Valentine's Play Date & Giveaway {Guest Blogger}

A Big Thank You to Kori of Paper & Pigtails for guest blogging for me while I'm at Blissdom:

Hi everyone! I would love to start by saying I am SO EXCITED and

HONORED to be able to guest post on one of my favorite blogs! I began

following Celebrations at Home and Chris at the very beginning of my

journey into the party world and still consider it a go to blog for

inspiration!! Thank you Chris for the chance to guest post about my

Toddler Valentine Playdate!

I hosted a Valentine exchange recently for my kids and some of their

friends!! We hosted it early so that some friends who are in school

would have the day off to join us, and as I have house guests for

three weeks, we know doing it before would be best!

The whole concept started with the ADORABLE little red tin mailboxes I

found online (now available in the $1 section at Target). In an effort

to figure out how to make "mailbox stands" without too much trouble, I

happened to see these cute candlesticks in assorted sizes and knew

they'd be perfect. Once this theme was decided I received a box of

Twirlie Whilies pinwheels that were too cute to not include! So,

combining these elements, the entire design came together for the

holiday set and the playdate!!

As with most parties, things happen the day of the party that can't be

helped. For us, I planned a larger children's table using the

pinwheels and sucker centerpiece that ended up on the food table.

After the rain soaked the large table and chairs, I had to quickly

rework our round table for the four older toddlers as the little ones

don't sit long anyway. I used a pink runner I had from a previous

party, paper plates in reds and pinks, green "grass", mini mason jars

for the lemonade, and two of the mailboxes for a centerpiece (as we no

longer had room for the planned centerpiece). I also decided to use

the valentines from my kids as "table decor". My son gave Twirlie

Whirlies Pinwheels which were on each plate, and my daughter gave a

pink striped bag of heart gummies. The bags and mini mailboxes were

used for the kids to take their treats home in.

We had a table full of food that FULLY intended to hold the chicken

salad sandwiches and other lunch food, but when a friend showed up

with the beautiful sugar cookies she made and decorated herself, I

knew they had to have a place on the table! Once the "centerpieces"

for the kids table merged onto the food table as well, it ended up

mostly sweets....oops. We can assure you, the kids didn't complain!

I think my favorite part of the party was the Valentine Bingo

Printable Game I made to go with the set! Kids used stickers to put on

their cards and we kept playing until everyone had the chance to shout

BINGO! It was certainly a fun and memorable holiday party for my

little ones and hopefully their friends as well!
This full editable Valentine set is for SALE in my Etsy shop for $15! 

This Giveaway is now Closed
As a thank you to Chris's readers for putting up with my guest post, I

would love to offer a GIVEAWAY to you! I will randomly choose 2

comments left here to win an EDITABLE party set of your choice

(including circles, invitation, tent cards/place cards, bottle labels,

and large circles)!!
Simply Visit the Paper & Pigtails Etsy Shop and

see which EDITABLE design is your favorite, then come back and post a

comment to let us know!

The Winner will be chosen on Monday, the 31st.

Congratulations to Kelly (#59) and Dee (#12) for winning your choice of Editable Printables from Paper & Pigtails!

Stocking Your Family-Friendly Bar {Guest Blogger}

Continuing with our "Bar" theme, I'd like to introduce you to Coryanne Ettiene of Housewife Bliss.  We "met" on Twitter and she is a delightful resource for all things "Homemaking."  She's offering tips today, for insuring that you have a Family Friendly bar to accomodate adults & kids alike:

Celebrating with family over the holidays inevitably means catering to a variety of drinking styles, and stocking a family friendly bar is not an easy feat. Not only do you need to account for the cocktails, but you need to consider the mocktails, children’s drinks and inspiring ways to keep them festive. When stocking a family friendly bar, here are some tips to remember:

• Plan ahead - Be sure to consider your guests drinking habits before they arrive as there is nothing worse that rushing to the shops to get the diet version of the drink you have in your bar. Likewise, if you know that more guests are not drinking this year, ensure you have extra mixers, and festive accessories for your drinks.
• Keep it Festive - Adding a little cheer to your ice trays will keep the most drab of drinks festive. Everyone loves a cheeky napkin, a sparkler for flair, an unusual straw or festive ice cubes added to their drinks. I add cranberries, currants, mint, citrus and cherries to my ice trays…they are always a hit and so very simply to make that it makes the perfect activity for the children.

