Blogging With A Purpose

I'd like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to our Military Personel and their families for the sacrifices they make and all that they do. Also a big THANK YOU to Operation Shower for doing their part in making the lives a little easier for the pregnant wives whose husbands are serving and deployed.

On behalf of Amy at Stem (also Chief Event Planner for OS), I'd like to direct your attention to this blog post to raise awareness of their great cause. Please take a moment to read and do what you feel in your heart, wheather it is saying a prayer or making a donation.

Thank you all for reading. XOXO

Last Call For Halloween Ideas

With a little more than 24 hours to conjur up some spells, here are some last minute ideas to help you host a goulish gathering before or after Trick-or-Treating. For the adults, try some 'spirited' concoctions with creepy details. Floating eyeballs, blood rimmed glasses, test tube shots, and mad science experiments can get any party started! And for something healthy to nosh on, how about some veggies displayed as a skeleton. Maybe even the kids will eat their vegetables when they look this fun!
Set up the room decor so it is pleasing to both adults and kids alike.

Speaking of kids, how about any of these pleasing treat presentations? Wrap lollipops to look like ghosts and insert into foam covered with grass. Serve up some yummy mummies with mummy-wrapped treat containers, and mummy pizzas!

I also love the idea of using simple store bought cookies(oreos, and nutter butters) and insert a lollipop stick into the cream filling part, then dip into melted chocolate and decorated with gels and candies to look like all sorts of goblins. Float a hand in the punch by filling a non-powdered rubber glove with water. Tie off the end tightly and freeze tonight. When ready to serve, remove the glove from the ice form and float. Add a drop or two of food coloring to add to the look.

Finally, grab those orange lanterns and turn them into pumpkins with some felt leaves, and pipe cleaner vines.

I hope you will try some of these last minute ideas, and have a Safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Free Halloween Printables

Just in time for Saturday (or Friday)! You can print out these circles for cupcake toppers or labels, and the coordinating band which can be used as napkin rings, or to wrap anything else. These are free from Accent the Party. Find the circle downloads here, and the wrappers downloads here.

Vintage Is The New Modern

Have you noticed? There is something about Vintage that is just so.......Modern! I've been noticing this for a while now, on many of the wedding blogs. Designers are taking vintage items and placing them or styling them so the look is very current, and not at all dated.

With details like floral or vintage linens, lace, milk glass, depression glass, china, and simple flower arrangements, you can easily create a beautiful dining table perfect for bridesmaids luncheons or any ladies luncheon, bridal showers and baby showers, engagement parties, and even birthday tea parties for little and big girls alike. Shop thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales, and grandma's attic for fabulous finds.

Adding 'everyday' items like a vintage table fan, train cases, old typewriters and books, bird cages, and tea storage canisters filled with flowers, adds charm and authenticity to the setting. Use antique bookshelves to hold food, dessert, extra plates and napkins, and old photos or portrait silhuettes in boroque style frames.

Don't forget the finishing touch: any homemade or home baked item is perfect for your party favors and looks great in packaging reminescent of a bygone era. Jams with a fabric lid topper, cookies wrapped up in lace hankies, a small box wrapped up in old news paper print, old fashioned candy shoppe candies,or salt water taffy placed in handmade fabric sacks. These are all simple ideas that help carry your look through to the end.
So, as we all want to be a modern hostess, remember this: ...Sometimes Vintage IS Modern!

Credits:

Collage 1: JL Designs, LaLaLaurie, Lolliblog,

Once Wed, Green Wedding Shoes

Collage 2: Style Me Pretty, Martha Stewart,

Once Wed, Green Wedding Shoes, Ritzy Bee

Collage 3: Style Me Pretty, Duet Weddings, Tec Petaja Photography,

Once Wed, Once Wed, Ritzy Bee

Creepy Cookies & Cool Candy Wrappers

I love all the creative ways with food for Halloween! Seems there is an endless supply of ideas out there for cookies, cupcakes, dips, and more. These 'Spider' cookies from Betty Crocker are another super simple and super cute idea. To make it more convenient, use slice & bake cookie dough. With some Rolos, m & m's, licorice, and black decorator gel, you can make these Creepy Cookies for any Halloween party.


For take-home favors, school parties, or trick-or-treat bags, try these adorable candy wrappers from Skip to my Lou (found via Be Different...Act Normal). These are so unique and fun!

