Craft That Party

Ready, Set, Grill Sponsored by Wayfair - Monterey Chicken and Cornbread Recipe

2020-06-24T18:36:00.001-07:00

This post is sponsored by Wayfair, a brand I love and shop regularly.

I hope you enjoy their products and selection as much as I do!

When my hubby and I got married we were gifted money to purchase a grill for our new house. That first winter was especially cold and harsh and the grill money was used to pay for an urgently needed snowblower (which we named Murray). We have now been married 17 years and finally, FINALLY we are purchasing that grill. It was worth the wait because it has transformed our patio and summer dining options. And if you are wondering, good old Murray is still running strong and our best friend in the winter months.

So ta-da, our brand new Weber Spirit II E-210 Grill is here! There were SO many great grill options to pick from. We thought this was the perfect size grill for our patio. We've already cooked out three times this week! Today I thought I would share a recipe for a quick summer meal. A friend brought this meal over after the birth of our second baby and it has been a family favorite ever since. It's so simple and easy to make!

The first step is to simply grill chicken breasts on the grill. I cut my chicken breasts in half so they aren't as thick and season with pepper.

Next, place chicken on a baking pan and top each piece with barbecue sauce, shredded cheese, and dice tomatoes (optional bacon bits and green onion as well). Bake in oven at 400 degrees until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Monterey Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup bacon (real or bacon bits)
1 cup Colby and Monterey Jack shredded cheese
1 can dice tomatoes with green chilies (drained)
sliced green onions
pepper

Steps:
1. Grill chicken, season with pepper
2. Place chicken on baking pan and top each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup of cheese, 1/4 cup of tomatoes, green onions, and 1 tablespoon of bacon.
3. Place in oven at 400 degrees and cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve with the most delicious baked corn ever. This corn bread also goes very well with chili.

Baked Cornbread

Ingredients:
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 can of cream-style corn
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup of melted butter
2 eggs
2 (8.5 ounce) packages of Jiffy corn muffin mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine both cans of corn, sour cream, melted butter, corn muffin mix, and lastly the eggs. Mix and pour into a 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35- 45 minutes.

***

Entertaining during a pandemic... not a topic I thought we'd ever have to discuss, but we are all trying to stay safe while enjoying summer. So if you plan on firing up the grill and entertaining guests, consider moving the party completely OUTDOORS. Here are a few ways that our family has personally adapted to be safe.

1. Invite a small group of people over, more room to spread out. We always tell our guests who else we have invited ahead of time so that can decide if they are comfortable coming.

2. We nixed bowls of chips and pretzels for individual snack bags. Our guests can grab a bag rather than lots of hands in one bowl.

3. Skip the good dishes and opt for paper plates and plastic silverware. I know, we are wasting here but clean up is much easier and safer.

4. Have sanitizers, hand soap, tissues, and wipe handy front and center so guests do not have to ask where you keep your supplies.

5. Minimize foot traffic in your house by asking guests to use the closest bathroom to get to, rather than going through the entire house or upstairs. I clean the bathroom before guests arrive and immediately after.

6. Pull out lots of outdoor games to play, such as corn hole, giant Jenga, horse shoes, etc... always guaranteed to be fun and keeps the kids from running inside to play video games (or is that only my kids that ask?)

Hope you have a wonderful, safe summer everyone!

Spooky Seasons House Tour Sponsored by Wayfair

2019-10-23T07:39:00.001-07:00

This post is sponsored by Wayfair, a brand I love and shop regularly.

I hope you enjoy their products and selection as much as I do!

I love decorating for Halloween, but isn't ironic how we dust off the real cobwebs only to replace them with fake ones?!! I'm definitely guilty of that. Thanks to Wayfair, I have some new decorations and ideas to share with you. If you missed my list of fun Halloween finds, you can go back to my last post or visit Wayfair's fantastic holiday decor section!

On to the tour, let's start in the living room...

So here is how the living room fireplace turned out. I draped sheer black fabric over the mantle with my spooky candlesticks planking each end. The vinyl bats on the right side might be my favorite little detail. They were very easy to adhere. They really are just peel and stick.

I made the TREAT banner several years ago out of recycled book pages and Halloween scrap paper.

Le Cabinet de Curiosites Skull Statue was another fun addition to my Halloween decor. It is such a whimsical piece that fit perfectly with my bat and skull theme.

Now to the entryway. A few years ago we added wood re-purposed from a barn in Centre County to create this accent wall. It totally changes the entire look of this room. I love this beveled round mirror so much that I actually have two of them in my house- one here in my entryway and one above the fireplace mantel. I added the black owls and this black feather wreath. Both add some texture to the entry and a touch of extra Halloween spookiness here.

