I’ve had a few people email me about the “mini grills at the place settings” from our Summer Grilling Party theme, so here are the details! They’re actually really easy to create and are fashioned from tiny stainless steel bowls ($4.99/4 pack at IKEA), lollipop sticks, buttons, and hot glue. Scroll down for complete details + links to download the free “Fiery Place Cards“. :)

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MINI CHARCOAL GRILL PLACE CARD HOLDERS

These DIY place card holders are one of my favorite details from our new Summer Grilling Party theme! They’re fashioned from tiny stainless steel bowls (purchased at IKEA), lollipop sticks for the “legs”, and buttons for the “wheels”. Use hot glue to assemble the legs and wheels, then fill the bowl with crushed charcoal (or crushed chocolate shortbread cookies as an alternative).

For the finishing touch, insert fiery flame silhouette name cards into the charcoal. You can download the place cards for free right here, then customize them with your own names or phrases either digitally or by hand. Leave a small white border all the way around the design when trimming it out.

P.S. Love all those little details? Add some orange sprinkles to the charcoal to create the look of “embers”! You can also use these as creative food buffet or dessert table “labels”. ENJOY!

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Hostess with the Mostess®

Here we go with the latest round of Friday Party of 5 picks from our HWTM.com members! Just click on a party title or collage to check out the full album & details from the following creative events:

– Cute as a Button First Birthday Party
– Vintage Silhouette Party
– Mickey Mouse Birthday
– Vintage Carriage Baby Shower
– Tuscan Inspired Dessert Table

1. Cute as a Button 1st Birthday Party (pictured above) by kerri

2. Brady’s Vintage Boy Party by Brianna Krute

3. Mickey Mouse Party by olivia

4. Vintage Carriage Reale Baby Shower by mreale

5. Tuscany Inspired Girl Baby Shower by Fara Party Design / Little things Creations

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Are you a member of the party-loving Social Community at HWTM.com yet?

Click here to sign up for your FREE membership and join the party today! Browse tons of party inspiration, save your favorite ideas into organized sets in your personal member Dashboard, comment on the albums of other members, share photos, and more. Hope to see you there! :)

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New twists on traditional holidays are always fun, and this Easter Bunny PIRATE Party from Cio Prints is definitely a new combination – at least in my book! The “pirate” angle was inspired by the popular “hunting for treasure-filled eggs” Easter activity – which is exactly what pirates do… well, the hunting for treasure part at least. ;) There are so many creative ideas in here for regular pirate parties too – from the super cool DIY ship sail backdrop to the sword “banner” and more!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

– Clever treats like popcorn “barnacles”, & “scurvy prevention” orange candy slices
– Cool striped spy glass telescopes
– Treasure maps with ”The Infernos of Fire” & “The Land of Bath”
– Fun outdoor activities like a cannon ball (water balloon) toss!

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PARTY DETAILS, as told by Jennifer…
: 

This year we wanted to do something out of the box for Easter, not just another bunny or chick theme. We thought about all of the elements bunnies, eggs, jelly beans, chicks, and then it occurred to us… Kids love to “hunt” for eggs so why don’t we do a pirate theme since they hunt for treasure. To bring bunnies back into play we married the two and did bunny pirates! Since we’re getting away from tradition and by the book elements, pastels were out of the question. Instead we used traditional pirate colors red, black, brown and white. We made a sail with the bunny pirate skull out of fabric, paint and pvc pipes.

The treats on the table included popcorn which represented barnacles, grape gumballs for cannonballs, rootbeer barrell candy, bottles of cream soda and black cherry soda symbolized every pirates favorite drink, rum. To prevent scurvy we had orange gummy slices and every pirate needs jewels even if they are ring pops. There were also tiny treasure chests filled with gold and silver hershey bars and rolos to represent gold dablooms and silver and gold bars. As fun basket fillers I made a bunny pirate activity and coloring book with matching crayons. The books were filled with fun pirate facts, coloring pages, and activities. There was even a section for creating your own pirate name. The kids really got excited with this part after the games were over. I got saddled with Green Bottom Sally.

We really wanted to keep the kids busy and occupied for a large part of the day so we took them on a treasure hunt for starters. There were clue cards with a rhyme that led them to their next destination. Just in case the kids got stumped we created a map of the house and yard with made up destinations that resembled places and objects in the house. The “Land of Bath” was the Bathroom and “The Infernos of Fire” was the fire place in the den.

