It's Time to Party ... with Minnie Mouse

My daughter loves Minnie Mouse so when planning her 3rd birthday, it was easy to develop a theme and create a fun experience! I started with a custom 'clock' invitation that exclaimed 'It's Time to Party', then I found a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse moon bounce to rent.

For decor, I kept it minimal and inexpensive. Using ears, bows and flowers from my Disney Cricut cartridge; a Walt Disney font from myfonts.com, and Minnie Mouse ribbon, I made a 'Happy Birthday' banner, decorated take-out boxes for lunch containers, and created 'goodie bag' tags. For big impact, I bought pink with white polka dot fabric to use as a tablecloth and 10 yellow plastic chairs. I used a big plush Minnie Mouse as a centerpiece.

In addtion to the moon bounce, I kept the kids busy decorating sun visors with glitter letters and participating in a 'cheese' scavenger hunt. Mice like cheese so I cut a block of styrofoam into wedges and spray painted them yellow like cheese. I hid the cheese around the house and gave each child a clue:

I’m a little wedge of cheese
As yellow as can be
Find me before Minnie Mouse takes a bite out of me!

Hint: I can be found in a spot that rhymes with RIDE

(Answer - SLIDE)

Moms and dads helped out and the kids had a great time figuring out the clue and finding their cheese. When they turned in the cheese, they received their 'goodie bag' - a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse puzzle, which my daughter loves.

Before guests left, we sang Happy Birthday, blew out the candles and cut the cake, which was decorated with mouse ears and a bow to match the other decor items. The cake was delicious, event the children ate all of it - not just the frosting. It was a sponge cake with Chantilly frosting made by Lille Patisserie in Herndon.

It was a fun party, in part due to the spectacular weather, but also quite cute as is my adorable 'Minnie Mouse'

How Fun Is Your Bar?

 

Who knew that I would find party inspiration at a networking luncheon?! The Pampered Chef had a table at the Great Falls Women's Business Luncheon last week and local rep, Amy Strong, had items from the new entertaining collection including the frosted dots plastic ice bucket and shaker and glass snowmen appetizer plates. So adorable! According to Amy, the bucket has a double wall to prevent condensation and slow down the ice melting. Practical yet fun ...

Back-to-School Celebration ... for moms!

I generally celebrate everything and if I wasn't so anxious for solitude, I would celebrate my daughters' return to school, too. However, my quest for time alone didn't stop me from thinking about how I would plan such a party. Here's my plan in case you have the inclination to host a casual back-to-school breakfast. I made it 'posh' with mimosas and coffee smoothies; the rest of the menu is really effortless yet yummy!

The [Java-Inspired] Menu

Coffee Smoothies and Mimosas

Berry Granola Yogurt Parfaits

Java-glazed Cinnamon Rolls (Pillsbury.com)

Use your everyday china, stemware and mugs; invite your mom-friends to get comfy on the couch; and swap stories about the morning's drop-off, end-of-summer adventures and fall to-do projects. Enjoy!

Tunes for your Labor Day Celebration

Earlier this week, I had the most enjoyable evening getting my hair done. It wasn't the highlights, shampoo or Edward Scissorhands-like cut; it was the mix of [early] 80's music! My favorite songs from Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode and Duran Duran blared from the speakers like my own private concert. Labor Day parties were on my mind, too, and suddenly I had a light bulb idea to research music for a Labor Day BBQ, pool party or end-of-summer celebration. Turns out, evite.com has already done the work for me (see list below) so I added a few more songs (inspired by the 80's, of course). Download these songs for your party, turn up the volume and have fun!

Working for the Weekend/Loverboy

Taking Care of Business/Bachman Turner Overdrive

Working in a Coal Mine/Devo

She Works Hard for the Money/Donna Summer

Supermodel (You Better Work)/RuPaul

Vacation/The Go-gos

School is In/Josie Cotton

W.O.R.K/Bow Wow Wow

Summer Nights/Grease Soundtrack

Finest Worksong/ REM

Working 9 to 5/Dolly Parton

Working For a Living/Huey Lewis & the News

Relax (Don't Do it)/Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Money, Money, Money/ABBA

It's Time to Party ... Minnie Mouse 3rd Birthday Party

 

My daughter loves Minnie Mouse so it's no surprise that we're hosting a Minnie Mouse 3rd Birthday party next month. This is the invitation that I made - Minnie and clock printed on white card stock, cut into a circle and affixed to the pink 5" x 7" pink paper with a black brad; the hands move too. I can hardly wait for the party!

Hostess Gifts

Usually, I write about entertaining ideas for people who like to host their own parties, but sometimes, the shoe is on the other foot; we're guests at a party - and need hostess gift ideas. When I hosted Girls Night Outon Tuesday night, I received bottles of good red wine (prompting me to consider a follow up wine tasting party in the fall?), gorgeous flowers, a CD of photos of my 2 year with my friend's little girl (so sweet!), and The Cocktail Party - shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath in Mimosa, Daiquiri and Margarita flavors by Philosophy. These clever gifts are available for other special occasions, too - Baby Shower, Birthday, Thank you and Congratulations.

