Notes from A Cottage Industry

The Grown-ups Easter Brunch tablescape.

 

It wouldn't be right to share the kids Easter brunch tablescape without sharing the grown ups table too, so here are a few pictures to inspire you....

 

 

We debated between the idea of a traditional look, with my Grandmother's china, which I had used for years at Easter and now lives at my daughters home, or to go with a casual garden look.

In the end the casual look won out, because she hadn't unpacked the dishes, coupled with the fact that we are currently enjoying a little warm, sunny spell here weather-wise, and so the garden theme seemed a no-brainer.

 

 

We used an old weathered child's wheelbarrow, filled with terra cotta pots and baby violets nestled in birdseed. We placed the wheelbarrow on a craft paper runner (Bought by the roll in the paint department at Home Depot) atop a vintage crocheted tablecloth, and topped it all off with cute burlap bunny napkin rings on spring-time green striped napkins with my mother's beautiful dafodil silverware...perfect!

A sweet idea for your Easter table.

 

I have a thing for chocolate bunnies.

Can you tell?

 

 

Okay, actually I set these chocolate bunnies out as a sweet (pun intended) tablescape idea for a children's Easter table. Truth be told my daughter would put me in the dog house if I actually gave my grandsons this amount of chocolate.

This year our family has grown to the point where we have achildren's table, and a grown ups table, and we're having Easter brunch at one of my daughters homes. I was over helping with our tablescapes today after work and we decided to use a bedside table and two kiddie chairs tucked into a perfectly sized alcove in the dining room for the older boys.

 

 

How perfect is this? We even used the little drawer to hold moss and some Easter eggs...

 

 

and we used a roll of painters paper (available at places like Home Depot, in the paint department, and it also comes in a fabulous muddy green!) and cut a little runner for the table, which can catch spills, and be used for coloring while waiting for dessert, along with my own Mother's (The Sewing Queen!) daffodil engraved silver (so perfect for spring!) for both tables...

 

 

...and pretty cloth napkins.

Do you set a special table for the little ones in your life at special gatherings? I'd love to hear your ideas for making everyone feel oh-so-special!

Eat in style.

Tablescapes are one of my favorite things.

Well, anything to do with setting the stage for entertaining actually, whether it be a big bash, or a supper for two. I am completely smitten by the little details that make table setting extraordinary.

That's why, when I first saw these sweet little individual bread boards on etsy, I favorited them. I thought about them for quite a long while.

Not because I wasn't sure if I wanted them. No, because I wasn't sure exactly how many I needed.

Sold in sets of four, I ended up opting for two sets, so I could use them for up to eight place settings, and if I changed my mind, I could always give one set as a gift.

I adore them.

They all say "EAT" on one side.

(See how cute that is?)

(Gotta love that detail.)

Not only will they be oh-so-fabulous for bread, but I am sure I am gonna use one of them on occasion for serving cheese and crackers to my Rock n' Roll Buddy out on the deck this summer.

I am so happy to add these little gems to my entertaining arsenal.

Votive candle holders; my newest obsession.

Who knew simple glass cylinders could have so many uses?

I have about three dozen or so of these votive candle holders. (They cost under a dollar if you shop around, and are even cheaper when you buy them in bulk online.)

Of course they are wonderful for their intended use, on a dining or coffee table, all lit up, a sea of glowing canlelight.  Even better though, they are make fabulous little individual serving containers for appetizers, desserts, and treats.

I shared my sweet little m & m Valentines shooters a couple of weeks ago.
They also work great holding bite sized brownie sundaes, or mini banana puddings (how about topped with a nilla wafer and a sweet dollup of whipped cream?)

Votive holders are also perfect used as nut cups, and make a memorable impression when used to serve little tomato soup shooters, topped with a teeny tiny triangle wedge of a grilled cheese sandwich. (Can you picture that? Fabulous.)

I have to say that my current favorite way to use these great little containers is for veggies and ranch dressing (double dipping allowed, 'coz you don't have to share with anyone!)If you want to get really fancy, add a bit of jute or ribbon around the votive, as added adornment.
I bet there are a million ideas for votive holder uses that I haven't even thought of yet. (Have you got a use to share? Do tell!)

A printable e-kit (or two) for Superbowl Sunday.

