A Well-Crafted Party

Catching Up!

2012-02-08T12:30:00.001-08:00

I was fortunate enough to receive a great freelance job that I had to whip out in 2 days....

so, I'm running a bit behind on the blogging!

But, no worries... I will be back later today with a Valentine's Day themed post!

{Working on it Wednesday} Something New

2012-02-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

At the end of last year I made a decision about this blog.

I love writing about parties. But, creating a week's worth of content for this blog is a lot of work. And, it gets expensive. Also, I have a lot of other interests.

My newest interest being becoming and learning how to be a mom.

I feel like this blog should remain a blog about parties

(hello, it is in the title!)

but, I don't want to just write about parties anymore.

So, I started a NEW BLOG.

Introducing Leave the Laundry for Later.

A few things about Leave the Laundry for Later:

1. I created this blog after realizing that I had so much more to talk about than parties and I wanted to explore those topics without alienating my party blog followers.

2. I came up with the name of the blog in a 2 AM feeding stupor. I walked past a room in my house that had been taken over by laundry and the name just popped into my head. I love the idea of "Leave the Laundry for Later" not because I hate doing laundry, but because I feel there are a lot more important things to do in life.

3. I have sourced several articles that I feel work in this blog's description from my other blog.

Mainly because I feel that readers of this site might enjoy them and may not want to dig through the posts on my other site.

Repetition of posts will not happen from December 1, 2011 on.

4. I am also adding posts that are post-dated back to my pregnancy (from journal entries and photos) so that I have a good record of that time in my life and so that I can share with other moms and moms-to-be.

5. This is NOT just a mom blog. This will be my platform to write about life (other than parties) including: creative endeavors, fashion, DIY projects, cooking, health and more.

Leave the Laundry for Later: Photo a Day Challenge

Leave the Laundry for Later: Xander's Birth Story

Leave the Laundry for Later: Outfit Posts

What it means for A Well Crafted Party:

I still plan on posting over here at A Well Crafted Party.... but, they may not be frequent. They will however focus on parties for all of my loyal event-loving readers.

For all my readers that LOVED {Mommy Monday} posts, my occasional weekend updates, pictures of cute babies, everyday recipes or outfit posts...

please pop over to Leave the Laundry for Later and give me a read/follow/comment!

{Recipe} Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

2012-01-31T08:50:00.000-08:00

Mmmm... birthday cake. Is there anything better?

I really enjoy making my friends birthday cakes or cupcakes. I like to play around with flavors and frostings. I like using things I have on hand or going to buy something special. I made this cake (featured in the Rustic Birthday Party Post from yesterday) using some of the sweet potatoes that came in my weekly veggie box delivery.

And, boy oh boy was it a good use of vegetables!

The cake didn't look perfect. My frosting job was a little wonky. But, it tasted pretty awesome.

The sweet potatoes made the cake moist. The marshmallow gave the frosting a fun kick.

Then, the crunch of the walnuts made me want another slice.

Sweet Potato Cake Recipe

Recipe loosely based on epicurious.com recipe

changes and additions made by me

INGREDIENTS:

4 8-ounce red-skinned sweet potatoes(yams)
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting (see recipe below)
Walnuts (or pecans)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Poke yams with fork and bake until tender (about 1 hour at 375 degrees F). You can also do this in the microwave or used leftover mashed sweet potatoes ( approximately 2 cups worth). Peel yams and smash once done.

2. While yams are baking prepare a pan for cooking. You can use a muffin tin with liners for cupcakes. I used a springform pan and sprayed it with a little cooking spray and dusted it with a little bit of flour to prevent sticking. Preheat oven to 325 F.

3. In a medium bowl sift together (or put in bowl and stir around with a whisk or fork) flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a large bowl mix 2 cups of (cooled and mashed) yams with sugar, vegetable oil and syrup. Then mix in eggs 2 at a time. After mixing in eggs add in the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add in vanilla extract and mix one last time. (I use a hand-held mixer, but if you are lucky enough to own a kitchen aid stand mixer then I'm sure that would work as well.)

5. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 for about one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

After the cake was done and cooled I sliced it in half, brushed the tops with a little bit of whiskey (a simple syrup would work as well) to keep it moist, and then frosted it. I put marshmallow icing and walnuts on the first layer before addign the top layer. I then frosted the entire cake with marshmallow icing and topped with walnuts.

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

I improvised this frosting recipe using my basic butter frosting as a base

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter- room temperature
1 8 oz jar of Marshmallow Cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
milk or cream if needed for consistency

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whip up two sticks of room temperature butter until fluffy. (I use my handheld mixer.)

2. Add in 1 8 oz jar of Marshmallow Cream- whip until incorporated. I spray my handheld mixer with a little bit of cooking spray to help keep the marshmallow cream from sticking to my mixer.

3. While mixing, slowly add in powdered sugar.

4. Add in vanilla and salt and mix.

5. If the frosting is too thick add in tsp of milk or cream. If it is too runny add in a little bit more powdered sugar. I found that I usually don't need any additional milk or sugar.

Add candles and a song and then you've got yourself a birthday cake!

I'd love to know if you decide to make this cake.

{Real Party} Rustic Dinner Party

2012-01-30T14:58:00.000-08:00

On a previous {Working on it Wednesday} post I shared an inspiration board for a Fall dinner party with a color scheme of whites, tans, browns and blues.

