thanksgiving progressive dinner

i vounteered to host part of a thanksgiving progressive dinner for some ladies in my church last night. i was in charge of one of the appetizers. i served strawberry spinach salad along with spinach artichoke dip & chips.
i downloaded a paper party pack via paper and cake for free....yes, i said FREE! i used the napkin rings & glass tags. they are offering the pack right now non their blog, so go and get it!...

again, the glass tags were printed/made via paper and cake!...

i found some gold pine cone looking ornaments that i put out. i also spray painted some artificial leaves gold!...

i served spinach artichoke dip inside a pumpkin squash on a gold platter....

the leaf plates and table confetti were bought at target...

i also found some gold leaf ornaments that i put around the table...

happy thanksgiving!

monster party

i hosted this monster bash a few weeks ago {sorry for the delay in posting}. this party was a halloween party, but you could honestly use this theme for a birthday party at any time of the year!

target had THE cutest monster collection...

and thanks for the inspiration from jamee @ setting the mood! she gave me the faux fur tablecloth idea {fabric purchased at joanne's} and googly eye idea {i placed colorful googly eyes all around the tables for 'monster eyes'}.

here's the invite i made in photoshop... monster frame and stuffed animal {both purchased @ target}...

mini monster toys {found on orientaltrading.com} and monster candy {again, target}...

monster bingo!...

the adorable monster masks were also found on ot {thanks for the assembly mandy!}...

cute monster dish {target}...

i used a trick or treat monster bag to cover one of my pillows....

another cute monster dish {monster toys found on ot}...

monster match and monster toss...

these suckers were a huge hit {again, oriental trading}...

look how cute these monster eggs are! {monster teeth also pictured}...

monster paper goods...

pin the eye on the monster...
i LOVE these monster snow globes {i had a large one and a mini one out}...

i made these monster mouths out of apples and slivered almonds!...

green caramel popcorn {made with green jello!}...

monster eyeballs... i had a monster craft out for everyone to make...

i used marshmallows and white chocolate melts for the monster cupcakes {and attached a cut up black boa to each level of the cupcake stand}...

here's what i did with the other monster trick or treat bag...covered a box :).

monster rice crispy balls...

guess what the tablecloth is {underneath the fur}...a shower curtain!

here's a picture of one of the monster crafts that everyone made {little monster bags i found on oriental trading}...and a cute little monster party goer :).

i LOVE this sucker stand i found at joanne's!... another one of the assembled monster bags...

root beer with dry ice...

fun was had by all!...

the celebration shoppe

today i am featuring one of my sponsors, The Celebration Shoppe!
if you haven't checked out their site, it's a must! they have custom invitations, cool & creative table decor, and are now offering printable collections to compliment their themes!

one of their slogan's: Click. Click. Planned.

"Your job is tough: organizing, shopping, planning, inviting. Let us help make your life a little easier. Simply select your occasion and be amazed at the details available to you. Everything from personalized invitations to unique designer party decor. Whether it's your child's birthday or your girlfriend's baby shower, we have fun, hip, modern and cool ideas to help you plan a great party — and enjoy the day."


here's one of their newest designs: On The Farm with printable cupcake wraps/picks, goody bag tags, napkin rings, and more!


and another new design: Princess Castle with adorable cupcake wraps/pics and more!

and here's one of their black/pink designs: Blossoms.....this theme would be perfect for a shower or a birthday!so if you haven't already, go check out The Celebration Shoppe or their lovely blog, here! they're always creating new themes with printable components! you're just a click away from the perfect party!

monster bash: sneak peak

i hosted a 'monster bash' yesterday for some little furry friends. here's a sneak peak. i know halloween will be said and done tomorrow, but it doesn't necessarily have to be halloween to 'monster bash'. this theme would be perfect for a birthday party, or any kind of party for that matter :). more coming soon...

chic halloween dinner

i hosted my chic halloween dinner last week! i had a 'black damask' theme along with the obvious color palette of orange and black. i also added accents of shimmer and chandeliers.

