{fab finds} new year's eve party hats

Check out Jen @ Tatertots & Jello's post for 20 party hat ideas!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{FREEday} NYE 2011

I know it isn't Friday yet, but I want to go ahead and feature these printables so that you have time to use them before this weekend! This is a compilation of FREE NYE themed goodies that I have found through my recent blog hops!

A tag for the bubbly? Why yes I think I shall! What a great & easy party favor or hostess gift. Beth @ It Is What It Is made this fun printable.

Teal is definitely a go-to color for NYE parties this year. Such a classic color combo, and easy to glam it up! These can be found at Catch My Party and are made by Do @Piggy Bank Parties

Following the teal trend, Love the Day has created a fabulous collection of printables with a special purpose behind them. Check out her blog to get the full story!

Teal not matching your theme? Never fear! Stefanie @Anna and Blue Paperie has made some fun & glam party circles for the New Year.

Hope all my party friends put these great printables to use!

Have a safe & fun New Year!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{fab finds} thank you very much

Perhaps I should have said the title with a little Elvis twang--since I'm from Memphis after all ;)I am a sucker for stationary. I love to look at stationary wherever I go. I always hate to use it though! I know, it is a strange complex. I am the same way with wrapping paper. Today's topic is THANK YOU CARDS. These are a few fun ones that I found on Etsy.

1. Franks Very Much - Would definitely make me smile if I received it!

2. Squirrels Thank You - Of course I have to feature squirrel cards! Can't knock a squirrel card :)

3. Vintage Rock Poster - These are rockin'

4. Typewriter - A touch of vintage to a classic card.

In case you have some thank you's to send after this past weekend's festivities, Christie @ A Lemon Squeezy Home has made a FREE thank you printable!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{notions and notes} merry christmas!

I hope everyone is having a MERRY CHRISTMAS! I look forward to the new year of all things crafty & party-ful in the new year! I just wanted to share my Christmas cookies with y'all.

Merry Christmas & Enjoy!

Amanda

{fab finds} burlap & sating stockings

Aren't those gorgeous? I really like them alot! I am posting these up here so that they are a reminder for me to make for next year! I found these beauties at Make it and Love it!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{instant love} leo reynolds typography printable

How great is this printable? Thank you Stephanie Lynn @ Under the Table and Dreaming for creating this printable with Leo Reynolds' squared circles. What is a squared circle you ask? A squared circle is a photograph of equal height and width, containing a circle. The circle must fill as much of the frame as possible with its outside edge remaining visible. Leo is a master of them. He has uploaded over 25,000 squared circles to his Flickr.

Print it out & enjoy!

Amanda

{fab finds} over 35 FREE christmas printables

Christmas is almost upon us! Can you believe it?!? Here's a round up I found on Sassy Sites of over 35 Christmas Printables for those last minute gifts & decor.

Enjoy!

Amanda

oh happy day!

It feels good to be a winner! I rarely ever win anything, and this makes me super excited :) Thanks to Wee Share. I have such a highlight to a rather dreary day!

{fab finds} metal monogram

Aren't these great?!? My etsy email of the day linked to some printer's wood type blocks from MonkiVintage (which I really like too) and of course I had to peruse through the rest of the shop! I really like these 10" metal letters. I like that they are authentic/vintage and have the same effect as the anthro mass production ones. I really wish there was a "F", but I wouldn't mind having A & G!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{party envy} parisian baby shower

I want everyone to make sure they are sitting down before they look at these TO DIE FOR baby shower pictures. If you are reading this on your phone while driving (which I may or may not do from time to time...), please wait till you're at least at a red light. For those of you that may have seen this baby shower when it was originally posted back in May @ The Hostess With The Mostess, it is now time to enjoy it again! I fell in love with it back then and stumbled across it again recently. I decided to feature it since I have a blog now :)

Do you see this ceiling?!? Canvas and Canopy and Alchemy Fine Events are the master minds behind this very fine event. Playing off the word "shower", they hung parasols and vintage umbrellas at different heights to create drama. They also had strings of crystals to simulate rain drops. Sigh, sheer beauty.....