Guests were in charge of bringing desserts or appetizers while I was in charge of making a main course dish and two sides for 20 people. I challenged myself to keep the whole party within a budget of $125. The decor could only cost $25 and the food, favors and two bottles of wine had to ring in under $100.

The Budget Breakdown

Decor:

$3 on plastic zoo animals

$4 on spray paint

$13 rugged burlap

$9 on flowers

Total: $29

The rest of the decor were items I already owned

and items I made from things I already owned.

Food, Favors, and Wine:

Wine— Two Bottles Free

Had leftover from Halloween party

Favors— Takeout boxes for guests to fill with desserts

$6.75

(Boxes were $13.50, but I split the costs with a friend

who needed the other half of the box order for Thanksgiving)

Food— $82.00

The biggest part of this cost was the meat for 15 people.

I also added a vegetarian main course dish and a birthday cake to this shopping trip.

Total: $88.75

Total Party Cost: $117.75

Check back this week for recipes and DIY decorations.

Are you a Portland Blogger?

2012-01-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Bloggers spend a lot of time stuck behind a computer screen.

Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in this little land of blog posts and comments.

It can even be fun at times... I feel like I've really gotten to know some of the people behind the blogs I read. I might even consider them FRIENDS.

One of my bigger joys of this past year was getting the opportunity to actually MEET some of my new on-line friends in REAL LIFE. And, getting to meet them in person and see them as someone away from my computer screen has been enlightening and enriching.

Our last Portland Blogger Meet-Up was in December. We had snacks, crafts and a gift exchange.

Photos taken by Olga from Vintage Pretty

If you are a Portland Blogger and would like to join us for the upcoming meet-up please e-mail me!
We will be meeting up Saturday, February 4th for brunch.

Some of the Portland Bloggers

Read about the last Blogger Meet-Up on these great blogs:

Sam Rosen: Portland Blogger Lunch
Running in Heels: Christmas Blogger Meet-Up
You Say It Best: Portland Blogger's Meet-up
One Stylish Day at a Time: Weekend Re-Cap (Photo and small description)
Chic-Steals: Portland Blogger Meet-up, Lunch and Gift Exchange
Vintage Pretty: Blogger's Christmas Party

Update in Links and Instagram Photos

2012-01-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

So, this post on Hyperbole and a Half is a perfectly good example of what has been going on with me lately. The last couple of months threw me for a loop. I'm not quite on the other side of things yet.

And, I've been doing a lot of holding my little guy as he sleeps (sometimes the only way he will sleep now that he is teething). It made me smile to see Under the Sycamore's sweet post about something similar.

I changed my iPhone background to this freebie from Oops, I Craft My Pants.

Hopefully it will remind me to BE PRESENT. (Maybe it will also remind me to put my phone DOWN at times and be more in the actual moment rather than the virtual one.)

A new project I've been working on that has made me really appreciate great blog names.

I mean seriously, check out these blog names:

Oops, I Craft My Pants

Crap I've Made

Fabulous Fete

I love the idea behind this one-word goal series over at Less Cake More Frosting.

(Another great blog name.)

I think my one-word goal for 2012 would be FINISH.

I have so many projects, goals and plans to finish. So many things I'm so very close to being done with, but have pushed off the finish line because life got in the way.

I'm also working with the word CREATIVE this year. I have a goal to be Creative Daily.

I thought of this a few months back after being inspired by Alisa Burke (she now has a class called Creative Daily.) I'm starting nice and easy in January by participating in a photo challenge on Instagram.

(follow me on instagram!)

Oh, and parties... I'm still having them, enjoying them and photographing them. I just haven't gotten around to posting about them. Throwing parties takes time and money (both of which I had more of before baby). I will (hopefully) get back to posting about parties very soon.

I think I may have to institute a monthly ladies night in the style of Eat Drink Pretty.

I'm in need of some serious girl time.

If you are in the Portland area and want to be invited to future Girl Time events... e-mail me!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

This past year has been quite amazing.

~Jan 2011~

I announced my pregnancy to friends and my lovely readers.

I also created a set of free party circle printables.

~Feb 2011~

Made two sets of free Super Bowl printables.

~March 2011~

I posted my first "bump" photo and not much else during the month of March. The pregnancy was certainly getting the best of me February through April!

~April 2011~

Did my first {Mommy Monday} post. Becoming a mommy was the biggest thing in my life and I felt that I needed to share it here on my blog. Thanks for taking the journey with me!

~May 2011~

I started to get back into the swing of blogging when May hit.

I had several real party features as well as a few {Mommy Monday} posts and DIYs.

My Chalkboard Mug DIY tips is still one of my most popular posts according to the page views.

~June 2011~

In June my Cherry Blossom stylized wedding photo shoot and DIY projects

were featured on Hostess with the Mostess.

~July 2011~

During July I really hit my posting stride and had 24 posts about DIY projects, baking recipes and more. One of my favorite posts was sharing my recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes.

~Aug 2011~

In August I announced the arrival of my little man.

~Sept 2011~

In September I shared two of my real parties— My Beer before Baby Party that I threw for my husband and A Library Themed Birthday Party for a friend.

~Oct 2011~

In October I traveled with an infant on a plane, enjoyed being a family of three, and planned a Halloween party.

~Nov 2011~

In November I went to my first Portland Blogger Meet Up

and had Baby Shower Week here on the blog.

~Dec 2011~

December has probably been my busiest month so far this year.

I haven't even had much time to blog about it all.

But, one of my favorite activities had to be participating in the Lovely Package Exchange.

Here is to hoping you also had a wonderful year.