Garlic Shallot Rosemary Wet Paste

Recently, my family enjoyed Sunday dinner at our friend's house. Audrey made flank steak that rocked! It was tender, juicy and really flavorful. Her secret is a Garlic-Shallot-Rosemary Wet Paste; the recipe she shared with me is below. Enjoy!

6 tablespoons of good olive oil

6 medium garlic cloves, minced (2 tablespoons)

1 medium shallot, minced (3 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Rub on beef and let it marinade for 1 hour, though Audrey suggests letting it sit overnight and I agree.

Girls Night Out

 

On Tuesday night, about a dozen close friends joined me for a Girls Night Out party at my house. Laughter, dinner and drinks - it was so much fun, and easy to plan. I made the invitation (see blog below) and sent it out about 3 weeks ago. Plan A was to host the party outside but rain and humidity intervened so, Plan B, we gathered inside.

The rest of the plan was simple. A limited bar including my new favorite summer cocktail - Rosemary Vodka Lemonade (click here for recipe), as well as wine, lemonade tea and water. Light buffet dinner included flank steak marinated in a delicious wet paste (see blog above), orzo salad with salmon, summer tomato salad and fresh melon salad; most of the menu items were seasonal, inexpensive and easy to prepare the day before. For dessert, I made my favorite Berry Trifle - layers of angel food cake, white chocolate pudding, cool whip and fresh berries - plus Hershey's Miniature Chocolates - Creamy Milk Chocolate with Toffee and Almonds (yum!)

Decor was simple, too. Incorporating the look and feel of my invitation, I used orange and yellow elemtents - scattered sunflowers from Wegmans for $6.00 a bunch; orange and yellow disposable plates and napkins; orange placements from Pottery Barn ($4.49 on sale) and even, drink and food buffet menus that looked like the invitation.

The biggest surprise was entertainment. I hired a fortune teller, GA Orndorf, via Bialek's Music, one of my preferred local entertainment companies. The girls and I got a kick out of GA's insight and predicitions - especially the ones that were slightly off the mark!

Celebration Wine and Cheese Server

 

Flipping through a recent Frontgate catalog, I found the most impressive item - a Celebration Wine and Cheese Server - ideal for fall cocktail party. It's instantly 'posh'! I can easily imagine this server on a large kitchen island, which is where guests love to hang out. The cost is a little steep - $499 but Frontgate is running a 20% off promotion. Promo code is 20OFF, www.frontgate.com.

Girls Night Out

 

I love invitations! And I love making invitations. Above is an invitation that I made for an upcoming Girls Night Out party, inspired by a Paper Source blog posting. I used the new Honeycomb rubber stamp, large and small, and embossed the yellow-orange-red stamp, designing both the invitation and the address label. The finale - an amber gemstone in the center of the large honeycomb. I can't wait for my friends to receive their invites!

Simple but Elegant Floral Arrangement

Recently, I attended a cocktail reception hosted by Elan Artists at the Four Seasons Hotel. The entertainment was hot and the Rosemary Vodka Lemonade cocktails were yummy but the floral arrangements by Janet Flowers Weddings and Events were phenonmenal. They were simple but very elegant - ideal for many settings - and so easy to duplicate. To make, tie a small bunch of flowers with colorful electrical wire; gently lay the bouquet on one side of the vase so that the stems barely touched the water. Add colorful sand or marbles to add impact.

Create an Experience with Strolling Entertainment

I'm helping FACETS, a local non-profit organization with their annual fundraising event, Fall for FACETS in November. The Chair would like to enhance the event from an auction to a very special event. One of my recommendations is to add strolling entertainment, such as an autumn-inspired stiltwalker (pictured) from Cast of Thousands Entertainment to greet guests - and later, kick off the live auction.

No More Drink Confusion

I was doing research for a pool party and came across these super cute flip-flop coasters in tropical colors. Handmade by Amorevivo and sold on etsy.com, they also come with matching straws.

Coastal Celebration

Inspired by my husband's love for broiled lobster dripping with sweet, melted butter, I created this tablescape for his birthday party. Leveraging existing fish dishes and flatware, I changed up the look of my dinner table with a few items from around the house.

White oversized lobster napkins as placemats;

Stacked square glass vases with blue fabric (or scarf) tied at the center; plush toy lobster at the top.

Additional square glass vases flanked the tall centerpiece, each filled with blue glass beads, white candle and seashells from the shore.

Watermelon Beverage Dispenser

 

I found this super clever idea on karen's party ideas. A beverage dispenser made from a watermelon! She cut open a long/tall watermellon, scooped out the inside and added a spigot and some pink lemonade. Such a refreshing idea; I can't wait to make one for my next BBQ.

Color Splash Pool Party

Enhance a bright blue pool with a splash of color:

IZZE juice bottles on the bar, which is lined with bright yellow tissue paper.

Clever popcorn cones made of "summer" inspired scrapbook paper and secured with colorful brads stand up by inserting skewers, which are poked into a tissue paper-wrapped styrofoam board tucked inside a tray. Tray is garnished with candy fruit slices.

Beach towels, rolled and secured with a lei, adorn patio chairs and double as pillows.

Playful sand bucket filled with pool party essentials - sunscreen, bug spray and Shout wipes (because something always spills)!