Makeovers & Margaritas Girls’ Night

 

Makeovers Margaritas MarkedI was thinking back the other day about this really fun party I hosted several years ago. It was pre-11 Magnolia Lane so I shared it on my event design blog but never here. Since I had some pictures from it and thought I would run a quick recap for nostalgia’s sake if nothing else.

And since we featured Margaritas {my husband’s very famous margaritas…stay tuned for recipe!} I thought the timing was perfect timing with Cinco De Mayo just around the corner.

margarita

I have been to many, many “direct sales” home parties–you know, like Mary Kay, Thirty-One, Pampered Chef–and even hosted a few. Since I sometimes (but really not always, I promise) like to make things a little fancier then my guests would expect, I decided to jazz things up a bit when I hosted this Arbonne make-up party for my girlfriends.

tablescapeWe had so much fun playing with the make-up…check out this awesome display. By the end of the night we were all smoky-eyed and red-lipped beauties!

make upAt the time, part of my business were the paper products–the labels etc. so I featured them prominently at this party.  I own up to having had a habit of making my events a bit of a personal showcase for my design business :)

I made little drink stirrers along with some take home favors for the guests.

drink stirrersfavors

tablescape 1And, you may even recognize the letters on the “You Are Beautiful” banner from my Vintage Sign Tutorial last week {click to see how I repurposed them}.

bannerThis night was so much fun, I may have to do it again. Last year I hosted a Girls’ Night Out for Thirty-One Gifts along the same line, maybe I need to get another Girls’ Night in the plan again soon!?!

 If you want more information, click HERE to learn more about Arbonne’s products {they are just the best in my opinion!} and for contact information.

On to the FUN part! My husband’s Margaritas are simply the best drinks around {well along with his Martini’s {they are also HERE}}. I persuaded him to share his recipe–its very simple, no pre-packaged mix and these are so fresh and tasty. Having been a bartender, he describes things in “counts” for how long he pours–and warning: He is HEAVY HANDED!–so just change the portions/ratios according to how many you are making.

******************

Margaritas

4 counts good, gold Tequila {vary by how strong you want the drink}

4 counts sour mix {we use Poe’s—do NOT use “sweet &” sour mix!}

2 counts good Triple Sec

3 counts Rose’s Lime Juice

Tons of fresh squeezed Lime juice.

We do the cold glasses rimmed with salt, because of course he’s a “professional” {in his former life LOL} but serve however you like.

margarita

And now you’re ready for Cinco De Mayo!

XO,

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Our Top Posts of 2012

Happy New Year everyone! This year just FLEW  by, didn’t it?

We thought we’d do a quick recap of our top {the ‘most read’ according to google analytics} posts this year, just in case you missed anything :)

Christy’s North Carolina Pantry lives on…and on…and on, thanks to Pinterest {oh, how we love thee, Pinterest!}

 

Christy’s Kitchen Makeover follows next.  The Better Homes & Gardens Real-Life Kitchens & Baths issue featuring this kitchen should be out any day!

Christy’s Kitchen Re-do

Her adjacent Laundry Room also got prettied up, and it’s another “top post.”  This room is in the current issue of Cottages & Bungalows magazine!

 My Kids’ Bathroom makeover follows next. I called it a Part 1 post because I intended on doing some more work to the mirror, but that will have to fall into our “goals” post, I suppose!

Terry’s Kids’ Learning Center is our next most-read post; her basement is amazing and such a great use of space.

Next up is Christy’s {New} Pantry Makeover.  In this post she also reveals that Better Homes is on their way to photograph her house for this spring’s Kitchens special issue.

Next up is a post with a great tip–an easy way to hang silver platters on the wall.

This tutorial post was next with a very useful chalkboard  “Out of Treats” sign to end Halloween on your terms :)

 Terry’s Camping Themed Birthday party she threw for her son is our last but not least, “most popular” post.

As always, thanks for visiting us! We are looking forward to an exciting 2013.

XO,

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Lalaloopsy 4th Birthday Party

 Since it’s been the holiday season, I didn’t want to jump back in with a post about all that was pink, girly and Lalaloopsy until now. But, a few weeks ago we celebrated my daughter’s fourth birthday in grand style.

