Giggles Galore

National Popcorn Day

2012-01-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

Did you know today is National Popcorn Day? I love these quirky little "holiday" and finding ways to make another ordinary day seem special. I've rounded up some of my favorite popcorn inspiration and ideas for throwing a fun family movie night to celebrate National Popcorn Day!

Make popcorn cupcakes with this tutorial from Kinser Event Company

Or set up an Olde Fashioned Popcorn Bar - via Hostess with the Mostess

Let the kids design their own cars for a Drive-In movie - via Ladybird Ln

Make a movie sign to showcase the feature presentation - via Someday Crafts

Or you could always go big and host a backyard movie night for friends and neighbors - via CAKE

Does your family have regular movie nights? What do you do to make them special?

Penguin Pop Top Party Favor

2012-01-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

Most of the party guest at the Winter ONEderland party will little munchkins and I needed an age appropriate party favor.

So my sister and I decided to make Pop Top Penguin favors filled with gold fish. To make these cute favors all you need are some small pop top cans (we used cans of peaches), paper, googly eyes and glue.

Using a Pampered Chef can opener (so you don't have sharp or jagged edges) cut the bottom of the can and empty contents, wash and dry. Next, fill the can with golf fish and glue the lid back to the bottom of the can.

Cut a strip of black paper the width of the can and an oval shape for the body of the penguin.

Next, embellish the penguin's face with googly eyes, a beak and a cute little bow tie.

Glue the white penguin face to the black strip of paper and wrap around the can and secure.

Now you have a very cute, inexpensive and age appropriate party favor for your little guest.

Birthday Countdown

2012-01-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

My daughter's birthday is just around the corner (panic!) so when I saw this project by Maria of Love & Sugar Kisses I knew it was a must!

As soon as we started counting down for Christmas she has been asking when her birthday is and this little birthday countdown will help us both keep track. She was so excited when I showed it to her, and has already designated a time to change it each day.

This was a very easy and cheap project (in my case it was FREE!) I used one of my dollar store picture frames I had spray painted red for a party, left over scrapbook paper, my square flourish punch, and Celebrations Cricut cartridge to make this festive frame.

Only 14 days left until my little girl turns 5 (sniff, sniff) and that means there are only 13 days until the big party...which means I better get busy!

Do you have a birthday countdown or special way to celebrate your kids birthdays?

I am sharing this project at these sites.

Penguins & Polar Bears Winter ONEderland {Birthday Party}

2012-01-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to share this Winter ONEderland party I planned for my ADORABLE nephew's 1st birthday.

My sister asked me back in July to help her plan the party and one day while we were at my parent's house inspiration struck. Inspired by penguin plates from Target my sister thought it would be the perfect theme for her son's winter birthday. I worked with Carli at Dimpleprints to create the perfect Winter ONEderland party package. We decided to use crisp bright whites and blues for the perfect wintery color pallet.

I pulled out some old Christmas decorations and transformed my sister's house into a Winter ONEderland with lots of fun details! So grab a warm cup of coca and enjoy this frosty, fun and oh so sweet party!

I couldn't have done this party without the help of my mom & sister and some incredible vendors! My sister made the large cutouts for the yard, aren't they darling?! And with the help of Pinterest she also made the penguin bean bag toss game, which was a big hit with the kids.

My mom made the penguin bowling game from recycled drink bottles.

The beautiful cake was yet another masterpiece by my mom. We had to gently coax her into making it since she went on a cake strike and swears they never look good when she makes them...I would have to disagree! And of course the cake wouldn't have been complete without the SUPER fab fondant penguins and polar bears made by Maria from Love and Sugar Kisses. Maria also made the incredibly cute fondant cupcake toppers. I love thee little guys, they may even still be sitting on my counter (I couldn't stand to throw them out!)

The sweet cookies were ordered from The Cookie Jar and they did an excellent job matching the party package.

And the "happy trees" from Piggy Bank Parties coordinated perfectly with the party package. They really do make me oh, so happy.

Another fun party for one of my favorite little guys. Happy Birthday John - Auntie M loves you!

Vendor Credits:

Party printables - Dimpleprints

Fondant penguins and polar bears, cupcake toppers - Love and Sugar Kisses

"Happy Trees" printables - Piggy Bank Parties

Sugar Cookies - The Cookie Jar

Glass Crafting Blocks for Igloo - Inspiration from Creative Juice

Penguins fishing - Inspiration from Two Prince Bakery Theater

I am sharing this party at these parties and at Bird's Party Blog

A Special Gift

2012-01-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

My mother always made holiday's extra special and she created a beautiful Christmas Eve tradition that I had hoped to start this year with my family...but December was a blur and I just couldn't do it all. So instead I decided I would make it our New Year's tradition!

My mom would set the table with beautiful china for our Christmas Eve dinner and at each place setting there would be a beautiful gift box. Inside the box was what my mom described as her "special gift" to us. She said that this would be her greatest wish for us and the gift she would give us if she could give us anything in the world. I saved each of these precious gifts and it is truly a special gift to reflect back on what my mother hoped and wished for me (and her beautiful insight.)

I got out my snowflake china and set the table for a beautiful and special New Year's dinner.

We just had a Winter Onederland party for my nephew so we had lots of snowflakes and ornaments out that I used to decorate the table.

I wrote down my special wish for each of my kids and put them in small boxes and tied them with blue and white ribbon.

My kids were excited to see the fancy table and eager to see what was in the box. While they are still a little young to truly appreciate this "special gift" I hope one day they will be able to cherish and reflect on my hopes and dreams for them.

I hope that you and your family will have a blessed 2012 full of discovery, sweet moments, and Giggles Galore! Happy New Year from my family to yours!

Top 10 Crafts in 2011

2011-12-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

After I reflected on all of my fun parties in 2011 it made me think about all the other projects that keep me busy. So today I'm sharing some of my favorite crafty projects from this past year. With debut of Pinterest I'm surprised I don't have a million more to share (I certainly have a ton of projects on my "to-do" list!)

Let's count down New Year's Eve style...

10. S more's Kits - I made these S more's Kits to celebrate National S more's Day in August.

9. Paint Chip Silverware Holders - These was a super easy and free project that I made for our Monster Bash party in October.

8. Lollipop Covers - This was another fun project that was easy to make, but turned cheap lollipops into a special treat. I made these for our Easter Egg Hunt party in April.

7. ABC Flowers - Teacher Gift - One of my favorite things about my kids being in school is getting to reward their teachers for all of their hard work. During teacher appreciation week I made several gifts to show them how much we appreciate all they do, including this easy project.

6. Whale Coin Purse - We took a big family trip to Sea World this summer and I made these darling coin purses so they kids could keep their spending money. I loved these because they matched their cute outfits, and the colors were so cheerful!

5.DIY Backdrop Frame - This project was created for one of my favorite parties, the twin's Vintage Dick and Jane party. I wanted a stunning backdrop and decided to create one that would double as a way to display the party favors, love it!

4.Thanks for Helping me Grow - This was another fun teacher gift to show our appreciation at the end of the year. I know teachers don't need any more "stuff" so I planned to give them gift cards, but needed a creative way to display it...they loved it.

3. 2.x4 Spring Chick, Lamb and Bunny - Nothing says Spring like cute and fluffy animals and these 2x4 Spring Bunnies, Chicks and Lambs were AdOrAbLe!

2. Lemonade Stand Kit - I am crazy for Lemonade Stands and these kits are one of my all time favorites. They make perfect gifts and what kid wouldn't love to get everything they need to make their very own Lemonade Stand to enjoy on a hot summer day?

1. Tattle Monster - And my all time favorite project from 2011 and by far the most popular post on my blog is Murry our Tattle Monster. This cute little monster was created out of frustration with my kids constant need to "tattle" on each other. My school teacher sister had a cute poem she uses in her classroom, but my kids can't read so I needed a way for them to grasp the concept...so Murry was born and I love him to pieces!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me here on Giggles Galore and making 2011 such a fun year! I love spending time creating projects and throwing parties and it's so much sweeter to have someone to share it all with.

I'm looking forward to what's in store for 2012 and hope that you have a blessed and prosperous year!

Giggles Galore 2011 Year in Review: Parties, Parties & more Parties

2011-12-28T23:01:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe that in a few days 2011 will be behind us...where has the time gone? It has been a busy year full of lots of excitement, features and parties galore. I hosted more than 15 parties this year from birthday parties and baby showers, to holiday celebrations. To wrap up 2011 I'm sharing a few of my FAVORITE parties from 2011:

It all started with this sweet Strawberry Shortcake party for my daughter's 4th birthday in January. What I loved about this party: the strawberry cupcakes, the birthday girls outfit (that I made), the adorable printables from Dimpleprints and the cute custom aprons.

Next, I hosted my first Easter Egg Hunt party in the Spring. This was such a fun party and will definitely be an annual event. What I loved about this party: the bunny cupcake wrappers, the "bunny hop" sacks, lollipop covers and the cake pops in the grass basket.