At each stop they received a treasure. The treasures included maps, eye patches, hooks, spy glasses, the bunny pirate handbook, pirate hats with bunny ears, and at the very end there was a treasure box filled with goody bags and candy.

The other activities were an egg toss, egg and spoon race, and egg coloring. We created a carnival style game where the object of the game was to get as many “cannonballs” to hit the targets as possible. We used water balloon sling shots from the dollar store and plastic eggs. I’m not going to lie – this game was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be – so all the kids under the age of 5 ended up tossing the eggs instead. The winner got to choose between bubble swords and travel games.

My favorite element of the day would have to be the easter egg hunt. Which we were well prepared for since we kept all of the baskets and eggs from last year. A huge money saver since all we needed was candy and toddler treats. I also made cute little signs mainly to help with the smaller kids and to keep everyone out of the neighbors yard.

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VENDOR CREDITS & RESOURCES:

– Printable products: Cio Prints
– Blue bins for ship game, Sling shots: Dollar Tree
– Wooden crates: Micheals Craft Store
– Plastic swords: Target
– Photography: JL Photography

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We’ve featured parties inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar before, but I always get excited when something something this classic is reinvented! Lily Chic Events brought so many AMAZING details together for this incredible Very Hungry Caterpillar Party - I just can’t get over the ridiculously cute caterpillar cake pops sprouting from mini potted plants!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

– Fantastic Hungry Caterpillar cake with fondant fruit & caterpillar
– A custom dessert table backdrop that adds a huge splash of color!
– Book inspired food labels & printables featuring spectacular hand-drawn illustrations
– A birthday present + family photos that will make your heart swell

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PARTY DETAILS, as told by Lilian…

I am a mum of 4 daughters and typically I tend to style girls parties. So when my nephew turned one, I was so excited to be asked to style his party… and even more excited when I heard the theme: The Very Hungry Caterpillar! My sister in law Lauren had read this book to my nephew Curtis almost everyday and this was always going to be the theme for his first birthday. Lauren had just started her Cake Decorating business called LOve Cakes and had lots of idea’s on the cake design but the table I had free reign on.

INVITATIONS

I began by contacting Li-Ann from Ham & Pea Design & Paperie who designed all of the printables including the food labels, invitations, the iron on transfers, chocolate bar wrappers and the straw flags by hand drawing all of the graphics! This took Li-Ann a few weeks but I think they were perfect! I then contacted Emma from Emma Smith Event Stationary & Styling who designed the backdrop with Li-Ann’s invitations in mind. I focused on the ‘dots’ of the book so it didn’t look too busy and loved the way it all came together.

PARTY DECOR

I hand made all of the paper party hats using scrap book paper and hot glue. I also stamped the jelly spoons with a Custom Name Stamp from Sweet Style and tied them to the Jelly Pots.

The favours were ordered on etsy and came from the U.S. They were paper shaped like an apple and in the paper was flower seeds so the guests could plant the apple paper and watch the seeds flower! Lauren loved this idea as the smaller guests could also enjoy doing this well after the party was over. The seeds were tied to a test tube from Test Tube It and inside the tube was one red sixlet and the rest green sixlets that resembled the caterpillar. This was placed in a small muslin bag that I had ironed on the thank you from one of Li-Ann’s designs.

We also had a drinks table set up with Green Cordial and Water and each guest was given a paper cup that I had painted with yellow chalkboard paint, so that the guests could write their names on the cups and not lose them. This was lots of fun to watch.

DESSERT TABLE

I wanted the cake to stand out so I placed in on a red wooden cake stand above the rest of the food and lined the large round jars filled with strawberries, apples, pears, plums and oranges alongside the cake. These are all the fruits in the book and Lauren wanted to follow the story.

I then planted some mondo grass in small brown paper pots and popped the caterpillar cake pops in each of the pots that wound it’s way around the fruit jars. The guests love this and it brought some greenery to the table without needing to use flowers.

Lauren supplied the Cherry Pies, Chocolate Cake, Cupcakes and the Birthday Cake which was a chocolate and raspberry mudcake. The gorgeous caterpillar ‘oreo’ cake pops and the ice cream cookies were made by Leoni from Just Call Me Martha. The blueberry, pistachio, raspberry & cream and the mango & passionfruit Macarons were made by Macaroon Moments and were the first things gone from the table!

