DIY: Pom Pom with Cupcake Liners

I love the look the pom poms on a pretty candlestick holder.  I also love a good DIY project that's not too difficult and requires only a few suppliers.  With that said, it's really no wonder why I just adored this DIY tutorial on Kara's Party Ideas for a pomander made using cupcake liners, pins, a styrofoam ball and a hot glue gun {and a pretty little candelabra if you choose to display your pom that way}!




If you're interested in this super easy and inexpensive DIY tutorial, head over to Kara's Party Ideas for the instructions!

Refreshing Summer Drink Recipes

We hope everyone had a great weekend!  I spent my time away from the computer, outdoors watching the boy play some ing a softball tourney.  Saturday's weather was a bit disappointing, with overcast skies and some rain, but Sunday was 1000% better and I walked away with a minor sunburn {I haven't been sunburnt in 3 years, so as annoying, and a little bit painful as it is, I'll take it!  Oh how I've missed you summer sun!}

Sunday's sunny day got me thinking about quenching my thirst, thus today's post on summer beverages.  During these hot summer months, it's always a good idea to keep some ice cold drinks around to keep your family {and/or guests} hydrated.  It's also a good idea to make sure these drinks are delicious, as nobody wants to drink a bad beverage! Check out some of my favorite fruity summer drink recipes from Better Homes and Gardens!

Lemon Drop Shakes - Recipe

Strawberry Lemonade - Recipe

Sparkling Margarita** - Recipe

June Bug - Recipe

Watermelon Martini** - Recipe

Electric Lemonade** - Recipe

Fresh Melon Quenchers - Recipe

Watermelon Cooler - Recipe

Sparkling Peach Punch - Recipe

Sunset Sangria** - Recipe

Ginger Pineapple Punch - Recipe

Mulled Raspberry Tea - Recipe

{** indicates alcohol is used in recipe}

What summer drink recipes are your favorite?  Do you choose to have a signature drink at the summer parties you host?

Real Party: Heels to Wheels Baby Shower

I just love a unique themed party, it's just so refreshing, so when I came across this baby shower on Catch My Party, I bookmarked it for future reference, and to share with you, my readers!  I think I was so drawn to this party because I consider myself to be a city girl - I've always grown up near Minneapolis (though always living in a suburb), and I can't really ever see myself being able to move to the country (trust me, my parents live out in the boonies in Mississippi, and I know FOR SURE that's not the lifestyle for me... at least not at this point in time of my life).  However, with that said, I'd like to think of myself as a little bit country (you know, because I like country music, cowboy boots, horseback riding, barbecues, etc.)  Oh, and no worries, I'm not too offended if you real country folk are rolling your eyes at that last sentence! :)

Anyway, enough of my rambling and on to the reason for this post - the baby shower!  The theme for the shower was "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" because the mom to be was a city girl turned country girl.  An extra cool concept the hostesses added for this party was asking their guests to dress according to what they felt they were - a city girl or a country girl.  The decor included hay bales covered in quilts, cutouts of cowboy boots and black heels and a real pair of cowboy boots used as vases for some country-like flowers.  The hostess separated the food up into "city food" and "country food", as well as "city drinks" and "country drinks" - such a fun way to continue the theme into the food and drinks!

Some country girl seating!

simple decor - flowers in tin cans

City girl appetizers

country girl desserts

some caramel corn served in an old wood box - too cute!

country girl drinks

what country party would be complete with out mason jar drinking glasses?

one of my favorite details from the whole party!

This shower theme is great for hostesses on a budget, as most of the decor for this shower were items most country girls have laying around!  Head over to Catch My Party to view more photos from this cute shower!

Do you have some friends who were raised city girls but turned country?  How about country girls turned city girls - would the party have the same effect if the situations were switched around?  

Party Inspiration: Vintage WWII Inspired 4th of July Dessert Table

This past Monday we featured some 4th of July party inspiration, which included a red, white, cream and copper color scheme for an adult and {adorable} kids table.  Well, because 4th of July is one of my absolute favorite holidays, I wanted to share with you some more party inspiration for your holiday gathering.  Today's feature comes from the Celebrating the Moments blog and has a super creative theme for the dessert table - vintage WWII.  The color scheme consisted of muted red and blue and tan.  The decor included vintage suitcases, pinwheels, stripe straws, old photographs and an old typewriter. Desserts included cupcakes, sugar cookies, blueberry pie, and dessert shooters.













This has to be one of the most unique design concept for a 4th of July party.  I love all the little details that were added to this to keep with the vintage WWII theme.  If you're interested in finding out more about the styling of this party, and where the idea came from, be sure to head over to the Celebrating the Moments blog and show some love!

Real Couple: 'The Notebook' Inspired Engagement Photos

Let me first say how much I love StumbleUpon because of all the great finds you come across when you're, well, stumbling.  And that's exactly what I did to find tonight's Wedding Wednesday feature {I know, I know, it's a not real wedding - but it's a REAL couple and a REAL CUTE engagement photo session!} - I stumbled upon it on the Green Wedding Shoes blog while using StumbleUpon {was there enough "stumbles" in that sentence for you?!}.

Let me reiterate from the title of this post - this is a real couple, not a styled shoot. Simply. Stunning.  Cindy, the bride, and Jean-Nicola, the groom, have a cute story as to why they choose 'The Notebook' as the inspiration behind their engagement photos.  First, Jean-Nicola's late grandparents had Alzheimer's disease.  Also, the intense chemistry of the couple in the movie really struck them {they also mentioned that they always fall asleep hand-in-hand... just like the end of the movie!}.











Doesn't the bride-to-be, Cindy, resemble Rachel McAdams?!  Blushing Bride Studio and this couple did an amazing job with the locations and outfits to play off the scenes of the movie!  Bravo!

What do you think of having your engagement photos take after a scene, or scenes, from your favorite movie?  We would love to hear your ideas!

Party Inspiration: Red, Blue, Cream and Copper

It's less than a month until the big summer holiday - Fourth of July - and if you're anything like me, you take the extra time to hang with family and friends and celebrate our country's independence, which means you have to make sure you celebrate in style - just like this styled photo shoot from The Sweetest Occasion.  The designers of this photo shoot were inspired by the poem "Brown Penny" by William Butler Yeats, where it's contemplated whether the speaker is old enough for love, leading to the idea of a young love {a kids table} and old love {an adult table}.














While this photo shoot was originally designed for a wedding, I think borrowing some of these ideas for your own Fourth of July or Memorial Day parties would look great - and your guests would be super impressed!  To view more photos and read more about this styled shoot, head over to The Sweetest Occasion.