I love vintage toy's and I was thrilled to throw a Sock Monkey baby shower for one of my sister's dear friends. What I loved about this party : The sock monkey cookies and cake pops, the vintage toys, the fabric banner and the cookie mix party favors.

I started planning this party shortly after my twin's birthday last year and I LOVE how their Vintage "Dick and Jane" style birthday turned out. P is for Party and my sweet Parker and Piper! What I loved about this party: It was featured on Kara's Party Ideas! The custom table backdrop, the party favor bags, the cupcake boxes, the invitations and all the paper rosettes.

Who will help me celebrate? I worked with a dear friend to help create this fun birthday party for Little Red Hen party for her daughter. What I love about this party: I used old Golden books to make the banner and other decorations, the chicken wire backdrop, the invitation, and the stunning Little Red Hen cake.

I helped my mom with this Monster Bash party she hosted at Halloween for the teachers at her school. This little monster package was adorable and I found lots of great inspiration on Pinterest to pull it all together. What I loved about this party: The monster cake (my mom made) the monster eye cake balls, the paint chip silverware holders, and the monster box that held goodies.

Whoo Loves to Party? This adorable owl party was put together in less than 2 weeks and I love the eclectic and fun vibe of this sweet party. What I loved about this party: The photo booth, the printables from Detailish Designs, the party favor bags, and the custom water bottles.

Birthday parties are always fun, but this party was a high flying good time! Now Boarding B&L Airlines for a spectacular airline party. This party was for our sweet twin friends and their excitement was contagious and worth every minute of planning. What I loved about this party: The cloud backdrop, the treat cones, the suitcases that held party favors and "In flight meals" and the darling birthday boys. I was also very honored to have this party chosen as the Children's Party Network Party of the Month!

Last year I hosted a Gingerbread decorating party and it was such a hit we decided to do it again this year. I loved the red, brown and blue color scheme for this year's Gingerbread decorating party and once again I used an uber cute printable package from Dimpleprints. What I loved about this party: The ADORABLE fondant toppers from Edible Details, the AMAZING cookies from Sugarlily, the table backdrop, the gingerbread gable boxes and all of the gingerbread houses made by the kids.

Whew, are you still with me? What an amazing and VERY busy year! I was fortunate to have many of my parties featured on some incredible sites like Kara's Party Ideas, Catch My Party, Party Wagon, Baby Lifestyles, Love the Day, Divine Party Concepts, Dimpleprints, A to Z Celebrations, Children's Party Network, and many more. One thing is certain, I love to party and have had one incredible year doing just that! I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store!

Cake Pops {Giveaway}

2011-12-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

Do you love cake pops? They are one of my favorite things to include at a party and the creative possibilities are endless. Maddycakes Muse is hosting a fun cake pop giveaway today in her 12 days of Christmas giveaway. This is just a sample of what you could win...

Go visit Maddycakes Muse for your chance to win cake pops for your next party, tell her Giggles Galore sent you!

Brown Paper Goodie Bags {Guest Post}

2011-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

December has been a blur for me, I just realized I've only posted twice this month on the blog! It's not that I haven't been busy crafting, throwing parties or making memories with my kids...I just haven't had the time to write it all done! So, that's why I'm bringing in an expert! I am so excited to have my creative muse and one of my favorite people in the whole world as my guest today! Introducing, my wonderful, brilliant, SUPER creative and talented mom...

Hi! I’m Barb, Mariah’s mom, and I’m tickled to be her guest today. I’m sharing a tutorial on how to make a cute inexpensive (for me it was NO cost!) goodie gift bag that you can use for treats for friends and co-workers.

This time of year I usually have a long list of people I want to give appreciation gifts to. Unfortunately, budget constraints are always an issue, so this year I decided to see what I could do for my neighbors and co-workers without spending any money. As a committed crafter I always have lots of leftovers from various projects, so I dug through my stash and fussed around until I came up with these adorable bags.

For this project you will need:

· Brown paper bags

· An edge punch (I used one made by Martha Stewart)

· Left over scraps of paper and fabric

· A hole punch

· Old book pages

· Jingle bells

· Brown ink for distressing

Trim the jagged edges off the top of each paper bag (it makes it easier to get a clean punch), then punch the upper edge of each bag. Fold down the upper edge of the bag about 2 inches.

Next make the tags. Cut a piece of white or buff cardstock into 2” by 3” rectangles. Cut the book pages into2” by 3” rectangles and glue to the cardstock. Distress edges with the brown ink. Using a commercial or printed tag as a template, cut off the corners of the top of the tag. Add embellishments, hole punch and attach bell.

Tear fabric into strips about 1” wide and about 18” long. Insert your goodies into the bag (I put the treats in a cellophane bag before placing them in the paper bag) and tie up the bag. Add the tag, and wah-la…a beautiful gift package.

Like I said, the gift bag itself was no cost, but in case you’re wondering about the cost of the goodies, well there is good news there too. I made 7 layer bars from ingredients I had on hand, and mint cake balls dipped in red chocolate. The chocolate was left over from a previous project, and I had cream cheese in the refrigerator so the total tally for all 10 goodie bags was the cost of a package of Oreos (which I got on sale—SCORE!) Everyone who received a bag has passed on rave reviews both for the packaging and for the contents. Hope you can adapt this project and make it your own.

Thanks mom for sharing! These little packages were darling in person and such a great idea for making inexpensive gifts for all those loved ones. Come back later to see another darling and inexpensive project my mom made (and I copied) using mittens.

Christmas Treats for the Classroom

2011-12-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

There are so many wonderful ideas floating around for fun Christmas treats. I'm working on finding the perfect treat to make and take to the kids Christmas party next week. Here are just a few of the treats I think the little munchkins would enjoy:

Santa Hat Cake Pops via Bakerella

Once there was a Snoman on a Stick via A Little Tipsy

Holiday Pretzel Treats via Family Fun

Rudolph Cake Pops via Lisa Storms

Candy Cane Mice via Martha Stewart

Frosty the Snowman cake pops via Bakerella

Of course, you can't forget treats for the teachers.

Reindeer Bag via Lisa Storms

Santa Bottles via Julie Case Designs

Jar of Candy Kisses via Shindig Parties TO GO

What are you making for classroom treats? Do you have a great idea for teacher gifts?

North Pole Breakfast 2011

2011-12-04T23:04:00.000-08:00

Last year I saw this idea on Jessica’s blog and thought it was such a fun idea to welcome the Christmas season and introduce our elf on the shelf to the family. Our North Pole breakfast last year was a big hit and I knew this would be a great tradition for our family. So, last night after the kids went to sleep I set everything up and when they woke up this morning they were greeted by a cheerful surprise!

Decorations and Party Details: I used traditional red and green Christmas colors with touches of polka dots and stripes. I used the Dimpleprints Santa party package which was full of charming images, perfect for our North Pole breakfast.

I used red strip fabric for the backdrop and as a runner on the table. I found a scrap piece of wood in the garage and wrapped it with red and white polka dot fabric and placed it on top of cans for added height. I found the green foam trees at Target and thought they would be the perfect balance of color. The little red and white polka dot bags were found at Hobby Lobby and held a small gift for the kids (new Christmas socks.) I was inspired by the darling little bags Shindig Parties featured in her Candy Christmas party.

Food: I imagine they eat lots of sweet, delicious food at the North Pole so that is just what we had at our breakfast. There were white powdered donuts, cinnamon rolls, strawberry muffins, yogurt parfaits, French toast sticks and hot cocoa. My kids were so excited to see all of the treats and couldn’t believe I was going to let them eat all this for breakfast!

Even Zippy our elf joined us for breakfast and the kids were giddy with excitement that he was sitting at the table. After breakfast they opened their present and then we wrote our letters to Santa.

It was a fun morning and an excellent way to welcome the Christmas season! I can’t begin to explain how much I love this time of year and what a joy it is to experience the magic of the holiday season through my children’s eyes.

Vendor Credits:

Dimpleprints - Red & Green Santa printables

Gingerbread House Decorating Party

2011-11-30T23:01:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! There are so many things I love about Christmas time and one of my favorite things about this time of year are the traditions. As a child I fondly remember decorating gingerbread houses and we still talk about the beautiful masterpieces my mom would create. Last year we had our first Gingerbread House Decorating Party and I couldn't wait to do it again this year!

Party Decorations: Carli with Dimpleprints sent me her darling Gingerbread party package. The red, aqua and pink color combination were bright and cheery and so much fun to design around. I used brown package paper from the dollar store to cover the tables and added a red polka dot place mat (made from wrapping paper) to each place setting. Each table had a simple centerpiece made from recycled cans and the large and small circles from the package.

Dessert Table: I used a red sheet and the curtains from my twins room to create the window backdrop for the decadent dessert table. I hung a pennant banner to incorporate all the colors. We didn't need many sweets (the kids had more than their share of candy while decorating) so I kept it simple with cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, ginger snaps and hot cocoa.

The incredible cookies were made by Sugarlily. It was like Christmas morning when I opened the package, I couldn't believe how adorable they were and they coordinated perfectly with the printables! Aren't these the cutest little gingerbread people you have ever seen?

