Monday, February 27, 2012

A Gift from the HEART!

Last Sunday morning started as most Sunday mornings in our house. We woke up with barely anytime to get ourselves dressed and fed and make it to church on time. I was rushing to get the kids into their Sunday school classes so I wouldn’t miss worship and I heard my name being called from across the hall. Honestly it’s one of those moments when you debate “do I pretend I didn’t hear them and just whisk the kids into their classroom so I’m not late?…hmmm”. When I looked around I saw my friend and ex-neighbor (were still not happy about the ex part of that) Kerri running at me with a Kroger bag in her hand. “I have been looking for you for weeks” she was yelling as she was approaching me. “Here” she said as she pushed the Kroger bag into my hands. It was heavy, oh my goodness…I pulled open the bag to take a peek and saw this…

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My husband knowing I was still mourning the passing of Penn State great Joe Paterno joked…”Hey is it a brick form Paterno’s house”. “Noooo…,I tearfully looked up from the bag, it’s a brick from the hospital were the kids were born” Yep…in that moment I received a gift so basic so ridiculous to most but that spoke such volume it was unbelievable. The old hospital in our town is being demolished since they built a brand spanking new one across town. Everyday I pass by the demo site on my way to take the kids to school. Everyday I think “man I would LOVE to crawl through the fence and grab a brick” It’s the hospital were 2 of my 3 three children were born. It is among those bricks that my babies took their first breath, it among those bricks that I looked into the eyes of my babies for the first time..those bricks are sacred to me and to sooo many others who welcomed or said goodbye to love ones within those walls. So there I was late for church and now sobbing in the hallway holding a brick…lol. I don’t know if it was the sentiment of the brick or the fact that someone knew me soooo well that she would know that I would want one,  and that she knew how special that would be to me was so cool! She actually reached her hand through the fence and dug around to find the perfect brick while the construction workers watched…lol.

So now it sits on my mantel…I’ve got to come up with something really cool to do with it!

Kerri, Thank you sooo much for knowing me and loving me so well that you knew exactly how my heart would react to such a precious gift! Thank you for taking the time to dig through the rubble to give me a precious reminder of the wonderful Gifts that God has given me in my little girls!

If you see some crazy lady at Baptist Hospital in Nashville knocking a brick out don’t be alarmed…she’s just getting me one from the hospital my son was born at to match Smile

Help someone celebrate today!

Candy

Monday, January 16, 2012

Sweet Treats Valentines Table…without breaking the bank!

I LOVE Valentines Day!! It’s one of my favorite Holiday’s…well ok..I say that about almost all of them, but I love a holiday that’s main purpose is to celebrate the ones we love! I mean really…how cool is that! Not to mention how stinking adorable everything for Valentines Day is. Pink, Red, Hearts, Polka Dots, Chocolate, Flowers, Adorable plush animals, I mean really…what’s not to love! Valentines Day is not just for couples either…there are lots of people in your life that you love and that deserve to know it and be reminded of it often!

The only bad thing about Valentines Day is that it comes off the heels of Christmas and right before Tax Day so money is usually a little tight for most people. Today I’m going to show you that you can set a fun and creative party table that will make people think you spent a fortune but won’t break the bank at all! That’s all something we can ALL LOVE…right?

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First we start with the invitations. That’s were your inspiration for the entire party comes from in my opinion so it’s the most important piece. When I design a new set I always start with the invitation first and build the rest of the set around it. This one is from my Sweet Treats Valentines set available on my Etsy site. I’m of course bias and would LOVE for you to purchase my set for your party…lol…but if this one doesn’t work well with your taste or needs head on over to Etsy.com and search the huge choice of Valentines printables available. It’s a great cheap way to really have a unique invitation and dress up your table.

Now that your invitations are out we need to work on the table set up. I used the bottom part of a hutch that I have in my dining room and covered it with a white linen tablecloth. The backdrop I created using around 2 yards of fabric from my local fabric store. Use some thumbtacks to secure it to your wall and run an iron or steamer over it quick to give it a nice smooth appearance. Add your printable banner and you have a beautiful backdrop.