Well, if you follow football, you now know that the 49ers and the Ravens will be facing off for Superbowl, and more interestingly, the Harbough brothers will be facing off as coaches.(I myself was born in San Francisco, and raised in the bay area, so you can guess where my loyalties will lie on game day.)

I've been busy crafting and creating lots of paper goodies for the big day, and I have them gathered into two printable kits in my etsy shop.

Let's start with the banner:I'm going to hang my banner across the porch on Superbowl Sunday, but today I simply swagged it over the yard chairs so you could see how fun it is....

I created some great printed trivia and quotes about football to place strategically around the party...I think they will look fabulous on the food table, the coffee table, and maybe even on the guest bathroom counter? (Simply print them and frame them in frames from the dollar store.)
Little flags add to the fun...
along with a tag I created and hung on the giant jar of small footballs.
How about Flip Score Cards to rate the commercials during Superbowl, as well as Beyonce's half-time show? Last, but not least, I designed cute little juice wrappers.... fun for kids and grown ups alike.You'll most definitely be ready for some football with all of these fun details!

 

Super-duper-bowl.

I shared my invites for our Superbowl party in my last post, and if you've been reading my blog very long, you know that I am all about the details.

Even if you're not having a whole slew of people over for Superbowl, you might still want to curl up with your sweetie for a little sofa picnic while watching the big game, and cute little details can make that special too. Now, for the decorations. I like to start with the front porch, and so far I have my blow up football that I got for last year's big game. So cute. (Find it here.)
Then, as long as you're on the Oriental trading site, go ahead and get yourself some football shaped paper plates, lanterns, and anything else that might work for you. (The football cups work great as individual popcorn "bowls" in case you were wondering what to do with 50 of them.)

I discovered some great treasures at the dollar store (A football shaped tray was my favorite find.) for our party, as well as the dollar section at Target. (kid-size footballs that will fill a huge glass apothocary jar on the buffet table.) I got my cardboard letters (XLVII) at Joann's Fabric Store and I still need to paint and glitter them up...more to follow on that in another post.

I've been working on my menu for the party. Of course we are keeping it easy with pizza and wings, but I am also considering pulled pork sliders (using the crock pot would make it so easy!) and of course we will break out the chocolate fountain, just because everybody loves that. Oh, and I got a huge bag of teeny-tiny snickers candy bars with all the NFL Teams logos on the wrappers. (I'm all over the cute factor for this shindig, in case you hadn't noticed.)

Now, if it were just going to be me and my Rock n' Roll Buddy, I'd totally do a sofa picnic, with the same foods, except that I'd do my halftime food spread right there on the coffee table. (How cozy and fun does that sound?)

So...I am wondering just how many of you out there in blogland have Superbowl parties, or go to one. If so, do you go all out with decorations, or keep it simple? What kinds of foods do you do for casual entertaining? I'd love to hear!

It's time to drink champagne and dance on the table.

Add some glitz to your bubbly this new year's eve. (or anytime you want things festive for that matter.)

Oaky, I will admit that I have been overcome with the glitter bug this week. this being said, last night I ended up carrying it through to one last new year's eve item.

Mmm hmm, I was thinking, how about making the beverage of the night that much more festive? Or, for a new year's day brunch? For that matter, adding some gold glitter to any beverage bottle would also make quite a statement as a hostess gift as well.

Whether it's champagne or sparkling cider, or even wine for that matter, the process is the same...I got a bottle of sparkling cider that happened to have gold foil paper at the top. (Several champagnes are wrapped this way as well) Take a small jar of gold glitter (or you can use white, or silver glitter if you'd like....the possibilities are endess!) and some household glue..
Working over a piece of paper of some sort, rub an ample amount of glue on the bottm half of the foil and down onto the glass bottle itself...
Sprinkle the glitter over the glue. Stand the bottle up to dry, and use the paper as a funnel to put the over-spill glitter back in the jar.

It's that easy.
And sparkle-y.

And fun.

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

A tablescape from an early Thanksgiving family gathering.

My son and his family flew into town this weekend to meet the new babies, and so we celebrated an early Thanksgiving together.

(It's so fun, with all of the grand babes these days!)

I wanted to follow up and share what I ended up doing with the fabulous (and super cheap) CHristmas ornaments I got at my local WalMart.

