Giveaway sponsored by CSN Stores!

Make sure to enter yourself for a chance to win a $40.00 gift card to any one of the 200 CSN Stores! There's so many goodies to choose from it's great for anyone!! :)

Click here to view details on how you can be entered!!

I'm back! And with a GIVEAWAY!

Oh man, does it feel good to be back! And I come back bearing a gift for one lucky follower (what better way to return from a little blogger break than with a giveaway, right?!) Today's giveaway is sponsored by CSN Stores, an online "mall" with more than 200 stores, including such items as cookware, bar furniture, clothing and so much more!

I was on a couple of their web sites and seriously have found way too many things that I want (it's a dangerous place for someone who just bought a home - BEWARE!) Below is a bedding set that I'm diggin' - we're looking for new bedding and I think this would be oh so adorable in our new room! Not sure if the boy would love the floral patterns, but whatever, he's only in there to sleep, right?!

Interested yet?! Well here's the scoop on this great giveaway - one lucky follower will receive a $40 gift certificate to be used toward a one-time purchase on any one of their sites! And I have more great news! There is 4 ways to enter, but you must be a follower of Simply Stunning Ideas in order to be eligible (so if you're not... now is the time to do it!) So here's how:

1. Head over to one of CSN's 200 stores and comment to this post with what item is your favorite or what item you could really use (it might be a tough choice - I'm just sayin'!)

2. Post about this giveaway on your blog with the link posted in a comment (separate from other entries)

3. Mention Simply Stunning Ideas in one of your blog posts (doesn't have to be about this giveaway) and enter the link in the comment box (separate from other entries)

4. Grab my new button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment with your blog's address so I can see it!

One winner will be chosen at random using the random number generator. The giveaway closes at 10 p.m. CST on Sunday, May 9th.

Now... what are you waiting for! Get over to one of the CSN Stores web sites and find what you'd like to use your gift certificate on if you're the lucky winner!

It's that time!

Tomorrow morning. 9 a.m. Closing time. I've been scattering around the house trying to get everything done for the big moving weekend... and of course, I feel like nothing is getting done! The boy isn't being much help, as he's working long hours this week and hasn't contributed to packing at all! UGH! Anyway, tomorrow after closing we have A MILLION more things to get done - carpet cleaning, window measuring, lock changes, cable installation, furniture delivery... oh and then you know, moving all of the crap we've collected over the past year and half (not to mention all the crap we had before moving into together!). I'm also heading out of town tomorrow night for a wedding. I get to miss the moving part, however I know I'll come home to a new house full of unpacking. A wedding then unpacking, er.... I can't foresee anything good coming from the night after a wedding! :)

It may sound like I'm complaining - trust me, I'm not. I'm relieved this whole process is finally closing and our lives can get back to normal - well somewhat, at least. I just have too much to do, and NO time to do it... where do the days go?

I'll post pictures of the new pad once we have internet again (I kind of procrastinated calling the internet company, and they can't come out until Tuesday morning to do the install. Lame.)

Have a splendid weekend every one! I'll post when I can! :)

I FINALLY have a BLOG BUTTON!

I just created my first blog button.. and I will be creating more in the coming days. I just wanted to make sure that I could do it correctly!! :) So go ahead... grab that button... :)

It feels so good to be stepping up in the blogging world! :)

Baseball cupcake toppers

I saw these adorable baseball cupcake toppers on Glorious Treats, and boy do I love them! I won't go into detail (again) how much I just LOVE the the sport of baseball and how excited I am that baseball season is upon us again! (OK... I guess I just went into detail about my love of the sport, didn't I?!)

Anyway, you have to check out these adorable cupcake toppers Glory made for her pastor. I'll definitely be making some for an upcoming party that I throw... or just for fun! I'll actually be making MINNESOTA TWINS toppers rather than the Cubs toppers she made!

If you're interested in finding out how she made them, click here!

Retro Pink and Green Tricycle Party

Earlier this week I posted a baseball themed birthday party that Stephanie from Couture Parties threw for her sons birthday; well today I'm back for her daughter's adorable Retro Tricycle themed birthday party. I seriously can't get over the cute ideas and details she incorporates into the parties the throws for her children - they're going to look back on these parties and be so grateful for the time and energy put into them! I know I would!

Let me just say that pink and green color combinations are too cute! I think I love green paired with a lot of colors - particularly pink or purple... but with blue for a boys party is adorable, too!

Check out Stephanie's post here to learn about how the theme came together and to see more photos. I hope you enjoy this party as much as I do!

Just look at that dessert table.... oh so pretty... and so delicious looking! :)

I loved the little tricycle on the table... and the retro silver vase filled with pretty pink and green flowers!

Not only do those cake pops look delicious, but I love the tag... so simple, but really stands out.

