Succulent Naked Cake

Sep 21, 2016 · 14 Comments

Succulent Naked Cake: made from cake mixes, and faux succulents this cake is easy, delicious, and sure to impress. Perfect for any special occasion.

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I've loved the look of succulents and naked cakes for a long time. Today I'm combining them for the most beautiful naked cake with succulents. This would be perfect for any special celebration.

Succulent Naked Cake: made from cake mixes, and faux succulents; easy and sure to impress.

I used the faux succulents to decorate a naked layer cake for my project this month.

Materials:

two 9 inch white cakes
two 8 inch white cakes
vanilla icing
faux succulent flowers
wire cutters
wood dowel

How To Make A Naked Cake With Succulents

I made the cake from two white cake mixes. I divided the mixes between two nine inch spring form pans for the bottoms layers and two 8 inch round cake pans for the top layers.

Try to make them all the same depth when you add the batter, so that your layers are as even as possible (I made one mix at a time and baked one large and one small each time so it would be divided as evenly as possible).

Once the cakes are completely cooled it's time to stack them and ice them. Naked cakes just have icing between the layers and on the top, sort of like a crumb coat. Use your favourite icing recipe or store bought frosting for the icing. If you're worried about the cake being stable, push two wooden dowels down through all the layers, and trim the tops so that they don't show.

To add the succulents to the cake, I trimmed the ends with some wire cutters and pushed them into the cake. Easy peasy.

I also added another little faux succulent to a pretty vintage teacup.

These would be perfect for a birthday, shower, or any special occasion.

I love the idea too that after the special occasion you could keep the succulents and use them somewhere else, like perhaps a terrarium -and remember the special day every time you saw them.

I love how this little project turned out, and it was delicious too. 😉

With a Succulent Naked Cake, life really is a party!

More Inspiration:

You might also enjoy our most on How To Make Your Succulents Look Real here.

Also check out our Macrame and Succulent Wreath here.

DIY Macrame and Felt Succulent Wreath: Easy Boho Wreath with Felt Succulents made with a Cricut, and simple Macrame hanger.

Also check out our DIY Ribbon Wall Hanging.

Fall Fairy Garden

Sep 16, 2016 · 3 Comments

How to make a fall fairy garden with a DIY fairy house, some easy wine cork mushrooms, mini pumpkins made from polymer clay, and real miniature fall leaves. It's the cutest fall addition to your front porch or garden.

Fall fairy garden with house and accessories.

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Why We Love This Craft

What could be better than combining two of our favourites -fall and fairy gardens?!
If you're a crafter, making the miniature fairy house, and accessories with a fall theme was so fun.
It's looks so cute, and is the perfect way to greet fall visitors or trick or treaters this fall.

I love this time of year, it's cooler outside, the leaves are turning, and it's time for warm drinks and pumpkin everything. I also love fairy gardens, like these DIY fairy gardens, and our teacup fairy garden. So I thought it might be fun to make my own fairy garden for the fall season this year. If you love this idea you might also like our Pumpkin Fairy House post here.

1. How To Make A Fall Fairy House

It's so fun to make your own little fairy houses. See how to make a fairy house here, where we used paint and upcycled seed packages to decorate miniature birdhouses from the dollar store.

For our fall fairy garden, we decided to make one that was fall themed. I used a tiny bird house from the dollar store as my base, look for something similar at dollar tree, or craft stores.

how to make a fall fairy house out of a bird house

I removed the bird peg from the bird house, and the screw from the top. Then I gave the bird house a quick coat of orange/peach paint.

I printed out a bunch of vintage seed package images -like this free pumpkin seed one, and this sunflower one. Then I cut the seed packages to fit the house and mod podged them onto the house. I used images that made me think of the fall that I knew would be perfect for an autumn fairy garden.

For the door, I used a few little pieces of wood and a bead as a door handle for the fairy door and hot glued them on.

For the roof, I used some preserved oak leaves, and mod podged them onto the roof as a finishing touch.

2. Fairy Mushrooms

I also made the little fairy toadstools. And they were really easy. To make my fairy mushrooms I started out with some corks from sparkling wine, and their shape inspired me, since they kind of look like a little mushroom.

how to make a mushroom out of a sparkling wine cork

I painted the tops with some reddish-orange craft paint. When it was dry, I added some white spots. Then, I sealed it all with a coat of mod podge. These were such a fun touch to the fall fairy garden display. But they'd be fun as fall decor too.

Aren't they the cutest? Fairy gardens are all about the little details and little fairy accessories.

3. Miniature Pumpkins

So next I made some little pumpkins out of polymer clay. I have found the polymer clay weathers really well in outdoors, so I knew they'd be perfect for new fairy garden.

Form orange polymer clay into tiny pumpkin shapes. Don't forget the ridges. Then add a very small brown polymer clay stem. Bake the clay according to the package directions.

I added some of the pumpkins to the doorway front porch, and filled up a little miniature wagon I found at the craft store. Doesn't it look like the fairies have just come home from the pumpkin patch?

miniature polymer pumpkins in a miniature wagon

4. Real Fairy-Sized Fall Leaves

My favourite little detail in this fall-themed fairy garden is the fall leaves. They're real leaves!

I used a 1.5 cm leaf punch, from the craft store to make them from real fall leaves.

You just punch them out of real leaves. They will dry, and the edges may curl up a little, but they just look like real fallen leaves in your little fairy garden. This is one of my favorite things in this fairy fall garden.

If there is a predominant vein in your leaf, you can punch it out so that it's running up and down on the miniature leaf, and it will look even more realistic.

5. Containers

I set my little garden up at my front door on a wood stump so visitors could see it. These are great in a small space. Placing them by the front door means they'll be admired by trick-or-treaters on Halloween. You might also like our Halloween real pumpkin fairy house jack-o-lanterns here.

I used an assortment of containers, including some rustic galvanized metal pots. My favourite container garden though, is a hollowed out faux craft pumpkin turned into a plant container.

Just use a craft knife to cut off the top, and add a few drainage holes, and fill with soil and plants.

6. Plant Ideas

Fill your fall fairy garden with fall plants. I used mums, ornamental kale, and pansies. Look for small plants so that there's room for your fairy friends.

I love how it turned out, and my daughters had fun helping me make it.

With a Miniature Fall Fairy Garden, life really is a party!

More Fairy Garden Inspiration

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the fairy house last outside?

Yes. The mod podge coating helps make everything weather proof.

Where did you find the fence and little red wagon fairy sized accessories?

Look for fairy sized garden accessories like these from the dollar store, craft store, or plant nursery. I've also had great luck at a specialized doll house miniature store, you could look for a specialized shop like this on-line.

Where can I find the miniature leaf punch?

We got ours at the craft store. If you have trouble finding it, look online -just be sure to check the size before ordering. Ours was ⅝ inch and was perfect.

If you try making a Fall Fairy Garden or any other idea on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Recipe

Fall Fairy Garden

Make a fall fairy garden with a DIY fairy house, minature DIY mushrooms, pumpkins and real fairy sized fall leaves.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 1 20

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Cost: $25

Equipment

⅝ inch leaf punch
garden trowel
hot glue gun
small paint Bruch

Materials

miniatue doll house
vintage seed packages print out
mod lodge
orange paint
small pieces of wood for door
bead for doorhandle
hot glue
preserved oak leaves
sparking wine corks
red and white paint
orange and brown polymer clay
plant pot, galzanized steel pail with drainage, or faux pumpkin with top cut off and drainage holes
potting soil
small fall plants like pansies, mums, and kale
fairy accessories like wagon, and fence
real fall leaves

Instructions

Remove the bird peg from the miniature birdhouse, and the screw from the top.
Give the bird house a quick coat of orange/peach paint.
Print out a vintage seed package image -like this free sunflower one. Then I cut the seed packages to fit the house and mod podged them onto the house.
For the door, use a few little pieces of wood and a bead as a door handle and hot glue them on.
For the roof, use some preserved oak leaves, and mod podge them onto the roof as a finishing touch.
For the mushrooms, paint the tops of the sparkling wine corks with some reddish-orange craft paint. When it is dry, add some white spots. Then, seal it all with a coat of mod podge.
For the miniature pumpkins, form orange polymer clay into tiny pumpkin shapes. Don't forget the ridges. Then add a very small brown polymer clay stem. Bake the clay according to the package directions.
To make the real fairy-sized fall leaves, use a ⅝ inch or 1.5 cm fall leaf punch and use it on real leaves. To get the best look, line up a vein of the leaf along the center of the punch.
To make the garden, fill your pot of choice with garden soil and plant the small plants near the back, leaving room at the front of the pot to set up your fairy items. Give your garden a drink with some water. Add the house and all the other accessories and enjoy.

Notes

At the end of the fall season, be sure to put your fairy garden accessories away inside to help them last for next fall when you can set it all up again.

Pasta Bar Ideas

Sep 13, 2016 · 6 Comments

This DIY pasta bar party is perfect for feeding a crowd. We set up different pastas, sauces, and toppings for guests to make-their-own pasta.

Pasta bar for a party with different pastas, sauces, and toppings.

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Why You'll Love This Party

Who doesn't love pasta?
It's a great way to feed a crowd, and everyone can help themselves.
It's an easy way to accommodate vegetarians, gluten-free, dairy-free guests, and picky eaters, and still have everyone enjoying the same meal.
You can make everything ahead of time, and actually enjoy the party instead of spending the whole night serving.

Last week my oldest daughter had a birthday, and we celebrated with a Make Your Own Pasta Bar. This is such a fun way to serve a lot of people.

It's great for a party or even large family meals. Everyone loved choosing all their own perfect combinations, especially the picky eaters.

We love make your own parties. Check out our make your own pizza party, book themed party, soup party, circus themed dinner party, and our make your own adult lemonade stand here. This is our kind of easy entertaining.

Pasta Bar Set Up

A Pasta bar is an easy way for everyone to find something they love, and all you have to do is set it up and let them help themselves, so you get a chance to enjoy your own party too.

We set our pasta bar up on our side buffet. You'll want to keep in mind traffic flow when you're setting up a serve yourself buffet like this. Think about how guests will move through the space, and the order of assembling their dish.

If you don't have room in your dining room, consider setting something like this up on your kitchen table. Or set up a side table in the dining space just for the buffet.

Serving Pieces

When you're setting a buffet it's always a good idea to think about different heights and try to incorporate some with different risers. Try to use matching serving bowls if you can, and choose a colour scheme.

To serve our pasta bar I bought some matching simple white bowls of various sizes as serving dishes. We had guests serve themselves at the buffet we created. We were a relatively small party, so we didn't have any issues keeping the food warm. If you had a larger group, you might consider using a slow cooker to serve some of the sauces, or food trays with warmers underneath instead of a serving dish.

We went with a rustic Italian theme, so some wood crates worked well on our buffet. Keep in mind that hot dishes may need a trivet under them to protect your table.

Tip: Remember to include serving utensils. You'll need different serving pieces for different shapes of pasta. Tongs work well for long pastas like spaghetti, and large serving spoons are better for something like penne. You'll also need ladles for the pasta sauces.

We set the table with plates, and guests brought their plates up to serve themselves. A pasta bowl would be a good option for guests too, if you have them instead of plates, since a bowl of pasta is a little easier to maneuver and spill anything, especially with a buffet set-up, where guests are walking back to their seats. You could also set up plates or large bowls at the beginning of the buffet.

Decor Ideas

We also added in some herbs potted in upcycled tins, some flowers in vases would be a good option too. Try to tie your buffet decor to your table decor for a cohesive finished look.

We also included a fun chalkboard sign with instructions for our guests. This is a nice addition for decor, but also helps any confused guests to understand exactly what they're supposed to do, and what their options are.

Pastas:

We offered three different types of pasta -fettuccine, cheese tortellini, and rotini.

fettuccine
cheese tortellini
rotini

Our trio of pasta options were a hit. You could include any types of pasta that you like. I wanted to include different pasta shapes. Remember that each different kind of past holds different sauces. Ridges on the pasta make it hold the sauces better. So consider your sauces when you choose the type of pasta.

Gluten Free Options

You might also include gluten-free pasta, or zucchini noodles might be a nice touch too when you're thinking about different kinds of pasta options to include.

Pasta Prep

I cooked the pasta right before serving. To help prevent it from sticking, you might stir in a bit of olive oil, or butter before serving.

Tip: Don't underestimate how many large pots you will need to make this, and remember it takes a while to bring that much water to the boil, so keep that in mind as you're working out your timings for serving.

We cooked ours and served them immediately. You can also par-cook the pasta, and then put the cooked pasta into cold water to stop the cooking process. Then right before serving, reheat it in boiling water. This will give you a quicker cooking time at the end, and may be a great way to get all the warm pasta served more quickly, depending on how many options you're offering at your pasta party.

Sauces:

There were three pasta sauces we used; tomato, alfredo, and a blush sauce.

tomato sauce
Alfredo sauce
blush sauce

It's always nice to have a white sauce, a red sauce or marinara sauce, and our third sauce was a combination of both to make a blush sauce. Pesto is also a great option for your DIY pasta bar. A vodka sauce is another great option to include.

Toppings:

We made lots of fun toppings for our pasta buffet. We had a variety of meats including grilled chicken, Italian sausage, and meatballs. There was also sauteed veggies as a vegetable option. We also included some parmesan cheese and hot chilli flakes for those that like a little spice.

grilled chicken
Italian sausage
meatballs
veggies (mushrooms, peppers, onions)
Parmesan cheese
hot chilli flakes

Topping Prep

The chicken and sausage were grilled on the bbq, and then chopped into bite sized pieces for serving. The meatballs were cooked from frozen in the oven, as per the package directions.

We liked serving meatballs, but cooked ground beef is another option.

We sauteed our veggies in a large frying pan before serving. Prep all your veggies ahead of time, and cook until almost done. Just before serving finish off the cooking over a low heat.

You could also grill the vegetables and chop into bite sized pieces before serving. Serve grilled veggies on large platter with rows of each kind so that everyone can pick their own vegetable options.

Another great addition to your variety of toppings would be artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, fresh cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes.

Our guests loved all the different options, and tried all kinds of different combos. It was perfect even for fussy eaters. I would definitely do it again, as it was a huge hit.

Keep It Simple -Store Bought Time Savers

There were a lot of different components to the pasta bar, but they were all really simple to put together. I used store bought sauces, and frozen meatballs to cut down the prep time. I cooked the veggies ahead of time and just re-heated them. Before serving my husband grilled the sausage and chicken on the bbq, I cooked the pasta, and heated up the sauces.

Allergy, Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-Free Friendly

One of the great benefits of offering guests a buffet is that it's very friendly for all. If you know you have a guest with a dietary restriction be sure to include some options that work for them, like gluten free pasta, or zucchini zoodle noodles, veggie options, and non-dairy sauces. This is such a great option also to make all your guests feel included, and like you're all eating the same menu.

Side Dishes:

Along with this, we made a Caesar salad and cooked some mozzarella sticks. So it was pretty easy to put together. A green salad would be a great choice too. We also served some rolls. These options were all at the table and passed around.

caesar salad
mozzarella sticks
garlic bread
fresh bread rolls
butter
breadsticks
olives
salt and black pepper

Italian themed party tablescape and centre piece

The Table

I wanted the table to continue the Italian theme, so we went for a rustic Italian feel.

Italian party centre piece of herbs planted in tomato tin cans

We used some tomato tins as herb planters and had fresh basil, thyme, and Italian parsley as the centrepiece. I set them up on a raised rustic wooden box. They were a great idea as a nice alternative to flowers. And I did a few more to add to the buffet to tie the whole look together.

We added some breadsticks, olives, and fresh tomatoes to the table for snacking, and they looked great too.

pasta party table settings with individual rolls on each plate

Each guest had their own roll, wrapped in parchment paper, waiting for them at their place setting. We served these with butter, but offering a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar for bread dipping would be a really great idea too.

Drinks:

I set up some Italian inspired drinks in the kitchen for our guests.

lemon San Pellegrino
orange San Pellegrino
San Pellegrino sparkling water
wine

The sparkling drinks were a big hit with guests. Another option would be to set up an Italian soda bar, where guests could make their own, and try different flavors. This would be the perfect addition to our pasta bar ideas.

This was such a fun get-together with great food that everyone enjoyed. I highly recommend these pasta bar ideas to you for a party.

With a Make Your Own Pasta Bar and all these great pasta bar ideas, life really is a party!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you keep the pasta from sticking to itself?

After your pasta is cooked and drained, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil or butter to it. This will help keep it from sticking to itself.

How do you keep the food hot for a pasta bar?

We reheated the food right before serving and had no issue with it staying hot. If you are serving a larger crowd, you could use heated trays, either electric or with the burner fuel below the trays to keep the food hot. If you are serving your pasta this way consider saving a cup of the cooking water and adding it to the tray so that the pasta doesn't become dry, and use a slotted spoon or tongs for serving. For the sauces, mini crockpots work well.

What toppings can you put on pasta?

Once you have your pasta, offer a few different sauces and a few different meat options like chicken, Italian sausage, and meatballs. It's also nice to offer some different cooked vegetables as toppings. Lastly, add some fun add-ons like cheese, hot chilli flakes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs.

What pasta bar options are there for gluten-free, vegan, or dairy-free guests?

Use gluten-free pasta, zucchini noodles, meatless protein, or dairy-free sauces for guests with dietary restrictions. Be sure to cook these options separately, and serve them with separate serving utensils.

More Party Inspiration

If you tried these Pasta Bar Ideas or any other ideas on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Recipe

Black Forest Cake in a Mason Jar

Sep 9, 2016 · 1 Comment

Black Forest Cake in a Mason Jar: Easy recipe made with store bought ingredients and perfect for a party, picnic, or birthday.

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We had a birthday girl on the weekend, and she requested Black Forest Cake. I thought it might be fun to make our cake in a mason jar for her party. It's so easy to make, and then everyone has their own serving and you don't even have to cut the cake at dessert time. Perfect.

I'm a big fan of mason jar cakes. They're easy to make and so much easier to serve than a regular cake, since everyone gets their own individual portion. Each cake is assembled in a mason jar, the lid is added on top and you can store them in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, just pull them out. If you are headed on a picnic or bringing dessert to a party, the jars are so easy to transport. Nothing gets squished or spilled since each individual cake is in it's own little jar. And then when it comes time to serve, everyone can help themselves to a jar and a spoon and that's all they need. Afterwards, just collect the jars and wash them for next time.

We've made black forest cake but you can make any cake in a jar for this. Add icing and sprinkles for a birthday cake, add whipped cream and fresh strawberries for strawberry shortcake, try cream cheese frosting and red velvet cake for another option. The possibilities of combinations are almost endless. Use any flavor of boxed cake mix or your favorite cake recipes to make the cake layer. And then layer in frosting, or other toppings like we used to make your favorite flavor of cake.

It's an easy dessert to make and looks wonderful for a party. Try these little cakes as the perfect dessert for birthday parties, a bridal shower, or as a simple way to make any occasion extra special.

Black Forest Cake in a Mason Jar ready for a picnic

Mason Jars

We used ½ pint mason jars. These 8 oz mason jars are perfect smaller jars for individual servings of the mini cakes. A glass jar works great for this because you can see the layered ingredients inside, and the jar lids help seal the jars for moist cakes.

Black Forest Cake Layers

We used chocolate cake made from a cake mix as our cake layer for black forest cakes. You can use any kind of cake for your mason jar cakes. A dark chocolate box cake mix is perfect for making black forest cake. You need thin cakes in order to layer the cake in the jars.

For our black forest cake we also did a layer of cherry pie filling and whipped cream.

How to make Black Forest Cake in a Mason Jar

Storing Black Forest Cake Mason Jars

Be sure to store these black forest cakes in a jar in the refrigerator with the lids on the jars, since this type of cake contains whipped cream.

This is such a delicious dessert and perfect for anyone who loves cherries and chocolate. These mason jar cakes are so much fun for a party, and make for such a pretty presentation. These would also be perfect for a picnic.

Everything's better with chocolate sprinkled on top, right?

Recipe

Black Forest Cake in a Mason Jar

Rich chocolate cake layered with sweet whipped cream, cherries and chocolate shavings.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 15

Servings: Mason Jar Cakes

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

▢ chocolate cake mix prepared according to the package directions
▢ 1 can cherry pie filling
▢ ½ pint 237mL whipping cream
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 3 teaspoon sugar
▢ ¼ cup chocolate shavings

Instructions

Make the chocolate cake according to your package instructions and bake the cake batter in two round cake pans. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Use your mason jar like a circle cookie cutter to cut out a circle of cake for each of the individual cakes. Cut the circle in half so it's half as thick and you can use it for two thin layers of cake.
To make the whipped cream, add ½ pint of whipping cream to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip cream to soft peaks, and add vanilla extract and sugar. Whip to firm peaks.
Assemble the black forest cake in your mason jar, beginning with a bottom layer of cake, then add a layer of cherry pie filling,and then a layer of whipped cream. Repeat, with another layer of cake, pie filling and whipped cream. Take care to keep the sides of the jar clean. We found it was easiest to put the whipped cream in a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off or a piping bag and pipe it into the jars.
Finish off the last layer of the black forest cake jars with a sprinkle of chocolate shavings. Let set in the fridge for an hour or two before serving

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

With Black Forest Cake in a Mason Jar, life really is a party!

More Recipe Inspiration

Want some more inspiration? Check out these Cupcakes in a Mason Jar:

Or try these Mini No-Bake Berry Cheesecakes In A Mason Jar

You might also like our Peach Cobbler in a Mason Jar here.

Mini Peach Cobbler in a Mason Jar: Easy and delicious recipe for individual peach cobblers in a mason jar made with fresh peaches.

Back To School Dinner

Sep 7, 2016 · 2 Comments

Back to School Dinner Ideas: a special Back to School dinner to celebrate the first day of school and hear all about it.

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Yesterday was the first day of school, and share all our fun Back To School dinner ideas with you.

You can find last years Back to School dinner here, and the year before that here, for more inspiration.

The Back To School Table

This year, I went with a bit of a book page theme. The table runner was made from some old books. I ripped out some pages, and sewed them together on the sewing machine. The book pages set the tone for a mainly black and white colour scheme.

The placards were some sweet library card inspired tags.

For the bottles of water, I used some cute numbered gift tags I picked up at Ikea.

And on the straws, some cute "school days" flags I made.

The table was really very simple. I always think of apples when I think of back to school, so the simple centrepiece was just a line of fresh apples. They smell so good!

More Back To School Decorations

In the background, I decorated the buffet with a back to school theme too.

Book Page Tassels

In keeping with the book page theme, I made some pretty book page tassels.

The book page tassels were simple to make from some old books, and with some black and white washi tape. To make them just tear some pages out of an old book, and cut them in strips with about an inch of the top of the page, so that they're all still connected. Then roll up several of the cut pages together and secure with a bit of hot glue and some washi tape.

It was fun to use my vintage globes and few other school supplies to set the tone.

