Showing posts with label Party Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Party Planning. Show all posts

Reagan's 4th Birthday {Real Party}

I know I've been MIA lately... well, maybe make that MWNA - missing with no action! Some of you may know that I started a small boutique design business earlier this year and it has just absolutely taken off lately. I have been devoting a lot of time to my business and therefore, I began to neglect my blog. About a month ago I announced that I'd be focusing more on my business than this blog. I will keep the blog, because there will always be days like today when I have something I want to share with you! They just may not always be close together!!  Please make sure you visit me at Posh Peony Creative Designs - I'm really building a portfolio and I'm available for just about any design work you need!

Today, I finally have my own party to share with you! Without further ado... I present Reagan's 4th Birthday!  All photos were taken by our FABULOUS friends at Captured by Jason Photography!  Many, many, many thanks to Jason & Kristin Merritt for helping us preserve and cherish this day!!


I chose a Rainbow theme for Reagan's birthday for a few reasons... the first one was the tablecloth!  I found it on Pinterest via Hip Hooray.  I fell in love with it and decided I wanted to put my sewing skills to the test, and boy was it a test!  More on that below...  The next reason I chose the rainbow theme was the sheer availability of color.  How much more color can you get than rainbow?!  The options were endless...



The dessert table was the main focus with 36" balloons providing the backdrop, although my red balloon wasn't filled to capacity and was very gimpy!  It was the only thing I could complain about, so for tha I'm grateful!  I made a cake, cupcakes, cake balls, cake push pops and rainbow jello (well, my husband made that!) and then we also had M&M's and rainbow Twizzlers.  I think my fave were the push pops!  The dessert table also featured 7 pictures of Reagan in glittered frames.

The cake was all white cake with buttercream icing, more info about the cake below, because as you can guess it was not just white!  The cupcakes were mixed - some rainbow chip and some were white cake dyed rainbow and layered.  The push pops were rainbow chip mini cupcakes with rainbow colored icing and nonpareils.  The cake balls were made from white cake, golden Oreos and buttercream coated in almond bark.  I'd originally planned to layer the Jello, but after much consideration I decided to serve each flavor individually.  I like the way it turned out, but did you know Jello melts in 100° Texas heat?!  Yeah, it was quickly Jello soup!  I designed and printed buffet cards for the dessert table as well.



The first truly original idea I came up with was a drink bar.  Thanks to Pinterest, it wasn't long before I realized it was not as original idea as I'd thought!!  Don't you hate that?!  I served seven different flavors of Kool-Aid - cherry, orange, lemonade, limeade, berry, watermelon kiwi and grape.  You can't actually buy 7 colors, you can buy 6 so I bought an invisible one (watermelon kiwi) and dyed it indigo!  It worked!  I also had paper straws (not pictured) so you could mix and match your rainbow!  The cherry and berry were big hits, the lemonade was not, haha!



I had a lot of ideas about decor, but I knew I could easily go overboard and I really wanted the focal point of the decor to fall on the tablecloth, so I used some honeycomb balls to give some height to the decor.  I also painted and glittered Reagan's name to place on the entertainment center.  We placed balloons all through the house and outside, but again that 100° Texas heat causes balloons to pop almost immediately when they head out of the house.  We had balloons popping ALL day!  I also knew I wanted to make a tulle wreath, and I did this one differently than my last (found here).  I used all seven colors and I LOVE how this wreath turned out!!  It stayed on my door until Halloween!  The day before the party I also made some time to create a small garden flag using materials I had on hand.  It turned out to be very cute!

I sent the kiddos home with gable boxes that had crayon rolls (making 20 at one time is a TASK for sure!), pencils and rainbow colored bubbles inside, and I somehow did not ever get a picture of any of that!



Back to the cake... as I'm sure you guessed, it was layered with the rainbow inside!  All seven colors... I will say - it was MUCH easier to make this cake than the layered cupcakes, go figure, right?!  Reagan LOVED it!!!