I also had the privilege of working with Brittany from Edible Details. She created the perfect gingerbread boy and girl fondant toppers to transform our cupcakes and the darling gingerbread house for the cake. I am still amazed at the level of detail, everything was perfect!

Party Details: Each kid had their own individual "gingerbread" house to decorate which my husband made using Graham Crackers and hot glue. I made aprons for each of the kids using some of the images from the party package. And finally after the kids created their masterpieces they were each given a gingerbread gable box to take home some of the sweet treats.

I worked with some AMAZING vendors and because of them we had a fabulous party! The kids had a blast making their houses and we made lots of sweet memories with our friends. I love holiday traditions, especially our Gingerbread House Decorating Party!

Vendor Credits:
Printable Designs & Party Package: Dimpleprints
Fondant Cupcake Toppers & Fondant Gingerbread House: Edible Details
Cookies (Gingerbread House, Boy & Girl): Sugarlily
Photos & Party Styling: Giggles Galore

I Love to Party, so I am linking up with these fun Linky Parties

Treat Cones & Stand

2011-11-30T06:13:00.000-08:00

Treat cones are an easy way to serve food to little kids at parties. And with a few supplies you can create a stunning display for the treat cones at your next party.

First, you will need a block of foam. I buy mine at the dollar store and keep them wrapped in the plastic to eliminate the mess while working with it.

Next, wrap it in coordinating paper, like a present. I used plain white craft paper.

Wrap ribbon around the foam and secure with small straight pins.

Now, poke holes in the top of the foam using the sharp point of a bamboo skewer.

Use your coordinating paper to make the treat cones. I used the cone template and tutorial from Hostess with the Mostess.

I added long lollipop sticks and slide them down through the center and attached them to the cone with tape. Tie a ribbon to cover any tape that might be showing.

Stick the treat cones in your new stand, fill with yummy treats and your sure to impress your little part guest!

Do you need more airplane party inspiration? Check out my high-flying & fun airplane party I made these for here.

Now Boarding B&L Airlines {Airplane Party}

2011-11-29T06:26:00.000-08:00

Calling all passengers, now boarding B&L Airlines. One of my dear friends asked me to help her plan her twins 3rd birthday party. Her boys love airplanes and the Dimpleprints Airplane party package was perfect for this sweet celebration.

To create the backdrop for the table I used the clouds in the package as inspiration. I loved the clouds Jenny from Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line used in this party, so I set out to recreate the look. I made clouds using bulletin board paper, fluffy batting and my sewing machine. I wanted an airplane to be soaring through the sky so I used my Cricut to trace the image of the plane and cut.

The focal point of the table was the suitcase which I filled with "In Flight" meals for the kids. A cloud full of cupcakes sat on either side of the suitcase and there were plenty of other tasty treats to enjoy.

The party package had so many fun signs, banners and party hats it was hard to to not print them all. I also made cloud centerpieces for the tables.

There were lots of activities planned to keep the kids busy. They played a pin the propeller on the airplane game, made paper airplanes and decorated wooden clothespin airplanes.

All the passengers had a high flying time and went home with fluffy white clouds (cotton candy.)

This was such a fun party to plan and pilots Brady and Logan had a fabulous time celebrating their 3rd birthday!

Pumpkin Pie and Mini Bunting

2011-11-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

Can you believe there is only more day until Thanksgiving? I am not hosting the big feast this year and I'm excited I get to take the day off and enjoy doing nothing! All I have to worry about is dessert, yummy!

My sister is hosting Thanksgiving at her house and I told her I would bring dessert. I've already got one of our family favorites ready and shared the recipe over at Piggy Bank Parties.

Today I made pumpkin pie and thought it looked rather boring. So I gave it a quick makeover with the free Thanksgiving printables from Dimpleprints.

I used bamboo skewers, baker's twine and the mini bunting to dress up my pumpkin pie.

Oh, and don't forget the cool whip (it's the only way I'll eat pumpkin pie, lots and lots of cool whip!) I used coordinating paper from the package and the food labels to get the cool whip ready for the party too.

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Don't forget to download your free printables from Dimpleprints to dress up your Thanksgiving feast and impress your guest!

Monster Bash

2011-11-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

I've done a lot of fun parties lately and this MoNsTeR BaSh is certainly one of them!

My mom asked me to help her create a little soiree at her school for Halloween. We set up the party in the teachers' lounge. The teachers could come and enjoy snacks and treats during their break and it was fun to see how thrilled they were. I used the adorable Little Monster printable package from Dimpleprints.

Party Decorations: I used lime green pom poms and a banner from the printable package to create the background. I wrapped coffee cans in lime green polka dot paper and laid a bookshelf across it to create height. I made some new monsters (do you remember Murry?) to match this party theme and I can't get over how cute they are! There were so many images included in this package it was hard to decide what to incorporate!

Party Food: We had monster munchies (puffy Cheetos), monster eyes (cake pops), monsters on a stick (Oreo cakesters), cupcakes and of course a monster cake. My mom made the Pinterest inspired cake and as always it was fabulous. Teachers also brought potluck goodies to share. I used the treat boxes from the package and made a party favors filled with Halloween candy for each of the teachers to enjoy.

Such a fun party for ALL ages! I can see this cute package being used for a variety of occasions like birthday parties, baby shower and Halloween.

You know I like to party, so check out the fun sites I'm sharing this party at here.

Warm & Toasty...A Hot Cocoa Party

2011-11-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

My dear friend and photographer Elayne and I were having breakfast one morning and started talking about parties and ideas for her holiday photo sessions. Next thing you know the two of us were bouncing off the walls with ideas for a Hot Cocoa stand (like a Lemonade stand, only with hot chocolate) and an adorable and very fun party was born.

I am so EXCITED to share this party with you today! I styled this Hot Cocoa party for Elayne's holiday mini sessions she offered to clients, and I am thrilled with how this event turned out.

Party Details: We wanted to keep the budget very small (less than $25) and use items we already had. I had lots of red and brown fabric left over from my Sock Monkey party so we decided on a red, brown and white color scheme and incorporated polka dots and stripes. Elayne's husband made the stand from an old wooden fence they had torn down and she painted the sign. She also made the rag garland we hung from the front of the stand to add a pop of color.

I bought the little mugs and saucers on super clearance during the summer ($2 for a set of 4) and knew this event was the perfect occasion to bring them out. I tied mini candy canes to them with brown twine and this was probably one of my favorite little details. I used ice cream sundae cups to display Hot Cocoa toppings and made tags to match. I added a few chocolate covered marshmallows, some cookies, whip cream and of course hot chocolate and we were ready for a party!

Now all we have to do is sprinkle in some cute kids and we are set to sell and enjoy hot chocolate from our darling Hot Cocoa stand.

Here is wishing you and your families and Warm and Toasty holiday season!

Vendor Credits:
Party Styling - Me-Giggles Galore
Photos - A HUGE thank you to Elayne Dunn Photography

Hard at work prepping for the next group of photos

You know I like to party, so check out the fun sites I'm sharing this party at here.

Paint Chip Silverware Holders

2011-11-13T21:09:00.000-08:00

This idea is certainly not my original idea, and unfortunately I can't remember where I first saw. On a recent trip to Lowe's with my hubby I walked by the paint isle and inspiration hit. I was working on a Monster Bash (I can't wait to share the pics!) and wanted to find a way to incorporate and use some of the printable images I had.

I grabbed a bunch of paint chip samples in my color scheme

Next, I got out my sewing machine and stitched up the edges leaving an opening at the top.

After they were all put together I took one of the 4" party circles from Dimpleprints Little Monsters party package and adhered it to the front.

Fill them up with your napkin and silverware for the perfect, easy and festive touch to your party buffet.

Paint chips are a fun way to incorporate your party colors and they won't break the bank! Do you use paint chips in any of your projects?

Linked to:

Look Whoo's Having a Party {Owl Birthday Party}

2011-11-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

I recently had the privilege of working on this cute and fun owl party. Tammy with Tammy Labuda Photography contacted me and asked if I would help her throw a fun and memorable party for her sweet little girl who was turning 5.

The birthday girl wanted an owl party with lots of pink and mom wanted an outdoor, eclectic event that incorporated fun activities to keep the party guest busy. I had less than 2 weeks to plan this party, but had a great time putting this party together for this sweet little girl!

Tammy found the most adorable invitations from Detailish Designs. Melissa with Detalish Designs was wonderful to work with and she also created custom signs, water bottle labels and cupcake toppers for this party.

The rest of the party incorporated the bright colors from the invitation and of course lots of pink for the birthday girl. Tammy is a very talented photographer so we set up a photo booth with bright frames and lots of silly props. She took pictures of each guest and provided a link so they could download their photos after the party.

There were lots of games and activities planned to keep these active girls busy. "Owl Eggs" were hid and each guest had to hunt for their egg and bring it to the Owl's Nest where they then listened to a story "The Littlest Owl"

After the story everyone enjoyed yummy treats from the treat table.