Halloween Eats & Treats

Do you have any Halloween parties planned for this weekend? Here are some fun foods to make for the festivities!

1. One of my personal favorites is this simple mix of candy corn and dry roasted peanuts. In fact it is the only way I even like to eat candy corn! The mixture tastes just like a PayDay candy bar. (photo from Southern Plate)
2. For something savory try these "Snake" pinwheels. Just fill tortillas with cold cuts and cheese of your choice, roll up, and slice. Display in a curvy snake shape adding a red pepper slice for the tongue. (from Pillsbury)
3. Create some Sweet Skeleton Bones with cinnamon twists dough. For the recipe and yummy dipping sauce go here.
4. Make peanut butter "Pumpkin" cookies. Start with refrigerated dough, shape into a small pumpkin shape and add orange sugar crystals. Bake and add a small pretzel curl for the stem. See full instructions here.

Cutest DIY 'Batkin' Rings

These are the cutest little bat napkin rings ever. This is one of those crafts that doesn't really look "crafty." I think they look quite elegant in the picture above!

These are easy to make in a few simple steps using black felt and a template. See the full instructions and download the template at Eddie Ross.

Red & 'Chocolate' Sweets Table

I was recently asked to do a Sweets Table on short notice (like 3 days!) for an after-school birthday party. With an autumn color palette of red and chocolate brown, this is how it turned out. Click on image to enlarge, visit our Flickr Set, or see more in our Facebook album.

Details:

I printed the labels provided(free) by Creature Comforts.

I found the backdrop fabric at Walmart(it's actually a fabric shower curtain).

Put my "milk bottles" to work, filled with chocolate milk.

I stocked up on favor boxes(on sale) a while back, from Michaels.

Scrapbook papers from Michaels were also used to wrap Hershey's Miniatures, and the favor boxes.

Red straws from Ikea.

A little Bling adhesive gems added to labels and wrappers.

Tiered Pumpkin Centerpiece

Check out this Fabo centerpiece with pumpkins and feather boa, not to mention the zebra fabric!! They must have made that just for ME!! This cutie patootie idea comes from St. Louis Entertains and there is a video to watch with more great table settings. No, I'm not in St. Louis, but my girl Amy at Stem is, and she passed along the tip that they publish a super newletter. So I did what any good party-planning-blog-writing guru would do and I signed up. This is our reward! ; )

Dark & Spooky Cocktail

This cocktail from the food network sounds tasty enough, but the gummy spider inside kind of "scares" me! Try it if you dare!

Dark & Spooky
Juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup ginger beer or ginger ale
1 black gummy spider
Combine lime juice and rum in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into glass and top off with ginger drink. Add gummy spider.
Rim top of glass if desired using a lime wedge and black rimming sugar.

Simply Spooky Halloween Table

Here's a fun table by All You that is perfect for both kids and adults. You could set this up as a dessert and favor station with cake, chocolate fondue, and sweet truffles for the 'favor coffins'. See below for some great details and click here for the project instructions.

Citrus Bridal Shower

I was blown away when I saw the fresh creativity of this Citrus themed bridal shower hosted by "Mrs. Penguin" on Wedding Bee.com! Everything was done so simply and (mostly) economically, but with amazing touches. There was a small splurge on the fabulously modern citrus fabric, but the use of inexpensive coordinating paper, and serving pieces she already owns helped offset that.

The hostess served a buffet of "mini food bites" so no utensils were needed. Check here for some recipes and tips, including mini BLT's, sweet potato fries, mac-n-cheese in prociutto cups, and brownie bites with milk shots.  For the bar, she used the same fabric from the food buffet backdrop, now as a table cloth. There was a champagne bar (always a favorite of mine!) and the most unique and genius glass markers I think I've seen! She gives a 'how-to' on a post here.
The guests are sent home with a box of Lemonheads candies, of course! They are adorably wrapped in tissue(gives a sheer coverage), a strip of the fabric, and a yarn bow.

"Mrs. Penguin" was inspired by The Hostess with the Mostess' citrus shower, and I think she was definately the hostess with the mostess this day! ; ) Click on the links to see more inspiring photos.

Lovely Autumn Centerpiece

I found this lovely centerpiece display on Boston Mamas. This is perfect for a fall tabletop, or for Thanksgiving. It uses nuts and lentils to fill cylandar vases, and incorporates oranges (or use mini pumpkins) tied with ribbon and topped with an orchid.