Ahhh... the tablecloth!!  This took me WEEKS... and by the time it was said and done I'd used 3360" x 6" of colored fabric and then ruffled it by hand since the ruffler foot I purchased for my sewing machine was the wrong foot.  I was so pleased with the outcome of this tablecloth and I can't wait to find more reasons to use it!!!  It was a true test of will... and something I will cherish forever!  Am I a nerd?!



Needless to say, a fun time was had by all...!  My precious princess turned 4 and she was able to spend an amazingly colorful day with all her friends and family!  Thanks so much to all who came and made her day that much more special.  We are all so blessed!!

Vendors:

Cupcake Social - nonpareils, cupcake liners (mini & standard)
Love to Party - rainbow candles
Little Yume - paper straws
AOC Welding Supply - amazingly priced helium for my oversized balloons!
Factory Direct Party - small cups and spoons (Jello)
American Balloon Factory - 36" balloons (great prices!)

Back to School!

I know it is getting late for back to school, but the Muegge house is just gearing up! Reagan doesn't go back to school until after Labor Day so we have a ways to go yet. I've only shopped for jeans (when Old Navy had their kids jeans for $10) and that's about it! Hopefully this week I'll get to that!! So, I may be bringing you these ideas a little late... but better late than never, right?! ;)

Today I'm going to feature some fabulous parties first and then give you some great ideas for your teachers. Later this week I'm going to do a feature on cute things for your children from Back to School organization ideas to lunch note ideas and more!

We'll start with this great Back to School soiree that Kim, over at the amazing TomKat Studio, styled for Pottery Barn Kids *do you hear the angels singing?!*

see the full party here

Kim used her own printables and created this gorgeous Back to School themed party for a Pottry Barn Kids event. I LOVE her printables, for sale here, and all the apples. For me, teacher=apple... just a connection that is always in my mind :0)


Here is another very colorfull and fun filled party from Love the Day

see the full party here

Lindi over at Love the Day featured this great party by her friend Jane. It is so cute, colorful and fun - and the printable are on sale here. I love all the bright colors and that she provided food for the moms and the kids. Great party!


And this party from Dukes and Duchesses is spot on! Adorable for kiddos just starting school - and full of great details!

see the full party here

Randi from Dukes and Duchesses created this fab party for her little ones playgroup, which had 5 kiddos starting school! She made this party cute and financially reasonable - using supplies from the dollar store and every day things to make a big impact. I LOVE the looseleaf paper garland and the writing line water bottle labels. She used printables from The Girls at Eighteen 25, found here (did I mention they are FREE?!), and had an adorable donut eating activity.


Need some ideas for your new teacher(s)?

Have you seen these unbelievably cute crayon monograms?!

see more about this project here

I've seen many of these lately but I LOVE this one from Emily at Creative Holiday Gift Ideas!! She used a great Pea font from Kevin and Amanda and I love the shadow box effect.


Hello cuteness...

see the full project here

How presh is this handmade set of notecards for your child's teacher?? Michele with I Stamped That offers the complete kit to make this adorable gift for $11 + shipping and handling. Amazing deal!! If you have the items at home but need some instructions, she also offers a tutorial for $3.95 + handling fees. Ca-yute!


Now this you can do for the whole school, not just one teacher!! You can make these for the nurse, the principal, the registrar... guaranteed brownie points! ;)

see full project here

The fabulous Amanda with Shindig Parties to Go (whom I often feature because I LOVE her!) created a wonderful tutorial for making these great Oreo pops. The leaves are made from Air Heads! And how adorable is that pencil covered vase?! Um yeah, I'm swooning.


Another great crayon project.... I made one of these myself!

see full project here

I am IN LOVE with these... absolutely in love! I just made one myself, but I didn't make a tutorial for it :/ I should have! I really love this one from Evonne of The Ballard Bunch. The red gingham fabric and the flowers are really perfect for this project. Although, if she actually leaves this on her door she must not live anywhere near me... this Central Texas heat is over 100­ degrees each and every day. Can we say, melted?!