Food Ideas

We had pasta for dinner -a real favourite around here. And for dessert, a few school inspired treats.

You can see how I made the Book Page Sugar Cookies and Marshmallow Pencil Treats here.

Back to School themed snacks and desserts

We traditionally have an apple dessert for this special dinner, and I had great plans for one this year. But I used all the apples on the table and ran out of time, so I picked up some apple fritter donuts and decorated them with some book page pom pom picks. I haven't had an apple fritter in ages -boy were they yummy and so easy. 😉

We had a great time hearing all about the first day, from choosing a class pet (hermit crabs and fish are in the running) to not being able to find the washroom, to who they sat with on the bus. It was a great family time, and one of our favourite traditions.

With a this many Back to School dinner ideas, life really is a party!

More Back To School Ideas

Rustic Casual Tablescape

Aug 30, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Rustic Casual Tablescape: brown kraft paper, white candles, herbs and antlers come together to make a beautiful rustic and casual table.

We decided to have a casual rustic dinner party and serve a feast of ribs. It's near the end of summer, and the corn is perfect. There's time for at least one last bbq party, and what could be better than homemade ribs. So today I'm sharing our rustic tablescape with you.

My sweet husband took the lead on the dinner, he came up with the menu, shopped, and cooked all the food. I was working on some other projects, so I really appreciated his taking the lead on this one. I did put together a really pretty rustic tablescape. Together we came up with a pretty perfect party for this month.

Brown Paper Table Runner

I knew I wanted something quite rustic and casual to go with the great bbq menu. We also decided we should eat inside with the air condition since it's still really hot out and we wanted our guests to feel comfortable and linger at the table. I started out with a simple brown paper runner, perfect for something messy like ribs. While I was picking up the paper at the dollar store, I picked up a few other goodies that really brought the table together and for a great price too. 😉

Rustic Table Napkins

The napkins were a real find. They were with the dish cloths and towels. They're like a denim fabric, with a black hue to it, and edged in white. They're sold as dish cloths, at 2 for 1.25 they were a great choice for a messy meal -and I really like the colour combo, classic black and white.

Church Candles

I also picked up these pretty church candles at the dollar store. I love their elegant height, and simple glass holders. And they're a great price too.

Easy Centrepiece

Down the middle of the table I made a really casual and rustic flower arrangement from some clippings from my garden. I started out with some perennial sweet pea vines, then I layered in some sage and lavender. The smell was amazing. My favourite touch though was adding in the antlers. I picked these up at an antique fair this summer, and I thought they looked amazing added into the table runner.

Place Settings

The dishes, cutlery, and glasses were just basic white, gold and glass -pretty and elegant.

I actually picked up the glasses for the dinner too. My basic wine glasses were from about 16 years ago. My husband and I bought them for our first dinner party when we were just dating. They have served us well, but over the years many have broken -I think there's six left. So, it was time to invest in a new basic set. I picked up 12, plus an extra box for breakage in the future for a total of 14. I like these basic stemless ones, since we have kids and our tables are usually a mix of kids and adults these are perfect since they can hold juice, pop, water, wine, whatever we need.

Menu Cards

My other favourite part of this little table was the menu cards.

My youngest daughter made the menus, and I added a sprig of lavender to each one. Easy and perfectly special. We just made them on the computer and printed them on our home printer.

The Food

And what a menu it was! My husband out did himself with pork ribs -which he rubbed with our homemade Montreal steak spice recipe, and then added our homemade BBQ sauce here. He also made our marinated and grilled flattened chicken recipe here, and homemade slow cooker baked beans. We rounded it out with fresh corn on the cob, a little homemade coleslaw and fresh cornbread. It was amazing. One of our sweet guests brought dessert. And we also made a batch of peach sangria -find the recipe here, since the peaches are perfect this time of year.

It was a great party, full of fun, friends and delicious food; truly a feast!

With a rustic tablescape like this and a fun get together, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like 3 Steps To An Easy Summer Table here.

Three Steps to an Easy Summer Table: learn how to start with the basics, add items for interest, and look in unexpected places to set the perfect table.

Also check out our Geometric Pink and Gold Tablescape here.

Geometric Pink and Gold Tablescape: pretty peonies, DIY candle holders, paper gems, and homemade napkins make a gorgeous and inexpensive tablescape.

You might also enjoy Rustic Christmas Table here.

Notebook Paper Sugar Cookies for Back to School

Aug 27, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Notebook Paper Sugar Cookies for Back To School: The perfect treat to celebrate Back To School. Full instructions on how to make them.

Back to school notebook paper sugar cookies.

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One week and counting until Back To School around here. What softens the blow for little hearts thinking about school with a little dread, a little worry, and a little excitement all mixed together? Notebook Paper Back To School Sugar Cookies.

I love sugar cookies, but I'm far from an expert cookie decorator. These ones are pretty simple to put together, even for me who was trying this fancy icing flooding for the first time. They're not perfect, but I think they're perfectly imperfect…and they're delicious and almost too cute to eat, almost. 😉

Sugar Cookies

Start with making your favourite sugar cookies…or buying a prepared dough and just rolling them out, or using a cookie dough mix. Your choice, whatever suits. Cut them into squares, or rectangles -think paper sheet shape. Bake them and let them cool.

White Icing Background

Now for the tricky bit. You're going to make icing and flood your cookies so you get a nice, smooth, hard layer of icing. I used a recipe that called for a cup of icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk combined. I used this as a starting place.

If I were doing this again, I might use a different recipe for the icing, I think one with egg whites or meringue powder instead of milk would have hardened up even more and more quickly too.

My friend who makes beautiful cookies all the time advised that the first batch of icing should have the consistency of toothpaste. This thicker icing is piped around the edge of the cookie first. Next you add some more milk to the icing until it's runnier, she said it should disappear when dripped back into the bowl from a spoon within a second or two.

I used a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off for an easy icing bag. I made small amounts of icing and made more as I needed it. The cookies didn't come out perfectly, but I'm pretty happy with them as a first attempt at this method, and here to tell you to be brave and try it, and give yourself permission to not be perfect on your first attempt.

Once they're iced with the white icing, leave the cookies out overnight for the icing to harden. I left mine two days. You want the icing to be hard enough to write on with the markers.

decorating sugar cookies with edible markers

Adding the Blue and Red Lines

I used edible markers to make the lines of the paper, you can find them at the craft store. Use a ruler to make your lines straight and don't press too hard.

I planned to use some black gel icing to write on the cookies "ACB", or my kid's names. But, I loved how they looked plain. I might add this detail for our Back To School Dinner -see last years here. Or, I might let my girls write on them themselves at the dinner.

With Notebook Paper Sugar Cookies for Back to School, life really is a party!

More Back to School Ideas

You might also like Back To School Apple Truffle Pops

back-to-school-apple-truffle-pops-1.2.jpg

Back To School Marshmallow Pencil Snacks

You might also enjoy our Free Printable Lunch Box Notes here.

Free Printable Lunch Box Notes: perfect for the first week of school to remind your little one how special they are, paired with a little treat.

How to Make the Perfect Cheese Board for Beginners

Aug 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment

How to Make the Perfect Cheese Board -learn how to combine sweet, salty, sour, spicy, crunch, and creamy to create the perfect cheese board for beginners!

I love a good charcuterie board. In fact crackers and cheese is pretty much my favourite, especially when I'm entertaining.

A good charcuterie board though, takes crackers and cheese to a whole new level! There's certain elements that go into creating the perfect combo, if you have these elements covered, I pretty much guarantee a perfect charcuterie board. If you're a beginner, these simple charcuterie board instructions will make the whole process really easy for you. There are certain elements that every great board should have. Include these and you will have a great charcuterie board, even if you're a beginner.

What is charcuterie?

Charcuterie comes from the French word for cured meats. Think things like Italian dry salami, summer sausage, and prosciutto ham. Recently though, people have starting using the term charcuterie boards to refer to more than just a selection of cured meats. These days a charcuterie platter not only includes different kinds of meats, but also includes a variety of cheeses, crackers, fresh fruit, pickles, and more.

This is the perfect appetizer for your next party. Or serve it as a summer snack charcuterie board with drinks. It's the perfect food for book club. Or even a romantic dinner for two. We love that guests can help themselves and enjoy. They look great too. And they're always, always a hit with guests.

1. Creamy

The creamy element of the perfect charcuterie board is the cheese. We used a great selection of smoked aged gouda, flavoured monterey Jack, aged cheddar, cheese curds, and swiss. Yum, yum.

It's good to think about different textures, from hard cheeses to soft cheeses, when choosing your different types of cheeses, and a variety of flavors, from mild to strong. Choose 4-3 types of cheese, and cut them into different shapes.

2. Salty

I love to add in some salty elements when putting together a charcuterie board.

how to make a cheese board as an appetizer

Think nuts -I added some salted roasted cashews, and I made a batch of spicy candied walnuts. Mixed nuts are a great choice too.

Another great salty hit could be some olives. I like to pick up a variety of kinds, including green olives, black olives, and stuffed olives.

I also included some cured meats. These were picked up at the farmer's local market -a great place to shop for these extra elements. We picked up a spicy hard salami.

3. Sweet

When I was younger I didn't get the whole sweet with savoury thing, I'm happy to say I outgrew that, and now I love it. This time of year, there's so much great seasonal fruit available. I've included some lovely fresh plums and peaches from the farmer's market. Small bunches of grapes are a great choice too, and a classic pairing with cheese and a glass of wine. I also love fresh apples cut into slices. The best fruits to include are whatever is in season at the time.

Another great addition is figs, these are fresh, but other times of year dried fruit works great too. Any dried fruit make a great addition.

Another great hit of sweet, with the salty included, are these pieces of beautiful fresh local cantaloupe wrapped with prosciutto -such a delicious appetizer always the first thing to go at a party.

4. Sour

Sour is a great addition to a cheese board. Think pickles and chutneys. I've included a favourite of mine -red onion and balsamic chutney. I just pick it up at the grocery store, it's such a great combo with the cheese platter.

5. Crunchy

The crackers are a great crunchy element. I've made my flatbread salt and pepper crackers -they're pretty simple to make and always a big hit. I also picked up a few of my favourite crackers from the store. I like some plain and some more fancy with dried fruit and seeds, also some crusty bread is a great addition.

The nuts are also a great crunchy element.

Fresh veggies can add a great crunch too. These grape tomatoes add a little, think of the crunch of breaking through the skin of fresh sweet tomatoes.

6. Spicy

A little spice is a nice addition to a cheese tray. I love a red pepper honey (that sweet and hot combo is great) and the spicy candied nuts pack a little punch too. Any spicy jam is so good with savory accompaniments.

Another little spice comes from the meats, one crusted in peppercorns.

I love to serve a little grainy mustard too, it's got a touch of heat to it that's so nice with cured meats, or great with pate.

7. Presentation

Last but not least, make it pretty. Use a pretty wooden cutting board or serving platter and lay everything out for guests to help themselves. Overflowing containers look great, and create a feeling of abundance.

We've made a large board, covering most of the table. This is great for a party and gives guests lots of options and room to help themselves. For your own charcuterie boards, you can make something smaller, depending on the size of your party. Just make sure to include the different elements.

On the board use small bowls to hold some elements. Be sure to cut some cheese and meats to get your guests started, and include cheese knives for guests to continue to cut more as needed.

queen annes lace in a vintage glass bottles

I added a few fresh flowers too, just some wild flowers from behind my house, and few sweet peas from the garden. The flowers are such a pretty way to fill in the remaining space. Fresh herbs or edible flowers are a great finishing touch too.

By including all these elements, you're sure to create the perfect charcuterie board -or charcuterie table, as my daughter said. 😉 Following these simple rules makes it easy even for a beginner to make the best charcuterie board.

How to Make the Perfect Cheese Board grazing table

With the perfect charcuterie board, life really is a party!

More Appetizer Recipe Inspiration

You might also like our Caramelized Onion and Goat's Cheese Tarts recipe here.

Caramelized Onion and Goats Cheese Tarts: an easy and delicious appetizer for entertaining.

Also check our Stuffed Mushrooms recipe here.

Stuffed Mushrooms -A simple, go-to, tested and true bread crumb stuffed mushroom recipe perfect a party, and guarentted to be a hit with mushroom lovers.

You might also enjoy our Slow Cooker Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe here.

Slow Cooker Spinach and Artichoke Dip: Perfect for easy entertaining, just add everything to the slow cooker and forget about it!

Back To School Marshmallow Pencil Snacks

Aug 19, 2016 · 1 Comment

These little pencil themed snacks are perfect for back to school parties, celebrations, or lunch boxes. They're really quick and easy to make with just fruity mini marshmallows and a chocolate chips. Your kids will love how cute they are and how delicious.

Back to school marshmallow pencil snacks made with marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Why We Love This Recipe

They're easy to make, and the kids can help!
Only two simple ingredients are needed.
They're the perfect way to get everyone excited about back to school.

It's almost that time of year around here… back to school. This marshmallow pencil snack is the perfect treat to soften the blow. Who doesn't love sleeping in, beach days, crafting partners, lazy days, and no bed times?

But, we love fall too, and new clothes, and brand new pencil crayons, and cooler days and even back to routine. And since we're all about making life a party, we can't let this big seasonal change go by without a little celebrating.

We love a back to school treat around here. Check out all our favorites in this post with 14 Back to School Thememd Foods and Treats. Also check out our Back to School Trail Mix Recipe and our very popular Back To School Free Printable Pack.

Ingredients

back to school marshmallow pencil snacks 4.jpg

Coloured Mini Marshmallows: look for the fruit flavored mini ones, that come in all different colors.
Chocolate Chips: dark, semi sweet, or milk will are work perfectly, so just choose your favorite.
Long Toothpicks: or bamboo skewers that you could cut down a little. You could even use an uncooked piece of spaghetti.

How To Make Marshmallow Pencil Snacks

These are super simple, and something your kids might like to help with, like mine did.

how to make a pencil themed back to school snack

Step 1: To make them, thread yellow mini marshmallows onto a toothpick.

Back To School Marshmallow Pencil Snacks

2. Step 2: Next, add a chocolate chip to one end, to resemble the tip of the pencil.

If you have trouble adding the chocolate chips, put them in the microwave for just a few seconds to soften them but not melt them.

3. Step 3: Lastly, add one pink marshmallow the other end to resemble the eraser on a pencil.

Tip: If you're serving these to younger kids, be sure they are careful not to bite or eat the toothpick, or use the uncooked spaghetti noodle option.

If there's one thing I know about making everyday life a party, it's that little things done with love turn everyday life into a party.

Sometimes making little people feel extra special feels like the hardest job in the world…and then other days all it takes is a bag of marshmallows and few chocolate chips. Happy Back to School!

More Back To School Ideas

If you try these Mashmallow Pencil Snacks or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there something I can use instead of toothpicks?

Yes, try using uncooked spaghetti instead of toothpicks or wooden skewers.

Where can I find the colored mini marshmallows?

Look for them in the baking aisle at the grocery store, or online.

Is there a way to make it easier to add the chocolate chip?

Yes, put the chocolate chips in the microwave for just a few seconds to soften, but not melt them. This will make it easier to add them to the toothpick.

Recipe

Marshmallow Pencil Snacks

Back to school marshmallow pencil themed treats.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Servings:

Calories: 8kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Cost: $5

Equipment

▢
long toothpicks, skewers, or uncooked spaghetti noodles

Ingredients

▢ 4 chocolate chips
▢ 4 mini pink marshmallows
▢ 28 -32 mini yellow marshmallows

Instructions

To make them, thread yellow mini marshmallows onto a toothpick.
Next, add a chocolate chip to one end, to resemble the tip of the pencil. If you have trouble adding the chocolate chips, put them in the microwave for just a few seconds to soften them but not melt them.
Lastly, add one pink marshmallow the other end to resemble the eraser on a pencil.

Notes

If you have difficulty adding the chocolate chips to the toothpick, microwave them for a few seconds to soften but not melt them.

Instead of using a toothpick or skewer, you can use uncooked spaghetti noodles instead.

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

DIY Personalized Napkins

Aug 17, 2016 · 17 Comments

DIY Personalized Napkins: Use heat transfer vinyl and a cutting machine to add any phrase, or monogram to napkins for a custom look.

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This month for our #12MonthsOfDIY challenge we're working with vinyl. I used the heat transfer vinyl from Expressions Vinyl and made some custom napkins. They were really easy to make and I love how they turned out.

Vinyl is such a versatile material, there are endless things you can do with it. I thought it would be fun to do something with the iron-on vinyl and add some text to fabric napkins. I added "life is a party" to mine -I love how fun and festive they are.

This is a really easy, inexpensive way to add a special detail to entertaining.

Materials:

heat transfer vinyl
Cricut cutting machine
napkins
iron

How To Make DIY Personalized Napkins:

I already had a cutting machine -gathering dust in the basement. I have an old Cricut -I think the last time I really used it might have been for my Fall Subway Art. They've changed since I got mine about 6 years ago, but I plugged it in and it worked great. They're actually really easy to use too.

Creating the Design

I used the cartridge that came with the machine -Plantin SchoolBook. I cut out my letters in ¾" size and used this chart from Expressions Vinyl to figure out my cutting speed, pressure and blade depth (med., med., 3 in my case).

Cutting the Vinyl

On my first attempt, I flipped the text, but didn't realize I also needed to type it backwards. Second attempt I flip cut and typed the letters backwards and it worked out great. (This is because you're cutting on the flip side of the vinyl).

I cut out all four together, and weeded them all together (that's what they call removing all the negative pieces of vinyl in the cut-out).

Next, I used scissors to cut out each phrase individually.

how to make custom napkins with your cricut

Iron On

Then you just iron it onto your napkins. I used some pieces of linen look fabric I actually picked up at the dollar store. Their colour and texture are really nice. When I washed them the edges frayed and I really like it, so I decided against hemming them. That made this a super simple project.

I love how they turned out -I made four, but I think I just might need to make this into a set of twelve.

How To Make Heat Transfer Vinyl Napkins: Use heat transfer vinyl and a cutting machine to add any phrase to napkins for a custom look. Add names, manner suggestions, conversation starters, or any word or phrase.

DIY Personalized Napkins

You could customize the napkins with anything…think holidays, weddings, names, manners, conversations starters. The sky's the limit.

With DIY Personalized Napkins, life really is a party!

You might also like our Dip Dyed Runner and Napkins here.

Dip Dyed Table Runner and Napkins: Easy how-to instructions to make your own napkin and table runner with a beautiful dip dyed ombre effect.

Also check out our Ribbon Wall Hanging here.

You might also enjoy our DIY Burlap Table Runner here.

DIY Burlap Table Runner -Easy how-to, using very inexpensive garden burlap, and no sew. It's perfect for fall or thanksgiving tables.

How To Make A Leather Cuff Bracelet

Aug 11, 2016 · 3 Comments

How To Make A Leather Cuff Bracelet: Create an amazing bracelet yourself, tutorial for adding snaps, gold leaf detail, and a tassel.

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Today I'm sharing how to make a DIY Leather Cuff Bracelet. After a little experimenting, I'm thrilled with how it turned out. These were really fun to make, and are the perfect project for wearing as a fun accessory. These also make a great gift for someone special. These leather cuffs turned out so beautifully that they'd be a great handmade product to sell as well.

You can create these bracelets in any color, different widths, and use different metal finishes for the snap. You also have the option of adding gold leaf -or silver, or copper, or rose gold as well as a little tassel. There's so many ways to change and customize these for lots of different leather bracelet options in lots of different variations.

You might also like our Toy Felt Cookies.

leather cuff bracelet with vintage glass bottles and keys

There's different ways of making leather cuff bracelets, and different closure methods you can use. Our leather cuff is closed with snaps. The snaps are easy to find at fabric or craft stores, and the kit makes it easy to apply them. I like this way of making cuffs because it's not difficult to create and easy to put on and remove when you're wearing it.

Leather

We used some colored crafting leather pieces for our cuffs. I had several different types of leather in many colors and thicknesses to choose from. Buy leather scraps from the local craft store or on-line. These packs usually come with lots of different colors, weights, and finishes of leather to choose from. Our leather was super soft, and the end product is really comfortable to wear. You could make this from faux leather, but very thin leathers, whether real or faux won't work as well as a medium weight.

Some people like to use an old belts for this project. Look for them at the thrift store and give old leather belts new life with this DIY. The only thing to consider when choosing a belt to upcycle for your own leather cuff bracelets is that the leather isn't too thick and stiff. The bracelets are more comfortable to wear if the old leather belt is soft. It's also more difficult to add the snaps to thick leather.

Materials:

We used a variety of materials for this project including:

leather
sharp scissors
disappearing ink marker
snaps
leather hole punch
gold leaf adhesive
gold leaf
tassel charm

How To Make a Leather Cuff Bracelet:

The leather I used is from Leather Hide Store, they have an amazing leather selection. The colours of the leather were Sea Glass and Sea Mist for this project. I learned a few things along the way and ended up making a couple, so here's how I made them, along with a few tricks and tips. 🙂

measuring and cutting leather for a bracelet

Cutting Out The Leather

The first step is deciding on the width of your cuff. I wanted a fairly wide cuff and cut mine out 4 inch wide, and measured the length to fit my wrist. You can vary how wide your cuff is. A width of 2-3 inches is a option too. You can vary the length of the bracelet depending on your wrist size. You need some overlap for the snaps, so you'll want to add about an inch or two to accommodate the snaps.

I used a disappearing marker to mark everything out on my leather. I highly recommend this method, because it doesn't leave any marks on the finished project. Just cut out the flat leather with sharp scissors, and try to slightly round the four corners. You could use a cutting mat and rotary blade or craft knife, but I felt like I had better control with sharp scissors.

Some people recommend using your Cricut machine to cut out your DIY cuff bracelets, but I think that it's more effort for this project than it's worth. The leather piece is just one rectangular strip, and not difficult to cut out with sharp scissors. It doesn't take a lot of time to do it by hand. If you were making these cuffs to sell and had to cut out many many, then it might be worth doing it on your Cricut machine.

making a leather cuff bracelet with a leather hole punch

Punch A Hole In The Leather

The next step is to punch out the holes for your snap closure in the piece of leather you cut out. I marked mine at 1 cm in from each side, and added two in a row. I used a leather punch from the craft store, which worked great to punch my holes for the snap closures in the end of the leather cuff. On my first attempt I tried using the fabric punch that comes with the snaps, but it really didn't work well, so it's worth getting the leather punch.

adding metal snaps to a diy leather cuff bracelet

Snap Closures

I picked up my snaps at the fabric store. The snap kit comes with all the pieces you need to attach them. Follow the directions on the back of the package. You'll need a hammer to install them, but it's pretty easy. Make sure you have your snap tops on the right side of the fabric, and the back closures on the back of the bracelet.

