Galentines Day Brunch

Hi all! This weekend, I had my girlfriends over for a 'Galentines' brunch and thought I'd share some pics of my party table. I love having them over - it's always so much fun! - and I love creating special treats for them. This little cloche and stand was made with Eileen Hull's Cupcake Stand die and a dollar store plastic wine glass. So cute!

You know you love your friends when you break out your favorite retired Graphic 45 paper. This is Gilded Lily and I cry a little every time I use it! I used it to cover the cupcake stands and also as place cards. I cut stands for them using Tim Holtz's easel die.

I love when my friends and I get together - it's a great time to break out the vintage silver and glassware. Some of it gifts from them, which makes our get togethers that much more special. The white plates are from Ikea, the pink tumblers are from the Dollar Tree - everything else is vintage and most likely came from a thrift store or estate sale.

Yum! The food is always the highlight! Most of the recipes were found on Pinterest. I love the ombre look of the strawberry bellinis. The tiny pitchers were something my husband found at Home Goods. It's nice to have a husband that gets excited about mini pitchers of syrup! I just had to find a reason to use them for the party.

I knew that bagels and lox were one of my friend, Cyndi's, favorites, so I made sure to include a bagel bar in the menu. They were so good!

I saw this heart shaped citrus salad on Pinterest and fell in love. :) So pretty and was a nice contrast to the more rich dishes.

Speaking of rich! I saw this cheesy grits casserole in a recent issue of Southern Living and knew I had to make it. It is SO good! I am not a native Southerner, but I'm falling in love with grits lately. My husband usually turns his nose up at them but devoured the leftovers today!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I recently tried making French macarons for the first time. I was so happy with how they turned out! My friend, Michelle, recommended a book she'd received as a gift and I ordered it right away. I can't wait to try more recipes.

Speaking of Michelle, she was kind enough to share some of her photos with me. I love this one of the flowers I did. Just basic pink and white carnations with baby's breath, but I love how sweet they look - and they always remind me of high school dances when you'd get corsages. Do kids even do that anymore?  I found the glass hobnail jars at Target's dollar spot and thought they made perfect vases.

Finally, what's a party without cake?! I know that my friend, Becky, would be brokenhearted if I didn't include one! I've listed the menu below, along with links to the recipes.

Menu

Sweetheart Citrus Salad

Mini Waffle Stacks

Bagel Bar

Cheesy Ham, Corn, and Grits Bake

French Macarons

Naked Cake with Mascarpone Cream and Crushed Strawberries

Strawberry Bellinis

I hope you enjoyed a peek at my party and my sweet macaron cloche made with Eileen Hull's Cupcake Stand die. It's on sale right now at Sizzix, so it's a great time to pick on up! There are so many ways to use it. Speaking of sales, Sizzix is also having a huge sale on Tim Holtz dies. The sale ends today, so grab a few while they're at great prices!

SIZZIX SALE

The supplies I used can be found at Sizzix, Simon Says Stamp, Elizabeth Craft Designs, and Amazon via the links below.

Sizzix Cupcake Stand Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape - 64mm Elizabeth Craft Designs DOUBLE SIDED TAPE ROLL 6 Inch Clear Adhesive 020512 Les Petits Macarons: Colorful French Confections to Make at Home

InLinkz.com

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Sizzix Party Ideas - Embossed Kraft Favor Box

Hi all! This month, the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team is sharing some fun party ideas. One of my favorite dies - the Square Box die - has just be re-released so I thought this would be the perfect time to highlight it!

Sometimes my projects can be a bit time-consuming, so I decided to keep this one sweet and simple. I love the look of Eileen's new Heart and Soul flower cut from coffee filters and her new Lace Medallions die is extra pretty when it's highlighted with white paint. Here's how I made it:

Begin by cutting two box pieces from medium weight kraft chipboard. Emboss as shown using Eileen's Lace Medallions embossing folder. Highlight the raised areas with white paint. Let dry and assemble using Beacon 3-in-1 glue, or other strong adhesive.

Next, cut several flowers from white coffee filters using the Heart and Soul die. Separate and stack the large flower and the small one. Thread a wire through a large white pearl bead and twist to secure.