Once again I put my mom to work and she made the cake which I topped with tree branches and the cutest little fondant owl topper from Danese Griffith's Floral and Cake Design

The birthday girl really wanted a pinata and her mom found this bright little owl at the party store. I made treat bags for each guest to collect and store their goodies.

Everyone had lots of fun and each guest was sent home with owl treats, snack mix in small mason jars. Each jar was covered with coordinating fabric and a favor tag added from Detailish Designs.

An owl theme is great for all ages and perfect for fall parties. Thanks Tammy for letting me plan your sweet little girls birthday party and for all the fabulous pictures!

Vendor Credits
Photography - Tammy Labuda Photography
Printables - Detailish Designs
Fondant Cake Topper - Danese Griffith's Floral and Cake Designs

Owl Pillow -The Sweet Bs

Skirt - Little Bird Boutique

Little Red Hen Party

2011-11-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

Who will help me celebrate?

This Little Red Hen birthday party was for a friends sweet little girl who was turning 2. She loves the story of the Little Red Hen and her mom liked the idea of using a theme that hasn't been done a million times. We decided to use the classic golden book as our inspiration, and it turned out absolutely darling!

Her mom made the invitations and I was blown away when I saw them. She recreated the story and bound them like a little golden book, oh. my. goodness. they were cute!

One of my favorite things about this party were the decorations. I used my new backdrop frame and covered it with chicken wire. I hung a banner I made from the book pages of the classic Little Red Hen book. I hit up thrift stores looking for the classic book and found 3 copies, each for $0.25, score! I also used it to make some of the cupcake toppers.

And the star of the party was definitely the cake. Danese with Danese Griffith's Floral & Cake Design created the stunning Little Red Hen. Don't you just love her little yellow coat? This cake was too pretty to eat, but we did and it was so yummy!

We also incorporated leftover fabric from her the birthday girls dress to make party favor bags and each child left with their very own copy of The Little Red Hen.

This was such a fun party to work on and I loved creating and designing around the classic story and Golden Book, The Little Red Hen. Do you have a favorite golden book story?

Vendor Credits

Cake - Danese Griffith's Floral & Cake Design

Photography - Elayne Dunn Photography

Shabby Apple Winner

2011-11-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the Shabby Apple Giveaway!

We have a winner, the lucky comment was 10

Linda Yan

If you didn't win don't worry, you can still use the 10% off coupon code"gigglesgalore10off" until November 26th.

I've been super busy lately and haven't been able to post much, but stay tuned I've got LOTS of fun stuff to share!

Black, White and Pink Paris Party

2011-11-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

A few months ago my friend Elayne with Elayne Dunn Photography asked me to plan a party for her friend who was celebrating her 21st birthday. She wanted a girly, yet sophisticated party. I used one of her favorite decorations in her room as a jumping off point and created a Black, White and Pink Paris party to celebrate her milestone birthday.

I absolutely love how the dessert table turned out...simple, elegant and very girly.

I used the bedspread and dust ruffle from my daughter bedroom to create the back drop and the table skirt. I used this fabulous hot pink fabric on the center of the table and then echoed that same color in the pomanders I made and placed on top of black candle sticks.

The stunning cake by Danese Griffin Cake anchored everything on the table.

I had a very small budget so I kept treats simple. We had cake pops, chocolate mousse, thumbprint cookies, cotton candy, yogurt covered pretzels and of course cake.

I used a variety of black and silver chargers that I have and white china to set the tables. I found lots of Paris themed decorations and Hobby Lobby and used those for centerpieces on the table.

This was a fun party to plan, a little different than my typical kids parties I've been doing. That and I'm a sucker for black and white!

Don't forget the Shabby Apple Giveaway is almost over, have you entered to win?

Halloween Party

2011-11-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween so it's no surprise I started planning this party in July! My mom and I had stopped in our local quilt shop and they had this ADORABLE Halloween fabric, so of course we bought it!

I asked Carli with Dimpleprints if she could design a party package that would coordinate with the fabric so I could incorporate it into this year's Halloween party. She did not disappoint, I LOVED everything in the package and it was hard to decide what to use!

We welcomed little ghost and goblins to the party with one of our favorite Halloween decorations

This year we also added a spooky fence. My husband used a few pallets we found on the side of the road to make the fence, I love FREE decorations!

Now that everyone is here, it's time to party!

Our dessert table was full of friendly goblins and lots of treats.

Thanks to Pinterest I found lots of inspiration for the party.

I used the toppers from the Dimpleprints party package to make fun straws

I love these favor boxes, isn't Frank cute?! I put one of my kids favorite snacks, Apple Straws in them.

I made chocolate covered ghost pretzels and attached tags using orange twine from the Twinery (love that stuff!)

The toppers made another appearance on the cupcakes, of course! I also used some of the larger party circles to create a topper for the cupcake tower.

We played lots of fun games

Our cute little party guest went home with favor boxes filled with candy

Everyone had a great time and we can't wait to top things next year!

Shabby Apple Giveaway & Discount

2011-11-01T06:00:00.001-07:00

It's November (I know, I can't believe it either) and to celebrate the start of a new month and the upcoming holiday season I thought we'd get things started with a giveaway!

I am sure by now you have heard of Shabby Apple, they have quite the collection of stunning vintage jewelry, women's dress and even sassy shoes. I love this site because it's a one stop shopping experience for a busy mom like me. You can find the perfect outfit like this little number

And of course your cute outfit will need stunning accessories

I LOVE jewelry and Shabby Apple offers a fantastic variety of vintage jewelry and I am super excited to give you the chance to win your very own necklace from Shabby Apple! One super lucky winner will win this Key to Wonderland necklace

This vintage Antique brass reproduction skeleton key is suspended on a 24" chain and would look stunning with any outfit!

How to Enter:

This giveaway is open to US residents only. And you must be a Giggles Galore follower to enter.

"Like” Shabby Apple on Facebook. Leave a comment here letting me know that you are a fan.
"Like" Giggles Galore on Facebook. Leave a comment here letting me know that you are a fan.

Optional Entries:

Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway {1 entry for each that you do.}

Giveaway will end November 8, 2011. One winner will be randomly selected and notified on November 9th, 2011.

Discount:

Get 10% off your order now through November 25th when you order anything from Shabby Apple! Use the promo code: gigglesgalore10off during checkout.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

We had our annual Halloween party this weekend and it was so much fun! I'm working on sorting through the pictures, but here is a little sneak peak...

The kids were so cute dressed up in their costumes

I'm excited to take my little fairies and dragon trick or treating tonight (not that we need ANY more candy in this house!) I'll be back later with LOTS of fun pictures from our party, have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Project Pink: Pink For A Day to Support Breast Cancer

2011-10-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

Marilyn of The ArtsyGirl Connection contacted me and asked if I would participate in her Project Pink: Painting the Blog World Pink for a Day in honor of Breast Cancer and I of course said yes.

We all know someone who has affected by Breast Cancer and this subject especially touches close to my heart. My grandmother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer back in 2004 and she was one of the lucky ones to battle and overcome this disease that touches so many. My grandma is one of the most kind and gracious women I know. She is always taking care of others and she is such a fun and joyful person to be around, I'm grateful that she beat Breast Cancer and is here with us today!

In 2005 I participated in the Breast Cancer 3-day to honor and support the cause and to this day it was one of the most amazing experiences I've had. It was tough, we walked 60 miles in the HOT Texas heat in June, but it was worth every step and blister to finish and be surrounded by thousands all there to support and honor those they love! I look forward to being able to participate in this incredible event again one day soon.

I had every intention of getting a "pink project" put together so I could share today, but Halloween and several other parties have taken over my life. I hope that you will head over and see the other bloggers that are participating and involved with this great cause!

Yummy Mummy

2011-10-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

I love Pinterest, don't you!?! I've found so many wonderful ideas, including these cute little mummies I'm making for our Halloween party.

I found the idea on Pinterest, and the original post used white electrical tape to make theirs. I only had white crepe paper on hand so that's what I used for mine. I hope the kids like their yummy mummy juice!

Got Candy? {Guest Posts}

2011-10-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been introduced to some very talented ladies. The best part is they love to craft and party on a budget, so I was excited when Maria from Love & Sugar Kisses agreed to come hang out here today and share one of her Halloween projects. Introducing Maria...

Hi! I'm Maria from Love & Sugar Kisses and I am so thrilled to be guest posting here at Giggles Galore! Over at my place, I like to share my love of cake decorating, parties, and making crafts and I like to do it all on a budget!

Today I'm going to share a cute idea to make some very inexpensive Halloween art using a gift bag!I love gift bags and sometimes they are so pretty, I just wish I could keep them around. That's when I got the idea to frame one and use it as art!

For this project you will need:
1 gift bag (I used a medium sized one)
1 wooden frame (I used an 8x10)
spray paint (I used Krylon Glitter Blast)
paint sealer (optional)
1 piece of scrapbook paper
adhesive
embellishments (optional)

First, you will need to spray paint your frame in your chosen color. I have been dying to use the new Krylon Glitter Blast Spray so I bought some in Starry Night, which is a black color. The back of the can states that you get the best results by choosing a color similar to the object you are painting. This worked perfectly with my already-black-frame!