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I chose a simple menu of valentines sweets and treats and looked for creative ways to display them.

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I found these cute little mailboxes at Target in the Dollar Spot. When you add a bag of licorice to them you have an adorable and fun way to display it.

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A jumbo bag of Smarties looks very cool stacked up on a long serving dish.

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Using a tiny terracotta flower pot I took a bag of Valentines lollipops and arranged them to look like a pot of flowers.

 

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Some homemade Italian pizzelle cookies filled with strawberries and topped with whipped cream look so much better with some of the printable party circles sticking out of the top.

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I was always so intimidated by the fancy cupcakes I would see in magazines and on websites. Mine never ever looked like those, but once I made friends with a pastry bag and cupcake toppers my whole world changed!! I won’t be winning Cupcake Wars anytime soon but  I can now make a cupcake that doesn’t look like a 4year old had made it..woot woot! I used a store bought cake mix and a can of store bought frosting. Using a pastry bag and a basic star tip I simply filled the bag with my icing and started piping it in a circle from the outside of the cupcake into the middle in a circular motion. Experiment with this and before long you will have a style that your comfortable with. If your store bought icing gets too runny as your working with it place it in the refrigerator for a little while to stiffen it up. Use some store bought sprinkles to add a little color to the tops. I found some adorable pink cupcake liners at Michaels and I placed them into those after I cooked the cupcakes in a normal liner. Then using my printable files I created two different styles of cupcake toppers and that’s it…piece of cake…well piece of cupcake :)

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I needed a tall cupcake platter that would sit above the other items on my table to create a bit of height and make it easy to reach the cupcakes. The only problem was that my cupcake pedestal was not tall enough. I found a clear bowl that I had and flipped it upside down and was able to place my cupcake pedestal on top of that and it fit perfect! Since it was all clear and to me still looked like my bowl turned upside down I decided to fill it with something to take the focus away from the bowl shape. I had some extra Smarties so I mounded them up and placed the bowl over top of them. Pretty cute and now it doesn’t look like a bowl…yay!

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Cute little mini coke glasses I found at the dollar store filled with a raspberry crystal light drink. White flexi straws with heart cutouts help carry your theme over to your beverages.

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Wrap a bag of Hershey’s miniatures in your printable candy bar wrappers.

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Printable Valentines set out on the table for the guest to right Valentines to each other give your guest an inexpensive thing to do to keep them busy as they munch their sweets.

Another $1 mailbox from Target was perfect to provide a place for all of the Valentines to be placed during the party. The host or hostess could then hand them out at the end of the party.

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I love sock monkeys…they always make me think of my Grandma! She used to make them and give them away to people at the holidays. My girls received these from someone this year for Christmas and they happened to be pink…perfect little additions to the table don’t you think?

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For favors I used some little hot pink take out containers I found at Hobby Lobby for a few dollars for a sleeve of them. You can fill them with candy or little trinkets or some yummy white chocolate popcorn mix. Using the photo tags or favor tags from your printables you can send them home with a personalized message.

The lesson today is you CAN have a beautiful party without breaking your budget! Think outside of the box and look around your house and see what you may already have that your could use in a new way.

Now, go celebrate someone you LOVE! Don’t wait to tell them…we’re not promised tomorrow!

Enjoy!

Candy

Friday, January 13, 2012

A Beauty of a collection! :)

 

There is one thing you should know about me….I LOVE Disney! Ever since I did a book report in 5th grade on Walt Disney I have been fascinated by his work and the company he created! I love the way the can make anything an “experience”! I mean were else do you turn into a kid with giddy excitement just to eat a vanilla popsicle covered in chocolate, that happens to be shaped like Mickey Mouse Ears, other than in Disney World or Disney Land. Why? Because it’s so darn fun! Those little shops, the trolley tracks in the street, the old fashioned music group singing on the corner…who wouldn’t drop $10 on a popsicle to be a part of that for a few minutes…lol.  Let’s face it, if Disney’s has it’s name on it you know it’s going to be good!