To hide the wire, thread one small flower onto the wire and adhere with glue.

Finally, add the rest of the flowers, securing with a dab of glue. Fluff the petals for a full look.

Isn't this just the sweetest flower? And so easy and very inexpensive! I think this box would be a great wedding or shower favor. Or, change up the colors and use it for a birthday party. Coffee filters are so easy to dye with spray inks and stains, so you can match your flowers to any theme.

You can find the products I used at Sizzix, Scrapbook.com, and Simon Says Stamp via the links below. All Eileen's dies are on sale at Scrapbook.com right now, and all Ranger supplies are on sale at SSS. It's a great time to stock up!

Eileen Hull Square Box Die Eileen Hull Lace Medallions Eileen Hull Heart and Soul Die Ranger Paint Dabber GLACIER WHITE RAD43751 Beacon 3 IN 1 ADVANCED CRAFT GLUE Crystal Clear Instant Grab Fast Dry Glue 00210 Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two Applicators 62191 Sizzix BIG SHOT PLUS MACHINE Gray And White 660340 Grafix Medium Weight Chipboard Sheets, 12-Inch by 12-Inch, Natural, 25-Pack BUNN BCF100-B 100-Count Basket Filter

InLinkz.com

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Check out Eileen's blog for more great inspiration for your parties!

Art With Heart Challenge - Clean and Simple

Hi all! Today I'm sharing a project for this month's Art with Heart Challenge from Eileen Hull. This past weekend, I hosted a fun 'Galentines' Day party for a few of my close friends. I love the idea of celebrating our friendship and I'm never one to pass up the opportunity to drink champagne and eat cake!

For February's challenge, Eileen wanted us to create something clean and simple - a project that can be completed in 10 minutes or less. This is usually a very tough thing for me, but I knew that Eileen's Square Box die would be perfect for creating some super simple, yet eye-catching, favors for my table. And, with so much party prep to do, it was nice to be able to create something so sweet in such a short time. I filled them with nail polish and pedi tools and tied them with a simple gold-threaded white baker's twine.

There's nothing like having an excuse to pull out the vintage linens, pink Depression glass, and buy a bottle of bubbly, right? I found pretty matching pink glasses, as well as inexpensive champagne flutes, at The Dollar Tree. The gorgeous flowers are from The Bouqs.

I found this adorable cake stand in the Target Dollar Spot a few months ago and have been dying to make a mini cake to set it on. While I was looking around for cake recipes, I came across one for champagne cake and adapted it a bit. I baked a white cake using Wilton's 5-piece cake pan set to bake thin layers. I filled the inside with this Easy Bavarian Cream. Yum! The frosting is buttercream. The rosettes are so easy to make - you can find tons of tutorials on Pinterest.

Here's a (very!) quick look at how the boxes came together.

Begin by covering white mat board with pretty paper - this pink and cream striped paper is from My Mind's Eye. Cut two box panels, making sure you reverse the direction of the stripes on the second panel. If you don't you'll have one set of stripes going horizontally.

Assemble the boxes, fill with treats, and tie with twine. So easy!

My sweet friend, Becky, always makes me pose with my table. :) Champagne, flowers, and lots of pressies - nothing beats a good, girly party!

The supplies I used can be found at Sizzix, Amazon, and Simon Says Stamp via the links below.

Eileen Hull Square Box Die Little Sizzles White Mat Board Wilton 2105-0112 Easy Layers! 5-Piece Cake Pan Set, 6-Inch Beacon 3 IN 1 ADVANCED CRAFT GLUE Crystal Clear Instant Grab Fast Dry Glue 00210

InLinkz.com

Thanks so much for stopping by today - have a great week!

Happy Halloween!

Hi all! Just wanted to share a quick little project with you using DecoArt Chalky Finish paint! I wanted to make some little Halloween treats for my friends, but I had like, 30 minutes to come up with something. I grabbed some peat pots, my Chalky Finish paint, some Dollar Tree stickers, ribbon, and washi tape, and went to work! All it took was a quick coat of paint and a bit of embellishing and I was done.

I love how these little favors came together and hope you enjoyed them too. Have a fun Halloween!