• Be Prepared - Drinking and spilling go together like Vermouth and olives. No one wants to see his or her red wine spilled on your new cream carpet. To avoid the embarrassment and frustration of cocktail stains on your carpet or upholstery, opt to serve vodka, gin, champagne, and white rum. Compliment with clear mixers like 7up, Indian tonic and soda water, then garnish with lime, lemon and olives.

• Mocktail or Cocktail? - Telling the difference between a mocktail and a cocktail is not an easy feat, and is a standard that should be sought after in the family bar. There are very few guests who would prefer to sip a cola while the drinking crowd is enjoying margaritas, likewise those not yet old enough to drink but old enough to be included in the family toast should have an appropriate glass to raise. For every drink you offer, ensure that you have a duplicate mocktail to offer. This year I will be serving 2 sparking cocktails/mocktail:

Bliss Toast Mocktail:

A splash of white cranberry juice, topped off with sparking cider.

Bliss Toast Cocktail:

A splash of Tripple Sec, a splash of white cranberry juice, topped off with Champgaign.

• Youthful Drinks - The delight of being a child at a family bar is the endless supply of Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers. The best way to be a hit amongst your younger set is to keep these free flowing, heaping with maraschino cherries, fancy straws, swords and fun napkins for them to set their drinks on.
• Keep them flowing - If you are serving mixed drinks, serve them in a carafe to ensure that your guests can return to the bar for a quick top up.

Thank you Coryanne for your wonderful tips!  Check out Housewife Bliss for lots of other ideas and advice for better home living.
If you would like to participate in our Guest Blogger series, please send me an email at cdnease1@yahoo.com!

 

Photos: tablesetting

Cookie Cocktails {Guest Blogger}

Hello Celebrations at Home readers! This is Carrie from Half Baked - The Cake Blog and I cannot tell you how excited I am to be guest blogging for Chris today. Celebrations at Home is one of my daily reads, so I am just thrilled to be here! In case you're not familiar, Half Baked is my blog where we chat about sweet events and sweet treats. That means we cover everything from birthday parties to weddings and showers. You'll find hot new dessert tables, the latest cake designs, cupcakes, cookies, cocktails and more! Speaking of cookies and cocktails...

Have you ever wondered if Santa gets tired of milk and cookies? Maybe after centuries of cookies he'd like something a little more interesting. Something new to spice things up! After all, he has a long night of delivering presents across the globe. This will be the first year Santa makes a visit to our little girl and maybe she’ll be a sweet baby and leave Santa one of these delicious cookie cocktails. Classic cookie inspired drinks make for a very Merry Christmas!

 

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie:

3/4oz Partida Blanco Tequila

1oz Peppermint Schnapps

3/4oz Godiva Liqueur

1-1/2oz cream

Chocolate syrup and candy canes for garnish

Rim martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes. Shake ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into martini glass.

Toasted Macaroon:

1 oz Coconut Milk

1-1/2oz Coconut Rum

1/4oz Licor 43

1/2oz Partida Blanco Tequila

1/2oz Frangelico

Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a glass filled with ice and garnish with toasted coconut shavings on top.

A special thank you to Chris for the opportunity to share with you today! And thanks to our friends at Partida Tequila for sharing these delicious and creative Cookie Cocktails to make our holidays festive! Be sure to come visit us at Half Baked to find the Snickerdoodle, Sugar Cookie and Seven Layer Cookie recipes. Happy Sipping!

