Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line

Get Your Craft On | Make A Memory Box Gift

2016-03-02T11:37:00.002-05:00

I am getting ready to see my new nephew this weekend and decided to make a personalized keepsake box for him using an ordinary gift box. This is an inexpensive and fun way to create a beautiful and thoughtful gift.

First, I created this print using picmonkey.

Hyundai Santa Fe Epic Playdate: Part II Recap

2013-06-26T21:49:00.001-04:00

Summer means my kids are home and begging for fun things to do. We keep busy with the regular routines of swimming, planing at the park, packing picnics, and bike riding, but every now and then we like to surprise them with something a little more... well epic.

Last week we surprised our kids with an epic three day play date. They had no idea they were about to board a plane and head to Orlando, Florida. An hour before our trip we shared the fun news! There was screaming and lots of excitement. They both loved the plane ride and view of the clouds. I still think they had no idea how much fun the next three days were going to be!

Day 1 of Florida fun included visiting Sea World. We were all memorized by the dolphin show and the divers. The boys both won sharks and carried them around the entire trip.

Day 2 we spent visiting Disney. We made sure to indulge in lots of ice cream and ice water to beat the heat. We all loved the parades, rides, food, and pure magic of being at the happiest place on earth.

We even ran into some TV friends at Hollywood Studios...

Our last day we just enjoyed family time swimming and visiting The Lego Store at Downtown Disney in the evening. There might have even been some create-your-own Light Sabers made that evening to celebrate a big 7th birthday. Having 3 days as a family in such a special place where you are allowed to engage and explore truly created an epic play date for us all (adults and kids) and memories that we will have forever.

If you could plan an epic play date of your own, what you would do? Would you travel or plan something near home? Would it be an outdoor or an indoor activity? Would you bring or buy special foods? Would you craft? Bake? Head to the beach?

Well, Hyundai Santa Fe pondered the same questions and pulled together one seriously epic playdate with the help of some great bloggers. The whole purpose behind the event was to create cool family experiences out of the norm of our regular routines.

Curious about what the bloggers did at this epic playdate? They all shared videos and posts about the event. One of my all time favorite bloggers is Jordan from Oh Happy Day. She shared a post about the event here. There's even a video of Jordan zip lining from tree to tree in the Redwoods!!

Hope this has inspired you to think epic and get play dating with your family!

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

Shabby Apple Giveaway on Craft That Party

2013-06-10T09:30:00.004-04:00

Happy Monday! You are in for a treat today. Shabby Apple has graciously offered to giveaway a $50 gift card to one of my wonderful readers over on Craft That Party. You might have already heard me talk about Shabby Apple before - they are an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro dresses. I LOVE their clothes and currently have 3 of their dresses (Sierra, L'Opera, and Gondola) hanging in my closet.

Gondola

Enter the $50 Shabby Apple Giveaway here!

Rules: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. The winner will be selected by Rafflecopter and will have 48 hours to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected. This giveaway is open to US residents only. Good Luck!

You are Invited to the Ultimate Summer Pinterest Party!

2013-05-20T12:11:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to be teaming up with Jenny Raulli from Bloom Designs Online for Chillin' and Grillin', the ultimate summer Pinterest party happening this Wednesday, May 22nd at 9pm EST/6pm PST. We have enlisted the help of DIYer/actress/momista, Tori Spelling and some amazing party bloggers/stylists to bring you the best summer entertaining ideas. We will also be giving away some fabulous prizes during the hour.

We are ready to kick off summer. Come join us!

Tori (EdiTORIal by Tori Spelling), Kim (The TomKat Studio) Jenn (Hostess With The Mostess), Jenny (Craft That Party), Courtney (Pizzazzerie), Kim (The Celebration Shoppe), Jenny (Bloom Designs Online), Maureen and Adria (Anders Ruff), Casi (cupcakeMAG) Kori (Paper & Pigtails), J & Do Driver (Piggy Bank Parties)

Here's what you can do:

Chillin' and Grillin' Pinterest Board

Join us Wednesday, May 22 at 9pm EST/6pm PST and watch our hostesses pin their favorite summer entertaining ideas. We hope you will re-pin your favorite ideas, add comments, and look for special prize pins!
Prizes will be pinned during the hour. Click on the prize pins and you will be taken to the site to enter a Rafflecopter drawing.

