Can't get enough.

First there were stripes...  (You may remember similar straws from my birthday celebration) -

Well, now there are polka dots! In red...

And orange...

And other fun colors. With lots more stripes.
I seriously need to have a party.



Straw photos from Bake it Pretty and Garnish.
Originally spotted on Duet Letterpress Blog. 

Forced Laziness

I have a 'To Do' list a mile long and was in the middle of getting things done when a certain grey cat decided he wanted to use my lap as a bed. In an effort to practice patience, I let him... and now I'm stuck at the hubs' desk. My feet are freezing but my lap is warm and I just can't bear to disturb this cuteness. What better opportunity to clear out my Google Reader!

Here's a cute little list of some of my favorite recent blog posts from around the web:

Make your own Tiny Birch Bark Canoe

Gorgeous Holiday Gift Wrap Goodies

Win a pretty print from Pamplemousse

Sanitize your toothbrush for just $30

Lovely blog posts to help you get inspired for the holidays

Spotlight: little ellie - win a pouch!

Do-It-Yourself Doily Garland

I seriously love Amy Atlas. Holiday Perfection

A cute little dusty mantel

Great gift idea: Christmas Bundt Cakes

Take-Along-Treat #5 from Leo on the Loose: Peppermint Bark. Yummmm!

I'd love to host a Winter Ice Skating Party!

Music to Create To: A Holiday Sampler

A must-read, great message

More gorgeous printable freebies from a favorite blog

*Drool*


Happy reading!

A 30th Birthday Hoedown

The forecast was rain and the day dawned wet and dreary... but that didn't put a damper on our fun! Last Saturday we hosted a little hoedown to celebrate my 30th birthday. Despite the rain, we had one heck of a day! Bandanna banners, cowboy cutouts, friends playing horseshoes, and lots of sweet tea - doesn't get much better than that!
Here are a few pictures of the day -

A Birthday Girl and her Dog

A Cowboy Couple - my sister helped make the awesome cutouts! She outlined them the weekend before the party and then we painted them using random paints I had around the house from a previous project. They were a hit!

Yeehaw! The party is here!

Waiting for all the candles to be lit. There were quite a few! 


My mom made sure I got the slice of cake with the '30' on it. 
And I even blew out all the candles on the FIRST try!

Sheriff Dad, who came early to help. He and the hubs set up the photo-op tent, and he made the fantastic bandanna banner on the front of our house. Then he played photographer all day!

Yeah, this picture was all the Hubs. I had nothing to do with it. Sammi did make a new friend, named Dakota. Our friends recently adopted her from a local shelter. Isn't she sweet? I'm not sure how she felt about this whole picture thing...

 
Aren't my parents darling?

The hubs was so amazing with everything he did to get ready for the party, we promised to lessen the reward for his arrest. And to keep him alive... as much as possible.

Sweet tea tastes better with stripey straws in mason jars.

The rain meant a few people bailed on the party but that also meant we had enough room to move the party indoors. We cleared out the sunroom (thank goodness for a garage that will hold all our furniture...) and set up tables inside. My mom had the fantastic idea to use bandannas as chair covers. Genius!

Get some grub!

 













And be sure to snag a slice of cake. My amazing friend, Christina, brought us Texas Chocolate Cake from Jeannine's Bakery in Santa Barbara. It was perfect - looked great, tasted even better! (Wow, that's a lot of candles...)

Don't forget to grab a favor on your way out! Little bags of gold for the road.

And with that, have a rootin' tootin' Thanksgiving weekend! Yeehaw!

Sneak Peek...

More to come!!!

Sneak Peek!

We're having a rootin' tootin' birthday party soon to celebrate my 30th and I've spent my Veteran's Day getting some little details taken care of.
Signs!

Silverware!

Savory favors:

More to come in just a few weeks!

Pumpkin Parties and Treats

After one of the craziest weeks in recent times and few days of vacation, I'm back! We've been up to our ears in pumpkins around here and I'm honestly ready to trade them in for some acorns and turkeys to finish out the Fall season. 

Friends and family came from far and wide last weekend to celebrate Autumn with pumpkins and treats. Here are a few highlights from the day:  

A friend brought Pumpkin Pie Bars. They were gooey and yummy and perfect!

Mini Pumpkin Breads:

Apple Cider, sparkling and still:

The hubs helped make these cute little cream cheese truffles - I made the inside and he dipped them in chocolate. The chocolate kept falling off while we were dipping them but I think we figured out how to perfect these for next time. They inside has to chill for quite a while so planning ahead is always a good idea...

The hubs also made Bacon-Wrapped Cream Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeno Things. They were a hit! Easy to make and even easier to eat...

I couldn't resist this chocolate dipped caramel apple. It was as delicious as it was beautiful (before I sliced it and all the white chocolate fell off...). If you see one of these at your local Costco, buy it. You won't be sorry.

The Spread! Yes, those are Pumpkin Pie Bites on the corner - if you haven't made these before, you should. Or just come to the Pumpkin Party next year.

Pumpkin Carving! 

Sometimes it's helpful to have a hair tie...

My sister made Jack Skellington.

Our friend Helen is one of Sammi's favorite people. He was so excited to see her because she always plays with him! Even when she's in the middle of pumpkin carving, she'll pause for a game of tug-of-war.

Pumpkins!

The Hubs carved this one. It has something to do with a computer game. I think. He was really excited about it and posted a picture on an online forum almost immediately.

Aren't they all so cheerful and fun?

Our friends from LA brought their darling dog, Bailey. He had so much fun with Sammi that they both just pooped out after their dinners. They also made the awesome double-decker pumpkin man.

I can't wait until next year! The Pumpkin Party will be even bigger and better, I'm sure. 

Can you believe it's almost November? Only a few more weeks until Thanksgiving - enjoy the crisp Autumn weather!

All photos in this post were taken by me. Please don't use them anywhere else unless you ask me first. Thanks!

Party Planning!

I'm not a party planner by trade but I do love to throw a little soiree every once in while.
Currently in the works: A Jonathan Adler inspired birthday party for a friend's friend named Michelle. I don't know her personally but as soon as my friend told me that Michelle loves Jonathan Adler, I knew she and I were kindred spirits.

Currently in the inspiration folder:
Chevron striped note cube


Super fun pencil set


Reusable tumblers


Stripes cup and saucer (stripes!!)


Whale pitcher


Be still my heart. Anchor pillows.


All images via Jonathan Adler.