On my first attempt, I had the metal piece that you use underneath upside down. The indent on the first snap attempt was a bit too small for the snap, and marked it on the bottom part. On my second attempt I used the other side and it worked perfectly, so be careful to follow the directions really carefully and use the setting tool properly.

using a leather hole punch to make a leather cuff bracelet

Add A Tassel

I wanted to add a fun tassel to the side of the bracelet, so I picked one up a tassel. Look for tassels in the jewellery making section of hobby stores. This part is completely optional , but I thought it was a fun addition. To attach it, I punched a small hole, close enough to the edge of the leather so that the tassel would still hang nicely.

Then I used needle nose pillars to attach the tassel with a jump ring. Then…I removed it to do the gold leaf, so the second time around I did this step after the gold leaf.

Gold Leaf

The gold leaf addition is optional as well. You could use gold leaf like I did, or try silver, copper, or rose gold. I added a chevron pattern to mine, but stripes would be so much fun too. To add the gold leaf chevrons to the end of the bracelet, I used special gold leaf adhesive you can find at the craft store, and imitation gold leaf. I created my pattern with washi tape -taking care to make them as even as possible. Then, I applied the adhesive with a small paint brush all the way to the edges of the leather. I waited 10 min, for the adhesive to get tacky, and applied the gold leaf.

Lastly, I removed the washi tape. On my first bracelet, I worked on the tape placement the night before, and the next day finished the bracelet up with the gold leaf. When I removed the tape, it damaged the leather. I think it was only because it had been on over night and really stuck. On my second attempt the next time I had no problems.

gold snap buttons on a diy leather cuff bracelet

Lastly I added the tassel back on.

Recipe

How To Make A Leather Cuff Bracelet

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 15

Additional Time: 10

Total Time: 25

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Equipment

sharp scissors
leather hole punch

Materials

leather
disappearing ink marker
snaps
gold leaf adhesive
gold leaf
tassel charm

Instructions

Decide on the width of your cuff. We used 4 inches wide. Measure the length of your wrist and add an inch or so for your snap closures. Mark out your rectangle with disappearing ink marker. Cut out your rectangle with sharp scissors.
Punch two holes with your leather punch for the snap closures, about 1 cm from the edge on each side of your bracelet.
Follow the instructions on the snap kit to install the front and back of 2 snap closures.
Optional: Use tape to mark out a pattern for the gold leaf, and apply the gold leaf adhesive. Let set for 10 minutes, according to the package instructions, and then apply gold leaf on top, and buff off with a soft cloth.
Optional: Lastly add a small hole for a tassel, and attach to the bracelet with a jewelry jump ring

I really, really like how the final product turned out, and it makes me want to keep experimenting with a different type of leather, different colors, and different widths. This is such a great simple way to make leather accessories. If you are a person who sells handmade goods, I think these would be a great item to sell. They were relatively easy to make, and look so fantastic.

Leather Cuff Bracelet with snaps, gold leaf, and a metal tassel

With a DIY Leather Cuff Bracelet, life really is a party! Happy crafting

More Ideas

You might like our How To Make Cricut Ear Rings Tutorial here.

Also check out our Leather and Gold Leaf Feather Necklace Tutorial.

You might also like our How Not To Sew A Zippered Fold Over Clutch Purse.

Fairy Garden Picnic

Aug 2, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Fairy Garden Picnic: create a fairy garden scene with miniature DIY dollhouse style polymer clay food for your own miniature fairy garden.

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Today I'm sharing with you how to make a Fairy Garden Picnic. I love the Fairy Garden trend, and it's been so fun thinking up little miniature fairy garden scenes to create. Miniature gardening is a chance to be like a kid again, and create a little magical world.

I thought it would be fun to create a miniature picnic for the fairies that live in my garden. Polymer clay is an excellent medium for fairy gardens. It's easy to work with, and it stands up great against the elements. I've used it in the past to create different fairy garden accessories and it isn't effected by the rain, wet, or sun.

Really the only limit to what you create is your imagination. Since one of my own favourite treats is a little bread, cheese, meat and wine, I thought the fairies might enjoy it to.

How To Make Fairy Garden Picnic Food: DIY tutorial on how to make miniature picnic food from polymer clay for the perfect fairy garden picnic.

As you know fairies are tiny, so their food has to be too. This penny will give you an idea of the scale.

Supplies:

parchment paper
polymer clay -beige, white, brown, red, blue, orange
tinfoil or wax paper box
gingham fabric
super glue
miniature plastic wine glasses
thin balsa wood

How To Make Polymer Fairy Food:

When working with polymer clay, I find it helpful to work on a piece of parchment paper, since any little specks of dirt, or another colour of clay while mark your project.

how to make polymer miniature doll house food salami

Miniature Polymer Salami

To create the salami, start by mixing some brown clay with a little red and a little blue to create a deeper brown. Combine and knead the clay in your fingers until the colour is uniform.

Now use a sharp edge to chop the clay into tiny, tiny pieces. Also chop a little white clay, you want about half as much white as brown. Then push the chopped pieces together and roll up into a ball.

Chop the new piece again, and then gather it together again, taking care not to blend the colours.

Roll the new piece into a cylinder shaped salami roll.

Next, use a sharp edge against a piece of chalk to create some chalk dust, and roll the salami in it, so it sticks to the outside.

Use a sharp, straight edge to chop a few slices off of the end of the salami. Take care to keep the pieces as round as possible.

Bake according to the manufactures directions, I baked mine about 5 min.

polymer miniature doll house food bread baguette

Miniature Polymer Bread

To make the miniature baguette, knead a small piece of beige clay until soft, and then shape into a bread loaf. Once the loaf is formed, use a mini cutter to make some marks on the top of the loaf, like a real loaf from the bakery.

Bake the clay according to the manufactures directions, according to your thickness. I baked mine about 8 min.

how to make miniature dollhouse food polymer clay cheese

Miniature Polymer Cheese

To make the marble cheese, start with a small piece of orange polymer clay, and a few small pieces of white. Roll the white into thin strips, and add to the orange. Twist and pull the pieces together, taking care to keep the white distinct and not blend the two together into a lighter orange colour.

Form the piece into a rectangular block. Use a sharp straight edge to cut a few pieces of the marble cheese.

Bake the clay according to the manufactures directions, I baked mine about 5 mins.

how to make a miniature dollhouse food knife

How To Make A Miniature Knife

To make the knife, you will need the sharp edge of a tinfoil or wax paper box, that you use to cut the paper on.

Using sharp scissors cut a small piece of the foil cutting edge off of the box, with its cardboard backing still attached. Then cut the small piece into the knife shape, including a piece for the knife handle. After the knife shape is cut out, carefully remove the cardboard backing. It's easier to cut the knife out of the foil cutter when it's attached to the cardboard backing.

Next, soften some brown polymer clay, and shape it around the foil to create the knife handle.

Bake the knife for about 5 min, or according to the polymer clay manufactures directions based on the clays thickness.

Setting Up Your Fairy Picnic

Once the pieces are all made, baked and cooled it's time to put the scene together.

Cut a piece of gingham fabric into a tablecloth, using pinking shears to create the zigzag edge.

I picked up the little plastic wine glasses at the craft store.

The cutting board is made from a piece of very thin balsa wood, you can find at the craft store, and cut with scissors or an exacto knife.

miniature dollhouse food fairy garden picnic

Since I've made many fairy gardens over the years, I know that the tiny little cute pieces can get blown around and lost, so this time I glued things together before I put them in the garden and it's worked great.

I set my table cloth on some parchment paper, and then used super glue to attach the salami and cheese to the cutting board, and then the board to the tablecloth, along with the knife, bread and tiny wine glasses.

Be sure to shift the table cloth a few times so that any glue that seeps through doesn't permanently glue the table cloth to the parchment paper.

Since I might want something else next year, I used double-sided tape to attach the picnic table cloth onto my little fairy table. I set the picnic up under a tiny pergola -see how I made it here. The tiny fairy sized chandelier is made from a fish hook -see how I made it here.

miniature garden pergola fairy sized picnic

With a perfect fairy picnic in my back garden, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

How To Make A Tea Cup Fairy Garden

Also check out How To Make A Fairy House here.

You might also enjoy our Fairy Garden Campground here.

Campfire Baked Apples Recipe

Jul 26, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Campfire Baked Apples: The perfect camping recipe, just a few ingredients, and a sweet, delicious treat everyone is sure to love!

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Tis the season for camping, and campfire recipes! These Campfire Baked Apples are the perfect treat for campfire cookouts this time of year. They're easy to make, and so good. They're a simple treat, with just a few simple ingredients, and easy to put together at home before you go, or at a campsite.

I made them for our Summer Beach Campfire Picnic, and they were the perfect sweet ending to our cookout meal on the beach.

Once our campfire burned down a little I tossed the prepared apples into the hot coals. Ours were done in about 10 -15 min. but cooking times will vary depending on how hot your coals are your fire pit.

These campfire baked apples were standard camping fare for many girl guides, and boy scouts. And with good reason! They're so easy to make and so delicious. What could be better than enjoying your soft apples in the great outdoors around an open campfire? They're a really great camping recipe because they only have a few simple ingredients in them. All you will need are some apples, butter, sugar and cinnamon.

Apples

You can really use any kind of apple you like for these baked apples. Macintosh apples are a classic baking apple because they break down easily. Granny Smith are a classic apple for pies and baked apples too. They're a little more tart, and less sweet than other apples. One apple variety to probably avoid for making baked apples is red delicious. Although an excellent snacking apples, these apples tend to be a bit watery and don't have the best flavour when used in baking.

Variations

If you want to add some different flavors to your baked apples you can add some simple ingredients to them. For the chocolate lover, add some chocolate chips to the insides of your apples. The chocolate will melt in the warm apple and be the perfect treat for the chocolate lover.

If you love caramel apples you can add a few caramel squares to the center fo the apple for a caramel baked apple.

We love serving these with a scoop of ice cream. Vanilla ice cream is the classic combo, but if you're making the chocolate or caramel version you can experiment with chocolate ice cream, or a butterscotch ice cream.

When the apples are ready, they're soft and sweet and a little bit like warm, delicious apple sauce.

Make At Home Version

If you're not camping, you can enjoy the yummy apples at home by roasting them on your bbq, or in your oven.

Recipe

Campfire Baked Apples

The perfect sweet warm apple campfire treat.

No ratings yet

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Servings: Apple

Calories: 206kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

▢ 1 apple
▢ 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
▢ 2 teaspoons butter

Instructions

Core an apple with a sharp knife, removing all the core.
Tear a square of aluminum foil, and spread with about a 1 teaspoon of butter.
Place apple in the middle of the buttered aluminum foil.
Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place about ½ teaspoon butter in the center of each cored apple, and then add the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Top with ½ teaspoon more butter.
Wrap the apple up tightly making a foil packets.
Roast in the hot coals of a campfire for about 10 - 15 min, until the apple is baked, soft and tender. Try to avoid the open flame of the fire. Or, roast in a bbq or oven at 350 for about 20 min. Take care when opening the campfire apple packets, as it will be very hot, and juicy. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

With Campfire Baked Apples, life really is a party!

More Camping Recipe Inspiration

You might also like our Campfire Muffin recipe here.

Also check out our Campfire Cinnamon Rolls here.

You might also enjoy our Campfire Paninis here.

Campfire Paninis: make your own DIY campfire paninis press with a foil covered flat rock and enjoy a campfire panini in the woods.

Felt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jul 22, 2016 · 28 Comments

These Felt Cookies are an easy sewing project, that you can easily make by hand without a sewing machine. They're the perfect play food for kids to enjoy. And we love most of all their little individual faces that make them extra special!

DIY felt chocolate chip cookie play food

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Why We Love This Craft

These felt cookies are an easy sewing project, even for a beginner.
Your kids will love playing with these homemade toys.
The little individual faces add so much extra cuteness to this project.

Felt play food is such a fun and easy DIY project that your kids will love. These felt cookies are a great addition to your play kitchen and lead to some wonderful pretend play. The sewing aspect is quite easy, and you don't need a sewing machine to make these.

Could these Felt Chocolate Chip Cookies be any cuter? And they're really fun to make too.

You might also like our DIY Velvet Mushroom Craft, How To Make a Leather Cuff Braclet, or How to Make a LIght Bulb Flower Vase.

Materials:

Felt: Candy Pink, Sandstone Beige, Dark Brown Walnut and Black
Stuffing
Disappearing Marker
Embroidery Cotton: pink, white, black, dark brown and beige

How To Make Felt Cookies

1. Start by tracing a circle shape on to the beige felt. I used a circle that was about 6.5 cm in diameter and traced around it. I used a disappearing marker for this project, it worked really well, without having to worry about any pen markings on the final project.

2. Next cut out two circles for each cookie, along with tiny circle cheeks in pink, eyes in black, and varying sized chocolate chips in the dark brown. Sharp scissors are a must when working with fabric, especially when making the little detail pieces.

3. Now use the disappearing marker to mark your face. Be sure to mix and match different eye and mouth styles to make lots of unique little faces. This is the really fun part as their little cookie personalities come to life. 😉

Making the Faces

To create the mouth, use 2 strands of embroidery thread, and back stitch the mouth. For the eyes, stitch closed, winking, or sleeping eyes, or use black felt dots. You can also add stitched eye lashes. For the centre of the eye, use white embroidery cotton to make a french knot. Add the pink felt checks with one stitch.

4. Next the chocolate chips are cut in varying sizes and shapes -to imitate real cookies. Stitch them to the cookie with a small x.

5. Once the face and chips are attached, it's time to sew the cookie together. I used 2 strands of beige embroidery cotton, and sewed with a blanket stitch. I like the way it finishes the edges.

Next leave a little gap near the end, and then lastly add in a little stuffing before closing.

They're a little time consuming, but simple and so, so cute.

I started out making three, but it was so much fun coming up with their little facial expressions, that I made more.

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

I think this little cry-baby cookie is my favourite.

With handmade Felt Chocolate Chip Cookies, life really is a party!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long did these take to make?

Making the faces probably takes the longest. It's a great watching tv activity. It too me about 15-20 minutes to make each cookie.

Can I make these without the faces?

Yes, make regular felt chocolate chip toy felt cookies by leaving the faces off and distributing the chocolate chips evenly over the cookie.

Do these last well?

Yes my children were quite gentle, but they played with them their whole childhood in their toy kitchen and they still look great.

More Craft Ideas

If you try these Felt Cookies or any other idea on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Recipe

Felt Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 2

Total Time: 2

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Equipment

sewing needle
scissors

Materials

Felt -Pink, Beige, Dark Brown, Black
Stuffing
Disappearing Marker
Embroidery Cotton -Pink, White, Black, Dark Brown, Beige

Instructions

Start by tracing a 6.5 cm circle shape on to the beige felt with disappearing marker.
Next use sharp fabric scissors to cut out two circles for each cookie, along with tiny circle cheeks in pink, small circle eyes in black, and varying sized chocolate chips in the dark brown.
Use the disappearing marker to mark your face. Be sure to mix and match different eye and mouth styles to make lots of unique little faces. To create the mouth, use 2 strands of embroidery cotton, and back stitch the mouth. For the eyes, stitch closed, winking, or sleeping eyes, or use black felt dots. You can also add stitched eyelashes. For the centre of the eye, use white embroidery cotton to make a French knot. Add the pink felt checks with one stitch.
Next, the chocolate chips are cut in varying sizes and shapes -to imitate real cookies. Stitch them around the face on the tan piece with a small x.
Once the face and chips are attached, it's time to sew the cookie together. Use 2 strands of beige embroidery cotton, and sew with a blanket stitch. Leave a little gap near the end, and add in a little stuffing before closing.

Beach Campfire

Jul 20, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Summer Beach Campfire Picnic: A fun menu of hotdogs, smores, and campfire baked apples, along with some simple decor make the perfect beach campfire picnic.

This month for our #ayearoffeasting we had a great Summer Beach Campfire Picnic with friends, and it was so much fun.

Location

We visited some friends and were introduced to one of their favourite spots, a little out of the way tucked in section of the lake where we were allowed to light a fire.

I brought lunch, and we had a great time roasting hotdogs, marshmallows and apples on the campfire.

This was such a fun way to get together, with everyone entertained by the lake, enjoying cooking their own yummy lunch and chatting and playing away the afternoon.

If you're not able to have a campfire on the beach, a picnic would be really great too. This is the perfect way to host friends if your house is too small for big groups, or you struggle with all the cleaning and prep of having people at your house, or you just want to get out and enjoy the summer weather.

Worth The Effort

I have to say, after hosting 6 parties for the A Year of Feasting Challenge, I wasn't as enthusiastic about another party as I have been in past months. Let's face it, it's a lot of work to entertain…But, but, but when I was sitting on the beach enjoying the sound of the waves, and kids laughing and screaming over the cold water, and munching on all the yummy foods I was so glad that we'd gone to the effort. We forget so often that it's worth it. Just about every time, it's worth it. And, it doesn't have to be fancy to be fun, it could involve cute bunting, but it certainly could also not, and be just as much fun.

Beach Campfire Menu

roasted hotdogs
chips
s'mores
campfire baked apples

Our menu was simple and delicious. We started out roasting hotdogs. I love this cute little condiment caddy and it was super convenient. I used a wood caddy I had, and added the condiments in pretty mason jars. Perfect for the cottage or even just the backyard too.

Along with our hotdogs, we had some chips. I served them up in little paper bags, which meant no plates necessary and super easy cleanup.

After the hotdog roasting, it was time for some sweets -in between visiting, sand play, swimming and exploring that is.

I brought some smore fixings, because campfires require smores.

I also set up a little tea station for the grownups. It was so nice to have a nice hot cup of tea on the beach. The big thermos container kept the tea nice and hot, what a treat.

Along with our s'mores I also brought along some apples to bake. You can find the recipe for the baked apples by clicking here. They were a great addition to the campfire feast.

What a fun day, we came home with sun kissed faces, sand in our shoes, and full and happy hearts.

This year of feasting on food and friends really is turning out amazing!

With a Summer Beach Campfire Picnic, life really is a party!

You might also like our Breakfast Picnic here.

Also check out our French Inspired Picnic here.

You might also enjoy our British Picnic here.

How To Make A Miniature Fairy Garden In A Bottle

Jul 15, 2016 · 2 Comments

How To Make A Miniature Fairy Garden In A Jar: Tutorial using polymer clay to make adorable mushrooms and a fairy house, and then arrange in a teeny, tiny glass bottle.

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I saw these little jars or bottles at the dollar store one day, and thought they'd be perfect for a little, teeny, tiny Miniature Fairy Garden in a Jar. I love how they turned out, and they were a lot of fun to do one afternoon with my little girls.

We each made one, making a sweet little trio. They look great as a centre piece on the table, someplace where someone might notice them as they sit, since they're so teeny, weeny.

I was inspired by Pixie Hills mushrooms and miniature houses, if you don't know this blog then you're in for a treat! I made mine out of polymer clay, and it worked great.

miniature polymer clay houses and mushrooms in a jar

Fairy Garden in a Jar Supplies:

Polymer Clay
straight pins
matchstick
moss
tiny rocks
small glass bottles
white glue

How To Make a Fairy Garden in a Jar:

how to make a miniature fairy mushroom from polymer clay

Mushrooms

Start out with your polymer clay, we used red, white, beige, and pink made by combining red and white. Knead your clay to soften it, and then use a very small amount to make the mushroom stem around the straight pin. The straight pin will make the finished mushroom stronger and easier to work with. Slowly work your clay around the pin, rolling and shaping it with your fingers. Once the stem is made, make a little mushroom cap and press it onto the stem. Feel free to change the shape, and colours of the mushrooms and even add spots of white clay to some.

Houses

The houses are made by making little rectangles, then an angled roof by pinching and shaping with your fingers. Lastly use a matchstick's square end to make window and door indents.

We inserted our mushrooms into a piece of fruit to keep them upright while we baked them. Bake your clay according to the manufactures directions, based on the thickness. We did ours about 5 min. Then let the baked clay pieces cool a little.

Putting The Fairy Gardens Together

Next, you're ready to put your garden together, with moss on the bottom as a little base. We glued our houses in with white glue. The mushrooms were a little long, so I used some wire cutters to shorten them a little.

Fitting everything in the jar is a little fiddle-ly. I found tweezers helpful for this step.

Remember it doesn't have to be perfect. Add in some tiny rocks too, if you like.

How To Make A Miniature Fairy Garden In A Bottle

I also found the tweezers helpful to wipe the inside of the jar with a tiny piece of damp paper towel, to remove the moss residue at the top.

This is the perfect rainy day summer activity…or maybe just any day.

With a sweet little Miniature Fairy Garden in a Jar, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our Teacup Fairy Garden here.

Also check out our Felt Mushroom Tutorial here.

DIY Felt Mushrooms: easy to sew red and white polka dot mushrooms with felt, and cork and wooden spool stems. Perfect for your spring decor.

You might also enjoy our Miniature Fairy Garden Dioramas here.

Potato Print Geometric Pillows

Jul 12, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Potato Print Fabric Pillows: Easy potato print triangle geometric pillows. A fun and inexpensive way to design your own fabric.

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Sometimes when you can't find exactly what you want the best thing to do is to just make it yourself. These Potato Print Fabric Pillows were something I'd been thinking of for a while, but hadn't seen anywhere.

They were the perfect finishing touch to my Spray Paint Wicker Chairs Makeover -see them here. The pillows were really inexpensive to make, since I had the fabric, paint, and pillow inserts. The only things I had to pick up were a few potatoes, lol.

Potato Print Supplies:

Potatoes
Craft Paint
Drop Cloth Fabric
Pillow Inserts
Sewing Machine

How To Potato Print Fabric:

To begin with, cut your fabric to fit your pillow insert, adding a little for seam allowance. I used simple, inexpensive drop cloth fabric. It has a really great texture and colour -a little like linen, and of course, its price. I had some scraps left over from other projects.

Next, cut out your stamps. I used a little paper pattern to make sure my triangles were all the same size. It was easiest to cut one potato stamp for each colour of paint I used. I used white, grey, aqua, lime green, and pink for mine. You could use any colours you like. I used regular craft paint. You could also use fabric paint, or there is an additive for craft paint that you can buy and add to any craft paint to turn it into fabric paint.

Then, it's time to get stamping. I laid my fabric out on newspaper, and worked away in a random pattern. I also left some spaces blank. You can use a small paint brush to take off any excess paint from the edges of the potato.

It doesn't need to be perfect. Random is good, Handmade looking is good. I tried to keep things as straight as I could, but it's not all lined up perfectly. I kind of like the wonky-ness of it. If you really wanted it straight, you could use a disappearing ink marker from the fabric store to measure out some straight lines of reference before you began.

After the fabric was all dry, I cut out the back pieces and sewed them into cushions. Easy peasy.

I've been using them outside, but they're not weather proof, so I make sure I bring them in at the end of the day. Inside my house is decorated in fairly neutral colours, so it's fun to be a bit more bold and colourful outside for summer.

