Party of the Month: Macy's Back-to-School Event

As a child, I loved collecting all the Back-to-School catalogs from the various trendy stores around me so I could view all the perfect outfits to make me stand out on the first day of school. So, needless to say, I was ecstatic when Macy's decided to include me during their Back-to-School event in Tukwila, WA at the Westfield Southcenter Mall. They asked me to do a candy buffet with a Back-to-School theme incorporating a variation of colors. The color scheme was so fun & simple to shop for that I kind of went over board looking for school necessities to decorate the table with {haha}. Pencils, notepads, crayons, glue, chalk, and a nifty lunchbox were just some of the accessories I used to dress up the table all purchased from my favorite store: Target. Check out all the pictures snapped from the event below!

Happy Back-to-School shopping!

Decorating for the Holidays!

This past weekend I had so much fun putting up my tree for Christmas. I would like to entertain guests at my home this holiday season and want to make sure my home decor creates that whimsical holiday appeal. I always talk about your guests having an experience and how you create that using all of the five senses. In this case, we would be activating sight. Above were my holiday color choices I wanted to choose from this year. Glitter really brightens up your decor, so I knew I needed to implement that into my decorations. This year, I chose light blue and silver! My go to place for light blue and silver decor: Target!

         1.  50-Piece Ornament Set - Blue/Silver  

2.  Glitter Snowflakes

3. 70ct White LED C6 Faceted String Light

4. Candy Cane Ornament  

5. Set of 3 Tinsel Garland - Silver (18')

I hope you have a great time decorating your tree for the holidays!

XOXO,

How to make a Candy Jar!

Whether it's the end of the school year and you want to say thank you to that one Teacher's Aid who really helped you out, or you're getting ready to transfer at work and you want to give something to let your colleague know you appreciate them, a small little gift can go a long way; a personalized candy jar!

You will need the following items in order to create this candy jar:

-Cracker jar from Target
-Alpha letter adornments from Target or any craft store like Michaels
-3 bags of candy; (pictured: 1 bag of chocolate M&Ms, 1 bag of Mike & Ike's, 1 bag of Gummy Bears)
-Scissors
-Hot glue gun or super glue
-Assorted color ribbon

TO MAKE: Take your cracker jar and with your first bag of candy pour it into the cracker jar until a third of the jar is full. Continue that same step with the two other bags of candy. At the end, there should be 3 visible layers.

Next, choose an alpha letter adornment that represents the first name of the person you will be giving this candy jar to. Position the letter at the middle of the jar's lid; glue with the super glue.

From there, position ribbon around the bottom lid area of the jar and tie it into a bow. Candy jar complete! Accompany the candy jar with a nice card/note.

EXTRA! EXTRA! If you want to give just a little bit more than a candy jar here's a unique idea. Obtain 2 movie tickets to accompany the jar. Make the 3 layers in the jar popcorn, hot tamales, and milk duds (typical move theater treats). This makes for a simple yet creative gift!

How to Plan a Cinco De Mayo Fiesta

Are you ready for one of the biggest celebrations of the year where sombreros, margaritas, and tortillas are the norm for the day! It's time for CINCO DE MAYO!!

#1 Invitations

Sending out festive invitations is always the best idea and your local Target or Party City will have these on stock, however, there is a quicker and still creative way to invite your guests to your Cinco de Mayo Fiesta; send them an EVITE. Evite has premade Cinco de Mayo invitations so this requires little effort from you. Simply pop in the email addresses and you're set!

#2 Decor

Decoration must haves are included, but not limited to: Fiesta table cloth, maracas, sombreros, pinatas, Fiesta colored paper lanterns, festive designed lights, Fiesta colored streamers, napkins, plates, and cutlery in Fiesta colors, and Fiesta colored margarita cups. There are always sections in Party City dedicated to Cinco de Mayo decorations, but you can also try Oriental Trading Company (pictured above) for some even more unique decor.

#3 Food & Drinks

It's time for some south-of-the-border tasty fun! Food & Drink must haves include, but are not limited to: icy cold margaritas & coronas, chips & salsa, quacamole, a warm bowl of chicken-tortilla soup, 7-layer dip, chilli, quesadillas, chicken wings, and burritos and tacos. Since tacos are more of a main course, set up a taco bar! Use colorful trays to separate all the toppings – cheese, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, olives, and choices of salsa. For dessert have churros & sopapillas! Click here for specific Cinco de Mayo recipes!

#4 Entertainment

I for one would love to bring actual professional Mexican dancers to my party, BUT, to save some money, select a station on Pandora or simply download traditional Mexican music from Amazon or iTunes!

I hope you are now ready to plan your next Cinco de Mayo Fiesta!




ADIOS!

Favorite Birthday Decoration: Paper Lanterns

To be quite honest, paper lanterns are my favorite decorative piece for all occasions, not just for birthdays! When you are thinking about having a high focal point, paper lanterns are the way to go.

Paper lanterns come in all shapes and sizes and it is fun to use them to enhance your theme colors.

You can purchase paper lanterns just about anywhere! I personally love getting them at Michaels, Party City, Martha Stewart, or Target. All you need is some chicken wire and tape (which you can also obtain at the aforementioned stores) and you are set.