Back to School Photo Props Made Easy

It's almost that time again...

Back To School for most of us.

I know some have already returned, but here in

Texas we start in just a few short weeks.

 

It's 106 outside and I don't want to go anywhere

but to put my feet in the sand and lay by the beach.

 

Did I mention I live in Texas?

 

Soon we will be seeing our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

pages filled with all of those sweet smiling

"OH MY GOSH MOM I AM DONE WITH PICTURES"

kind of faces.

We can get away with a few extra since they are still in

that summer daze of sleepiness.

 

I made documenting those yearly moments just a tad bit

easier for you this year by offering these printable sets.

 

K through 5 Boys

K through 5 Girls

and....

Class of 2028 signs

 

For all of you kinder parents out there,

did your heart just skip a beat?
2028?  Really?

 

I know mine did when I had my sweet girls holding those

2022 and 2025 Graduation year signs.

 

Download your free copy of all of these Printables

and make your life just a little easier the first day of school.

 

Happy Days!

 

Just right click and save as to download each 8.5 x 11 sign

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

       

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 



Bunny Bait Sweet Treat

I love this time of year!

The birds are singing and the flowers are blooming!

Spring is upon us and I have a yummy and easy treat

for you to make with the kids.

 

Bunny Bait!

 

 

 

All you need:

 

 

4 cups of Boom Chicka Pop

(or your favorite kettle corn)

1 cup of pretzels broken into small pieces

1 cup of pastel Easter M&M's

 1 cup of white chocolate melted

Parchment Paper

 

First, lay out a single sheet of parchment paper

Pour your popcorn onto the parchment paper

Next, layer on your pretzels and M&M's

 

 

 

Melt your white chocolate in the microwave

and drizzle over the top!

 

Simply Yummy!

 

Add this sweet Bunny Bait bag topper

and hand out to your friends!

 

 

 

You can find the Bunny Bait tag here!

 

Happy Easter!

 

 

 

You've been Egged!

What a winter!  Anyone ready for spring?

It has been so cold here in Dallas!

I have been dreaming of those crisp spring morning

and warm afternoons!

 

Bring on Spring!

What better way to do that than to start

planning all of the Easter fun that is ahead of us.

 

Why not Egg your neighbors?

Don't worry we are talking about eggs of the plastic variety.

Grab the kiddos, stuff some eggs with candy and toys and egg away!

 

 

Print 2 of these fun Printables that I designed just for you

and leave in the yard!

(see below for printable sign)

 

 

 

Hopefully they will pass on the love to the next neighbor or friend!

My kids love to ring the doorbell then run and hide so

that they can watch the fun!

 

If you have older kids that want to play along,

stuff the eggs with candy and a glow in the dark bracelet

so that they can be easily spotted at night.

Ring the doorbell and run!

 

We have been doing this for years and it is so much fun!

I hope that your family can adopt one this fun tradition too!

 

Happy Easter!

 

 

Just right click, save, and print!

 

 

 

 



Top it off!

 Time to get back to what I love!

I have taken quite a bit of time off and plan to kick off the new year

with a commitment to blogging and creating new and inspirational

party themes and ideas. 

 

I have missed you all dearly!

 

Let's get started with a freebie just for you!

 

Are you hosting a College Football Championship party

or maybe routing on those Dallas Cowboys?

I have the perfect additional that is super easy

but has a big impact!

 

Buckeye's Fans?

These are for you!

Print, Cut and Create these lovely Cupcake Toppers!

 

 

Just Right click the picture and save your files.

 

Duck Fans?

These are for you!

 

 

 

 

And for You Dallas Cowboy Fans...

Yes I am biased...

These are for you!

 

 

 

 

Good luck to your team!

If you don't have a team in the fight...

that's ok.....it's always fun to eat cupcakes!

March Madness: Get your Popcorn Ready

March Madness is upon us!

For all of you College Basketball fans,

I have an easy and inexpensive popcorn bar

that has something for everyone!

This past week we celebrated March Madness 

at my daughters school by

rolling a Basketball themed Popcorn Cart

through the halls after school.

If you are looking for a fun way to decorate 

your table why not use a basket or large bowl

that you have on hand wrapped in a basketball goal?

 

I purchased this basketball goal at Target for around $5.

Small price and big impact!

What do you think?

Add in some yarn poms around the base,

extra cheerleader poms,

polka dot popcorn bags

and seasoning!

Happy March Madness!