I love how this quick afternoon project turned out -adding bit of colour and pattern to the our summery space.

With Easy Potato Print Fabric Pillows, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our Pillow Fort here.

How To Build A Pillow Fort -make a magical pillow fort with fairy lights and starry decorations, and star themed snacks for family night or date night.

Also check out our Dip Dye Table Runner and Napkins here.

You might also enjoy DIY Rainbow Book Art here.

DIY Rainbow Book Art: Using old books as a canvas this DIY rainbow art in mustard yellow and pink is fun to make and inexpensive.

Fairy Garden Fish Hook Miniature Chandelier

Jul 7, 2016 · 2 Comments

DIY Miniature Chandelier: how to make a miniature fairy chandelier out of a fish hook, polymer clay, and beads. Perfect for a fairy garden or doll house.

DIY miniature chandelier for a fairy garden.

What does every Fairy Garden need? A Miniature Chandelier. And what does a fairy make a chandelier out of…a Fish Hook.

DIY Fairy garden miniature garden chandelier

The other day I shared our sweet little Miniature Fairy Pergola, and today as promised, is the tutorial to make your very own Fairy Garden Fish Hook Miniature Chandelier.

How to make a fairy garden miniature chandelier

DIY Miniature Chandelier Materials:

Triple Hook Fish Hook
Pliers
Small Hack Saw
Birthday Candle
Polymer Clay -white
Bead Caps
Small glass beads and pearls
Fine Thread
Bead Needle
Super Glue

How To Make A Miniature Chandelier

Remove Fish Hook Barbs

1. Begin with the fish hook, this is the hardest part of the project. Use pliers to hold the hook, and a small hack saw to cut the barbs off of the hook.

My husband helped me out with this. If you weren't able to get the barbs off, I think you could make a small ball/bead with polymer clay, and bake it around the barb to cover it up and prevent it from poking anyone.

Make Candles

2. Next make the candles. I used a real birthday candle and used the wick from it. Then, I formed a candle shape from polymer clay. I made sure to place it on the top of the hook to make a small indentation which made it easier to glue afterward.

Once the polymer clay is formed into the candles, bake it according to the package directions to make it hard.

diy Miniature doll chandelier candelabra

Once the clay is baked it's time to glue it together. Make sure to put the end bead first, then glue on the candle, and glue the end bead underneath it. Super glue is a little tricky, so be careful of your fingers!

diy Miniature doll house chandelier candelabra

Chandelier Beading

3. The last step is to add the hanging beads to the chandelier. I used small glass beads, and fine plastic thread. Tie the thread right under the end bead, and use enough beads to make a nice swag.

I tied the chandelier onto our little Miniature Fairy Garden Pergola and set up the sweetest little Fairy Picnic underneath -see how to make the fairy garden picnic food here.

With a sweet Fairy Garden Fish Hook Miniature Chandelier, life really is a party!

You might also like our How To Make a Fairy Garden House tutorial here.

Also check out our Fairy Garden Birthday Party here.

Also check out our Fairy Garden in a Teacup here.

Fairy Pergola

Jul 5, 2016 · Leave a Comment

DIY Fairy Garden Furniture: easy how to instructions to make a miniature twig pergola/gazebo/arbor for a fairy garden using twigs, glue, and paint.

Last week I gave you a tour of my Summer Deck Makeover, and a little sneak peek of our Fairy Gardens. Today I want to share how easy it is to make your own DIY Fairy Garden Furniture with this fun fairy garden pergola or arbor or gazebo. What ever you call it it sure is cute.

Fairy Gardens have become a fun little hobby, and this year I thought it might be cute to make a some mini fairy garden sized furniture. I settled on a fairy pergola / arbor / gazebo, to kind of match our large pergola in the back yard.

I was inspired by the twig houses I made here.

The Fairy Gazebo turned out so sweet, and it was really easy to put together.

Materials:

Sticks -I used some dogwood branches
Glue -hot glue, or gorilla glue for a stronger finished product
White Paint

How To Make A Fairy Garden Gazebo

Start out with some straight sticks and use your garden clippers to cut them to the right length pieces. I didn't give you measurements because this really doesn't need to be very precise.

First make one side of the gazebo structure, and then make the other side to match. I used hot glue here, but something like gorilla glue would make the finished gazebo even stronger.

You want to make your gazebo a little extra tall, so that you can push the posts into the dirt to secure it in your fairy garden. So keep that in mind when you decide on the height.

Once the sides are glued together, use two pieces the same length each to create the gazebo structure. You want to create the characteristic gazebo overhang on the ends.

Now for the fun part, cut about 5 or 6 pieces so that they will be a little longer for some overhang and evenly space them along the top.

Now paint with some white exterior paint, I gave mine a few coats.

I used my gazebo as the centrepiece of this little fairy garden. We added some birch rounds to make a patio underneath it. Click here to see the sweet little fairy chandelier tutorial, and the gazebo is the perfect structure to hang it off of. Underneath, I set up the sweetest little fairy picnic. I hope the fairies love it!

With a Fairy Garden Gazebo, life really is a party!

Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

Jun 30, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie: Easy recipe with no-fail, no-roll crust, a creamy cream cheese cheesecake layer, and fresh strawberries.

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It's strawberry season here, and time to make strawberry cream cheese pie. This is one of those strawberry desserts that I look forward to this time of year. With fresh seasonal strawberries topped in a sweet glaze, a creamy filling of no bake cheesecake, and an easy no-roll pastry crust you'll want to add this strawberry cream cheese pie recipe to your recipe collection too.

This is the perfect treat to enjoy in the garden on a warm summer day. Serve the strawberry cream cheese pie with whipped cream for the perfect summer fruit dessert. This homemade pie is quick and easy to make, and always a hit with strawberry lovers.

Fresh Strawberries

This pie is made with fresh strawberries. It's best with local in season sweet strawberries. The strawberries are sliced and covered with a sweet glossy glaze on top. If you're looking for a great strawberry dessert to use up remaining strawberries after a day of picking, this recipe is perfect. It's sure to become a favorite summer dessert.

Cheesecake Filling

This no-bake cream cheese filling is creamy and sweet and delicious. We prefer to use full-fat cream cheese in this recipe as it gives the best creamy texture to the pie. You can substitute low fat cream cheese in this recipe if you prefer to but it will be a slightly different texture. The cream cheese combined with sugar and almond flavoring creates a cream cheese mixture that is light and delicious. The cream cheese layer combines perfectly with the cookie like crust, and tart sweet glazed strawberries.

This filling includes almond extract which gives it a unique and delicious flavor. If for some reason, like a nut allergy you can not use almond, feel free to substitute vanilla extract for a different but delicious flavor.

Easy No-Roll Pie Crust

Unlike a no-bake strawberry pie, this one has a quick and easy pie crust that needs a few minutes in the oven to bake. It's more like a cookie dough than a traditional pastry crust. It's mixed together and then pushed into the bottom of the pie plate to form the crust, with your fingers. No difficult pie pastry crust to form and roll out with a rolling pin. Just mix this quick crust together, press into the pie plate, and bake for 10 min.

Allow the pie crust to fully cool before adding in the layer of cream cheese pie filling, to avoid it melting. Then top with strawberries and glaze and let it all set in the fridge for a few hours.

Whipped Cream

Serve this pie with some whipped cream on the side. To make homemade whipped cream, add 237mL of heavy whipping cream to a stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3 teaspoon sugar, and mix to combine.

Store this strawberry pie in the in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

This strawberry pie recipe is particularly great since it has a simple no-roll homemade pie crust. The crust comes together quickly, and then you just use your fingers to push it into the pie plate. Easy Peasy, no-fuss, no-fail -my kind of pie! I love the combination of the tart, fresh berries, and the sweet creamy cheesecake layer. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser, and the perfect dessert during the summer months. We love it for summer birthday celebrations.

Recipe

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie with whipped cream

With fresh strawberry cream cheese pie, life really is a party!

More Strawberry Dessert Recipes

You might also like our Donut Strawberry Shortcake here.

Also check out our Strawberry Frosting recipe here.

You might also enjoy our Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream here.

Summer Deck Makeover

Jun 29, 2016 · 11 Comments

Summer Deck Makeover: simple and pretty summer deck makeover ideas with a rug, outdoor pillows, flowers, and a snack area.

Today I'm sharing my Summer Deck Makeover for the Canadian Bloggers Summer Patio Tour.

Earlier this spring my poor old deck was looking a little rough, and a little barren. Everything has to get packed up and put away for cold Canadian winters, so in spring, after the rain, it's time to bring it all out again.

You can see in this "Before" shot, the chairs and little bench are out, but that's about it. My girls had been playing with their water table, and there were some very dead pansies in some containers. Time for some sprucing up for sure!

New Rug and Cushions

I started out with the pretty rug. Since in my experience, they only last one summer, I shopped around for an inexpensive one. I love the subtle pattern, and the grey colour, and it's so soft underfoot.

Next we moved our umbrella from the back corner. We found that when we want to sit out the sun is on the far side, and it didn't really provide much shade where it was located. It's much more usable now.

The chairs we bought to mark our very first wedding anniversary(15 years and counting) -well these are actually their replacements. We had wood Muskoka chairs originally, but over the years, and a few coats of stain, they had definitely seen better days and I was so tired of repainting them every few years. Two years ago my husband convinced me to replace them with these zero maintenance ones, and they have been great, and I'll never have to worry about restaining or decay with them again.

New for this year are the pretty cushions. I like pink, and it hasn't been around for a few years, so when I saw these with a little pink, and the trendy geometric pattern, I thought they'd be a nice addition. They're made for outside, so if I forget to bring them in one night, it's no big deal. I love the colours they bring in and how they help update some of the older pieces.

Snack Area

The little pink bench is one I've had for years. It's so handy here, it can be extra seating for a party, or a serving area -great for a few summer refreshments.

There's nothing better on a hot summer day than a bowl of cold cherries.

I was inspired by the colours in the cushions to add some colour to the string of lights. I picked up an inexpensive string at the dollar store, removed the rattan balls, and spray painted them with some left over pink and aqua paint to match the cushions.

They're so pretty at night, and a pop of colour in the day.

The cushions and their colours also inspired these fun geometric wooden blocks. They're made with some fence post off cuts. My brother-in-law made them for me by sawing off the edges to create the geometric shapes, I painted them to match the cushion colours, and gave them a coat of mod podge to seal them. I love the mix of the modern geometrics and the old thrifted teapot with flowers.

Flowers

Down the stairs I added more pots of flowers. I love using vintage containers for flowers, just be sure to add some holes in the bottom for drainage.

And, if you look carefully at these pots, you might notice that I have fairies living in my garden.

There's a few pretty houses in my neighbourhood.

And a new fairy pergola that's very similar to our grown up version. See how I built the fairy pergola here.

The deck is a favourite spot to sit in the evening and look out on the beautiful forest we have behind our house, and I'm so glad that I invested in a new rug and pillows, did a few DIY's, moved the umbrella, and planted the pots. I'm looking forward to a summer of enjoying it all.

With a Summer Deck Makeover to enjoy, life really is a party!

You might also like our Black and White Garden here.

Black and White Garden -an old garden is refreshed with a new pea gravel seating area, and lots of black and white accessories and plants, including a garden of all white plants.

Also check out our Deck Irrigation System post here.

You might also enjoy Fairy Gardens for Kids here.

Fairy Gardens For Kids: kids can paint their own fairy houses, choose plants, and create their own fairy garden containers to grow and play with all summer.

How to Make an Ice Cream Sundae Kit Gift Basket

Jun 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Create a thoughtful ice cream sundae gift basket with everything needed for the perfect sundae. Includes what to include, repackaging tips, and presentation ideas for any occasion.

Ice cream sundae making kit gift basket.

Quick Look

🍦What: Ice Cream Sundae Kit Gift Basket
🎁Perfect For: Teacher gifts, hostess gifts, birthdays, party favors, thank you gifts
🕓Time to Assemble: 30 to 45 minutes
✂️Difficulty: Easy
⭐️Customizable: Highly adaptable to recipient preferences

Why You'll Love This

Universally loved: Everyone loves ice cream, making this a safe gift choice for almost anyone.
Easy to customize: Tailor the toppings and presentation to match the recipient's favorites or the occasion.
Budget friendly: You can create a beautiful gift without spending a fortune, especially when buying in bulk and repackaging.
Looks expensive: The repackaging and presentation make store-bought items look custom and premium.
Perfect for any occasion: Works for teacher gifts, hostess gifts, birthdays, party favors, and more.
Interactive gift: Recipients get to customize their own sundaes, making it more than just a typical gift.

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Ice cream sundae kits are one of my favorite gifts to give because they're thoughtful, fun, and easy to personalize for any occasion. I've made these for teacher appreciation gifts, summer hostess gifts, birthday presents, and even party favors for ice cream themed celebrations. The best part? You can customize each kit based on the recipient's favorite flavors and toppings.

What makes these kits special is the presentation. By repackaging store-bought items in clear cellophane bags and arranging everything in a pretty basket or box, you can create a gift that looks expensive and custom made. The recipient just adds ice cream and they're ready for a fun sundae night at home.

Whether you're headed to a BBQ, cottage weekend, or need a thoughtful thank you gift, this ice cream sundae kit is always a hit. It's simple to put together, looks beautiful, and works for almost any occasion or age group.

If you love ice cream as much as we do, you'll also want to check out our complete guide to Ice Cream Party Ideas and our Ice Cream Charcuterie Board.

What to Put in an Ice Cream Sundae Kit

The key to a great ice cream sundae kit is variety. Include different options so recipients can customize their perfect sundae.

Ice Cream Cones

Ice cream sundae kit waffle cones, sugar cones, and waffle bowls.

It's fun to include a bunch of different ice cream cone options. I always include waffle cones, sugar cones, and waffle bowls so everyone can choose their favorite style. You can find all of these at the grocery store. For something extra special, look for chocolate dipped cones, Oreo cones, or other specialty varieties.

Pro Tip: Repackage cones in clear cellophane bags tied with twine or ribbon. This makes them look custom and protects them from breaking.

Sauces and Cherries

chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, maraschino cherries

I always include classic chocolate sauce and caramel sauce. Strawberry sauce is another great option. You could also look for magic shell (the kind that hardens instantly on ice cream) for something fun and different.

Don't forget the cherry on top! I wrap the cherry jar with a little kraft paper and twine and it looks so pretty. If you want to go the extra mile, you can make homemade hot fudge sauce and package it in a mason jar for a really special touch.

Fresh Fruit Option: Include fresh bananas for banana splits, though these should only be added if giving the gift immediately.

Bowls, Spoons, and Napkins

The sweet little bowls and spoons are from the dollar store, and the ice cream napkins too. Don't they look cute tied with a little twine? Disposable wooden spoons would be a great choice too. Small plastic ice cream sundae bowls in pastel colors are really cute and reusable.

Keep your eye out for ice cream themed bowls and napkins at the beginning of summer and stock up when you see them. An ice cream scoop would be a great addition too, especially for a hostess gift or housewarming present.

Candy and Sprinkles

Ice cream sundae kit sprinkles, candies, marshmallows, and wafer cookies

I wanted to include a few candies and sprinkles for variety. I love colorful rainbow marshmallows, and a selection of favorite sprinkles. Chocolate candies like Smarties or M&Ms are always popular. I also included rolled wafer cookies because they're such a perfect addition to a bowl of ice cream. Look for them in different flavors like chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut.

Other Great Candy Options:

Gummy bears
Mini peanut butter cups
Chocolate chips
Crushed cookies
Toffee bits
Candy coated chocolates

I picked up sprinkles at the bulk store. The ice cream cone shaped sprinkles were the cutest! The containers are from the dollar store. I should have picked up more for myself because I love them. Small mason jars work beautifully for packaging sprinkles too.

If you're making your gift basket for a special occasion like Valentine's Day, Christmas, or Halloween, look for sprinkles in coordinating colors. Pink and red for Valentine's, orange and black for Halloween, red and green for Christmas. Shaped sprinkles (hearts, stars, holiday themes) add a festive touch.

Ice Cream

If you're giving your ice cream sundae kit immediately, and the recipent is at home and put the ice cream in a freezer you are welcome to include it. If including look for gourmet varieties, or interesting flavors. And of course you can't go wrong with classic vanilla and chocolate.

But if the recipent won't have access to a freezer immediately, it's best to leave the ice cream out. Add a not that says something like "just add ice cream and you're all set". It's also a great idea to include a grocery store gift card to cover the cost of the ice cream.

How to Assemble Your Ice Cream Sundae Kit (Step by Step)

The key to making this gift look special is all in the packaging. Here's how to create a professional looking ice cream sundae kit.

Step 1: Choose Your Container

Pick a basket, sturdy gift box, or gift bag with a cardboard bottom. The size depends on how many items you're including. For a full kit with multiple cone types, several toppings, and sauces, you'll want a medium to large basket. For party favors, smaller containers work perfectly.

Where to Find Containers:

Dollar stores (great selection at low prices)
Craft stores (look for sales)
Thrift stores (unique baskets at bargain prices)
Gift shops (for premium presentation)

Step 2: Gather Packaging Supplies

You'll need cellophane bags in different sizes, ribbon or twine, and optionally, labels or gift tags. All of these are available at dollar stores or craft stores.

Supplies Checklist:

Clear cellophane bags (various sizes)
Ribbon, twine, or raffia
Tissue paper or shredded paper filler
Gift tags (optional)
Labels (optional)
Scissors

Step 3: Repackage Bulk Items

This is the step that makes everything look custom and put together. Take items out of their bulky, commercial packaging and repackage them in clear cellophane bags. This is especially important for candy, sprinkles, and cookies.

How to Repackage:

Use different size bags for different items
Fill bags about two thirds full
Tie each bag tightly with ribbon or twine and make sure it's air tight
Group similar items together
Leave some items in original packaging if they look nice (like sauce bottles)

Why This Works: Breaking up large packages lets you create multiple gift baskets from one shopping trip, and it allows you to offer a little bit of everything in each basket. Plus, the presentation is so much prettier than commercial packaging.

Step 4: Arrange Items in Container

Place taller items (sauce bottles, cone packages) toward the back. Put shorter items (bags of candy, sprinkles in containers) in front. This creates visual interest and makes sure everything is visible.

Fill any gaps with tissue paper or shredded paper to keep items from shifting and to add color. I like using bright, fun colors that match the ice cream theme.

Arrangement Tips:

Create height variation
Group items by color for visual appeal
Make sure gift recipient can see everything
Balance the arrangement (don't put all heavy items on one side)

Step 5: Add Final Touches

If you're using a basket, you can wrap the entire thing in clear cellophane and tie it with a big bow. If you're using a gift bag, arrange items inside and add tissue paper on top.

Optional Additions:

Gift tag with recipient's name
Small card that says "Just Add Ice Cream"
Ribbon on the handle
Fresh flowers tucked in (if giving immediately)

Ice Cream Sundae Kit: Perfect for summer gift giving. Wrap up your favourite ice cream toppings, sauces, cherries, ice cream cones, and ice cream.

Perfect Occasions for Ice Cream Sundae Kits

One of the best things about ice cream sundae kits is how versatile they are. Here are my favorite occasions for giving these gifts.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts: This is the perfect sweet gift heading into summer. Teachers love receiving something they can enjoy with their families, and the timing is ideal since summer is ice cream season. I put these together as thank you gifts for my kids' teachers and they were a huge hit.
Hostess Gifts: Bringing an ice cream sundae kit to a BBQ, cottage weekend, or dinner party means you're bringing dessert and entertainment in one package. Everyone can customize their own sundae, which makes it interactive and fun. It's a welcome change from bringing wine or flowers.
Birthday Gifts: Works for kids, teens, and adults who love ice cream. You can customize the toppings based on the birthday person's favorites. Pair with a gift card to a grocery store if you want to help them buy the ice cream to go with it.
Party Favors: Make smaller versions as party favors for ice cream themed birthday parties. Include just 2 to 3 toppings, a cone or two, and a small sauce in a clear bag or box. Kids love taking home their own mini sundae kit.
Thank You Gifts: A thoughtful way to say thanks to neighbors, friends, babysitters, or anyone who's helped you out. The personal touch of repackaging and arranging everything shows you put thought into the gift.
Christmas: Red and green sprinkles, peppermint candies, candy canes
Valentine's Day: Pink and red sprinkles, heart shaped candies, strawberry sauce
Summer Holidays: Red, white, and blue sprinkles, festive napkins
Halloween: Orange and black sprinkles, candy corn, Halloween themed napkins

Tips for a Professional Look

These simple tricks make your ice cream sundae kit look like it came from a fancy gift shop.

Repackaging Secrets

Use Clear Bags: Clear cellophane bags let you see the colorful contents, which adds to the visual appeal. Stack items in bags so the colors show through layers.
Consistent Ribbon: Use the same ribbon or twine on all bags for a cohesive look. Natural twine, colorful ribbon, or raffia all work beautifully.
Remove Commercial Packaging: Taking candy out of branded wrappers and putting it in clear bags makes everything look more upscale.
Small Containers: Use small mason jars, spice jars, or dollar store containers for sprinkles. They look much better than plastic bags.

Presentation Tips

Color Coordination: Stick with a color scheme. Pastels (pink, mint, yellow) for spring/summer, or bright rainbow colors year round.
Label Everything: While not required, small labels on bags (chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, etc.) add a nice professional touch.
Odd Numbers: Arrange items in groups of 3 or 5 for the most pleasing visual arrangement.
Fresh Look: Make sure everything looks fresh and sealed. Replace any items that look damaged or crushed.

Ice Cream Sundae Kit Variations

For Kids

Focus on fun, colorful toppings:

Rainbow sprinkles
Gummy bears
Chocolate chips
Mini marshmallows
Colorful cones
Fun napkins with ice cream designs

For Adults

Include more sophisticated options:

Dark chocolate sauce
Caramel with sea salt
Nuts (pecans, almonds)
Wafer cookies
Coffee flavored toppings
Nice ceramic bowls instead of disposable

For Special Diets

Dairy Free Kits:

Include only toppings that are naturally dairy free
Add a note suggesting dairy free ice cream brands
Most sprinkles, many candies, and fruit toppings are dairy free

Nut Free Kits:

Skip all nut toppings
Check candy labels carefully
Focus on sprinkles, chocolate chips, gummies, marshmallows

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I put in an ice cream sundae kit?

nclude a variety of cones (waffle, sugar, bowls), sauces (chocolate, caramel, strawberry), sprinkles, candies (chocolate candies, gummies, marshmallows), cherries, bowls, spoons, and napkins. Everything except the ice cream itself.

Can I include ice cream in the kit?

Only if you're delivering it immediately and the recipient can freeze it right away. Most people give these kits without ice cream and include a note that says "Just Add Ice Cream" so the recipient can buy their favorite flavors fresh.

What's the best container for an ice cream sundae kit?