Don't miss the party!

Big News... and YOU Are Invited!

2013-05-13T09:35:00.001-04:00

You are invited to kick off summer with us in style at a Chillin' and Grillin' Pinterest Party, Wednesday, May 22 9pm EST/6pm PST. Jenny from Bloom Designs and I are so excited to put together this 1 hour event with some top bloggers and very special guest pinner. We will be sharing more details this week, so stay tuned for a BIG announcement you will not want to miss!!!!

Goldfish Party: O-Fish-Ally Five

2013-04-26T16:36:00.002-04:00

My youngest just turned five and we celebrated with a goldfish themed birthday party. Hope you will check out the full post over on Craft That Party.

Sweet Vendor Shout Outs!

Goldfish Printable Party Collection (banners, invitation, FISH-O, goldfish poster): Piggy Bank Parties

Go Fish Banner: She's Kinda Crafty

Chocolate Covered Oreos: Love and Sugar Kisses

Fondant Toppers: Lynlee's Petite Cakes

Goldfish and Bubble Cookies: Samantha's Sweets

Favor Boxes, party hats. horns, tattoos, plush fish, plates, and plastic containers: Birthday Express

Candy sticks, bitty bags, orange divine twine, paper straws, candy cups: Bloom Designs

Poms, tissue fans, candy vending capsules, and wood scoops: Shop Sweet Lulu

Styling, Photography: Crafty Fish Jenny, Craft That Party

Cake and Fish Toss Bean Bags: Crafty Grandma Fish Jackie

*Goldfish marshmallow pop inspiration and tutorial found on See Vanessa Craft

Sitterati: A Brand New App for Parents and Sitters

2013-04-13T22:23:00.001-04:00

I love my kids, but sometimes we parents need a night out. Finding and arranging reliable babysitting is often the most stressful part of leaving the kids. In this day and age there's got to be an app to help us parents out, right? Pull out your smart phones because guess what, there is {jump for joy!}

Sitterati is a brand new app that helps you find, contact, schedule, and pay your sitters. Don't worry, I'll explain the steps.

First, download the app and plug in your information. You can add your all your sitters directly to the app- it's like having big contact list of your sitters all in one place. Once your sitter accepts the request to join, sitters can accept babysitting jobs from people they know, keep track of the jobs they have agreed to do, and even get paid for jobs right through the app. Once friends within your social network download Sitterati, they can share their sitters on the app as well. This will give you all access to a bigger list of sitters available in your area.

Need a Sitter for Saturday night? No problem, just post the job and send it to all your sitters at once. It's easy to book right from the app! Just enter information such as date, start time, end time, details, and sitter rate. If a sitter would like to accept the job they can respond through the app and confirm the job. So much easier than having to make multiple phone calls or texts.

My favorite feature of Sitterati is that you can automatically PAY your sitters through the app with your credit card. No more running to the ATM for cash and NO awkward exchanges of money!

You are lucky to be the very first people to learn about and get to try this brand new app. So Sitterati wants to hear from you! Once you have tried the app, they would love your feedback. They want to make this a truly useful and beneficial app for both the parents and sitters. So if you've tried it and liked it or see ways to improve it, the Sitterati team wants to know.

Hope you enjoy this new app & cheers to more date nights!

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

Rainbow Peg Fairies

2013-04-03T21:35:00.002-04:00

In case you missed my lastest post over on my new site Craft That Party, I am sharing how I used butterfly wings found in Michael's Dollar Bins to make Rainbow Peg Fairies!

Aunt Jemima: Lil Griddles Review #AJLilGriddlesCG #spon

2013-03-21T13:27:00.001-04:00

How psyched was I when Aunt Jemima sent over some new products for my family to try? We really love breakfast in our house. We love it so much that we often save our favorite breakfast foods for dinner. Yes, hello BRINNER- anyone else do this?!!! Dinner is the only meal that all four of us eat together daily, so I try to make it as special as I can.

