DIY Sandy Vases

I hope each of you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Like most of you, Memorial Day weekend for me kicks off everything that has to do with summer: barbecues, enjoying the water, wearing white... and it brings back memories of going to the beach.

Since I no longer live near the ocean I love to find small ways to bring the beach to me. That's why I especially love these colorful sandy vases. The bright sand colors and texture can turn a dull bottle into a lovely vase. Pretty enough to use as shower centerpieces, and affordable enough to do for a craft get-together over the summer.

Find the complete how-to at Family Fun.

This Memorial Day

Whether you're hanging out at the beach, grilling, or taking the kids to the park, please find time to remember the brave men and women who have served, and are serving, our country.

I'll be back tomorrow!

Best,
RoseMarie

Tea Cup Stands w/Free Tags

Here is the next project I've finished for our Queen of Hearts/Alice tea party. Another project done on a budget!

THE STANDS: Since it is a tea party, I want to make the actual tea cups a prominent part of the table setting. So, I made these stands–which I know you've seen done many times–to give the tea cups height and stand out on the table. I purchased two bags of candlesticks ($2.99 each) and plaques at 2 for $1 from Hobby Lobby. Our dining room is red, so we actually had some of that paint left over and that's what I used to paint the pieces. Once all the pieces were dry, I glued them together with Gorilla Glue I had. So, all together the stands cost me about $11.

TEA CUPS: There is no way I'm using my personal china for the party, so I purchased 10 tea cups at a local thrift store, at 50 cents each. After making about 5 visits to various thrift stores, I gave up looking for rose-decorated tea cups. So, I ended up purchasing seven tea cups that are plain white. I bought a pack of "rose" stickers for $1 and just decorated the tea cups with the stickers. Not bad, right?! The total on the tea cups is about $6.

DRINK ME TAGS: FINALLY--this is what I really wanted to show you in this post... This little freebie find! How cute are those Drink Me tags?! And they are a freebie offered at B. Nute Productions Party Place here. She offers both Drink Me and Eat Me tags free, and she provides the rest of the collection in her shop here. The illustrations are stunning. I was so excited to find them!

Now I only have about 6 more projects left! Good thing we have a long weekend ahead. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

Popsicle Brownies

Don't these look absolutely delicious? And guess what? They won't melt in the sun! That's because they're brownies coated in melted chocolate. A fun treat for the summer. Make them for Memorial Day using red, white, and blue stars. You just might want to be careful how large you make them!

For the complete how-to, visit Crazy Domestic.

Paper Napkin Pouch Tutorial

Memorial Day kicks off the outdoor entertaining season: barbecues, picnics, and outdoor celebrations. And with that comes greater use of paper napkins and plastic utensils. Thought this would be prime time to learn how to create a cute napkin pouch for dining al fresco. Bird's Party provides a good tutorial, using one of her own adorable napkin wrap designs. Use this napkin pouch at each place setting, or display a bunch in a basket to make it easy for guests to grab napkins and utensils all at once.

Click here for Bird's Party's full tutorial.

Alice in Wonderland Photo Props

I received such a nice response to my Mad Hatter table decor--it felt really good! Thank you! Among the responses, there were a few readers that mentioned they were planning Alice-themed parties for their little girls, too, and were looking forward to seeing any other ideas. I wasn't originally planning on going into this detail, but since Alice in Wonderland/Queen of Hearts is such a popular theme, thought I should share more about what I'm planning on doing. I will have to save some stuff for after the party reveal though! ;)

One of the challenges at a party with young kids is actually taking their photos. That's why I love photo props. Kids love to play and pose with them, and it will give you an opportunity to get them still for a few minutes to take their photo. So, I've prepared these goodies.

I did a Google search for character images, and blew them up on my computer. Once I printed and cut them out on white card stock I just taped them to lollipop sticks. The pre-cut yellow foam crown was only $1 at Michael's. So, I'll just set up a little area in the corner of my little room as a photo booth area. And I'm sure my girls have other accessories I can throw in, too. We asked guests to come in their "tea party best" so I'm looking forward to getting some cute photos with these!