As you can see in my top photo, I used the two ornaments together with asimple satin ribbon as place markers for all of the guests.
I used white pumpkins (Some faux ones from year's past, and some real) as my centerpiece, along with candles.

Oh, how I adore candle light.

The thing is, it really doesn't take a lot of money, or time to create a charming table that looks inviting and makes your guests feel special.

**Edited to add: Sources for items on my table:

Glasses: LIBBY Water Glasses (My daughter has them and so do I- each slightly different) from WalMart- sold in 4 packs
glitter letter- Christmas section of WalMart with ornaments $1 each
Faux Mercury Glass Leaf Ornaments- WalMart Christmas Section $1.97 each
White pumpkins- some real, from the grocery, some fake, from Michhaels Craft Store AFTER Thanksgiving 75% off
Glass Candlesticks- from various thrift stores, usually a $1....trust me, they ALWAYS have these kinds of ]candle sticks.
Faux Mercury Glass Candle sticks- my daughter's- she got them most likely at WalMart or the Craft Store.

The look and feel I was going for was kind of a rustic-vintage-elegance, and I think I came pretty close, don't you?

What about you? Do you have atraditional table setting for Thanksgivng each year. or do you do a different look each time? Do you use place mats, chargers or tableclothes, or do you prefer to showcase the bare wood of your table? I'd love to hear what all you do!

A shower for the Mama-to-Bee.

We had a baby shower this past weekend for one of my daughters. They have opted to not find out the sex of their baby until he or she arrives, and so we decided to go with a bee theme.
It was a Sunday Brunch, and the weather cooperated!
...with juices in my thrifted carafs...
and those yummy mini-cinammon rolls... There were some darling presents...

Here are a few more fun shots from the shower...

Oh, I can hardly wait for these grandbabies to get here!

A charming tablescape for a summer brunch.

One of my daughters was hosting a brunch this past weekend and I couldn't wait to get busy crafting when she asked me for some help with her tablescape.

She wanted simple and casual, but vintage and charming at the same time. I was happy to oblige.

I began with a printed quote (You know how I love to do that!) I made on my computer and placed it in my vintage sign holder. I added a little detail of some red ginham ribbon and an old key that I found in a drawer.
(How cute is that little eensy weensy red wooden chair? It was a GoodWill find not long ago....)I made simple number tags printed on manila folder paper for the tall flutes that were used to serve a yummy concoction of orange juice, club soda and cream...(Think of drinking a creamsicle!)
and coordinating tags for the place settings, only this time the numbers were spelled out.
We plopped some tiny pansies into sweet little thrifted peat pots that I have been hanging on to for some time...
...and then placed them at each place setting as well. The end result (which took us less than twenty minuted to create and assemble!) was exactly the look we were after.
Oh, I just love it when I can take ordinary items from around the house and put them together to make an extraordinary vignette, don't you?

A little update on the babe-bee shower plans...

Let me start by saying that it's easy to get carried away when you're doing a party of any sort with a theme. We're doing a sweet little bumble-bee theme for my daughter's baby shower, and let me tell you, I have come up with about a bajillion bee items, decorations, gifts, and food decorations.

The mind boggles.

I'm trying to keep it classic and classy, and not lean too far over the line of overload cartoon-cutesy and downright silly. Less is more, after all. I don't want our guests to make a bee-line for the front door once they see the decorations...(hehe...a little "bee" humor.)

Anyway.

I used the cute vintage looking packaging on the Burts Bee's Baby Products for my inspiration for the theme.
I created these sweet little invitations, and included the lyrics to an old Dean Martin tune, "Let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees, and a thing called love. (actually, I think I remember hearing it more by this guy...)

Now that the invites are completed and in the mail, we'll be moving ahead with the rest of the details, and I can tell you one thing for sure. It is going to be bee-utiful! (I couldn't help myself...sorry.)

 

 

 

Pinterest inspiration in action.

Ohmygosh.

Have you seen cold drinks served up in canning jars on Pinterest? I've seen the idea, and pinned it myself,although I wasn't sure when I would try it out.

