FAVORITE 4TH OF JULY PINS

Since the 4th lands on a Friday this year, we might take off for the long weekend, but that doesn't stop me from pinning some cute ideas to my Red, White and Blue Pinterest board.  Here are a few of my favorite ideas that are very simple to do.

Sources:
Mini bunting HAPPY 4TH free printable from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mommy
Fireworks drink stirrers from HOMEY oh my
Lawn stars from Better Homes & Gardens
Confetti launcher from piikea street

4TH OF JULY DESSERTS FOR ADULTS WITH CK MONDAVI WINE

Summer is in full swing and the 4th of July is quickly approaching.  To me the 4th of July is the pinnacle of summer. People either have trips or big barbecue party plans centered around the holiday. If you are planning a barbecue blast I have some great treat ideas that you (the adults) will love! Y'see, whenever we're at a summer bash, there always seems to be lots of treats distributed to the kids... well what about the adults?  I have your answer–THREE in fact–and I'm doing them all with CK Mondavi wines. Not only does CK Mondavi provide great flavor, it is the only American made/grown wine in the "supermarket wine under $10 category." Another big reason to choose CK Mondavi when making desserts or cooking with wine.  No one wants to fry a $75 bottle of wine!

For these particular desserts, I chose to use CK Mondavi Scarlet Five. It's a full-bodied wine that offers a collective expression of five red varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Frank and Malbec) with the flavors of black cherries and plums. Perfect for these types of recipes!

#1: WINE POPS

Really, why should kids get all the fun?! These wine pops are just as easy to make as regular juice pops.

Ingredients: (Makes 4-5 pops)

• 10 oz. of wine (CK Mondavi Scarlet Five) 
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 6 oz. of no-pulp orange juice
• Couple of blackberries chopped up (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and pour carefully into pop molds. Freeze overnight and you have your wine pops!

But before you suck up all those wine pops, I have a second idea for you that makes plain old vanilla ice cream a wow dessert.

#2: WINE TOPPED ICE CREAM

Using a fork, scrape up one of the frozen wine pops and place the shavings onto a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I used Blue Bell's Vanilla Homemade. But, something like a Vanilla Bean or French Vanilla would go really well with the wine taste. And the dessert fits right into a red, white and blue color scheme!

Where's the 3rd dessert idea? Well that's simply just a bottle of your choice of CK Mondavi! It's the perfect gift to bring to or serve at any 4th of July occasion. Dress up a bottle with stars like I did to give it a festive touch.

A Purchase with a Good Cause

CK Mondavi wines are produced in the Napa Valley by the iconic C. Mondavi & Family. In honor of Mondavi's American heritage and tradition, CK Mondavi will donate a percentage of sales on all bottles sold through August 2014 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.  The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund supports U.S. military personnel wounded or killed in service to our nation and their families. What better reason do you need to choose CK Mondavi as your wine of choice for the 4th?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

PRINTABLE LEMONADE PARTY FAVORS

My girls love doing some sort of "stand" over the summer. We did a snow cone stand last year. This year they shared a small candy stand with friends during a garage sale the neighborhood had.  This little idea from design, eat, repeat would add a fun item to any lemonade stand or favor for any summer party.  If you can't find chicklets, you can use hard yellow candies available at party stores. The printable is provided free! Find it and the original post here.

GLAMOROUS PINK WEDDING

Get ready to lay your eyes on a gorgeous and glamorous wedding that took place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Orlando, Florida. So pretty in pink, I am in love with the sparkly tablecover used on the sweetheart table. Wedding coordinators, Eventfully Yours, used the right balance of pink and mirrors.  Thank you to wedding photographers, Lotus Eyes Photographers, for capturing and sharing the event. Additional vendors are listed below.

Additional participating vendors:
Hair and makeup: Stella Luca
Flowers / Rentals: Greenery Productions
DJ: Live Fusion Entertainment
Ceremony Musician: Valerie Pernice
Bridal Dress: Lily's Bridal
Bridal Shoes: Carmen Steffens
Officiant: Sensational Ceremonies
Stationery: Papyrus
Bridesmaids Gowns: Modern Bridal Shop
Men's Suit: Men's Wearhouse

POPSICLE GARLAND

Did you see this genius idea over on Oh Happy Day?!  Made out of pool noodles, it's perfect for a popsicle stand or ice cream (and popsicle) social over the summer.  See the full post here.

