More Cute Valentine's Ideas!

I've got some more great Valentine's ideas today for those of you who still need some cute ideas for those parties on Monday. Katrina from Snickerdoodles Bake Shop is the creative genius behind these little projects. I've loved Katrina's ideas since I first saw her "Ice Cream Sundae" party favor last fall. She definitely has a knack for putting together some adorable party treats!

First up, Katrina makes easy, cute and inexpensive Valentines favors out of chop stick cellophane bags. These measure 1" x 8" and you can find them online at GT Bag for only $4.00 for 100 bags -- I just love how unique and simple these are!

Katrina says, "On the back of the tag I also included a stamp that says, 'to a sweet friend.' My son helped me punch the tags and stamp. Then he signed his name on the back and is going to pass them out to his classmates on Valentine's Day. These turned out really cute and were a lot of fun to make! I am looking forward to making them for other occasions . . ."

And how about this one for a fun Valentine for friends..... candy cellphones!

Katrina says, "I made these for my son's Pre-K class this year. These are so easy to make and are just too cute. He can't wait to pass them out. I especially love the Pixie Stick antennae! All you need is silver card stock but you can really use any color you want. For the size, find two standard playing cards and tape them vertically together. Trace the connected cards onto the paper and cut it out and you have your phone. Just fold in half and round the edges with a scissors or corner rounder. Candy buttons and pixie sticks that can be found at a local party store. I used the label program in Word to create the names on the front of the phones and the "text" message on the inside. I also used a heart sticker for the power button."


She also made these little brownies bites and added a few easy Valentine's touches..... some sparkling sugars in Valentine's colors and a sweet Valentine candy corn. You can purchase brownie bites at most grocery stores -- I buy them all the time from Sam's. Add a little icing to the tops (you can even buy this in a can with a decorating tip ready to go!) and top it off with you candy -- totally do-able!

Another quick idea from Katrina are these cute heart lollipop Valentines using a little scrapbook paper for a "flower" embellishment. I love the addition of the Hershey's kiss, too.

Don't you just love all of her super easy and super quick ideas?

Snickerdoodles specializes in delicious cookie jars as well as cute and fun items for gifts, party favors and party decorations so be sure to take a peek at some of her wonderful creations in her Etsy shop. She truly has some of the cutest and most original items I've seen! Here are those adorable Ice Cream Sundae party favors I mentioned earlier. How cute is that!

I also wanted to thank Kristy from The Purple Pug for the fun interview she featured yesterday with me about Shindig Parties TO GO. Kristy is a fellow "party girl" and vice-president of the Children's Party Network and quite an amazing talent, too. It was a honor to be chosen for her "Crush of the Day" feature, so go take a peek if you want to find out the REAL DEAL on yours truly.

Have a GREAT Friday, girls!

Valentine's Soiree {A Children's Party}

Last year about this time my girls and I hosted a sweet Valentine's party for their friends. With both of my daughter's names beginning with the letter "M," I decided on a "M & M Sweet Shoppe" theme. A week or so before the party, we hand delivered some lollipop style invitations, with "M & M Sweet Shoppe" on one side and the invitation information on the other. We attached them to lollipop sticks, wrapped them up in cellophane and added a little ribbon to dress them up a bit. It was a fun way to let their guests know that something special was in store.

By using almost all store-bought baked goods and snacks and sprucing them up a bit, the party was relatively simple to put together and easy on the budget, too. I had set a budget of $100, and came pretty close to that figure in the end even with the crafting supplies added in.

I made the cupcakes and cake myself, which saved some money as well. It was my first experience using marshmallow fondant, and I have to say, it wasn't all that difficult, even for a newbie, and it tasted great! I've heard horror stories about the "cardboard" taste of fondant, but with this recipe, marshmallow fondant makes a pretty tasty treat. I made my own rice crispy treats, too, but added a little melted white candy coating and sprinkles to the tops for color.

I used Oreo cookie sticks and Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies and covered those with white chocolate candy coating and sprinkles as well. The pudding parfaits were a combination of store bought pink (cotton candy flavor) pudding and some vanilla pudding tinted red that I made at home. I added a little whip cream on top and put the parfaits in champagne glasses which, of course, the girls loved.

Using various red and pink candies in jars and adding some sweet labels really dressed up the dessert table, as did the pink and red poms that I made from tissue paper to hang over the table. A few M&M's, some Hershey's kisses and some marshmallow twist lollipops I bought at Walmart rounded out the treats.

After a few snacks, the girls were ready to begin crafting. I created a simple project for them and had all of the supplies ready and cut out before the girls arrived that day. Each child had a small terra cotta pot filled with green tissue paper, and they were to make their own Valentine's rose bouquet to take home with them. I used white, pink, hot pink and red felt and cut out circles for the roses. Then on each circle I drew a spiral from the outside edge, circling around until I reached the center of the circle. Then I cut each spiral out.

It was a little time consuming since each girl needed 6 or 7 roses to finish the vases, but it was a simple task that I worked on while watching TV one night. And I have to say, if you're going to have crafts with kids, it's always worth the extra effort to have the craft supplies ready to go at party time. Then it's just a matter of a few easy directions and a few steps for the kids, and they've created their own little masterpiece.