Well, this past weekend we were at a fun outdoor party, and we got to experience this great idea first hand.
So clever, and I swear, every woman there was buzzing about how we'd all seen it on Pinterest, but none of us had given it a try! (Now, we were all trying to figure out when we could put this into action) The hostess had margarita's all mixed up and frozen, in the smaller (8 oz. I think) jars. She plopped them into an old tub full of ice, and all you needed to do was go on over and grab a jar.

Mmmmm, It made a perfect slushy as it melted.

Of course, you could do the same thing with lemonade, or any kind of punch, for that matter. I can't wait to serve up something cold this way the next time we entertain!

Take me out to the ballgame.

I think I like making ordinary days into special memories almost more than I enjoy creating things for holidays. Yesterday my Rocker took his two grown sons to a Pro Baseball game, and I decided to add a little more fun to an already fun day.

I made Rice Crispy Treats (One of my Rock n' Roll Buddy's favorite treats.)and put them in a To-Go box, all dolled up with ribbon with a couple of home made tags. I got my To-Go boxes a few years ago at a yard sale where someone had closed a restaurant, but you can buy these gems in bulk at places like Cash and Carry if you have one near you, or online from companies like ULine. They are super to have on hand for boxing up treats for friends anytime, and I have almost used up my entire bag of 250 boxes.

For some extra fun on the three hour car ride up to Seattle, I looked up a Trivia Quiz online about the team.I copy-pasted it into a word document, and then printed it, with the answers on a separate sheet of paper.

The guys called me from the car later to say how much fun they had with the quiz, and it made me happy to know I had added to their day. (And, I got to enjoy a little creative time making things up!)

Oh yes, I'm all about living a charmed life on a shoestring.

 

 

Not your average Annual Company Picnic.

Why bother having an ordinary company picnic, when you can have an extraordinary one?

We're getting all the detail's fine tuned for the upcoming company picnic at the end of July, and this week we're going to be giving out the hard copy invitations. They're nice tri-fold style invites that have all of the pertinent details, and give staffers a glimpse at the fun stuff we have in the works. You know, email is great, and having it on everyone's Outlook calendar is fine, but sometimes a hard copy full of information about the event is just more memorable.

That, and the fact that I just love to create real hold-em-in-your-hot-little-hands items like invites, and marketing pieces.

So much so, that I, sometimes, get kind of carried away.

E-hem.

and...I think I might be getting just a tad bit carried away with this year's picnic's new addition. It's a Bake-Off.
Since baking is my love language, I am having trouble not getting carried away with this part of the event. We're doing things up with an old school vintage feel set up for the backdrop for the plethora for homemade yummy desserts that I anticipate we will have covering the table. (Trust me, if last Christmas's Cubical Decorating Contest is any sort of gauge at all, the wildly competitive folks where I work will be all over this Bake-Off contest.)

I can hardly wait to show all the fabulous little touches (soon!) but for now, I'll just share enough to give you a visual...I'm bringing my collection of vintage picnic baskets to add various heights for showcasing the Bake-Off entries, and some vintage cake and tart pans, as well as some charming old kitchen utencils. Oh, and I'm creating charming little numbers on table stands to keep things organized. (Oh, thank God for the wonderful little tools you have left over after you plan your kid's weddings.)

Getting a picture in your mind's eye? I hope so!

A new, surprisingly refreshing summertime adult beverage.

I love this time of year when we can enjoy meals on the back deck. Grilling burgers, ribs or chicken, and fresh corn on the cob. (smothered in herb butter, thankyouverymuch.)

Oh! And the fruit available at this time of year....strawberries, and watermelon and peaches. I tell you, it opens up a whole set of menu and table-scape ideas for me, and really inspires me to want to entertain.

Having the right drink to compliment a meal adds to the fun for summer entertaining as well. We're huge strawberry lemonade fans around here, and we also have been known to enjoy a good margarita. Well, this year, there's something new in the fruity-drink department that I recently discovered, at our local Produce store of all places.

It's called Michelob ULTRA Light Cider, and it has a very definite crisp apple taste to it. The bottle has a picture of a green apple (that's what caught my eye in the Produce Market!) and I immediately thought of how cute my green enamelware bucket full of ice and a couple of these would look sitting on the outdoor table at dinner time.

