Use leftover gift tags to hang a sweet note on a homemade Mother’s Day bouquet. Write a little note and tie it to one of the flowers in your arrangement for a pretty little detail that mom is sure to appreciate. Happy Mother’s Day!
Beautiful Buds: Affordable Floral Arrangements April 25, 2012
Enliven your table with an arrangement of mini bouquets set in juice glasses or small mugs. These mini bouquets are adorable and economical: A few bunches of inexpensive spring flowers pepper your entire table. Pick a few small-budded flowers in similar hues, such as tulips, daisies and daffodils. Trim the stems short enough so the flowers will peek over the rims of the glasses or mugs. If using mugs, place a small round metal floral frog in each mug to help shape and hold down the arrangements (the frog will show through clear juice glasses, so rather than using the frog, just fill them a bit tighter to keep the stems in place).
This is a great idea for a spring shower or brunch. After your event is over, place one of the mini arrangements next to the sink in your bathroom and the rest on bedside or end tables around the house.
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Hip Tip: A Penny for Prettier Tulips April 8, 2012
I totally forgot about this trick for making tulips bloom and stand upright until a facebook friend reminded me via her status. Here’s the great tip: Place a shiny copper penny in the water with tulips to make the buds open and prevent the stems from flopping. The copper in the penny acts as a natural antibacterial and will even extend the life of your fresh-cut flowers. Using a shiny/ new penny will yield the best results.
Monkey Cake {Kids Party Ideas} March 20, 2012
I’ve been on a monkey kick for parties lately – between a sock monkey theme baby shower and a monkey themed 1st birthday party – there are a lot of cute monkey ideas swinging around in my head. Today I’m sharing a recipe for a monkey cake, which is amazingly impressive and doable even for non-bakers. This cake doesn’t require any real shape trimming: The cake is baked in a metal bowl and a cupcake is used to create the ears. Even if you don’t pipe the frosting perfectly, it will still come out looking great.
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Monkey Mix {party favors} February 27, 2012
Here’s a super simple party favor idea for a monkey theme party. Buy or make a great trail mix (mini peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s make this mix special), fill glass jars with the mix, then add a label and some ribbon or yarn (or a combo like I did here). A lovely party favor created in just minutes!
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Sock Monkey Shower {party theme} February 22, 2012
The classic sock monkey is a great backdrop for a gender neutral baby shower. It’s slightly retro with a modern, handmade feel. I chose this theme for a coed shower I recently hosted for one of my favorite couples. I purchased a few inexpensive, classic brown sock monkeys in a few different sizes (one large, two small) and a few modern, lime green singing sock money-inspired toys for variety (my daughter is the proud beneficiary of the leftover party decorations). I used a few things from our nursery to add to the decore, including a red wagon, sock monkey book, sock monkey ornaments and glass baby bottles. The cupcakes I had made were the coolest cupcakes ever! For the favors, I went with homemade cookie stacks, wrapped in cello bags and tied with yarn as a nod to the sock monkey threads.
Sock Monkey wine sleeve used as a vase cover; singing green stripe sock monkey; cupcakes by the amazing Cowie’s Confections; cookie favors by the Hip Hostess; and Caspari alphabet napkins featuring “M” for sock monkey.
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Hip Tip: Inexpensive Shower Decorations January 12, 2012
Stocking up of party decorations starts to add up, so I like to print a picture of whatever my theme is – a sock monkey or nursery rhyme – and frame it in a pre matted frame for the party. Set it on the buffet or wherever you have drinks set up. It’s a great way to add to your party decore without breaking the bank. The best part is, you can reuse the frame for other parties or for your favorite picture.
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Frog Favors January 10, 2012
I was looking for a vessel for frog gummies for a Frogs, Snails & Puppy Dog Tails theme baby shower. Cello bags are generally my standard and I always have them on hand, but I had a lot of empty condiment jars that I had just cleaned out so I decided to use those instead. Here’s how I made the favors:
Throughly wash “upcycled” jars with vinegar, soap and hot water to eliminate any lingering flavors. Fill with gummy frogs, placing several of the frogs with their backs against the glass so the fill looks neat. Cut squares of scrapbook paper (the dot pattern shown is from Michael’s single sheet section) slightly larger than the lid. Fold paper over the lid and tie with ribbon or yarn (I used brown yarn and doubled it to make the bow look more substantial). Buy printable labels, such as those from Gartner (also sold at Michael’s), and print a quote or name on the tags, and add a frog sticker. Center the tags on top of the jars and you’re done!
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It’s A Boy! Frogs, Snails & Puppy Dog Tails Baby Shower January 8, 2012
Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails. That’s what little boys are made of. And that’s the nursery rhyme that inspired this baby shower for a very hip mama-to-be with a baby boy on the way. This mama already has a little girl (soon-to-be Big Sister) and has most of the essentials. A boy themed shower was the perfect way to hint at showering mom and baby with adorable boyish goods.
I used the rhyme as my inspiration for the invites, decore, favors and dessert (check out the amazing cupcakes below), and served a killer brunch menu. Here are some of the details from the party. I’ll write a follow-up post with a how-to for the favors.
Cupcakes by the amazing Cowie’s Confections; wooden frog pull-toy by Melissa & Doug; favors by the Hip Hostess (how-to post coming soon); flowers are mix of hydrangeas and hypernicum.
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Natural Cotton Favor Bags {baby shower favors} October 19, 2011
These adorable cotton favor bags are ideal for an eco-friendly theme baby shower. They are sweet, simple and sturdy. Choose a design that matches you theme (selection shown below), fill them with with an edible treat, cinch the sack and the favors are ready for giving.
Available at Beau-Coup, $1.30 each (min. order 25)