And, a very happy New Year.

Happy 2012!

** Oh, and Thank You to Rain or Shine for the idea for the post**

Lovely Package Exchange

2011-12-31T10:56:00.001-08:00

**Please forgive my lack of posting. We are going through quite a bit of trials in our little house and I'm working on getting back to life as normal. I have plenty of parties and fun DIYs in the works... I just need a little me time to work on them!**

This year I participated in the Lovely Package Exchange from Oh, Hello Friend.

The Lovely Package Exchange is a gift exchange with another blogger with an emphasis on packaging. I loved participating in this and had a lot of fun wrapping up a gift for Katie over at Modern Eve and anticipating the gift coming my way.

Here is the package I sent out in the mail:

I used craft paper, book pages, pearls and fabric roses to decorate my gift to Katie.

Oh, and the super awesome gift box from Target.

~*~

She sent the cutest gift ever— It was such a pleasure to open!

I love the tag she added— Her writing should be a font.

She used bakers twine, a doiley, different tissue papers and ribbon to deck out her gift to me.

Such a fun exchange. Thank you to Katie for participating with me and to Oh, Hello Friend's Danni for putting on the whole shin-dig.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

My Favorite Day of the Year

2011-12-12T10:37:00.001-08:00

It's My Birthday!

I'm not gonna lie... today is my favorite day of the year.

And, this year I love it even more because I have the most amazing little man cuddling with me all day long. It has been a banner year for me this year and I can't see how the next year will top it.

And, of course... one of the reasons that today is my favorite day of the year is because it gives me a great reason to throw a party. I'm usually all about not hosting your own birthday/shower/any gift giving-type party BUT my friends and husband all know that allowing me to throw my own party is a gift in itself. I thought I'd show you some photos of parties past and a few from this year's shin-dig.

I'll do a full {Real Party} post on it soon.

In 2008 (Our first year in Portland) we went to Urban Fondue for a fabulous birthday dinner.

We got a curtained off room and wonderful service. Everyone dressed up for the party and I made little buttons that said "Jenni is 25!" and "You're a Gem!" as favors.

Urban Fondue is attached to Bartini and they have AMAZING cocktails.

In 2009 we had a wine tasting party in our apartment. I covered the walls in drawings of empty picture frames, bookshelves, fireplace and more. Guests enjoyed fun appetizers that my brother-in-law helped me whip up throughout the party while tasting wines that paired with the food. Between courses they were able to take photos in the photo booth and draw in the empty picture frames on the walls. I bought picture frames and filled them with "Thank You" pictures so that guests would have a frame for the photos they took in the home-made photo booth.

It ended up looking like a shrine to me...Ooops!

In 2010 we planned on a dinner out at Alexis Greek Restaurant. It was a smaller party with a few close friends and enjoyed a family style DELICIOUS meal. I made my dress for the party out of old table cloths and was super happy with the results. If I look tired in the pictures it is because I was 5 weeks pregnant.... we had just found out a couple of days before my party. Alexis has an amazing martini that I had been talking about for weeks... when I sat down and ordered a non-alcoholic beverage the whole table knew I was pregnant! After a year of trying to get pregnant this was absolutely the best birthday present I could have possibly received!

This year we opted for a party at home again. We threw a Fancy Pants Party for friends to get dolled up and act silly. We had a bevy of appetizers and signature cocktails. There were party hats, mustaches and fake eyelashes all involved. It was so much fun!

~~Thanks for visiting this little blog on my birthday!~~

~~Check back later today for a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!~~

~~(and, no...I'm not pregnant again!)~~

Edit: I will be announcing my big announcement soon... I let the birthday fun get the best of me and need a little more time to put things together!

Things I wish I had thought of Holiday edition

2011-12-06T22:25:00.001-08:00

In the "work" of blogging about parties I follow and read a lot of great party bloggers.

And, while it is easy to get in the

"How did they do that?"

"They are so much more creative"

"I would never have thought of that"

trap...

I usually have pretty good self-esteem and don't let it get to me.

Instead I like to gather inspiration from it all.

So, when I show you these amazing Holiday ideas don't fall into that trap

and instead draw inspiration from them.

Holiday Parties

1. Amazing White Elephant Party invitation by A Fabulous Fete—Can I go to that party, please?

(Oh, and while you are on her site... check out her Gifting on a Dime series!)

2. Jordan of Oh Happy Day had a beautiful progressive dinner party (in Paris!) and posted about it in November... I'm still thinking about those beautiful photos. I think a progressive dinner party could end up making a really fun holiday party (or hey, new years?).

Gift Wrap

3. I'm always repurposing things for gift wrap and have used all of the above items in wrapping before... but, why didn't I think of stringing buttons like that? SO CUTE.

Check out the whole wrapping job from Rain or Shine.

4. Along with the repurposing theme... these pretty packages are made from Trader Joe's bags!

Photo from Oh, Hello Friend and Creative Mint.

Decorations

5. Yep, you read that right Candy Lights. You'll just have to click HERE to see this awesomeness and how to DIY yourself some candy lights for this year's holiday festivities.

6. Ruche's Homemade Holiday guide is really beautiful and is full of amazing DIY ideas like these fun glitter snow globe candle holders.

Weekend Update: The Holiday's Have Begun

2011-12-05T09:07:00.001-08:00

"It's the most wonderful time of the year

It's the most wonderful time

It's the hap-happiest season

It's the most wonderful time

It's the hap-happiest season of all...

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There'll be parties for hosting..."

