Halloween Bash 2010

Happy Halloween, everyone!  First of all, let me say thank you to everyone who sent kind words & prayers our way when we lost my husband's Grandad.  It's so nice to have such sweet online friends!  Even though I haven't met each you in person, I feel like I know you all!  So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness!


Now, on to the Halloween fun!!!  We had our annual Halloween Bash at our house last night!  I was extremely STRESSED trying to get everything ready for the party in ONE DAY (we travelled 6 hours away to WV for the funeral services) , but I got it done & everyone had a spook-tacular time!


We had 8 little ghosts & goblins & lots of adult spooks as our guests!  We had a make-your-own chili bar, chicken nuggets for the little ones, and a ton of sweets & treats!  The highlight of the evening was a moonlit & chilly hayride around our neighborhood!

Here's my Lil' Pumpkin dressed as Thomas & all ready for our guests.

{Treats Table}

For the Treats Table, I covered my buffet table with cute Halloween fabric & the backdrop fabric was black and sparkly!  I made or enhanced all of my serving dishes except the cupcake stand.  My favorite is the black & white polka dot candy dish (I followed the i heart naptime's tutorial).  For my two trays, I bought round gold trays for $1.25 each at the Target Dollar Spot & spray-painted them black.  I used my Dollar Tree apothecary jars for the rest of my treats!  

{Owl Smores}

Remember the post I did about these cuties ~ they were a hoot!  

{closeup of the candy dishes: candy corn & Hershey's Minis added festive flair} 

{Spirit Pops}

I made white chocolate ghost-shaped suckers following a tutorial on Martha Stewart's Halloween TV special.  (Sadly, there were 11 ghost casualties as I tried to peel them off the wax paper before I figured out how to do it.)  I anchored them in one of my jars full of candy corn kisses.

{my cheater cupcakes}

I recently saw a party designed by Amanda of Shindig Parties to Go.  She suggested using store-bought, pre-packaged goodies & dressing them up, so that's exactly what I did.  It turned out great because I wouldn't have had time to make lots of treats anyway!  For my cupcakes, I bought chocolate & orange Hostess Cupcakes, added my cupcake wrappers & toppers (on black coffee stirrers).  I tied black tulle to my cupcake stand, added my cupcakes, and voila, DONE!!!

{Spook-eos & Baby Spider Cakes}

I bought vanilla Oreo Cakesters, rolled them in sprinkles, and stuck sugared owls on top with a bit of icing.  I also bought 100 Calorie Pack Brownie Bites and added sugared spiders to the top of them.  I displayed them on my black tray with a scrapbook paper placemat underneath (looks kinda like a spiderweb, don't you think?)

{Chilling Chili in a Cauldron}

For the dinner buffet, I draped my countertop with a cute orange & white ghost tablecloth.  I set my crock pot inside a plastic cauldron and my hubby drilled a hole in the back for the cord.  I used my chalkboard frame for a cute sign.

{Bewitching Beverages}

The kiddos loved the pumpkin straws (from Dollar Tree).  We served juice boxes for the little ones, apple cider, sweet tea, and water.

{Make-your-own Chili Bar)

To accompany the "Chilling Chili," guests could choose to add "Monster Fingers" (fritos), "Squished Ghost" (sour cream),  "Blonde Witch Hair" (shredded cheese), and "Frog Eyes" (olives) to make their meal complete!

{favor bags}

I saw the idea for this Moon & Bats treat bag a long time ago, but apparently, I didn't bookmark it, & I can NOT find it again, so if anyone knows where it came from, please let me know so I can give credit! I was planning on making black & orange playdough for each child, but with the time restraints, I just bought the mini playdough containers.  So, each child got some playdough, a Halloween cookie cutter, and a jack-o-lantern mini notebook.

{Outdoor Decor}

We had haybale seating around our bonfire & cute Halloween paper lanterns for spooky ambience!  How cute is the Cowboy Family? ~ i love it!!  I hope everyone had a fun & 'boo'tiful evening!


FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS, WE HOPE YOU HAVE A SPOOKY & FUN HALLOWEEN!!!


If you had or attended a Halloween party & have pictures to share, I would love to feature you!  Send them to moomootutu@gmail.com!

{Baby Shower} Frogs, Snails, & Puppy Dog Tails

One of my dear friends, Jennifer, is expecting her second child in September.  She and her husband, Shane, have a precious little girl who just turned 3, and now they are expecting a boy, Colin Lee!  Last week, I helped host her shower at the cutest restaurant EVER, The Tin Roof Cafe, in Sevierville, TN.  I knew that I had to design a rustic, shabby chic theme that matched the ambience of the cafe.  So, I decided on What are little boys made of? Frogs, Tails, & Puppy Dog Tails.  I used a color scheme of blue, green, and brown & tried to incorporate all natural elements.  

I was very pleased with how everything turned out & I hope Jennifer had a wonderful time at her shower!  Take a look at the photos.

the invite

the setting

This is the Tin Roof Cafe.  Is is not so cute?  This picture was taken in the fall {from their website} because I forgot to take one during the shower.  :(  If you're ever in the Sevierville, TN area, you must visit!

the tablescape

The cafe provided the white tablecloths, & we brought the rest to dress up our tables.  I found woven placemats at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for $1.99 each {steal}!  I also ordered black river rocks from Save on Crafts to write the guests' names with a silver paint pen.  I finally had a reason to dig out my white linen napkins with blue embroidered flowers that I found at a flea market years ago!

the place setting

For the centerpieces, we put daisies in mason jars, wrapped them in burlap & tied them with twine.  So simple, yet such a design statement!

the dessert table

This is my favorite part of the shower.  I wanted rustic & I got it!  To make the cake stands, I found Basswood rounds at Hobby Lobby for $3.00.  Then, my sweet Husband found some wood for me (he does work at the Forest Products Center at UT, so it wasn't too hard to find)!  He cut the wood into 2 short pieces.  Then, he attached the rounds on top with screws ~ so easy, but I absolutely love them {endless possibilities}!  Then, with the rest of the wood, I needed a way to hang my backdrop, so he drilled a hole in each section, I inserted a dowel rod, & slid on a curtain!  Voila, it was done!  

Cupcake Wrappers & Toppers

Since the cafe provided their delicious food, all we had to bring was the dessert. One of my co-hostesses ordered the cupcakes from Sweet Celebrations & they were de.li.cious!!  Another one of my favorite shower aspects was the burlap cupcake wrappers I made following this tutorial from Katie Grace Designs.  I LOVED how they turned out!  I then added my cupcake toppers attached to wooden popsicle sticks.  I think they turned out pretty cute!

other centerpieces

For the other part of my centerpieces, I took plain terra cotta pots, filled them with river rocks in my color scheme (again from Save on Crafts~love that place), and inserted my 6"circle tags on wooden sticks.  I tied pretty ribbon around the sticks & had a cute centerpiece!

Mantle Decor

I was so excited that I had a mantle to work with, so we used another mason jar of daisies & my burlap covered C (for Baby Colin) which rested on a metal easel that resembled branches (found at Big Lots for $3, my friends) :)  Jennifer got to keep that for Colin's nursery! 

more mantle

For the other side of the mantle, I placed my "Wishing Rock" for Colin.  The guests wrote one-word wishes with a silver sharpie on black river rocks and put them in the hollowed out rock (found at Jo-Ann's).  The chalkboard frame was DIY.  I bought the woven picture frame on sale at Khol's for $5.00.  I removed the glass and spray painted it with chalkboard paint.  i heart it so much!  :)  Now, Jennifer can keep Colin's Wishing Rock for him to add wishes as he grows!

full view of mantle

   There was already a candle montage in the fireplace, so we took advantage of that too.  I strung twine across the front with command hooks and added clothespins (blinged out with blue rhinestones) to display all the cute little boy outfits).  