Baskets work beautifully and look classic. Sturdy gift boxes are good for shipping or mailing. Gift bags with cardboard bottoms are convenient for transport. Choose based on how many items you're including and your presentation preference.

How far in advance can I make these kits?

Most items are shelf stable, so you can assemble these 1 to 2 weeks ahead of when you need to give them. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. This makes them perfect for making in batches.

Where should I buy supplies for ice cream sundae kits?

Dollar stores have great containers, cellophane bags, ribbon, bowls, and spoons. Bulk stores let you buy just the quantity you need for sprinkles and candy. Grocery stores have cones, sauces, cherries, and most toppings. Craft stores have pretty ribbons and gift packaging supplies.

How many servings does one kit make?

It depends on what you include, but most full sized kits make enough for 4 to 6 generous sundaes. You can also scale them down if you wish.

What if the recipient has dietary restrictions?

It's easy to personalize a kit like this and make it dairy free kit by including only toppings that don't contain dairy (most sprinkles, many candies, fruit based sauces). For a nut free kit, skip all nut toppings and check candy labels carefully. For gluten free, most toppings are naturally gluten free, but check labels on wafer cookies and candies, and cones or waffle bowls.

Can I make homemade sauces for the kit?

Absolutely! Homemade hot fudge sauce or caramel sauce adds a really special personal touch. Just make sure it's properly sealed in a clean jar, and be sure to mention it needs to be stored in the refrigerator right away.

More Ice Cream Inspiration

If you use this Ice Cream Sundae Kit Gift Basket or any other ideas from the blog, please let us know in the comments below. Thanks for visiting Life is a Party today!

Geometric Pink and Gold Tablescape

Jun 21, 2016 · 4 Comments

Geometric Pink and Gold Tablescape: pretty peonies, DIY candle holders, paper gems, and homemade napkins make a gorgeous and inexpensive tablescape.

I always love pink and gold together. Fresh pink flower peonies and sweet William couldn't be prettier along with a few DIY additions to this pretty pink and gold tablescape.

It's well into June, and today I'm sharing my #ayearoffeasting party for the month. At the beginning of the year my husband and I decided that we wanted to have a little more fun this year, and connect and re-connect with our friends by hosting one get-together a month. Some of them have been large, some small, some fancy, some casual, but all fun, and all times of real, authentic relationship building and fun. It's fair to say we're already feeling so glad we took on this little challenge.

And it's not too late for you join in too. At this stage of life, with kids and now even a puppy, it's not as easy as it used to be to go out, and see our friends. This challenge has helped us be intentional about having people over, and it's been great so far.

A Special Table In Pink and Gold

This month we re-connected with a few old and very dear friends. I wanted to set a pretty and special table, to hopefully make them feel a bit special.

We had an easy menu -a charcuterie board in the kitchen to start, a lovely summery salad with grilled flank steak for dinner, and one of our guests brought an amazing dessert. Since the menu wasn't too tricky, I had a little more time to work on the table.

The Flowers

The best part might have been the flowers. I headed out early to the Friday farmer's market, about 20 mins. away from my house, hoping for some beautiful peonies for the table. But they didn't have any. I did find the last two bouquets of pretty pink sweet william, so I picked it up. Then later, as I finished up grocery shopping, at my regular old discount grocery store I saw these beautiful pink peonies at the cash register. They hardly ever have flowers, and I certainly wasn't expecting to find these beauties there, so I brought a bouquet of them home too.

I love how they look mixed together, and in simple tin cans painted gold. I used an elastic on the stems to hold each arrangement together, which worked great.

Candles

The candle holders were a fun DIY I started last summer and finally finished up. I love how they look with their light pink, grey, white, and gold leaf for sparkle. When I was at the craft store I just happened to find a smaller version. So I brought them home too and painted them up to match.

I already had the pretty gold geometric candle holders.

Linens

For linens I used a couple casual linen runners, and picked up some fabric at the dollar store that I used for the napkins. I didn't even hem the edges, since I thought the frayed look was pretty and casual.

Geometric Theme

With my geometric candle holders, I wanted to continue the geometric theme to each pacesetting. So I made a simple paper gem for everyone's spot. I found the pattern on-line, and printed them, cut them out, folded and glued them. For a little sparkle, I added a little gold scrapbook paper to each one.

Tips For An Inexpensive Tablescape

This pretty tablescape was a lot of fun to put together, and really inexpensive since I used what I had, and DIY'd a few projects. Don't forget to "shop your house", use what's in season like the peonies, and look for things in unexpected places like my fabric pieces from the craft section of the dollarstore that I used for napkins.

With a pretty Geometric Pink and Gold Tablescape, life really is a party!

You might also like our Summer Table here.

Summer Tablescape -garden flowers in vintage bottles under glass cloches create a simple, easy summer time table for entertaining.

Also check out our Rustic Casual Tablescape here.

You might also enjoy our Three Steps To An Easy Summer Table here.

Spray Paint Wicker Chair Makeover

Jun 15, 2016 · 8 Comments

Spray Painted Wicker Furniture Makeover: learn how to spray paint wicker furniture with tips for the very best results on this beginner level project.

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Give new life to old wicker pieces with a fresh coat of paint. We used spray paint to give our outdoor furniture a makeover. Learn how to spray paint wicker furniture.

So one Tuesday morning, yes it was for sure a Tuesday since that's garbage day on my street, I noticed these poor abandoned wicker chairs. They were set out at the curb waiting for someone with a little vision…or the garbage truck. Lucky for them, I came by before the garbage truck and I saw the potential in this old rattan furniture. Sure they were a little discoloured, a little past their prime, but nothing a few cans of spray paint couldn't fix. I knew they'd be perfect for our #12MonthsOfDIY challenge for June -spray paint.

Spray Paint Wicker Chair Makeover: Easy how-to spray paint wicker.

I love spray paint, and these great little chairs are the perfect example of why spray paint is such an easy way to transform so many things.

Makeover Materials:

old wicker chairs
semi-gloss white spray paint

Spray Painted Wicker Furniture Makeover:

Getting Started and Prepping Your Surface

I didn't really need to do anything to prep these chairs. They were already weathered and a bit rough probably from being outside a long time. This natural wicker furniture had not been previously painted, so there was no old peeling paint to worry about.

If your piece of furniture was previously painted, your first step would be to make sure that there was no flaking paint. You might use a wire brush to remove any old paint, but take care not to damage the furniture piece.

If you're wicker garden furniture was dirty it might be a good idea to wash it with some warm water or use an air compressor as a great way to remove any loose dirt. If you have a lot of dust build-up you could also try washing it with a pressure washer, which could also help remove any old paint or loose dust. You don't want to paint wet wicker, so be sue to factor in some drying time.

Our chairs were in great shape, the wicker wasn't cracked or coming apart or broken anywhere. This is definitely something to consider before painting to make sure the project is worth it.

Why Spray Paint?

You can paint wicker furniture with different paints, so how do you choose your type of paint for the project?

Regular outdoor paint would work fine, but to get even coats of paint and an even finish you would need a stiff brush to get into all the nooks and crannies and a lot of patience. That's why we choose spray paint as the best option. Its the quickest and best way to get a great paint job on a surface like wicker. If you have a spray gun this would be a great project to use it for. But even without your own spray gun, you can use spray paint for a great finish.

Setting Up To Paint

Spray paint should be used in a well-ventilated area because of the paint fumes. You will also want cover the area under the furniture with a plastic drop cloth. And you may want to consider if there is a breeze in your work area. Spray paint can have what's called over spray where the paint marks things around it, or is carried onto the surfaces of things around what your painting by the wind. One of the first things you want to do before actually beginning spray painting is to make sure there's nothing in the area that can be damaged by over spray.

Many Light Coats of Spray Paint

One last thing before you begin painting, after prepping the actual outdoor wicker furniture surface, and after preparing the area is to shake your spray paint cans. There will be instructions on the side of the spray paint can telling you how long you need to shake the paint. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions. A diy project can be ruined by skipping this simple but important step. Use your watch to actually time the three minutes, or whatever time is suggested to make sure you shake it long enough.

The name of the game when spray painting is many, many light coats rather than trying to do one heavy one. A heavy coat will create runs in the paint. So be patient, and do lots of light coats until you have the coverage you want. Don't worry about the coverage of the first coat of spray-paint. Let the first layer dry and add more with a second coat, continuing until you're happy with the coverage, and being sure to give it some dry time in between each coat.

Spray Paint From Every Angle

Also with wicker because it is a woven material, you need to spray from lots of different angles to get into all the grooves. So flip them over, turn them on their side, and flip them around to get all the nooks and crannies with a good layer of paint.

You will need more than one can of spray paint to give two chairs a new coat of paint. It took 4 cans of semi-gloss white to cover our wicker outdoor pieces. It was about $30 worth of paint, but all in all, since they were free, it was a pretty good investment. They still had an Ikea sticker on the bottom, they were originally $39 from Ikea.

Cozy Outdoor Setting Area

I put the chairs with their new paint job in the corner of my yard. I'm spending lots more time out here lately since we have a brand new puppy. I thought this was the perfect project to add him posing in the corner, so you could "meet" him, although he doesn't know "stay" yet so it was a little tricky, lol.

Oscar is a 10 week old Havanese puppy, who we've had with us for about a week and half now. We're busy training him…or at least trying, which means lots of time in the garden for potty breaks. This little corner has a bit of shade and these little chairs with their fresh paint are the perfect spot to sit when we're out there.

I added a simple yarn tassel bunting, and these pretty geometric stamped pillows -see how to make them here. Now it's the perfect little spot to sit.

With a Spray Paint Wicker Chair Makeover, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our Spray Paint Cutlery and Vase Makeover here.

Spray Paint Cutlery and Vase Makeover: give inexpensive thrift store vases and cutlery new life with spray paint, perfect for entertaining.

Also check out our Black Paint Dipped Brass Candlesticks here.

You might also enjoy our DIY Concrete Side Table post here.

Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

Jun 13, 2016 · 6 Comments

This homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning Recipe is easy to make and delicious. Plus check out our free printable labels for gift giving.

Montreal steak seasoning recipe with ingredients on a cutting board.

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Why We Love This Recipe

It's delicious and takes your average steak up a notch in terms of flavor.
In our homemade version you can alter the spice and salt level to fit your personal taste.
It's really easy to make, and a great recipe to make with kids.
It is great for gift giving, especially if you're looking for a great Father's Day gift.

Montreal steak seasoning is a popular dry rub seasoning mix used to add flavor to steak and grilled meats. Our homemade steak seasoning is the best way to season steak and perfect for grilling season. This easy recipe is quick to prepare. This flavorful steak seasoning is also a great gift.

It's almost Father's Day and after the success of my Homemade BBQ Sauce last year, this cashew coconut brittle, and this homemade hot sauce, I thought it might be nice to share a Montreal Steak Seasoning Recipe that I made for my husband this year.

Kid Friendly

We love this idea for Father's Day because it's super easy to make, so even the youngest kiddos could help put it together and it's really delicious. I usually try really hard to avoid stereotypes, I'm sure not all husbands or dads are the main bbq-ers. So it might work for your crew for Father's Day, or it might work for your peeps for Mother's Day. Let me just say that if you're into steak, it's really yummy, and it's really easy to make. So this homemade spice blend is ticking all the boxes on my list, tick, tick. 😉

DIY Montreal Steak Seasoning spice rub recipe

Montreal Steak Seasoning History

This popular Canadian steak seasoning has its origins as the recipe used to flavor Montreal smoked meats. The spice rub traditionally includes garlic powder, coriander seeds, black pepper, cayenne pepper, herbs, and coarse salt.

Ingredients

See the recipe card below for exact measurements.

You can use ground spices, or start with whole spices and grind your own in a coffee grinder or spice grinder for the freshest flavors.

Use this Montreal steak spice on any grilled meats. It's the best steak seasoning, try on your favorite steaks, like filet mignon, flank steak, sirloin steak, chuck roast, and more. You might even like on pork chops.

Salt

In general meat loves salt, having said that, this seasoning mix is quite salty. I'm a big fan of it being on the salty side. But you can start with a little bit, and add more if you feel it needs it.

The beauty of making the homemade version, is that you can make it your own blend and customize it to your personal taste.

Fresh Cracked Pepper

Does having the pepper freshly cracked make a difference? Yes fresh is always best. But feel free to substitute ground black pepper if that's all you have.

Dehydrated Onion and Garlic

We prefer the dehydrated onion and garlic because they have a little more body to them. They'll rehydrate with the juices of the steak. You can susbitue onion powder or garlic powder if that's what you have on hand.

Coriander Seeds and Red Pepper Flakes

These seeds and spice add a little zip to the mix. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of red pepper flakes depending on the level of spice you enjoy.

Dried Herbs

Dried thyme, rosemary, and coriander are the traditional herbs used in Montreal steak seasoning. The dried version of these makes the seasoning shelf safe, and they add so much flavor.

Homemade DIY Montreal Steak Seasoning in a mason jar

Instructions

1. This recipe is so easy to put together, just combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Store in an airtight container.

How to make DIY Montreal Steak Seasoning

Free Printable Gift Tag

I packaged my delicious seasoning up along with a few other BBQ treats for a great DIY gift for my guy. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature. A mason jar, or spice jar. or any airtight jar works well for this flavorful seasoning mix.

You can download the free printable gift tag in our Free Resource Library. It's free for subscribers, and you can subscribe below for instant access.

I included a jar of the Homemade BBQ Sauce -find our recipe here, the Montreal Steak Seasoning, a little bag of BBQ Ring-o's, a "Dad's" rootbeer, and a grill cleaning brush. And, if you're giving this gift to someone, you should probably make sure there's a steak or two in the fridge. 😉

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reduce the salt?

Yes, if you find it too salty, simply reduce the salt to your prefence.

Can I substitute garlic powder and onion powdered for dehydrated?

Yes, if you can't find the dehydrated garlic and onion, feel free to substitute them for the powdered version.

How long will it last for?

Your Montreal Steak Seasoning should be made with fresh seasonings and will last up to 6 months in a sealed container.

If you tried this Montreal Steak Seasoning Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

More BBQ Inspiration

Recipe

Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

This dry seasoning rub is easy to make and perfect for using with your favourite steak.

4.60 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Servings:

Calories: 3kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

▢ 4 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
▢ 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion
▢ ½ tablespoon dehydrated garlic
▢ ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes
▢ ½ tablespoon dried thyme
▢ ½ tablespoon dried rosemary
▢ ½ tablespoon dried coriander
▢ 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients together, and store in a sealed container.
To use, rub on steak before grilling.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 3kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Sodium: 560mg

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

Homemade Honey Cruller Donuts

Jun 8, 2016 · 12 Comments

These homemade Honey Cruller Donuts are the perfect French Cruller recipe, made with choux pastry, and a honey glaze. If you're a cruller lover, you will love this homemade version.

French cruller donuts staked on a napkin.

A Quick Look At This Recipe

📋 Recipe: Homemade Honey Crullers
⏲️ Ready In: 35 minutes
👪 Servings: Makes about 18 -great for company!
🔪 Difficulty: This recipe involves making choux pastry, piping, and frying. Not difficult, but several steps involved.
💭 Top Tips: Make sure your oil is at the right temperature to avoid soggy or burnt donuts. Don't overdo the glaze or they'll be too sweet. Best if eaten the same day they're made.

These were delicious and simple! -Nekane via Pinterest

Why You Will Love This Recipe

There's nothing like a fresh, and homemade donut. These are so good!
Crullers are light and airy, especially compared to a regular donut.
The honey glaze adds the perfect sweetness to this dessert.

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One of the best things about having a blog is an excuse for me to do things like make Homemade Honey Cruller Donuts!

Homemade donuts are such a favourite like our Princess Tiana Homemade Beignets Recipe, or these Easy Bread Machine Jelly Donuts, or these Sour Cream Donuts. Also check out our Homemade Fair Funnel Cakes Recipe.

Turns out they're not that difficult to make, and certainly worth the effort.

Sometimes called French cullers, they're made with a different type of dough then traditional donuts. Traditional crullers are made from choux pastry, like cream puffs or chocolate eclairs.

Unlike cream puffs or eclairs though, instead of being baked the French cruller donut recipe creates a fried pastry.

It's not difficult, but is a little time consuming. It's worth it though because they're so good!

French cruller donuts staked on a serving board.

Homemade Is Always Better

I have found that in general, anything homemade is better than store bought -it was true of, the homemade graham crackers, the homemade marshmallows, the homemade bbq sauce, the homemade baked beans…I could go on.

A solid belief based on rigorous at home testing.

But the first time I made these, after I made the glaze, I dunked one in there, on both sides and tried to wait for the glaze to set. I tried, really I did, but I had to give them a try, in case they needed adjustment. With the glaze not quite set, I had my first bite of them and they were not as amazing as I'd hoped. They were way too sweet when drenched in the glaze.

Dipping fried French cruller donuts into honey glaze.

Letting The Glaze Set

Next attempt, just dunk the tops in the honey glaze, and again patiently wait for them to set. This time I had to run some errands so I wasn't tempted to eat one before the glaze set.

When we tried them they were AMAZING, home run, how many of these French cruller donuts is it reasonable to eat in one sitting, kind of yumminess.

And, indeed, further evidence that the homemade version is always better. And…you get to eat like a dozen of them or more (my batch made about 18 little-ish ones) because they're really better eaten the same day you make them -maybe invite some friends over, or if you have kids...

Ingredients

Eggs -these donuts are made with a choux pastry. It's made from flour, water, and butter that is cooked. Next the eggs are added to the cooked batter in a stand mixer. The eggs lighten up the batter and are beaten into it, just like a traditional choux pastry.
Vegetable Oil -these donuts are deep fried. It's the deep frying that makes them different from something like a eclair, or cream puff that is also made from a choux pastry.
Honey -the honey in the glaze adds a great flavor and gives these donuts their name of honey crullers.

Equipment

Deep Fryer: These donuts are fried. If you bake choux pastry you are making a cream puff. Donuts are fried. You can use a pot of oil on the stove and a thermometer to help you regulate the oil's temperature. It's much easier with a small deep fryer because the oil temperature is regulated for you. You can pick up a small one at a kitchen store very inexpensively, or even look for one at a second hand store.
Piping Bag and Star Tip: These donuts are piped, so you will need a piping bag for them. You will fit it with a star tip. The star tip forms the lovely ridges on a honey cruller. You will want to twist slightly as you pipe to create a bit of a swirl. The ridges look great, but also fry up nice and crispy and help hold the glaze.
Parchement Paper: You will pipe your donuts onto parchement paper. This makes it much easier than trying to pipe into the hot oil, and form a ring. Cut your parchement paper into squares 3 x 3 squres. You will drop the donuts into the oil, parchment paper side up, and with a few seconds the donut will detactch itself, and you can use some metal tongs to remove the paper.

Homemade honey cruller donuts broken into pieces on a napkin.

How To Make Honey Cruller Donuts

Step 1. To begin with, bring the water, butter, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Then, add in the flour and use a whisk to incorporate. Switch to a wooden spoon, and lower to medium heat. Stir the dough and cook until the bottom of the pan is covered in a thin film and the dough has dried out.

Making choux pastry for honey cruller donut batter.

Making choux pastry for honey cruller donuts in a white pan.

Whisking choux pastry together for honey cruller donuts.

Cooked honey cruller donut batter in a white pan.

Step 2. Put the hot dough into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed to cool the dough slightly. Add in the whole eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated.

Honey cruller donut batter in a stand mixer bowl.

Step 3. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Cut out square 3 x 3 sheets of parchment paper (my batch made about 18 smallish donuts), and pipe donuts onto the parchment squares, being careful to pipe an even circle of dough without overlapping the beginning and end of the donut.

Piping honey cruller donuts onto squares of parchment paper.

Step 4. Heat oil to 375 degrees in a deep fryer. When the oil is hot, place one or two donuts, paper side up, donut down, into the hot oil. The donut will separate from the paper in a few seconds, and you can remove the floating paper with tongs. Allow the donut to fry until it is a deep golden brown, then flip over and do the same on the other side. (Test your first donut to make sure it's not doughy in the middle and adjust your cooking time if needed). To remove the cruller donuts from the oil, use tongs or a slotted spoon and allow the donuts to cool on a paper towel or cooling rack, and finish frying them all.

Frying honey cruller donuts in home deep fryer.

Fryed honey cruller donuts resting on paper towel on a baking sheet.

Step 5. To make the honey glaze, combine the powdered sugar, honey and milk in a small bowl and stir the glaze ingredients together. Dip the best side of the donuts, one at a time, into the glaze. Set on a wire rack to set completely. Enjoy!

Honey cruller donut glaze in a mixing bowl.

Dipping honey cruller donuts into glaze.

Expert Tips:

Only dunk the donut into the glaze one side, otherwise it's too sweet and over powers the donut. Also, let the glaze set completely before serving them.
Make sure your oil is the right temperature for frying. Too cool and the donut will absorb oil and become soggy. Too hot and the donut will cook too quickly on the outside and be dough inside.
Let the glaze set before eating. It gives the donut the best texture and mouth feel.
Make sure to cook your choux pastry until a film develops on the bottom of the pan. This indicates that it's probably dried out, which helps the donuts to maintain their structure.

Storage

These donuts are best served the day that they are made, and best stored on an open plate to retain their crispness.

If you have leftovers you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bake honey cruller donuts instead of frying them?

No, these are best fried. Baked choux pastry is a cream puff, not a donut.

Do I have to use a deep fryer to fry honey cruller donuts?

No, you don't have to use a deep fryer to make your honey crullers. You can use a large pot on a burner with a thermometer in it. It's a little harder to regulate the temperature of the oil and keep it even, so keep an eye on the thermometer and adjust the heat accordingly. Also take care not to overfill the pot with oil.

What's the difference between a honey cruller and French cruller?

There is no difference, they are the same. They are sometimes called honey crullers because of the honey in the glaze. They're also sometimes called French crullers because they are made with choux pastry which is a French baking method.

Why is my honey cruller donut soggy?

Make sure your oil is the right temperature for frying. If it's cooler than it should be the donut will absorb too much oil and become soggy. Also only glaze one side of the donut, and allow to the glaze to set. Don't cover your donuts once they're made. In an airtight container, they will lose their crispness and can become soft and soggy. These are best eaten they day they are made.

More Donut Recipes

If you try this Honey Cruller Donut Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Homemade Honey Cruller Donuts on a serving board.

Recipe

Cherry Almond Coffee Cake

May 31, 2016 · 2 Comments

Cherry Almond Coffee Cake: I lovely not too sweet coffee cake, with cherries, almond, and streusel topping. Made with sour cream to keep it lovely and moist.

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love the combination of cherries and almonds and this cherry almond coffee cake with its streusel topping and icing drizzle is so good! It's so perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

This is the time of year, when there is nothing nicer than a little time to sit and enjoy the garden with a cup of tea or coffee and a lovely slice of cake. It's also the time of year when you're more likely to spend all your time in the garden weeding, planting, mulching, and digging.