This BOO embroidered throw pillow next to my regular black and white patterned pillows is so cute!

Let's continue the tour outside. I threw together this fall wreath by wrapping it with chevron burlap ribbon and adding some faux leaves and pumpkins. It took 10 minutes to make and cost around $5 in materials. This year I planted kale in my outdoor pots. They are growing beautifully so far!

Thank you for joining me on a little house tour of my Halloween decor.

I'd love to see how you are decorating this fall!

October News: Halloween Must Haves and Pet Costume Contest!

2019-10-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

My fireplace decor is currently transitioning from fall to Halloween. I thought it would be fun to share with you some behind the scenes favorites from Wayfair. All of these items were on my wish list and I picked several for my mantel makeover (stay tuned, coming soon!).

I'm a huge fan of classic black and white Halloween decor, yet love to add pops of color like the purple neon bat or orange striped tablecloth. I enjoy mixing up my decorations each year by putting items in new places or adding something different each year.

Guitierrez Tabletop Neon Sign // More Halloween Lights	Skull Statue // More Halloween Decorations	Cock Tail 19" Feather Wreath // More Halloween Wreaths
Scary Door Decal // More Wall Decals	Halloween Coffee Mug // More Mugs & Teacups	Boo Tea Towel // More Tea & Kitchen Towels
Skeleton Figurine // More Outdoor Halloween Decorations	Skull Novelty Candle // More Indoor Halloween Decorations	Halloween Stripes Tablecloth // More Table Linens
Wave Pumpkin // More Pumpkin Decorations	Cat Candy Bowl // More Serving Bowls	Spider Web Paper Dinner Plate // More Outdoor Serving & Tableware

Wayfair is also hosting the most adorable Halloween pet costume contest! Be sure to check it out. There are fun prizes to be won!

My Halloween mantel reveal will be coming soon....!

Taste of Summer Sponsored by Wayfair: Jalapeno Limeade Cocktail Recipe

2019-06-25T14:53:00.001-07:00

This post is sponsored by Wayfair, a brand I love and shop regularly.

I hope you enjoy their products and selection as much as I do!

Summer temperatures here are finally starting to heat up. Today I'm sharing a recipe for a jalapeno cocktail that is so delicious that you'll never drink plain lemonade again. I love the zest of lime in contrast to the spicy flavors of the jalapenos. It's refreshment with a kick!

Drinks on the patio are perfectly served from my new Bucksport Bar Serving Cart from Wayfair. There are two levels to the cart, plenty of room for drinks, glasses, and snacks.

I love this cart so much, I wanted to show you how versatile it is. We had more company coming over, so we stocked the cart this time with wine and glasses. Three wine bottles fit in there perfectly. It is so pretty anyway you style it.

Wayfair has so many great choices for outdoor entertaining, from these outdoor patio carts to outdoor rugs and kitchen must haves! Here's where you can shop the look:

Bucksport Bar Serving Cart

Sea Turtle Outdoor Rug

Outdoor Wicker Chaise Lounge

Spring Forward Sponsored by Wayfair

2019-02-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

This post is sponsored by Wayfair, a brand I love and shop regularly.

I hope you enjoy their products and selection as much as I do!

The winter months give us the perfect opportunity to complete indoor projects before we spring forward into outdoor priorities. My to-do list included cleaning and purging closets, replacing bathroom towels, and sprucing up the first floor bathroom. For years, it's looked unfinished. Our bathroom needed better organization. Since this is the main bathroom used by guests, it was important to organize our clutter better. Here are before and after pictures to show our bathroom transformation. On the left you can see the wall is big and empty. The after shows how dramatically shelving and better organization can transform a small space.

First step was finding the proper shelving for this big empty wall. Measuring your space - width and depth is very important. Wayfair had so many beautiful options. Notice the standard towel rack has been replaced with a sleek towel bar attached to the shelf. I LOVE how this quick project changed the space!

It was so hard to choose, Wayfair has so many great shelving choices. Below were the top contenders. Ultimately I went with the Drew two piece wall shelf set. It was the perfect size and stain color for our space.

- ONE - TWO -

- THREE - FOUR - FIVE -

- AFTER -

This white ladder shelf is one the opposite wall. It's the perfect place to display our beach mementos. I just framed these beautiful vintage postcards that were written to my grandmother from her grandparents urging her to visit Nantucket someday. I love adding decorative touches like this that are meaningful and personal.

