Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Summer Grilling Pizza Party

Are you planning a summer barbecue?
Why not try something a little different this summer.....
Grilled Pizza!

 

 I have everything you need to host the coolest
summer party of the year!

This is one of those parties that is easy on the hostess!
This would be a fun night for couples or a girls night in!

This time around I hosted a Girl's Night In!
We had a fabulous night with great wine and yummy pizzas!

I recently shared my summer party tips with Kleenex brands .
I used those tips when planning this grilling party!

Once I had my party theme in place,
it was time to plan my shopping list.
I would plan on having 1 medium sized flat bread
per person.


These are a great size because your guest can make
two different types of pizzas on one flat bread!
Look how yummy these look
before they even hit the grill!

Make the ingredients for several different kinds of pizzas
ahead of time.  Chopped the vegetables, grill the chicken, shrimp
or other toppings the day before.

Plan for a few appetizers to snack on before the grilling
starts.  This will allow all of your guests to arrive.

I made two appetizer pizzas.
The first was a Spinach and Onion pizza with a white pizza dip.


Second was a Flatbread topped with Brie
Muddled blackberries and basil
Sliced strawberries
Topped with a Balsamic Honey Glaze
It was amazing!
I will post the recipe soon...


Once the grill is fried up and hot,
grab a flat bread and start assembling!
This is when the magic happens....
Nothing better than gathering great friends, fresh food,
and fabulous wines!

Check out some of these creations!


I offered lots of fresh vegetables, fresh herbs,
grilled meats, and fabulous sauces.


I think it is nice to offer up to 3 sauces.
So we had Pesto, Marinara, and
Artichoke Garlic Sauce.

Vegetables could include
Artichokes, Mushrooms, Sun Dried Tomatoes
Fresh Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Onions
Olives and More!

Meats could include
Grilled Chicken, Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon,
and Shrimp.

Fresh Herbs in glass containers that I had on hand
not only serve as toppings but
become part of the table decor.

 
Love the chalk labels?
I will have those for you in a free download
coming soon.

So you already have the grill hot so why not plan
for something a little different!
Grilled dessert pizzas!
Dark Chocolate, Fresh Cherry and
Sweetened Ricotta
 This is just silly.....
I am pretty sure my eyes rolled in the back
of my head! 
 It is so easy to make too!
BONUS!

Looking to lightened it up...
Try this Sugar Cookie Pizza (made ahead)
Top with a Lemon Cream Cheese
Blueberry Reduction Glaze
Fresh Blueberries

After enjoying the last of the desserts I sent my friends home
with a little something to enjoy with their families!
Homemade Pizza Sauce in fun jars
with chalkboard labels!

 As you can imagine, all of this pizza building
can make quite a mess!
Luckily I have a bathroom off of the patio for
easy access to cleaning your hands.

I was offered by Kleenex Hand Towels *
to become a brand Ambassador.
I was very excited to plan this
girls night in and introduce my friends
to these fabulous towels!

I have known about them for a while and use them in my bathrooms.
You don't really think about wiping your hands on a towel
after they have been washed.
Your hands are clean, so they the towel is clean right?
Not necessarily!
Your hands are only as clean as the towel you dry them on.

Did you know that in the U.S. alone,
people dry their hands on cloth towels about
200 billion times per year!  WOW!
That is a lot of hand wiping!

 Can you imagine the germs that are left on
a damp and overused hand towel
especially during parties and holidays?

What did my girls think?
They loved them!
Everyone tried them out and
loved the feeling of a dry, clean and fresh towel
with each hand wash.

Join the 14 million people who have made the commitment
to cleaning up their bathroom towel situation.
make the commitment and get a $1 off a box.
Try them out....They will rock your world!


So, for your next summer soriee,
be creative and try something different on the grill
and in the bathroom!

Disclaimer:
I received free product samples and other goodies from
Kleenex Hand Towels to do this review but, the opinions are 100%
my own.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Summer Entertaining Tips

With summer entertaining in full swing,
 I thought I would share some tips
for your next Summer party!

All of these tips will make your life much easier
and make entertaining a breeze!
I am planning a summer Pizza Grilling Party soon
and I will be following these easy tips.

As you can imagine, grilling pizzas can be quite messy so,
 I was thrilled when I was asked to be a
 Kleenex Hand Towel Ambassador.



1.  Keep it simple and cohesive with a theme. 
I have hosted many parties and weather it is formal, casual, kids or adults,
having a theme helps tie the party together.

2.  Use what you have.
Be creative with items you already own. 
Turn a cup and a plate into a treat stand or cheese platter.
Homegrown herbs and flowers arranged in jars
or even soup cans serve as centerpieces.

3.  Prepare as much as food as possible a day or two in advance.
Sounds easy enough but you will not realize how much of a time saver this is.
Your day will run smooth with less stress and the dishes will be bursting flavor.

4.  For hands on occasions, like outdoor BBQ's,
have plenty of  Kleenex Hand Towels available.
 The Pop-Up delivery system is a cleaner option for guests
instead of using a damp and overused towel.
.
5.  Enjoy the Party!
When you are enjoying the party it puts your guests at ease.
They will have a sense that everything has been taken care of.
A room full of happy guests equals a very happy hostess!