—lyrics from Andy Williams song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

This song very much describes how I feel about the holidays as December begins.

Every weekend of December for me is always packed with parties and fun things to do.

This year is no different...and this weekend was packed full of fun.

What I did this weekend:

1. Helped a friend move

Isn't it funny how when helping a friend move it can turn into a little party in itself? Sure, there is the heavy lifting and such not so fun things. But, you meet fun people you've never met before, enjoy drinks and food, and get to explore a new place.

2. Crafted up a storm for an upcoming party (or three)

My hot glue gun has never been busier— I created paper roses and Christmas trees. I designed paper goods. I crafted couture-style hats and cut out bow-tie fabric. I wrapped many drinks in paper to make them look pretty. I arranged flowers into pretty centerpieces. Ahhh... I love the holidays.

3. I got my first Christmas cards of the season.

My sister and mother are totally on top of the holidays this year.

4. We bought a Christmas tree—decorating to commence sometime this next week.

5. I got my first birthday gift of the season!

(Thank you Jill for an amazing gift!)

6. I co-hosted a fun Portland Blogger's Lunch/Holiday party.

(pictures above from that event)

I will be posting a feature on the event once I get photos together.

7. I sang a lot of Christmas songs to my son. I'm terrible at remember the words to songs. Lullabies and I are not friends. But, I know me some Christmas music (I guess all those years working in retail did pay off) and have been singing non-stop to my little guy. He loves him some carols!

So, this weekend started the holiday rush... and, it isn't stopping for us anytime soon.

Today I am shooting Christmas photos of an adorable little guy.

I have a party to attend this week and a party that I'm hosting.

Oh, and the normal work, blog, being a mommy schedule.

So busy and SO HAPPY. Love the holidays.

What did you do this weekend?

Did you attend or host any fun holiday parties?

Fill in the Blank Friday: Dec 2

2011-12-02T11:29:00.001-08:00

Okay, so... I'm back to filling in blanks from The Little Things We Do.

I just like it too much to not participate!

from The Little Things We Do

1. The holiday season is my favorite time of year. I love warm layers, hot drinks and all my cool friends. haha. No, but really, I love spending time with family and friends. I love all the extra excuses to throw/attend great parties.

2. Snow makes me cringe. I'm really glad that it doesn't snow too much here in Portland. But, then again, if it did I might not dislike it so much. The whole city shuts down when it snows here. It is unreal and very unfun .

3. The best comfort food to eat when it's cold out is cookies! Actually, I'm pretty much for all baked goods when it is cold out. .

4. Winter is the best time for wearing things that sparkle .

5. I can hardly wait for my birthday, Xander's first Christmas, ringing in 2012 .

6. When it comes to holiday gifts I prefer to make them. I really love the idea of DIY gift-giving. I love finding and buying gifts (and I do that as well most the time) but, I really like giving at least one handmade item with each gift. Even if it is just a DIY gift tag .

7. If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1-10, I would say I am at about a 7. I'm so very excited for so many things, but also quite overwhelmed. I almost feel that my excitement is causing my expectations to be too high. I need to remember that my little man won't care near as much as me if his first Christmas was snazzy.

Happy Weekend!

Friday Finds: Holiday Gift Toppers

2011-12-02T09:30:00.001-08:00

I love giving gifts.

I love the planning, searching, making and buying of gifts.

I then like packing them up so that someone REALLY wants to open the gift.

So, I was super excited when I found some of my favorite blogs providing great tutorials and/or free printables that I can use to top off my pretty packaging to make the gift really stand out.

Check them out!

the above images are screen shots of some of my favorite blogs

From Top Left Clockwise:

1. Brooklyn Limestone has some really amazing free printable gift tags for a tongue in cheek package. Check off whether your loved one has been naughty or nice this year!

2. These Doodle Gift Tags from Amy J. of Delightful Distractions make me SMILE. They are whimsical and perfect for this year's homemade holiday.

3 & 4. Creature Comforts has put up too fabulous DIYs for gift toppers. These string poms are so much easier than the kinds I've made and this poppy will find its way onto some of my gifts this year!

Looking for even more?

Well, Smitten Blog Design (the company that designed my blog) has created some great FREE printable naughty or nice tags in the classic red and white color scheme.

AND

Catch My Party has the usual amazing round up of free holiday printables that can be used in your upcoming holiday parties or to tag your gifts this year.

Have a great weekend!

I hope these helped with your holiday packaging needs!

Iphone Photo Update: November

2011-11-30T10:10:00.001-08:00

I disappeared for a bit. Sorry about that. I think life just got too busy for me to blog about it all.

Isn't that weird? When I actually have a ton of party planning, prep and execution I am too busy to blog about it. And, when I have a ton of time to blog there is nothing going on and I'm posting about other people's parties!

Geez.

So, I thought I'd share a quick update via Iphone pics to show you that I've been busy and let you know that there are fun party posts in the works.

Went to Slappy Cakes in Portland to celebrate a friend's birthday.

We then had a fun day enjoying the beautiful fall weather. I love Fall in Portland.

I've been avoiding the many things I need to be doing by playing in the kitchen.

I've had a lot of extra produce—we get weekly bins of organic and (usually) local veggies from this AWESOME company called Organics to You. It has made me look up a lot of fun new recipes so that none of the produce is wasted. Above is only a small portion of the things I've made these past few weeks: Cranberry Orange Bread, Drunken Cranberry Sauce, Apple Spice Cupcakes (recipe coming to blog soon), and Cranberry Orange Muffins. I also baked and purred a ghost pumpkin to use in pumpkin pie and pumpkin cranberry cookies.

