Party pics

My camera's battery conked out before I could get pics of everything, but here's a good feel for the fun we had.

I love this Martha Stewart Everyday vase I picked up at Kmart on clearance a few years ago. It's so vintage-y.



After mason jars, my next favorite vase that isn't really a vase is a tin can.



Who says the potty can't look pretty, too?





When you run out of flowers, be creative.

When the host has a mouth full of sweet teeth, jars of coordinating pink candy are a must.





Uh, ya, forgot the flash...





A fun and perfectly fitting IKEA find...pink and orange swirly straws.








And finally, the party favors, also made by yours truly.

Now only 5 more weeks until the wedding!

Today's the day!

It's going to be a busy, busy day. Good thing it's not even 11 am and I've already sampled all of the desserts.

More party prep

I had another busy day prepping for tomorrow's party. Here's a peek at some more fun stuff.

Presents wrapped and ready to go.





Festive desserts for the bride to be.





Party prep headquarters, also known as the disaster area, also known as my kitchen.





My homemade raspberry buttercream frosting. It goes perfectly with chocolate cupcakes, and it's so easy. Take 2 sticks of super, super soft (but not melted) butter, a few heaping spoonfuls of raspberry jam and mix it with powdered sugar until it's the perfect consistency (probably about 4-5 cups, but I've never measured, I just eyeball it). Easy peasy!



The girl that does the mixing gets to lick the beaters. It's a rule. (Rule will be ignored if a 2 year old boy is present.)



Flowers fresh from the market sitting patiently in the sink, ready to be arranged. What flower says August and end of summer more than gladiolas?



I try to get all of my serving pieces ready to go. It helps calm my inner control freak when guests arrive and insist on helping. All they have to do is go in the fridge and take out what I've already done.

The open spot is for tomatoes. We all know tomatoes don't ever go in the refridgerator! The white vegetable on the upper right is jicama. It blows my mind that people have no idea what it is and ask if I put out a raw potato. Now that I've said that, have you had it before?



Another super easy dip to whip up and it disappears in a flash. Take a jar of Fluff and mix it with an 8 oz. bar of cream cheese. That's it. (A tip to get Fluff out of the jar easily: run your spoon under super hot water and then scoop it out.)



Glad Press 'n Seal is my BFF!



I always try to get as much done the night before a party as I can. It makes me feel better knowing that everything is ready to go when I wake up the next morning. You never know when a certain little boy is going to boycott his nap or when another is going to insist on being held all day.

I can't wait to share the pics from tomorrow night!

Handmade party prep

I'm only 1 day away from the party I'm throwing for my sister. Here are a few things I worked on today to get ready.

The now famous flower poms from Martha.

A pink and sparkly banner with my sister's name.

Decorated toothpicks for appetizers.

Cupcake decorations.

Pretty skewers for fruit kabobs.

And what do you think I'm going to do with all this curly ribbon? I'll give you a hint...it's not for presents!

I'll share more tomorrow!

The weekend's decrapification

We have an unfinished portion of our basement that serves as our area for working out/storage/a pantry, and over the past several months, a collecting area for clutter. It's really been driving me nuts. I'd clean a little here and a little there, but it was never enough. So when I saw Sarah's decrapification, I knew I just needed to buckle down and do it.

WARNING: these pictures will make you shudder!







A lot of sorting, organizing, and this heap of garbage later...



I have this happiness to look at.







So neat. So organized. I love it!

Price my space, Part deux

The Nester is having a Price My Space party again. Oh, how I love a party! This time around I decided to price our guest room.

I'll admit we don't often have guests stay the night, but it was put to good use when we had a newborn in the house. I spent many sleepless nights in this room while Hubby slept peacefully upstairs.

I wish I had pictures of this room from when we bought the house. It was a Southwestern themed room--complete with a dream catcher on the wall, pink walls and turquoise trim. Nothing like my style. I like that it's now a calm and peaceful retreat.

And here we go...