Have a great weekend!

OUR FROZEN PARTY: THE ACTIVITIES

Hopefully you caught Part 1 of our Frozen party which featured all the decor. The decor was the easy part! This was the hard part--the activities. Challenging because 8 year olds don't want to make fairy wands anymore.  Thankfully, Pinterest offered a lot of great ideas!

CRAFT 1: OLAF IN A BLIZZARD
What a cute idea from 30 Minute Crafts! It was perfect, because it was cooler than a regular snow globe.  Each girl got a packet of Olaf parts: googly eyes, mouth with tooth, chenille stems to make his branch arms, white poms for feet and body, carrot nose (made out of orange foam) and tiny black poms for coal buttons.  The silver spoon was to throw in some silver glitter.  The kids loved it! They loved seeing pieces of Olaf swooshing through the glittered snow.

CRAFT 2: PAINT YOUR OWN TROLL

I found these cute plaster figures in Hobby Lobby.  They are meant to be little monsters but they weren't too far from looking like trolls to me. They were only $5.99 for six and of course I used a 40% coupon. :)

So, we invited everyone to the "Troll Den" to paint their own troll.

Once the girls painted their troll and they dried, we hot glued fake moss to the tops as the hair.  Look how adorable they all came out!  I love them!

SCAVENGER HUNT:

This scavenger hunt from My Sister's Suitcase for Bombshell Bling is so stinkin' clever! It uses the Frozen song lyrics as clues and they're offered as free printables.  We used most of the clues and the kids loved having their Frozen knowledge tested. 

I stuck one clue in the freezer with Olaf!

At the end of the scavenger hunt were the goodie bags filled with a shimmery blue nail polish, icicle-like rock candy stick and a Frozen sticker in a snowflake printed cello bag.

KARAOKE AND DANCING!

Since music was such a big deal in the movie, we had to find a way to incorporate the music into the party so we set a stage for karaoke!

We have an Internet-ready TV, so I pulled up You Tube videos with the lyrics on the screen and it was instant karaoke!  There was singing done as solos and in groups.

And lots of dancing!

The party was three hours so there was also time for free play--which I think is always a good thing.  You don't want to make the party too structured.

Then of course we did cake, presents and...

SNOW CONES!  

We have a Jelly Belly snowcone machine that made it easy to make snow cones quickly.

I took a free printable from Paging Supermom and modified it a bit as my station sign.

The party was a huge success!  Everyone went home with smiles! And I was exhausted by the end of the night.  But hearing my daughter Siena say, "Mom, thanks so much!  That was the best one yet!" made it all worth it. :)

Sharing with:

 The Party Bunch Linky Party

OUR FROZEN PARTY: THE DECOR

I have to admit, I was the least excited about doing a FROZEN themed birthday party this year, since it seems to be the most common theme this year--but it ended up being a blast! This movie really had an effect on kids and it really showed at the party! The kids sang the songs, played games and just overall really loved being part of the fun. I'm splitting the photos in two posts.  This one is all about the decor.--which was extremely budget friendly.  I used items that I had and Christmas decorations. Later this week I'll have photos of the activities for you.  I'd love to hear what you think!

Sharing with:

Take a Look Tuesday
Whimsy Wednesday Link Party 119
The Party Bunch Linky Party
Sunday Showcase Party

MAGICAL WOODLAND FAIRY TALE SHOOT

If I could jump into a children's storybook fairy tale, this is what I would love for it to look like! A bit reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, with its own characters. I love the innocence of the children mixed with the lavish table setting. Styled by Inkedfingers and Margot Blair Floral in Texas, you can easily start to put words to this beautiful photo story. Talented and amazing inspiration for any rustic party setting or tea party. Make sure to look for the list below of additional participating vendors.

Additional vendors:
Dress Store: Blush Bridal Lounge
Equipment Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals
Makeup Artist: Modern Muse Beauty
Location: San Michel