Pumpkin Chocolate Truffles

Oct 4, 2012 · 6 Comments

Pumpkin Chocolate Truffles: easy to make and perfect for a fall dessert or for gift giving. Made with real pumpkin.

Easy homemade pumpkin chocolate truffles.

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I wanted to make a little sweet for Thanksgiving this weekend, nothing too big, since we all really want to save room for pumpkin pie, but just a little special something. I decided on Pumpkin Chocolate Truffles.

These are really yummy, and the perfect treat for the chocolate lover. The pumpkin taste is subtle, but lovely.

The final drizzle of orange chocolate is there perfect finishing touch for pumpkin chocolate truffles.

These would be a great addition to any fall celebration. They'd also be a lovely gift.

Recipe

Pumpkin Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate truffles made with pumpkin.

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Additional Time: 1

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: Truffles

Calories: 147kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

Instructions

Chop semi-sweet chocolate and set aside in a bowl.
Combine cream, pumpkin, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small pan, and heat over medium-high heat, stirring until smooth. Heat until mixture just starts to boil.
Pour the hot cream mixture through a wire strainer, to remove and lumps, and into the chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Stir in butter.
Put plastic wrap on the surface of the chocolate and refrigerate for a couple hours. When it is firm, but not too hard, scoop and roll into balls. You can dust your hands with coco powder. I used a melon baler as the scoop.
Chill again.
Melt your chocolate candy coating, and dip the chilled centres.
Melt the orange chocolate candy coating and use a ziplock bag with a tiny hole in the corner to add a drizzle to the truffles.

Nutrition

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

With home made Pumpkin Chocolate Truffles, life really is a party!

More Pumpkin Recipe Inspiration

You might also like our Pumpkin Bread Pudding here.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding: this recipe is easy and delicious, perfect for Thanksgiving and the holidays.

Also check out our Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies here.

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats: If you're a fan of all things pumpkin spice then you're sure to love this fall spin on classic rice krispie treats.

You might also enjoy our Pumpkin Blondies here.

DIY Acorn Craft

Sep 28, 2012 · 90 Comments

This DIY Acorn Craft is made from an Easter Egg and perfect for fall decorating. See how we used burlap and pinecones to create this beautiful and inexpensive fall decor piece.

How to make an acorn out of an Easter egg fall craft.

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Why We Love This Craft

It uses simple supplies from around the house.
It's inexpensive to make
It looks beautiful and adds some charm to your fall decor.

These DIY acorns are so cute and easy to make. They're an adorable acorn craft that you can use every fall in your decor.

They're made from inexpensive supplies, and the perfect way to create your own fall decoration when cooler weather arrives. I used mainly natural materials to create them. There is one supply though, that you might not have guessed.

The secret to making the acorn shape is that underneath we used an old plastic Easter egg.

They turned out so cute, and would be the perfect beautiful things to add to your fall season decor.

You might also like our DIY Crescent Moon Wreath, Fairy Pumpkin House Village, or our Pinecone Wreath.

Inspiration

I saw these cute acorn crafts at one of my favourite gift shops a few weeks ago, and they inspired me to make my own.

You know that moment when you pick them up in the store and really look at them and think, with a twinkle in your eye, I could make these. ;).

I looked at the shape, and realized that I could use an Easter egg to create something similar. Then I couldn't wait to go home and spend a crafty morning experimenting.

The best part of this simple fall craft, is that you probably have some Easter eggs somewhere in your house already, that you can use.

Acorn craft inspiration shot of acorn ornaments.

Materials:

Plastic Easter Eggs -The regular size ones work great, but smaller ones good too.
Brown Acrylic Paint
Burlap -Choose one with a closed weave so that it covers well and doesn't fray too much as you work with it.
Pine Cones -Larger ones work best for this craft.
Hot Glue Gun and Glue
Twigs -Use these for the top pieces, so not too big works best.
Garden Clippers or Heavy Duty Scissors

Varations

You can experiment with different kinds of fabric on the bottom, like a plaid fabric or cordory in fall colors. I love the tops made from pine cone pieces, but another option is to use a piece of yarn, twine, or rope for the top portion. Use glue to secure it, and spiral it up to the top of the acorn for a fun look, that's a little easier than the pine cone pieces. You can also us experiment with other items to cover the top of the acorn like birch bark pieces, or moss.