I also used the Krylon Glitter Blast Clear Sealer to seal in all the fabulous glitteryness ;) Here is a close up so you can see how beautifully that glitter spray works!

While that was drying (which is surprisingly quick with that spray), I trimmed off one of the sides of my gift bag. I found this cute one for 97 cents!

The gift bag had some little candy corn printed on the sides, so I cut out a few individual ones and attached them with some glue dots.

Then I trimmed my scrapbook paper to the same size as my frame back. I used spray adhesive to attach them together. Then used the same adhesive to attach my bag piece to the scrapbook paper.

Finally, I put my frame back together and now it is a cute piece of Halloween art! Perfect for hanging on the wall or it would also look cute on a Halloween party treat table!

Thanks Mariah for having me to share this easy craft with your Giggles Galore readers!

I hope your Halloween is a SWEET one! - Maria

Thank you Maria for sharing an inexpensive and fun project. I'm must get my hands on that glittery spray paint!

You Have Been Boo'd

2011-10-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

I love the Halloween tradition of "Boo-ing" your neighbors. We are usually never home on Halloween, since we are out trick-or-treating, so I see this as a fun way to pass out candy to our friends and neighbors.

I usually kick things off by Booing 4-5 of our neighbors. This year I am using the free printable from Dimpleprints to spread some Halloween cheer!

I made treat cones using glittery orange paper and toppers from the darling Halloween package I'm using for our Halloween party this year, also from Dimpleprints.

Fill with candy and secretly sneak out and "Boo" your neighbors.

This is a fun tradition that's easy and fun to make. This year I took the simple and easy route, check out my "Boo" treats from last year. Do you "Boo" your neighbors?

P is for Party {Vintage Birthday Party}

2011-10-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

P is for Parker and Piper...and Party! My sweet and adorable twins just turned 3 and we had an old fashioned birthday party to celebrate.

I wanted to have an old fashioned birthday with simple food, cake and party games. I was inspired by my mom's early edition vintage copy of the Dick and Jane books and set out to create a party reminiscent of that time.

I borrowed vintage toys, games and books from my Grandma and a few friends. The color palette for the party was planned around vintage paper and fabric I found.

The table design was centered around the backdrop I designed and created, which you can see here. The handmade drawstring bags served a dual purpose as party backdrop and party favors.

I kept the food simple and served box lunches with PB&J sandwiches, potato chips in custom made wax bags and oranges. I sealed the wax bags with stickers I made using printables that Sweet Sosbee Designs created for me.

I served pink lemonade in glass bottles and used fabric and twine to cover them.

I made paper cones with my vintage scrapbook paper and embellished with paper rosettes. I placed them in an old Coke crate and filled with popcorn.

I wanted a simple cake, just like you would have found at a birthday party in the 50's. My fabulous mom made the cake. I added a little bunting I made with left over fabric, put it on this gorgeous cake stand and it was simply stunning! (It was so tasty! Too bad I forgot the knife and forks so we didn't actually get to enjoy it at the party)

To keep with the theme of simplicity and old fashioned I made party decorations out of newspaper, crepe paper, doilies and vintage paper.

Party games included duck, duck goose, sack races, bean bag toss, making newspaper hats and a cake walk.

I set up a little bookshelf with vintage toys and individual boxes of cupcakes for the cake walk. The idea was that each kid would get to take home a cupcake along with all their other party loot, but it was a good thing I had planned this activity since I forgot the stuff to serve the cake.

I can't believe my twin's are 3!

It really feels like just yesterday when I brought home 2 babies from the hospital, wondering how I was ever going to survive. I adore these two with all my heart and can't imagine my life without their sweet smiles.

We had such a great time at their old fashioned birthday party and it truly was a labor of love.

Vendor Credits:
Invitation, party tags & party signs - Sweet Sosbee Designs
Photos of twins - Elayne Dunn Photography; Party photos - Me
Paper - October Afternoon 5 Dime Series, found at Hobby Lobby
Fabric - Strawberry Field by Fig Tree & Co. for Moda
Everything else - ME!

Party Backdrop {DIY Frame}

2011-10-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

My sweet little twins just celebrated their 3rd birthday and we had a vintage "Dick & Jane" style birthday party to celebrate. I loved creating and planning this party, but when it came to the table backdrop I was stuck. Lately, my party backdrops have been stuck in a rut (usually fabric draped with pennant banners) and I really wanted to use something different that would make the simple table pop and this backdrop was PERFECT!

I talked my sweet husband into helping me create a frame based on a shelf I found at Canton (a huge outdoor flea market) but due to the crazy price tag, $90 I didn't go home with.

I'm going to show you how to make your own frame for your next party backdrop and embellish it with handmade drawstring bags that double as a party favor.

I wanted the frame to be light and easy to transport so I started with a 2x4 sheet of 3/16" plywood. My hubby cut 4 strips 4" wide and then cut 2 sides 10" shorter to make the total size of the frame 38 x 48.

Cut a 45 degree angle to make the mitered corners.

Tape the corners to secure while you draw your design. I free-handed a scrolly design along the edges.

Using a jigsaw cut out the design.

Now it's time to put the frame together. Use wood glue to secure each side, for added strength use the corner piece discarded from when you cut the mitered corners and attach it with a heavy duty staple gun.

I wanted to be able to use this frame for future parties so I spray painted it a neutral cream. Then I used a yard and a half of fabric and tightly stretched it across the back of the frame. Staple in place and cut or pin back an excess.

At this point you could leave it as is, but since I wanted to be able to hang party favor bags on the backdrop I added two layers of twine. I simply stretched it loosely across, tie a knot and secure with a staple to the back. I made sure that once the bag was hung from the top row it didn't droop down to low and touch the other row of bags (you may have to adjust a few times.)

Now you have a perfect party backdrop that can be reused again and again. This backdrop frame cost me $15, but the fabric is being re-purposed and used to make dresses for my girls. So technically it really only cost $9 for the wood. ;)

Pop over to Oink! The Blog to see how I made the drawstring party bags, which were also a big part of my party backdrop...and bonus they doubled as party favors too!

Whooo Loves Books?

2011-10-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm always up for a party and a challenge so when Do with Piggy Bank Parties announced a Halloween Challenge for the contributors I jumped on board. With only a week to plan and prep I decided to use the adorable Lil' Hoots Halloween printables to create a book exchange party.

Without further ado I'd like to share with you my party, Whooo Loves a Good Book?

My inspiration for this party was the cute owl. When I think of owls I think of "wise" and Fall. I also noticed his little tummy was shaped like a heart and wanted to find a way to incorporate that into the party. After bouncing ideas off my super creative, book loving mom I decided on a book exchange party for our book club.

My goal was to plan this party using only items I already had and I LOVE how it turned out! Here is how I created this fun Fall book themed party...

I used the fill in menu from the package to create my invitation.

Next I made a banner to incorporate Fall and the books. I scrounged through my stash of scrapbook paper and found colors that coordinated with the invitation and cut out leaves on my Cricut. Then I took pages from an old book and cut out the Owls from the printable paper file. I glued them on to the book pages and gave them an aged look by dabbing brown ink on the edges.

Backdrops are all the rage in parties these days, and they truly do help set the stage for your design. I decided to set this party up in my dining room and use my canvas artwork display as the backdrop. Here is what it looked like before:

I took sheets of 12x12 scrapbook paper and covered some of the canvases so the colors would coordinate with my party. I gathered some sticks and placed them in large coffee cans covered with paper from the printable collection and a sheet of black scrapbook paper.

The printable collection features a bright white moon and a darling owl so I mimicked that in my backdrop. I used a white paper lantern for the moon. I enlarged the owl from the paper file to 170% on my printer, cut him out and set him on a branch near the moon.

My party revolved around a book exchange and I wanted guest to be able to share some of their favorite books and recommendations. Everyone brought a book to share or exchange and I set up a little area with some of my favorites and a few recommendations

I also made little books and punched holes in them so guest write their recommendations and reviews. They could hang them from the trees once they wrote in them, which added to the party decor.

It was fun to share favorites and everyone left with lots of new recommendations!

Every party needs tasty treats. I opted for no fuss, easy to prepare (as in put on a platter) desserts.

I've wanted to make these cute owl bags forever and this was the perfect party for them. I put a book in each one for the guest to take home and enjoy.

I also found these giant paper clips in my stash and made book marks. Once again I cut out the cute little owl from the paper file and attached him to the top of the clip.

As I mentioned earlier I wanted to throw this party without spending money. I only used paper and items I had on hand so the only real cost was the food, which was $15.

If you love to read this was a fun, easy and cheap party! The Lil' Hoot Printable collection from Piggy Bank Parties would be perfect for your next book club meeting or hosting a book exchange party of your own!

Guest Posting on Love & Sugar Kisses {Bubbly Cauldron}

2011-10-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

I am excited to be guest posting today over at Love & Sugar Kisses!

Something's brewing....stop by and see my tutorial for this Bubbly Button Cauldron.