Arranging shelves can be fun. Think color, texture, and balance. I also always try to add an element of nature, such as the succulent and starfish. For texture, the cotton balls, hand towels, and basket with leather handles. For height, the vintage lantern which also adds an unexpected pop of blue. I just love how much more organized and finished the space looks. Thanks Wayfair for helping me complete my winter projects. What projects do you hope to finish before we spring forward?

For more information on shelving options from Wayfair, visit here for wall & display shelves and bookcases.

Life of the Party: Sponsored by Wayfair

2018-10-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year... to entertain! Time for friends and family to gather in the next few months to celebrate all things fall, football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and winter! During these busy entertaining months, I keep lots of food and drink options on hand for any planned and impromptu gatherings that may occur. Wine and coffee seem to be the most popular drink options at our parties, so I am sharing my must have party item of the season- an espresso maker! This machine has taken our entertaining options to the next level.

Since this was my first time operating an espresso maker, I thought I would share a few tips that I learned. Make sure to measure out your coffee using the included scoop, then use the flat end to gently press the coffee into the filter. You want the coffee to be pressed lightly, but not so hard that the coffee will not filter through. If the espresso doesn't flow quickly, then the coffee is packed too tightly.

Be sure to preheat your coffee cup. The directions do say to do this and I skipped that step the first time. The coffee does indeed taste much better in a preheated cup.

To make cappuccinos, use the steam option to froth milk in a separate cup. There are all kinds of coffee options you can create depending on the amount of froth and steam milk added to the espresso. Our friends and family enjoyed creating their own coffee creations that were a little more fun and unique than they would typically make at home. The quality of the cappuccinos were outstanding!

Wayfair has so many great products for entertaining. I am always inspired by their huge selection! Here's a few more that I currently have my eye on...

French Press

Tinware Espresso Mugs

Vintage Coffee Sign

Espresso Machine

Move The Party Outside: Sponsored by Wayfair

2018-04-04T07:11:00.003-07:00

We love moving our entertaining outdoors. As soon as the weather breaks, we are dusting off our patio furniture and calling our friends to come over. Hosting game nights can be simple, easy, and fun, We love discovering new activities to play outside. Thanks to Wayfair, we are adding a Giant Tumbling Tower to our roster of outdoor games. This giant set is seriously addictive for all ages!

I use a chalkboard easel to map out where guests can find all the party highlights. When hosting an outdoor party, I try to keep everything outside to minimize indoor foot traffic- including food, drinks, and trash/recycling.

I always decorate our metal utensil holder to match the theme of the party. Food signs are also helpful for guests, especially if you have people with specific food allergies that need foods separated.

Wayfair has a HUGE selection of Giant Board Games for the Yard! I am eyeing up the giant wood dice and giant connect 4 game next! The kids got such a kick out of the wood pieces being so BIG!

Here are our TOP FIVE favorite games to play when hosting outdoor parties:

1. Twister, a classic and fun game. Just grab a spinner and start calling out directions!

2. Jenga. I've added our new giant tumbling tower set to this must play list! It's fun for all ages and can be played with any number of people.

3. Headbands Game. The person guessing has a picture on their headband that they cannot see. Everyone else acts out the clue without speaking for the guesser to try and figure out.

4. Charades. A single person acts out a clue for the group to guess without speaking.

5. Croquet, once you learn the rules this is a super fun game to set up and play in the yard. If you have enough players, you can even have your our tournament!

For more outdoor inspiration, visit Wayfair's HUGE selection of Giant Board Games for the Yard and outdoor dining and entertaining selections.

Must Haves for a Cozy Night In...

2018-01-18T10:02:00.002-08:00

Hi friends! I'm over on Wayfair sharing my blogger picks for must have items to set the mood for a cozy night in...from the perfect love seat and coffee table, to servingware, cocktails, and dinner. Hope you enjoy my selections. Let me know if you have a favorite item!

Dover Wine Bar Cabinet	Classic Mule Mug	Peruse Loveseat
Keepsake USB 3 Speed Turntable	Multi Game Table	Leo Pizza Set
Laguna Coffee Table	Popcorn Bowls with Kernel Catcher	Evening Reverie Wine Accent Tray
Garfield Bean Bag Chair	3 Piece Salad Bowl	Cabin Plaid Flannel Sherpa Cotton Throw

Summer Solstice Celebrations Sponsored by Wayfair

2017-06-26T12:11:00.003-07:00

I have been compensated for this post as a member of the Wayfair Homemaker Program,

all ideas and opinions are completely my own #sponsored

Summer Solstice is one of my very favorite days of the entire year. Every June 21st, the sun sets at 8:35pm. We get to enjoy an astounding 16 hours and 38 minutes of sunlight. This is truly a day to get outside and celebrate. It means summer is in full swing and my kids are playing outside all day long until the lighting bugs are the only playmates left outside.