How To Make The Acorns:

1. Paint The Eggs

To create the shape of the acorn, I decided to use Easter eggs. My kids thought it was pretty funny that I was yanking out the Easter egg box in the middle of fall decorating. Easter eggs are the fun secret to making these acorns.

Since some of them were bright colours for my first step I used a little sandpaper to rough up their smooth surface, and painted with two coats of brown craft paint. You could also spray paint them if you wanted. Stay away from white paints, or anything that will show through the burlap. Or simply use Easter eggs that are already in fall colors that won't show through too badly, like orange, green, or yellow.

2. Add The Fabric

After the paint dried, I added a layer of fabric to create the bottom section of the acorn.

You want to cover just about ⅔ of the egg with the fabric. We don't need to cover the whole thing and make fabric acorns, just the bottom ⅔, which makes it a bit easier.

I started out with a very open weave burlap, but it didn't work well for this craft. It was fraying, hard to work with, and showed to much of the base underneath. So then I picked up some craft burlap at the craft store which is a tighter weave and tried again.

At the beginning, I started out trying to glue two panels of fabric to the base, like the inspiration acorn, with white craft glue. I found it dried really hard, and the frayed ends stuck up. I ended up hot gluing a circle of burlap around the egg. This worked the best for me.

3. Adding The Pine Cone Pieces

Next was gluing on the pine cone pieces to create the top ⅓ of the acorn. I snipped them off with of the pine cones using some heavy scissors. Then, I hot glued them around the top.

I did about three layers. You want to start your bottom layer overlapping the burlap, to create a nice neat edge. Then glue them on like shingles, overlapping the top of the previous row as you go. I finished them off at the top with a little twig stem.

how to make a large acorn with pinecone pieces

They were a bit fiddly, and I may or may not have thought a couple times "why didn't I just buy these". You need some good fine motor skills, because everything is quite small that you're working with.

I made five, and grouped mine in a little bowl, but you could probably never have enough acorns when they're this cute. You could even use on an acorn wreath or hanging as a fall garland.

They're a fun easy craft to create this fall and use in your fall and Thanksgiving decor.

Acorn Craft DIY -How to make an acorn out of a plastic Easter Egg, perfect for all your Fall decorating.

Christmas Decorations

These are great as fall crafts, but also a great addition to your Christmas decor our favorite season. Last year I tied some fishing line to the finished product and hung them on our Christmas tree.

Make them even more Christmas-y by adding some faux snow or glitter to your faux acorns for the holiday season. Just add some white glue to the acorn tops, and sprinkle some glitter or faux snow on top, to make these beautiful acorn crafts look a little snowy. These add a great woodland fairy folk vibe to your Christmas decor.

With an Acorn Craft Made From An Easter Eggs, life really is a party!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find an Easter egg in the fall?

If you don't have any in your stash, look for them on-line out of season.

Do you have to paint the eggs first?

If you're using burlap and it will show through then yes, unless your eggs are a suitable color, that you don't mind showing through. You can also use a plastic-friendly spray paint for this step, which is a bit quicker.

Where did you get the pinecones?

I found some near by out on a walk one day. If you don't have access to pinecones look for them online.

More Fall Project Inspiration

If you try this Acorn Craft 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

Easter Egg Acorn Craft

Make an acorn from an Easter egg and some pine cones.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: General DIY & Crafts

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Cost: $2

Equipment

hot glue gun
Hot Glue
Garden Clippers or Heavy Duty Scissors

Materials

Plastic Easter Eggs
Brown Acrylic Paint
Burlap
Pine Cones
Twig

Instructions

Since some of the Easter eggs were bright colours, paint with two coats of brown craft paint. Or start with colour like orange, or yellow.
Add a layer of fabric over the egg to create the bottom section of the acorn. Cover just about ⅔ of the egg with the fabric. Use hot glue to hold the burlap in place.
Next snip the tips of a pine cone off, using some heavy scissors. Then hot glue them around the top of the egg, taking care to overlap the fabric and create a neat edge. Layer the pine cone pieces like shingles. I did three layers.
Finish off the very top by hot glueing a twig in place.

Notes

Optional: Instead 0f painting your eggs with acrylic craft paint, you could spray paint, which would be faster.

Fall Subway Art

Sep 27, 2012 · 13 Comments

DIY Fall Subway Art -tutorial on how to make your own subway art, make it with custom words and phrases, any size, any colour.