Linking to:

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Show Off Your Stuff Party #76

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Merry Monday: Pirate Parties

It's been reported that Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides has already brought in over $90 million from its opening weekend. Wowzers! Pirate parties have always been popular, but this will certainly bring them back to the top of the list for sure! I'm sure you've seen many, many boy pirate parties... but wanted to share two pirate parties that each offer a different spin on the usual.

A GIRL PIRATE PARTY

Using red food items, like strawberries, and subtle girlie patterned touches, such as the pinwheels, give this party a more feminine feel, without getting too girly and scaring off some of the boy guests (!) Look at those adorable cookies! You can see more of this party at "that cute little cake."

NAUTICAL PIRATE PARTY

This darling pirate party uses an aqua and red color scheme to keep it youthful, and few but strong props like the nautical wheel, give it a clean and sophisticated look. Found via Pizzazzerie, this party was styled by mom who owns Events by LG. You can check out more details here.

Asiago-Wrapped Spinach & Raspberry Salad

Make a big first impression on guests when they sit down to this salad at a shower or dinner party. Perfect for summer, this salad is easy to make and elegant. Take advantage of summer's fruits and berries to add color to your salad. To find the how-to, specifically for the asiago cheese wrap, visit Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Free Oprah Party Printables

We all know the power Oprah Winfrey owns, but it was definitely confirmed when the Chicago Bulls had to delay a game because the stadium was being used to tape Oprah's final shows! If you caught some of the previews, the last two shows look like they are going to play out like major red carpet events. Spotted on stage with Oprah were Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and the now much talked about appearance from Maria Shriver. After 25 years of counseling, influencing and helping a number of people build their careers (Hello, Dr. Phil, Nate Berkus and Dr. Oz!) she certainly deserves a huge send-off.

You can bid your own farewell, and have fun with it, by having some girlfriends over to watch the final episode. If you're a die-hard Oprah fan, I bet you know what she likes. Decorate a table with some of "Oprah's Favorite Things." Use these free printables from Design Editor to dress up the table. There's even a BINGO game for your group to play during the show.

It'll be the last time you'll get to say "Did you watch Oprah today?"

DIY Mad Hatter Table Decor

After being away for 2 1/2 weeks visiting family, the sudden realization that my girls' birthday party is only a few weeks away has hit me like a brick! I feel so far behind in getting everything ready!! We're doing an Alice in Wonderland themed party... however I am trying to steer away from the blue and pink pastel versions you've seen, so I'm still defining the whole look. My other challenge is I'm trying to stay under a certain budget. I don't want to give away too much, but one thing I do know I want to do, is "represent" the different characters on the food table. here's the first one I've finished–the Mad Hatter's hat I made for ONLY $4! It's all smoke and mirrors when you're on a budget. Here's what I used and did.

Materials:
- Party hat purchased at the Dollar Tree ($1)
- 3 foam sheets in light green (.99 each)
- 1 foam sheet in dark green, approx 18" x 3 1/2" (I had this but otherwise it would be $.99)
- stapler, glue dots, tape, black marker (no cost--all on hand)
- Manilla envelope (no cost, had on hand, but otherwise probably not more than $.50)

1) You're probably thinking "that hat doesn't look like the Mad Hatter's hat." Rip out the small insert from the top of the hat, and rip off the bottom rim of the hat. Then, flip the body of the hat over... look better? This will become the foundation for your hat.
2) Here is where the smoke and mirrors come in. Take one light green foam sheet and wrap it around the hat. Secure it in place with a stapler at the bottom. It will come into a V shape, helping to give you the shape of the Mad Hatter's hat in the front as shown below.