There are so many different ways to celebrate the extra daylight... a quiet night on the porch with drinks, invite friends over for dinner, or throw a good old fashioned neighborhood block party. We've done all three, but the neighborhood gatherings are always something special. It doesn't take much to throw together a backyard block party- food, music, drinks, and lots of kids running around. Sometimes even a theme is born and games appear, and prizes! We turned an ordinary evening into a neighborhood carnival... you can find all the details here.

I've put together a list of my favorite outdoor entertaining must haves from Wayfair... from popcorn makers, to cotton candy machines, and retro coolers. Each add something extra special to outdoor celebrations.

Happy Summer Solstice celebrations everyone!

Photo Credit: Allison Duda of A Joy Photography

Summer Patio Living

2017-06-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. We are cleaning the outdoor furniture and getting our patio set up for summer entertaining. We've been working hard to landscape around the edges of our patio and now need to focus on the patio decor itself.

Adding flowers and potted plants is the perfect way to freshen up any outdoor space. This Areca Palm Tree from Commercial Silk was the perfect low maintenance and low fuss addition. It added a tropical, relaxed vibe around our chaise lounges.

The palm tree came in a nice black pot, but I placed it in a larger geometric blue planter pot to really make the entire plant pop with color and fullness. I would love to get a few more palm trees to really fill in this area. The palm also has a nice weight to it and has not budged at all despite the gusty winds we get through here. Sadly, I cannot hang outdoor lights or Edison bulbs out here because of our crazy winds. All in all, I am extremely happy with my new little green friend. It brings a little piece of Maui living to our country patio.

A special thanks to Commercial Silk for sending me this product to review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Memorial Day Ideas Sponsored by Wayfair

2017-05-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have been compensated for this post as a member of the Wayfair Homemaker Program,

all ideas and opinions are completely my own #sponsored

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick off to summer. I can almost smell the burgers cooking on the grill and fresh corn on the cob. Our family Memorial Day traditions center around three main things- family cookouts, gardening, and Opening Day of (Little League) baseball!

We start the long weekend off by doing some gardening prep and yard work. Our garden gets tilled, the starter seeds get planted, and all our large planter pots are filled with flowers. This just freshens up the entire outside of the house! I dream about having a potting table like this someday!

Next, we are off to baseball! Memorial Day is always Opening Day in our town for Little League. We pack our coolers with drinks and snacks and head to the baseball fields! This family size cooler packs up our food perfectly, and folds down flat when not in use.

Finally after all the work is done in the garden and baseball fields, we head home to spend the evening relaxing and cooking out with family. Food always tastes better right off the grill. We grill burgers, hot dogs, and vegetables with lots of sides such as pasta salad, coleslaw, and raspberry pretzel salad (a family favorite).

Below I've shared my Wayfair Memorial Day Ideas Board full of my favorite items that help kick start our Memorial Day weekend festivities. Hope you enjoy and have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Party Like a Pineapple: Pineapple Moscow Mule Recipe

2017-03-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Every celebration should have a signature drink. It's an easy and fun way to continue a party theme right into the menu. The drink of choice for our Party Like a Pineapple Party was a Pineapple Moscow Mule.

Grab your Moscow Mule mug and let's start mixing...

Pineapple Moscow Mule Recipe

Ingredients:

Dole Pineapple Juice

Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka

Reed's Ginger Beer

Fresh Pineapple (for garnish)
Ice

Moscow Mule Mug

Directions:

Fill mug with ice. Measure 3 oz vodka and 3 oz of pineapple juice and pour into mug. Top with 6 oz of ginger beer. Stir and serve. Garnish with fresh pineapple.

For more details about my Pineapple Party, visit the Shindigz Party Ideas page!

Dinner and a Movie at Home Sponsored by Wayfair

2017-01-17T15:37:00.001-08:00

I have been compensated for this post as a member of the Wayfair Homemaker Program,

all ideas and opinions are completely my own #sponsored

When you have a hectic week, dinner and a movie at home sounds pretty amazing, right? In fact, those nights at home are my favorite. I've teamed up with Wayfair to show you how to create the perfect night in.

Let's start with dinner. I love making homemade pizza. I make my dough from scratch, but feel free to cheat as little or as much you want here. You can buy dough from the grocery store or even your favorite pizza place, or use flat breads such as naan bread. Fire it in the oven, pour some wine, and you have dinner in less than 15 minutes!

