STUNNING PEACOCK INSPIRED BIRTHDAY DINNER

Wowsers! I went big for my 40th, but since then the birthday celebrations have been pretty tame--or maybe I should say lam--compared to this! This beautiful tablescape, designed by Lenee Valentine welcomed guests for a fabulous dinner with a table adorned with white satin linen, sequence embellishments and peacock accents. The table also featured Mikasa crystal accents, white and lime flowers, lots of candles and personalized menu cards designed by Gourmet Invitations. While they waited for the birthday girl, guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and a sampling of fine wines.  Big thank you to BellaChic Luxe Photography in Virginia for capturing and sharing the lovely details.

EASTER LINK PARTY!

 

The stores are bursting with bright spring colors and everything Easter! I know your crafty hands have been at work coming up with great ideas for the holiday. Here's a great opportunity to share your inspiration with this monster link party headed by Design Dazzle. Fifteen bloggers are participating, including me of course. Simply link up your egg-cellent projects and creative ideas below. Feel free to link up new projects as well as any past projects that you want to share. At the end of our link party, all of the bloggers participating will feature some of their favorite Easter projects and ideas! Link party runs from March 28th - April 5th.

When you link up to our party, it will show up on ALL the following participating blogs:

Design Dazzle | Get Creative Juice | I Dig Pinterest | Ginger Snap Crafts | Not Just a Mommy | Giggles Galore | a girl and a gluegun | Me & My Insanity | Paisley Petal Events | Pink Cake Plate | Happiness is Homemade | Kiki & Company | I'm Topsy Turvy | Home Confetti | BellaGrey Designs | Love the Day

Design Dazzle also wants to let you know about a fabulous event that they're involved with: The Mom Summit. Being a mom can be overwhelming at times, so The Mom Summit contains 30+ online classes to make motherhood more enjoyable. 30 rock star bloggers (mostly moms) will be teaching classes on topics incredibly important, like cooking a month's worth of dinners in ONLY a couple hours, getting kids to listen without yelling, nagging or reminding, and making sure there's not just heat in the kitchen, but how to put the spark in your marriage, as well. This event is taking place online from March 31st-April 7th and is FREE for this week only! Click HERE to register or get more info about the event! Design Dazzle's Toni Roberts will be presenting ideas on how to create party backdrops on a budget and also how to make an easy, no-sew party banner.

An InLinkz Link-up

WINNIE THE POOH INSPIRED TWINS SHOWER

As the snow fell gently outside, guests filled this home with warmth with their good wishes for twin newborns, Emma and Gabe. Even Booh Bear and Owl made an appearance at this Hundred Acre Wood themed shower designed by First Glance Wedding Design and Coordination. There was a bounty of yummy goodies to eat featuring adorable names, including Winnie the Pooh's favorite–hunny! Enjoy the heartfelt photos, taken and submitted by Sunflower Photography in British Columbia, Canada.

DIY DIP-DYED TISSUE TASSLE GARLAND

Tissue tassle garlands have been quite the rage for a while now. I've seen them done with solid color tissue paper and shiny metallic papers.  But this technique of dip-dying them from AnnKayDesign@Home gives them a totally different look that is perfect for spring! I can see this done in blue for an Under the Sea theme or as shown for a pretty Easter brunch backdrop.  Find the full tutorial here.

ANTHROPOLOGIE-INSPIRED STYLED SHOOT

I'm so excited to start the week with this lovely shoot, beautifully designed by Jen Leslie Events. Inspired by Anthropologie with its lace and feminine touches, mixed plates and cups, this is a perfect setting for a sophisticated bachelorette, bridal shower or bridesmaids luncheon. The Seattle venue, The Corson Building, provided the right ambiance of rustic elegance. Enjoy the tea-rrific details, as captured by Tonie Christine Photography.  Additional vendors are listed below.

Other Participating Vendors:
Hair Stylist: Sorrida Salon
Floral Designer: Columbia City Bouquet
Invitation Designer: Wolfhouse Paper Co.
Equipment Rentals: Vintage Ambiance

"COOK THE BOOKS" BOOK CLUB PARTY

I'm finally getting the chance to post the Cook the Books potluck I hosted for my book club over a month ago! In fact, it was the potluck that almost didn't happen because there was about 8 inches of snow outside. But I give these ladies a lot of credit--ten of them persevered and made it to enjoy some good food and good conversation!  Last year when I hosted I played on the "Books" part of the theme. You can see it here. So, this year, I played on the "Cook" part.  And of course, everything was done on a budget.  I pretty much used kitchen items I had. The only items I purchased were the red cutting board, pot holders and red plaid wrapping paper all from the Dollar Tree. A lot of these ideas would work well for a kitchen themed bridal shower, too.

At this point, I was wondering if the table would see any food!

Yea! The food started coming in; each dish inspired by great literature.

Thank you to all the ladies who made it.  It turned out to be a fun night!

WASHI TAPE BALLOONS

Here's a great tip from Design Improvised! Use washi tape to upgrade simple solid color balloons.  Best thing is you can now find washi tape pretty much anywhere–even Walmart. Most retailers will carry it as "craft tape."  Find the original post here.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY AND A MINI MINT ICEBOX CAKE

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all those celebrating today! We enjoyed a fun long weekend in Steamboat Springs so we missed the St. Paddy's Day festivities. But, I do want to try to make one festive dessert today for the family to enjoy.  This mini grasshopper icebox cake over at rue rococo looks delicious and easy (plus!).

Hope you each get to enjoy the day a bit.  My kids are on Spring Break this week, so I'll be challenged with the task of keeping them busy while trying to get some work done! Ciao for now!

FREE PRINTABLES FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY

St. Patrick's Day is Monday but a lot of parades and celebrations are happening this weekend.  If you're looking for a quick treat to make for the festivities, use these free printables to get them done. Links are all below.

Pot of Gold boxes from Design Eat Repeat.
You Sham Rock tags from Bloom Designs
Beer Labels from Benign Objects
Jar Label from Detail-Oriented Diva
Cootie Catcher from Bird's Party

My kids are off tomorrow because of a teacher conference day so I'm taking a long weekend.  Be back Monday. Have a great and safe weekend!

PLASTIC EGG CUPCAKES

The Easter merchandise is already on store shelves. Stock up on plastic eggs to make these adorable treat cupcakes from Club Chica Circle. They're not only for Easter. They make adorable party favors for any party.  Make sure to use the stiff cupcake wrappers to help hold the eggs in place.  Find the full tutorial here.

RUSTIC VINTAGE TABLE SETTING

Peak wedding season is approaching fast.  This silver and shimmery vintage table photographed and submitted by BeautifulU Photo creates a gorgeous setting for an engagement party, wedding or bridal shower. I love how the paper flowers decorate the table but are also used as curtain ties for a cohesive look.  (You can visit here for a great roundup of DIY paper flowers.) Details like the pearls and baby's breath really give it the perfect feel for a wedding.

Participating Vendors:
Event Planner: Kristen Hunter Events & Decor
Floral Designer: Frankie's Flower Shop
Invitation Designer: Paper Blush

SHIMMERY WINTER PENGUIN PARTY

The little penguins used in this party are almost as cute as the birthday girl herself! I love the shimmer brought into the decor with the silver trees and tabletop snowflakes.  The cake is just amazing. Aubrey's parents put together just the right amount of decor without going over the top for her first birthday party.  Thanks to Amy Aiello Photography in Illinois for capturing and sharing the wintery details.