One of the favorite things about Disney in our house are their movies! I have one princess obsessed little 6 year old who has watched them over and over and over again.

One of my all time favorites is Beauty and The Beast. So in honor of Disney’s release of Beauty and the Beast in 3D today our princess party collection has been magically transformed into a Belle’s golden yellow and a Beastly royal blue.

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I am offering a limited engagement sale on the printable set for the entire week...starting today!

Get it now before it’s locked away in the vault!…lol…I’ve always wanted to say that! Did I mention that the people at Disney are marketing geniuses as well!

Have a royal good weekend!

Candy

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Step back and remember the reason…For FREE!

I can’t believe Christmas is only a few weeks away! I say it every year but man this year went sooo fast! It seems the older my children get the faster these years are slipping away…sigh…their going to be grown before I know it!

It’s so easy to get caught up in all of the “hub bub” that comes along with Christmas that we tend to overlook and true celebration of Christmas! It is a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior! The moment that OUR GOD entered OUR world to live among men, teaching us about him and how we should live out our time on Earth and ultimately dying for us to save us! It’s quite humbling to think about.

It’s also a time of giving to others! It’s really not about all of the “stuff” it’s about the loving others and sharing of yourself to make someone else's day brighter! I love that about Christmas! Inspired by one of my favorite subway art artists Alexander Creative, I created this print to encourage you to step back every once and awhile and remember those that may need their Holiday brightened and the true meaning behind the season I am giving you this FREE print telling the story of Christmas.

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Available in White and Red. I ask nothing in return….these are free for you to print and enjoy. If you have not become a fan of ours on Facebook I would love if you would join our page and help spread the word about The Party Bakery.

To get your download simply click on the pictures below.

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Merry Christmas!

Candy

Monday, November 28, 2011

Cyber Monday Sale

 

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I am joining the ranks today of the Cyber Monday Madness! Visit The Bakery today and receive 20% off of everything! Woot Woot! Plan ahead and save on your upcoming parties.

Happy Shopping!

Candy

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Sorry I Left You Hanging!

Morning everyone!

So I kinda left you hanging with my last post! I had intended to come back the next day and fill you in on my details from my Rapunzel Party and give you all of scoop on the good and the activities. Well…life kinda got in the way…lol!

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Between 3 kiddos, family visiting, colds, work, Halloween, etc. I found myself a bit behind. I apologize!  I was thrilled in the midst of it all to be contacted by Jillian at Catch My Party and asked if I would write a guest post for her blog about my best money saving tips for my Rapunzel Party! ummm….yes, yes I would!

So today I am a guest contributor on an amazing blog and I am so thrilled to be able to finally share ALL of my money saving tips via her blog today.

Check it out and I promise I’ll try and not leave you hanging again! Smile

http://blog.catchmyparty.com/

Celebrate Life!

Candy

Friday, October 21, 2011

A Birthday Fit For A Princess! Part 1

Invitations and Party Decor

My youngest turned 6 in September…wow…were did that time go? To say she is obsessed with Princesses would be a understatement! She is a hopeless romantic already!! When we were discussing her birthday party she of course wanted a princess party.,,,ughh…really? Don’t get me wrong I LOVE a good princess party, but we have already had a Princess party TWO years in a row. Been there done that! So we were able to nail it down to a specific Princess this year and I was thrilled when she picked (was talked into) Rapunzel and Tangled….yippee!