Chocolate Popcorn Recipe

Time to cue up the popcorn! For special nights in, my family requests chocolate popcorn- it's a little sweet and salty to satisfy all cravings! To make your own at home all you need is popping corn and chocolate melts.

Pop your kernels and spread popcorn out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Melt chocolate melts in the microwave for 2-3 minutes on medium. Spread over popcorn and toss until it starts to harden. Season with salt this point if desired.

Once the chocolate has hardened, your popcorn is ready to divide up and serve in popcorn bowls like these! I just love these because they have a removable bottom that catches those unwanted un-popped kernels!

3...2..1 movie time. Cozy up with a warm blanket and enjoy your movie. Here are my top picks and inspiration board to help plan your perfect dinner and a movie at home!

Go Outside and Play! Ideas for Healthier Kids with CLIF Kid

2016-11-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you are running a marathon from the moment your kids step off the bus until their heads hit the pillow? A lot of days in our house do feel like that as we run from Cub Scouts, to fall sports, piano lessons, and other evening activities. As busy as our days can be, we always leave room for outdoor play. Play helps my kids decompress from their school day as well as providing exercise and social development with friends.

My kids are pretty exhausted when they get home from school. I encourage them to grab water and a healthy snack to refuel and head outside for at least an hour. CLIF Kid makes the perfect on the go snack for my active kids. CLIF Kid Zbar® are made with organic ingredients and contain no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup. My kids just care that they taste good and come in fun flavors. Goblin Chocolate Chip is the current favorite flavor in our house!

It's so nice when my kids ask, "Can I have one of the those yummy bars for a snack?" and I can enthusiastically say YES!

Now that the kids are fed and hydrated, it's time to get outside and play! Do you remember as kids our parents would say don't come back until dark? 70% of us moms did just that. Sadly today, only 30% of kids play outside. I would love to see more parents unplug devices and encourage kids to get outside. We do just that for at least an hour a day. Here are a few of our favorite ways to play outside...

Encourage your kids to pull out their scooters, bikes, and roller blades! My kids make up games where they enforce traffic laws. One of my boys will be the police officer while the other is the "driver". They make their own stop signs, toll gates, and speeding tickets!

My absolute favorite sports invention ever the the BOUNCE BACK NET! My boys throw balls at that net for hours. They make up their own challenges and goals to see how many passes or throws they can make.

Chalk is another one of my favorite outdoor toys. We keep a huge bucket of chalk in the garage. It's very inexpensive and can provide hours of entertainment!

Chalk can transform any play area into a sports field, pretend road, four square court, or hopscotch game. The possibilities are endless!

This short video shares more about how CLIF Kid is dedicated to reclaiming play for our kids. Be sure to check it out!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Disney Descendants Birthday Party

2016-02-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Disney Descendants fans, grab your poisonous apples, magic mirrors and wands, and get ready to throw one seriously awesome and evil birthday party!

The Descendants of some of the most villainous characters in Disney history are sent to live on the Isle of the Lost until Prince Ben, the teenage son of King Adam and Queen Belle decided to change this ruling. He invites Carlos, son of Cruella De Vil, Jay, son of Jafar, Mal, daughter of Maleficent, and Evie, daughter of The Evil Queen to live on Auradon and attend his school called Auradon Prep.

There are so many great characters in this movie, you can easily pick your favorite to base your party around. I focused this party around the main characters Maleficent and her daughter Mal. They both wear lots of purple and black, so I chose to use those as my main party colors. If you look closely you will find hints of the other characters here too!

I try to think outside the box when looking for serving ware, tablecloths and backdrops to coordinate with my Birthday Express party supplies. My tablecloth is a fuzzy black comforter, the backdrop is a curtain panel, and my Maleficent's head piece is sitting on an upside down trash can! I loved the sparkle accent and metallic silver look it brought to the table. I hung two black paper chandeliers on either side of the table and used an over-sized cardboard frame to display Maleficent's hat as a work of art.

I found white pedestal candy jars at my local thrift sore and filled them with blue and Purple sixlets. I then placed these two Disney Descendant cake toppers (Evie's gold compact and Mal's gold coronation tiara) on top of each filled candy pedestal.

I kept desserts simple, a DIY-ish birthday cake, candy bar, and candy apples. To create purple poisonous apples, I simply dipped melted chocolate on the pointed end of a small wood dessert stick (sold in the dessert section next to cake pop sticks), and place into the center of the apple. Let dry, then dip the entire apple in the melted chocolate, and tap off excess chocolate. Immediately add sprinkles, candy, nuts, or any other embellishments to the candy apple, then place on wax paper to let dry.