                                the favors

For the favors, I followed the tutorial on Bakerella to make my version of her Cowgirl Cookies.  I thought they were too cute, but I needed it to match my theme, hence the Puppy Dog Tail Cookies.  All the ingredients are in the jar to make a dozen cookies.  The recipe sticker is on the back.  

cute Mommy

Here's the cute Mommy, Jennifer with her little Princess, Lillian.  She makes pregnancy adorable, doesn't she?

future big sis

Can you stand the cuteness?  She is so sweet & is so excited about having a new baby brother!  I wish the Sims' family blessings & happiness as they welcome sweet baby Colin into the world!

The FROGS, SNAILS, & PUPPY DOG TAILS Collection is available for purchase in the shop today.  Click here to purchase the DIY invitation.

Dr. Seuss Baby Shower

This past Saturday was my cousins, Nick & Jamie's baby shower. Jamie is the cutest pregnant girl and is going to have one adorable fashionista, Penelope Grace, in October. My Aunt Debbie & cousin, Bonnie planned the shower and of course, I offered my printables. The new CUTESY SEUSSY party collection will be available in my shop soon! The food was delicious and Noah loved all the sweets! :) I made a banner, food labels, and sign-in book for the shower.  Take a look!

the watermelon carriage that my talented cousin, Bonnie carved

For the sign-in book, I got a Dr Seuss Happy Birthday, Baby board book. Next to the book, I placed a framed sign with a poem I wrote with guest instructions to write a message to baby Penelope for her to keep.

the centerpieces

the banner

my Aunt, the Mom-to-Be, & my cousin

She's so excited to be having a baby girl!

the Dr. Seuss books and stuffed characters for Jamie to use in her nursery

Congratulations, Jamie & Nick, you're going to be awesome parents!  We can't wait to welcome Penelope Grace into the family!

4th of July Backyard Bash

Yesterday, we had an impromtu backyard party for our family & our neighbors. I decided to use my STARS & STRIPES printables to make the food table a little cuter. I only had a couple of hours to put this little shindig together, but I thought it turned out very festive!

the yumminess: minus the ice cream cone cupcakes which would have melted in the 90 degree heat :(

the grilled burgers with my circle tags to pretty them up

the napkin rings and my tissue paper firecracker

the banner

the straws with my Patriotic wraps

the kiddos in their festive outfits; from left: Lyndee (1), my Noah (2), Austin (5), & Cody (7)

Noah's Wonder Pets Birthday Party

I am so excited because I am finally ready to share with you the Wonder Pets party we had for our little Noah's 2nd birthday! I have been planning this party for several months & I was very pleased with how everything turned out. We got really nervous because the forecast was calling for rain, but as an answer to prayer, we had beautiful weather...well, all, but one thing ~ STRONG winds! I didn't have to move to Plan B {inside}, but did move to plan B+. Instead of the backyard like I had planned, we moved everything to the top of the driveway next to the garage where the wind wasn't so bad. We still had wind (as you can tell from the hairstyles in the photos ;), but we anchored everything down & had a great time! A friend, Zabrina, of Zabrina Dee Photography, took the awesome pictures of the party as well as some 2 year photos of Noah.