Here's the tablescape of the gorgeous dessert buffet. The color scheme included a pale pink, baby blue and onyx palette for baby girl on her way along with a Parisian circus theme to infuse the French influence of New Orleans.

Oo La La. . . Parisian patisserie. The desserts were placed on crystal & glass that let the pastel color palette really shine & added some glamour!

Here's a close up of more vintage desserts & the darling tags. I love the pop of black & white striped ribbon, very french! Tag love: 1. The words: Patisserie Tickets & 2. Great font!

Here's a closeup of some of the party decor. You can definitely win me over featuring elephants! My favorite animal--BTW. Anemones, peonies, and ranunculus were put to beautiful use in the centerpieces and bouquets around the room.

Isn't he amazing?!? He greated guests at the door. That is definitely a GREAT, unexpected touch.


I also want to gush about a great new resource I found through this party: Bella Umbrella. They have the largest selection of original vintage umbrellas from the 1930’s – 1960’s.

Just look at them:

These are definitely going on my wedding wish list!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{fab finds} make merry gifts & decor

I've decided to mix up Martha Monday and feature a few of my favorite things that are linked up to one of my favorite blogs: Someday Crafts. Their "Whatever Goes Wednesday" linky party is a wealth of inspiration and projects. These are a few of my favorites from 12/15:

This great stocking is made by Brittney @ Brittney's Budget Crafts. I really like on the other stockings she inverted the color scheme, cute & coordinated!

I really like this take on the clothespin card holder concept from Katie @ The 30 Girl. I like how it is chic & wintery at the same time. I've also been digging snowflakes lately as well :)

Aren't these darling?!? I for one love burlap, and think these are the greatest gift holders! I love that Wendy @ Craft Goodies used these for a giving tree for her kid's teacher. So thoughtful! A great way to make a giftcard personal.

I guess I have recipes on the brain probably since I have been baking a cookie marathon this past weekend! I have the burn mark to prove it :( This would be such a darling take home gift for recipes. I definitely need something to hold my recipes up. I am always laying them down on the counter and getting them covered in cookie goo. Laketa @ 1 Lucky Girl did such a great job on this "Secret Santa" gift!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{FREEday} double edition: living locurto

I thoroughly enjoy my daily emails from Amy @ Living Locurto. Her newsletter list is definitely worth signing up for---and of course it is free! A big part of her emails are FREE printables for her followers! I just want to share some of her Christmas ones before it is too late!

Cookie Swap Printables*

How darling right?!? I am going to a cookie swap tomorrow night and thought I would share these with you since they are 1. too cute 2. FREE & 3. I lOvE red&aqua together right now!

* These are password protected. You will need to join her email list to get the password.

Thank You Cards: Mini & 4x6

Every teacher, friend, neighbor--you get the idea! Would be very impressed with your holiday gratitude after they received one of these cards.

Goodie Bag Toppers

Amy has a coordinating printable collection for sale in her shop, but she made a freebie as well! The cookies left over from the swap could be repacked in these cuties and given to friends!

Just wanted to share a few more with y'all this week.

Enjoy!

Amanda

{FREEday} it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

Last Friday before the Christmas festivities begin! I hope these printables add that extra touch of wonderful to your Christmas gifts & decor!

I love banners. Such a cute, easy way to add some "oomph" to an area! Kalleen @ At Second Street has made 2 different Christmas banners: Believe & Merry Christmas. I loved her Give Thanks one this past fall & she's done it again with these two!

Easy host gift? Wine. Add fun, witty labels= stunning, thoughtful, perfect...host gift! I might be using one of these printables soon ;) Frog Prince Paperie created these with awesome tutorials over at Celebrate Today . . . The Superchick Way!

Martha Stewart Christmas tag printables. Martha does it again!