Last, you need a birthday cake! I grabbed my fairy godmother wand and wished up this cake. Well, not exactly. I bought a cake at the store and did my own DIY magic to it. I wanted it to look less traditional, more fun, and a little messy and evil. Here's how I did it...

Find a basic, store bought cake. Remove all existing decorations. Melt desired colored chocolates. I used bright purple, black, and lime green. Melt a small amount of chocolate in the microwave on medium low heat (30-60 seconds). Stir and splatter directly on cake. Repeat with other colors to create a layered splattered look.

The lovable Carlos, son of Cruella De Vil would approve of these dog bone crayon cases! Each dog bone case holds six different color crayons inside. Wouldn't they make great party favors?!!!

I hope this inspires you to conjure up a little party magic of your own!

New Year, New Room with Wayfair

2016-01-25T08:32:00.004-08:00

I have been compensated for this post as a member of the Wayfair Homemaker Program,

all ideas and opinions are completely my own.

Given the chance to refresh a room in your house, which space would you choose? Hands down I would go right to the central hub of our house, the dining room. We use this space for homework, crafting, eating, and entertaining. Inspired by the beautiful products offered by Wayfair, this is how I would refresh my dining room for the new year. It has a little bit of everything, a tee pee for the kids to play in, toy and art storage (that doubles as an adorable storage cart!), a new dramatic chandelier, trays, dishes, and furniture. I'm all for finding ways to make organization look pretty and sophisticated.

I hope this inspires a refresh of your own. Even the smallest change can make a big difference in your space. For more ideas, head over to my New Year, New Room Idea Board on Wayfair!

Daniel Tiger's Grr-ific Neighborhood Party!

2015-12-08T18:42:00.002-08:00

Hi Neighbor!

"Ugga Mugga" to all my Daniel Tiger fans out there! I love this brightly colored, animated program for preschoolers based on the PBS Series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood! The show focuses on important lessons like social skills, counting, good manners, and eating healthy. Our dessert table is full of healthy alternatives to traditional sweets, just take a look at my party menu!

Baker Aker baked us some banana bread muffins in these bright red polka dot cupcake liners and topped with adorable character toppers from Shop Fluff.

To create my backdrop, I wrapped my large foam board (bought at an art store) with blue wrapping paper. I then attached Daniel Tiger wall decals on top of my wrapping paper. This creates a dramatic backdrop for our dessert table and takes less than 5 minutes to make!

Apples, apples, everywhere! I added Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood plastic rings to store bought candy apples to create a custom dessert for our table. I also filled a wood crate with fresh apples.

O the Owl and Katerina Kat agree that mini apples pies are perfect for fall parties! I added festive red flags picks in each mini pie to continue the use of bright colors throughout the party.

Miss Elaina, O the Owl, Daniel Tiger, Prince Wednesday, and Katerina Kitty Kat are all here to join in the fun!

Every party needs a photo opportunity! The Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood party collection has one of the best photo booths I have ever seen, a Trolley that is 3.5 feet tall! Just stick a small stool behind the cardboard cut out and kids can have a ball waving out the Trolley window! Make sure to get your Ugga Mugga taken before you leave!

Treat your guests to these adorable trolley favor boxes and fill with goodies such as crayons, mini notepads, rings, stickers, and bouncy balls!

I hope you enjoyed our celebration in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, it was a Grr-ific party!

Party Vendors:

Trolley Garland, Trolley Topper, and Cupcake Toppers: Shop Fluff

Black Plaid Tablecloth: Table Vogue

Daniel Tiger Party Supplies: Birthday Express

Star Wars Rebels Ice Cream Party

2015-10-21T12:05:00.001-07:00

Star Wars Rebels makes a terrific birthday party theme for all fans of Star Wars. Set between the events of Episode III and Episode IV, this Disney XD spin off television show brings back some of the most evil villains from the Empire as well as introducing us to new heroic characters from the Rebellion. My son is a huge fan of this show. He decided at least 6 months before his birthday that this would be his theme and it must include a real lightsaber battle!

I created a simple custom backdrop for my dessert table. To recreate this look, attach a space blast tablecloth to a large piece of foam board. Next, cut apart the letters of the Star Wars Rebels Jumbo banner kit and attach each letter individually on the board using double sided tape or glue dots. I placed a life size cardboard cutout of a Stormtrooper and Ezra at each end of the table for dramatic effect.