So, stay tuned for more great Back to School ideas later this week - I have great things coming your way!!!

Obsession alert: Baker's Twine

I always have a new obsession... this one has been lingering for a while and really taking center stage as I find new ways to use it! I really think this will be all over Christmas this year... just sayin'... get ready!!

There are a few different companies that produce Baker's Twine but I *personally* think the best twine on the market comes from Divine Twine and The Twinery. *note* I have not been paid or given any items to promote this company, this is just my personal, unbiased opinion! They have the best colors and color selections and man, do they have a lot of colors!!





Here are a few really adorable ways to use Baker's Twine.

click to enlarge


What is not to love about each of these adorable twine ideas?! I think twine offers a clean and simplistic approach to decor. It is just the right pop of color but on a small scale. Perfection!

The gorgeous place setting is from a Safari Luxe Baby Shower featured on Hostess with the Mostess.

Loving the rainbow colored packaging directly from The Twinery Blog!

How adorbs is that lemon bread loaf?! Oh and man it looks delicious! It reminds me of my great grandmother and I would love to have been able to package up an adorable loaf with beautiful twine and deliver it straight to her! Only if Heaven wasn't so far away... I would! :0) You can find the recipe for this cute loaf at Glorious Treats.

Who doesn't love a pom pom? Well, OK, I'm sure some people don't... but I'm obsessed with any kind of little puffy ball! Whether it is tulle, tissue... or now, twine! So many adorable ways to use these little puffs of twine magic! You can find this little tutorial along with some ideas on how to use them on Martha Stewart.

Lollipops are HUGE right now! And with good cause... they are so precious! This Thank You card by J. Day Designs is whimsical and unique!

I am pretty much obsessed with anything they feature over at Garnish - but this might take the cake, er, I mean, sandwich! This is from Amanda at The Cilantropist. Adorable and she even gives you some assembly tips! These are on my to do list, for sure!

Do you use Baker's Twine for anything particular? Share with me!

Top 10 Party Must Haves (Party Trends)

Here are some party items I am currently totally obsessed with!

click image to enlarge

These aren't necessarily a new trend, and I've seen some party pro's suggest that these are or should be on their way out of the party scene... but, as usual I'm always a little late on the uptake and just finding these and I LOVE them!! Now beware... if you've never placed a paper straw between your lips, it does feel funny at first!

There are many shapes and sizes of paper lanterns floating around out there today - and I love them all! I've even seen many tutorials on how to make them yourself (not this particular version though). I love the fact that you can hang these and party or you can light them as well - which is GORGEOUS!

Yep... I said 3 FOOT!!! They are large and in charge, that's fur sure! But boy what a beautiful popping presence they have! Although as I am quickly learning, they may not be so practical for every party, at least not in mass quantities. Each balloon ranges between $5 and $8 and with helium becoming one of the most expensive gases in America... inflating the large guys can get pricey. But I think they are SO worth it!

These have been around forever... I remember making them in class in elementary school. But they are coming back and the are here with a bang! They can be found in almost every party picture you see and since you can make them in every color or scheme imaginable they fit in well from birthday parties, to baby showers to weddings. Beautiful, playful, dainty and bold all at once.

This is a huge hit right now... I actually just had this conversation with Kyle... I'm not sure if they were becoming a huge hit before but they definitely have hit the party scene running with the large popularity of Milk & Cookies parties. These are so neat, look great with those paper straws and give a wonderful presentation!

Bye bye paper birthday banners, hello fabric bunting! Well, paper banners aren't totally gone... but these guys sure have taken over! You get amazing textures, patterns and colors and many times you can make them no-sew! Oh and shapes... you can have pennant shaped, scalloped, square... so pretty!

Again, these really have been around forever and they went from party drab to party fab overnight! I think the key to their reappearance is how they are hung - with the right grouping of colors and sizes, you can create a gorgeous cascade of dainty tissue in a bold arrangement.