I threw a rustic-styled birthday party for my friend Alicia. And, believe me...throwing a dinner party for 20 people in my tiny apartment= a very busy Jenni. Real party post coming soon!

Some of my recent projects have been party or gift related... but, the one pictured on the top was just because I was avoiding the projects I needed to be doing. I got prints from Shutterfly.com and went crazy on my fridge. I love it so much I am thinking about doing the same to my hallway.

I am also working on funny hats and bow ties to be used at my upcoming birthday party ( a fancy pants themed event). And, because Pinterest has so many great ideas I used a few of them: fabric poms and t-shirt scarf.

Thanksgiving was fun as always. I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I was also in charge of providing a couple of fun cocktails for our event. The Apple Cider Margarita was delish and my S'more Martini recipe will be on the blog soon.

On Thanksgiving Day (since we were all dressed nice) I threw together a quick holiday photoshoot for our Christmas cards. Good thing I did too.... Cardstore.com had an amazing 70% off sale on Black Friday. So, one more item checked off the huge holiday to-do list!

Oh, and I've been spending my time loving on these two guys. It was wonderful having a long weekend with the hubby and my little man is growing up so quick!

That was basically my November in a nutshell.

Was yours as busy as mine? What did you do this month?

*This post was not sponsored by Slappy Cakes, Shutterfly or Cardstore. I just happened to use those places and like my service and wanted to share.

Oh, and if you follow me on instagram I'm sorry that a lot of these photos are a repeat for ya!

But, if you don't follow me and want to my username is plainojeni!

{Real Party} Little Pumpkin Sip and See

2011-11-17T07:50:00.001-08:00

This week is the week of baby showers here at the blog...

Monday we saw a {Real Party} of a rustic, yet soft baby shower for a girl

Tuesday we saw a {Real Party} of a modern robot-themed shower for a boy

Wednesday was {Working on it Wednesday} with inspiration for a woodland-themed shower

~*~

Today I have photos from another {Real Party}!

My friends and family were super sweet and threw me a Sip & See for our visit back to Oklahoma.

It was a great opportunity for us to celebrate the little guy while seeing all our friends and family in one place. And, since a lot of our friends in Oklahoma recently had kiddos of their own it was an opportunity for us to meet their little ones as well.

My mom, sister and friend Jill really went all out in decorating for this party. My mom created all the paper goods using scrapbook paper and stickers. She even did the little cupcake toppers out of scrapbooks supplies. They used pumpkins, hay bails,fall foliage and even potpourri on the tables to bring out the feeling of fall.

Jill created name tags for all of the guests since our guests were from all different parts of our lives—h.s. friends, college friends, after-college friends and a ton of family. She also created little tissue paper pumpkins (via Martha) filled with candies for the favors.

The food was AMAZING. My step-mom, Teresa, and my mom made all of the food. They decided to do a dessert buffet with coffee, coffee-punch and water to drink. The menu included: pumpkin cupcakes, orange dip and fruit, mocha scones, acorn bites, s'mores pops, chocolate chippies and so much more! It was really, really delicious.

A lot of our friends and family have little ones of various ages so a kids table was a must. Each bag had toys, carrots, apples, juice, fruit by the foot and crayons. Coloring books were spread out on the table so the kids would not be bored while all the adults were chatting.

Of course the carrots were barely touched.

The ladies also put together a little gift table with photos of our little guy and an activity for guests to work on. Each guest got to fill out an advice form that we will keep and save for our little guy as he gets older. Then they would hang the advice from the clothes line above the table. Some guests even put money on the line for us... it was all so sweet.

Our little family felt so very blessed.

Thank you to my mom, step-mom, sis and to Jill (and her family!) for throwing us this amazing party. I kept getting questions from everyone asking when I had the time to throw the party or what part of the party I did and it was very fun saying,
"Not a thing! They did it all."

I couldn't have done it better myself.

Thank you for checking out our party!
I think a lot of these details would transfer nicely to a very pretty Thanksgiving table!

{Working on it Wednesday} Woodland Baby Shower

2011-11-16T08:05:00.001-08:00

This week is Baby Shower week here at the blog. Need baby shower inspiration for a mommy-to-be having a girl? Check out this beautiful shower for baby Fern. How about a mommy-to-be having a boy? Check out this fun robot shower.

~*~

Today's {Working on it Wednesday} is all about another baby shower.

I'm working on a Woodland Themed Baby Shower for a friend who is due in February with a little girl.

The hardest part of designing this party has actually been narrowing down inspiration because there is so much out there right now for this theme. I also would like to create at least one element that hasn't been done a thousand times before. That part might be a little bit of a challenge.

The inspiration behind the party is from a print from Green Nest on Etsy.

As for the color scheme...I'm super excited about using greens, browns and turquoise throughout the party with just little touches of pink. I don't want the party drowning in pink, but as I just had a little boy I am dying to use this color!

And, even though I'm not the biggest fan of pink I do tend to use it in my parties.

(See my Cherry Blossom wedding shoot & Library Themed party)

Maybe it is just a good celebratory color for me?

I am toying with the idea of putting a winter spin on it because the party will be thrown in January. I mean...won't all those woodland creatures look just ADORABLE sitting in piles of snow? But, that is just a thought right now. What would you do?