To give you a little background, this was her first ‘party’.  I said to someone the day of the party, I have thrown approximately 17 boy parties {My boys are 7 and 10 so think Star Wars, Army, Ninja Turtles, Transformers–you name it, we’ve done it}, but this was my first GIRL party so I may have gone a little over the top. It was a TON of fun to finally create something related to dolls, pink and totally girly, and I can definitely say she enjoyed her celebration too.

The theme of the party was not without much debate. During my last visit with Terry (who among her many talents is a professional event planner) together– with Pinterest– we planned a beautiful silver and white Snow/Winter Fairy party for her. That lasted about a day. Then my daughter decided she wanted a Hello Kitty party. Again, after much discussion and maybe a little hopeful persuasion from her mother, she finally settled on a Lalaloopsy theme for her big day.

Putting something together with the doll concept with buttons and sewing was too cute to pass up. I prefer to use mostly homemade items for parties, especially since I used to make and sell many of the party accessories such as you see in the photos.  I was really in for it when we {she} found LalaLoopsy party plates, cups, etc. at Wal-mart. So, again we compromised, and she got to set the table, which she did days in advance in her excitement.

I used generic white and pink cups, made stickers for them and filled them with popcorn and served the drinks in them. The straws were leftover from this Baby Shower we had last year.

The party was in the afternoon, so I didn’t do too much for food, just lots of snacks and sweet treats for the little girls to enjoy.

We did cupcakes, pink of course, with little toppers I made.

I knew I wanted to have a seat for each little girl, so we rented some extra chairs, a large round table and a white cloth. It made things so much easier to have everyone sitting instead of running wild, then we just packed it all up and returned it the next day.

I made the banner out of fabric scraps to hang above the buffet table; it’s been repurposed and now hangs over her bed in her room as a little reminder of her day.

We had a craft station set up in my office.  The girls made three different Christmas ornaments {under the supervision of some gracious middle schooler helpers} which of course, I don’t have pictures of to show, but it kept them busy and the ornaments served as their little “take home” gift.

 All in all I think the birthday girl had a ball!

XO,

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An AMAZING Ice Cream Birthday Party!!

 

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!

What little girl or boy wouldn’t want an ice cream birthday party?  I just had to share this amazing event that my dear friend Courtney put together for her daughter’s 9th birthday.

Invites from Etsy
Ice Cream Cart Courtesy of her hubby!

Courtney is an amazing woman, friend, and mother!  She designed this party for her daughter after just giving birth to her 3rd child.   I am not sure where she found the energy or the time, but she put together a smashing event that her daughter and all her guests loved.  She also found time to shoot the party and blog about it.  Yes, Courtney is amazing not only because she is a mother of 3 gorgeous girls, but a working mother of 3!  She owns her own photography company, Courtney Anderson Photography, and her creativity blows  my mind.  As most of you already know, I plan events for a living,  so I know good photography and I have worked with many photographers over the years.  Courtney’s creative style and her artistic eye capture the most amazing moments,  a gift only the most talented photographers have.  I am so lucky to know this talented woman!!  Here a bunch of detail shots that Courtney captured during her daughter’s party:

Ice cream cups with a cookie cone party favor

I am loving the pink cones, how cute!
Mason jar beverages adorn with a cool straw- PERFECTION!
Make a wish!!
Time to Eat!

Her handy hubby designed the ice cream cart and her mama made this ice cream cone birthday cake.   I think they all need to go into business together creating fabulous events, don’t you???:)

Ice Cream Birthday Bash!!
One Scoop or Two?
Courtney’s mom created the perfect cake for an ice cream party!

Here are some of my favorite shots of the birthday girl!!   She is just adorable and I would go as far to say that she is comfortable in front of the camera :) . Watch out, Vogue!

Best gift ever: Gift certificate to learn how to sew: Little Pin Cushions

I hope you all enjoyed this amazing ice cream party; I sure did.  Check out more pictures and parties from Courtney Anderson Photography.  Also, if you feel inspired to host your own ice cream party but don’t have an amazing cart like picture above…. you can RENT this one!!!  Contact Courtney for all the details through her site.  Lastly, don’t forget to share your next amazing party with me in the comments section!