Like I mentioned above... details, details, details! Not only is the vase oh so pretty, but the tricycle placed on there to continue with the theme is a great touch!

Cute little figurine atop the cupcake stand makes for a nice little girly touch!

Guests received this baggie of candy along with a CD of songs.

Unique Spring and Summer Centerpiece Ideas from Rachael Ray

I was checkin' out the Rachael Ray web site for the first time tonight, and came across a variety of SUPER adorable and SUPER easy DIY centerpieces. And they're inexpensive, too! Check out the cute ideas below!

How cute are these for a candy buffet centerpiece? I just love these - I think they're so colorful and cheery... I guess they kind of give me a mental tooth ache, too! :)

I thought this were so simple and classic looking. I love how flower doesn't come out of the glass, but it's still the focal point. A line of these would make for a cheap, but classy centerpiece.

Planning a garden-themed or tea-party anytime soon? How about a mother's day brunch? How fun would this centerpiece be? Hit up your local antique shop or thrift store and check out their teapot selection! I'm sure you could find a few different patterns to display in different areas or tables at your gathering.

I thought this would be great centerpieces that do double-duty as favors. They're soooo easy and cheap - buy yourself some cute patterned socks and just wrap them around a cup or a flower pot and voila - you're guests now have a cute little flower to take home and tend to! How cute would this be for a bridal or baby shower?! Or a garden party! :)

What better way to add some dimension to your party than to use some spool as plate stands! Pairing bright colored spools of ribbon that coordinate with your party's color scheme will make for BEEEAA-U-TEEE-FUL plate stands! I love the bright colors chosen above paired with dainty desserts and finger foods. It's just TOO, TOO cute. (can you tell I loved this idea!)

I really liked this idea for an outdoor dinner party. I believe you could use any lentil, but I'm thinking some coffee beans would be great for this centerpiece. Add a tea light, a little twine around your votive (I believe the above are just OJ glasses...) and place a cute little stand and call it good. This would create a nice little ambiance to your evening meal. Simple. Cheap. Love.

I just love how a simple centerpiece can completely dress up your event. I also love that there are so many centerpiece ideas out there that you don't need to spend a FORTUNE on to make look good. Once I move into the new house I'm challenging myself to create a centerpiece using items that I already own... I'll share the results when I figure it out! Hey, maybe that will be my own monthly challenge! :)




What centerpieces have you made for your spring and summer events?

Spring Cupcakes

I just loved these spring cupcakes in an ice cream cone found on the Disney's Family Fun web site. Better yet, they're super easy to make! Below you'll find the directions on how to make this cute creation for your next spring or garden party:

Instructions:

1. Prepare the cake batter according to the directions on the box. Completely fill the narrow part of the cone with the batter, then set it on a baking tray before transferring to the oven. Be careful not to tip them over, as they're not the sturdiest!

2. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

3. Frost after cupcakes have cooled.

4. To make each candy flower, cut 6 wedges from the edges of a gumdrop. Cut a green gumdrop into slices for leaves (see photo below for further clarification). Arrange candies on top of frosted cupcakes.

Sunday Shopping Day!

Pretty much the only reason I like Sunday is for the new sales to come out (I definitely don't like that it means I have to go to work the next day... and the 4 days following!)! Today there are some great sales at Michaels!! If you own a Cricut, you'll want to head over there PRONTO! I bought the Jasmine font cartridge for $29.99 - that's like 55% off the original price. All of their cartridges are on sale for 55% off - but there are no rain checks so hurry up and get there! All of them are on sale - those that are originally $89.99 and those that are $69.99. They also have a bunch of other things on sale - ribbon, scrapbook paper, paper cutters, vases and of course their leftovers from Easter! Check on their ad online if haven't seen it already.

Target had some great stuff on sale for cooking and decorating. They also have some awesome stuff in their dollar section for cheap party serving ware. I just love their dollar section! There are so many great things in there for party favors, too!

Happy Sunday to you all! :)

Not your ordinary housewarming party...

So I thought this little party featured on Thoughtfully Simple was way too cute, so of course I had to share it with you all - especially because I'll be planning a housewarming party sometime in the near future! This housewarming party is not what you might be thinking - it's a PLAY house warming party! OMG - I wish I had one of these beauties when I was growing up... how fun! Anyway, this housewarming party was also celebrating a 4th birthday... and was centered around my favorite color - PINK! Check out the amazing food set up and playhouse below! If you're interested in checking out more details, head over to Thoughtfully Simple; while you're there, check out their other amazing party ideas!

So here is the AMAZING playhouse that this lucky little birthday girls' father built for her. I'd take one of these, too please! :)

The header says it all.... SWEET! Seriously, how delicious does this dessert set up look? Cupcakes, milk shakes candy? Yum, yum! (on a side note - I'm dying to try and bake those little hostess cupcakes... maybe in my new kitchen!)