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My little Princess was sooo excited she couldn’t wait to run to Party City and buy everything Tangled they had! WHAT?…do you know what I do every day?…so she hesitantly agreed to let me SEE what I could come up with. Make no mistake though they better be good or she was going to Party City pronto..lol. Luckily the invitations passed the test. I don’t draw! I can’t draw! Even my stick figures bow their heads in shame…lol…seriously! But I’m finding I can sort of make things out of shapes on the computer…cool! So I was able to put something together that resembled a tower and then using some embroidery floss made some Rapunzel braids to hang out of the windows. Cute!

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I loved the idea of those little braids so much that I thought how cute would it be to make a big braid out of yarn and have it hanging down onto the front porch from the upstairs window. I also thought “hey I’ll make one that we can use for a photo prop also”. After spending an entire hour making a small braid to use as a photo prop I quickly decided…”yep, we need to come up with another idea for Rapunzel hair that is not yarn”…lol. A little tip for you if you try and make a braid out of yarn. Once you have all of your yarn cut into pieces gather your three sections for braiding and tie each section with a hair band at the bottom BEFORE you try and braid. It will keep the yarn from getting all Tangled up! Trust ME! Anyway, I had to find something else to use that did not require braiding and came in long pieces. I was walking through the aisles of Party City (well I can’t make EVERYTHING) and I spotted the large rolls of plastic table coverings in bright yellow…Perfect!

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The “hair” is hanging from an upstairs window and we draped it all the way down to the front porch to greet our guest as they arrived. It was easy to work with and gets the idea across! We also used it to string through the trees outside and also along the ceiling in the dining room were the food was set up. The hair was a bit messed up by the time we got to pictures outside but you get the idea…lol.

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Then I had to decide how to set up the food. Were would Rapunzel have a party? The Snuggly Duckling of course! I themed the food table and the dining room to resemble the Snuggly Duckling (the thug pup from the movie). I used a lot of burlap fabric and browns and made labels for the food that had the Snuggly Ducking logo on them. We turned the lights down low and used some candle lanterns to add to the ambience. I had so many ideas for this but truly just ran out of time! Hard to plan your own party when your planning for other people as well…lol.

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I knew I wanted to have most of the party outside for a few reasons. 1. Most of the movie takes place outside as Flynn and Rapunzel travel to see the lanterns. 2. My house is not big enough to hold 14 6 year olds. 3. My house is not big enough to hold 14 6 year olds!…oh did I say that twice…yeah…thought so! Of course it was a rainy and cold week…of course! Luckily the sun came out that morning and dried everything up in time. Thank you GOD! I really was sweating that one! Anyway, I have a large tree on the side yard that I decided to make the focal point. I used some Christmas lights and the hubby wrapped the tree is those, he then strung the Rapunzel “hair” through the trees. I had printed several photos of clips from the movie out on some glossy photo paper and using some fishing line I hung the pictures off of the branches around the tree. Thank you Taylor Swift
(another obsession of my little princess) for the inspiration…one of her video’s has a similar thing and I loved it when I saw it! Also, if you Google Disney’s Tangled and look up images you will find TONS of FREE high quality photos to use…there are really some great ones…here is one of my favorites! 154_15_1_3_x24

he he he….love Maximus! My hubby wasn’t real sure this was a great idea…he didn’t get it. BUT, when the kids arrived and they were running around squealing and looking at every picture he GOT it! We also took a white frame (found at Michaels in their clearance rack for $5) and using fishing line we hung it from the tree branch as a photo op spot. For some reason we didn’t get a good shot of the pictures hanging from the tree…but trust me it was cool!

I was able to duplicate the Yellow sun from the movie and made some of the Kingdom Flag banners that you see hanging in the Kingdom during the lantern celebration. And finally of course you must have Flynn Rider wanted posters! (Again these are available on the internet if you Google)

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So for decorations I really barely spent any money. I bought a role of tablecloth covering, a $5 frame and some ribbon. The rest I gathered up from around the house off the internet or made myself. Use your creativity and you don’t have to spend a fortune to make a magical atmosphere. We’ll talk about price a little later,

Come back tomorrow to read about the food and the games for the party!

Celebrate Life!

Candy