While you are there make sure you check out Maria's tasty creations. Maria is a crafter, baker, cake decorator and contributor for Piggy Bank Parties. Her cakes are stunning works of art, it's hard to choose a favorite, but this rainbow cake makes me smile and is certain to brighten anyone's day!

Jingle Bell Spiders

2011-10-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

I have these fun spider plates I bring out every Halloween. This year I decided to make some spiders to put at each place setting.

I bought two packages of jingle bells and some glitter and got busy making spiders. Here is what you need to make your own:

Pa Package of small jingle bells

· Package of medium size jingle bells

· Black glitter

· Black spray paint

· Spray adhesive

· Wire

· JB Weld

I don’t have pictures of all of the steps. I accidently deleted some (oops!) but they are easy to make and follow along.

I slide the jingle bells onto a wire hanger and hung them up so I could spray paint them.

After they were completely dry and attached the smaller bell to the top of the larger on with JB Weld. Let dry for 24 hours to make sure they are secure.

Now, it’s time to attach the legs. I cut 4 pieces of wire 6 inches. I attached them to the bottom of the larger bell on the underside using JB Weld.

Once they were dry I bent each leg so they would stand up.

Now, it’s time for the fun (and slightly messy) part. I used a spray adhesive, sprayed each spider and sprinkled them with a fine black glitter. I also dipped each leg in the glitter so they were super sparkly.

These cute little spiders were easy to make and will be the perfect addition to our fun spider web table!

I'm sharing here:

I Heart Nap Time

The Girl Creative
Sumo’s Sweet Stuff
Flamingo Toes
Mommy by day...Crafter by night
Sugar Bee Crafts

Tip Junkie
Today’s Creative Blog

Homework

Sweet Peas & Bumblebees

Blue Cricket Design

Sugar and Dots

Someday Crafts
Ginger Snap Crafts
Seven Thirty Three

Craft Goodies

Ladybird Lane
Sun Scholars
Little Lucy Lu

Lolly Jane

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Be Different Act Normal

Halloween Banner

2011-10-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Just in case you missed my feature on Oink! The Blog I thought I'd share it with you here today!

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the color combinations, costumes, the spooky & kooky characters and of course the parties!

Today I am going to show you how to make a fun, simple and inexpensive Halloween banner.

First gather your supplies, you will need:

Black burlap
Orange ribbon
Halloween garland
Black fuzzy pom poms
Orange & white paint
Letter stencil (I used my Cricut)
Scissors
Sewing machine or hot glue gun

Using a piece of paper make a template for your pennant. I used my pinking shears and cut out nine pennants from the black burlap.

Now that you've cut out all your pennants you will need to make your letter templates. I used my Cricut and cut out HALLOWEEN on contact paper (my cheap version of vinyl I use for projects like this.) Center your stencil on the pennant and using a small paint brush dab orange paint in the letter.

Once the paint is dry, carefully remove your stencil. Take the end of your paint brush and make polka dots on the pennant.

Now it's time to put it all together. Lay out your ribbon and lay the pennants face down on the ribbon, secure with pins. I used a zig zag stitch to sew the ribbon to the pennants.

You can leave your banner as is, or if you want a little extra pizzazz add the garland and pom poms. Cut your garland the length of the banner and sew it onto the ribbon (again use a zig zag stitch.) Next, add the sparkly pom pom's to the tip of each pennant with hot glue.

Now you have a fun banner to hang for Halloween.

Halloween Projects {Re-cap}

2011-10-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of October and that means it’s time to get ready for Halloween! I love this time of year, maybe it’s because my mom always made Halloween so much fun.

I thought I would kick things off this month with a recap of some of my recent Halloween projects. (Click on the picture for complete details & tutorial)

This is one of my favorite projects, I love these little monsters!

Speaking of monster, this has become the most popular post on my site. Who knew tattling was such an issue, and here I was thinking we were the only ones struggling with it! Murray is getting some new friends very soon, so stay tuned for more monster madness.

My little monsters inspired this cute sign (well kind of)

I love my 2x4 pumpkins. They are easy, cheap and can be used throughout the entire Fall season.

After you make your pumpkins, use the scrap 2x4 scraps to make Boo blocks.

And finally one of my favorite party products gets a Halloween makeover.

2011-09-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today I'm sharing a fun Halloween inspired project for my very first contributor post on Piggy Bank Parties!

Can you guess what it is? Head over to Oink! and check out my easy Halloween project!

Car Seat Cover

2011-09-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Whew, I'm trying to play catch up with lots of projects and blog post and just found this one I made during the summer. Unfortunately, I've lost my notes for the tutorial...but I thought I'd share anyway.

While my Grandma was visiting this past spring she showed us how to make these car seat covers and I've made a few for friends as baby shower gifts. This is one of two that was made for a mom-to-be who expecting twin girls.

I added Velcro to the straps that go around the handles and decided to add cute little flowers to the top.

I got a little help from the girls, they wanted to make sure baby would like it.

I love this fabric, it makes such a cute and girly car seat cover

I know there are lots of tutorials out there in blogland. If you are interested in making your own version you can go here or here.

Happy Birthday P&P

2011-09-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

My precious twin's turned 3 on Thursday and we've had lots of fun the past few days celebrating!

It all started with a little celebration at their preschool on Wednesday.

On their birthday's each kid gets to make a poster to share their favorite things and tell their class more about them. They also get to take a treat and a special toy to share. P & P were so excited to get to take a toy to school, but were super shy when they were asked to get up in front of the class.

Next, we celebrated our cuties on their birthday with our family. I took them to the store and let them pick out a cake, we ended up with Cars & Princess cupcakes.

They loved the cupcakes and made sure to make a big mess with them

It's always twice as much fun at present time! Their grandma's & grandpa's spoiled them and there were so many fun new toys to enjoy.

But, the biggest hit of the evening was their present from mom & dad...new scooters!

We had their birthday party on Saturday and I can't wait to share pictures from their party, it turned out darling and was so much fun!

Happy Birthday to my funny, adorable, mischievous and sweet babies!

Wax Paper Bags

2011-09-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I have been neglecting my little blog lately. I have been busy working on LOTS of parties and I can't wait until I can share them! But, in the mean time I'll share a simple little project I whipped up for one of the parties.

I started with some of this

I turned about a 1/4 inch on each side toward the inside and then folded them in half to make a little envelope.

I was sewing earlier today so my sewing machine was already out. I sat down and sewed a zig zag stitch to secure them closed.

A 15 minute project, that hopefully will add lots of charm to an upcoming party!

My Little Ladybugs

2011-09-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for cute fabric and matching outfits for my girls. My mom has the same weakness, so while we were out shopping one weekend she decided this darling ladybug fabric was a must have and bought some to make dresses for the girls.

She just finished them last weekend and the girls were very excited to wear their new outfits to school. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures.

I love all the sweet details

And I LOVE these sweet girls!

Little man was very upset he was left out of the photo shoot and insisted I take his picture. I guess it's a good thing we took his picture before we loaded up for school, I noticed he'd forgotten to zip up his pants!

Thanks Mom for making such darling dresses for my sweet little ladybugs. Now that they have such cute dresses, I think we need to have a ladybug party. ;)

Football, Friends & Food

2011-09-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Football season is in full swing and I must admit I really do enjoy this time of year. Not only does it mean fall is just around the corner (my favorite time of year) but I love getting together with friends, cheering on our favorite teams and enjoying all the party food!

One of my all time favorite football party foods to make is this tasty Buffalo Chicken Dip. I always double the recipe and NEVER have any left, it's that good!

Here is what you will need to make this tasty dip for your next gathering:

1 pkg. (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup FRANK'S® RedHot® buffalo sauce
1 can (12.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
Chips & assorted veggies

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350° F.
Stir the cream cheese in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with a fork or whisk until it's smooth.
Stir in the dressing, buffalo sauce and cheese. Stir in the chicken.
Spread evenly in dish and sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with vegetables and crackers for dipping.

* I use the low-fat or light versions of the cream cheese and ranch, a little healthier but still just as tasty!

** As I mentioned earlier I always double it, the above directions are NOT for a double recipe, you'll need to adjust if you want to double it...which I promise you will!

We kicked off our weekend with a trip to Austin to watch the Texas Longhorns, Hook Em' Horns! My husband's youngest brother is on the football team and we take turns sharing the VIP tickets with the rest of the family. It was our weekend to go so we took the kids and enjoyed a Texas win!

Who's your favorite team? Do you have a favorite tail gating recipe?

I've got a secret...

2011-09-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping a little secret and I am SUPER excited to finally spill the beans about an exciting opportunity!

Piggy Bank Parties is an incredible site full of budget savvy ideas, including free printables, tutorials, party inspirations and so much more! I am beyond excited to finally announce that I will be joining a fabulous group of talented bloggers as a regular contributor!

About a month ago I saw a post that Piggy Bank Parties was accepting applications for contributors. On a whim I decided to submit my information the day of the deadline and I was shocked when Do Driver the creative genuis behind Piggy Bank Parties sent me an email telling me they'd love to have me join the crew!