What an excellent DIY - so many great resources for ideas on how to make these adorable cupcake stands. Many use items you see everyday from wood circles to old candlesticks... slap on some paint and ribbon and viola! Tiny cupcake stands!! Love the professionalization too...

How adorable are those?! Gable boxes are a huge party favor holder these days. And they come in so many colors and some prints - and so easy to personalize. You can add tags, letters, ribbons... anything to make these your own personal party perfection!

These great hats are making their way past 1st birthdays... and with this amazingly simple fabric hat tutorial you can make one for very guest! Such an eye drawing detail and I'd bet they'd make for one happy party kid!

I hope you love these as much as I do!!! Party on my friends... party on...! :0)

Top 10 Birthday Party Themes

Hey guys! I have been doing tons of party research in preparation for Reagan's upcoming 4th and I'm coming across some of THE most amazing parties and I HAVE to share them with you!!

In no particular order...


Not only is this party done in amazing shades of pink and yellow, but it is a perfect mix of cute and elegant. I'm in love with everything from the flowers to the cake... the favors to the birthday girl's tutu - serious cuteness here!



Jess is total party GENIUS! She plans the biggest bashes for her little girls birthday each year. She also hosts a massive Halloween party each and every year. Everything matches at her parties, from the lawn furniture to the bottle labels. She leaves no detail undone.



What I love most about this party are the colors... blue and lavender are stunning together and definitely stunning here!! I love the delicate look of this party, the games and the fact that it is for two children 3 and 9 - TOTALLY versatile!!



Looking for a cute boy party? Here you go! This would be perfect for little boys birthday and I LOVE the color combination. Make sure you check out the cake pops, they are ADORABLE!! And the paper patterns used here... well, they're absolutely perfect!



This party is so NEAT! Not only are the colors sublime, the party centers around a photography theme! A photo booth was set up with a professional photographer and the invitations... OH!!! So wonderful!! ♥ this party!



I am dying from the cuteness of this party!! My niece and Reagan are the same age and Krystal would LOVE this party!! Make sure you check out the invitations and the fantabulous milk bar!!



I'm a sucker for Nautical... I think if I had a little boy I'd totally go Nautical on his room. That sounds bad... haha! But beyond loving the Nautical, I love the red, white and blue and especially the addition of the baby blue. The cake and cupcakes are perfection!



I love Carnival parties because they can be for a boy or a girl, and GREAT if you have multiples!! This party is really different from the other Carnival parties I've seen - everything is amazingly gorgeous and the party hats are SO cute - they used clown noses on the tops of the party hats!! And check out these cupcakes, hello?! Genius!!



LOVE THIS!! I love the colors, the printables, the cake... everything! And I love that while mom gets to go all out and throw a super cool party, it is totally perfect and boyish. You get to have a candy bar and all kinds of super yummy goodies but not make it too girlie. Perfection!!


I know I said in no order, but I think I saved this for last on purpose...


There truly are not enough words in my vocabulary to describe this acsolutely stunning party from Paula at Frog Prince Paperie. The details are beyond perfect - I have a huge must check out list, so I'll list it! You must check out: her unbelievably gorgeous daughter, the cake... click here to see more... the push pop containers and MY OH MY OH MY OH MY!!! YOU HAVE TO CHECK OUT THESE COOKIES!!!!! I have never... ever... ever... ever... seen anything more amazing than those cookies. I don't know how ANYBODY actually ate those!! Wow... unreal attention to detail. Talk about party of a lifetime.


Party Inspiration Board: Artichoke and Asparagus (Dinner Party)

Did you miss me?! I've been MIA for a week and half! A week and a half!!! I'm SO sorry! I was busy though... LOL. We celebrated my husbands birthday at the end of last week and over the long holiday weekend, so we were out of town for 4 days. Then Wednesday I bought a new computer and spent some time getting all my files and programs moved over. So... that brings me to today!