Last night's dinner consisted of Aunt Jemima buttermilk pancakes, cinnamon french toast, fresh blueberry sauce, strawberries, and sausages. No joke, it took me longer to make the coffee than dinner.

I just popped the french toast in the toaster over and the pancakes in the microwave. In less than a minute the food was on the table. I have to admit that I was very surprised how fresh everything looked and smelled. My entire house smelled exactly the way it does when I spend an HOUR making pancakes for brinner. I think that it totally helps that Aunt Jemima uses quality, real ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar - exactly the same ingredients as I use in my own. It really lives up to the slogan "Every batch made from scratch".

My family gave Aunt Jemima two thumbs up! Everyone quietly devoured the meal and then begged for more. I cut my 6 year old off after 5 pancakes (growth spurt?!!!). In fact, the boys requested pancakes again before school this morning! I love that our busy family can still have time for a hot meal before leaving the house. It feels good to send my boys to school knowing they had a hearty breakfast. Score one for mom!

Got toddlers in your house? Aunt Jemima also makes Lil' Griddles that offer a big breakfast taste, yet bite-sized. Perfect for little eaters. They come in three bite-sized breakfast options: Aunt Jemima frozen Blueberry Mini pancakes, Aunt Jemima frozen Mini pancakes, and Aunt Jemima frozen Cinnamon French Toast Sticks. I have a feeling we will be trying all three soon!

Thank you to Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Hyundai’s Epic Playdate Sweepstakes! #EpicPlaydate #CGC

2013-03-19T12:45:00.000-04:00

I have two very energetic and outdoorsy boys. Time outside to play and get dirty is a necessary part of each day. We love it when we can plan extra special and extended playdates on the weekend. Our favorite weekend plans include packing up the bikes, fishing gear, picnic lunch, snacks, and drinks and hitting the road. Usually we head out to find a nice spot to ride bikes and do a little hiking. We enjoy a picnic lunch followed by some fishing in a nearby creek. There is nothing better than turning off our cell phones and surrounding ourselves in nature for an afternoon.

What would your ideal playdate with your kids look like? Would it include:

camping on the beach?
an ice cream sundae bar?
a paint fight?
a kids’ photography class?
a hula-hooping workshop?

If any of those sound appealing to your kids and inner playdate-loving self, then you would be the perfect family to win a four-pack of tickets to an exclusive invite-only Epic Playdate Weekend in Santa Barbara, CA on April 27 from 9am- 5pm hosted by Hyundai.

Hyundai has teamed up with some seriously fun bloggers (such as Dooce, Mighty Girl, Oh Happy Day, Oh Joy, Say Yes To Hoboken, Girls Gone Child, BoingBoing, and How To Be A Dad) to put on this Epic Playdate!

Want to come? Of course you do! You can enter to WIN a trip for four to Hyundai’s Epic Playdate Weekend by entering the sweepstakes HERE!

How To Enter:

Enter the Sweepstakes HERE
You must have a Pinterest account to enter
Choose Clever Girls Collective when the form asks “How did you hear about us?”
Lastly, keep your fingers & toes crossed and message me immediately if you win!
Good Luck and Happy Entering!!!

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

You Are Invited to a Pinterest Party!

2013-03-18T19:08:00.000-04:00

A Blissful Nest is hosting an Easter Pinning Party over on Pinterest and you are all invited to join in the fun. I along with some fun bloggers will be pinning and sharing our favorite Easter entertaining and traditions over on Pinterest on Wednesday, March 20th at 6pm PST / 8pm CST / 9pm EST. Grab a glass of wine and join us!

Are you on Pinterest? If so, leave a link to your boards here so I can follow you!

You can follow my Pinterest Boards HERE.

{Sponsored Post} Sittercity: America's Top Sitter Contest

2013-02-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

We all know how important it is to find sitters that we can trust, are dependable, and fantastic with kids. Are you lucky enough to have a sitter like that? If so, you can nominate them for Sittercity's 2013 America’s Top Sitter contest!!!