So chic! Jones Design Company made these wonderful Christmas tags to share! Four different types: black tags, festive tags, green tags & taupe tags. Print, attach, & give away on your Christmas gifts!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{blog love} kara's party ideas

I started reading crafty/party blogs when my friend Tootie learned that she was having a little girl--probably around April/May of this year. It is amazing all the talented people out there in blogland! I started a blog just to show off all of the amazing things I find everyday. One of the first few blogs that I started reading was Kara's Party Ideas. I loved (& still love) the party features everyday--such inspiration. Kara is my {blog love} pick of the week.


Party Features:

I guess you can call Kara's "claim to fame" is her daily party features! She's a go-to source for great party inspiration because she showcases such a wide variety of different party themes.

Parties:

Not only does Kara feature great parties....She throws them as well! Isn't that fisherman centerpiece gorgeous! She definitely thinks of all the little details that help carry the theme throughout the party.

Cupcakes:

What's a party without cupcakes?!? Kara is also a cupcake extraordinaire! She has Kara's Cupcakes where she features her cupcake designs.

Go ahead and throw those fabulous parties & submit them to Kara! Maybe you'll be the next winning party feature & get some blog swag (a button) to feature on your blog!

Thanks Kara for being such a source of inspiration!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{real party} zebra glam birthday for amelia

I posted a sneak peek a few weeks back of the party I helped out on for my cousin's 5th birthday.....and now for the final reveal!!! Little miss Amelia turned 5, and a zebra print party infused with accents of pink, green, and orange was just a perfect fit for her personality!

This table was the focal point for the party. Definitely a challenge to tablescape food rather than candy. The menu consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips & dips, and fruit. The background is paper streamers that I ruffled in the sewing machine. I wish it would have created a solid background without letting the light shine through, but I still like the effect.

Tablescape Close Ups:

Fabulous food labels that my friend Krissy @ Trendy Henry helped me design! She was such a trooper putting up with all my revisions. Thank you!!!

First thought: How do I make condiments go with the theme? I don't think that bright yellow and red bottles will coordinate!!! I remembered my fab sticker paper and seeing clear condiment containers at the store= fun, cute squeeze bottles that compliment the decor! One of my favorite touches of the party! Those cute little orange balls in the apothecary jars are cheese balls. Perfect snack item!

I am a fan of symmetry and needed something to anchor the tablescape. I whipped up some paper flowers, added feathers & a boa, and added some zebra "poms" and sparkly bits...Viola! A centerpiece!

Drink Station:

Decided to give the pink lemonade and orange punch cute, theme appropriate names: Citruslicious & Pink Zebra.

Party Favors:

I saw a lollipop tree created by A to Zebra for her daughter's birthday and Diane and I agreed that it was very creative & a must have! Heads up: The lollipop tree is very, VERY heavy and could possibly be a hazard! It held 2 regular and 1 large bag of tootsie roll mini pops.

Mini candy bars were a part of the favor buckets. Wrapped in all the colors of her party with sayings: Happy Birthday, Amelia, Thank You, & 5.

Banner & Decor:

This is the banner I created for Miss Amelia. I found the inspiration in an etsy shop. Since I am the crafty type, I made it myself instead of buying it. If you're not crafty I encourage you to get the one of etsy!

The paper lanterns added such a great pop of color to the party. We also had them lined along the top of the wall dividing the kitchen and living room.

What's a party without a wreath? :) Don't know if you can see through the window, but the moon bounce was in the backyard. They were definitely the coolest parents on the block that day!

The Cake:

Here's the fabulous cake made by Oh My Ganache! Bakery. Isn't it great?!? It is chocolate cake with buttercream icing & fondant accents. They did a great job capturing the look of our inspiration cake! They also made the fondant cupcake toppers as well.

There is the birthday girl, Amelia! Isn't she darling?!? I think her party was a success! More pictures can be found in my Flickr Feed!

Enjoy!

Amanda