Happy Easter!

I just found out this morning that I'll be hosting brunch Sunday (!)  So, I am going to take the day to dive into my Easter decor bins, start cleaning the house and come up with a menu.  But I wanted to make sure I stopped in to wish you all a lovely Easter.  And I just came across this lovely flowered Easter Egg decor from That's What Che Said that I wanted to share, too.  So pretty--you can keep it up through Spring.
Happy, happy Easter!  Rose Marie

Our Easter Scavenger Hunt

We don't really do the Easter Bunny thing in our house.  No big reason why. It's just something we never started.

We do however, have a very generous family that sends the girls a number of Easter baskets and goodies.  I usually just hide them and the girls go looking for them--always making sure to mark the baskets with who sent them.  But this year, I'm going to make it a bit more fun and challenging for the girls to get their goodies.  With the help of some fabulous free printables from Embellish, I put together a scavenger hunt. Each clue will lead the girls to a different set of baskets sent to them by a different family member.  I thought I'd share this idea for anyone that might want to try it.  And you can certainly still pull this together in time for Sunday.

The printables set comes with rabbit tracks.  I want the girls to see the tracks as soon as they wake up.  So I'm going to put the tracks down by their bed to their bedroom door, leading them to an envelope hanging on their doorknob filled with the 6 clues.  Yes, there are 6 clues, which means 6 sets of Easter goodies. (They'll have quite the stash by the end of the hunt!)

The hunt will take them around the house and even outside.  Here's an example of one of the clues:

This room is our favorite place.

It's where we eat and stuff our face!

In this room, go where it's cold and look on top

There is a special surprise from Grandma and Pop-Pop!

Cute right?  My only fear is having to do this next year, and having to come up with new clues! ha

How do your kids get their Easter baskets??  I'd love to hear any ideas!

Guest Post: Michelle Pino of Skana Spa with a DIY Scrub Recipe

I am so pleased to have Michelle Pino as my guest today on Home Confetti. Michelle Pino is the Spa Manager at Skana Spa in Verona, NY. Michelle loves learning new tips and tricks in the health and beauty industries, but also loves DIY projects, cooking, baking and leading a healthy lifestyle.  She's here to share one of her favorite projects, and a great reason to get your girlfriends together for a fabulous girls night in. Take it away Michelle!

What's better than a girls night? Hmmm... I can't think of much! Some of the most fun, relaxing and best memories have come from spending time with my lovely lady friends. If you're in the mood to relax, rejuvenate and rid yourself of that layer of dead skin Winter has provided you, invite your closest girlfriends over and try out this easy DIY body scrub. (Might as well get a few bottles of wine and some chocolate, too!)

Ingredients:
- Almond Oil
- Raw Sugar
- Oatmeal (optional)
- Brown Sugar (optional)
- Essential Oils of your choice

Body scrubs are so simple to make: Mix one-part oil, two-parts sugar and voila! (Just make sure your body scrub isn't too soupy.)

Gather your girls and let them each make their very own body scrub adding brown sugar, oatmeal or a scented essential oil to their body scrub to tailor it to their preference.  Have a few mason jars on hand for each lady to store her scrub in, as well as a few bows, ribbons or printable stickers to decorate the jars.

This is a fun and inexpensive way to spend time with the women in your life crafting, relaxing and sharing stories all while making a little jar of body scrub that can be used while taking your next shower. Your mind will calm, your skin will glow and your friends will thank you for such a wondrful girls night!

**Sharing beauty and health tips and tricks is something I love doing. I am so thankful to have a rewarding job.  Working at the spa at Turning Stone Resort and Casino has allowed me to gain so much knowledge and experience within the industry. Sharing simple recipes like this is a pleasure. Thanks Rose Marie!**

Colorful Springtime Baby Shower

There is so much to love in this bright baby shower! The mix of colors and patterns are incredibly playful and uplifting–perfect for Spring.  The type and graphics mimic those of a beautiful children's book.  And I love how the curtains, treats and mama-to-be's outfit complement the decor as well!  There is a lot of great inspiration here too for your Easter entertaining.

This colorful craftiness was perfectly captured and submitted by Erin Johnson Photography in Minnesota. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Additional Vendor:
Bakery: Cocoa and Fig

Today's Takeaway: Carrot n' Flower Centerpieces

I always think about using veggies in Thanksgiving centerpieces, but I never thought about using them in Easter or Spring centerpieces.  I think these carrot filled vases look great!  Find the original post, along with the other tablescape ideas, at Love Grows Wild.

Have a super weekend!

Mystical Beach Wedding

This enchanting wedding was certainly a treat for all the guests.  The bride and groom thought of everything. From brushes for guests to wipe away sand from their feet to seashell sandals for the bridal party. They also used the hottest color of the year–emerald–as part of their color palette.  Their wedding serves as great inspiration for any sea or nautical-themed celebration.  I'm so grateful photographers Dan and Melissa Wedding Photographers in Michigan captured and shared all the details with us. (Participating vendors are listed after the photos.)

Event Venue: Holiday Inn West Bay
Specialty Foods: Michigan Wedding Candy Buffet
Photo Booth Equipment: Exposed Photo Booth
Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Island Importer
DJ: A Plus Digital DJs
Dress Store: Condon's Bridal Boutique, twobirds Bridesmaid

DIY Spring Tulip Wreath

Happy first day of Spring!  Looking at the weather map this morning, I don't think Spring has actually hit all parts of the country yet. But, when you're ready to welcome the warmer weather, here is a really easy wreath to make for your front door or home.  I have a glass front door so I always appreciate wreaths like this one with bold, solid colors so they stand out.  Find the full tutorial for this pretty tulip wreath at uCreate.

