Princess Tea Party

Charlotte's birthday is on Halloween and this year she wanted to trade last year's monster theme for a princess party. Not just any princess party, mind you, a princess tea party. She threw this one at me mere days before the invitations were supposed to go out, so I had to hustle.

I found some cheap white tea cups and saucers at a restaurant supply store and added a pink crown with vinyl to make them feel a bit more princess-y. The ladies dined on cheese and crackers, fruit, cupcake-flavored goldfish, and of course pink lemonade "tea" rounded out the menu.



Since 4-year-old princesses are still refining their table manners, I kept the setting simple by making a table runner out of glitter wrapping paper from Paper Source, and used paper plates and napkins. Naturally, the birthday girl's little brother broke one of the princess tea cups before the party. Being the genius I am, I only bought exactly enough sets, so I had to get creative to come up with a suitable replacement. I glued some jewels on a plain white mug and called it the "birthday cup." Problem solved.



After the tea party, the ladies moved to their photo shoot, a dance party on their very own "stage" and played princess bingo…all events the birthday girl needed for her perfect party. The girls loved choosing their props and posing for the camera. While they were waiting for photos, the others bounced on the trampoline. As I cleaned up after the party, I noticed the trampoline was covered in glitter. Of course it was.

Charlotte had been to a party last year where she'd seen this Barbie cake and it immediately made it to the top of her must-have list. She was so excited about it. And I have to admit, I was pretty thrilled that by taking one simple short-cut I saved myself hours of cupcake decorating.

I have to say, this was the least stressful at-home birthday party I've ever hosted. Maybe that had something to do with the two aunts, a grandma and my hubby helping out during party time. (Thanks, guys!) Beforehand, though, I took some key shortcuts that really saved my sanity. I just mentioned the big victory with a store-bought cake. Because really, all 4-year-olds do with cake is lick the frosting off, right? Originally, I'd planned on making the photo props myself. But I ran onto a pre-made kit while I was at Paper Source buying glitter paper. It saved me loads of time. The photo backdrop was made with Land of Nod garlands I have ready for Charlotte's room makeover (more on that soon!) and a piece of white foam board I had hanging around.  Hands-down the easiest party I've ever thrown, and a pretty spectacular day for a new 4-year old. Everybody wins. 

Owl Tags

Sharing this little owl is like sharing a piece of my heart. This is the first hand-drawn illustration I've been brave enough to send to press. And I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

These new little gift tags are now available in my shop. Hooray!

They do double-duty as place cards, too. Perhaps a little woodland-critter theme for your Thanksgiving table this year?

They're sold in a set of 10, so you'll always be prepared to spiff up your gifts.


Need more motivation? They make great lunchbox notes, too.
Get some here. Whooo can resist?

The EYES Have It

I've mentioned that I have a thing for skulls and spiders this year. And eyeballs round out my top three for the season. I've seen so many great eyeball themed items around. Lollipops, bouncy balls, novelty glasses, etc. The eyes are where it's at this year.

I've been stocking up on eyeball-themed goodies all season, so we can spread holiday cheer everywhere we go. Pass them out to your soccer team, the kids at church, or cousins. The spooky play on words will have them giggling in no time. Or at least rolling their EYES. Pun intended. Good one, huh?

Download the printable file here.
Eyeballs not your thing? Here's a little bag topper from a couple years ago.

DIY Candy Corn Bunting

Anybody else sick of candy corn? I buy it first thing every fall, intending to use it for a variety of projects: vase filler, cookie decorating, etc. But then I dive in headfirst in a desperate moment. I eat them nonstop until I finally move on to "testing" the snack-size goodies for trick-or-treaters. Somebody's gotta do quality control on all that candy. I'm just looking out for the neighborhood kids; being a responsible citizen and all. Somebody should probably give me an award.

I may be sick of eating candy corn, but I can still look at it this year. Barely. The simple shapes, stripes, and bright colors of these cheerful candies gave me the inspiration I needed for this little garland. Give yourself 20 minutes, a glue stick and a stack of card stock and you're almost there.

Step 1: cut some triangles of orange paper
Step 2: tear strips of yellow and white paper
Step 3: glue the strips to the orange triangles
Step 4: punch holes and string the triangles together
Step 5: step back and admire your new festive decoration

Happy Halloween!

The WANT List: Skulls

I'm dying to add some more skulls to my collection this year. And not just the kind Bryce keeps on his bookshelf. Here are a few I have my eye on at the moment.

1. Skull Coasters, One Kings Lane (Hurry! event ends tomorrow)
2. Tote Bag, Maison Scotch
3. Candles, Crate & Barrel
4. Skull Place Mats, One Kings Lane (event ends tomorrow)
5. Shoes, Toms
6. Kids' Tee, Old Navy
7. Bracelet, Besty Johnson