I love the look of subway art, so today I'm sharing my DIY fall subway art with you. I've seen them everywhere, and it was finally time to give it a try myself. I wanted a large orange piece of subway art for my family room, with fall words on it.

I researched the steps involved -there's lots of ways to make one of these babies, but I decided to use my Cricut to cut vinyl letters. I was inspired by Shelley's version at House of Smiths, see it here, and did something similar.

Materials:

plywood base
Cricut
Cricut vinyl
transfer tape
white paint
orange paint

How To Make DIY Fall Subway Art

The Base

First things first. I thought about trying it with pallet wood, but thought the vinyl letters would stick way better to a good old piece of plywood. I went rummaging in my sister-in-law's basement and struck gold. I found a perfect piece, even the right dimensions, and free for the taking! I gave it a couple of coats of white paint, just some I found in the basement.

Prepping The Vinyl Words

The next step was the lettering. I used my Cricut machine, and used Design Space to design my words. Because this piece is so large I used my 12 x 24 mat, and did two, to create a 24 x 24 piece of art.

I made sure to burnish it all really carefully with a credit card before cutting. It didn't come out perfectly so I fixed up a few spots with an exacto knife.

Next step was weeding the letters -a little time consuming with a piece this large, but pretty easy.

The next step was applying the transfer tape. The purpose of the transfer tape is apply all the letters at once, instead of one by one. It makes it easier to keep everything lined up and spaced evenly. It's relatively easy, and I am glad I used it, it did mean all the words were perfectly lined up when I applied them to the plywood. I drew a few straight guidelines with pencil on the painted plywood, and used the transfer tape grid to line things up.

Next I was supposed to burnish the letters to the wood with a credit card, and then peel off the transfer tape. The tape came off with the letters. Fail. It was really fiddly getting them off of the tape and onto the plywood board. Play around with the angle at which you peel it back.

Paint Over The Vinyl

Finally the letters were all lined up and on the plywood and it was time to paint! I found some miss-tinted paint in the clearance section at the hardware store for $1.50 -score! I tried to make sure the letters were down on the board really securely before painting over them in the orange. I did three coats of paint.

When the paint was still tacky, and not quite dry I used a little tool to pull off the vinyl letters.

When the letters were all off, it was magic time!

It looked amazing, and was worth all the fiddly steps to get there. I heart it.

I did get some seepage under some of the letters, but we'll call it rustic. You could touch these up with a little of the white paint.

I thought about sanding it a little to make it more rustic, but then went with the old, less is more, leave well enough alone, and decided to leave it.

I put it in my family room. I really love it, especially the personal touch of being able to use words that are special to our family, like the near-by fair I've been going to since I was a kid.

Would I do it again? Not anytime soon, but I have to say I do really like how it turned out, so give me time to forget how many steps were involved and I just might.

With personalized fall subway art, life is a party!

You might also like Pampas Grass Wreath here.

Also check out our DIY Copper Wreath here.

Copper Pot Scrubber Wreath: Simple DIY for a beautiful copper wreath made from dollar store pot scrubbers.

You might also enjoy DIY Faux Concrete Pumpkins here.

DIY Faux Concrete Pumpkins: easy DIY to transform inexpensive dollar store pumpkins with a concrete faux paint finish.

DIY Pillow Covers

Sep 26, 2012 · 2 Comments

DIY Pillow Covers: simple to make and store, no zipper, envelope style pillow cover made from inexpensive fabric remnants.

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I ~~am obsessed with~~ enjoy a little seasonal decorating. But my husband may or may not have banned me from buying anymore decorative pillows. I wanted to add some fall colours to the basement this year, and decided to recover my existing pillows with some inexpensive and easy DIY pillow covers.

Our colour scheme in the basement is brown and turquoise, and I wanted to change it to orange for fall.

When I was decorating the basement a few years ago, I made sure that all the biggies in the room were neutral. The only turquoise really were the throw pillows, some candles and other little accent pieces. I love the fact that it really doesn't take too much of an accent colour to really make an impact.

So...I decided to switch it all out for orange this fall. I planned on hitting the thrift stores and grabbing some old wool sweaters to felt and maybe some tweed and corduroy to piece together some cool pillows. At the thrift store though, one orange wool sweater was $10. Too much for me, since I needed several. I decided to check out the fabric store. There I found lots of great options that were really inexpensive.