Image courtesy of Someecards

How To enter: To nominate your sitter, visit the Sittercity Facebook app between February 13 - 25, 2013. Upload a picture of the special sitter you would like to nominate, and share your reasons why your sitter would make America's Top Sitter.

Voting: A panel of experts judges chosen by Sittercity will choose ten finalists. The Sittercity Facebook community will then vote between March 5-15, 2013 to determine the final winner.

The Grand Prize: $5,000!!!

So hurry over and get nominating. Show your sitter how much you appreciate them! And then make sure you head back over to The Sittercity Facebook Page to cast your vote in deciding which of the top ten sitters best deserves to win the $5,000 grand prize!

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

February Updates

2013-02-03T22:39:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to catch you up on what has been going on over at Craft That Party. I will no longer be posting new content here, but I will be leaving this page open to reference past projects and parties. Hope you will follow my new page Craft That Party. Same craft content just a new name and site!

Here's what's happening over at Craft That Party...

A Valentine Keepsake Box Tutorial

I am excited to announce that my ruffle cake box is a finalist in Funkytime's DIY Valentine Competition! The winner will be chosen by HGTV Host and Designer Kelly Edwards!

Many new ruffle garlands in new color combinations have been added to my shop!

and Valentine Pegs are back!

Gingerbread Girl Party featured on Amy Atlas!

2012-12-20T08:46:00.004-05:00

I am excited to announce that my Gingerbread Girl Party was featured on Amy Atlas this week! Hope you will check out all the fun details! As of January 1st, I will no longer be posting on this page. Please visit my new site Craft That Party to continue following my blog. I don't want you to miss out on anything!

VENDOR CREDITS:

Gingerbread Printable Party Collection: Blush Printables

Desserts: Samantha’s Sweets

Fondant Toppers and Oreos: Love and Sugar Kisses

Photography: Studio One Two One

Styling and Gingerbread Girl Peg Dolls: Craft That Party

Gorgeous Ornament Garland and Other tuTORIals!

2012-12-18T08:36:00.003-05:00

I am sharing 2 more holiday craft tuTORIals over on Tori Spelling's site this week. Here's a recap of all 3 in case you missed any of them!

Ornament Garland

Upcycling Christmas Cards into Gift Tags!

Hot Chocolate Play Dough

Nativity Set Giveaway!

2012-12-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

Head over to Craft That Party for a very special giveaway in the Piggy Bank Parties TWELF Days of Christmas Series!

I am so excited to share with you my latest collaboration with Piggy Bank Parties. Together we are selling a 3 Piece, limited edition Nativity Peg Set. Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus will arrive in a very special stable favor box designed by Piggy Banks Parties!

To celebrate Day 5 of the Piggy Bank Parties TWELF Days of Christmas series, we are giving away a Nativity Set to one lucky reader!!!

Enter HERE!!!

If you don't want to wait, the Nativity Sets are also available for purchase in both of our shops, Piggy Bank Parties Market and Craft That Party.

I hope you will following along with the TWELF Days of Christmas series for free printables and more giveaways!

Blue French Horn Ornament

2012-12-04T09:33:00.002-05:00

I will only be posting from Craft That Party blog now, hope you will follow my posts over on the new site!

Today I am sharing my Blue French Horn Ornament inspired by How I Met Your Mother.

I added 4 ornaments in the shop!

Moving to a new site!

2012-11-13T13:51:00.000-05:00

Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line is moving to a new site! Same crafty content, just a fresh new look & name. Hope you will continue to follow me over at that the new site Craft That Party! I will be hosting a Holiday giveaway very soon (think peg ornaments, eek!).

The new site was designed by Laura of Eye Candy Event Details. If you are looking for a new logo, website, or graphic design, check out her page. She is amazing and very, very easy to work with!