We also had some M&M’s in orange and yellow, some Smoothie flavoured Jelly Belly’s and some Sour Straps for the older children. The Jelly and the watermelon was taken by the younger children so it was a nice mixture of foods for all ages.

We had a lovely day celebrating Curtis’ First Birthday and know that the amazing pictures taken by Liat from Lee Bird Photography will always bring a smile to our faces.

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VENDOR CREDITS:

– Event Styling: Lilian of Lily Chic Events
– Graphic Design, Printable Package & Invitation: Li-Ann of Ham & Pea Design & Paperie
– Photography: Liat of Lee Bird Photography
– Cake, Cupcakes & Cherry Pie: Lauren of LOve Cakes 
– Cake Pops & Ice Cream Cookies: Leoni of Just Call Me Martha
– Macaroons: Sonya of Macaroon Moments
– Test Tubes: Test Tube It
– Backdrop Design: Emma Smith Event Stationary & Styling
– Muslin Bags: Sharnel Dollar Designs
– Custom Stamp, Sixlets and spoons: Leanne of Sweet Style
– All platters, drinks dispensers, cake stands & jars: Shoppe with Lily

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Parties based on children’s books (like this Book Themed Baby Shower) are always so fun and nostalgic!

Kiss Me Kate Events dreamed up this adorable Teddy Bear Birthday Party inspired by the Teddy Bears Picnic book. I just love all the cute plush bears (and their bunny friends) that showed up for this darling picnic party!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

– Teddy Bear “party greeters” in polka dot bows
– Nature inspired decor: moss table runner, pine cones, wood stumps, etc
– Amazing treats like Toadstool Meringues and Honey Jar & Teddy Bear cookies
– Teddy bear headbands and mini picnic basket favors

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PARTY DETAILS, as told by Kate…
:

When our client Vicky approached us to style her son Peter’s second birthday, she knew exactly what she wanted! Vicky asked us to style a Teddy Bear Picnic party based on her son’s love of the story book.

It’s not often you meet a client who comes prepared with a story board of pictures for a theme, that’s our job! Thankfully, our ideas and concepts were on par so the dessert table came together with ease. The dessert table featured a story book birthday cake as well as a selection of teddy bear themed cupcakes, cookies, jam tarts, mini donuts and meringue toadstools.

Vicky’s house was turned into a woodlands oasis, with a display of life size teddies and wood stumps adorning the front entrance of the house and the entertainment area. The table settings were beautifully styled with a grass table runner and accessorised with more teddies and wood stumps.

Children were given a copy of the teddy bear picnic book and teddy bear headbands, together with mini picnic basket take home gifts. The teddies and children alike, had a fabulous afternoon picnic!

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VENDOR CREDITS:

– Styling & Desserts: Kiss Me Kate Events
– Printables: Bumpkin
– Florist: Andrew The Florist

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Ashley Percival’s illustrations are wonderfully quirky & cute… I can definitely picture a party theme inspired by the unique style of her Awesome Animal Art! They remind me of whimsical children’s book illustrations.

The limited edition prints are sold in her Etsy shop (currently at buy 2 get 1 free!) so head on over to check out more four-eyed owls and skateboard-toting bears…

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These refreshing, perfect-for-summer “Popsicle Cocktails” are SO easy and totally delicious! You can make them with any flavor you like – we used strawberry and tangerine fruit bars here. Make sure to use popsicles made with real fruit for the freshest taste.

SAY CHEERS!

– To create a light spritzer, combine equal parts champagne & ginger ale.
– For a fruity cocktail, go with 3 parts ginger ale to 1 part white rum or vodka.

Add the popsicles to either version right before serving. They’ll dissolve into the drinks as guests enjoy them. Think of them kind of like a REALLY BIG garnish. ;)

P.S. Want to make a “mocktail” version for the little ones? Simply leave out the alcohol and dip popsicles into ginger ale or sparkling fruit soda.

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Like the rainbow sunburst printable I used on the tray? You can download this pattern for free right here. And DIY info on the mini charcoal bbq decoration is coming soon too!