3) Cut a 12" x 12" square from another piece of light green foam sheet. Using the small insert you pulled out from the top of the hat, use that as a template to cut a hole in the middle. Make sure to cute off the "teeth" or little tabs around the circle, if they came out with it. Then use scissors to round out the corners of the green square.

4) Secure in place with strong scotch tape as shown below. Scotch tape is not the ideal adhesion to use on foam, but in this one small case it should hold up. Turn it right side up and add your dark green band around the bottom of the hat. Secure it to the back with a stapler.

5) Here is the tricky part. Flip the hat over on top of your third light green foam sheet. Trace the top of the hat, estimating the rest of the top. Then, draw a second circle around that. You are going to cut out little "teeth" or tabs, as shown below.

6) Then tuck the tabs into the hat. What you do next is up to you. Since this will be set on the food table, once I attached the top of the hat, it looked pretty good, even on the sides, so I cut off the unused tabs and just left the back open. You can use your remaining scraps to cover the rest of the back if you want.

Don't forget the final touch. Cut a rectangle from the manilla envelope and write the 10/6 on it with a black marker. Tuck it into the band. I'll be using this to display food in cups so I may leave the hat rim flat. But you might want to play around with the rim, bending it, so it's not so flat. Stay tuned for more DIY projects for the party!

Linking up to

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Frugal Friday

Feature Yourself Friday

Tickled Pink 504 Main

Superhero Father's Day Printables

I've been loving watching my girls, Renee and Siena, develop their relationship with their daddy. Siena especially is very much the daddy's girl. I guess you could say Daddy is her hero! So when I came across these Father's Day Superhero-themed printables, I was thrilled! We'll definitely have to find a way to use these. Maybe with breakfast in bed, using the Hero Juice label around a glass of his favorite smoothie?? Or just wrap up a bunch of goodies, as done above, and deliver them in a new laptop case?! So many possibilities with these.

Designed by Oh Happy Day for Alphamom, find the original post here with link to templates.

Merry Monday: Fruit Stand Party

I've seen plenty of lemonade stand-themed parties, but this take on a fruit stand theme, not only offers some originality, it has to be one of the cutest parties I've seen! Designed by Buggie and Jellybean, this citrus-inspired party features "fresh picked" fruit and baked goods... and how about that great basket weave cake and handmade fruit stand?! To find out how they made the fruit stand and to see more photos, visit the original post on Buggie and Jellybean!

DIY Hot Air Balloons

Are you planning to travel this summer? No doubt travel plans increase during the summer months, but the number of travel-themed parties seem to increase, too! You may even know someone planning a big move that you want to throw a Bon Voyage party for.

Add these adorable hot air balloons to your decor. You can add them in a bunch as a focal point in the room, or you can easily make them as a garland to adorn a food table or window. I can even see using emerald green glittery paper for a Wizard of Oz party!

Get the complete how to at Brown Accents.

DIY Dino Feet

Do you subscribe to Family Fun magazine? I look forward to my issue every month. The magazine is filled with lots of fun craft projects and ideas for families to do together. I have a folder of tear sheets from the magazine that I've been meaning to share with you. This is one of them!

Great thing about Family Fun's projects is that most of them use regular household items. These dinosaur feet are made from tissue boxes. Great activity for a party. Add a dinosaur tail and boys will be ready for a dino-mite time!

Get creative–you can make monster feet, dragon feet... maybe Fred Flinstone feet?? Have fun with these! For the complete how-to, visit Family Fun here.

DIY Push-Up Pops

I felt totally nostalgic when I saw this! I have to admit I wasn't the biggest fan of the orange sherbert-y flavor of the Good Humor push-up pops, but the idea of creating your own flavors to make your own push-up pop totally dazzles me! Use this for any party this summer. Kids and adults will love them!

Em-agination shows us how to make them using the push pop containers that everyone's been using for cupcakes lately. Find her how-to and flavor ideas here.