It was such a wonderful party and so nice to have a little "girl-time" with my kids and their friends. I hope it inspires you to throw a little girly soiree of your own!
Linked to: Craftomanic, Skip to My Lou, Making the World Cuter, Blue Cricket Design, Tip Junkie, Life as Lori, My Delicious Ambiguity, House of Hepworths, Craft Edition, Today's Creative Blog, Crafts Keep Me Sane, Under the Table and Dreaming, Funky Junk Interiors, Tater Tots and Jello, The Girl Creative, Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Crepe Paper Rosettes

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, it's time to get busy with some cute craft projects with my kiddos. And now that my girls are getting a little older, the crafts are taking on a bit more sophisicated flair. I came across these fabulous ideas using crepe paper rolls to make gorgeous flowers and thought these would be a perfect fit. You can't get much cheaper that crepe paper -- 2 rolls for a $1.00 at the Dollar Tree! And lots of colors, too. I just love these little flowers..... it sends my brain into overdrive thinking of all the cute possibilities from embellishing picture frames for the girls' rooms to covering their initials on their bedroom walls and, of course, all the fantastic ways you could use these to decorate party tables..... You know me.... always thinking of parties!

Look at this pretty wreath made of the rosettes in different colors of crepe paper

from Tales from an OC Cottage. She used only a paper plate and the crepe paper

for supplies - cheap and pretty.... just my style!

Aren't these so pretty?

And these pomanders from Momma and Da Boyz would look so pretty hanging in my oldest daughter's room. She would be so proud to make these and display them in her room.

Momma and Da Boyz shows you step-by-step how easy making the roses are using styrofoam balls and a few colors of crepe paper.

After scrunching the rolls up to add a little texture and then laying the paper flat again, she folds one side of the paper roll down about 1/3 of the way. The she starts the rolling and twisting process.




And eventually..... with much more detailed instructions on her blog.... ends up with these little pretties. Wouldn't these be beautiful to use in decorating a Valentine's dinner table? I can see them as napkin rings or tied to the base of a wine glass to add a special "lovey" touch, or even a beautiful bouquet of them as a centerpiece. So sweet!

Enjoy your day today! And don't forget to drop by the Dollar Tree and grab some crepe paper!

Valentines's Heart Pops

Everyone loves Valentines Day, I mean, really, how could you not? A full day set aside to celebrate LOVE! Hearts and flowers, chocolate and other goodies, and super sweet notes to those we care about..... what a terrific reminder to focus on the positive things in life.

I'm almost overwhelmed by all of the great Valentines ideas circulating on the internet. I hope to share lots of them with you all over the coming weeks.... recipes and crafts and parties, too. I happened across this adorable idea for a Valentine's treat from Pleasant Home, Valentine's Heart Pops made from candy canes and white chocolate candy melts. This is brilliant! Easy and quick and a great favor for neighbors and friends.

Adorable for a classroom treat, too!

With the directions from Pleasant Home, they are simple to make with a few ingredients..... small candy canes, white chocolate candy melts and some Valentines sprinkles.

And while you're visiting Jodi over at Pleasant Home,

take a look at these yummy jello pop corn balls.

And these super easy favors using tic-tacs and a little scrapbook paper.

Thanks, Jodi, for all of your inspiring ideas!

Valentine's Door Ideas

It's almost the season for "LOVE" and if you're anything like me, you're still tackling getting Christmas up and in the attic. (Yes, that what happens we've you've got three kids and a fun new business). So I figured the best way to get me motivated to get all my Christmas decorations organized and packed away is to start thinking about decorating for Valentines. As I researched the internet for DIY Valentines ideas, I came across some really great tutorials for door decorations that I thought I'd share with you today.

Door wreaths and other door hangers are fabulous holiday decorations because once made, they can last for years to come. And I have to say, most of what you find for Valentines in the stores is a little too cheesy for my taste -- thank goodness for all these amazingly talented ladies posting their ideas on the internet! Now with a few simple supplies and a few hours time, we can all make gorgeous Valentines decor.

I loved the simplicity of this ribbon covered wreath fro Domesticated Lady,

using a green styrofoam wreath and a felt flower tutorial from Keeping Life Creative.

Life in the Thrifty Lane makes a gorgeous felt rose door hanger using a cardboard box cut into the shape of a heart. Adding a few rhinestones to the flowers really makes this beauty stand out.

Danielle is Nesting made a beautiful rose bouquet door hanger.

Just a few supplies is all you need for this sweet Valentines project..... a wire cone shaped hanger, felt roses from the dollar store, a piece of florist foam and some moss.

Sweet Bee Buzzings made a fabric wreath using pieces of coordinating red and pink fabrics cut into small strips and tied onto a 10" wire circle frame from the craft store.

And Wise Old Owl Designs has a cute idea, similar to the one above, using a wire hanger shaped into a heart for a frame.

Most of these fabulous projects have tutorials on the ladies' blogs, so hop on over to find out the details. Have a great day today everyone!

Chocolate Fudge Strawberry Cupcakes

I must confess..... I have a THING for cupcakes. Such a "thing" that if they are in the house, it's really hard not to eat every single one. So hard, in fact, that I'm ashamed to admit there have been times.... low, low moments.... when I've hidden cupcakes from my kids so that right after they're off to school, I can eat the very last ones.

And these gorgeously decadent cupcakes that I saw on Tidy Mom might just lead me down that shameful path again.

YUM! Best of all, they are filled with strawberry whipped cream. FILLED. Did I say YUM?

Tidy Mom gives all of us the recipe and a great set of how-to photos as well.






Just in time for Valentine's Day, too. I think I might have to practice on a few batches to get them just right. Maybe then, if I make a few batches, I'll be nice enough to share them with my husband and kids. Maybe.....

Love is in the air(2)

While all the delicious desserts are baking away in my oven,

i thought i would share the pretty things i have

for decorating the table so far...

This is generally the theme i am going for...

Love is in the air~~

so i thought LoveBirds, Windmills... gettit?

There is still a lot of red, i am going to bring in more pink

i am getting really excited!

~~~Love is in the air~~~

Valentines day is almost here...

So i am not going to say too much except for this:

Sorry for the stockphoto...that was the only one i could find with heart sweets! ☺

Keep a look out...