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MEMORIAL DAY is almost upon us, and you know what that means! It’s time for some grillin’, chillin’ and fun in the sun! Hi, it’s Carrie Sellman from Half Baked, the cake blog for sweet inspiration. I’m thrilled to be back today, sharing a fun update on a classic all-American treat… s’mores!

Baked as a bar cookie, these oven s’mores meet my two basic party-food requirements. They can be made in advance (check) and will easily serve a crowd (check, check). A traditional graham cracker crust is baked until golden and topped with a silky smooth chocolate cream. And what’s a Memorial Day treat without some patriotic pride? Star shaped marshmallows in red, white and blue give these s’more a festive flair. Liven up your backyard BBQ with these patriotic Star Spangled S’mores Bars.

{PATRIOTIC} STAR SPANGLED S’MORES BARS

by Carrie Sellman
makes 24 squares

INGREDIENTS:

– 18 graham cracker sheets
– 8 tablespoons butter, melted
– 3 cups milk chocolate chips
– 3/4 cup heavy cream
– 1 package Kraft Jet Puffed Star Marshmallows

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13” pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the edge on the long sides of the pan. (Later, this will help you remove the bars from the pan in one piece.) Lightly coat pan and parchment with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Crush graham crackers in food processor until fine. Melt butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Add graham cracker crumbs to butter and stir until combined.

3. Evenly press crumb mixture into the bottom of your baking pan to create crust. Bake 12 – 15 minutes until golden. Remove and let cool.

4. Melt chocolate and cream in large bowl in microwave. Heat for 30 seconds on 50% power. Remove and stir. Heat again. Stir. Repeat until chocolate is completely melted, shiny and smooth. Do not rush this process! Let cool for a few moments.

6. Pour chocolate onto crust and smooth to create an even layer.

7. Top with star marshmallows, arranging a single layer of marshmallows with a little space between each star. Stars will grow and spread slightly when roasted.

8. Place under broiler in oven for 60 – 90 seconds to toast marshmallows. Watch closely to prevent burning! Remove and let cool.

9. Chill in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Pull up on parchment paper to remove bars from pan. Cut into squares to serve.

TIPS:

– Kraft Jet Puffed Star Marshmallows were found at Target. The bag contains red, white and blue stars in various sizes.
– You can also crush your graham crackers using a sealed ziplock bag and a rolling pin.
– These bars are deliciously rich. So cut them into small squares that everyone will enjoy!
– Watch closely when toasting the marshmallows in the oven. This happens quickly and will vary by oven. Keep a close eye to prevent burning!
– Store in refrigerator. Cut when cold. Serve at room temperature.

Wishing you clear skies for a festive & “star spangled” Memorial Day weekend!

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Hostess with the Mostess®

Summer is pretty much synonymous with firing up the grill at backyard get-togethers around here – it’s one of my very favorite things about this time of year!

That’s why I was really excited when Hebrew National asked us to partner with them on a new Summer Grilling Party theme to compliment their “Better-Than-A-Hotdog Hotdogs“… what a great excuse to dream up some fun new outdoor party ideas that can be put to good use this summer – starting this weekend with Memorial Day!

GET YOUR GRILL ON

Hebrew National hot dogs are made with premium cuts of 100% Kosher beef with No Fillers, No By-Products, No Artificial Flavors, and No Colors.

And because one good thing deserves another, I wanted to make sure that thisnew Summer Grilling Party theme came packed with lots of perfect-for-summer printables that you can download for FREE right here, as well as outdoor party ideas that are both creative and approachable. For example, DIY “Mini Charcoal Grill” centerpieces, refreshing popsicle cocktails, super easy s’mores cupcakes, & an all-decked-out hot dog bar!

CLICK HERE to check out the entire party theme editorial-style, or browse the Summer Grilling Party album in our social site. I hope you’re able to use some of these ideas at your own summer celebrations this year – whether it’s a graduation party, birthday party or a just-for-fun get together with friends & family!

PHOTO CONTEST from Hebrew National

You can also click here for your chance to win great prizes from Hebrew National! After you’ve set up your summer grill celebration, you’ll also be all set to enter Hebrew National’s Snap-and-Share Photo Contest.

To enter, just Spot Hebrew National being served (in this case likely at your very own summer barbeque!). Snap a photo of your Hebrew National sighting. Share your photo by uploading it to the contest photo gallery. You’ll be entered to win a $100 grocery store gift card. Winners will be named weekly, so “snap-and-share” as often as possible! (There’s also one grand prize trip to New York City up for grabs!) Click here to enter today!