Refreshing, and light tasting, it sorta-kinda reminded me of sparkling cider when I took my first sip of this ice-y cold drink. It's perfect with barbecued chicken, or alone, while you enjoying the afternoon sun on a Sunday afternoon with a favorite magazine.(Again, I would just love looking at them in my green bucket full of ice...I am so visual that I always set things up in little vignette's even when it's just me!)

How about you? Which favorite summer meal or activity do you think would go best with Michelob ULTRA Light Cider?

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Ice cream, foofified.

Okay, I promise-cross-my-heart-pinkie-swear that this will be my last ice cream post for a while. (Mainly because I just got a fabulous new cake baking cookbook I am dying to share with you!)

So, yeah. Ice cream.

Ice.

Cream.

I can't decide if I am more enthralled with the taste of this heavenly treat, or the seemingly endless options and ideas for presentations and recipes for it. (Quite possibly it is the latter.)

We'll start with the coconut ice cream I made. I was talking  with one of the kids at work (I can call them kids, since they are younger than any of my grown children...) and he was saying how much he loved Almond Joy candy bars. That got me thinking about the ice cream places that mix goodies into your ice cream. I decided to surprise my friend Nick with an ice cream that equalled the ingredients in an Almond Joy.

I took the last bit of the homemade coconut ice cream and I added more coconut, slivered almonds and chocolate syrup. I stirred it in just enough to blend without turning it into chocolate ice cream, and I put it in one of my sweet little corrugated cardboard containers....
I decided it needed a cute label, so I made some with my cheesy print program...
(I felt like my label came out a bit too wide, so next go round I will fine tune that)

...And I made a cute name tag with the darling ice cream scoop clip art I found. I added a couple of the butter wafer cookies and a wooden spoon, all tied with a coordinating ribbon. I took it in to work and called Mr. Nick, letting him know that if today was one of those days he might be "feeling like a nut" (as the Almond Joy tag line says..) I had a lil'-sumthin'-sumthin' for him.

I think it will make his Tuesday.

Because homemade ice cream goes best with good friends.

The second batch of coconut ice cream came out so well that I decided to take a bit of it to share with a couple of my friends that help me out a lot at work today.

I ordered these fabulous little containers (and wooden spoons!) a couple of weeks ago from one of my all time personal favorite online shops. (This was when I was beginning to get excited about warm weather and the new ice cream maker I would be breaking in...)

Not only did I get the white pint sized containers, I also got a few of these equally darling corrugated cardboard tubs.(I plan on using these containers filled with ice cream as to-go favors at summer barbeques this summer when we serve homemade ice cream for dessert. Pictures will be coming, of course!)
I made labels that read "Ice Cream for daily happiness" and tags with "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream" and "Life is short, eat dessert first" on them to add some whimsy. A foot of ribbon from my ribbon stash, and my hand-crafted,homemade tags, and...voila!

I think they're pretty cute, and tasty too.

Way-too-cute Save the Date cards.

I'm Co-chairing the plans for our Annual Company Picnic this year. Our picnic will be held at the end of July, and we wanted to make some memorable Save the Date cards for the staff, along with sending them all a calendar appointment.

I just had to share the steal-of-a-deal I found for us on the Oriental Trading site! We got the cutest lil' pinwheels, for about thrity five cents each.

Oh! And they had larger, striped coordinating pinwheels available too!) They come in boxes of 36, with nine of each color-way.

We got colored paper in coordinating colors and printed our Save the Date info on them. We then punched holes to hold the pinwheeels, and added a coordinating lil' tag that read "You're TOTALLY invited." to each card for fun.
We made 140 of these babies, and took them around on a big cart, hand delivering them to everyone at the company.

Neeedless to say,they were a big hit with everyone. Like I said, we used our pinwheels for our Save-the Date cards, but these sweet lil' pinwheels would be perfect for a baby shower, or a child's party as well...even attached to a summer BBQ invite. Oh, the possibilities are endless! Anyway, I figured that if I liked these, you would too, so I just had to share!

Easter touches that are egg-stra special. (and some FREE printables for you!)

Yeah, yeah, it's a pun.

(I couldn't help myself. Eggs..extra...eggstra....well, you get it.)

(heh heh. I crack me up sometimes.)

(Crack....more egg..er...eggshell...humor.)

Aaaaaah. Anyway.

