Party Inspired by New Eloise Suite at The Plaza

If you have a daughter who loves all things pink, and you're planning a trip to NYC and you have a few bucks to spare... she'd probably love to stay in this brand new suite at The Plaza, inspired by Kay Thompson's children's book character, Eloise. How could you resist? Super girly, plush and luxurious... it only starts at $995 per night(!). Who else could design such a whimsical room, but none other than Betsy Johnson. You gotta love Betsy Johnson who, at 67, still does a cartwheel at the end of her fashion shows! Don't have that kind of money? You can easily pull inspiration from this fancy suite to give your daughter a fun, very pink party--and it definitely won't cost you $995! (Hotel photos courtesy of Shine@Yahoo and NYTimes.com)

I was so psyched when I found this photo below. It was exactly what I was envisioning for the dessert table, using the design of the pink & white stripes. This is so easy to replicate. To make it really cost-efficient, use pink and white striped wrapping paper for the backdrop, and wrap a box in pink tissue paper to create the back platform. You can design and print the cupcake toppers on your own computer--just tape them to toothpicks, add a ribbon and you're good to go! (This photo was originally part of an elephant baby shower featured on Hostess with the Mostess you can see here.)

Mimicking the sconces, use white candelabras, like this one at left found on Amazon.com, with a white boa draped around it to get really glam. You can probably find the candelabra cheaper at a place like Hobby Lobby.

Finally, if you want to bring the zebra element used for the suite's carpeting into your look, use a zebra printed runner on your dessert table. (Make one with purchased fabric and hem it with fabric glue.) Or Oriental Trading has these cute zebra boxes (shown right) that you could fill with white carnations to decorate your table(s). Use them as favor boxes, too.

Celebrate Back-to-School

It's August 1st and that means the start of school is not too far away. For this area, it's as close as a couple of weeks away! I know quite a few parents who can't wait (heh) but some of the kids might be feeling a bit nervous--especially if they're going somewhere new. So, why not turn the first day of school into a celebration and get the kids pumped about going! Here are just a few special treats to turn those frowns upside down:

EDIBLE CRAYONS
How cute are these? They are actually pretzel rods with both ends dipped in chocolate! Originally posted as a Valentine's Day treat, but when's a better time to tell your child you love him than when he needs a little TLC to help ease his nerves? You can get complete directions and FREE printables to use as the wrappers here.

A PLACE FOR NEW FRIENDS
Get your child excited about starting kindergarten in a new school by creating an address book for all the new "play date" numbers. Here's one featured on Kaboose.com. Click here for directions.

GO TO SUNDAE SCHOOL FIRST
Before that first day of school, host a "sundae school" party for your child and his new classmates! That's what mom over at Poca Cosas did for her little boy (photo below). She actually hosted a full party with activities that included painting wooden letters and a science experiment. Plus, she served lunch in cafeteria-style trays and gave out art supplies as favors!

Enchanted Woodland Fairy Party

I nearly held my breath when I came across this party! What a lucky girl to be swept away with her friends into a land of make believe with fairies, magic and pixie dust... But what really impressed me, was the fact that mom, Amanda Parker, made everything herself! I feel tired just looking at every little detail, imagining how much time and work went into each little one. Here are just a few photos of her talent. To view all the spectacular details, visit Amanda Parker's blog here

The stunning entrance and table with toadstool seats, fairy houses, and an amazing woodland centerpiece

The food table featuring "Magical Marshmallow Pops" and "Fairy Fruit Wands."

To just call these birthday "banner" and "cupcakes" is certainly an understatement!

The girls each got their own fairy costume and enjoyed activities like a "Pixie Dust Making Station," "Pin the Wand on the Fairy," and a "Flower Ring Toss."

Quin-wow

I have to admit, that until about a year ago, I didn't even know what quinoa was... and now I see at least one recipe that lists quinoa as an ingredient in nearly every website or magazine I read. It may be the grain "of the moment" but it does have a few great benefits... it doesn't really have a distinguishable flavor so it can be easily incorporated into recipes; a nice crunch that makes it a nice addition to salads and cookies and it contains more protein than most other grains. SO, since my husband has been on a health-kick, I decided to make this salad and I have to say--pretty simple, and really good. I've been bringing it to BBQs and it's always nearly gone. A great "go-to" recipe for the summer, since it's highly unlikely someone else will make the same thing! I actually double the dressing to make sure that every grain gets that citrus-y flavor. Enjoy!

Click here for the recipe at Family Fun

Color For Your Cocktail

I love things that look like you put so much thought into them, but they turn out to be the easiest thing to do! And in this case, a little goes a long way I think! How festive does this drink look with the colored ice cubes?! And all it is––ice cubes, using food coloring!

If you click here you'll also see how they cut stars out of lemon peel -- that might be a little too much effort for me, but go for it if you are so inclined!

Strawberry Shortcake 4th B-day Party

I finally got to have a birthday party for the girls! Why did I wait so long? Frankly, I think I was just avoiding something else to stress over... because that's what I do! But, I was so happy when Renee and Siena said they wanted a Strawberry Shortcake party, because I knew immediately there was so much I could do with that theme.






THE TABLE: I took cues from the Strawberry Shortcake characters, using snacks like "Blueberry Muffins" and "Ginger Snaps." It was a strawberry overdose to say the least! Strawberry lemonade, chocolate covered strawberries and even strawberry daquiris for the moms!

ACTIVITIES: Since we invited boys and girls, I needed all the activities to be gender neutral. No decorating strawberry shortcake hats! First, instead of giving goodie bags filled with "kiddie litter" we gave the girls a cute basket and the boys red beach pails. They would fill them with prizes they won from each of the activities. Games included: homemade fishing game at "Huckleberry Lake." a strawberry egg hunt, planting the strawberry plants, strawberry bean bag toss and of course, the obligatory strawberry pinata! The party ended with strawberry cupcakes and ice cream!

It was all worth it when after the guests left, Renee turned to me and said "Mom, that was the most fun party ever!" "It was fun for me, too, sweetie!"