______________________________________

Thank You, Carrie for you fantastic post!  If you have an idea you'd like to share with Celebrations At Home, email me at cdnease1@yahoo.com

Blue Christmas {Guest Blogger}

Alexandra of Enchanted Events & Design is a talented graphics designer and event stylist/blogger.  She has a flair for modern sleek design and creates lovely paper goods which she sells in her Etsy shop.  Today Alexandra shows you how to re-create your holiday table from one year to the next.  She starts out with her wedding china as the staple items and is inspired by the blue band in the pattern.  Read on to see how she transforms her 2009 table for 2010, and get the printable items seen here FREE!

2009

In Alexandra's words:  I decided to accentuate the white and blue of the dishes in this look. I laid out a simple white tablecloth (on sale from a fabric store) and put silver chargers (from a dollar store) under the china. Each year I use an ornament for a place card (so each person will have a memento for their tree to take home). Last year I was inspired by Martha Stewart's Sweetgum-Fruit Wreath. I decided to make mini wreaths for each person and used the extra fruit to craft silver trees for the table. For my centerpiece I raided my Christmas tree decorations! I got a clear glass vase and stuffed it with white stuffing. Then I stuffed sparkly white branches and hung all the small blue and silver ornaments I could find in my collection from them. Lastly, I found some silver tinsel garland from the dollar store and strung it up and down the table.

2010

For my 2010 transformation I again started with the same china and dollar store chargers. I laid my white fabric down on the table and covered it with a cotton damask fabric I purchased at the fabric store. For my centerpiece I found the candle pillar holder at Target for only $19.99 and filled it with silver and blue ornaments I found in my ornament collection. You can also see the sparkly white branches from last years centerpiece in it as well! For the place cards this year I found these pretty black ornaments for $2 each at Target. I further dressed up the table setting by printing my own menus. The silver sweetgum-fruit trees are getting used again alongside some fresh flowers. Finally I strung some larger blue and silver ornaments from the ceiling all of which came from a dollar store! 
I hope you enjoyed my table transformation.

Thank you, Alexandra, for a great example of "freecycling" and creativity.  We love your beautiful tables!  Now, as a gift to you Alexandra is offering the menu card seen here (love it!), with matching place card, and invitation for FREE to all of her followers.  Head over to her blog to sign up and get them!

If you have an idea you'd like to submit, please read our Submission Guidelines and send us an email.

Guest Blogger - DIY Paper Baubles By Bird Crafts

When I began blogging, I never thought I'd make friends around the globe!  Bird of Bird Crafts is one of those party girls I wish I could meet in person.  I just know we'd have such fun together!  Unfortunately for me she is thousands of miles away, in France... So I'll settle for her gorgeous printables, inspiring party designs, and sweet emails. 
Bird agreed to do a Guest Blogger tutorial for me and I just love this project she came up with:

TUTORIAL: Easy Paper Baubles

It's a real pleasure to be able to guest post for one my favorite party gals ever, Chris!

I've had the honor, privilege and utter delight to be able to work with this talented lady  recently, and when she invited me over, I shrieked with joy!!

One of my close friends who recently got married, asked me about easy paper crafts to help decorate and embellish her newly-wed home for Xmas, without blowing the budget! And  this is how this tutorial came about...

What you'll need:

* Scrap-booking paper - I used the one that is included in the Glitter and Snow Printable Collection

* Round paper punch - I used a 2"1/2 but you use any dimensions you want

* Crafts glue stick

* OPTIONAL: Twine or ribbon if making a garland

I used these paper baubles as props on my Glitter and Snow Dessert Table, but you can also thread some twine, string or ribbon through each bauble and make a garland! Would look fab as decorative baubles on any Christmas Tree,  as a party banner accenting your Holiday tables or decorative garland anywhere you fancy!

This is a very easy, inexpensive and very quick to make tutorial, so I hope you'll enjoy making these fun paper baubles as much I do!

Thanks again Chris for letting me loose on your pages! :)

XOXO

To see all the details of this gorgeous design visit here.