I certainly have lots to do in my garden. But even though it's not all done, even though there are weeds and things looking a little more wild than perfect, it's still worth some of my time to sit back and enjoy it. And nothing could be better than to sit here and enjoy this cherry coffee cake recipe.

So last weekend, Maddie and I set up a little spot to enjoy an afternoon snack together, this lovely Cherry Almond Coffee Cake. It's made with sour cream, which makes it lovely and moist. The crumb topping is the perfect contrast of textures with the cake. I think the addition of cherries makes this cake so much more exciting and delicious than traditional coffee cake. To me this cake is a real taste of home. It's a great idea to enjoy this recipe as a little something sweet to go with your coffee. It's also one of my favourite breakfast cakes. You can even serve it as a not too sweet dessert option.

Cherries

I have used frozen cherries in this recipe and they're delicious. Add them to the batter while they're frozen. You can also use fresh sweet cherries during cherry season, look for them at the grocery store or the farmer's market. But, frozen maybe cheaper and easier to work with, since the pits are already removed. If you are using fresh cherries you can remove the pits with a cherry pitter.

This really is the perfect cake to enjoy during a little break in your day, whether enjoyed in the garden or not. The cake is not too sweet with lovely plump tart cherries, almond, and the sweet crunch of the streusel topping. The sour cream and cherries help make a nice moist cake. Yum. The little drizzle of glaze on top is the perfect addition and finishing touch to this delicious cake. If you're a cherry fan this is sure to become one of your new favorite recipes. And if you're serving this delicious cherry coffee cake as a dessert after a meal you might want to make it even more special by serving with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This is the best coffee cake to enjoy with a hot drink, or serve to guests. If you have any leftovers be sure to store it in an airtight container, or wrap your leftovers tightly in plastic wrap to keep the cake nice and moist and prevent it from drying out.

Recipe

With homemade Cherry Almond Coffee Cake, life really is a party!

More Recipe Inspiration

You might also like our Almond Cake with Raspberry Jam recipe here.

Also check out our Peach Almond Crumble Muffins here.

You might also enjoy our Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies here.

Mexican Themed Party Ideas for a Backyard Fiesta

May 27, 2016 · 2 Comments

Mexican Themed Party Ideas: a backyard fiesta with DIY party decor, and an amazing menu, including dessert ideas.

Backyard fiesta party ideas for decor and menu.

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It's that time of year when we love to get outside in the backyard and host family and friends, we hosted a fun Backyard Fiesta this week, turning your regular backyard BBQ up a notch! We have lots of Mexican themed party ideas to share with you, including decor ideas, the menu, and easy recipes. These ideas are great for any Mexican-themed party, birthday theme, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, or even just an amazing taco Tuesday.

Backyard Fiesta Party Decorations

When I think fiesta, I think yummy Mexican food, and bright, beautiful decorations. We decided to go with a summery colour scheme of red, orange, and pink for our fiesta. The party turned out colourful, fun, and delicious just like we had hoped so here's how we put it all together. Hopefully you'll be inspired to host your own get together this summer!

We set up our backyard fiesta under our pergola, and my girls pitched in to help…along with my sister's dogs who we were doggie sitting. 😉

DIY Papal Picada

Since we were under the pergola in our backyard, I thought it would be fun to use some pretty papel picado -the beautiful Mexican paper banners. These make the best DIY Mexican fiesta party supplies. We made our own Mexican decorations out of tissue paper in the vibrant colors of our color scheme.

We used scissors and few different hole punches to create our DIY papel picado. They're really easy to make. Cut out your tissue paper into rectangles. Keep the tissue paper stacked and cut out many at a time to make it easier. Use hole punches in different shapes and sizes, and use scissors, folding the tissue paper over to make the cuts as easily as possible. Once the designs are all created just separate the tissue paper into individual flags. These were inexpensive and add so much to the decor. It was a little breezy for our party, but even blowing around a little they sure were gorgeous and the best Mexican party decorations.

We used a little twine to string them up over the table. Ribbon or string would work well too. This would also be the perfect spot to add some beautiful string lights. They would look gorgeous with the papel picado also adding a glow to evening as it gets dark.

Table Setting

I wanted the table to feel really bright and festive. We started with some orange fabric as a runner, and then layered on a few cutting boards for all the yummy food. I didn't have an orange table runner, but I went to the fabric store and picked out some gorgeous and inexpensive orange fabric. Instead of hemming the fabric, I just folded the edges over and it worked perfectly. This is such a good trick when you're entertaining and struggling to find a table runner to fit your color scheme without breaking the bank. Just buy some fabric at the fabric store and use it on the table.

At the place settings we used our regular white everyday plates, and some beautiful gold cutlery. We repeated the gold in a few different places to tie it all together. We used some pretty cloth napkins in pinks, and oranges with the perfect gold dot details. For glasses we used some pink recycled glass, that gave the perfect Mexican fiesta party vibes to our table settings. We also used these cute donkey pinatas that we picked up in the party supplies section of the store. We filled them with a little candy. These were such fun touches at everyone's seats. They're a "sweet" take-home gift for guests and add lots of fiesta fun to the table. Make them extra special by looking for Mexican candy at a speciality store, or online.

Centrepieces

On the table, we used some really inexpensive centrepieces. I used old tin cans spray painted gold as the containers for the flowers. You can save your empty tin cans to use them, or do what I did, and walk around your neighbourhood on recycling day. Help yourself to empty cans in your neighbours recycling bins. When you get home just clean them, and remove the paper labels. Once they were dry I spray painted mine gold. They looked great, and were also really inexpensive.

I filled the gold cans with water and then some flowers from my garden and bright orange, red, and pink carnations from the grocery store. They were bright and fun and perfect for a fiesta. I love how the bright colors look together. They're a real focal point for the table, and add so much fun.

I also used some Old El Paso tin cans -from the delicious refried beans and green chilies we used for our taco bar. For these ones I left the colorful fun labels on the cans. I planted them with some cute cactus, and they added a real Mexican touch! Be careful when you're replanting your cactus. Wear gloves to protect yourself from the prickles, and also wrap the plant itself in newspaper, or use long salad tongs to handle the cactus safely. These turned out so cute, and would also make great party favors.

Lastly we included some different lanterns and candle holders in our bright party colors. These were from the dollar store, and worked perfectly. They look so gorgeous at night as well.

Fiesta Drinks

Off to the side we set up a little drink cart. This is such an easy way to serve drinks at a party, especially with a large crowd. Even with smaller numbers, it's nice that guests can help themselves whenever they want throughout the party, and that having the drinks off to the side frees up more space on the main dinner table. I made strawberry lemonade, by just adding some strawberry puree to regular lemonade. It was quick and easy and so yummy!

My fun little plastic donkeys had to make an appearance. They're just from the dollar store, but such a fun touch for a fiesta and so perfect for our party theme.

And since it was a hot sunny night, we also served some water in pretty glass bottles. Another great option would be some Mexican beer with some fresh lime wedges. Or a tequila tasting could be a great idea too.

Backyard Fiesta Menu

Now on to the menu! I wanted a casual feel for our party food, and guests to be able to help themselves, and eat and talk and eat and talk the night away. So, I set up the taco bar down the centre of the table. It was so delicious, that we really did sit and eat and talk, and eat and talk and eat again. We had a great selection of party food that the guests all loved.

From the grill for our main course, we had some grilled peppers and mushrooms, along with grilled chicken and steak. We used a little taco seasoning for a dry rub on the meat, and it was simple and so, so good. We made sure everything was sliced and easy to add to plates before we served it.

I also added lots of fresh veggies, like tomato, avocado, shredded lettuce, limes, and cilantro. The food added lots of bright colour to the table, and looked so delicious arranged on the different cutting boards.

I made some guacamole, and we had some chips too.

We also had some Mexican rice, and refried beans, along with bowls of sour cream, salsa, caso cheese dip, and my homemade baked beans. It was the perfect backyard menu, and fun being outside together grilling, and then feasting.

Backyard Fiesta Dessert

For our Mexican party dessert table, I set up a fun ice cream sundae bar at the edge of the patio, with delicious Mexican inspired toppings. We used a low bench that worked perfectly, so that everyone could easily help themselves.

The bowls made amazing ice cream bowls, especially after we fried them in hot oil and coated them in cinnamon sugar! They were crunchy and sweet and the perfect way to enjoy ice cream with grilled pineapple. Everyone raved about them, and they're an easy recipe to make.

what to serve for dessert at a fiesta themed party

Recipe

Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Bowls and Grilled Pineapple Sundaes

Crispy tortilla bowls covered in sweet cinnamon sugar and filled with grilled pineapple and ice cream.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

Instructions

Begin by cutting up your pineapple into spears, and then place in a zip bag with brown sugar. Seal and shake to coat the pineapple in sugar, set aside until ready to grill.
Heat oil to 375 degrees, and place tortilla bowls in oil one by one, turning as needed and frying until golden brown. Immediately when the bowls are removed from the oil, sprinkle all over with cinnamon sugar, so that it will stick.
Grill pineapple on the bbq.
Serve the cinnamon sugar tortilla bowls with ice cream, grilled pineapple, and other toppings. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

Along with the cinnamon sugar tortilla bowls and grilled pineapple, we had a few other yummy additions. You can't have an ice cream sundae bar without ice cream! We had some coconut ice cream and vanilla ice cream, both flavors worked really well with the pineapple and cinnamon sugar. To help keep the ice cream from melting, I didn't bring it out until serving time. I used a metal pail and filled it with ice, and then placed the ice cream containers on top. This really helped to keep it cold and helped keep it from melting.

We also served some different toppings for the sundaes. I toasted some coconut flakes in a dry skillet. These went so well with the other flavors. We also served some caramel sauce. Use store bought or try our homemade caramel sauce recipe here. And we also included some sprinkles in all our party colors of red, pink, and orange. I picked these up at the bulk store, and they were a great colorful addition that the kids especially loved.

Guests could help themselves to make their own ice cream sundae with whatever toppings they liked. Everyone had a great time making their own sundaes, and even going back for seconds. If you were celebrating a birthday party, you could add candles to the ice cream for the birthday boy or girl, or serve some birthday cake as well.

It was a great way to finish off our fiesta theme party.

This was the ultimate fiesta, with endless fun and great food. I hope these Mexican party ideas have inspired you for your own Mexican fiesta theme party. Whether it's birthday themed, or to celebrate Mexican culture, the festive colors and incredible food are perfect for celebrating and create such a happy atmosphere. All that was missing was the mariachi band! Thanks for coming on this figurative trip with us. Viva la fiesta!

With an amazing Backyard Fiesta like this one, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our Valentine's Day Fiesta here. Check out the DIY party decor ideas, and fun Valentine's Day games, as well as an incredible fiesta menu with recipe links from this family friendly Valentine's Day party

Also check out our Mexican Fiesta Dinner Party here.

You might also like our Backyard Pizza Party here. Create a make your own pizza party in your own backyard using a gas outdoor pizza oven. Different pizza ideas included, plus a dessert pizza idea you'll love.

Backyard Pizza Party: A gas outdoor pizza oven and a pizza charcuterie board for nibbling and to make-your-own-pizza is perfect for summer entertaining.

Geometric Pineapple Art

May 25, 2016 · 15 Comments

DIY Pineapple Art: A tutorial for inexpensive art work, made with a dollar store wooden canvas, scrapbook paper, and Mod Podge -Pattern included.

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This summer I've spotted lots of pineapples in home decor, and I'm falling in love with them. I especially love the bright colours I've been seeing them in. This DIY pineapple art is a really inexpensive art piece. It's perfect for a fun, colourful bit of summer whimsical decor.

Materials:

This month for the #12MonthsOfDIY challenge we got to work with Mod Podge, and that's what I used to create this piece. #MayModPodge

ModPodge
wood canvas
stain cloths
carbon paper
scrapbook paper in pinks and greens
ruler
scissors
pattern

How To Make DIY Pineapple Art:

1. Staining the Canvas

I started out with a wooden canvas, from the dollar store. To finish the wood, I applied a little stain to the unfinished wood. I used a stain wipe, and they're great because you can use one and re-seal the package for another time. They're easy to use, with no brush to clean up, just be sure to wear gloves -or wrap your hand in a plastic bag if you have no gloves, like me. 😉

2. Cutting the Scrapbook Paper

While your stain is drying, you can start cutting out your triangles. Use the pattern I've supplied here -you'll need about 35 pieces for the bottom, and about 22 for the top. I used different shades of green and pink, but any colour combo would work -traditional yellow, or maybe teal?

using carbon paper to transfer a pattern

3. Transferring The Pattern

Once the stain is dry, use your carbon paper (remember your teacher using these when you were a kid, to make worksheets before the days of photocopiers?). Just tape it onto the wooden canvas, and tape the pattern on top. Use tape instead of just trying to hold it so that it doesn't move at all when your tracing with it.

Now, using the pattern, go over all the lines with a sharp pencil, and a ruler to transfer the pattern onto the wood. Once you've traced it all, remove the carbon paper and the pattern, and the pineapple grid should be on the wooden canvas.

4. ModPodge The Pieces

Now using the pattern as a guide, Mod Podge each triangle onto the wooden canvas.

Use a brush to apply Mod Podge underneath the paper as a glue and over the top of the paper as a sealer. The triangles aren't equal on all sides, so take care to line them up properly on the grid pattern. Don't worry too much if there's a few gaps, or if things don't line up perfectly, it won't be that noticeable when you're all finished.

I just applied the sealer top coat to the pineapple and not the wood around it, since I like the matte finish of the stain.

I also used a bit of glitter paper in mine for a little added sparkle.

This little pineapple art piece has summer written all over it!

With inexpensive DIY Pineapple Art, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our Boho Painted Driftwood Sticks here.

DIY Boho Painted Driftwood Sticks: Easy tutorial using found driftwood sticks and paint to add a little boho to any room.

Also check out our Macrame and Felt Succulent Wreath here.

You might also enjoy our DIY Rainbow Wall Art here.

How To Make Giant Paper Flowers

May 18, 2016 · 12 Comments

How To Make Giant Paper Flowers: see how to turn regular paper into beautiful and inexpensive flowers, from large to small in a video tutorial. This easy DIY is perfect for a wedding, shower, or home decor.

If you've ever wondered about how to make giant paper flowers for yourself, or for a special event and worried that they're too hard to make, let me reassure you they're not, and show you how to make them.

I've made these a few times, and although time consuming for sure, they aren't difficult or expensive to create. These DIY paper flowers are so perfect for creating big impact on a small budget. With nothing more than paper and some hot glue, you can transform any space into a beautiful indoor garden. We used ours to create a gorgeous backdrop for an event or as party decor. It created great atmosphere, and was a really fun photo backdrop too. You might want to create something similar for a wedding area, for bridal showers or for baby showers or for decor for any special events.

Petal Designs

Start by looking at images of real flowers and looking at the shape of an individual flower petal. Let this shape inspire you. Make all the petals on one flower the same basic shape, with only slight variation. Each group of each size of petal will be the same basic shape, just smaller or larger. Don't vary the basic shape of the petals on the same flower, only the size.

Different flowers can and should have slightly different shaped petals to add interest to your wall. Try changing up the how round or pointy the petal is, if the edge is smooth or bumpy, or more heart shaped or rippled. You can add slits along the edge of the flower petal shape to create a fringe, have large or small waves, or keep it smooth all to add variation to your different flowers.

Choosing Your Paper

We used lots of different papers and card stock for our flowers. I suggest using one type of paper per flower. Regular white copy paper works well and is inexpensive. You can also use paint to add colour to the basic white paper for interest. Try using water colours, or acrylic craft paint, either before or after the flower is constructed.

You can also use different colours of copy paper. Try also using rolls of paper, or brown kraft paper as inexpensive options. You can also upcycle book pages for a fun look too.

Coloured scrapbook paper or cardstock works well too and can add a pop of color. It's available in more colours and the weight of the paper makes the flowers a little more stiff. If you're making a large flower wall the variation in textures adds interest. It can be quite expensive to use scrapbook paper or cardstock, so it's a good idea to use these ones a little more sparingly if you're doing a large wall project, or buy it in bulk in large packs to save money.

Paper Flower Making Video

This process is easy to explain when you can see each step, so be sure to watch our step-by-step tutorial video below:

Recipe

Giant paper flowers in pinks and whites used as a big wall backdrop.

How To Make Giant Paper Flowers

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Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Equipment

scissors
hot glue gun

Materials

paper
hot glue

Instructions

Cut Your Petals
The first step is making your largest petals. Our large petals size was determined by the size of our 8 ½ x 11 paper size. We made the largest outer petals we could using the whole sheet of paper. Cut out 5-6 petals of that largest size. You can make one petal template of each size and cut the rest to match it.
Next make a slightly smaller petal size, and again make 5-6 matching flower petals of that size.
You're going to do this whole process for about 5 different sizes of petals, with some large petal sizes, medium petals, and smaller petals, making each one slightly smaller, and making 5-6 petals of each size, that will all be used to make one of the giant flowers. In the end you will have about 5 x 6 = 30 cut petals in total for one flower.
Each petal should have a small slit cut in the centre of the bottom of the petals, this will allow us to add dimension to the petals when we glue them.
Also cut out one large circle in the same paper, to use as the circle base of the flower to glue to.
Glue Each Petal To Create Dimension
Now give each individual paper flower petal some dimension. Add a little hot glue to right beside the slit in the bottom edge of the petal, and then glue the other side, overlapped on top of it. Do this for each petal.
Gluing Your Flower Together
Start creating the flower by hot gluing the largest set of petals to the outside of the circle base. Add a line of hot glue to the base of the petal and then add them to the circle base. Space them as evenly as possible all around the circle. Then glue the set of the next size down of petals to the base in a circle just inside the largest petal set. Do this all the way down to the second smallest petals. Depending on the center of your flower that you want to create, you may want to save the small petals for that.
Creating The Center of the Flower
The simplest option for the flower center is to create some petals that look like they're just opening up. To do this take your smallest petals and cut the slit in the bottom of the petal a little deeper than the rest. This allows you to fold the paper really tightly together. When you put a few of these glued in an overlapping pattern in the center of your flower it will look like a beautiful rose center.
You can also make something that looks more like a stamen in the centre. Use a rectangle of paper and cut long slits almost to the bottom all the way along, and then roll up the paper. You can use a pencil to curl the fringe and then glue this piece into the center of your paper flower. Try changing the width of the fringe for a different look, or the length of the fringe pieces, or the direction it's curled in.
As a final touch to the giant flowers, you may want to curl some of the edges of the petals, either inward or outward. You can use a pencil, or the handle of a wooden spoon to help with this step. Take care not to crease the paper as you work.

Creating A Paper Flower Wall

You will need a lot of paper flowers for your paper flower wall. You can estimate if you have enough by laying the out together on a flat surface or table. Be sure when you are making them to make them in various sizes. Make some very large ones, and some smaller ones to add interest to the final display. You will also want to vary the style and make different shapes of them, use different kinds of paper and cardstock, and use different colours. Do choose colours and paper that go together and will create a cohesive look all together when you're finished.

If you're using your large paper flowers as a backdrop for an event like we did, then the final step is to set them up. We transported our flowers carefully in large clear garbage bags. We adhered our flowers to large sheets of paper and hung those on to the wall. You can also try using poster board, or even a thin sheet of plywood that can be leaned against a wall. The advantage of using something other than a wall is that you can use hot glue to hang them and not worry about any damage.

If you're sticking your flowers directly to the wall as wall decor you can use a combination of masking tape and command strips which should leave no damage behind when you remove them.

When you're arranging your flowers, start by placing your largest flowers first, and then fill in with smaller ones. Tty to alternate with different styles of flowers, different sizes, and different colours of paper and cardstock. We used a combination of pink, cream, book page and white flowers for our display. Also, we tucked some sprigs of real baby's breath into our display and painted a few flowers on the paper background.

Should I Use A Cutting Machine For This Project?

I actually think it's easier to cut these giant flowers out by hand, rather than using a Cricut machine and svg files. I love my Cricut, but it would actually take so much longer to load and unload the machine for this project than it would to just cut them out by hand. Also the natural variation of cutting them out by hand actually makes the flowers look better and more natural. The petals really don't have to be perfect, and in nature all the individual petals are slightly different. You can find designs for smaller flowers in Cricut Design Space, but for these larger flowers I think it's actually much easier to just cut them out by hand.

Paper Flower Templates

I've resisted the urge to provide you with a template for this project because honestly you don't need one. Your flowers will look more realistic with out a pdf template where every single petal is the same. When you're making huge paper flowers, the variation and in-perfect look is actually exactly what you want. The basic petal shape is so basic that you really don't need a template. Just play around until your happy with your basic shape, and then once you've made a few start making some variations. Trust me, you don't need a template for this. You can do it.

Other Ways To Use Giant Paper Flowers

These paper flowers really are a lot of fun to create, and a chance for you to get really creative with all kinds of different petal shapes, centres, and paper choices.

And there are also lots of different ways to use them.

I love using the paper flowers to decorate for a party. Here they are over a Valentine's Day Breakfast as a pretty backdrop to the buffet.

Giant paper flower backdrop behind a breakfast buffet.

And here I used them to make a rainbow backdrop for a Rainbow Unicorn Dessert Table for my daughter's birthday party.

Giant paper rainbow flower dessert table backdrop.

If you've ever wondered how to make paper flowers, now you know how easy it is! And they are so versatile too.

With inexpensive and easy to make giant paper flowers, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our paper flower spring mantel post here.

You might also enjoy our Gold Easter Table with Paper Flowers here.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe with Shortening

May 13, 2016 · 2 Comments

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Made with shortening not butter for a thicker and chewier cookie. Tried and true recipe.

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These Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best cookies. If you know me in real life, then you've had them, because they're are a favourite, tried and true, go-to recipe around here. I've made them hundreds and hundreds of times. They're made with shortening, and other ingredients that I always have on hand. Enjoy these as classic chocolate chip cookies, or add toffee chips as well for toffee chocolate chip cookies. Either way they're the best chocolate chip cookies and sure to become a favorite if you're a fan of homemade chocolate chip cookies.

I first baked these when I was in high school, that's a little while ago, and they became my family's go-to chocolate chip cookie. I over at a friends house and we decided we wanted to bake. We made these and they were so much better than my mom's recipe -sorry mom. I asked the friend for the recipe and I've been making the ever since. Over the years I decided to try toffee bits and they quickly became my favorite to have them. But if you love a classic chocolate chip cookie they are great that way too.

Shortening vs. Butter

What I love about these cookies is that they're slightly chewy cookies on the inside, and have crisp edges. I think chewy chocolate chip cookies are the best. Using shortening instead of butter in this recipe helps produce chewier cookies. It gives the cookies more lift as they bake, and they don't spread out as much on the baking sheet. It tends to result in thicker cookies with soft centers, and a more chewy texture, instead of thin and crisp cookies, with very crispy edges. If you love a softer more chewy chocolate chip cookie, rather than a crispier cookie, then this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for you, with the perfect texture. The shortening version of chocolate chip cookies are a little bit thicker and chewier than a batch of cookies made with butter, if that's your personal preference than these are the perfect cookies for you.