Guests indulged on lemonade, chocolate milkshakes and of course, cupcakes!

I loved the little homemade appetizer sticks and flowers in the ice cream cone... too cute!

Every detail was planned so well! I love the little pink touches everywhere! I'd love this kind of party for my 24th birthday! :)

This Party's a Grand Slam!

Sunday was the kick-off for the MLB season... and I seriously can't contain my excitement! I'm a HUGE baseball fan... like HUGE! I love my Minnesota Twins! The boy and I are going to the Twins home opener (they started their season off on the road for 7-games... lame!) on Monday! It's an exciting and historical year for the Twins as they unveil their new ballpark for this game - and it's outdoors! I've never been to an outdoor stadium, so you can just imagine my excitement (although, I'm guessing most of you living in warm states are saying "an outdoor stadium... in Minnesota?!?! I know. I've said that, too!).

Anyway, with us recently buying a house (and might I add, closing in 2 weeks!), I thought it'd be SOOOO much fun to get a big group of friends together during the summer at our new place to watch a game. We'll grill, drink and enjoy the game; hey, we could even go to the game and just pre-party at our new place. I think either idea works well because it lets me plan a party and enjoy one of my favorite sports!

OK - on to the fun stuff! Have you seen the baseball themed party that Stephanie from Couture Parties planned for her son's birthday? Um... let me tell you - it's way too cute. She definitely hit this one out of the park! (ha! that was corny, I know... sorry!) While she's a Boston Red Sox fan (a rival to many baseball teams in the American league... including my beloved Twins!), I just love the party and had to feature it! She incorporated so many different elements of baseball into this fun party - peanuts, cotton candy, lemonade and of course baseballs! Check out her photos below to see just how cute this party is! I'm already jotting down ideas for my baseball themed party... hopefully it'll be a post that I can share with you in a month or two. Until then - I'll be gushing over her party! :)

Here are the adorable favors she put together for her guests. How cute! It included a baseball, Cracker Jacks and Twizzlers. Love it!

What's baseball without peanuts, popcorn, ice cream, cotton candy and all the other novelty foods you get at a ball park? Although, that should be a Minnesota Twins sticker on that tin pail! :)

I love the idea of fresh lemonade in those ADORABLE baseball sip cups! Way too cute!

Decorating with peanuts? Yes, please!!

How cute and inexpensive!

Delicious looking cupcakes that look like baseballs? Love it again!

My wish list

Ahhh, I wish I was one of those people who was really good at saving... or one of those people who just had a lot of money. But I'm not... so that's why I create my wish list. I'm hoping that by putting my Wish List on paper (ok, I guess it's like Blog paper, but whatever!) it'll encourage me to save for these wishful items.

Things I really, really, really want:

- An iMac.

Last year I bought a new MacBook, however I would really love to have an iMac, too. It'll be so easy to create stuff in Adobe since the screen is ginormous... and I'm only thinking the 22"! That's not too greedy, right?! :)

- A nice digital SLR camera.

I'd love to take higher quality pictures than those that I get on my point and shoot digital camera. I've always had a love for photography and I feel that a digital SLR camera would really further this hobby that I'd love to take part in. Plus, this ties in with both my new computer AND my other hobby of scrapbooking!

- A new car. (is it weird that in my head I heard the guy from Price is Right saying that??!)

So about a month ago I go into a car accident with some jerk who doesn't have insurance...or a license - 100% his fault yet I get to pay for it 100% myself. (FYI - I'd like to say other bad words about him and the whole situation, but I'm really restraining myself!) :) Anyway, I went car shopping this past weekend with my brother, who knows way too much about cars; found few, but nothing that WOW'd me. I guess I'm a little particular... and poor for my dream car. My car still runs... but is banged up, so I'm not considering running 'er into the ground... we'll see how long I stick with that idea!

- Adobe Creative Suite classes.

One of the local community colleges here in the Twin Cities offers a continuing education package to take classes on some of the programs offered in the Adobe Creative Suite (like InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator). I'm trying to teach myself, but I'd love to learn in a more hands on manor. PS - has anyone taught themselves about Adobe through the "Classroom in a Book" series? Or any other books offered for that software? I'd love to hear about your experience, as this is an option I'm considering also!

- TONS of party and decorating stuff.

I guess I'm gradually accumulating this stuff over time... even though I have no parties to

plan or throw. I just like the idea of having it if I need it! I love looking at all the parties that my blogger friends throw - such inspiration and cute ideas... and a lot of them do it on

a budget! We just bought a house so I'd love to have it completely decorated... however I do

understand this evolves over months of collecting... and my ideas of decor can change all the time - which is not surprising!

Now that you know what things I'm wishing for... what items are on your wish list?!