Disclaimer:
I received free product samples and other goodies from
Kleenex Hand Towels to do this review but, the opinions are 100%
my own.









Monday, June 3, 2013

Surf Shack Ice Cream Social Party

Who is ready for Summer?
School is out this week and we will be
hitting the pool and of course having our favorite treat...
ICE CREAM!

Last year....um...yes, I said last year
my daughter celebrated her 5th birthday
with Surfing ice Cream Themed Party.

I am that behind on posting parties!
Well, summer is here so it is the perfect time for some
hot weather party inspiration!

I designed a little Surf Shack Ice Cream invite
to tempt your taste buds!


Grab a cup and monogrammed spoon! 

 



The purchased a tiki hut for my ice cream set up and decorated
with burlap and coconut cups for the toppings.


Decorative Accents completed the look....

 

There were plenty of Toppings for the kids ice cream sundaes...

M & M's....

Gummy Bears....

Oreos....

More Toppings included...
Sprinkles, Marshmallows, Strawberries,
 Cherries, and Whipped Cream Too!
And Of Course you can't forget
Hot Fudge and Caramel Sauce!

My daughter opted for a sprinkles cone for her treat!


Cake Pops Served in Mini Ice Cream Cones as an extra little treat!


Drink Station:
Pink Lemonade was served in these Precious Palm Tree Cups
That the kids took home!



These adorable shimmery cookies
were designed to match the color palette!



Others Treats included Colorful Sixlets and Gumballs!




My favorite Cake Designer made this adorable cake!
Complete with full size Ice cream Cone Topper!
Amazing....



 Do you have any birthday traditions?
My daughters and I are huge fans of
Modern Frills Birthday Shirts!



We have 9 of these shirts between my 2 girls!
Love...Love them!

The guests took home a sand castle bucket
filled with summer time fun.
Sunglasses, water guns, beach balls...and more!



Aw...Summer is Here!
Hope you can enjoy a little Ice Cream
with friends this summer!


Vendor Credits:
Invites and Printables:  Simply Creative Printables
Birthday Shirt:  Modern Frills
Cookies: A Cookie Jar
Cake:  Margarita Rios
Ice Cream Cups and Wooden Spoons: In the Clear













Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Totally cool.....Neon Glow Party

It that time of year for me and my house hold....
Birthday Party Season.

With 3 birthdays in April and May,
It is 2 of my favorite months of the year.

My oldest daughter Abby celebrated her
last year in the single digits....(tear)
a few weeks ago with a
super cool Glow in the Dark Neon party!


What started as a pretty simple
"just a sleepover" party, grew into one of my
favorite parties I have planned.

On with the party.....

I designed these invitations to set the scene
 for a fun night!
 
 
"Will you be Glowing?"

The girls were asked to come in there favorite
neon or white outfit so that they would
reflect the black lights!
Abby's BFF's.....

 
For the table, I used glittered hot pink scrapbook paper
for the placemats topped with the paper goods and glow stick
utensils.  The girls loved the utensils!


The table decor was kept simple with the addition of these
fun glow stick spheres.
 

 

I found these neon tambourines that my "party stylist" in the making
thought would make great coasters!
I think she was right!
Glow stick straws were added for fun!
 

The girls made flip flops with neon
fabric and puff paint.
 

After pizza and crafts, the girls headed upstairs to get there first look
at the party!  It was so fun to see there faces.
I wanted to be a kids again!

This is where the photography got a little tricky!
It is hard for a non-trained photographer to take glowing photographs.
I did my best!

Lots of black lighting made for a cool glow throughout the room.

Glow stick chandelier greeted the girls.
 

Grab a Bag and Let's glow!
 

The girls filled there beauty bags with
nail files, glow in the dark hand sanitizers,
neon sunglasses, neon socks, combs and more....
 

I was not finding the material that I liked for
backdrops so, I created two very fun backdrops myself.
First was a post note backdrop!
Seriously!
 Post it notes....


 
The second, was made from neon bowls!
I loved how it turned out.
 

The neon bowl backdrop was perfect for the sweets table!
Gumballs, cookies, neon gummy worms and
cotton candy on glow sticks...YUM!
 
 
The girls grabbed a sack filled it to the top!
 
 
The girls loved these cookies from the Cookie Jar!
She designed these just for Abby.
 
The girls danced the night away and sang karaoke
for the next few hours before it was time to cut the cake!

Beautiful cake from the outside....
 
 
to the inside.....
 

The girls continued the party back upstairs
'til the sugar rush wore off. 
 
I had such a great night hanging out with these
beautiful girls!
 
 
If you would like to create your own
neon glow in the dark party
see all of the vendors below!
Paper goods can be found in my shop


Vendor Directory:
Styling and Printables:  Simply Creative Printables
Cookies:  A Cookie Jar
Cake:  Mugs Bakery
Mini Treat Bags:  Pick Your Plum






Pin it!