1. Toile bedding (Marshall's) $50 for the queen size set. Have I ever mentioned how much I love toile? Well, maybe once or twice.
2. Headboard (my mother in law) free. This was orginally a cheap oak color, but I painted it with white high gloss paint for its makeover. Even white, iy's not really my style, but free's free. I still don't know what to put on the shelves, so they've been empty for the past 5 years.
3. Dresser (Target) free. I have the same dresser in the Little Guys' room. I received the dresser as a baby shower gift, but when parts were missing, Target sent a whole new dresser. Of course I kept the broken one and replaced the pieces.



4. Birdcages (Michael's and Pier 1) All less than $10. I recently fell in love with them, and now am constantly on the hunt for more!
5. Botanical prints (Ebay by way of a good friend) free. One of my girlfriends bought a vintage book full of botanical prints and was generous enough to share them with me. The "art" is nothing more than pages out of that book. I bought the frames (with mats) on sale at Michael's for $5 each.



6. Dresser again. I know I already listed it, but I don't want to go back and re-edit the photo.
7. Books and alarm clock (IKEA and used book store) I think $6-7 for the clock and a few dollars for the books. I love how Pottery Barn always shows books without jackets turned backwards, so this is my attempt at it.
8. Lamp and shade (Target) $30. I actually bought this lamp and two others for the nursery, but after rearranging furniture, I had an extra and moved it. I bought the shade a year or two later.
9. Cheesy picture of horses and frame (IKEA) probably around $25. I'm usually not a fan of "art" like this, but I needed something for the space before a party, so this is what I decided on. I actually really like it.
10. Toolbox (Homegoods) $10. I have a small collection of old wooden toolboxes. I fill them with different decorations throughout the year. My favorite is Christmas when I put shiny vintage ornaments in it--the contrast between the wood and the shiny glass is so pretty!
11. My favorite red flower pot (JoAnn's) $5. I found this pot on clearance last summer and am SO glad I did.



12. Wicker nightstand (Pier 1) free. My sister bought this on sale last summer. I love the weathered green color. Yes, that is an Elmo toy on the bottom!
13. Bookcase (Michael's) $30. I bought this bookcase when I was in college as a craft project and have held onto it. The paint has changed many, many times. Right now it's a pretty sage.
14. Desk lamp (Martha Stewart Everyday from Kmart) $20. I love the curve of the lamp and the contrast of its color with the wicker.
15. Canvas (VonMaur) and framed monogram (DIY project) $15 total. I found the butterfly canvas in the gift shop department of VonMaur and I made the framed monogram out of supplies I had laying around.



16. Stool (Target) $30. I bought this Shabby Chic stool to go with my vanity, but changed my mind about how it looked, so I made it over. I wanted it in our family room, but in the mind of my 2 year old, it is the perfect way to reach the light switch, so it's found a new home here.
17. Louvered armoire (jcp.com) $150. I keep all kinds of extra linens and towels in here.
18. Framed Mary Cassat line drawing. I found this picture in on of my old art books and had it matted and framed. Easy peasy!



19. Framed photo. Priceless. This is a picture of my grandma and grandpa from the 40s. I love it!
20. Little birdie (Smith and Hawken at Target) $5. This little guy was too cute not to bring home.
21. Glass candle holders (Michael's) $15 for the two. In all the time they've been there, never once have they been lit.
22. Plate and rack (Pier 1) $5. I really am looking for a pretty, vintage china pattern to put here, but I haven't found the perfect one just yet.
23. Crock (Homegoods) $15. I love vintage crocks. But after learning my lesson winning one on Ebay for $5 and then paying $49 in shipping, I limit myself to in store purchases only.



24. Wicker chair (IKEA) $30. This is the perfect little seat for reading. I made the cushion cover out of leftover fabric I had around.
25. Weird needlepoint dog pillow (Ebay) $20. I bought this when I was pregnant and I swear the hormones made me do it. I don't even really like dogs. I do really love the needlepoint, though.
26. Handknit blanket (my great grandma) priceless. I can remember curling up in this blanket as a little girl. It's the sweetest shade of pink and since I was young when she passed away, one of the few memories I have of my great grandma is of her sitting on the couch knitting.

For anyone who cares, the walls are Sherwin Williams Navajo White. I love this color so much I have it in 3 rooms in our house. It's such a nice, warm oatmeal color.

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

And if you're interested, you can find my space from the last party here.