I headed back to the clearance section, at the back of the store and lots of good options. I think maybe it was because oranges sometimes end up in clearance? There was lots to choose from.

It was easy too, because oranges and browns don't all have to match exactly, unlike say reds. So I mixed and matched my way to a combination that I liked. It doesn't take much fabric to sew a pillow cover so I bought pieces that were a ½ meter, which made the orange paisley that was regularly $14 a meter, on sale for $3 a meter, only $1.50 for a ½ meter. Perfect.

Materials:

remnant and clearance fabric pieces (about ½ meter per pillow)
sewing machine
thread
straight pins
existing pillows to recover

How To Make Envelope Style DIY Pillow Covers

I used an envelope style to sew the cushion covers. I used the pillows I already owned and wrapped the fabric around them. It's really easy, just sewing straight lines and no need for zippers or even buttons. Here's how I did it.

1. Cut out a strip of fabric long enough to wrap around your pillow with some over lap.

how to make an envelope style cushion cover

2. Sew a hem on the one edge that will be exposed.

3. Then just lay it out inside out and sew up the two edges. Just three straight lines to sew altogether. Easy peasy.

4. Now turn it outside right and put the pillow inside. You're done. No zipper neccesary.

This is the back of the finished pillow, with the turquoise pillow tucked inside.

Leaf Accent Pillow

I had one other little accent pillow, and decided I should do something a little special with it. Here it is before.

And here it is after.

I used the same method, but before I sewed up the edges to make the envelope of fabric, I appliqued on some simple leaves.

The edges were left rough. I like the frayed look, and it made this really easy to do. The tread to sew the veining on the leaves was white for a little contrast. And made sure to tie off the ends on the back of the fabric so they don't come off.

I really liked how it turned out, and it too was really simple.

In the end I spent $10 -that's it, and covered 6 pillows. And, when fall is over, I can slip off the orange pillow covers and fold them up in a box until next year. I love the price of this project and how easy it is to store. Win, win.

It's starting to feel so cozy down stairs. Check out my new fall subway art here -which is one of my favourite additions to the room for fall.

With easy and inexpensive new pillow covers, life really is a party!

You might also like our Driftwood Pumpkins here.

DIY Wood Pumpkins: made from collected driftwood pieces, these easy and beautiful DIY driftwood pumpkins are the perfect addition to your fall decor.

Also check our out DIY Copper Wreath here.

You might also enjoy our Paper Flower Pumpkin here.

How To Make A Pinecone Wreath

Sep 21, 2012 · 19 Comments

If you've been wondering how to make a pinecone wreath, this step-by-step DIY tutorial shows you exactly how to do it. Using real pinecones, a wreath base, and hot glue, you'll learn how to prepare, assemble, and decorate your wreath for fall, Christmas, or winter décor.

Finished DIY pinecone wreath with white spray paint and ribbon for fall or Christmas décor.

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Why You'll Love This Craft

It's easy to make and looks great.
We've updated the 90's version of this pinecone wreath your mom had with simple white spray paint.
You only need some collected pinecones, wreath from, and hot glue to make this.
Make this project in about hour, plus some wait time for drying pinecones and spray paint.

I wanted to make a pinecone wreath for my front door for fall and for Christmas to add a festive touch, and give it a more modern spin -as in not the Christmas version from the 90's. Did your mom have one too?

To make it a little more up-to-date, I spray painted it white, and added a really simple ribbon. This whole project only costs $10-$15 and looks great!

You might also like our DIY Crescent Moon Wreath, How To Make A Birch Wreath, Mini Macrame Christmas Ornaments, or Acorns Made From Easter Eggs Craft.

Materials:

Wreath Form: I like the flat wood base kind for this wreath, it's a little easier to work with than the wire forms and gives you a great surface to hot glue the pinecones to.
Pine Cones: We used pinecones from a red pine tree. Collect some small pine cones and medium pine cones, to fill in the wreath well.
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
White Spray Paint: We love how the white spray paint gave this wreath a more modern look, but you can also leave it natural if you prefer.
White Ribbon: We kept it monochromatic with a simple, long white ribbon.

DIY pinecone wreath spray painted white, with a white ribbon.

