Celebrate

Tea Party for Two-a Simple Celebration

August 7
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Serving afternoon tea can be a tradition AND an excuse to visit with friends! One thing I love most is being able to hang out with my family and friends…and if I have the time, I also love to make these moments feel special!  Everyday celebrations are my absolute favorite…and they can be so much easier to plan and are equally as appreciated by guests as their larger counterpart!  I do like to make simple gatherings seem every bit as festive…and why not have a “party” as often as you can?  It sure makes me much happier…and it really isn’t hard or expensive to add the tiniest touches to turn almost any situation into a celebration!  I was so thrilled to get the chance to catch up with one of my friends the other day so I took that opportunity to create a little tea-for-two fun to show her how special she is to me!  Let me share with you the simple festivities…

tea party~time to “bee” happy!

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Decorate

Decorating with Seaside Elements

July 31
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August arrives tomorrow…and even though the lazy days of summer are inching towards fall, it’s not too late to enjoy the sights of the current season in our homes!  I always use August as my cue for adding touches of sea & sand to my rooms.  July is full of patriotic color schemes and bright sunny palettes but when the month comes to an end I’m ready for peaceful hues and glimpses of the beach before it’s time to break out the pumpkins and mums!  I’d like to share some really simple ways to bring those natural elements into your spaces…whether you use shells, driftwood, or textural sisal in your accents, this is the perfect season to create a seaside oasis right within your very own walls!

enjoy a seaside stay-cation…

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Celebrate, Decorate

Tropical Treat!

July 27
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I am able to share this blog post with you today courtesy of FTD. 

Now that summer is here, its time to take advantage of the warm weather and beautiful outdoors. And what better way to do this than host an outdoor tiki party? Gather friends and family under tiki torches and sip on coconut cocktails all night long! Get creative with the decorations and have fun turning your backyard into a tropical oasis. Try hanging pineapples from macramé hangers and writing the cocktail menu on tropical leaves!

The possibilities are endless. To help you start brainstorming, FTD has compiled a guide to help you plan the best party of the summer! From tropical tablescapes to fruity cocktails it has everything you need to host the perfect modern tiki party.  Check out all the inspiration…

Tiki Party Ideas You’ll Love!

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Celebrate, Savor

S’more Fun with Watermelons!

July 24
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Is there a particular fruit or sweet dessert that just reminds you of summer?  For me it has to be the watermelon!  When I see them I can’t help but think of backyard BBQs where they’re assuredly served up…and they can also be a source of family entertainment if you get a good seed-spiting contest going!  This roly-poly fruit just seems to make people smile so it stands to reason that it’s a popular theme for parties!  I served up some watermelon fun for an afternoon treat…but in ways that might not be exactly what you’d think!  Let me share them with you and celebrate the watermelon…

serve up a watermelon slice of happiness!

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Savor

Cinnamon, Ice Cream Style!

July 17
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Yesterday was National Ice Cream Day so I sure hope you got a chance to celebrate by indulging on some icy treats!  I’m happy to say that my family got to enjoy the “holiday” by making one of our all-time favorite flavors…cinnamon!  We were inspired to experiment and create this family favorite after visiting a tiny ice cream shop near my family’s farm in Indiana…the same shop that my mom frequented when she was young!  They had a flavor that my mom loved as a kid and now my kids do too…so we were determined to try and replicate it the best we could since we couldn’t find anything quite like it in the stores!  Not only does this ice cream taste delicious and look divine, but I love the nostalgia which makes it an extra special treat each time we fire up the ice cream maker! Today I’d like to share with you the recipe for our version of the parlor favorite…so let’s churn up some fun!

we all scream…for cinnamon ice cream!

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Celebrate

We All Scream for Ice Cream!

July 13
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Summer heat is easily beat with that sweet little treat called ice cream!  Today I’d like to share a fun way to whip up an easy ice cream bar with simple decorations and simple ingredients!  If you’ve got an ice cream maker you can churn up a icy recipe or equally as enjoyable, just grab your favorite brand from the freezer!  Set out some festive and yummy toppings, cones or dishes & spoons and call all your favorite peeps in out of the heat for a screamin’ good time!  Take a peek…

ice cream dream!

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Celebrate

Let’s Flamingle!

July 10
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So now that summer is in full swing there’s a tradition I love to do as often as I can…host an outdoor movie night!  Several years ago we invested in an outdoor projector and let me tell you that it’s one of the best purchases we’ve ever made!  Often times throughout the summer we’ll hook that thing up and camp outside with some popcorn, snacks, and my hubby and I might partake in an adult beverage or two!  It’s really a fun, family activity that’s still appealing to the boys…even though the quality of the projector can’t come close to what the digital TVs are like today!  But for me, that’s part of the nostalgic appeal, it reminds me of the drive-in theater days…back when that quality wasn’t comparable to today’s either!  So when I decided to host some girlfriends for one of our semi-regular movie-night gatherings I knew we needed to do it outside!  And with the collaborative help from a talented designer friend of mine, we chose a popular summertime theme and ran with it!  A “flamingle” outdoor movie party is such a fun and whimsical way to celebrate summer…whether it’s a grown-up girl’s night out or a teen or tween party, a flamingo-inspired celebration is the perfect way to create a festive event for a flock of your friends!  Let me share some pink party inspiration…

flocktails and friendship!

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Travel

Disney Magic

July 6
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Shortly after school got out for the summer, we were lucky enough to spend a little time in one of my most favorite places…Disney World!  We have been fortunate to travel there often as the boys were growing and it became a family tradition to go every couple years, many times with my parents joining in on the fun!  Our trips there have left me with wonderful memories…capturing forever the visions of the childlike excitement in the happiest place on earth!  And even as the boys have grown, there were always new and different experiences that were perfect for their ages…and let’s face it, if you’re a Disney fan you’re most likely to love the experience whether you’re 5 or 75!  For me, it’s a place full of sweetness and imagination, where you can dream and dare, and just feel like a kid again for a moment or two!  It really is a magical location filled with laughter and whimsy…but also lots of time to relax, unwind, and enjoy the views!  Let me share another side of Disney…

magical kick-off to summer!

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Celebrate

Pineapples on the Patio

June 26
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I was completely thrilled when I was asked earlier this spring if I would contribute a party idea for the summer issue of Everyday Party Magazine!  Summer parties give us many opportunities to use fun decor…sea shells or beaches, pool time & flip flops, nautical designs, drive in movies…the list goes on!  But another favorite of mine is a little tropical fruit we know and love…the pineapple!  Not only does it evoke thoughts of the tropics but the color of the fruit itself reminds me of sunshine, so it’s a perfect summertime theme!  It has been so busy around here that even though the publication came out some time ago, I haven’t yet shared the fun here…so today I’d like to give you some sunny inspiration for a simple gathering!

have a pineapple picnic!

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Celebrate, Holidays

Oh My Stars!

June 16
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So, I hate to mention this fact but it is now beyond the halfway point in June!  What?  It seems like school just got out yesterday and now it’s already time to gear up for all those Fourth of July festivities!  I hear that some people believe when the 4th arrives the summer is half over…and some believe that the holiday is the official celebration to the beginning of the summer season…I think I’d like to go with the latter!  It is true, as vacation standards go, the summer CAN be half over when you consider early start-dates or school activities that begin well before the first day of classes.  But I’m not going to concentrate on that fact…I’m here to share some inspiration for summer fun and celebrations that have really JUST begun!  So today I’m seeing stars…a fun theme for a patriotic or ANY type of party!

star-spangled snacks!

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