The best news of this all is that I have a NEW great post for you! I love, love, love dinner parties. I wish I could have one every week, but that's not exactly realistic, is it?! LOL... My favorite things about dinner parties are cooking for my friends, decorating my table and having a wonderful time over great food and drinks. Who wouldn't like that?! I've found some amazing inspiration for a chic summer party for you and a few friends... I'm excited to share this with you and I'm searching for somebody to come and let me cook all of this for them! LOL... Here ya go!

Artichoke and Asparagus Dinner Party

click picture to enlarge

• A simple table setting says so much more than a massive heap of miscellaneous items. I am obsessed with white dishes. I think they are essential in any kitchen. When Kyle and I married, I refused to register for fine china. To me, it is so expensive and I didn't want to end up with random pieces and have to try to finish off my collection. I am also not a fan of china cabinets, so I didn't know where to store all of that china. We registered for everyday place settings and a ton of white serveware from pasta bowls to serving platters. Over the years I've continuously added to my white collection. I was drawn to this particular picture, not only for the white dishes but the artichoke as well. Artichokes are another thing I have an odd obsession with. I don't have random stone artichokes in my home, but I probably could... easily! I took about 800 pictures of artichoke wrought iron fences in New Orleans. ♥

Photo courtesy of: The Homesteading Apartment

• I love the idea of multiple small flower arrangements. We have a large square barstool height table so the middle of the table gets lost a lot. It really needs something with girth to make a difference, so multiple smaller objects fit my niche. I also love the different types of flowers used and the colors, of course! White roses are stunning when they are that full and healthy and the dark leaves are so perfect. I believe the purple flowers are Iris, but could totally be wrong and of course the green is hydrangea. I also adore the wrapping inside the vase to hide the stems and provide more color.

Photo courtesy of: WeddingBee

• How amazing do those balsamic roasted fingerling potatoes look?! We were served fingerling potatoes at my best friends wedding rehearsal dinner and I fell in love. So yummy and the colors make such a wonderful presentation.

Photo and recipe courtesy of: Cooking On The Side

• I love artichoke dip but i didn't want to give you spinach artichoke dip, which is a great standby but overdone! Here is a wonderful and healthy alternative. It can be served with veggies or crackers... oh I bet it would be yummy with bagel crisps. It is almost like a hummus and is not only vegetarian but vegan! It looks amazing!!

Photo and recipe courtesy of: My Man's Belly

• Roasted veggies of any sort are always a wonderful addition to a dinner party... they can be done in advance, the roasting gives the veggies a brilliant color and the smallest amount of seasoning provides a robust flavor. Adding thinly sliced prosciutto to roasted veggies should be a sin... it is SO delicious! And prosciutto on asparagus?! Oh... my... HEAVEN!

Photo and recipe courtesy of: My Gourmet Connection

• How genius is a martini bar?! What better way to cater to the drink tastes of all of your guests?! The large decanters are filled with vodka, vermouth and soda water. They provided "dirty water" which I assume is olive juice of some sort. Then, they provided a variety of garnishes: traditional olives, cucumbers and lemon. I must say - the idea is PURE GENIUS! I would totally do this for a dinner party. And to give you some additional ideas... Ill brush you up on martini lingo a little: a gin martini with soda and citrus is a martini with a twist; a vodka martini with olive juice and garnished with olives is a dirty martini; a gin and vermouth martini with a cocktail onion is a Gibson. Of course there are MANY more variations of martinis... and for this dinner party you could also add some pickled asparagus to the garnish station.

Photo courtesy of: Sunday Suppers as seen in Martha Stewart Living

• Dessert is so important when hosting a dinner party. Your party is not complete without serving your guests dessert. So often I wish I had a cappuccino maker, but coffee is the best I can offer, ha! However, now... I can offer THIS! It looks delicious! The up side to this recipe is it is so devilishly simple but it looks like it took ages to make! I will be making this VERY soon!

Photo and recipe courtesy of: McCormick

• This crostini recipe is to die for... ricotta cheese, cream cheese, smoked salmon... asparagus... what more could you want?! This looks delightful and such a wonderful appetizer to carry on the asparagus theme.