I found this adorable (and so easy!) idea on Pinterest, and it got me thinking that it would make for fabulous invites to our families for Easter. (Did I tell you that we are hosting Easter? We are. In fact, we are hosting two Easter parties. Supper on Saturday for one crowd, and Easter Brunch for another. Sooooo fun!)

I'll be sharing all sorts of Easter decor, and menu ideas this week, and I'd love to read what all of you are doing!

Okay, let's get back to the cutie patootie invites, or Easter greetings if you prefer...(*note* I changed my mind about 16 times on the colors of ribbon and such, so the photos may not seem like they are from the same process, even though they are. I just didn't want to re-take pictures that many times!)

Here's how I did it:
I colored RAW eggs. Using a sewing needle, I then poked a little hole in one end, and a slightly larger hole in the other end.

I blew the egg out, into a bowl and use the eggs for baking later.

I assembled my boxes and filled them with shred. (I ordered my acrylic boxes online, which I usually use for boxing my cupcakes, but craft stores sell all sorts of cute boxes as well.)
You can print a message, an invitation, or whatever, on your computer (or write it by hand.)

I cut the message out, (An invitation, in my case)and rolled it up (I used a toothpick to get it started so it is a nice tight curl.)I inserted the message into the hollow egg.

I printed the two tags and cut them out. I used a tiny hole punch for the smaller tag, and a regular hole punch for the larger tag.
I tied a bow around the eggs with instructions to crack the egg open. Then closed the box and I tied a pretty bow around it with the other tag.
I packaged up the invitations that I needed to mail out of town, and hand delivered the local ones.

Feeling inspired, I made one more sample egg up to share another version of this idea with you. It's more vintage feeling, with a few lil' feathers and mocha shred. (This look is actually more my style, but I saw that bright apple-y green shred one day at WalMart and just decided to go for a more chipper-cheerful-springtime-y look...
I thought I'd share some tags with you here, so you can make some of these sweet lil' eggs up for yourself if you like. Click here to Download Open me and crack me open tags. Click here to Download HAPPY EASTER TAGS to roll up and slide inside your eggs, or to use as gift tags....

(gluing a white pom-pom over the bunny's tail makes a nice addition to this tag!)
I can't wait to share the tablescape for our Easter meals with you, along with the menus later this week!

Save

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Show me the bunny.

Easter's just around the corner, (April 8th...just two and a half weeks away!) so I'm bringing out the calorie free chocolate bunnies again. I got them all a few years back, some from HomeGoods, and a few from Marshalls. I think they're just so sweet. Not literally, but....oh, you know what I mean. Anyway, I think I will never tire of them, and each year I seem to find something new to do with them. This year I think I am going to try mixing in a few real chocolate bunnies with my collection, as I haven't seen the faux ones anywhere this year. (Have you seen them around anywhere this year????)

The bunnies, along with an Easter Banner are pretty much the extent of my Easter home decore repetiore. How about you? Do you go all out, or just add a few Easter touches?

 

Men at work!

I have so much to share after being without internet service for two weeks, that it's tough to figure out what to share when.

I realized after beginning my home re-no tour that I had skipped sharing one of my little Grand's Birthday party...so here it is!

The party theme was construction, so my daughter began at the front door....

 

....and continued all through the downstairs. The treats were construction themed as well...

...and everyone was given a tool apron and a hard hat!

More pictures from Coen's party are over on the birthday boy's Mommy's blog!

 

On another note, I won't be posting for a couple of days, as I am flying with Mrs. Big Dog to the Biggest Little City today and driving back up to the Pacific Northwest tomorrow...why? The Sewing Queen of Northern Nevada is relocating up here to live!

Shower invites for an upcoming bundle of joy.

My daughter is throwing a good friend a baby shower at the end of the month, and I got to design and make the invitations. The Mommy-to-be and her hubbs have elected to not find out the sex of thier baby, and will find out the way most people in my age group did...at delivery! 
I haven't seen the nursery, but I'm told it's done up in a black, white and sunny yellow theme, complete with the words "You are my sunshine" painted on the wall. (How cute does that sound?!)

*sigh* It's been a while since I helped in creating some party things, and I had forgotten just how much I enjoy it. I'm excited to be helping with the behind-the-scenes details for this fun party, and rest assured, I'll be sure to share pictures from the shower decorations later!

