hot cocoa & s'mores

my husband is sooo not one for surprises.  wait, he's not one for a party dedicated to him let alone being surprised by it.  buuuuut with him turning the big 3-0, i couldn't resist!  but i was also incredibly nervous because as i said before, he hates surprises.  so, the pictures of this shindig...not that fab.  i'm pretty sure i was shaking as i took them (before he arrived) and i didn't even take pictures of most things.  but the party turned out fab.  the hubs was surprised...maybe a leeetle bit annoyed with me and then forgiving because his awesome friends made up for it:)

i had the party outside so we could roast marshmallows over fire pits for s'mores and had six different flavors of hot cocoa there.  we had suisse chocolate, raspberry, hazelnut, white chocolate, caramel, and peppermint. i also went with the color scheme of his fave team.  

woodland themed birthday.

this weekend was my sweet little miss' 1st birthday party!  it was so much fun.  i had actually planned (before she was born) that her birthday would be hot pink and zebra themed.  i had actually bought a ton of stuff for that theme even.  then she was born and this little girl was just way too sweet for zebras i thought.  my sister and i decided that owls fit her much better:)  i have absolutely loved owls even before everyone else did so that became her bedroom theme and her party theme!  i loved it.  the color scheme fit her little personality so much better as well!  so here we go for the woodland themed birthday party...

the tablescape:

cupcakes with chocolate tree toppers.  oh and with tons of glitter, too! :

orange flavored marshmallows dipped in milk chocolate:

homemade coconut truffles:

chocolate and vanilla macarons:

homemade peanut butter truffles:

 acorn treats:

pink ruffle smash cake for the little miss.  this too was covered in a ton of glitter...it was AWESOME!

owl canisters filled with salt water taffy:

the little miss' highchair and party hat that i made:

introductory table:

guest book:

one picture for each month of her little life so far:

the little miss in her owl shirt that i also made!  i LOVE how it turned out and am so proud as i have never sewn anything like it!

in her party hat enjoying her pinkalicious cake:

white as snow.

i did another baptism dessert tablescape this past weekend.  since winter is near (along with christmas) the birthday girl's mom wanted a snowy theme.  i loved it.  everything looked so pure and clean!  the invitations had this scripture on them:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."  Isaiah 1:18

hence the touches of red but definitely not too much:) I also added the silver and crystal to give it some shimmer.  the snow laid throughout also had shimmer.  it was really pretty just like the little girl who this was all for!

the tablescape:

sparkly canvases with snowflakes:

pecan divinity:

cake pops:

peppermint bark:

peppermint white chocolate and white chocolate with sprinkles marshmallow pops:

coconut cupcakes:

red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting:

fairies and bugs.

This party was for my sweet niece who turned 5.  she's such a dainty little girl and she still loves bugs.  it's awesome.  her mom thought of a fairy/bug party to incorporate all the things she loves.  we kept the food simple since kids are picky and it actually turned out great and all the kids ate a ton which is even better.  we had so much fun planning this party together.  

the tablescape.  i should have studied photography a bit before this party since the sun was shining through the backside so the lighting was all off.  but in person it looked amazing.  like it was glowing.  perfect for fairies!  it's also hard to tell via photos that the entire table was covered in glitter.  it was totally sparkly and perfect!

lady bug cupcakes:

flower pops:

tulip sugar cookies:

toadstools:

cheese sandwiches:

ladybugs:

peanut butter and jelly sandwiches:

ants on a log:

flower sugar cookies:

i told my husband that I needed him to make me some "fairy houses" for the party and here's what he came up with.  amazing.

the birthday girl's mom made these adorable toadstool seats for the kids to play "musical toadstools"!