Inspiration board images:

Felt Woodland Creatures PDF Pattern from Little Dear on Etsy

A Baby Shower for Fern from The Little Things We Do

Owl Sketches via Alisa Burke

Moss Flower Arrangements via Tradewind Tiaras

Owl Cupcake Tutorial via BumpSmitten

Moss filled invitation from Woodland Wonderland Styled Shoot on 100 Layer Cake

Woodland Cupcake Stand via Parents.com

Moss covered Dessert Trays from Woodland Wonderland Styled Shoot on 100 Layer Cake

Twig Pencils from Acme Party Box Company

I'm really excited to design this shower. I can't wait to use wood, moss and felt throughout the party. I think I'll have to break out the sewing machine and make tons of felt woodland creatures!

Fun layouts from PuglyPixel.com

{Real Party} Robot Baby Shower

2011-11-14T21:57:00.001-08:00

I'm just going to call this week the week of baby showers.

Yesterday we got to see a lovely, rustic shower for baby Fern.

Today...the robot baby shower thrown for me and my little man by my lovely friends.

~*~

My friends put together this amazing invitation to really give guests an idea of what to expect at the party. I love the colors, because they are some of what we ended up doing in our little guys nursery. I also love the wording:

"Greetings, Humans!"

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it:"

"Affirmative(!)"

The geek in me rejoiced.

Guests arrived to see robot signs pointing the way to the welcome table where the hosts had purchased a book for everyone to sign. The book, "Go the F*** to Sleep" is hilarious

(but, will be for us to read until my lil guy is no longer little.)

They also purchased adorable robot suckers from an Etsy shop for favors.

(unfortunately I cannot find the Etsy shop...if you know please send me an e-mail so I can properly link!)

The decor was so adorable! The hosts used the color scheme of blue, orange, green, yellow and grey throughout the party in the paper goods, balloons, ribbons and even the food.

I loved the welcome banner so much that I also hung it in the hospital room after baby was born.

The small details really set a well-crafted party aside from just a normal party. The little pictures of Xander Harris (a character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer...one of my favorite shows growing up) really made me laugh. It was such a fun detail since my son was being named Xander.

(My son is named after his grandfather, not the Buffy character. That was just an added bonus.)

The drink and food tags cracked me up. I could just imagine my friends coming up with these things:

Drinks= Lubricants

Blueberry Lemonade= Ascorbic Acid & Blue Fruit Elixir
Veggie Platter= Fiber Matter Platter

Food=Filler Matter

Fruit Platter= Fructose Matter Platter

Cupcakes= Micro Cake Cups

Too Funny!

And, as I've said before... I'm not a fan of traditional baby shower games. So I was super excited to see that my friends had a fun activity planned instead of the games.

Everyone created Xander a robot onesie by taking different robot parts and ironing them to the onesies. Added bonus: my friends realized that the little guy wouldn't stay in one size for long so they bought different sized onesies! He will have robot outfits until he is 1!

Thanks for checking out my baby shower and a big thanks to my lovely friends who put this shin-dig together.

You know who you are!

{Real Party} A Shower for Baby Fern

2011-11-14T09:28:00.001-08:00

Happy {Mommy Monday}!

I have a special treat for you today... a {Real Party} post from one of my favorite bloggers,

Lauren from The Little Things We Do.

Lauren just had a baby shower thrown by her friends, including fellow blogger Becca from Life @ 1521. I was super excited when Lauren said I could feature the shower here because there are so many great details that could translate into a ton of different parties.

{Decor}

The shower was themed around the name chosen for Lauren's little girl, Fern. (Such a pretty name!)

The hosts used rustic details to really make this party special. I love the use of ferns in a variety of bottles and pine cones in jars. All of the rustic details are then contrasted with the softness of yarn.

Baby shower for a baby girl without pink?

LOVE IT!

(Oh, and... how amazing is that livingroom?)

{Activities}

Instead of traditional baby shower games the hosts opted for some fun activities.

(This makes me happy. Anyone else feel incredibly AWKWARD playing games that involve chugging out of baby bottles or smelling chocolate laden diapers?)

The acitvities included guessing baby Fern's birthday &

Finger Knitting garland for baby Fern's nursery.

{The Menu}

The drinks and food from this party make me wish I had been there! The hosts put together a hot cocoa bar with fixins. The fixins included caramels, truffles, whipped cream, peppermints and more. Homemade Gingerale was also served and I can't wait to try the recipe!

The food table is gorgeous, isn't it? I love the pine cone filled jars lit with the surrounding tea lights. The stamped flags are also a fabulous and fun detail.

French toast, scones, blueberry muffins...oh my!

{The Favors}

The hosts created cute little pom bouquets as favors for the guests. This is a fabulous idea for a couple of reasons: A) Not spending an arm and a leg on favors and B) The guests can put these out in their house to decorate for Fall and will be reminded of sweet baby Fern everytime they see them!

{The Guest(s) of Honor}

Thank you to Lauren for letting me feature this adorable shower on the blog. Congrats to you and your family!

If you are as in love with this party as I am then you might want to check out Becca's post on it that has a ton more photos and links to the delicious food recipes and a finger knitting tutorial.

Oh, and the great photo templates used above are a freebie from puglypixel.com.

Friday Finds: Thanksgiving Goodies

2011-11-10T22:10:00.001-08:00

via

Okay, so... I LOVE the holidays. But, as I used to work in retail, Christmas music playing on the overhead makes me cringe before Thanksgiving.

I mean... it was October when I first heard the music this year for goodness sakes.