{Stay in touch with us}

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Garden Butterfly 1st Birthday Party

Garden Butterfly Party

This past weekend Amy and I were invited to our dear friend Trinity’s home to celebrate her daughters first birthday.  I’m not sure if you all remember but Amy and I threw Trinity a baby shower in honor of this sweet little blessing last June (click here to check it out).   Needless to say, I cannot believe that we are already celebrating her daughter’s 1st birthday!! How does time go by so fast?  Trinity went all out creating an amazing Garden Butterfly Party for her daughter.

Proud parents!! Courtesy of LuMa Images
Custom made party hat for baby Siler

Trinity choose a yellow, aqua and orange color scheme that was perfect for July and stood out with all the green grass in her back yard.  The bright colors really made the party pop with excitement from both the kids and the adults.  I loved all the little details she carefully placed on each and every table and chair.  She really created the perfect event that no one will ever forget!

Umbrella tables were a hit on this hot and sunny July day!

Everything was decorated even the resin chairs. I love the bright mix of colors.

Trinity alternated the aqua and yellow chair ties

Each cocktail table was cinched with a colorful chair tie and displayed a photo of baby Siler- it was such a sweet personal touch.

The children’s tent was just a colorful and as festive as the adult area.  Each chair had a polka dot aqua ribbon embellished with white daisy .  Trinity created some amazing bright yellow carnation balls that she hung from the top of the tent.  Lastly, she attached large Monarch butterflies around the perimeter which tied the Garden Butterfly theme together perfectly.

The children’s tent was perfectly decorated- look at those hanging flower balls!!          
The kids chairs were perfectly polished! Each yellow chair was adorn with an aqua bow and a bright daisy!

 

Even the kids chairs got some added decor. Aqua polka dot ribbon adorn with a large daisy!

Each child recieved their very own (no spill) mason jar filled with lemonade and sprite.

Look at this cake that Trinity made.  It is just too pretty to eat!  She also had two different types of cupcakes for the adults and the children.  They were delicious and adorable.

Amazing homemade cake!!
Cupcakes with flowers and butterflies for the Adults
Butterfly and bug cupcakes to please both the girls and boys at the party!

Trinity had two adorable activities planned for the kids.  The first was a craft station where you could create your very own butterfly mask.  The girls LOVED this station, they were all so creative!!!  The second was a bug hunt.  She gave each child a net to collect bug goodie bags placed along the perimeter of her yard.  I am not sure which activity the kids loved more, they were both equally creative and fun.

The kids were able to create their own butterfly mask.

Look at all that glitter!!
Look at her beautiful butterfly mask- so creative!

You would think that bug hunt goodie bags and masks were plenty to give away but they children also received this beautiful parting gift.

Parting Gift: Grow your own sunflower!

As you can see, this party was over-the-top amazing.  Trinity created a beautiful event that she can look back on with pride.  Here are a few more photos from our friend Michelle over at LuMa Images.  How lucky Trinity is to have all these wonderful photos to look back on and remember her daughter’s very special garden butterfly birthday celebration.

Mama and baby ready to blow out her candle

Look who just turned 1 and is WALKING!!
     Peek-a-boo birthday girl!!
 Mr. Len turned the sprinklers on and the kids LOVED the cool surprise!!
Adorable Girl!!

Happy Birthday!!!

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Summer Girls Night Out

A few weeks ago I hosted a Kick-Off Summer Girl’s Night Out Party. I wanted to get my new neighbors and friends together before summer got in full swing. It was a great night, and even more fun because Terry came down to help me pull it off and put her signature stylish touch on everything.

We started the night with drinks on the porch. I am so happy to say the weather cooperated and I finally got to host an event on my porch!

To start with, we offered the girls Peach Sangria served from a makeshift Bar on the porch. I will be back with the recipe soon as it was a HUGE hit! Everyone seemed to enjoy being outside as the sun set, and I thought one of the particularly fun parts was watching the guests who came from across the lake roll up to the party on their Beach Cruiser bikes. It’s the perfect form of transportation here at the beach!