I've long admired the creative designs and budget friendly tips and tutorials on Oink. These are just a few of my favorite's from Piggy Bank Parties, which you can find all of the party printables for in the Piggy Bank Market.

Piggy Bank Parties is celebrating the re-launch of their new site and you don't want to miss this party! There are lots of free printables, fun tips and introductions to the new crew. Oh, and don't miss my debut today, on Oink! The Blog!

Army Suitcase

2011-09-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Our sweet friend Mason just celebrated his 5th birthday. He was having an Army party and I wanted to do something special for him, so I made him an Army suitcase to keep all his Army gear.

It is my first suitcase I've painted for a boy (you can see my Dress Up suitcases, here) and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

I started by spray painting it a dark green. I made a template with my Cricut and handpainted the camo print.

I cut out 'Property of Sgt Cobbs' in black vinyl on the Cricut and added it to the front of the suitcase.

A card just wouldn't do for this gift so I made custom dog tags with the birthday boy's info and one with Happy Birthday wishes from our crew.

Love how it turned out, but love it even more that our sweet Mason was excited about keeping all his Army gear in his custom suitcase! Happy Birthday Mason!

I'm sharing my party gift at these fun parties:

I Heart Nap Time

The Girl Creative
Sumo’s Sweet Stuff
Flamingo Toes
Mommy by day...Crafter by night
Sugar Bee Crafts

Tip Junkie
Today’s Creative Blog

Trendy Treehouse
Homework

Sweet Peas & Bumblebees

Blue Cricket Design

Sugar and Dots

Someday Crafts
Ginger Snap Crafts
Seven Thirty Three

Craft Goodies

Ladybird Lane
Sun Scholars
Little Lucy Lu

Lolly Jane

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Be Different Act Normal

Apples & an Interview

2011-08-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

First up, Apples!

If you haven't already "oohed and aahed" over these adorable Apple Oreo's by Shindig Parties, you simply must check out her post! I made the mini version of these last year for teacher gifts, but loved how simple these were especially using the mold she recommended...plus the presentation was just too darn cute!

Again, I used free printables from both Shindig Parties and Dimpleprints to wrap around the pencil vase.

I had some fondant leaf molds left over from another project, so I used those instead of the making the leaves out of the candy she suggested.

We took these sweet little treats to the kids teachers to help start the year off right!

Now, it's time for an interview! A good friend of mine interviewed her daughter after her first day of kindergarten. I thought it was such a cute way to document a big moment and decided to do the same thing with my kids after their first day of preschool yesterday.

They were so excited to go to school and their answers were so funny, plus it helped them tell us about their day (because when we asked the first time they just responded with the typical 'I don't know'.) Here is our 1st day of school interview:

Where do you go to school? Little Harts Preschool

What grade are you in? Aubrey - 4 year old class, Twins - The red room

What is your teachers name? Aubrey - Ms. Monica & Ms. Tammy, Twins - Ms. Sherry

Who are your friends? Aubrey - Beatriz, Piper- Parker, Parker - Everyone

What did you learn today? Aubrey - Sharing & not to run in school, Piper - played with baby dolls, Parker - puzzles

What do you think you will learn tomorrow? Aubrey - maybe about unicorns, Piper- snakes, Parker - puzzles

What was the best part of your day? Aubrey - playing outside & gymnastics, Piper - taking my backpack and eating my sandwich and goldfish, Parker- going to school

What was the funniest part of your day? Aubrey - when I jumped over the bar at gymnastics

What was the worst part of your day? Aubrey - nothing, it was perfect!

Back to School Breakfast

2011-08-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to have a back to school party for our friends, but life got busy and schedules just didn't permit. After a chat with a friend (thanks Allison) about creating traditions and making a special breakfast the 1st day of school, I decided to do something similar for my kids.

(I'm bummed these pictures didn't turn out very well, it was a rainy, cloudy morning and I didn't have time to mess with camera settings...the kids were hungry!)

All three of my munchkins started Preschool today and to their pleasant surprise they woke up to a special breakfast to celebrate.

The great thing about this special Back to School breakfast is it made a huge impact, but cost less than $5! Here is how I created a fun and memorable breakfast to celebrate the 1st day of school.

I rounded up "school" related items I had like my chalkboard, letter magnets, pencils and crayons.

I needed a centerpiece so I cut out a bus and some apples on the Cricut and glued them to a broken ruler from my son's tool kit. I placed them in a red metal bucket and set them on top of some books that were already covered in red and green paper (from last year's Christmas party.)

I really liked the subway art by the girls at Eighteen25. During breakfast we read the rules and it was a great way to remind the kids how to behave on their first day of school.

I bought red plates ($2) and placed them on top of ABC letter scrapbook paper left over from teacher gifts last year. I baked muffins ($1) and used the free school printables from Tweedle Dee Designs. I put yogurt in parfait glasses and included fresh fruit (from an edible arrangement I'd gotten for my birthday.) Milk was served in bottles with chalkboard labels.

I also included a little surprise for the kids to enjoy when they came home from school. I dug up letter stickers, pencils and rulers (all things I had stashed) and put them in the little boxes with treats.

This is definitely a tradition I plan to do each year. It was a great way to start our day and I know the kids enjoyed the extra attention and excitement before their big day!

Aubrey 4 years

Piper 2 years

Parker 2 years

Tattle Monster

2011-08-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

Lately we have been having a big problem with tattling, and it's driving me crazy! We have been trying very hard to teach the kids about the importance of working together, playing nicely and most important we don't need to know every little "she took my car" or "he won't share with me!"

Introducing the newest addition to our family, Murry the Tattle Monster!

Here's how Murry came to be...One of my sister's teacher friends pinned this on Pinterest & I repinned immediately and started thinking about how I could use it to help eliminate some of the tattling at our house. I re-created the poem to match our cute little monster.

My kids are young, so I knew I would need a visual to help get the point across. I was going to sew a monster, but after a little search on Pinterest (I think I need an intervention!) I saw these cute monsters made out of tissue boxes and light bulbs went off, I've got it, they can feed the monster their tattles instead of telling me!

I spray painted an empty tissue box.

After it dried I added some polka dots using craft paint and the end of a paint brush.

While the paint dried I drew some teeth on white craft foam and cut out.

Next, I got the eyes ready. I used egg cartons and glued googly eyes on them.

Now it's time to bring your monster to life. Use a hot glue gun and glue the teeth and eyes on.

Now, we've got a friendly and hungry little monster who is ready to eat all those tattles!

Since my sister gave me the tissue box, she talked me into making one for each of the teachers on her team since they will all be introducing the Tattle Monster to their kindergarten kids this year as well. The kids had fun helping me decide what each one should look like and they were very excited to have these cute little monster's hanging out with us all weekend. Meet Murry's friends...

I'm sharing these little guys here:

I Heart Nap Time

The Girl Creative
Sumo’s Sweet Stuff
Flamingo Toes
Mommy by day...Crafter by night
Sugar Bee Crafts

Tip Junkie
Today’s Creative Blog

Homework

Sweet Peas & Bumblebees

Blue Cricket Design

Sugar and Dots

Someday Crafts
Ginger Snap Crafts
Seven Thirty Three

Craft Goodies

Ladybird Lane
Sun Scholars
Little Lucy Lu

Lolly Jane

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Be Different Act Normal

Candy Apple Teacher Gifts

2011-08-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that all 3 of my kiddos will be going to preschool in 2 weeks! Aubrey has been "prepping" the twins and telling them all about school and how fun it is. The twins talk constantly about school although I'm not sure they really know what's in store for them, nor do their teachers!

Next Friday we are going to meet the teacher and I always like to take a little something to start the year off right (Ok, it's sort of a bribe! Secretly I'm petrified that the twins are going to get kicked out...they are quite the handful!)

I saw a cute idea on Pinterest using glass jars and candy. My kind of project; cute, easy and cheap. I apologize, I didn't take step-by-step photos, but I promise it's easy to do.

I have a ton of Starbucks bottles so I got some of those out and cleaned them up to use as my containers for the candy.

I used the free Back-to-School printables from Shindig Parties to make the green chevron wrapper to go around the bottle. I used the same paper and my 2" circle punch to cut circles to cover the top of the lid.

I had some apple circles left over from teacher gifts I made last year using the free printables from Dimpleprints and used those to put in the center of the bottle. I attached them using pop dots.

I had a few lids that were already spray painted white so I used those and tied red twine around them. For the other that weren't spray painted I covered the edge of the lid with red and white polka dot ribbon.

I filled each bottle with red jelly beans or red cherry sours. This was a little more costly than I expected (it took about $12 to fill 4 bottles) but I like the red candy and the jelly beans even taste like candy apples!

I made the coordinating note cards to go with each bottle using the same printables.

Now we have cute little teacher gifts to give our teachers when we meet them next Friday!

Sharing this project here:
5 minutes just for me

How To Throw A Party On A Budget

2011-08-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked by Jillian at Catch My Party to share my tips for throwing a party on a budget. You may remember that she featured my Sock Monkey Baby Shower and wanted to know how I did it on a fairly small budget, so I sent her the details and she recently shared it on Catch My Party.

