday present was spot on!

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Setting the stage for Superbowl XLVIII

Last year I made some pretty fun Superbowl Party decorating kits for my etsy shop, and I wanted to share them once again. (updated of course, for Superbowl XLVIII.)

With the Seattle Seahawks being one of the two teams in this game of games this year, you might imagine things around here are in party-planning-overdrive mode.
I've got the menu set:

Grilled hot dogs (kept warm in a chaffing dish)

Sloppy Joe sliders:We're calling them 12th MANwiches (...Thanks  to my friend Carin, and her facebook friend. It was their idea, and I shamelessly stole it.)

Boneless Buffalo Wings

Variety of Chips

Ralph's Aaah-mazing Potato Salad

Veggies and Ranch Dressing (well, something on the table needs to look healthy)

Seahawk Jello Shooters

Itty Bitty Cuppy-cakes ('coz, you know...that's what I do.)

We also always, always have a giant bowl of popcorn on the coffee table with plastic football tumblers to scoop up an individual serving of popcorn between trips to
the dining room for more food.

Besides the food, I've got all of my papergoods handled. All I have to add this year is one more "I" to my banner, and I'm set.

Oh yeah, we're more than ready for some football around here.

We're Superbowl bound, baby.

The entire Pacific Northwest is giddy over the Pro Football Championship win last weekend. People that don't even know what a field goal is are sporting Seahawks shirts and high fiving each other in the grocery line as they wait to check out.

It's a complete crazy town here.

(And I mean that in a way too-cool-for-school way, not a keep-Portland-weird way.)

As you may be aware, we are all about our football in this house, and as such, we throw one wicked Superbowl fiesta. It may not be the biggest party in town, but it's the best.

We invite only our true football fan-atic friends, because we want to focus all of our attention on the game, and don't want any background chit chat going on about the latest Ryan Gosling movie. (Not that I don't love a good Ryan Gosling movie, I just want to have all of my attention on this game.)

Wait...Has he got a new movie coming out?! I heart him, big-time.

The Notebook is far and away my most favoritest Ryan Gosling movie to date.

But I digress.

Where was I? Oh yes, the Superbowl.

I have my invites nearly ready to give out (tomorrow, people!) and I am ecstatic about the way they turned out.

I got a little obsessive-compulsive when trying to decide exactly which size footballs to use, and so I made prototypes in both sizes.

(I said I was a little obsessive...do you do that too?)

(Say you do.)

I ended up going with the smaller footballs. (from here.)

I printed the party details on my chalkboard-looking background in my little print program, and cut squares of turf, which I had saved from last years party decore.

Then I added ribbons and homemade tags....and they were ready to give to all of our football-loving pals.

Go Hawks!

 

The Eyes Have It: Theme Ideas For your Table

It matters not if you're hosting a party for twenty, or dinner for two...setting a pretty table (or counter, or coffee table, or tailgate...) makes the difference between ordinary and forgetable to sharing a moment in time.

Okay, that may be a tad bit dramatic, even for me.

But you know what I mean.

A pretty table setting can be as simple as using color coordinated plates and napkins, with a mason jar and a tea light candle. A theme makes it easy.

The most basic theme, to me at least, is to go with certain colors. Patriotic red, white and blue, harvest browns and rusts, summer-time pastels...I think that's why I adore white dishes do much. They work with anything.

Beyond colors, of course you can go with seasons or holidays, but I am a huge fan of thinking outside the typical placemat and napkin scenario.

Some ideas for you...

How's about a sofa picnic (or tailgate if you prefer to call it) with a blanket throw tossed on the coffee table, and a picnic basket propped open with all of the dinner goodies (fried chicken, coleslaw, strawberry shortcakes done in mason jars, a bottle of lemonade...)

A little romance never hurt anybody either....candles, in votive holders, and silver or crystal (or glass that looks like crystal!) in a sweet cluster on a vintage silver tray for a centerpiece, with glittered "You" and "Me" place cards tied with shimmery ribbon to your forks (or names of guests for larger parties)

Flowers in terracotta pots and garden tools from the dollar store make a fabulous summer look.

A pretty (and super cheap) winter felt scarf from a big box store makes a fabulous table runner....mittens from the dollar store make sweet utensil or napkin holders...

I have lots of place cards, some in frames, and many as tags. Most of them simply red, "You" and "Me"...which works great for any two of us anytime. It makes the table that much more charming and I think people feel a little more special.

It's About Time: Entertaining Timeline For Parties

When you know well in advance you plan on hosting a party or whatever, i's nice to take a half hour and layout a game plan, and then handle all of the details in an orderly fashion. (Now, mind you, I am one of those girls who procratinates, and keeps putting things off until next week...that is, until there is no next week, and then I jump into overdrive and get-er-done.)

Anyway.

There are plenty of awesome sites to help you layout an actual timeline for those kinds of entertaining events, so I'm just going to share a basic countdown list. Once you have decided youa re having a party...say it's going to be a birthday party, or a Superbowl shindig, or new year's eve celebration....here are my very, very, very basic bulleted points to pull off a fantastic soiree:

1. Pick the date, the time, the theme/

2. Design, create, or purchase your invitations. (This part of a party can really set the tone, and begin building anticipation for a great time to come!)

3.Plan the menu, including beverages (Signature drinks are always fun, whether it's a color theme, or little bottled coca colas) and make the grocery shopping list.(It's a good idea to figure out what you will wear at htis fabulous gather at this point in time as well.)

4. Make or buy the party decorations.

5. The week of the party, pick up groceries, and stage the food and beverage tables.

6. The day before, Have everything ready to go.(Decorations, food prep...)7. The day of.....prepare the last of the food and party set ups.

7. The day of... last minute preps, party set ups.

8. Two hours before....shower, get ready.

9. An hour before...last minute touch ups...have a nice cold beverage and get ready to have some fun!

All of this being said, I do still tend to wing it more than a little bit, and you most likely will find me up till after midnight the night before a party, tweaking and fiddling with decorations, or drosting cupcakes....and for me, that is part of the fun of entertaining.

Cutie-patootie french fry holders.

 

Oh yeah, we love us some homemade french fries at our house.

Mmmm hmmm. Our barbecue sports a deep fryer on one end of it (A killer deal on craigslist a couple of summers ago!) and when we make burgers, we make fries...of course.

Well, I came up with a vintage-y fun way to serve up our fries, and I wanted to share it with you all today!

They're simple vintage mattress springs. I found mine here. (Gotta love etsy!) They arrived within days of my purchase, and I couldn't wait to break them in!

I used simple parchment paper, sold in rolls at the grocery store o(next to the aluminum foil) cut in a triangle (tear off a square and then cut it diagonally to form two triangles)and then shaped into a cone, and placed in the center of each spring.

I placed the freshly cooked french fries in the cones, and placed the cones by everyone's place settings.

Ridiculous cute.

And functional, holding a good sized serving of fries for each of us.

Do you love it?

Coconut limeade smoothies.

We've been enjoying some pretty fabulous weather here in the Pacific Northwest, and warm weather makes me think of ice cream. Ice cream makes me think of coconut, and when I spotted a recipe for coconut limeade smoothies the other day on Pinterest, I knew we had to make up a batch.

Oh. My.

So yummy.

All coconut-y smoothness with a hint of citrus-y lime.

Ice-cream-headache-worthy goodness.

These babies are filling, so one smoothie is pretty much all I could imagine drinking, but...oh! Such a treat.