Inside we had all the food, mostly some dips and my favorite cupcakes. I had my friend Janet, who sells Thirty-one bags have the bags on display, after all everyone can use a new summer bag, right?

{The goodie bags were from HERE }.

The menu was light, some of my favorite easy appetizers and some desserts, including Trader Joe’s macaroons and the delicious cupcakes from HERE.

It was a fun night and great to spend time with new friends and neighbors before we all set off the whirlwind of vacations, camps and activities summer brings.

Thanks for stopping by~

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Turning 37 in Style {Party Menu}

 

Fashionista Party!!

A couple weeks ago I turned 37 and hosted a fashion birthday party to celebrate in style. You can check out all the fun party details HERE if you missed the first post.  It was so much fun to shop with all my girlfriends inside my own home.   We drank, we ate, we shopped, and just celebrated all the things that women love.

 

I am back to share the menu that I choose for this party because it was quick and easy, perfect for any celebration.

Inspiration for my own"Make Your Own Mimosa Bar from Every Scrap Countz

I had found this photo (above) on Pinterest a while back and it inspired me to have my own “Make Your Own Mimosa Bar”.  Who doesn’t like champagne and doesn’t it just go hand and hand with shopping and celebrating???   It is easy to stock (just buy your favorite champagne) and some pure fruit juice or puree.  I offered four different kinds of “add-ins”.

Mimosa Bar Flavors
  • Mimosa (Champagne and Orange Juice)
  • Bellini (Champagne and Peach Puree)
  • Razzle Dazzle (I made up this name but it is simply Champagne and Raspberry Puree)
  • Strawberry Fizz (Another made up name but simply Champagne and Strawberry Puree)

Make your own Mimosa Bar

 

To go with the champagne, I served a few of my favorite easy to make appetizers.

 Goat Cheese and Scallion Crostini 

Amy introduced me to this easy entertaining appetizer and it seems to be a staple at each and every party we host (alone or together!).  It is so fresh, fragrant, colorful and the EASIEST APPETIZER EVER! Seriously, it has FOUR ingredients and takes less then FIVE minutes to make, but your guests will never know.


Ingredients

  • One loaf of french bread, sliced
  • One bunch scallions (green onions)
  • One package of goat cheese, softened
  • olive oil

Directions

  1. Turn on your broiler so your oven is ready
  2. Puree the scallions (white and green parts) in a food processor, adding olive oil until it resembles a sauce (don’t over mix, you just want it to be spreadable)
  3. Spread the scallions/olive oil on french bread, then spread a nice chunk of goat cheese on top.
  4. Broil 2 to 3 minutes until golden, serve immediately & enjoy!!

Caprese Skewers

Caprese Skewers

Here is another simple hors d’ oeuvre that uses three very fresh ingredients and is always a popular choice.  It take a tiny bit of time to skewer each one together but once you are done, they look and taste wonderful.

Ingredients

  • Fresh mozzarella (the small round balls)
  • Fresh basil
  • Grape tomatoes
  • Balsamic glaze (optional)
  • Salt & pepper
  • Toothpicks or kabob skewers

Directions

  1. Slice grape tomatoes in half
  2. Create an assembly line of skewers, cheese, basil and tomatoes
  3. Skewer a mozzarella ball, a basil leaf and 1/2 a tomato onto each skewer (flat side down)
  4. Serve on a pretty white platter or in a fancy glass
  5. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or glaze (glaze can be purchased at most stores in the vinegar aisle and is thicker and sweeter than most balsamic vinegars)
  6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste

We also enjoyed cupcakes, however there isn’t a recipe as they came from Wegman’s and they were delicious! After all, what’s a birthday party without {a little} cake?

I hope your next birthday celebration is at tasty as mine was!!

Thanks for stopping by,

 

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Gorgeous, Refurbished English Pram!

My friend, Robyn, has outdone herself (again) with the perfect baby shower gift.  Her little sister is expecting her first child, and Robyn and her hubby, Steve, found a beat-up old English pram on Craigslist.  Steve is a pretty handy guy, so he took a look at it and knew they’d be able to fix it up with a little TLC and A LOT of elbow grease!