This is so beautiful and eco-friendly too!

Tombstone Sandwiches

These yummy sounding sandwiches are perfect for any occasion, but cut them in the shape of a tombstone and suddenly it's perfect for halloween! You could also use cookie cutters in the shape of a bat, a pumpkin, or witch hat.
Find the recipe here.

Boa Backdrop

On My To-Do List: Create a fabulous backdrop using feather boas like the one seen here at Jesi Haack Weddings blog. Who's with me?!

Going Batty!

That's right, I'm going batty for all these cool bat decorations! When you stick with one element and repeat it over and over, it makes such an impact. I love each one of these decorating ideas and think they would look terrific used all together!
Start with the Bat invitations from Tiny Prints and continue from there...

Create this scenic wall mural in the living room, with vinyl wall art from etsy shop Pillbox Designs.
Move into the dining room and create this eerie effect(below) with bat cutouts and purple crepe paper.

Of course you have to start the mood right from the entryway. Surround the front door with flying bats, and set a 'bat tree' on the foyer table.

If you have an entry hall, cover it with more bat cutouts like these from Martha Stewart. Don't forget to hang spooky gauzy fabric between rooms, and cover the couch to look like an abandoned haunted house. Attach more bats around the room and even add a witch hat to a hanging portrait. What a great unexpected detail! Get template for your bat cutouts here.

Haunted Gingerbread Houses

Create some fun with the kids this Halloween by putting together a "Haunted" Gingerbread House...they're not just for Christmas any more! There are some great kits available at Michael's or from Wilton. This idea makes perfect sense to me becouse Halloween is really all about the candy for kids!

1. Ghostly Guest House

2. Goulish Green Gables kit

3. Haunted Halloween Gingerbread House

4. Halloween Cookie House

If you don't love gingerbread, or a kit is not your thing, you can create a house very easily using small individual milk cartons, graham crackers, and frosting. You simply spread the frosting onto the milk carton and then attach the graham crackers to cover the 4 sides and the roof. Then apply halloween candies as usual.

This would make a great activity for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon get-together this month. Maybe a "pumpkin carving & gingerbread house-making" party with apple cider and candy apples.

I hope you guys try this. I know my kids would love it!

Sensational Sunflowers

I love the rustic charm of this wedding by Gloria Wong Design. You know my philosophy: take the big ideas from big events, and bring them down to scale for your own celebrations. These photos are great inspiration for creating an autumn gathering centered around sunflowers, and rustic but charming elements. Perfect for a birthday, or engagement party!

Take-away ideas:

1. Use bronze-colored metal buckets and vases for flower arrangements, holding drinks on ice, holding fruit, holding small gifts, etc.
2. Use chalk boards and blocks of wood to create signs throughout the space.
3. Use small vintage suitcases to add height to any table arrangement, or leave the lid open and display something inside, such as vintage post cards, well wishes from guests, favor bags, etc.
4. Keep the dining table unfussy with a simple runner(burlap maybe?), sunflowers and fruit centerpieces, and napkins wrapped with twine.
5. Display a 'Popcorn Bar' for take home favors or late night snacks. Offer several flavors, some savory and some sweet. Popcorn can be a more economical choice than a large candy display.

Halloween Party Projects

If you are looking for some cute DIY projects to do for a Halloween get-together, check out these ideas from Value Village. There are printable templates and step-by-step instructions for each of these projects, and more.

A few of my personal favorites are the glasses with the "eye balls," the painted spider web stemware, and the spooky silhouettes. Of course the "batty" photo back drop would add fun to any party!

See all the halloween projects here.

White Chip Pumpkin Spice Cake

You can believe this little number took me about half a second to post! This cake recipe from Very Best Baking is so perfect for Fall and sounds sooooo delicious, not to mention, easy. Perfect for dessert or brunch!

White Chip Pumpkin Spice Cake
1 pkg spice cake mix
3 large eggs
1 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
2/3 cup Evaporated Milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup White Chocolate Chip Morsels
White Chip Glaze (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour bundt pan.
Combine cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vegetable oil in large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until moist. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes; stir in white chips and pour into bundt pan.
Bake 40-45 minutes . Cool in pan on wire rack for 25 minutes. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely. Pour half of glaze on cooled cake; serve with remaining glaze.
White Chip Cinnamon Glaze:
Heat 3 Tablespoons Evaporated Milk in small sauce pan and heat over medium just to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 cup white chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.