Tablescape Thursday...a birthday celebration.

 Last Saturday was Bob's birthday and I set a special table for the occasion. I thought I'd try my hand at joining in the Tablescape Thursday posts put on by this blog by sharing the pictures from my table set up. Somehow, in all the excitement of the day, I forgot to photograph the table with the food on it, so you'll just have to see the basic table set up this week.
I used giant round white helium filled balloons tied with wide satin black ribbon and place cards reading "You" and "Me". (All of the party stores, as well as WalMart sell helium tanks these days and they are so handy to have around!)
 My table runner was a simple piece of burlap with Robin's egg blue hole punch circles scattered about for confetti. So easy. Vintage scalloped edge oval plates added a touch of charm to the table, and the center piece was made from grouping the Birthday Boy's presents together in color coordinated wrappings, which I shared this past Monday.
One final detail that made things festive was the birthday flag skewer of strawberries in each juice glass. (You can buy my online kit to make your very own personalized flags here.)
It doesn't take a lot of time or money to make a special table setting, all it takes is a bit of pre-planning, and it's well worth the effort!

Fifty years.

    I took nearly 70 pictures of the party set up for the other Tracey's parents 50th Anniversary party on Saturday and I am anxious to share some of them with you! 41 Taylor was absolutely stunning. The caramel walls and vintage mirrors were a perfect backdrop for the color scheme. The tables were set, the place cards in place, the cake was delivered and the candles were lit. (I haven't heard from the other Tracey, but I am quite sure her parents were delighted at the entire party set up! Hopefully I'll hear some details today!) 
    I helped out with all of the paper crafts and such...place cards, banners and other little details. I was pretty happy with the way the banner turned out....(Custom banners available by emailing me)
and I added a bit of humor to the set up, with a banner for our Miss Foofy in the corner....
     The other Tracey's sister brought a slide show of old pictures of the folks and they had it set up in the back bedroom (Really, it was perfect the way the layout of things worked out!) and the cake was done to match the original wedding cake. (How charming is that?!)

Now, here are a couple more pictures...   

 

 

     I'll be adding even more pictures to the 41 Taylor website Milestone an Celebration gallery shortly, (these are already there) so be sure and check back! (Wasn't it all stunning?)

Feeling the urge to do some summertime entertaining...

 

   Can you believe it's August already? I mean, where does the time go? Summer is more than half gone and I haven't even one time had any friends over for a barbecue, or an outdoor summer brunch. The days are slowly but surely getting shorter and I decided last night that before it's completely gone, I am going to have some kind of summertime soiree.

The challenge is that I am on a skin tight budget. What fun is entertaining with no money for fancy foods and lots of decorations? Why even bother?  Then...I started looking at inspirational pictures online, and... I. got. excited. Here are a few pictures I discovered....
 
Oh my gosh! Check out these websites! In the top row: A picture perfect table setting, and a rustic drink menu chalkboard from Style Me Pretty.

In the bottom row: A summer time flag to spruce up any drink, and tea lights and flowers set the tone for a romantic evening table.

Ooooh! Don't those pictures (and the posts linked to them) just inspire you to gather some much loved vintage items from indoors, and move them on outdoors for a cozy summer gathering? Canning jars are just so danged perfect for flower vases and votive holders. (Add a ribbon if you're feeling like dressing things up a bit.)

Old chairs, throw pillows from the guestroom, cut roses from my garden, and it will be perfect. And free. Oh! And here are a few other ideas (click the links!) to inspire us all for outdoor entertaining.....

Go cheerfully overboard with yellow and white; oodles and toodles of daisies and birds shout summer.

Stay cool with a refreshing glass of watermelon lemonade, from Martha, of course. (How yummy does that sound?!)

A wonderfully summer-y combination of greens and pinks make a charming table.

Mmm hmm, I do think it's time that I start making my plans. After all, entertaining isn't about how much we spend on food and decorations, it's about hospitality. It's about making friends feel valued and special, and that's more important than ever, in these challenging financial times. Entertaining is about sharing good times with people we love.

So...what do you think? Have you done any creative entertaining this summer? I'd love to hear about it if you have! If not, it's not too late. Plan something!As for me...