So, I'm going to go ahead and be with Nordstrom and keep

Christmas from the blog until November 27.

But, then...

check back often, because I have some fun things happening this December on the blog!

(Don't take it wrong if you're already featuring Christmas on your blogs.

Believe me, I'm reading them and pinning ideas away!)

Thankfully, there is a TON of inspiration out there for this year's Thanksgiving festivites.

Thanksgiving Goodies I've been Finding:

Via Cottage and Vine Etsy Shop

1. I think burlap looks amazing on festive Fall tablescapes.
These placemats from Cottage and Vine look devine! And, if it is too late to get these you could immitate the look by cutting burlap placemats for your dinner guests.

2. Babble has a nice round up of 14 Thanksgiving Printables.

3. Did you know that Pottery Barn has a Design Studio website with tips on entertaining?
I didn't until recently and I am addicted!
Check out these great tips on how to make a successful kids table for your Thanksgiving feast.

Via Twinkle and Twine

4. Twinkle and Twine has a fantastic tutorail on how to make reusable, felt multi-use bunting by creating several felt letters that will spell different things. So smart and the instructions make it so easy.

5. I've recently dicovered How Sweet It Is and the amazing recipes on it. I think this Apple Cider Margarita and Sweet Potato pie will both be making an appearance at this year's Thanksgiving.

Happy Friday everyone!

{Working on it Wednesday} Fall Themed Birthday Party

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Birthdays are my favorite excuse to throw a party.

My friend's birthdays are my favorite birthdays to celebrate.

(Well, until my little guy's first birthday... I'm sure.)

Alicia's birthday cake from last year—Carrot Cake!

My friend Alicia has a birthday near the end of November which gives me the perfect excuse to have a Fall themed Dinner party in her honor. I've been brainstorming on the party for about a week now and I'm getting quite excited about it.

Table from Alicia's birthday dinner 2 years ago.

I've decided to make the party a sort of challenge for me to help me keep it on budget and to inspire me to do some fun DIY projects for the blog.

The Details:

Guests: Approximately 16 Guests

Color Scheme: Browns and Blues inspired by this Inspiration Board from Creature Comforts

Inspiration Board Links: Burlap and Lace Poms from Jenny Cookies,Winter Tablescape from unknown via Pinterest (if you know please let me know so I can link), Color Inspiration Board from Creature Comforts, Clear Bottles as Candle Holders

I'd like to explore different textures and lighting for this party...

and of course have some delicious food!

Food Inspiration Board Links: Braised Beef Short Rib Pot Pies from Martha Stewart, Spinach with Garlic Chips from Pioneer Woman, Roasted Carrots from Pioneer Woman, Cake inspiration from Jenny Cookies

The Challenge Rules:

Decoration Budget: $25 (must use mostly items that I already own)

Food & Favor Budget: $100

As we are a foodie group each of the guests are bringing a bottle of wine and a dessert or appetizer.

So, my food and favor budget must cover the main course, 2 sides, 2 bottles of wine and favors for 16 people. Certainly a challenge, but totally doable!

Gift Budget: $0— Must be completely homemade from supplies I already own.

This would be slightly less possible if I didn't already have something in mind and have an over abundance of supplies at the moment.

{Performing Pins} My Mustard Addiction

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

I'm a fan of Pinterest.com.

(In case you couldn't tell!)

But, like many fans I often pin away and don't actually do/buy/make anything I've pinned.

(Sad Face)

Lately I have been challenging myself to actually DO the things I've pinned.

This challenge is going to be named {Performing Pins}.

(not too clever, I know.)

If you look at my pinterest board "My Cool Mom Clothing Wants" you might notice

(like I did)

that I have a thing for the color mustard.

Sources from top left clockwise: Dark Mustard Tank; Mustard Tank, Bag, Bracelet; Mustard Tights; Mustard Heels; Mustard Tank Blouse*

* No longer for sale

So, when shopping for the fall I kinda went Mustard crazy.

Mustard flannel hat from local Fred Meyer, Mustard tights from Hue, Mustard top from Target and Mustard flats from Old Navy.

So, what has this got to do with parties? Well, not a WHOLE lot..

except, that it totally inspired a recent party look for me!

My lovely friends and family recently threw me and my little family a Sip and See when we traveled home to Oklahoma. (Photos coming to the blog soonish.)

I needed something cute, comfortable, Fall-like and party-worthy.

I pulled my inspiration from this BEAUTIFUL picture on Dee*Construction.

Photo Credit: Dee*Construction

I loved the boots. I loved the blue dress. I loved the cardigan. And, I LOVED the mustard tights.

So, I went with it... I did need to find a blue dress with button down front or a flexible v-neck so feeding the little one would be no trouble and I knew that I'd be wearing my dark brown boots and tan sweater so I had to make the outfit work with that. Here is what I came up with:

Me with my friend Jill (who helped throw the party)

And, our well coordinated family photo:

Sweater: Forever 21, Dress: Old Navy, Tights: Hue.com, Boots: Sonoma Life & Style from Kohls
*All of the above links go to the main site because all of the styles (except the tights) are no longer being sold

I think this look would be great for a
Fall baby shower (as I wore it), Thanksgiving dinner or even a Sunday brunch.

If you'd like to see all the new things I've been pinning then follow my Pinterest boards!

If you need an invite then please e-mail me!

And, if you are into Mustard then check out these posts by RubyGirl (Mustard Tights 3 Ways) and Vintage Pretty Pearl (Mustard on my Mind).

What is your favorite color this fall?

