Coming to America - Welcome Basket

Lisa McDowell:  So why did you come here?

Prince Akeem:  To find something special.

Lisa McDowell:  It's a long way to travel.

Prince Akeem:  No journey is too great when one finds what he seeks.

I couldn't resist using Coming to America in this post. I'm a lover of 80s flicks and this one was classic! When I learned we would have family traveling from Rome staying with us...I instantly wanted to put together a fun basket full of goodies.

After getting married our relatives traveled to California for their honeymoon. They were doing a road trip starting in Southern California ending in Northern California. My idea was to give them some snacks and goodies to use on the road. This is all fun stuff that they might not otherwise try or have in Italy. Mainly consisting of quintessential American junk food.

The contents:

Cooler, Twinkies, Girl Scout Bars (cookies are out of season and these are the next best thing), gum, suntan lotion, Map of the United States, hand sanitizers, wet wipes, Boom Chicka Pop Kettle Corn, champagne, Pringles, iced coffee (yes, Starbucks is everywhere, but not all have iced drinks), gold fish, trashy magazine (bonus that Kim Kardashian is on the cover.)

I also included this hand lettered quote. I thought it was great for two people in love and traveling. Download a copy for free here.

30 Day Challenge - Results

If you follow me on Instagram then you know I didn't make it to 30 days. What went wrong? Life got the best of me. I could list a bunch of excuses, but that's the bottom line. Sometimes things are out of our control and you just have to except it and move along!

What went right? I worked out 21 days in a row for 30 minutes! That certainly is something to celebrate in my book. It is disappointing not to meet my goal, but I have plans in the works to get back on track. Stay tuned. For now, I complied my #30minuteexercise photos into one image to stand as a visual record of my progress.

Sawyer's First Birthday Party!

I am so excited to share some photos from Sawyer's first birthday party. I started thinking about party themes when he was 4 months old. On my Pinterest account I created a first birthday board, cataloging all of my ideas and themes. Anytime I saw something I loved I would pin it here. I went from pancakes & pajamas to monsters, but finally settled on woodland animals. I saw this theme featured on Schoolgirl Style and fell in love. The cute animals, decor details, and staging of this printable set really sold me. I'm so happy with how everything turned out and feel so lucky to have shared such a special day with all of our family and friends. Sawyer is one lucky boy to be surrounded with so much love.

I enjoy creating different areas at a party for guests to explore. I thought it would be fun to have a photo booth, but wanted to do something a little different. My hip spin on the idea was to setup a Selfie Station. Guests could grab a animal mask and take a photo of themselves in front of Sawyer's first birthday sign. They could hashtag the image and post it to share. In my mind this was the best idea ever! It was fun, but it was not as big of a hit as I thought it would be. I felt like Marty McFly in Back to the Future after playing Johnnie B. Good. "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet... But your kids are gonna love it."

Selfie station details.

I rented a covered area with picnic tables at a park. I added woodland animal pennants, cut-outs, and paper lanterns to decorate the area.

Side note...I love that my girlfriend is taking a selfie in the background.

Woodland animals hung from paper lanterns above picnic tables.

I'm in love with these blue mason jars I scored at target. I used three jars per table with a few white flowers. I also filled two chicken wire racks with chips and placed them on the tables for snacking.

Figuring out food at a party can be overwhelming. I always like a good theme, but from there I try to keep it simple. I decided it would be easy fun to have a sandwich bar. I filled trays with meat, cheese, and veggies. I rounded out the meal with three salads: green, potato, and Fleetwood Macaroni Salad.

The table was covered in a burlap tablecloth and pine cone pennants. I used all of the wood accent pieces I could find around my house to go along with the theme. A picnic basket for rolls, old soda crates and a tree stump to create height.

Build your own sandwich bar sign.

It's all about the details for me! This framed print is also part of the Woodland Animals Collection.

I had a separate table for drinks and dessert.

 What first birthday is complete without a signature drink? Yes, I said first birthday not wedding. I was thinking of having a lemonade stand, but settled on Watermelon Fresca for a bit of a twist on the norm. I juiced two watermelons, added some fresh mint, and lime. It's a refreshing way to enjoy a summer's day. I placed the drink in a large Mason jar drink dispenser (sadly not pictured) and built a mini drink stand complete with paper straws to sip in style.

Guests got their sugar fix with bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes. These are my absolute favorite and they won't break your budget.

The CAKE...OMG the smash cake debacle!!! Being the planner I am...I tried ordering the cake weeks in advance. There was a mix up with pricing and my mushroom smash cake went from $20 to $100! I was floored. This cake is for a one year old who is going to smash into it pieces!? I could not spend that kind of money! SO, I made my own. Never making a layered cake...let alone one in the shape of a mushroom seemed like a daunting task. Well, I have to say I was pretty impressed with myself and it may just become a new birthday tradition!

I removed the red mushroom cap...a last minute judgment call. I had visions of my sweet baby with red stained skin...looking like a bloody mess! It took Sawyer a hot minute to fully understand the sugary goodness that stood before him. Once he did he really went for it. As you can tell in the last photo he was over all the paparazzi style photography.

The best part of having the party at a park was being right next to the playground for the kids. I also thought it would be fun to have another activity to keep them busy. I purchased these Color-Me Leaves Cut-Outs and crayons for coloring. The best kept secret for parents is to buy party supplies and décor from a teacher store or printing company. You can really save big! The leaf cut-outs I used are from Creative Teaching Press. One set of cut-outs had 36 in the pack and only set me back $5.99. I placed all the items in one area for kids to congregate.

