Memorial Day

Our usual family barbecue grew by leaps and bounds this year until we ended up with a guest list of seventeen wonderful friends and family getting together for a casual Memorial Day lunch. The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind of cleaning, cooking, and decorating. I pulled out all my WWII memorabilia for a quick and easy theme along with a CD of period music and old wartime Disney cartoons for the kids to watch during the meal.

Target provided the great picnic utensils and food baskets.

My husband barbecued hot dogs and bratwurst, and everyone contributed side dishes.

The dessert table was by far the biggest hit of the day, featuring a make-your-own-brownie-sundae bar. My mom made her famous homemade chocolate sauce, and because I love you all, I'm sharing the recipe here with you. It's a snap to make and tastes absolutely divine.

Easy Chocolate Fudge Sauce

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 can of evaporated milk (12 ounces)
1/2 cup butter, cut in pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the sugar and cocoa in a saucepan. Use a whisk to stir in the milk and add the butter. Bring to boil over medium heat. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be -- just be sure to keep stirring so it doesn't burn! Reduce the heat. Cook and stir for one more minute until the mixture is slightly thick. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, cool slightly, and serve. To reheat, just place the saucepan back on the stove and return the mixture to a boil again, stirring until smooth.

Happy Memorial Day to all of you!

Sweetcakes Baking Party Set Tutorial

I'm so excited to be sharing a tutorial at Riley Blake Designs today! When they asked me to look at their new fabric lines for inspiration, I was immediately taken with the new Sweetcakes collection by Doodlebug Design Inc. With prints that showcase strawberries, cupcakes, hearts, and flowers, it seemed like the perfect backdrop for a little girl's baking party. And since both Valentine's Day and my oldest daughter's birthday are coming up in February, I'm definitely on the lookout for new party ideas! You get plenty of bang for your buck with this one -- it's actual four tutorials in one, including...

The Party Bag

The Cake Bunting

The Cake Rug

The Apron

Hop on over to Riley Blake Designs, and check it out!

Linking up to Plum & June.

Party Favors

How is it possible that my oldest daughter can be turning five this month? The days at home seem to stretch on forever at times, but the months and years are flying past me at a dizzying rate. I've been doing a little work on the Alice in Wonderland tea party that she requested, and the party favors are now nearly done. Each of the girls will be getting a little pillow with some small felt friends to take home with them. I had originally planned to include the Mad Hatter too, but I wasn't satisfied with the way he was turning out -- a little too much like the guy on the Lucky Charms box for me. While I have some regrets that I didn't make the dolls a little larger and out of fabric, I think they have a certain charm to them. My daughters keep begging to play with them, so I must be doing something right.

I used leftover charm squares (from the lap quilt I just made) out of Kate Spain's Good Fortune for the front of the pillow and two shades of Lizzy House's Outfoxed Chain Link print for the back. The Good Fortune patterns reminded me of scenes from the movie: the giant flowers, the tea party, the marching cards.  I figured that the girls could use this as a nice quiet time toy. They can play with the characters on the pillow in their laps, and then tuck them in the pocket on the back when they're done. I love a toy that organizes itself!