Variations

Natural Pinecone Wreath: If you prefer a natural pinecone wreath, you can skip the spray painting step. Instead, spray your finished wreath with a matte varnish to preserve it.
Different Color: We love the look of our wreath in white, but you could make this wreath in any color that suited your taste or decor, including something more festive for the holidays.
Festive Bow: You could add a festive bow to your wreath instead of a neural ribbon, especially during the holidays.
Square Wreath: This pinecone wreath would also look great as a square or rectangle. Look for a square or rectangular shaped base to use if you prefer.
Different Varieties of Pinecones: We really liked the look of using all one type of pinecones, but if you prefer, you could try using different varieties together to give you a mix of shapes and sizes, or use all one of a different variety than we chose.

How To Make A Pinecone Wreath

Step 1: Gather Your PInecones and Dry Them

Baking pinecones in oven to prepare them for wreath making.

Look for pinecones in small and medium sizes. A variety of sizes makes it easier to fill in gaps and holes. Parks and forests are a great place to search for them.

We used pinecones from a red pine tree for our wreath. They're perfect if you can find them because they're nice and round and not too elongated. Pinecones usually fall around the end of September if you're looking for them. You can also shop for pinecones online if you don't have any available for you to collect.

Once you've collected them, you can lay them out to dry and fully open if they're closed up at all.

Expert Tip: To speed up the drying process, put the pinecones on a parchment paper or foil-lined cookie sheet to protect it from the pine sap. Put the baking sheet in the oven at 200F for about 30 minutes, or until the pinecones fully open.

Bugs: This oven treatment should also kill any bugs that might be hiding in the pinecones. Alternatively, some people like to put their pinecones in a bucket of water with some bleach to kill anything that might be living in them. Fill a large bucket with water, add about ½ cup of household bleach, add pinecones and put a small plate on top to keep them submerged. Drain and rinse them after about an hour soak, and then dry them in the oven.

Step 2: Prepare Your Wreath Form

For the next step find a 12 inch wood wreath base. The wood is perfect for using with hot glue and easier than using a wire frame, and wiring each individual pinecone.

A foam wreath isn't sturdy enough for this project. Pinecones are heavy en masse.

Don't forget to add a piece of twine or wire to one of the holes to make a wreath hanger on the back before you start glue on the pinecones.

I wish I had spray painted the wreath base before I started adding the pinecones, but you can benefit from my mistake, and spray your base first. Spray painting the base would have been a better way to make sure it was entirely covered. Although you will spray paint the whole wreath later, it's a bit tricky to get into the deep nooks and crannies after the pinecones are all added on.

Step 3: Add The Pinecones

DIY tutorial showing how to make a pinecone wreath by hot gluing pinecones to a wooden base.

I went with two rows of pine cones as a base for my diy pine cone wreath, creating an inner ring and an outer ring out of medium pinecones.

The next easy step was to fill in a row of smaller pinecones on top.

To attach the pine cones to the wreath form, use a lot of hot glue at the base of the pine cone. Don't worry too much about it showing, since you're going to spray paint it all afterward.

Can of white spray paint in a round DIY pinecone wreath.

Step 4: Spray Painting The Wreath

Then it's time to spray paint the pinecone wreath. I am slightly obsessed with spray paint. Spray painting anything all one color seems to immediately make it look more modern, and it's a great way to give traditional Christmas crafts like this one a new spin.

DIY pinecone wreath with one coat of light spray paint on it.

Here it is after one coat of white paint.

Spray paint with many, many light coats for best coverage and to avoid drips, although pinecones are very forgiving.

You will definitely want to use spray paint for this job and not acrylic paint, so that it can get into all the nooks and crannies of the pinecones.

White DIY pinecone wreath with long white ribbon.

Step 5: Add A Ribbon

And then the best part, I tied on a long, white grosgrain ribbon.

I think it's less fussy than a bow and again makes it feel more up-to-date and modern.

Perfect Wreath for Fall or Christmas

This would is perfect as part of your fall, Christmas, or winter decor.

We used our wreath outside. Our front door is protected from extreme weather conditions. Also, the spray paint helps preserve outdoor wreaths, and keeps the pinecones from closing up if they become wet.

With a new wreath made of pinecones to enjoy, life really is a party!

Storing Your Wreath

We recommend storing your wreath when it's not in use in a wreath container or plastic bin. These are great for protecting your wreath from being squished and from dust. Over time, your wreath might need some minor repairs. Check it over at the beginning of a new season, and reglue any pinecones that have become loose.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many pinecones does it take to make a pinecone wreath?