If you are not familiar with "The Wonder Pets," it is an animated show on Nick Jr about 3 classroom pets, a guinea pig named Lenny, a turtle named Tuck, & a duck named Ming Ming (Noah's favorite). They live inside a schoolhouse & save troubled animals by using teamwork. So, I decided to do a school-theme with primary colors. As a Kindergarten teacher, this theme was easy for me :)!

the sign that greeted guests {thank you, Bridget, for the loan!}

I found a table & chairs at Big Lots just like the one I had in the classroom. Then, I borrowed two from my best friends, Jenny & Heather (out of their classrooms). I got fabric in primary colors from Hobby Lobby & tied them to the corners of the tables with polka dot ribbon. I made nameplates & attached them to the backs of the chairs with glue dots.I found the three mini pails at Hobby Lobby & filled them with Wonder Pets fruit snacks for the kiddos.

the kids' tables

For the food, I decided to do a candy buffet to go along with my rainbow cupcakes. I had jellybeans, lollipops, Ming Ming pops (peeps on a stick), bubble gum, gummy bears, candy celery, & smarties. I used a mixture of clear glass containers & my antique white dishes. I wrapped each container with polka dot ribbon and made chalkboard tags. A long time ago, I read somewhere (I can't remember where, but whoever you are, thank you!) that you could spray-paint contact paper with chalkboard paint. So, I tried it. I let it dry, cut out circles, and used chalk pens to write the candy names. I then peeled off the backing and stuck it to the ribbon ~ voila, instant chalkboard!

the candy buffet

I used Noah's lego flyboat as his birthday cupcake plate. I simply glued the plate to the top.

I was inspired by Monica at Lick the Bowl Good to make these Rainbow Cupcakes. My only adaptation was to leave out the red because of so many kids having food allergies.

the inside of the cupcakes

I added the cupcake toppers from my new "Small Wonders" party collection to the tops.

For the drinks, we had water bottles that I prettied up by hot gluing ribbon, Hug juice bottles for the kiddos, and sweet tea. I found the cute tea decanter at Target and added a chalkboard tag to it as well. For the centerpiece, I finally got to make a dum dum topiary. My husband filled a blue plastic planter with cement and I topped it with green Easter grass. I found the cute foam letters to spell Noah at Hobby Lobby.

the drink table

We had 9 kids ranging in age from one to seven, so I decided to have activity stations instead of games. We had four stations: Face Painting, Save the Animal, Flyboat Rides, & Say Cheese.

Thank you, Jenny & Heather, for doing the painting!

For this activity, we hid plastic animals from the $Tree in the yard, and the kids had to find them. Noah found several at once! Thank you, Mama & Memaw, for helping the kiddos with their rescues!

The kids got to take a ride in the "Flyboat" I made out of Noah's wagon, a dowel rod painted blue, and a poster-board flag. I added blue cardstock circles to the wheels. After they rode in the flyboat, they got a customized Flyboat Driver's License. Thank you, Aunt Susie & Uncle "Boom" for being the flyboat guides!

the driver's license

The kids posed in the inflatable flyboat (thanks, Kindall, for the loan!) & could choose props & hats for their picture. Thank you, Sam, for being the photographer!

the esteemed guests

Add caption

I ordered gable boxes from Oriental Trading for the families to take home candy. My favorite party favor, however, was the Wonder Pets capes. My husband's grandmother graciously handmade them for us; they were awesome & the kids loved them! Thank you, Grannie Curry! The kids also got to take home a whirly gig, bubbles, the animal they saved, and a Wonder Pets CD.

Having fun with our boy!

me & my girls {Heather, me, & Jenny}

the family

And now for my long list of thank-you's...

For giving me enough strength & being my daily Guide, my Lord Jesus

For EVERYTHING & for keeping me sane through it all, my wonderful Husband & Mom,

For all the "stuff" I borrowed & for all your help, my forever friends, Jenny & Heather,

For traveling near and far & helping with all the festivities, our incredible family

For the amazing capes, Grannie Curry

For my daily party inspiration, The TomKat Studio, Pokadots & Pirates, Kara's Party Ideas, & Amy Atlas

& thank you especially to my sunshine, Noah Rhett! I created this party to celebrate you, my precious boy, to thank you for your spirit, shining personality, and heart of gold!

We love you, Noah Rhett! We hope you had a "wonder"ful 2nd birthday!

The "Small Wonders" Party Collection is now available in my etsy shop.