Vendors:

Styling: Simply Creative Insanity

Polka Dot Bags: Party City

Cheerleader Poms: Party City

Basketball Net:  Target

 

 

Out of This World Valentines for Boys!

Looking for an Out of This World Valentine

for your class or party?

Try these Rocket Ship Push Up Containers

filled with spacely candies and even an Alien!

One of my sweet customers found these Free Printables

over at Confetti Sunshine.

Just check out what she made......

Complete with Alien...Ready for Lift Off!

Happy Valentines Day!

Vendor Credits:

Push Up Containers:  Simply Creative Printables

Printables:  Confetti Sunshine

6 Fabulous Football Shaped Dessert

The Superbowl is right around the corner!

If you are like me, my favorite team didn't make it to the big game...

but, does really matter when you get to hang our with your friends

and eat delicious and I am sure very low fat foods!

Weather you are hosting a soiree or heading to one,

these Football shaped treats will be a hit!

1.  Football Whoopie Pies

Everyday Occasion

2.   Football Ice Cream Sandwiches

The Celebration Shoppe

3.  Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs

Domestic Fits

4.  Oreo Football Truffles

Bakerella

5.  Football Cake Pops

Baked with Love and Butter

6.  Chocolate Oatmeal Cream Pie Footballs

Shugary Sweets

What is your favorite sweet football treat?
Go Team!

Cupcake and Cocoa Party

I absolutely love this time of year!

The little ladies of the house wanted

to celebrate the season with a few friends.

They chose to decorate cupcakes and have some yummy cocoa!

Perfect combination if you ask me!

I found these Meri Meri cupcake stands at Homegoods!

They were perfect for displaying the undecorated cupcakes.

It was also the inspiration to use reindeer throughout the table decor.

  

I took some simple white aprons and added

the ruffles for a more festive look.

They added a decorative touch to the chairs as well.

  

Reindeer place settings and Christmas Tree

photo stands made a great place card holder.

Before the cupcake decorating began,

the girls made these festive Christmas trees

out of card stock and cupcake liners!

Simple and inexpensive craft!

 

 I decorated Starbucks coffee bottles with a little felt

to make a scarf and some buttons!

The kids loved drinking their strawberry milk out of these.

They enjoyed snowmen white chocolate covered oreos 

and chocolate peppermint cake balls.

 Marshmallow Cocoa Bites were the hit of the party!

These were made by dipping the marshmallow in chocolate,

breaking off the stick of a

mini peppermint stick and inserting into the side.

Top them off with mini marshmallows!

 To top it all off...as if there hasn't been enough sugar...

they enjoyed a little hot cocoa too!

 The Cupcake Ladies had a blast decorating with different frosting,

sprinkles and candy decor.

 

They were all sugared up and ready to head home with their 

cupcake creations in these reindeer cupcake boxes!

We had so much creating this simple and fun party!

I hope you can spend a little time with the ones you 

love this holiday season!

Vendor Credits:

Printables: Simply Creative Printables

Plates:  Target

Cupcake Boxes: World Market

Reindeer Cupcake Stands:  Meri Meri

Aprons:  Hobby Lobby

Meow....At the Moon

I had to share this with all of you!

My mom was visiting this weekend and we were planning to attend

a Halloween Party!

It just happened to be here birthday as well!

I have used so many professional bakeries over the years and

had my eye on one weekly for about a year...

and you will never guess where!

Albertson's Grocery store!

I have paid big bucks for specialty cakes!

I could see that this store was different and wanted to give it a shot!

Well, I am so glad I did!

The cake was exactly like I wanted and she did it all for $50!

 

So, check with you local grocery stores...You never know!

 

Here is the beautiful cake!

 

 



Easy and Spooky Cake Pops!

Looking for a fun and easy way to serve up your

Halloween Cake Pops?

I have the solution!

All you need is:

Bone Favors

Plastic Teeth

Basic Cake Pop recipe

First, trim off one end of a bone favor to make

the end more like a stick.

Next, make your basic cake pops in any flavor.

Using the bone favor, dip into the chocolate candy coating

and insert into the cake pop.

Continue by dipping the entire cake pop in the chocolate

candy coating.

Once you have the amount you want,

 store them in the refrigerator.

Next, fill your platter with the plastic teeth 

in any design you want.

I alternated the purple and lime green on a white platter

to add color.  

White teeth would be great as well on a black platter.

Under the black light....

Finally place a cake pop in the opening of the teeth!

Happy Halloween!

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.

Visit Kleenex Hand Towels and

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.