 Party favors consisted of a stuffed animal pet adoption. This was a total hit! I placed woodland stuffed animals in a basket and each child picked whom they wanted to adopt.

I made this adoption form...just to keep it official!

For the adults I placed Frisbees, items for playing catch, and a beanbag toss under a tree, which was, adorned with Sawyer's first birthday chalkboards.

 I used a string wrapped around a tree and clothespins to show Sawyer's first year.

 I could not have pulled this off without the help from friends and family. Thank you all for the constant support! To my sweet Sawyer...I love you more and more everyday and I'm so excited to watch you grow!

1 Year Old!

 Sawyer turned one this week and we celebrated with a party this past weekend (details to come). It's been one crazy year, but I wouldn't do it any different. I drew out his chalkboard this morning and immediately thought what I could do for next year? I already have a few ideas up my sleeve. It's been fun to see the transformation from baby into toddler. I love that we have all Sawyer's big moments documented. This year has been a blur and I definitely would not remember all the month-to-month happenings if I didn't write them down.

I bought this felt mini crown for Sawyer's birthday party. I imagined him wearing it while he smashed his fists in some cake! Of course, he had other plans. He was not having it and I ended taking it off. I still managed to squeeze in a mini photo session when he was in a more cooperative mood.

Last, but certainly not least...a year of chalkboards. Love you Sawyer! You are now officially a toddler. I can't wait to see what this year will bring!

Backyard Beer Tasting

For my husband's 40th birthday I planned a special party to celebrate with close friends. I came up with the idea of a backyard beer tasting. I bought four types of beer in pint size bottles. They ranged from light to dark and created a well rounded flight. You could also do a tasting of beers from around the world, a single country, same brewery, or the same type of brew (e.g. IPA, blond, etc.). The possibilities are endless. I wanted to appeal to the masses so I picked a variety to satisfy everyone's taste buds. To my surprise the hit of the night was the peanut butter stout. Who knew?

The idea was to keep the tasting as a self serve process. This way I was free to mix, mingle and be a good hostess. I setup up a chalkboard with a couple of easy steps. I wrote down the order and name of each beer along with a little about what it would taste like. I had guests grab a paper plate (I know very glam, but who are we kidding I was going for easy clean up!), then they loaded it up with 2.5 ounce tasting cups (aka Jello shot cups) and poured a flight. It was really fun to watch guests taste and interact. A great icebreaker and way to get the party started!

My DIY chalkboard consisted of an old door and a lot of chalkboard paint.

I used a flower pouf to hide the large hole where the doorknob would otherwise go.

I added a hint of a Mexican/Spanish theme throughout the party. I used burlap and chalkboard as my accents along with bright pops of color. Glass juice bottles filled with water and pinto beans served as vases. I bought three small bouquets of flowers at the grocery store and mixed the colors to make centerpieces on the dining tables.

 

I hired a taco guy to cook and serve dinner. The best money I ever spent. It smelt and tasted heavenly.

 

I used my DIY tassels to add pops of color to my decor. I'm selling this set of 3 handmade tassels here. This is a one time shop item and once it's gone...it's gone!

I carried on the Mexican/Spanish theme with this framed chalkboard print adored with mini tassels. I also added a fun chalkboard Keep Calm sign next to the bar.

Lots of succulents already in my garden, but moved around to add some natural accents.

I wanted to create a special backdrop for a dessert bar. I bought peg board and two shades of yarn to create an ombre banner. I crossed stitched the numbers 4 and 0 using a basic pattern found on Pinterest.

This was a super time consuming project, but really made an impact. I marked out the grid using painters tape. This really helped me stay on track. I finished the backdrop by tying black and white pictures of my husband growing up over the years. It was a really fun conversation piece.

I was super lucky to have help on this project from Sawyer. He's a crafter in training!

My husband's favorite meal of the day is definitely dessert. I decided to have all of his favorite things lined up on a dessert bar. At one end of the table I had a gourmet s'mores station. I included a fun menu with made up concoctions like the great white (marshmallow, white chocolate, and coconut sandwiched between two graham crackers.) This menu is part of a Smore's Kit on my shop. Guests roasted the marshmallows over our outdoor fire pit.

When I asked Derek what kind of cake he wanted he told me Sprinkles cupcakes. Um, I said cake not cupcakes! The birthday boy is always right so I ordered an customized mini sprinkles cupcakes. I wanted to keep everything small so guests could try more then one dessert.

I found fun little chalkboard signs at Target and labeled each of the flavors.

Since I spent a small fortune on cupcakes I made a cake for Derek. I found this super simple recipe Pioneer Woman. Instead of using Cool Whip I used vanilla frosting. I was afraid the Cool Whip would melt outside. When I was making the cake my layers starting sliding off so froze the whole darn cake over night and crossed my fingers. It totally worked out in my favor! I topped the cake with a custom 40th birthday banner. I snagged this printable here.

Last, but certainly not least the donut portion of the table. I had three layers: powered donuts bought at the grocery store, homemade donut shaped sugar cookies, and dounut holes.

  

I added some fun donut sayings for a bit of whimsy and two actual donuts to add to the look.

When I saw this donut pillow I had to have it! I will be the first to admit that I overpaid. I spotted it at the mall when I was shopping with Sawyer. I had him hold it while I browsed the store and it totally kept him entertained. SCORE!

 

Décor for the party, toy for Sawyer, and the cutest photo prop EVER!

What a great party and way to celebrate my amazing husband!