i found the perfect elegant black demask printable party pack on paper and cake {place cards, napkin rings, cupcake toppers, etc}!

the dessert table...

the cute cupcake toppers {again, paper & cake}...

i made this chocolate pistachio ganache cake {recipe found in celebrate magazine..it's the cake that's on the front cover}. it turned out really good & tasty!..

i added masks to the little figures on the cookies...

the oreo's were rolled in orange and black sprinkles..

i put orange jones in a black cauldron filled with ice... i set monster energy drinks out {in the "khaos" flavor that matched the black and orange theme perfectly}. the crow on top was inspired by hostess with the mostess..

i topped the glasses with orange sparkle gel icing and added spider rings to the bottoms...

i love this black shimmery candelabra...

inspired by amy atlas, licorice wheels were hung above the dessert table...

another pic of my shimmery skeleton...

and last but not least, the party favors were cute little boxes {paper & cake} filled with candy corn and/or my homemade caramel apples...

halloween dinner: invitation

i hosted my chic halloween dinner this past week. here's the invite i designed it in photoshop. there's more to come soon, so be sure and check back!

phineas & ferb birthday party

my good friend threw an awesome phineas & ferb birthday party for her little boy {who LOVES phineas & ferb}. she did a great job! when i told her i was going to feature the party on my blog she told me to tell everyone that you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a good party. which is so true. her party was adorable...i couldn't stop taking pictures because everything was so bright and fun.

if you haven't ever watched phineas & ferb, the opening credits have phineas & ferb surfing together. so amy went with a phineas & ferb 'surfing' theme.

here's the invites she bought on ebay {this isn't the actual invite, but the example i pulled off of ebay}...

she also found these candy bar wrappers on ebay...

i made the shark cupcakes {i can't go to a party without bringing cupcakes...hehe}...

i brought my kiddie pool over for her to use as a cooler. it turned out so cute...

i found the cute ocean cardboard banner on oriental trading...

she went with a blue, green, orange, and white color scheme {to match phineas & ferb}. so fun...

she found some fun aloha sacks for a sack race...

here's the birthday boy in his phineas & ferb shirt :)...

another fun sack racing shot i got...she had our creative artistic friends do face painting...

and she had a beach ball pinata...

smiths bakery did a great job on the phineas & ferb cake. the birthday boy's dad took them an image to copy & they did the rest. plus, it wasn't very expensive!

great job amy! the party was a hit!

purple & jade wedding reception

i apologize for being soooo behind on my posts lately! life's been busy! but here's the wedding reception i did a few weeks ago! it was a lot of fun. everything turned out great. the day was beautiful. congratulations erin & steve!
{most photo's were taken by lyndsey @ seenboxphotography.com....i love her work}

pool/beach party

i'm finally posting the pool party i did a few weeks ago! i've been so busy lately with a wedding and a couple of parties :).

i printed most of the paper goods via paper and cake...so cute!! love her stuff!

here's the invites that were sent out a few weeks before the party {purchased on oriental trading}...

let the fun begin...

havin' fun in the pool...

i covered these adorable tarts {that my sisters best friend made} with whip cream, kiwi's, and a mango syrup. they were so yummy!

i got this unfinished surf board on ebay a few years ago..and painted it...

i made the cupcake toppers out of colorful cut up straws {and paper and cake's adorable printables}...

we covered the cake with brown sugar for 'sand'...

i stuck pinwheels on top for an added beach effect :).

the beach ball sippers i found online...

i bought some fun wooden surfboards at michaels that all the kids painted...

dad's even enjoy painting! :)...

surf rug to dry/drip off on...

fun was had by all...

and the winner is...

JEN T!!! {chosen via random.org}

Jen T. said...
about to hatch kitchen timers or ice cream timers - practical and cute!
September 10, 2009 4:24 PM

congratulations on winning the $25 gift certificate jen! have fun shopping for those cute party favors!