They scored a major deal because they managed to get it for under $100.  Granted, that was because it needed to be cleaned up, but these things go for a FORTUNE online.  I’m talking thousands of dollars!  Here’s a new one that will set you back just under $3000:

If that seems a little rich for your blood, then why not try the Craigslist (or Ebay) route?  You’ll have to take some time to clean it up, but look at how much money you can save.  Here are a few pictures of the pram when Robyn and Steve first bought it (sorry about the photo quality, but you still get the idea):

Check out the rust on those wheels (and the wheels are supposed to be white walls)!

Here’s the during (hi, Steve!)…

And a few shots of the gorgeous “after”:

Robyn’s mother made the new cushion cover for the inside.  At the baby shower, they stacked presents and stuffed animals in the pram.  And after baby is too old to go for a stroll in the pram, it can be used to hold toys, books, or stuffed animals in the nursery.  How fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Turning Thirty-Something Fashionista Birthday Party!

Ohh….What a (fun) night!

 Terry & I (Christy was recovering in Tennessee from her Disney trip and Better Homes & Gardens Photoshoot–but we really missed her!) spent last week preparing for a very SPECIAL event…

Terry’s Birthday Party!

It’s safe to say that we both get a little carried away getting ready for parties. She is an event planner by trade, and I did event design as part of my graphic design business, so we tend to go a little over the top when we dream up an event.  {Don’t believe it? See more of our events HERE and HERE!}

But in reality, it’s not just because it’s fun for us, but also because we really want our guests to feel special and have an amazing time. So often as busy women and moms, we rarely have a chance to do many of the things that uplift us.  Terry, with her typical generous spirit, designed her birthday party with a focus on her guests’ enjoyment and pampering.

Terry had invited a clothing line, a jewelry line and a make-up line to her home, all for her guests to spend a night trying on– you guessed it– clothes, jewelry and make-up. A girl’s dream come true! And she made amazing food (of course) as well as delicious drinks.

The theme of the night was “Fashionista,” though for fun I had to mix in a little vintage Barbie on the paper products. It just seemed to go well, and I knew Terry would laugh. {Who doesn’t have a special place for memories of Barbie?}

The front door gave a hint of the fun inside.

The entryway held goodie bags for all the guests, as well as shopping bags for decoration.

The girls enjoyed trying on clothes…

…and jewels and make-up.

To quench the guests’ thirst, there was a “Make Your Own” Champagne/Cider Bar. There was champagne and sparkling cider with a choice of mix-ins, including fruit purees of strawberry, raspberry or peach, as well as orange juice for mimosas.

And since every birthday needs cake, pink cupcakes graced with Barbie’s silhouette held center stage.

I framed some vintage Barbie fashion prints from a calendar, and these will soon have a new home in my daughter’s room–a nice party souvenir.

 It was such a nice evening. One other note, we know parties like this can be costly. Terry shared that she was so touched that several of her friends gave her party “necessities” as their birthday gift; for instance, one friend brought the champagne, another the cupcakes. It made her life easier, and took some of the burden off her.  Isn’t that a wonderful idea?

Her friend Sarah even made her the cute “Fashionista” banner.

 Here are the happy birthday girls.  Terry shared her birthday celebration with her college friend, Gretchen, as her birthday is the day after! How fun is that?

Terry will be back with a post on all the delicious food she made next week, so make sure to come back again!

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Kentucky Derby Inspiration Board

Kentucky Derby/Gold Cup Inspiration Board

I wanted to share some inspiration as the 87th running of the world famous Virginia Gold Cup steeplechase race is this coming weekend here in Virginia.   It is also the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby and quite possibly the unveiling of the next triple crown winner.  Although I will not be attending either of these grand social events,  I wanted to pay homage with an inspiration board.

And…their…off!

Thanks to the following for all these wonderfully inspiring images:

The PoloHouse, Oh So Beautiful Paper, Collage of Life, Piker Road Pillow Co, Cmykmag, Southern Weddings

I will be back tomorrow to reveal my Kid’s Learning Center in our basement and announce the winners of the Simone Made It party package!

 

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