party life's a beach.

this party was for my sweet little niece's sixth birthday.  i absolutely love the look of this party.  we served simple, yet delish treats and enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere together.

the tablescape:

 i made denim rosettes and cut out the birthday girl's name in denim and re-used the this burlap bunting.

the beach sand birthday cake:

some nutter butter flip flops:

nothing like some s'mores on the beach:

 and a little lime 'n salt popcorn:

can't go to the beach without searching for seashells in the sand:

ahhh, i just love the look of these:

retro car party.

this party was all about cars.  instead of going with the cliche' race car theme, i decided to go with a retro car theme.  i loved the colors and feel of the "retro" party.  so let's get to it!

road signs led the guests to the backyard destination:

the dessert table was made up of layers of tires and glass.  i loved the levels.  so here is the tablescape:

the birthday boy's cake...and the result of my first time using fondant:

i found these awesome cardboard cutout boxes to hold all of the treats:

we had "stoplight cookies", car shaped marshmallows and chocolate dipped pretzels in the shape of cars:

the "fuel":

i was a terrible blogger and didn't get the food table post-hot dog grilling...

i thought having a chalkboard menu would add to the retro 50's feel to the party:

the party favors were car pez dispensers:

and the birthday boy in all his glory with his special t-shirt getting ready to blow out his candles:

Pennant Banner Tutorial.

i love these pennant banners and they are all over blog land.  i made up a REALLY simple way to create your  own!  To make 4 six-foot banners I used 4 different fabrics, a quarter of a yard each.

Step 1: Make a triangle  "stencil" using cardstock.

You can see another banner in my apples and pinecones post.

Also, check out more from where I linked up at i heart naptime!