Chocolate

A classic chocolate chip cookie recipe is usually made with semi-sweet chocolate chips. It's a classic for a reason. The semi-sweet chocolate isn't too sweet and balances out the sweetness of the cookie, with a very slight bitterness of the chocolate. If you love a classic chocolate chip cookie, than semi sweet chocolate chips are a great way to go.

You can substitute milk chocolate chips in these cookies, The over all sweetness of the cookie will be a little increased, but it's still a great option. And with that added sweetness from the milk chocolate chips, you might also want to try a little sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of the cookie to add a salty contrast to the sweet.

If you're a dark chocolate lover, or a white chocolate lover you can substitute dark or white chocolate chips. You can also look for seasonal chocolate chips like the red, green, and white ones at Christmas, and try using them for a festive seasonal treat.

Other Add Ins

My favourite way to have these cookies is to add in toffee chips. Look for them in the baking section of the grocery store with the chocolate chips. I love using the skor toffee bits, and combining them with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Just substitute half of the chocolate chips in the original recipe for the toffee bits.

You could also try adding peanut butter chips as a substitute for half of the chocolate chips, if you're a peanut butter chocolate lover.

Sea Salt

I also love to add some flakes of sea salt on top of the cookies as soon as they're baked and fresh out of the oven. It gives you that great salty sweet combination, and if you've never tried it before you should. It works great with the toffee chocolate chip version too, creating that salted caramel vibe, but with chocolate too. Again, if you've never tried it just try it on a few cookies and see if you like it. I like to use a the Maldon sea salt flakes for this.

I like to make these cookies with about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough each, but you can adjust the size of the cookies to your liking, and adjust the baking time accordingly.

Storing The Cookies

Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

how to make Chocolate Chip Cookies with shortening

Large Batch

Another thing I love about these cookies is that they make a big batch. They're perfect for a party, or bake sale, or one of those occasions where you have to make cookies for church or a meeting or someone else because you'll have enough leftover cookies to leave a plate at home for your kiddos too. They also freeze well as baked cookies or as cookie dough. If you want a small batch of chocolate chip cookies, feel free to ½ the recipe.

Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tender chocolate chip cookies made with shortening.

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 140kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups vegetable shortening
▢ 1 ½ cup white sugar
▢ 1 ½ cup light brown sugar
▢ 3 eggs
▢ 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 4 cups all purpose flour
▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
▢ 1 ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 2 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips and 1 ½ cups toffee bits

Instructions

Cream shortening and sugars together in the large bowl of your stand mixer.
Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined, but don't over mix the cookie dough.
Add the chocolate chips and toffee bits, and mix until even distributed.
Drop by tablespoonful or using a cookie scoop onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 min, until golden brown. Cool baked cookies on a wire rack.

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

These cookies make me want a cup of a tea, and comfy spot. They're true comfort food. I love that they use basic ingredients that I always have on hand so that I can anytime. If you're looking for a good cookie recipe that never fails, these are them.

With fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies, life really is a party!

You might also like our Oatmeal Cookies here.

Also check out our Jam Jam Raspberry Sandwich Cookies here.

You might also like our Chocolate Chip Shortbread recipe here.

Light Bulb Flower Vase

May 11, 2016 · 5 Comments

Use your old burnt-out light bulbs to make DIY Lightbulb Flower Vases with this great upcycle project. Remove the inners of the bulb and use them to display beautiful flowers with this unique and easy DIY.

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Why You'll Love This Project

It's free since we're upcycling burnt-out light bulbs.
It's a great way to keep the lightbulbs out of landfill.
They're really pretty!

Making a light bulb vase is an easy and free project. They're perfect for adding a little bit of whimsy to your space. They'd also be great as an inexpensive decoration for an event or party.

We love a craft that is a good upcycle. We reused materials to make these Mason Jar Oil Lamps, Book Page Paper Feathers, Easy DIY Eggshell Planters, and How To Make Rainbow Baby's Breath.

As a blogger, you sometimes find yourself doing unusual things. Yesterday I was out for a morning walk and as I walked I was peeking into all my neighbours recycling bins, looking for their old tin cans for another project I'll share with you soon.

As I looked I saw someone had three lightbulbs in their recycling (can you even recycle lightbulbs?) and I remembered a project that I'd always wanted to give a try -Light Bulb Flower Vases. So, I grabbed them and brought them home.

Materials:

How to Make A vase out of an old lightbulb

Light Bulbs: We actually found these in our neighbour's recycling bin, it's a really great way to reuse them once they're burnt out. If you wanted to make a bunch of these vases you could ask your friends and family to save there's for you too.
Screw Driver: You will need this to help break out the inner parts of the light bulb.
Gloves and Safety Goggles: Saftey first, especially when working with tiny bits of broken glass.
Needle Nose Pliers: These pointy pliers will be easiest to get into the small opening at the base of the light bulb.

How to Make A Light Bulb Flower Vase

Step 1: The first step is to remove the bottom of the light bulb using pliers. This project involves a fair bit of glass breaking, so it's a good idea to wear gloves, safety goggles, and work in a plastic bag for easy clean-up, since the glass pieces are so small.

Step 2: Once the bottom is removed, it's time to break the thick black glass. I looked at quite a few tutorials for this, and most recommended using the pliers or a screw driver to get inside the small hole, and break it that way.

I used a metal skewer and twisted it around to try and crack the glass. Once I had it cracked, I worked the tip of the needle nose pliers in and tried to break it up so it would come out.

This is the hardest part of the whole the project, since you're trying to work careful so as not to break the bulb itself. Take your time and keep trying, bit by bit you'll get it broken up and removed.

Step 3: Next you need to break the inside glass part, I used a screw driver, again taking care not to break the bulb itself. You'll need to use the pliers to break the little wires, and then shake it out of your opening.

I found it easiest to work inside the plastic bag, since there's a lot of tiny pieces of glass. Once you have the insides all out, you're nearly finished.

removing the inside of an old light bulb

Step 4: For my little vases, I used some twine to hang them from a branch in my dining room.

I just picked a few pretty flowers from my garden and added a little water.

I love how they turned out.

So simple and so pretty.

hanging flower vase made from an old light bulb

With these pretty and inexpensive light bulb flower vases, life really is a party!

More Craft Inspiration

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of light bulbs can you use to make a light bulb flower vase?

This project works best with a clear glass light incandescent bulb. These also look great made out of vintage-style larger glass bulbs.

If I don't want to hang my light bulb vase, is there a way to stand it up?

Yes, use any kind of small ring on the bottom to rest the vase in, or use stiff wire to create a support for the vase.

If you try making these Light Bulb Flower Vases or any other idea on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Recipe

How to make a vase from an old lightbulb.

Light Bulb Flower Vases

Make flower vases out of old burnt-out light bulbs.

5 from 1 vote

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Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Cost: free

Equipment

Screw Driver
Gloves
Safety Goggles
Needle Nose Pliers

Materials

Burnt-out Light Bulbs
Twine
Plastic Bag

Instructions

The first step is to remove the bottom of the light bulb using pliers.
This project involves a fair bit of glass breaking, so it’s a good idea to wear gloves, safety goggles, and work in a plastic bag for easy clean-up, since the glass pieces are so small.
Once the bottom is removed, it's time to break the thick black glass.
Use the pliers or a screw driver to get inside the small hole, and crack the glass. Once it's cracked, work the tip of the needle nose pliers in and break it up so it can come out.
This is the hardest part of the whole the project, since you're trying to work careful so as not to break the bulb itself. Take your time and keep trying, bit by bit you'll get it broken up and removed.
Next you need to break the inside glass part, I used a screw driver, again taking care not to break the bulb itself. You'll need to use the pliers to break the little wires, and then shake it out of your opening.
Since the light bulbs are round and won't sit on a flat surface, use some twine to hang them. Fill with water and flowers and enjoy.

Notes

Be sure to wear goggles, and gloves since you're working with broken glass for this project.

Tip: Place your light bulb inside a plastic bag while you work to remove the insides, that way the tiny bits of glass will stay in the bag and make for easy clean up.

How NOT to Sew a Zippered Fold-over Clutch

May 6, 2016 · 2 Comments

How NOT to Sew a DIY Clutch: Inexpensive, fairly easy, and really cute, learn from my mistakes and sew the perfect fold-over clutch.

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I wouldn't call myself a person who sews. I do own my Grandma's old sewing machine, I can sew a straight line and I do have the web…so what more could you need to sew your own DIY clutch, right?

Patience…the answer to that rhetorical question is patience.

And indeed if you have an old sewing machine, can sew a straight line, have the Internet and patience you can sew your own fold-over clutch -even if you've never sewn one before.

I have a family wedding to attend in a couple of weeks, and it's an excuse for this stay at home mom to put together a cute outfit. I ordered a cute little coral/pink dress with a flutter sleeve -I thought it'd be nice to wear a little colour for spring. And once I saw the dress, I thought the outfit could use a little fun pattern to liven it up. I had an old vintage pair of curtains that I bought years ago, at an auction and have used the fabric for a few projects over the years because it's so pretty, and bold, and vintage feeling. I thought it would be the perfect hit of pretty pattern to go with the dress and decided I'd like to make it into a cute little fold-over clutch.

So, I did some research on-line to find out how to do it. There are lots of great tutorials and videos on-line. I knew I wanted a zipper, which I'd never sewn before, and for it to be a fold-over clutch.

How To Add A Zipper To A DIY Clutch

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a chunky gold zipper in the right length -in fact chunky gold zippers were in rather short supply at the fabric store. But I managed to find one that I thought would work, if I could shorten it. I also picked up ½ meter of green cotton broad cloth at the fabric store to use as the purse liner. Both items came to only about $5 so I figured I had nothing to lose. 😉

I looked at a few tutorials, but mainly used Rachel's from DIY in PDX. The major difference was that she made her's from leather and mine was fabric. I also made mine a little bit bigger -14x14 inches.

How To Shorten A Zipper

I searched for tutorials on how to shorten a metal zipper and found this one -and I liked her accent. 😉 I did what she said and succeeded in shortening my zipper to 14 inches. And then I went on to Rachel's tutorial, and got ready to sew my zipper into the bag. I found though, that my new zipper was too long, once I added the little end pieces onto it, like she had. I realized I wanted my finished zipper piece to be 14 inches, so I undid the end pieces, and re-shortened my zipper to about 13 inches, to accommodate the end pieces. No problem, first attempt there's bound to be a few re-dos.

My real major mistake came next -and was a little comical. I was ready to sew the zipper onto the fabric. I sewed the zipper in and realized I'd done it backwards, so that the zipper pull was on the inside of the bag. Whoops. So I undid that and re-sewed it in the right direction.

The next step was to sew the sides of and the bottom of the bag and liner together. I found it a little difficult to work out what to do with the edges of the zipper at the top. You're supposed to tuck them into the liner side seam. They didn't come out perfectly, but I guess they're ok for a first attempt.

Limp Clutch

At this stage the bag was almost finished. I used the gap in the liner to turn the purse inside out. It looked pretty good. Except…it was limp. Very limp, floppy in fact.

I had read earlier on some tutorials about interfacing, but having never used it before I was a little unsure, and thought that the weight of the vintage fabric which was a little heavier and the liner together might be enough to do the trick. Um, no. Not enough.

I started racking my brain about how to make it stiffer. I inserted some light weight cardboard for a try. It kind of worked…except didn't because it was noisy and creased at the fold over, but it at least made me feel like this project was salvageable.

Fusible Interfacing

So off to the fabric store I went again. I bought some fusible interfacing, the thickest one they had. You iron it on, so I figured I could iron it inside, without having to re-sew the entire purse. I got enough to line the vintage fabric and the liner, worried one thickness might not be enough. It was about $7 for a .8 of a metre. I cut it to fit the inside of the vintage fabric and ironed it on. It was easy to do, and after doing just the vintage fabric and not the liner also like I planned originally, I felt like it was stiff enough.

I felt really glad that it worked, and the green liner looked great too.

DIY Clutch Finishing Touch

Last but not least, I added the finishing touch - a pretty gold metal tassel, from a necklace, but you could look for one in the jewelry making department of the craft store.

I love it now that it's done. I only cost me about $12 dollars to make and I still have about half of the materials left.

I also picked up a cute necklace, so now all I need is a cute pair of gold shoes.

With a fun little DIY clutch finally finished, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our Leather Cuff Bracelet here.

Also check out our Leather Feather Necklace here.

DIY Leather Feather Necklace: Use leather, gold leaf and some gold chain to create a simple and stunning leather feather necklace.

You might also enjoy our Cricut Infusible Ink Coasters and Tote Bag here.

Cricut Infusible Ink Coasters and Tote Bag: create a "you are my sunshine" tote bag, or rainbow coasters with Cricut's new Infusible Ink.

Best Chewy Large Flake Oats Oatmeal Cookies

May 3, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Large Flake Oatmeal Cookies: The addition of almond extract and large flake oats make these not your average oatmeal cookies. Quick, easy, and sure to become a family favourite.

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These Oatmeal Cookies are chewy, use large flake oats, and have a little almond extract in them, making them not your average oatmeal cookie. If you love chewy oatmeal cookies than these are the ones for you. This simple recipe is easy to make and so delicious.

I first tried these old-fashioned oatmeal cookies at a get together, and found myself thinking about them the next day…which sounds hilarious, and I promise is not one of my normal past times. They were just different…memorable…special. So I asked my friend Dawn for the recipe and they were just as great as I remembered.

I made them for a get together tonight…and I'm having a hard time to stop eating them all this afternoon. What makes them so special? There's a couple factors that make these oatmeal cookies extra special.

Large Flake Oats

Rather than your average oatmeal cookie made with quick oats, this oatmeal cookies recipe uses large flake oats. Look for them with the other oats and porridge at the grocery store. Large flake oats, sometimes called old-fashioned oats or rolled oats. Large flake oats are steamed, rolled, and cut into large flakes. The difference between quick oats and large flake oats are that the large flakes are cut into larger pieces, and therefore take longer to cook than instant oats. This gives the cookies a unique texture that is so delicious. The large flake oats help make these into a chewy cookie. If you love a chewy cookie, than these really are the best oatmeal cookies.

Almond Extract

These cookies also include almond extract. It enhances the nutty flavour of the oats. Oatmeal cookies are often made with vanilla extract and warm spices like a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. This recipe is a little bit different with the use of almond extract instead, and it really elevates the cookie.

If you have a nut allergy or just prefer you can substitute vanilla extract for the almond extract in this recipe.

Add Ins

We love these cookies straight up. The flavor of the oats and almond extract really shine through in this simple recipe. And the texture is the really unique quality of these plain oatmeal cookies.

Can you add in raisins or chocolate chips to this recipe? Yes. If you're a lover of oatmeal raisin cookies you can add in some raisins. Add 1 cup of raisins to this recipe to turn them into chewy oatmeal raisin cookies.

You could also try turning these into oatmeal chocolate chip cookies by adding 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cookie batter before baking them. Or for something different melt some chocolate and dip half of the baked cookie into the melted chocolate, then let them set on some parchment paper. You could also try adding in white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or dark chocolate chips if you prefer.

Oatmeal Cookies with almond extract and large flake oats

Storage

Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough to bake later. Scoop out your cookie dough balls onto a large baking tray and put them in the freezer for a few hours. Once they're frozen remove them from the baking sheet and store the frozen balls in zip-top bags in your freezer. When you want fresh baked cookies remove as many individual balls from the freezer as you'd like and place them on a baking sheet to defrost. When they're defrosted, use the back of a fork to press them down and baking regularity.

These are really great cookies. They have soft centers, and the perfect chewy texture, and a little hint of almond. If you're looking for away to elevate a simple oatmeal cookie, this is it. These are the perfect oatmeal cookie for anyone who likes them to be chewy. They've become my go-to recipe, and I'm sure they'll become a favourite recipe of yours too as soon as you try them.

Recipe

Chewy Large Flake Oatmeal Cookies

Chewy and delicious oatmeal cookies made with large flake oats.

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream butter, and brown sugar in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, in a large bowl with an hand mixer.
Add in the egg, and almond extract and fully combine the wet ingredients together.
Next, add in the dry ingredients of flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and mix well, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Roll a tablespoon full of dough into a ball and place onto a cookie sheet. Then flatten the ball of dough with a wet fork, creating the criss cross pattern.
Bake at 350°F for 6-9 minutes, until just golden brown. Cool the baked cookies on a wire rack.

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

With homemade chewy large flake oat oatmeal cookies, life really is a party!

More Recipe Inspiration

Also check out our Apple Crisp recipe here.

You might also enjoy our Oatmeal Bar Flapjack recipe here.

Cruise Themed Nautical Birthday Party

Apr 26, 2016 · 1 Comment

Cruise Themed Nautical Birthday Party: Great kids party theme where your guests sail away for the day with a house turned cruise ship!

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When my youngest daughter Maddie turned nine, she decided on a Cruise Themed Nautical Birthday Party to celebrate! We love theme parties and this idea was so fun.

If you love the nautcial themed too, check out our Nautical Party here with themed decor and dessert ideas.

We have been very fortunate and Maddie has enjoyed a cruise every winter for the last few years. In fact, some of our happiest family memories have been created on board cruise ships, so it seemed like a very fun theme for a party, and a way for Maddie to share her love of cruising with her friends.

The Cruise Terminal -Boarding The Ship

Our intention was to make our guests feel like they were getting on a cruise ship and taking a mini cruise, with some of our very favourite cruise ship activities as part of the cruise themed party itinerary.

Cruise Themed Nautical Birthday Party: Great kids party theme where your guests sail away for the day with a house turned cruise ship!

I found some amazing printables that were perfect for our party. I used picmonkey.com to add text. If you don't know this site, it's great -easy to use and free, and will allow you to edit, and add text to images. I used the large sign and added text to make signs. We put a "Cruise Terminal" sign on the front door to set the tone for the party as soon as our guests arrives. WE also had a "Ship Boarding" sign for our little check in area. This was such a fun idea to greet our fellow passengers as they arrived. One little girl even brought a real suitcase with her to get into the theme.

We used our console table as a check in area.

Ticket Invitations

We sent guests a "ticket" invite for the party. When they arrived they had to sign in with their ticket and get their sea pass, just like a real cruise. We transformed our old sea pass cards into new ones for our party guests using Canva. The homemade cruise ship party pass was complete with each guest's name and the date of the sailing... I mean party. It's fun to use the name of specific ships you've sailed on as well. This was such a great way to get the kids excited about our party theme before they even arrived.

Checking In

At the sign in table they had to sign the registration sheet, and then they received their sea pass, which we hole punched and attached to a lanyard for them, just like they do on a real cruise. Maddie had so much fun checking in all her guests and it was the best way to start off our party.

Picture Time

As they signed in there was a ship photographer ready to snap a shot of them boarding, just like on a real cruise. We set up a little photo booth backdrop of nautical party supplies. For the photo booth decor we used a net, luggage, and an inflatable beach ball. We also made an anchor and life preservers out of cardboard. This was a quick and inexpensive project, that added a lot to our mega deck party vibe. All that was missing were the palm trees! We asked our guests to pose with a hat. We picked up the captain and sailor hat at the party store and they were the perfect costume accessories.

It's always so fun to include a photo booth at a special occasion. After the party we shared all the photos with our guests. It makes such a great keepsake from a party, and a happy memory to look back on.

My girls wore blue and white striped dresses for the party with white leggings underneath because it was a bit cold that day. These simple nautical inspired outfits were perfect for the party.

Welcome Aboard Drink

After the guests boarded it was time for a welcome aboard drink. We picked up frozen pina colada mix at the grocery store and made mini virgin pina coladas for them with fun little umbrellas, which helped get everyone in the cruise mood. The girls were all so excited about their fancy drinks and it was easy way to get the party started as soon as they arrived.

Sandbar Lounge

We decorated our living room party space with a few nautical decorations like the flag bunting from the party store, and some driftwood, sea shells, and starfish. The cruise themed touches helped turn our living room into the "Sandbar Lounge". It was perfect for a mocktail to start off our cruise on the high seas with a little bon voyage party. Everyone had a good time dancing to music and saying cheers to one another with their fancy drinks as we started celebrating this special occasion.

Napkin Folding Class

Our first activity at sea was a napkin folding class. On the cruises we've been on there are always fun little classes on sea days run by the cruise director or other ship staff. On the cruise your waiter is often an expert at napkin folding and loves to show the kids his or her tricks of the trade, and also the room steward often leaves amazing towel animals on your bed at night. Cruising has come to mean fancy napkins and fancy towel folding for us. So, when the classes are offered, Maddie enjoys going and learning how to do it too. One time, we were given these great instruction sheets, which Maddie still had so we just photocopied for the party.

Maddie had a great time being the napkin folding instructor and teaching all her little friends, and grandparents how to fold the perfect napkin.

Lunch In The Dining Room

After napkin folding class it was time for a fancy lunch in the main dining room. Fancy lunches and dinners have become a real highlight of cruising for us. In the early years the kids ordered from the kids menus. We used to bring electronics to keep them entertained. Now, the girls are becoming real foodies. They've really enjoyed trying out new things and ordering off of the adult menu sometimes. Maddie had a lot of fun coming up with her three course menu. We included lots of favourites from cruising. Guests were given three choices for each course, and the waiters came around and took each of their orders for lunch. We wanted the menu to feel fancy, but not so fancy that the kids didn't know what to order or enjoy their choices. I tried to make sure there was something that everyone would enjoy, even our more picky eaters.

Not included on the menu was the bread. Every meal on the ship starts with a basket of delicious fresh made bread. We didn't make our own bread, but we did include some really yummy choices that everyone seemed to really enjoy.

Our boat theme table setting was perfect, with a blue and white color scheme and more cruise theme party decorations. We used lanterns and nautical rope and seashells on the table. We found the perfect nautical napkins at the party store. At each place setting there was a menu. And we marked the table with a place cards showing the table number, just like they do in the main dining room on a real cruise

Staff Name Tags

I also made fun name tags for the "staff" with our names, and the countries we were from. Just like on the real ship. And we all wore our black and white "uniform".

Karaoke

After lunch our guests headed back to the Sandbar Lounge for karaoke. On our last cruise, with great friends of ours, there was family karaoke theme nights. Our girls were brave enough to give it a try. They had such fun times singing karaoke together, all that was missing was a dance floor! After having the other activities, this was the perfect way to end the cruise party. Our guests were a little shy at first, but we still had a lot of fun.

Sea Themed Loot Bag

One of my favorite things about themed parties is coming up with a themed goodie bag. We sent our guest home with a little sea themed favor bag. There were lifesavers, goldfish crackers, cracker jacks, and chips ahoy cookies. I made a fun little label for our "ships ahoy" cookies.