Photo and recipe courtesy of: Yum Sugar

• Serve these crab cakes as your main entrée. I would plate these with the prosciutto wrapped asparagus and the fingerling potatoes for the main course. There are so many crab cake recipes out there, but I chose this one because the roasted red pepper aioli sounds so amazing.

Photo and recipe courtesy of: My Recipes

• I know this made for two floral arrangements, but hey... this one could go in the entry way or on your bar! I love this because of the deep purple in the hydrangeas but I also love the presentation in the vase and I REALLY think that you could line that vase with asparagus spears to flow with the theme more.


• This drink had me the moment I saw it... then, I saw the name! The Black Swan! Although, I've also seen it called the Seductive Swan. What's a name anyway, eh?! This is made with vodka, blackberries and lemonade. You could add the instructions to make this to the end of your martini bar... since you already have the vodka out, you know!

Photo and recipe courtesy of: Entre Nous

• Shrimp are always a welcome sight at a party! These are gorgeous on the rosemary sprigs and they look absolutely delicious. They are first marinated and then steamed before being placed on the skewers. And the dip... oh, I'd eat that on a spoon by itself! YUMMY!

Photo and recipe courtesy of: Tasty Stuffs MN

• The perfect steamed artichoke... is that an elusive item in your home?! It is in mine! I have wanted to LOVE steamed artichoke my whole life. Wanted to... When I was in fourth grade my friends mom ate artichokes every Friday night. She would steam then and then dip the leaves in mayo. I would sit and watch her eat those leaves and pray that someday my mother might find that exotic veggie somewhere on this earth. Obviously, I wasn't very aware of the grocery store produce department! So... I went home one day after a sleep over and gushed to my mom about how I was craving this amazing veggie and would she PLEASE buy one and make it for me. I was the kid who ate brussels sprouts, so this wasn't shocking. She came home with one, steamed it, sat it in front of me with a bowl of mayo and I went to tasting... and immediately spitting!!! I HATED IT!!! I've come a long way since then... and I may just have to make this for myself this weekend!

Photo and recipe courtesy of: Summer Tomato

• And now we've hit the prized gem of this collection! HOW ADORABLE ARE THOSE CANDLES?! The artichokes are hollowed out and a small votive or tea light candle was placed inside. The candles are surrounded by asparagus and green beans, although I am partial to the asparagus!! The best thing about this is the site offers a GREAT DIY that even your kiddos could help you with! And to top it off... how perfect is that great dark purple ribbon?! ♥ ♥ ♥

Photo courtesy of: Project Wedding

• This wreath from a Bowl Full of Lemons is absolutely stunning... although I have to admit I don't know what it is made from?! It just reminds me of an artichoke and I love that! GORGEOUS!

Photo courtesy of: A Bowl Full of Lemons

I hope this Inspiration Board made you as happy as it made me! I wanted something out of the box but elegant and traditional. The colors are perfection in my mind and the food looks amazing. I want to throw this party myself!! Maybe someday, I will?!

I'll leave you with the menu I would have for this party as well. The food was interspersed with the decor, so it may seem muddled!

4th of July Party Inspiration

I started off researching to do an inspiration board and then there was just SO much and so many great things to say about it all... so I'm going to do it as a feature. These pictures come from all over, so make sure you pay attention to the text below the picture that give you a link to the photo's owner. Some of these have great tutorials too!

The 4th of July is so special for many different reasons and it remains one of the few holidays where we gather with our loved ones to celebrate year in and year out. Here are some FABULOUS ideas on how to make that family gathering a little more special this year and bring so many smiles to the faces of those you love! Make sure you look for something special from ME at the bottom of the post!

First up - a stellar invitation!

Tiny Prints

Who can resist an amazing invitation?! Not me!! I have a massive obsession with printed invites... printed on nice textured paper, with rich colors and that hot-off-the-press smell! Love it!! These are so gorgeous... simple, yet elegant... modern, yet truly traditional (since what holds more tradition than a countries flag?!).