I'm thinking a charming little brunch is definitely called for.. Ya, that's what I'm thinking.

Celebrate Spring!

Have you seen this magazine yet?
     I spotted it at Lowe's hardware the other night and I just had to get it.(I haven't seen it anywhere else!) I am a complete magazine junkee, but I usually don't buy magazines off the news stands,since subscribing is such a big money saver. I had to make an exception on this one though, because for gosh sakes, it's by Phyllis Hoffman of Hoffman Publications, the woman behind the rebirth of Victoria magazine! It's called, appropriately enough, "Celebrate Spring".
     The theme of the magazine is all about celebrating spring and different holidays(st. Paddy's Day, April Fools...) and fun occasions like weddings and paint parties with a spring time twist. It's complete with recipes that are so yummy sounding (and to-die-for pictures) as well as decorations, table scapes and even invitation ideas. Right up my alley, for sure. (don'tcha just love how a little thing like a picture from a magazine can inspire an entire new project?)
     Last night after my bubble bath, I slid into my fresh warm sheets in my favorite pajammies and snuggled in for a good perusal of this gem. It inspired me to come up with some sensational Easter brunch ideas (all of the family will be here!) along with some dinner party ideas.

     I can't wait to share my ideas with you!

Prepping for guests

     My mind is spinning as I begin planning the upcoming double baby shower and I am extra excited because I will be hosting out of town guests. Oh, how I love entertaining and making people feel welcome, friends and family alike.
     This Saturday I will begin my time line and prep work for the shower (and my guests!) and there are so many ideas in my head that I am not quite sure which path I'm taking yet. The decorations will have to wait until we see if Peanut B is a boy or a girl (oh!! I cannot wait to find out!) and the menu is up in the air for now too. Then, there are the other meals for my guests...and of course, having all the family together. There are sheets to be washed and groceries to be bought...yes, I've got to get my plans nailed down this weekend.

One thing is for sure though, I'll be baking and serving cupcakes.

A very charming "Vintage Memories" Mother's Day table

  Here's my centerpiece for my vintage themed Mother's Day table.So charming. I typed "God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers" on a page from an old dictionary. (I simply tore the page out of the book and fed it in my printer.)

    Propped up on the top of the typewriter next to the dictionary page, I placed my printed menu, along with a photo I cut out  from the little postcards in the Vintage Memories kit. Some old thrifted treasures from around my cottage complete the centerpiece.
    For place mats I used more pages from old books, to add to the vintage feel.

    The postcard place card completes each place setting.

The mantel showcases old baby photos and the "Mother" banner, adorned with pearly white buttons.

    I'm so very happy with my table scape and the best part is that it took me only about 35 minutes, start to finish, from printing my papers from my kit to putting the final touches on my dining room.

Pure nostalgia. I love it.

Vintage Memories Kit available on the newly opened website

       Whew! A few late, long nights, and, although I am not really happy with the way it looks, the website is up. (Aaaurgh! It looks quite home made, and there may be some hiccups, so bear with me for the next few days.) More kits and products will be added as quickly as I can get them up there, so do check back often!

    My newest kit, "Vintage Memories", is now available, and it is my newest favorite! Just in time for a nostalgic Mother's Day affair, this kit lends it self to any romantic, vintage event you are hosting. (I will be sharing my tablescape that I created using this kit later this week!)

I've made darling two sided vintage postcard style place cards, with antique photos on the backs, and two choices of Menu cards or invitations to be used along with the theme.
Mini banner templates that read "Family" or Mother" round out this wonderful kit.
     Check it out on the website, and please let me know what you think.

Words to live by - week - 66

That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.          Henry David Thoreau

It's amazing to me just how much pleasure I can get out of baking a simple batch of cupcakes to share with friends.

To slightly alter a line from Winnie the Pooh: No one can be uncheered by a cupcake.

 

Last day for April showers...

...and I found these just in the nick of time. (I told you, Ms. Crafty got me hooked on looking for these to decorate for April...)
    Aah, the thrift store, on half off day, no less.A whole whopping dollar twenty five. Yippee skippy! These little darlin's are just too adorable, don'tcha think? Perfect little puddle jumpin' centpiece for my table, even if it is the last day in April.