Quick and Easy 40th Birthday Gift

It's always tough living away from dear old friends, so I try to take advantage of special occasions to send them something fun in the mail.  A friend of mine turns 40 in a couple of weeks and I wasn't quite sure what to send her.  I've seen the "40 Blows" filled with gumballs and "40 Sucks" filled with lollipops, but I wanted to send something with a more positive spin... so I'm sending her "40 Hugs and Kisses."  All it is is a nice canister (that she can use in her pantry later) filled with Hershey's chocolate hugs and kisses.  She'll probably hate me for sending her so much chocolate but will have so much fun opening the box! (Let's hope the balloons don't pop on their way there!)

What have you done for a milestone birthday??

DIY Surprise Straws

Not just for sipping milk! In Honor of Design turned these adorable straws into a surprise Easter treat.  Fill them with jelly beans or other candy as a party favor.  You could even fill them with confetti for a New Year's party or even wedding! Find the full tutorial here.

Today's Takeaway: Table Band

So, I wasn't really sure what to call that embellished burlap ribbon around the kids Easter table.  Band?  Wrap?  Whatever you want to call it, I think it's such a cute and super easy way to add flair to a table.  This was obviously done for a kids Easter table, but I think it would be really cute with a colorful HAPPY BIRTHDAY going around the table!  Find the original full post at Better With Age.

Free Book Club Party Printables!

If you missed it last week, I shared the Cook the Books-themed potluck dinner I hosted for my book club here.  As part of the decor and activities, I made these few goodies–and now I am offering them to you FREE! Included are the sign, book quiz, bookworm bag toppers and coasters.  You'll find the download links below after the photos. I hope they'll motivate you to host your own Cook the Books party.  It was so much fun! I would love to see photos if you do.  Cheers!

Get your FREE downloads below!

Book Club Party Sign

Opening Lines Book Quiz

Bookworm Bag Toppers

Cook the Books Coasters

The food tent card printables are freebies from 
Call Me Victorian 


Sharing with
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Easter Egg Frame Wreath

I wasn't planning on making any new decor for Easter but this adorable Easter egg frame wreath from A Creative Princess might change my mind! It's really different and I'd be able to put it on my fireplace mantle.  Find the full tutorial here.

St. Patrick's Day Tea Lights

Isn't it amazing what a little paper can do??  This inventive idea by dream home decorating is so versatile.  You can use this idea not just for St. Patrick's Day, but for upcoming Spring and Summer parties by creating paper flowers, using the tea light as the center.  They also did one for Valentine's Day.  Find the tutorial here.

Party Tip: Coffee Filter Utensil Holder

I love finding different uses for everyday items.  I've seen coffee filters used for party decor, like wreaths and flowers, but I love this idea of using them as utensil holders.  Especially now that the warmer weather is approaching, this is a good idea for outdoor parties, since coffee filters are so disposable. These were painted up pretty fancy.  But, you could simply tie a bow around each set of utensils and display in a pretty basket.  Find the original post at Papery and Cakery.

Book Club Party: Cook the Books

I'm so happy to finally share the photos from the "Cook the Books" potluck party I hosted for my book club last Friday night.  I love getting together with these women.  They are so smart and inspiring–and book club is a really productive way to spend time together. Their creativity was exemplified by the dishes they brought!  You can find my notes on all the details after the photos.  :)

THE DECOR:  I was on a tight budget, but the theme of the party let me make all the decorations pretty cheaply.  The backdrop is just torn book pages Mod Podge'd onto foam board.  I designed all the printables with the exception of the food labels–that I will share with all of you in another post.  Since everything was in black and white I could easily use my home printer.

THE FOOD:  Each lady brought a dish inspired by a book. Only I knew what the ladies were bringing. Keeping the dishes hush-hush was part of the fun.  The ones featured above include: Appetizers from Bridget Jones's Diary, Guac Salad inspired by The Tortilla Curtain, Chocolate Pie inspired by The Help, Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Pizza inspired by Devil Wears Prada, The Broken Wings (which was my lame contribution) inspired by a book of the same name and little cakes inspired by Alice in Wonderland.  Don't you love the presentations?! I told you these ladies are creative!

BOOK QUIZ:  I put together a quiz testing the ladies on opening lines from famous books.  We were so busy chatting, that I don't think anyone really tried it out.

FAVORS: I put together small bags of gummy worms to take home "For Your Little Bookworms."

It was a fun night and we actually did manage to talk about our book of the month, too.  If you belong to a book club, I totally encourage you to use some of these ideas to host your own potluck.  Let me know if you do!

Sharing with:

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Super Easy Book Plate Wine Charms

The "Cook the Books" potluck Friday night was a success! There were some really creative dishes that I am excited to share with you later this week.  I still need to go through and edit the photos, but for now I wanted to share this quick DIY I did for the night–these book plate wine charms.  They were a really cute addition to the book club theme.  All you need is laminate sheets, wire and color photocopies of the book images.  

I used images of books we actually read in the club.  I made them 1 1/2" tall.  All you need to do is place your images in between two laminate sheets, smoothing them all in place with your hands.  You'll need to be careful when cutting out the book images.  Make sure to leave a border around your image so the laminate stays sealed around the image.  Once they were all cut out, I used an exacto knife to puncture a hole in the corner. Cut pieces of wire and twisted the charm around the glass stem.  Ta-da!