Party Preparation {Baby K's 1st Birthday!!}

Yep, I've already started preparing for Baby K's birthday party.  Can you believe it's already been a year?  Seems like just yesterday I was complaining to you all about her being overdue and being scheduled for induction at the hosiptal!  Whew! Time flies!

I have had SUCH a blast getting geared up for the Big Day!  I debated over themes {considered the vintage circus, bumblebees, ladybugs and candy}, but ultimately landed on an ever-girly Fairy & Butterfly Garden-themed party!

I had my friend Christy, from CHDesign Studio, design my paper graphics - from the cupcake toppers and invitations to labels for food and Thank You's! {Thanks, Christy!!}  I'm going with fun, bright, summery pops of color in reds, pinks, yellows, oranges & greens!

As a special addition to some of the cupcakes, I'm using this tutorial from The TomKat Studio to construct mini cupcake stands.  I was so excited when I found these because I had been looking for a sophisticated cupcake stand and never found one!  And with these at about $2 each {mine were a bit more expensive than hers because I used a thicker base so that I could attach the ribbon around the rim of it}, you can't go wrong!  TIP: I thought about mod-podging some paper to the tops, but I decided to leave them white and just tape papers to the top so that I can interchange papers for different parties.

Soooo....there will be plenty more pictures to follow once the actual party takes place...but for now, I'll leave you with some "teaser" pictures of what's yet to come ~ enjoy!

 

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Valentine Cards

You all know how much I love handmade {I heart Etsy}.  And so today I'm bringing to you some adorable shops from Etsy...with artisans who are creating some deliciously delightful Valentine cards.  C'mon now...do you really want to dish out another $5 for some lame cookie-cutter card from Hallmark?  Show these crafters some love.  After all, it is Valentine's Day we're talking about here. :)

LOVE this one ~ how creative! Mod and to the point, with plenty of room for you to write your own love story.

$5 from Tracy Chong

 So sweet...especially for your little ones...would be FABULOUS paired up with the signature book, "Guess How Much I Love You" {get it at Amazon.com}

$4.25 from Ecce Prints

Letterpress Notes ~ classic beauties.

$9 for the set from Two Hand Designs

So cute and personal...the perfect card to send Grandma & Grandpa

$15 for the pdf image from Luke Commasara

How sweet would these be to have your kids give their friends as Valentines??!

$4 for set of 6 "I'm a Sucker For You" lollipop covers from Bunco Betty's

Have a product you'd like reviewed?

Contact me at adamsblankie@gmail.com

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Sweeties for your Sweetie

As they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  And with my husband, I couldn't agree more!  So here are some sweet little shops to visit that offer just the right satisfying sweets for him {or your other loves ones...kids included!!}

{The Cravory}

Here you can create your own cookies.  You start by picking your cookie dough flavor, and then can add up to 3 mix-ins.  And they have quite the choices!  From Reese's and 100 Grand to Cappuccino chips and figs, they've got you covered.  Heck, you can even choose BACON as an add-in! {Now, tell me, what husband wouldn't love that?!}

{Yummy Mummy Brownies}

Got a brownie lover at your house? Yummy Mummy Brownies offers a samplers of any 3 of their brownies, and comes shipped in an adorable little box.  Choose from Fudge, Nut Toffee, Caramel Nougat, Mint Patty or Peanuty Peanut Butter.  Yuuummmmm!!

{Chocomize}

Chocomize offers the perfect sweet for the chocolate lover!  Here you can choose your favorite chocolate base {dark, milk or white} and then add from over 100 types of toppings!  They offer categories such as fruits, nuts, candy and even herbs!  Hmm....after perusing the site, I'd go for the Dark Chocolate base with sour cherries, coconut flakes and cinnamon.....  Or how about White Chocolate with lavender, raspberries and hazelnuts?  Talk about some creative desserts ~ how fun! 

Have a product you'd like reviewed?

Contact me at adamsblankie@gmail.com

www.adamsblankie.com

www.gourmetplay.etsy.com

Bake it {Pretty}.

 Cupcakes are all the rage these days, aren't they?  And while I love a good cupcake {afterall, who doesn't?}, I also love the wrapping.  That is, the cupcake liner.  It's funny, we put so much attention and detail into giftwrapping presents to look oh-so-pretty, but we kind of just forget about the "packaging" of the good ol' cupcake.  Well, really, it's because the grocery store just sells plain white or silver ones, right?

Well, I have a solution!  A totally adorable, mod, chic solution to plain cupcake liners!  They come from my new fave site, "Bake it Pretty."  Cupcake liners in every size or style you could need, and all at a fairly good price, considering their uniqueness.

I absolutely {heart} these "damask" style ones!  They'd be perfect for a wedding or special girls' night! 

Or how about these red and green ones for Christmas?  Use them for your holiday party or your child's playdate or Christmas party!

And these "tilt-a-whirl" cupcake liners would be perfect for a summer, BBQ or birthday party, wouldn't they?

And another piece of eye candy there that I'd just love to get my hands on are any of their delightful cupcaker wrappers.   Instead of the hackneyed liner, why not try it with an adorably cute wrapper to boot?  This pink one with the children would be perfect for a little girls' tea party or birthday party..and "Bake it Pretty" has so many, many more that you just simply must check out.  Really!

And beyond their delicious cupcake liners, you can find loaf liners {perfect for gift-giving...especially around the holidays when we just can't help ourselves from baking up a frenzy!}, unique cookie cutters {like this adorable "onesie" cutter that would be perfect for a baby shower}, chocolate molds, candy melts and even party packs that include 24 {themed} cupcake liners and cupcake toppers.  Doesn't this pirate one make you want to throw a "Jack Sparrow" party for Halloween? :) 

Hope these inspire you for some {pretty} baking and simply delightful parties for your little ones {and yourself!}!

 

Have a product you'd like reviewed?

Contact me at adamsblankie@gmail.com

www.adamsblankie.etsy.com

www.gourmetplay.etsy.com

So just one more day until Halloween...are you ready?

If you're like me, and always looking for some last minute ideas, then I have a "treat" for you today. Perhaps you're hosting a party Halloween Eve or Halloween night and want some good decorating or treat ideas? I've found some good ones...for both adults and kids ~ we all are kids on Halloween, afterall, aren't we?


treat tree - what an adorable way to decorate and display your treats for your party! just find a branch and spray paint it black, then stick in a pot with rocks (black, white, whatever...) or even candy corn to hold it in place. then purchase or sew up some easy square bags, fill with your treats, and tie close with ribbon to hang from tree.

cute and easy pretzel swirl sticks - just coat in melted chocolate and roll in halloween colored sprinkles (would also be great treats to give out to trick-or-treaters - just wrap in cellophane and tie with twisty or ribbon!)

halloween lollipops - just buy some ordinary lollipops, cut some orange and white fabric into squares (pinking shears will give you that nice scalloped edge as shown), tie with some coordinating ribbon, and add a face with a sharpie. kids will love these!