I enjoy implementing my children's favorite toys into their parties. My son is obsessed with his Inquisitor Double lightsaber, so I used that as the focal point of the dessert table. I simply attached it with tape to the front of a white cake plate.

My son has a summer birthday and requested ice cream rather than a cake this year. We took ice cream to a new level by creating an ice cream toppings bar! I printed free Star Wars Rebel stickers from the Rebel Resistance Kit on the DisneyXD.com site and used the stickers as labels for our ice cream toppings. We created a different topping for each character. For example, we used red cherries for the Inquisitor, green sixlets for Hera, and chopped up Oreos for Chopper.

I include my children in as much of the birthday party prep work as possible. My boys loved making Tie Fighters as a special topping for the ice cream bar.

To make your own Tie Fighter treats, you will only need 3 ingredients, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and Oreo 100 Crisps. Dip one end of your marshmallow in melted chocolate and attach to one Oreo crisp. Repeat this step with the other end of the marshmallow. Allow 10-15 minutes for the chocolate to harden. They are not only delicious, but look just like Tie Fighters!

To create my own ice cream cups, I printed and attached Stormtrooper heads to black treat cups. A great party tip and time saver (that I thought of too late to actually do myself) is to scoop the ice cream into the cups ahead of time and place in the freezer. Pull out the pre-scooped cups when you are ready and serve!

Linda of Frog Prince Cake and Cookie Design created these fabulous Rebel and Stormtrooper cookies for me. They were a huge hit with the kids.

I placed Star Wars Rebels stickers on store bought cupcakes and added a black and white striped cupcake wrapper to customize the cupcakes to fit our theme.

We wrapped spoons in green napkins and attached black paper around the bottom to look like lightsabers. My boys added details to the lightsaber handles using chalkboard markers.

A Large R2D2 air walker balloon and jumbo Darth Vader balloon were a fun way to make a big entrance to any party!

As I mentioned in the beginning, my son wanted to do a real lightsaber battle. I had to think of a safer alternative to this request and found a tutorial online for DIY lightsabers using pool noodles. These were easy and inexpensive to make.

For outdoor activities, we created an Intergalatic Obstacle course with challenges such as "ring around the lightsaber", lightsaber javelin toss, "defeat the Stormtroopers" relay race, and of course a lightsaber battle. The kids were excited to take home their lightsaber as well as a treat bag full of of Star Wars Rebels goodies.

Hope you enjoyed all these ideas! You can click here to see all the Star Wars Rebels party supplies offered at Birthday Express!

Party Vendor Credits:

Cookies: Frog Prince Cake and Cookie Design

Disney Rebels Printable Stickers: Disney XD

The Ultimate Science 7.0 Party

2015-05-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

My 7 year old son loves everything science related and requested a science theme birthday party this year. I knew his idea of fun would be experiments that were hands-on, bubbly, and explosive. I researched far and wide to find the perfect science experiments, lab accessories, and party favors and am happy to share all my resources with you to help create your own at-home science party.

Party Colors: Orange, green and blue with chalkboard accents

Dessert Table Highlights: Homemade Science sugar cookies, cupcakes with fondant hexagon toppers, Candybobs, and jello served in Petri dishes.

Science Activities: Build a fizz inflator, UV Beads, Bubbling lava lamp test tubes, elephant toothpaste, and a coke and mentos geyser finale.

Party Favors: Safety goggles, nerdy glasses, crazy straws, candy bobs, and test tube bubbles.

The dessert table included raspberry jello in Petri dishes with sprinkles on top to look like we were creating an agar plate. The dish was inoculated with a "sprinkle sample" for taste testing.

After scouring the internet, I found inexpensive disposable lab coats and safety goggles. They lab coats only came in adult sizes, so we just rolled up the sleeves and it actually gave the kids' clothing more protection during the experiments. The lab coats even had a pocket on the front for their "Level 7 Clearance" badges and a pen for keeping notes.

If you follow my parties, you will notice that I always use flower pots to hold my party silverware. I just add a party circle on the front to match the particular theme.

Our lab area was set up before the kids arrived. I had an aluminum tray and the first experiment ready at each seat.

For experiment #1 we did a vinegar and baking soda test. The soda bottles were filled with vinegar and the balloons were filled with baking soda. When the kids tipped the balloons, the baking soda fell into the soda bottle causing a chemical reaction and the balloons filled with air.

Our next experiment was creating lava lamp test tubes. We added a cap of water to our test tubes that were already 3/4 full of oil. We then added a color tablet and fizzy tablet. The kids were mesmerized by the bubbling lava lamp effect.