Minted Inspiration Board Challenge: Merry Travels

2012-11-11T21:48:00.002-05:00

The biggest challenge I faced while creating my board in the Minted Inspiration Board Challenge was narrowing down my card options. There are sooo many cute cards to pick from. I couldn't decide. Finally, this card caught my eye, maybe because I saw the map & Pittsburgh written in big letters.

Next, the challenge was to create an inspiration board from this card. Have I mentioned that I love creating inspiration boards? I would be a professional inspiration board maker if that existed (does anyone have this job opening? If so, call me!).

Here's my Merry Travels Inspiration Board...

Merry Merry On The Road board by Jenny. See more Minted holiday photo cards

Want to enter? There's still time and prizes to win through 11/18.

The Party Dress Magazine 2012 Holiday Issue!

2012-11-08T10:44:00.005-05:00

It's almost as exciting as Christmas morning around here!

The 2012 Holiday Issue of The Party Dress Magazine is out today!

The issue is filled with Holiday entertaining ideas, recipes, gift ideas, and craft tutorials!

Be sure to check out my New Years Confetti Wreath Tutorial on pages 78-81!

I was so lucky to work with the following vendors:

...

Photography: Studio One Two One

Fondant Toppers, Cake Topper, and Custom Oreos: Love & Sugar Kisses

Cake, Cupcakes, and Cake Pops: Samantha's Sweets

Cookies: Bambella Cookie Boutique

Silver Mermaid Backdrop: Drop It Modern

New Years Eve Printable Collection: The TomKat Studio
...

Surprise 70th Black & White and Garden Party

2012-11-04T14:59:00.000-05:00

My Mother-In-Law turned 70 this week. Unlike most people, she loves surprises. She always says if it's not a surprise why bother. Sooooo, of course we had to throw her a surprise party!

Party Theme: Garden & Stripes. Annika of Cakes Like a Party created the most unbelievable Garden and Stripes printable party collection. Annika was gracious enough to grant my last minute request.

Party Decorations: Huge scrolly banners, crepe paper flowers, and black and white fabrics.

Party Highlights: A Pie Station filled with the birthday girl's favorite desserts

Cheesecake, Apple and Raspberry Pies

Beverage area with black polka dot plate wall

My hutch transformed with black paper plates and crepe paper roses

Money Saver Party Tip: I bought a twin sheet set in a great black and white fabric. I threw the flat sheet on top of my Tablevogue tablecloth that I use on my 6' folding table. The fitted sheet fit perfectly on my kitchen table and I also lined the inside of a frame on the wall with the pillowcase, all for $10!

Appetizer Home Run: The most beloved appetizer I have ever made is this Brie En Croute recipe by Paula Deen. It's so easy to make and really tasty!

Some birthday singing to Grammy!

To be honest, I've been simplifying my parties lately. I love a big party, but sometimes it's just nice to keep things small and homemade. I chose to use only one party resource (Cakes Like a Party) and made all the decorations myself for under $15. The party was a huge success because the birthday girl was so surprised, grateful, and surrounded by the company of lifelong friends and family all evening. That is what celebrating is all about.

Lastly, a HUGE thank you to Annika for letting me use your party collection, my sisters-in-law for helping with all the food, and my hubby and buggers for helping with all the party prep!

Giveaways, Giveaways, and MORE GIVEAWAYS!

2012-11-03T10:32:00.002-04:00

This week there are SO many great giveaways happening on my favorite blogs,
I had to share the links with you,

hope you will head over and enter.

I would LOVE to see some of you win!

Giveaway #1

A HUGE THANKS-Giving Giveaway hosted by Magnolia Creative Co., SwishDesigns, La Belle Party Planning and Three Little Monkeys Studio. There are 46 PRIZES for 46 WINNERS!!!

I'll be giving away a $25 credit to my Etsy Shop, so be sure to enter!

Giveaway #2

In Flight is celebrating 2 years and 2,000 fans with a fantastic giveaway with over $538.00 in prizes! There’s a total of 16 prizes including the 1^st prize and there will be 16 winners. I will be giving away this adorable owl set of 3 pegs!

Giveaway #3

Dukes and Duchesses is hosting a special giveaway to celebrate her birthday!