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And now for more sneak peek images of the full party theme, starting with these ridiculously ADORABLE covered grill cake pops by kCreative:

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CLICK HERE to check out more images & party details!

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FREE PRINTABLE DOWNLOADS

PRINTABLES: Access all of the printables right here.

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VENDOR CREDITS & RESOURCES:

– Party Styling: Jennifer Sbranti / HWTM
– Party Printables Design: Jennifer Sbranti
– Photography: Sonny Sbranti
– Cake Pops: kCreative Cake Pops
– Wooden “Enjoy” Utensils: Sucre Shop
– Aqua Berry Baskets: Pink Lemonade Party

Hostess with the Mostess®

Lots of new FREE printables to share with you today! I designed this collection for the new SUMMER GRILLING PARTY theme we recently created for Hebrew National. You can check out full party details and see all of these printables in use right here. Just click on an image or link to download the associated party printable in high-resolution format. Use one or use them all… ENJOY! Jenn :)

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WATER BOTTLE LABELS (2 designs in one pdf) – download high-res pdf

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COVERED GRILL SILHOUETTES (2 designs in one pdf) – download high-res pdf
*Note: I cut these out by hand and placed on on every other place setting (alternating with the BBQ tool silhouettes below). It’s easier than it sounds! Just leave a small white border all the way around the design when cutting them out – you’ll be surprised how “forgiving” the white border makes things… no need to cut perfectly!

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BBQ TOOL SILHOUETTES (see “covered grills” note above)– download high-res pdf
DRINK FLAGS – download high-res pdf

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NAPKIN RINGS (2 designs in one pdf / set up 3 per page) – download high-res pdf

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FIERY PLACE CARDS / LABELS – download in high-res pdf OR high-res jpeg format
*Note: These place cards are intended to be cut out by hand. It’s easier than it sounds! Just leave a small white border all the way around the design when cutting it out. No need for the border to be “perfect”! You’ll get into a “groove” after you cut the first few.  If you need to create a lot of these, I suggest enlisting the help of a friend or parking  yourself in front of a favorite chick flick for “background noise”. ;) You can certainly handwrite the names, but I also included a jpeg format download in case that makes it easier for you to digitally customize them. The font I used here is called Veneer.

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BUFFET LABELS or PLACE CARDS – download in high-res pdf OR high-res jpeg format

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GRILLED HOT DOGS SIGN (8×10) – download the high-res pdf

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PARTY CIRCLES / TREAT TOPPERS – download the high-res pdf
Use these as food toppers, favor tags, display embellishments & more. Use a 2″ circle craft punch to create the circles.

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PARTY CIRCLES / BBQ SAUCE LABELS – download the high-res pdf
Use these to embellish jars of BBQ sauce or rub and create cute homemade gifts or party favors for guests! These can also be used as cupcake toppers & party embellishments. Use a 2″ circle craft punch to create the circles.

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S’MORES CUPCAKE TOPPERS – download the high-res pdf
*Note: These toppers are intended to be cut out by hand. It’s easier than it sounds! Just leave a small white border all the way around the design when cutting it out. No need for the border to be “perfect”! You’ll get into a “groove” after you cut the first few. If you need to create a lot of these, I suggest enlisting the help of a friend or parking  yourself in front of a favorite chick flick for “background noise”. ;)

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11 x 17 PAPER PATTERNS (3 designs in one pdf) – download the high-res pdf

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ALL PRINTABLES – QUICK REFERENCE LIST

Click a title to download:
– 4×6 Signs
– 8×10 Sign (Grilled Hot Dogs)
– BBQ Tool Silhouettes
– Covered Grill Silhouettes (2 designs)
– Napkin Rings (2 designs)
– Fiery Place Cards (or download as jpeg)
– Drink Flags
– Water Bottle Labels
– Buffet Labels or Place Cards (or download as jpeg)
– Party Circles / Cupcake Toppers (4 designs)
– Party Circles / BBQ Sauce Labels
– Fiery S’mores Cupcake Toppers
– 11×17 Paper Patterns

P.S. I’d LOVE to hear if/how you plan to use these! Please feel free to leave a note or post links to images below :)

Hostess with the Mostess®