Let's talk about food... well, let's talk about dessert! Who care about the food, when there is sugar to be served, right?! Here are some absolutely awesome dessert ideas for your 4th of July bash!

All Recipes

This is just a picture, no recipe, although it is from a recipe site...?? But OK... These would not be terribly hard to make... what would be somewhat difficult is getting them to actually look like THAT - they're kinda like totally perfect! I would imagine much time went into the drying and dipping process. I would say to skewer each strawberry through the stem, but be careful not to disrupt the leaves, since that is part of the beauty. I would dip it 2/3 of the way in white chocolate and then dip 1/3 into the blue sprinkles... but BE CAREFUL! Then, personally... I'd let them dry while holding the skewer... attention to detail is never a bad thing, I promise! Then, I'd probably place the open end of the skewer into some styrofoam to dry more... after the chocolate was set enough to not drip. But, that's just what I'd do! If you set them down too soon, you'll get a mound of chocolate at the base, and while they may taste the same, they will not look the same and what is this without it's amazing clean lines. I'm severely OCD, remember?! :0)


Cupcakes Kisses 'n' Crumbs

Another amazing way to do chocolate covered strawberries! And look at the detail on the striped ones!! But as much as that detail is SO cute... those totally star covered ones have me DROOLING!! I'm a huge fan of soft and crunchy textures mixed and that looks like total perfection! So cute. Totally love the mix of sophisticated and hip. When my husband saw these he immediately said "Oh!!! Look at THOSE!" Husband approval = HUGE props!



More strawberries... because... well, because, why not?! Strawberries are delish and oh are they beautiful when they are in season. Oh, and they are red, an essential component in a 4th of July party... so, yes... more strawberries! These are sinful looking... and if you read the recipe it gives instructions on how to add some champagne to the cream. Did you hear me?! Strawberries and champagne!! Put the kids to bed... and take these bad boys out of the fridge! I bet they taste even MORE delicious than they look... I sure bet they do...


Pink Cake Box and Jessicakes

I'm a big believer in gorgeous cakes. Love me some cake... and I also love making cakes. I actually used to make cakes and sell them from my home. When we moved into our new house, our oven could not and would not bake a cake. Now, two years later it is finally calibrated properly and I'm baking again! That makes me a happy girl!! These cakes are gorgeous and would be a perfect addition to your 4th party!


AndersRuff

I am in love with these cupcakes from the original simplicity (white icing) to the pinwheels! What I truly love hits back on the simplicity... I love the white icing with the white cupcake wrapper but the added touch of the printable gives just enough color and pop to make a real statement. And hello?! Who doesn't love pinwheels?! These are also a new HOT TREND in the party world. This picture was my very-hard-to-choose favorite from this AndersRuff feature over at Hostess with the Mostess. And... for a limited time, all of the printables in this feature are 50% OFF in the AndersRuff Etsy shop. Awesome printables collection!!


Living Locurto

So, Amy over at Living Locurto made these amazing gems of a treat! Aren't they presh?! She made a comment about not being able to serve her children something out of a box so she came up with this... well, Amy! You hit the nail on the head! This is exceptionally semi-homemade. It took her no time at all to make these guys and they look fantabulous! Talk about drab-to-fab in 0 to 60!! I see many, many uses for these in my very near future! Gracias Amy!!


Velvet Cream Bakery

I found many super cute pictures of cake pops. Know what made me pick these...?? C'mon... you can guess it... I've said it a million times. No, it's not the ribbon, although, that is delightful! What was that? Yep... you got it! The MASON JAR!! I'm obsessed. I bought umpteen hundred of them for Reagan's 3rd birthday and I use them constantly... Love me some Mason Jars!


Cupcakes Take the Cake

Originally, I was just going to showcase the marshmallows in this picture... which CTTC gives an awesome tutorial with great pictures for. But the rest of these kabobs were just TOO cute to resist! These are too cute for words!!


Twig & Thistle

Simple. These are perfectly simple. If you've ever made Rice Crispy Treats... then you can make these! And in my opinion... the most important part of this dessert is the ribbon. Anybody can make these treats and tie on a ribbon... it's simple! But oh man, is it gorgeous!!