Just in case you missed it, I'm sharing my tips with you today! Here are my 5 tips for throwing a fabulous party on a budget:

TIP 1
“Shop” your house or borrow items. When planning the party look around your house and find inspiration and decorations from items you already have.

I decorated my twin’s nursery with Sock Monkeys so I knew I had lots of items at my disposal to decorate. The look and feel I decided on for the party was inspired by my twin’s room. I used vintage toys and sock monkey’s from their room to decorate with.

Vintage toys

I also borrowed a tricycle and red wagon from a friend to complete the look.
I had fabric scraps leftover from my twin’s bedding so I used those to create the banner and some of the table runners.

Toys borrowed and already owned

TIP 2
Keep it simple. You don’t have to buy extravagant decorations or have a huge spread of food to throw a great party. For this party the decorations were simple, but the impact of a few key items created the perfect atmosphere for the party.

•I did splurge on 2 items and those were the sock monkey cookies and cake pops, however I only ordered enough to add that extra little detail. I filled in the rest of the sweets with cake pops I made and store bought cupcakes.

Sock monkey cookies - a splurge

Sock monkey cake pops - another splurge

I kept the food very simple by making mini portions, putting the fruit on the skewers and dressing up pasta from a box mix. I was able to stretch my budget farther a little farther by keeping the food simple.

Pasta from a box and fruit on skewers

TIP 3
Dress up store bought items. You can make simple and cheap store bought items look like a million bucks if you take the time to dress them up.

I bought red & white polka dot cupcake liners that I found at Hobby Lobby for only $1, I added those and custom cupcake toppers to store bought cupcakes to create a cute and custom focal point on the table.

Store bought cupcakes dressed up with cupcake liners

TIP 4
Reuse & Repurpose. Stop before you throw it away can you use it again? Like I mentioned before I have lots of parties so I have an arsenal of supplies on hand that I can reuse over and over again.

I made tissue paper pom poms (which are inexpensive to start with) for my daughter’s Strawberry Shortcake birthday and saved them to reuse at future parties. Those pom poms can be a pain to make and I knew I could at least reuse them for Christmas so I stored them in the attic. They add pops of color throughout the house and provided a backdrop for the sign-in table.

Reused tissue paper pom poms

The cute banner was made using my Cricut, scraps of fabric, polka dot wrapping paper ($1 at Target Dollar Spot) and some of my nephew’s onesies.

Made with a Cricut and onesies

One of my favorite details was the individual crudités. I used candle votives I had to make individual crudités and served them on a tray I keep in my bathroom for display.

Crudite served in candle votives

TIP 5
Make an investment. Invest in items you can use over and over again.

I was super lucky to find the white square plates and serving tray on clearance at Walmart a while back (only $1 each!) and it’s been one of my best investments! I simply add a piece of scrapbook paper that coordinates with the party.
•While I’m a DIY girl who loves to create things, I can’t ever make the invitations look as good as the ones you can buy! I usually invest in custom printables and have been lucky to work with some amazing vendors. I try to spend $20 or less, but they really help make things look extra special.

Party Expense Break Down
Here is how I spent my budget on the Sock Monkey Baby Shower. I had lots of things already on hand and my sister was able to do all of the printing for free.
Food – $30
Cupcakes – $12
Custom Cookies & Cake Pops – $38
Paper goods – $6 (bought at Dollar Store)
Fabric – $2 (I only bought 1 yard of the Polka Dot fabric and used a coupon, the other fabric I already
had)
Printables – $20
Total – $108

Camp S'more {Party}

2011-08-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

S'mores are a favorite campfire treat for young and old, and around here we love them! So I was more than happy to plan a little S'mores party to celebrate National S'mores Day!

I set up a table in the backyard with camping items I'd gathered from around the house (and my mom's) and added lots of different options to build the perfect s'more.

I made this fun little sign with scrap wood and sticks (FREE)

There were cute little kits with all the fixings for guest to grab. See my post about those here.

I took the kids to the store with me and let them pick out marshmallows. We had strawberry, caramel/vanilla swirl, mint chocolate, regular and jumbo marshmallows.

We had chocolate bars and peanut butter cups (the PB cups were a crow

Yummy, everyone had a great time and enjoyed devouring their gooey s'mores.

Although, I do have to say that whoever invented National S'mores Day did not live in Texas...it was still way too hot at 8pm to be sitting around the campfire!

Next, year I think we'll head to the mountains to enjoy our s'mores! ;)

S'mores Kits

2011-08-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

Happy National S'mores Day!

We're having a party later today to celebrate and I made these fun S'mores kits for everyone. I saw this idea here and loved it, so I followed the wonderful tutorial and made some for our party.

Each kit has all the makings for delicious s'mores

I even included custom little marshmallows. I used food safe markers to write on them and add a little extra detail.

I needed something for the front of the kit and since I didn't have that cute little stamp she used I had to get creative. I made little graham crackers, chocolate and s'mores on a stick using scrapbook paper, sticks and fluffy white balls. I think they turned out pretty darn cute.

We're all set to have a fun party later tonight to celebrate National S'mores Day! Are you doing anything to celebrate S'mores day?

A Fabulous Party Feature

2011-08-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

I opened my email this morning to a wonderful surprise {Squeal with delight}! Jillian of "Catch My Party", is featuring my Sock Monkey Baby Shower as part of the "Party of the Day"! I'm so excited and grateful to Jillian for the feature! Check it out in rotation HERE

Annual Frio River Trip 2011

2011-08-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

When summer arrives I start to eagerly look forward to our annual Frio River trip. We have been going to the Frio with good friends for 9 years and it's always a great time.

There is something so relaxing about being disconnected from reality (no phone, TV, internet, work or daily distractions) and surrounded by good friends. Although we may not see or talk to each other for a while we pick up right where we left off, as if it were just yesterday we were here.

This vacation has slowly evolved as we each had kids and our families grew. Nine years ago we had all finished college and now we have adorable families, with babies that are growing up too fast!

This year there were 8 kids and it was fun to watch the kids play together as if they were old pals.

Since Texas is in a drought the river was very low and the water wasn't flowing at all in some areas. We spent most of our time at the waterhole where the kids jumped off rocks, looked for fish and squirted innocent passerby's with water guns.

Sweet babies napped, kids snacked and we soaked up the sun!

Saturday morning we woke up to clouds and a light drizzling rain, which kept us from playing in the water. While we waited for the sun to break through we entertained the kids with an impromptu art session where we colored rocks (even the adults got in on the fun!)

and a search for the illusive Big Foot

At night we roasted marshmallows and made S'mores. I couldn't believe some of our little friends had never had a S'more, my kids LOVE them!

I love the Frio River and can't wait until next year!

Bug Boxes

2011-08-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

I was recently a guest blogger on Craft Goodies and shared my tutorial for these cute little bug boxes. In case you aren't already following Wendy over at Craft Goodies (you really should, she has lots of fun projects and ideas) I wanted to share them with you!

When I was a little girl my dad made us wooden bug boxes to catch bugs. I remember filling them with roly-poly's (pill bugs), ladybugs and caterpillars. It was fun to create a home for the bugs with grass and twigs and watch them, especially on the rare occasion that the caterpillar lived long enough to transform into a butterfly!

The original box was made out of 1/2" cedar but I was trying to only use what I had on hand. So I went to my scrap wood pile and found some 1/4" plywood that would work.

I made a template for the 3 pieces, which you can download here.

Use a jigsaw to cut out the curved pieces and a table saw to cut the flat bottom piece.

Take one piece and drill a hole in the top middle. This will be your opening to put the creepy crawly things in. My husband used a 1 1/2 size drill bit to drill the hole.

Next, attach the side pieces to the ends of the flat bottom piece with wood glue. Staple the bottom for reinforcement.

My plywood wasn't very pretty so after the glue dried I let the kids pick out what color they wanted to paint their bug box. I gave each box a few coats of spray paint.

So far, I've spent nothing on this project. But I needed a screen to cover the box and went to one of my favorite places to shop, The Habitat Restore to look for something that would work. I found an old window screen for $0.25, perfect! I cut the screen out of the frame.

Measure the outside of the box and cut the screen to fit around the opening

The next step may required an extra set of hands. I wanted to make sure the screen was pulled very tight so my husband helped me staple the screen to the outside edges of the box (ok, ok the truth is that darn staple gun was hard to do!)

Now you just need to add a door to your little bug home. I used counter top samples that I got at Home Depot. They are solid and already had a hole at the top (you don't want bugs escaping and crawling all around your house do you?)

Take a small screw and drill it into the wood to secure your door.

Every home needs a little decoration so I spruced up our bug boxes with stickers and embellishments I had on hand.

Now you have a pretty little home to collect insects. You can collect anything from grasshoppers, centipedes and lady bugs to lightning bugs, butterflies, moths and more.

I hope you have fun creating your own bug box, I'd love to see what you create! Thanks Wendy for having me and thank you for crafting with me today! Be sure to stop by my blog or etsy shop and say hello! I love meeting new friends!