I have gathered a few simple party ideas that might come in handy when putting together a birthday party or other special celebrations.
Balloon cake topper idea came from Martha Stewart Living . Take a simple cake and top it with mini balloons tied to wooden skewers.
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Colorful confetti made from tissue papers. {diy here}
.Audrey from This Little Street made these adorable gift bags for her daughter’s 2nd birthday party using brown paper bags, tags, twine and felt balls.
To the beach! With a bucket in one hand and a shovel in the other, my kids are ready to have fun in the sand {if and when they get there}. Their buckets were always full of treasures by the time we left the beach. I created these simple illustrations of the sea life and things often found along the Pacific Northwest beaches. Fun and whimsical drawings to be used on a beach scavenger hunt and/or as a fun print to display and remind you of the trip.
{free printable Here … beach scavenger hunt list}
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A Trip to the ocean is our family annual summer vacation. Great family time to enjoy a little bit of beach living, the sand, the ocean, salty air and relaxation. Last year we skipped it and headed to the mountains instead. I was a little surprised at how much they are craving the ocean. For the past few months the question kept popping up as to when we will be going? Sometimes in life we take things for granted and realized how much we miss it when it’s not there.
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The Pacific Northwest beaches tends to be cooler in temperature with clouds and wind. There are rare occasions on our visits when the temperature hits the high 80s°F, blue sky and it felt like we were on a tropical island, and then at other times the rain, hail and a lot of wind. No matter what the weather may be, we have not been disappointed. Our kids are looking forward to the next beach vacation!
{we’ll be updating our Facebook page with new pictures when we get back from the trip}
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This is one of my favorite pictures of Hannah(L) and Grace(R) from many years ago. The curiosity and the excitement of finding treasures along the beach and sharing them.
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Share with us your family’s favorite vacation spot?
Instead of a Father’s Day card this year, why not give him a personalized mini bulletin board. Take a basic 81/2″ by 11″ card stock paper and print the Father’s Day template {HERE} and fill it with special messages and pictures to give Dad.
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Here are the finished mini bulletin boards my kids made for Father’s Day.
Gathered a few favorites things for entertaining and gardening this summer. It’s nice to add a twist to the basics that’s unexpected like the “Cape Cod birdhouse” painted in a pale mint color and soft blue hose that should be on display. I am eyeing the citronella candle in the square container. What about you?
A wonderful time to enjoy the garden and the beauty that can only can be observed early in the morning. It was about 6:30am when I decided to take a stroll through the garden as the sun started to peak through the cool, misty air. I came back around the second time with my camera and took these pictures with the dew still clinging to the leaves and flowers.
Spring is here and my herb garden is coming back to life. With this extra sunshine we’ve been having, they’ve perked up and grew a little taller and fuller. Here I have put together a little sampling of herbs displayed on a cake stand and wrapped a few in parchment paper attached with custom tags {found here} using double sided tape. It’s always wonderful to share with others what you grow in the garden.
Fresh herbs in cooking is by far the best choice {see Compound Butter recipe below}. My four favorite herb plants I use again and again from my garden are Italian parsley, basil, lavender and mint {not shown in the picture}. Another reason for growing herbs is for decorating. Instead of fresh flowers, add a pretty green bouquet of parsley next to the kitchen sink, mint in the bathroom or silver sage displayed in simple containers down the center of the table. Herbs are hardy plants and easy to care for. Give it a try if you have never grown them.
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Scoop it all onto the plastic wrap or divide the mixture in half {about 4 Tablespoons each}. Roll the plastic wrap around it to form a cylinder then twist the ends closed. Then wrap it in parchment paper, twist the two ends and tie the ends with twine. Refrigerate until the butter is firm {about 2 hours} or put in the freezer to be used at a later date.
* Butter mixed with other ingredients {herb & spices, vanilla, honey, nuts, garlic, olives, sundried tomatoes, etc…} is known as compound butter. It adds flavor to seafood, meat, bread and vegetables.
Balloon cake topper idea came from Martha Stewart Living . Take a simple cake and top it with mini balloons tied to wooden skewers.
Colorful confetti made from tissue papers. {diy here}
Audrey from This Little Street made these adorable gift bags for her daughter’s 2nd birthday party using brown paper bags, tags, twine and felt balls.
Style Me Pretty Living put together a party theme using neon colors. One of the ideas included in the party was to dip or paint marshmallows in bright neon colors.
mini paper garlands {diy here}