Sweets Indeed

Yes folks... those are DONUTS! How insanely creative and heart stopping are THOSE?! The strawberries are coated in maybe a simple sugar, slightly boiled? I can't truly tell... but wow... they look amazing! In fact, the entire post over at Sweets Indeed is absolutely stunning. It is beyond words - check it out!


Glorious Treats

I don't like Jell-O but I would eat THAT just to be able to say I ate it! Do you see how that can be so bad for my hips?! These are really cute and Glory gives great tips on how to make these. Plus... you have to check out her amazing sugar cookies while you're over there. AH-mazing!!!


Let's move on to drinks...

Be Different, Act Normal via Martha Stewart

Lorie over at Be Different found this amazing picture on Martha Stewart's site, but was unable to find any info for it. So the credit goes to Ms. Martha... but Lorie poses a serious question... with an answer I wouldn't have guessed. What is the star made of? Her answer: jicama. I originally thought it was coconut, but as I don't eat raw coconut and have never even attempted to cut one (I need to remedy that), I am not sure that you can even cut coconut like that?? Anyway... I am in love with that stirrer and that is what matters!


My Recipes

This recipe is for FRESH Raspberry Lemonade, which in and of itself would make my tastebuds VERY happy! But look at the rims on those glasses... colored sugar!!! AHHH!!! I love making drinks from fresh ingredients, especially fruity drinks. It is such a pleasing and refreshing change from powdered mixes. I believe the stars are made from pineapple but the recipe doesn't say.


Now... on to decor :0)

BlueMoon Studios

I am a true believer in bunting and/or banners. I think they add SO much to an event and there are so many ways to use them. They add color and texture and personality and man can they POP when used correctly! There are so many different shapes and textiles you can use and I ♥ ♥ ♥ fabric bunting! These are SO easy to make if you have a sewing machine. And I would bet they are still decently easy if you prefer to hand stitch, although more time consuming. I love the different pattern choices in this particular bunting - polkas to stripes to plain and nice!


All You

These are adorable! What a great way to display the colors, flags and I love the vases being identical with the exception of size. These are gumballs!!


Make and Takes

This is another spin on the above idea. I love the simplicity of the first idea, but I love the paper crafting in this picture. Plus, there is a tutorial to make these great "lollies" on the Make and Takes site. You can also make these to place on hats or pins... so cute!!


Martha Stewart

GORGEOUS! Of course it is straight from Martha herself...!! I love everything about this from the red, white and blue star patterned table cloth to the organza runner and oh, how cute are those napkin holders?! I love set tables... they are perfection!


{It's A Muegge Life}

Of course I couldn't do a 4th of July feature without including my very own Tulle Wreath Tutorial! If you've not seen this, check it out! I've provided you with a step-by-step tutorial with helpful hints and even some tips on where to find the supplies! It is so easy, so worth your time and SO stunning!!


And lastly... what 4th of July party could go off without sparklers?!


Print Your Party

Ahhhhhh!! I've seen these adorable sparkler holders a lot lately, but what better use of sparklers than Independence Day?! These are so cute, and such a great way to display the sparklers... bet you won't forget them this year! By the way... small fact about me... I'm deathly afraid of sparklers, ha! I thought maybe it was just a childhood fear, but last year my cousin had these at her wedding and I tried hard to participate but before they could light mine, I had to hand them off and LEAVE the premise! I have a very severe fear of fire, so I guess this plays into that. So sad because they are really fun and minimally dangerous, ha!


Also, I told you I'd have a surprise for you at the bottom... well, here it is! My very first attempt at subway art!! This will fit any frame up to 8x10. I hope you print it and enjoy it - if you do, send me a picture!! I'd love to see what you do with it!

You can also find a .pdf download of this file here: 4th of July Subway Art - {It's A Muegge Life}

Hope you all have a happy 4th! ♥ ♥ ♥