Anything Pinteresting that you've been doing lately?

Portland Bloggers Meet Up

2011-11-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

Blogging is a sort of community.

As you read people's blogs you get a sense of knowing them. As you comment on their blog you reach out and start a dialogue that can lead to a form of friendship. It is a new sort of friendship... but, it usually stays on the web. I've always been intrigued by people who have created real-life friendships with their blogging friends. And, as I am sort of awkward and shy (yes, a shy girl who throws parties) I've never really ventured out into the real-world with my blogging friends.

(Honestly, I sort of felt like someone might think I was a stalker if I asked!)

But, this weekend I had the opportunity to meet some of the people whom I've been following and commenting with in the blogosphere. I also got to discover some pretty amazing ladies who have fun blogs that I now get to explore.

This last weekend I attended a Portland Blogger's Meet-Up

(there has got to be a better name for this)

and, since there were about 20+ bloggers, there were a LOT of cameras getting shots of our meeting.

Craft supplies and nail polish so everyone could work on projects if they wanted

Those pictured above (that I know... if you are pictured please let me know and I'll link you!)

Lauren from The Little Things We Do, Nicole from Running in Heels, Sara from Glitter and Grace

A group of ladies crafting at one of the craft stations. How cute is Lauren pregnant!?

Those pictured above (that I know... if you are pictured please let me know and I'll link you!)

Danika from Good Heart, Nicole from Nicole Marie Who!? with Ilana?, Alisa of Berezki Concrete Jewelry

Everyone talked so much that very little crafting got done... it was wonderful to see everyone getting along so well and so easily.

From Left: Denise from All Things New, Danica from Good Heart, Domnika from Domnika's Nest and Olga from Vintage Pretty

Aren't these ladies ADORABLE?
Everyone dressed so cute for the event that I had to get some photos of their great outfits.

And, then I had to get photos with them!

I had a really great time because this is one of my favorite type of parties. Sometimes a nice relaxed party is just what the doctor ordered. But, of course with a few well-crafted details!

Are you a blogger? What do you think of meeting other bloggers?

Friday Finds: New Blogs and Pinteresting Thoughts

2011-11-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! It is almost time for another weekend. As I am now starting back to work a couple nights a week and weekends the whole Friday thing doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Although, maybe now it will be "Whoohoo! It is Friday...time to make some MONEY!" But, probably not.

Relax... it is the weekend!

I really try to have a few new finds for you to peruse throughout the weekend. Mainly because I love blogs that do this and find so many cool things from my favorite blogs link posts. But, also because throughout the week I read hundreds of blog posts and/or articles and I typically come across something I think is SO cool I just have to share it. Well, here are some of those things!

Screen Shot of IgoYOUgo

This week the blog owner of IgoYOUgo left a comment on one of my posts and I am so glad she did! I discover SO many new blogs this way...don't you? Anyways, IgoYougo is a lifestyle blog that posts fun items throughout the week that include party stuff, pop-culture, exercise tips, recipes and more. I love the big bold colors and clean layout of the site.

But, more than that, I love the IDEA behind the name.

screen shot of IgoYougo's about page- check the page out to read more!

I love inspiration boards and I especially love the ones by Creature Comforts that really bring together color. The blues and browns of THIS BOARD make me super excited about a Fall birthday dinner party I'm throwing soon.
I love Pinterest. (If you haven't been able to tell already!) So, House of Hepworth's conversation about Pinterest was very interesting to me. Pinterest makes it super easy to link things back to their original source... but, there are some problems with that at times and some people aren't linking things back correctly. I think some people don't know how and I think repinning things can cause some problems. Of course some of my work has been featured on other websites (whether with my permission or not) and then is pinned without linking things back directly to me. I haven't cared so much now (this is just a hobby at the moment)... but, if I was trying to make a livelihood off of this I might feel different. How do you feel about Pinterest and what ways do you think people could be better informed about linking correctly?

Photo Source: A Thousand Words: Daniel's Duvet Cover

Oh my goodness... while reading one of my favorite blogs, I Heart Organizing, I came across a fabulous guest post about keeping your child's artwork. Jen from A Thousand Words has done the MOST AMAZING things with the artwork of her two boys. You'll just have to check out the post and her site to learn more about this... but, a big hint: the duvet cover above was A) hand made and B) is covered in her son's sketches and C) has a tutorial!!!
I loved the Pretty Parties Series over at C.R.A.F.T—So much inspiration! Check out their Grand Finale where they list all the goodies including tutorials and freebies!

Oh Happy Day's post on Project Wedding for Glass Jar Typography—A certain fall birthday party may need these!
Fall Party Planning Tips on a Budget on Celebrations—Loved the hanging tables!
Make a Gift Wrap Station—Two Shades of Pink
Starry String Lights featured on IgoYOUgo from Restoration Hardware—I NEED THESE!

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and weekend.

Let me know if you liked any of these finds!

Happy Birthday Seester

2011-11-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Today is my seester's birthday.

She is awesome.

This pretty little lady is a teacher and photographer.

She is super talented and such a hard worker.

And, look at her... she is just so darn cute!

My sister is 11 months younger than me. We grew up sharing a room and nearly everything else. We spent many days fighting and many nights giggling. Living across the country from her has been one of the most difficult parts of me moving away. I'm so very thankful for the internet, phones, and halfway affordable airfare so that I still get to see her!

Posing like silly at her wedding.

Posing with our grandma

Happy Birthday Heather!

Wish I was there to help you celebrate!