Head over to win $25 Pick Your Plum Box (one of my favorite online craft resources!)

Good Luck Everyone! Be sure to come back and tell me if you WIN something!!!

Halloween Costume Peg Ornaments

2012-10-27T11:21:00.004-04:00

Do you love looking back at photos of your kids' Halloween costumes over the years?

I do (and tend to get a little sappy in the process).

This year I decided it would be fun to document their costumes as pegs.

I added a hook and Halloween Divine Twine to transform each peg into an ornament.

The boys will get such a kick out of adding their Halloween Costume Pegs to our Christmas tree this year!

I even painted pig & skeleton costume ornaments for our next door neighbors and added their names and the year on the back.
Much more fun than candy, right?

Here is a peg I made for a sweet little girl dressing up as Lalaloopsy Rosy this Halloween!

and of course the trio of SCARE PEGS!

$15 for the set of 3 and free shipping with code: HALLOWEEN12

Pretty Pastel Carousel Party by Fanciful Events {Featuring Craft That Party Ruffle Garlands}

2012-10-26T12:51:00.000-04:00

After my Halloween ruffle milk bottles were featured in The Fall Issue of The Party Dress, Suzanne from Fanciful Events asked if I could make pink and sea foam crepe paper ruffle garlands to coordinate with her upcoming party. Her work is nothing short of whimsical and fabulous, so I knew whatever she was planning would be stunning. Here are the ruffles I made. Wait until you see below what they became, amazing!

Suzanne wrapped the ruffles around glass bottles, dessert cups, and cupcake wrappers. She then embellished them further using her party printables and darling yellow buttons.

Photo by Renee Nicole Design & Photography

To see more pictures of this incredible party, check out Fanciful Event's full party feature on Amy Atlas!

....

p.s. I am currently working on a special project for Suzanne's next party, I am totally in love with how it turned out and cannot wait to see how she uses it!

....

I'd love to know, would anyone like to see ruffle garlands added to my Etsy shop?

VENDOR CREDITS:

Photography: Renee from Renee Nicole Design & Photography

Event Design and Styling: Fanciful Events

Invitation and Printables: Paper & Pigatail

Paper Carousel Favor Boxes: Maita from Paper Candee

Button Toppers, Balloon Pops and Little girl topper: Edible Details

Carousel themed toppers and Carousel button horse toppers: Sugar High, Inc

Ruffled Crepe: Crossing The Bugger Dixon-Line

Table Runners: Sweet Tea and Linen

Chalkboard Sign: Moulage Collection

Cookies and Cake Pops: Bee’s Knees Creative

Tulle backdrop and favor Table Design: Let’s Get This Party Started

Macaroons: Crazy about Macarons

Carousel Design from Backdrop: Frog Prince Paperie

Silhouettes Design: Vana from Le Papier Studio

Banner and Cotton candy glassine bags: The Purple Pug

Polka Dot Candy Cups and Ice Cream Cups: Tomkat Studio

Straws and wooden scoops: Shop Sweet Lulu

Cake: Sweet Tweet Cakery

Gender Reveal Peg Doll Party by Marie Thomas Designs

2012-10-24T13:23:00.002-04:00

I was so excited when Christina of Marie Thomas Designs contacted me about creating pegs for a Gender Reveal Party. I had never seen pegs used in such a creative way! Her plan is to have the big-sister-to-be open a box with the special peg inside to reveal if she is getting a little brother or little sister. Isn't that the CUTEST idea ever??!! I love that the family will have the peg as a keepsake from their big reveal.

The family will not find out the sex of the baby until the week of the party, so we decided it was best to make both a boy peg and a girl peg. I painted the baby boy peg in light blue overalls and the baby girl peg in a light pink dress and flower headband. Both with a teeny tiny curl of hair on top.

What will it be ... a little brother or little sister?

Christina designed this darling invitation. I am so smitten with it. She has some amazing party details planned and I will be begging her to share pictures after the party.

I cannot wait to see how the party turns out

and see which peg is in that box!