Next, we created elephant toothpaste. The kids each had a soda bottle filled with 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide (3% or 6% is even better). We added a few drops of food coloring, a squirt of Dawn dish soap, and a yeast mixture. The chemical reaction created elephant toothpaste foam that oozed out of the bottles on to their pans.

I kept all the experiments neatly organized and separated in these aluminum pans. It was easier to bring only one experiment out at a time.

Our grand finale was the famous Coke and Mentos geyser. The birthday boy was in charge of pulling the pin that dropped the Mentos into the soda bottle.

Ready, set.......RUN!!!

The chemical reaction is a 30 foot coke geyser! Here's a few tips, use Coke Zero (less sugar = less stickiness) at room temperature for this experiment and only attempt this experiment outside!

The kids took home their lava lamp test tubes, lab books, and goggles as well as a goody bag filled with touchable test tube bubbles, crazy straws, nerdy glasses, and science candy bobs.

A huge thank you to Kara Woolery at Lillian Hope Designs for creating this amazingly awesome science collection available in her Etsy Shop- it includes so many fun printable pieces from games, photo props, lab book covers, water bottle labels, banners, placemats, flags, and more!

Science Invitation by Lillian Hope Designs

Party Resources:
Science Printable Collection: Lillian Hope Designs
Printables Printed by Print My
Hexagon Cupcake Toppers: DCC Cakes
Science Sugar Cookies: Recipe and cookie inspiration from Eat More Dessert by Jenny Keller
Science Candybobs: Sweets From Heaven, Outlets at Orange
Science cookie cutters: Science Bob Store
Crazy straws, plates, nerdy glasses, test tube bubbles: Birthday Express
Photography: A. Joy Photography & Craft That Party

Science Items:
Petri Dishes: Science Bob Store

Erlenmeyer Flask: Amazon

Lab Coats, safety goggles, and aluminum pans: Webstaurant Supply
Test tubes, color tablets, test tube racks, geyser tube: Steve Spangler Science

Science Experiment Resources:
Elephant Toothpaste Experiment
Mentos and Coke Geyser
Bubbling Lava Lamp
Build a Fizz Inflator

Check out more science parties and ideas on my Science Party Pinterest Board!

Gift Ideas from Minted

2015-04-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have been compensated by Minted for this post, all opinions remain my own.

Minted is one of those sites that I can swoon over for hours and hours. They offer products ranging from beautiful stationary and invitations, art prints, home decor, and more. I often find lots of gift ideas on Minted and thought I would share some of my favorites. We still have a lot of bare walls in our new house. Any of these art prints would look gorgeous on our walls.

Apertures No.2 Art Print

Under Water Art Print

Sunrise Sunset

Some Things Take Time Gold Foil Art Print

{this one really speaks to me, patience is a virtue I am still working on..}

Foil Stamped California Map

I absolutely LOVE the gold foil stamped wall art. It is even more gorgeous in person! All of these prints come in a variety of sizes and frame options. There is sure to be something will speak to you and your personal style.

I'd love to know, what are your favorite products from Minted? Leave a link below so I can check them out.

Craft That Party

Ready, Set, Grill Sponsored by Wayfair - Monterey Chicken and Cornbread Recipe

Spooky Seasons House Tour Sponsored by Wayfair

October News: Halloween Must Haves and Pet Costume Contest!

Taste of Summer Sponsored by Wayfair: Jalapeno Limeade Cocktail Recipe

Spring Forward Sponsored by Wayfair

Life of the Party: Sponsored by Wayfair

Move The Party Outside: Sponsored by Wayfair

Must Haves for a Cozy Night In...

Sponsored: Upcycling Toolbox Project With Wayfair

Summer Solstice Celebrations Sponsored by Wayfair

Summer Patio Living

Memorial Day Ideas Sponsored by Wayfair

Party Like a Pineapple: Pineapple Moscow Mule Recipe

Sponsored by Wayfair: Adding Touches of Elegance to a Modern Farmhouse

Dinner and a Movie at Home Sponsored by Wayfair

Go Outside and Play! Ideas for Healthier Kids with CLIF Kid

Sponsored by Wayfair: A Night Around the Campfire

Sponsored: Tiki Party Inspiration from Wayfair

Sponsored Wayfair Craft Redux: DIY Memory Box

Disney Descendants Birthday Party

New Year, New Room with Wayfair

Daniel Tiger's Grr-ific Neighborhood Party!

Star Wars Rebels Ice Cream Party

The Ultimate Science 7.0 Party

Gift Ideas from Minted