DIY Confetti Party Ware

Inspired by Anthropologie speckled vases and bottles, Crafts by Amanda created these fun bottles of her own–at a much lower cost. These are great for a 4th of July party or to jazz up a picnic. Use them as bud vases or to hold straws and utensils.

Find out how they were made by visiting Crafts by Amanda.

Merry Monday: Graduation Party

Graduations are just a couple of weeks away here in Colorado. If you don't know exactly what you're doing as far as celebration decor yet, Frog Prince Paperie has come to your rescue with fun printables and some really creative ideas to make you and your grad look forward to a bright future! Take a look!

In addition to the color scheme you see here, the collection also comes in royal blue and yellow, and red and black. It includes cupcake wrappers, tent cards, thank yous and more. To see the rest of the printables collections and more "bright" ideas for your graduation party, visit Frog Prince Paperie.

Mug Cake Gift

Here is one last gift idea for Mother's Day–a mug cake! Yes, you cook the cake right in the mug! File or bookmark this one. The keepsake mug makes it a great gift for dads, teachers and grandparents, too. Get the complete how-to at Crissy's Crafts.

Tissue Flower Wall Decor

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I can't wait to enjoy some good Mexican fare in NYC tonight with friends I haven't seen in a year.

Even if you're not officially celebrating, I hope you're enjoying all the colorful decorating and recipe ideas that surface across the Internet in honor of this holiday. This is one of my favorites. A huge impact and great focal point for a table backdrop, just using large tissue flowers. Kind of makes you want to run up there and squish all the flowers, doesn't it?! So fun.

See the orginal post at You Are My Fave.

FREE Mother's Day Printables

I often feature free printables on my Facebook page. I have to admit, I take full advantage of them! Besides the fact that they're free, printables are a fast and easy way to jazz up a table. When I find a set of printables I want to use, they become my inspiration and guide for the rest of my table's decor. It's an easy way to start, and it really helps me narrow down my color scheme.

There are so many great freebies out there for Mother's Day, I thought I'd round up some of my favorites here. And it's only Wednesday, so you certainly still have plenty of time to print these out to use.

SUBWAY ART:
Put either of these in a frame as a gift, or place the frame on your Mother's Day buffet table. Left is from Holiday Snob; Center from Ladycrafter14; Right from a mama's two cents worth

GIFT EMBELLISHMENTS:

Anders Ruff is providing these lovely gift cards and toppers (toppers not shown) that can also be used as gift tags. On right is a charming "Garden of Love" set from Persona Pail that also includes printables kids can decorate with their artwork.

TABLE ACCESSORIES:

Want to add coasters to your table, use these free ones, along with a pretty sign from Sweet Metel Moments. On right, One Charming Party designed a beautiful citrus-inspired tablescape for HGTV.com here, where they provide an invite and menu card to use.

FULL COLLECTION:

Finally, here is a collection featured on Catch My Party from Love Party Printables. This generous collection includes banner, tent cards, toppers, napkin rings and more!

DIY Mini Pinatas

The mini pinatas that I've been seeing lately all seem to involve paper mache, which honestly, sounds a bit messy to me. So I totally jumped on this version when I saw there was no paper mache-ing (is that a word??) required!

Such a fun party favor for Cinco de Mayo or any type of fiesta, these mini pinata favors are sure to have your guests leaving with a smile! Designed by One Charming Party, find the full tutorial here.

Merry Monday: Royal Wedding Viewing Party

I busted out laughing when I saw some of the photos from my friends Sherry and Erin's Royal Wedding Viewing Party. It wasn't that they just invited people to watch, but they asked each lady to wear a wedding or bridesmaid dress and hat–and everyone actually did! What a riot! I'm still away visiting family and was so bummed to have missed it! They did such a great job! I love the little crowns on the cupcakes and pink roses were a royal touch to the table!

Out of respect for some of the people I don't know in some of the photos, I only have a few to share, but you can see everyone had a jolly good time!

Photos by Tom Koetting