If you're interested in being a Guest Blogger on Celebrations At Home send me an idea at cdnease1@yahoo.com

How To Host A Swap Party {Guest Blogger}

Amy Dalley of This & That sent over some links recently, of a "Swap Till You Drop" party she hosted for her girlfriends.  I thought the details and tips she had for the party were so useful and inspiring that I asked her to be a guest blogger and share her ideas with you.  I'm happy she agreed!  Here's her post:

This is a fun party that gets all the girls together, motivates everyone to clean out closets, and gives the opportunity for shopping WITHOUT spending any money! The original idea for this party came from the January 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. I was asked to do this party for a morning TV show, Studio 5, and I thought the "Swap-Meet Party" shown in the issue was a little bit plain... so I glamed it up a bit! The colors I decided to use were hot pink and zebra... totally girlfriend glam. The theme

"Swap til you Drop... One girlfriend's JUNQUE is another girlfriend's treasure" came from the idea that I would love to shop in my girlfriends' closets. My friends all like to shop so I thought we could "SWAP til we drop" instead of "SHOP til we drop". The basic premise for this gathering is that everyone brings 5-7 things "they don't love anymore" and they swap items with their friends. Everyone has a clip labeled with their name for every item they brought. This acts as the currency... You place your clip on the item you want to take home. If two people have their name on the same item, I put the names in a bag and had a drawing.

Invitation: It consisted of a small pink "shopping" bag dressed up with feather boa and the party "logo". Inside was their personalized clips (blinged with a gem), tags for the items they brought ( for a description and a selling point) party info ( date, time, etc) and a poem rolled like a scroll explaining what it was...{see bottom of post for wording}

Decor:  I used anything I had around the house in the colors of the party... lots of fabric, apothecary jars filled with colorful gumballs, Taffy and M&Ms. I looked for anything that seemed girly, blinged or glam. It was easy to just find things around the house.

Food: I went simple and served sandwiches and then had a dessert bar that featured chocolate cake with fresh flowers in the party colors, dipped fortune cookies... anything that was hot pink I threw in.

Favors: The favors were my favorite part! I got reusable black shopping bags and blinged them out with ribbon made into messy bows and lots of gems! I used paper to make a personalized tag. My friend, Rhonna Farrer- designer for House of 3, created a shopping silhouette for the occasion and I used it on as many things as possible. When the guests arrived I gave them their "shopping" bags to hold all their treasures. I also did some custom candy bars(wrappers) that everyone got to take home.

I kept my guest list to about 10-12 so there wasn't so much stuff. You could adjust the number of people OR the number of items they were to bring. I was very happy with the items everyone brought. There wasn't any "junk"... Everyone brought treasures...they really thought and were creative with what they brought. We had lots of home decor, books, seasonal items, purses and accessories- even some homemade salsa with a bag of chips. It was so cute because they all packaged their items in snazzy ways as well. This was such a fun girls night out... we laughed, we ate and drank, and shopped! A good time was had by all WITHOUT spending any money.

After this aired on the TV show, I taught a class on this party and had another "model"... it was more spring-like with a vintage feel. The theme for that one was "Everything OLD is NEW again". You could also take on a more "green" theme with the slogan... "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". I think this type of party would work VERY well in the fall and have everyone bring holiday items... call it a "Jingle-Bell Swap". Let your creativity go and think of your own theme... it is such a fun concept!

Invitation Poem:
We’re totally in a recession...
at least that’s what they say.
I don’t like to face it...
just want to play, play, play!
It is time to get the girlfriends,
all together for a bash.
We could -always go shopping.
But, who now has the cash?
I’ve got a FAB solution,
to this financial jam.
Just bring all your older stuff...
your man won’t give a damn!
We’ll eat and laugh and have some fun
and drink some diet pop-
In the end we’ll choose the goods-
We’ll SWAP til we DROP!
This idea will bring- for sure...
JOY beyond measure!
Remember... One Girlfriend’s JUNQUE-
Is another Girlfriend’s TREASURE!