We had a great time celebrating our girl with her own little cruise. Birthday parties are such a great excuse to do something extra special. I hope you'll find some of these great ideas helpful if you're planning your own cruise themed party.

With a special Cruise Themed Nautical Birthday, life really is a party!

Paint Dipped Brass Candle Holders

Apr 20, 2016 · 16 Comments

Paint Dipped Brass Candlestick Holders: upcycle your old brass by painting them for a modern look with this fun and easy candle holder craft.

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Lately I'm in love with brass and all things golden. And of course, my love affair with white is still going strong. So for our #12MonthsOfDIY challenge this month, with us all doing some kind of diy makeover on a thrift store item, I thought a candle holder craft these Paint Dipped Brass Candlestick Holders would be perfect.

I have to say that I really love how they turned out, and they were easy to make, and inexpensive -tick, tick, ticking all my boxes.

Candle Holder Craft Materials:

assorted brass candlesticks (look for different heights and styles)
masking tape
craft paint

Shopping Second Hand

The candlesticks are from the thrift store -I went a couple of times, and found some that I really liked. I love shopping second hand, it's like a treasure hunt to me! And did you know that on average, North Americans throw out 81lbs of textiles each year -that's a lot of landfill! Value Village is one of the biggest recyclers of used clothing in the world. Shopping second hand, and donating your old housewares and textiles is a great way to love the earth, and the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day, this Friday.

I'm a firm believer that one girl's trash is another girl's treasure. #RethinkReuse

Brass was hot in the 70's, but it's definitely making a come back. And since I'm really into the whole geometrics trend right now, I tried to paint my candlesticks so that it looked like they'd been dipped in paint at an angle.

How To Make Paint Dipped Brass Candlesticks

To start my project, I took the stickers off of the candlesticks, and washed them. You could polish them if you wanted them really bright gold, I kind of like their patina, so I left mine un-polished,

Next, I used some masking tape to create an angled line where I wanted to paint.

I used Fusion Chalk Paint, for a matte finish. It took about 4 quick coats to fully cover them.

When they were dry to the touch we removed the tape. They were that simple.

I displayed mine on the fireplace mantel. I love the simplicity of them. They're even making my brass fireplace trim, that I've been meaning to paint black for ages, look good.

I thought about painting them in different pastels for spring, which I think would have worked really well too, but there's just something about simple, beautiful white.

With this candle holder craft , life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our How To Make Wood Bead Garland with Yarn Tassels here.

Also check out our Mason Jar Oil Lamps here.

You might also enjoy our DIY Rainbow Art here.

Easy Mini No Bake Philadelphia Cheesecake in a Mason Jar

Apr 14, 2016 · 5 Comments

Mini No-Bake Cheesecake In A Mason Jar -the perfect cute, portable, easy treat! Top with any fruit you like best. Individual serving size.

Mini no bake cheesecake recipe in a mini mason jar.

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This classic Philadelphia no bake cheesecake filling has been around a long time for a reason. If you're looking for an easy dessert, that you don't have bake in the oven, then this no bake dessert recipe is perfect. We made ours mini individual sized, but you can use this same recipe to make on large on if you prefer. This easy recipe is made with simple ingredients and crowd pleaser. It starts with a classic graham cracker crust, then our no bake philadelphia cheesecake layer. You can top these cheesecakes anyway you like, with the traditional cherry pie filling, or any of your favourite pie fillings or jams, or fresh fruit and whipped cream. I love how easy and versatile this decadent cheesecake recipe is.

Since it's finally starting to feel like spring, these Mini No-Bake Berry Cheesecakes In A Mason Jar, are the perfect little treat. They're great topped with fresh berries, and portable enough to bring on a spring picnic, weekend adventure, or enjoy for a backyard bbq.

Mini No-Bake Berry Cheesecake In A Mason Jar

Mini Cheesecakes

Mason jars are the perfect serving piece for these little individual cheesecakes. The jars are cute, mini size, easy to serve and eat, and portable for adventures! You could also make these in little ramekins, or even small drinking glasses.

This recipe can also be made one large no-bake cheesecake in an 8 x 8 baking dish if you prefer. Or use a store-bought graham cracker crust for a pie and fill it instead.

Homemade Crust

The base of our mini cheesecakes is an easy homemade graham cracker crust. We picked up some graham cracker crumbs at the grocery store. You can also use whole graham crackers and if you have some and put them in your food processor to turn them into crumbs. This graham cracker crust comes together in minutes, by mixing some butter with the graham cracker crumbs and then pressing the crumb into the base of the mason jars, or whatever container you're using to form the cheesecake base.

If you decide to make one large cheese cake instead of the mini versions you can also use a store-bought graham cracker pie crust instead of making your own.

Cheesecake Filling

This easy recipe is a no bake cheesecake recipe, which makes it very quick and easy to put together. Unlike traditional cheesecake, this cheesecake doesn't require baking a water bath. The simple ingredients for our philadelphia cheesecake recipe are simply mixed together and the cake or mini cakes are set in the refrigerator for the cream cheese filling to set.

This recipe works best if you use room temperature cream cheese. It allows it to mix more easily and avoids the issue of the filling being lumpy. This recipe uses sweetened condensed milk to add a wonderful sweetness and make this a creamy dessert. Also be sure to use pure vanilla extract, as the artificial vanilla can have a slight aftertaste to it.

Flavor Ideas

You could make these cheesecakes in any flavor. Go for the classic combination of cherry pie filling, or try a different flavor of pie filling like raspberry or blueberry.

For our blackberry cheesecakes, we used jam as the topping. Jam is a little sweeter than pie filling, so you won't want quite as much jam as you would use pie filling. I chose blackberry jam for mine this time, but any favourite jam flavour would be great. There's lots of different options for your favorite toppings. I'm thinking cherry jam, raspberry jam, or how about mango? The sky's the limit. Because the jam is a little on the sweet side I love to garnish it with some whipped cream and fresh fruit too. The sweetness of the jam and tart fruit pair so well with the creamy filling of this easy cheesecake recipe.

Store your cheesecakes in the refrigerator. If you made them in the mason jars, just add on the lids to create an airtight container, or cover them in plastic wrap.

The perfect finish to these sweet little cheesecakes right before you serve them is some whipped cream, and a fresh berry! I love these easy little decadent desserts. They're always a hit with company and great make ahead for entertaining. You could even make different flavors and let guests choose which one they'd like. These are so much easier to make than a regular cheesecake, and so tasty. This delicious dessert is the perfect choice for your next get together.

Recipe

Mini no bake cheesecake with blackberries.

Mini No-Bake Berry Cheesecake In A Mason Jar

Creamy and delicious mini cheesecakes with berry jam topping.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

Instructions

Melt the butter and combine well with the graham cracker crumbs. Use a spoon and divide the crumb mixture between 12 -4oz. Mason Jars, and then press the crumbs down with the back of a spoon to create the cheesecake base.
Next, combine the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beating until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the cheese cake filling mixture between the 12 mason jars. Refrigerate the mason jars, until the cheesecake is set, about ½ hour.
Once the cheesecake is set, and able to support the jam topping, spoon about a teaspoon over the cheesecakes. Don't use too much, since jam is sweeter than pie topping which is usually used as a cheesecake topping.
Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Just before serving, top each cheesecake with some whipping cream, and add a fresh berry. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

With Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes in a Mason Jar, life really is a party!

More Dessert Recipe Inspiration

You might also like our Classic Cheesecake recipe here.

Classic Cheese Cake -your new go-to Classic Cheese Cake recipe. It's baked, rich and dense. Add your favouarite topping for an easy and delicious dessert.

Also check out our Apple Crisp in a Mason Jar here.

You might also like our Caramel Apple Trifle in a Mason Jar here.

5 Tips To Create a Pinterest-Worthy Party On A Budget

Apr 12, 2016 · 2 Comments

Parties On A Budget: tips to save money like planning ahead, choosing the menu and time of day of the party wisely, and DIY decor ideas.

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Remember when Oprah lost all that weight and everyone was like "yeah I could do it too, if I had a personal trainer and a chef"? And you know when you look at pinterest and think "yeah I could create a Pinterest worthy party too, if I had a party planner and a huge budget". Well you can do it yourself and on a budget,...even a tight budget. Today I'm sharing tips on how to throw a party on a budget.

Party On A Budget

These tips are especially helpful for Birthday Parties -and this month we have two at our house. For a birthday, I want things to be extra special, I want to think of a theme that suits the birthday girl or boy, get baking and decorating and crafting and pull out all my little tricks to make it extra special. Every party I throw isn't "pinterest worthy" -and it doesn't have to be, but birthdays are a great excuse to really get your party on!

A question I sometimes get asked by friends and readers is how do you create a gorgeous, Pinterest-worthy party on a budget? Today I'm sharing how I do it, with these 5 simple tips:

1. Give yourself enough time.

Great parties, especially ones done on a budget take time. In fact, one of the main reasons I ever end-up spending more than I wanted to is because I'm running out of time. It takes time to craft it, find it, bake it, and create it. If you don't mind a few nights in front of the tv making decorations, or an afternoon of baking before the party, or keeping your eyes open over the next month while your out shopping, or ordering things on-line weeks before the party, you can stay on budget. It takes time to find and create all the perfect little details, but those are the things that take a party from ordinary to being Pinterest worthy! Give yourself time to plan ahead.

These paper mache mushrooms for our Spring Woodland Easter Brunch cost next to nothing to make -tinfoil, newspaper, flour, and paint and lots of time. If you're going to get crafty to stay on budget, you've got to give yourself enough time to actually do the crafts.

2. Choose a Theme and Colour Scheme.

Rainbow party paper lanterns and flowers for the paint party.

A theme will help you create a party with real impact and help you narrow down your choices for all the little details. We've all had that feeling of not knowing where to begin, a choosing a theme will help you find the starting place.

What Kind Of Party Is It?

The kind of party your having will help you choose a good theme. A birthday party might have a theme based on the guest of honours interests, or favourite things. A baby shower theme might be inspired by gender, or mom and dad's interests. A dinner party might be based on a type of food, like a night in Paris or a Fiesta. A summer bbq might be as simple as choosing a fun colour as theme. There as many possibilities as you can think of, and truly anything can make a good theme for a party.

The Pink Paris dessert table was so much fun to put together.

Colour Scheme

Once the theme is picked narrow it down to a colour scheme too. This will help you select all the rest of the things for the party. It could be as simple as a one colour or a mix. It might come right out of your party theme, like brown and white for a chocolate party, or it might be the theme of the whole party, like an orange party.

For the Chocolate party, everything was brown, white, and chocolate-y!

3. Pick a Menu.

Your menu will depend on and be connected to a few other factors:

Theme

Sometimes it's fun to theme the food for a party. A tea party, Mexican Fiesta themed party, or pizza party have obvious menus implied. But, other fun things might come to mind depending on your theme. At a rainbow party a rainbow fruit party is a fun touch. At a teddy bear party, teddy bear shaped buns are amazing. So, put on your thinking cap and see what you can come up with related to your theme.

The Teddy Bear Tea Party, with the sweetest tea cup cupcakes, and gummy bears!

Time of Day

Depending on when your party is will make a big difference to your menu. Is it breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert? Sometimes this can help with budget too -an amazing breakfast will likely be cheaper to make than a dinner.

A pretty breakfast party get together with coffee, pancakes, fruit, home made granola and smooth cottage cheese parfaits.

Budget

I'm convinced that even on a budget you can have great food. A few budget choices that your guests won't even notice are try serving punch instead of cans of fancy pop.

Soup party drink cart with iced bottled water and punch with glasses and straws.

Fall punch made from peach juice and ginger ale.

Think about the cost of your protein and look for sale items. The meat is always the most expensive part of the meal. If you're trying to save money, don't plan on steak, instead think about what's on sale. Purchase things in advance and freeze, or take advantage of price matching and find it on sale somewhere.

Pork was on sale, and made great mini pulled pork sliders for a Christmas party.

Think about cost effective items. For example do a veggie and dip tray instead of a cheese tray -cheese can be expensive. Also, make your fruit, and veggie trays, and salads yourself, it will be way cheaper than buying already made ones. Also, plan on baking treats, and the cake yourself. If it's too much prep for you the day before, make some a week before and freeze it. Don't be afraid to ask close friends for family to help out by bringing something too. Especially a family favourite is a great way for Grandma to feel like she's involved in a family birthday and help you out too.

Rainbow Dessert Table Rainbow Fruit Tray

Rainbow fruit tray from the rainbow paint party, that I made myself instead of buying all ready prepared.

What's in Season

Let what's in season guide you when your planning your menu. You'll get what's freshest, and what's cheapest. Win. win.

We picked our own strawberries and made these delicious donut strawberry shortcakes for a party.

4. Make Your Own Decorations

It's amazing what you can do with some paper, and a glue gun! Find some pretty scrapbook paper in your colour scheme and break out your scissors.

Hand made paper flowers, made from white paper, kraft paper, and old book pages.

You might think about possibly creating

a banner for the party
place cards
menu cards
food labels for a buffet
frameable quotes to match your theme
hanging decorations
bottle labels
cupcake picks
cutlery wraps
paper flower decorations

We used washi tape to make banners, cupcake pics, and paper chains for this Christmas gift wrapping party.

The list is really endless and you certainly don't need to make everything on this list, it's just to get you thinking. Create your own, use printables from on-line, or add custom details to store bought party supplies. Start with your theme and colour scheme and go from there.

Handmade menus for a summer dinner party. The guests loved them so much they took them home for a keepsake.

5. Invest in Good Party Neutrals

Another great way to stay on budget is to invest in good party basics. If you like to entertain then an investment in things like neutral coloured platters, serving pieces and cloth napkins will pay off in the long run.

I remember the first dinner party my husband and I hosted, when we were still just dating. We invested in 12 white cloth napkins, and 12 nice wine glasses. Some of the other pieces for that party were a bit of a hodge-podge, but those couple neutral sets are still going strong almost 15 years later, with the exception of a few broken wine glasses!

For this pretty Rustic Snowy Christmas Table Setting I used lots of good basics like a white table cloth, white plates, and the pretty cloches -all bought in sets of twelve when possible.

Buy In Sets Of 12

Another tip of mine, if your love to entertain is to never buy fewer than 12 of anything. When you're young, you think 6 is a big set, by the time you have a family your perspective shifts a little. My family is four, my friends are mostly that size too, so with just one additional family we're already at 8. See what I mean?

Keep It Neutral

And lastly, keep it mostly neutral. A few colourful pieces will add punch, but for the most party white platters, clear glass serving pieces, or plain metal trays all work together.

Lots of basic white serving pieces used here, that go with everything, and can be pulled out time and time again.

These are my 5 best tips for creating a truly pinterest-worthy party on a budget. If you follow this advice of giving yourself lots of time, choosing a theme and colour scheme, choosing your menu, making your decorations, and investing in good party neutrals you have all the things you need to create something amazing and memorable without breaking the bank.

With great times of celebrating ahead, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

Also check out our 5 DIY Inexpensive DIY Party Decor Ideas here.

5 Inexpensive DIY Party Decor Ideas: Use wrapping paper, washi tape, scrapbook paper, and vintage bottles to create your own party decor.

Felt Mushrooms

Apr 4, 2016 · Leave a Comment

DIY Felt Mushrooms: easy to sew red and white polka dot mushrooms with felt, and cork and wooden spool stems. See how to make your own pattern.

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It's spring, and April showers will not only bring May flowers, they may bring a new crop of felt mushrooms. If you're lucky, they might be made of old corks, wooden spools, and felt. These DIY felt mushrooms are perfect for attracting fairies. Use these mushroom ornaments as spring decor, or make them for Christmas. They look great as a hanging ornament on a Christmas tree too. Or you could even use these as mushroom pincushions. This is one of those fun and easy craft projects that older kids would love to make too, and with just a bit of sewing, would be a great sewing project for a beginner skill level.

DIY Wine Cork and Wooden Spool Felt Mushrooms

Felt Mushroom Materials List:

red and white felt
sewing needle
white thread
stuffing
old corks, or wooden spools
hot glue
hot glue gun

How To Make Felt Mushrooms

The Mushroom Top

1. Start my cutting out a rough circle from red felt, it can be a little wonky, as a real mushroom would be. Then, go around the edge and cut out several small V's, this will help create the mushrooms domed top. To also help with the dome effect, use your thumbs to slightly stretch the middle of the mushroom cap circle, taking care not to pull too hard, or create a hole.

2. Cut out some small white spots for your mushroom, and sew the small pieces of white felt circles onto the red felt piece using the blanket stitch.

4. Cut a bottom for your mushroom out of white felt, making it slightly smaller than the top. I just eye-balled it, and adjusted it to fit perfectly by trimming it near the end if it was too big, or adding another V snip in the edge of the red top, if was too small. You could make a mushroom pattern, but this way every mushroom top is done in slightly different sizes, which is more fun, and more fitting for mushrooms.

5. Now you're ready to stitch your mushroom top and bottom together. Use the blanket stitch, drawing the V gaps together as you go, to create the mushroom dome out of the two felt pieces. Near the end, before you're completely finished going around, add in a little stuffing, and then finishing sewing it all the way around.

Adding The Mushroom Stem

6. The next step is to attach your mushroom top to a mushroom stem using hot glue at the top of the stalk, and the bottom of the mushroom cap. I made two finished mushrooms with cork stems, and one of my fabric mushrooms with a wooden spool stem.

Create A Scene

I made three mushrooms for my little display, and hot glued the mushroom base of the stalk to cardboard circle so they would stand easily and then covered the cardboard with some pretty green moss.

I also added in a pretty little nest. My sister, Heather, made the nest for Easter. She used an old felted sweater for the nest part. Just cut out a large spiral circle and then roll it up into a bowl shape to create the nest. Hot glue, or stitch it together, and add a solid circle to the back.

The eggs are made from felted wool, which she dyed with a little food colouring and vinegar, and then used a felting needle to make the felted eggs. They're the perfect addition to this little scene.

DIY Wine Cork and Wooden Spool Felt Mushrooms: so easy to stitch together, add a little whimsy to your spring decor.

I set my little display up under a pretty cloche, although hard to photograph, it looks so sweet on the table for spring. I love the mix of larger mushrooms with the small mushroom. Look for different sizes of corks and old wooden thread spools to create different sizes of mushrooms. We used traditional red and white for our mushrooms, but you could make them in any colors. These would be sweet in pastel shades for an Easter or spring display too.

Christmas Ornaments

If you want to use these as Christmas ornaments, just sew a ribbon loop to the top of the mushroom cap with a piece of thread. The red cap pieces are perfect for Christmas. You could even add some faux snow and glitter to the stalk pieces at the end of the stem to make your finished ornament even more festive.

I wonder if I'll see any little spring fairies looking for a spring toad stool?

I love how you can easily make your own pattern for these mushrooms so that they are all slightly different. With sweet little felt and wine cork or wooden spool mushrooms, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our Mushroom Spring Wreath here.

Also check out our post on How To Make A Fairy Garden In A Bottle.

You might also like our Mushroom Christmas Ornaments here.

Chocolate Mousse Easter Eggs

Mar 26, 2016 · 1 Comment

Chocolate Mousse Easter Eggs -Easy Chocolate Mousse Recipe: the perfect Easter dessert, chocolate mousse piped into hollow chocolate Easter eggs.

Chocolate mousse filled Easter egg recipe.

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These chocolate mousse Easter eggs are easy to make and so delicious. They're a perfect little Easter dessert, sure to delight adults and children alike at your Easter table. Any chocolate lover will love them. They're also a perfect light finish to a big special occasion meal. Not to mention how cute and adorable they are! Spring is the perfect time to make them. It's a great way to serve some Easter chocolate this year, that's a little bit different.

Who doesn't love chocolate mousse, and it's made all the better here, piped into hollow chocolate Easter eggs for the cutest Easter presentation.

The Hallow Easter Eggs

I picked up a package of hollow Easter eggs, and cut the tops off, so they were all ready to pipe the chocolate mousse into. You will want to work carefully for this step, and maybe buy a few extras, just in case you have a little breakage. I found a sharp serrated knife and a sawing action worked best. Remember not to apply too much pressure when you're cutting the tops of hollow Easter eggs off because they are quite fragile.

Our cream mixture was enough to make 1 ½ dozen Easter eggs, but it will depend on the size of your chocolate eggs. Look for large chocolate eggs about the size of a real large egg. If you're filling less hollow chocolate eggs, just cut the chocolate mousse recipe in half.

Easter Eggs filled with chocolate mousse

Filling The Eggs

Use a piping bake or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off to make it really easy to fill the eggs. This was the perfect way to get the chocolate mousse down to the bottom of the inside of the egg and to fill it without making a mess.

How To Serve The Chocolate Mousse Easter Eggs

When we were ready to serve our little treats, we added the perfect little topping of whipped cream, and a teeny wee little chocolate Easter bunny. I found the perfect little teeny, tiny bunny sprinkles at the dollar store, but regular sprinkles, or chocolate shavings would work really well too.

We served our chocolate mousse eggs in a ceramic egg holder. You could also use the plastic egg holder that the chocolate eggs came packaged in. You could also also serve them in individual egg cups.

Recipe

Chocolate mousse filled Easter egg dessert.

Chocolate Mousse Easter Eggs

Milk chocolate Easter eggs filled with creamy chocolate mousse.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 248kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

Instructions

Chop the semi sweet and milk chocolate into small pieces. Use a double boiler, or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of small saucepan of boiling water to melt the chopped chocolate. Once completely melted set aside to cool slightly.
Separate 2 eggs, and beat whites in a clean bowl with an electric mixer at a high speed until foamy. Slowly add 3 tablespoon of sugar, and continue beating until you reach stiff peaks.
Once the melted chocolate is slightly cool, stir the egg yolks into the chocolate and mix well.
Add a small amount of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine completely. Add the rest of the whites, folding to ensure the air stays in the egg whites.
Whip cream and add 1 tablespoon sugar, and vanilla.
Fold whipped cream into the egg white and chocolate mixture until fully combined.
Carefully cut the tops off of the hollow chocolate Easter eggs.
Put the chocolate mousse into a ziplock bag and pipe into the eggs. We filled 18 small hollow eggs, but it depends on the size of your eggs.
Refrigerate the eggs until set.
Before serving, top with whipped cream, and a mini Easter bunny sprinkle.

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LifeisaParty or tag #lifeisaparty!

These the perfect Easter treat. Your whole family will love them with their creamy texture and rich chocolate flavor.

With these easy and delicious Chocolate Mousse Easter Eggs, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our Carrot Cake recipe here.

Also check out our Bunny Bait Easter Trail Mix here.

Bunny Bait Easter Trail Mix -trail mix, with some fun Easter additions like graham cracker bunnies, and Easter eggs, also a free printable Bunny Bait label.

You might also enjoy our Black Forest Cake in a Mason Jar recipe here.