We used about 60 pinecones from a red pine tree, that were medium and small sizes to cover a 12 inch wreath form. It will vary depending on the size of your wreath form and the size and variety of your pinecones.

How do you prepare pinecones to make a wreath?

You will want to make sure your pinecones are completely dry and open to make a wreath. Place pinecones in a warm, dry place to have them open. To dry pinecones faster you can place them on a foil or parchment paper linned baking tray in a 200F oven for about 30 min.

How do I keep the pinecones on my wreath from closing if they get wet outside?

To keep your pinecones preserved and open, you can spray paint them, or if you prefer a natural finish, spray them with a matte varnish spray.

How do you keep a pinecone wreath from falling apart?

Over time, the hot glue on the pinecone wreath may dry and let go. Each season, before putting your pinecone wreath out check it over, and reglue any areas that have become loose. If necessary touch up the paint as well to keep your wreath looking fresh for a long time.

More Wreath Inspiration

If you try our tutorial on How To Make A PInecone Wreath or any other ideas on the blog please let me know how it went in the comments below and give us a star rating. Thanks for visiting today!

Recipe

PInecone Wreath

Make your own easy pinecone wreath with a wreath form, hot glue, and spray paint.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 30

Wait Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Servings: wreath

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Cost: $10 -$15

Equipment

hot glue gun
Hot Glue

Materials

1 Wood Wreath Form
60-75 Small and Medium Pinecones
1 can White Spray Paint
1 piece White Ribbon

Instructions

First step, go and your pinecones. We used red pine for ours. They're perfect if you can find them because they're nice and round and not too elongated. Once you've collected them you can lay them out to dry and fully open if they're closed up all. To speed up the drying process, put the pinecones on a parchment paper or foil-lined cookie sheet to protect it from the pine sap. Put the baking sheet in the oven at 200F for about 30 minutes, or until the pinecones fully open.
Add a piece of twine or wire to the back of your wood wreath form to make a hanger. Then spray paint your wreath form white and let it dry.
Add an inner and outer row of medium pinecones to the wreath base using hot glue. Next, fill in a row of smaller pinecones on top.
Spray paint your wreath. Many light coats gives you the best coverage, and avoids drips.
Once your wreath is dry, tie on your ribbon, hang, and enjoy.

Notes

A wood wreath form works best for this project as it's sturdy enough for the weight of the pinecones, and gives a good solid base to glue onto.

We used red pine pinecones for this project. They have a great round shape that works well for this project.

If you're worried about bugs, soak your pinecones in a bucket of water with about ½ cup of household bleach for about an hour. Use a plate on top to weigh down the pinecones. Then rinse them with water, and dry on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet in 200F oven for 30 minutes, or until the pinecones have fully opened.

We love the look of the wreath spray painted, but you could leave it natural if you prefer. If the wreath will be outdoors, you can spray it with a matte sealer to help prevent the pinecones from closing if they get damp.

DIY Fall Doormat

Sep 20, 2012 · 29 Comments

DIY Fall Doormat: turn a plain doormat into a fall doormat with this simple DIY using craft paint and a DIY stencil to add leaves.

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Every fall season I love to decorate my front door. It's always nice to add a wreath and fall door mat to welcome guests. I wanted to add something quite simple this year, but it was hard to find something that was relatively simple and neutral, so I ended up making my own DIY doormat to get exactly what I was looking for. It was really simple and inexpensive to put together, and turned out great. If you're someone who loves home decor, you can create with your own cute designs on a custom doormat. And it's really easy too. This project is a great way to create added character on a plain doormat. DIY projects are the easiest way to personalize your front door.

DIY Fall Doormat Materials

plain doormat
white craft paint
small brush
paper
scissors

We used a woven mat made from natural materials for our cute doormat, but coir mats work really well for this too. For the paint, our neutral loving hearts choose white, but you could use black paint instead. Or, if you're feeling the fall spirit and want to use different colors, like traditional fall colors and get your pumpkin spice and fall leaves vibe on, you can do whatever you like for your own DIY fall doormat. We made ours to match our front door decor, and went with white flowers, pum

pkins, and fall wreath. If you prefer more colorful pumpkins, or something a little darker for spooky season you can customize your colors and stylish doormat to suit your look.

Making a Stencil

I wanted to add a white leaf pattern to tie in with my all white fall outdoor planter and wreath this year. To get started I sketched out an oak leaf on to some paper, and cut it out. The background piece become the simple stencil.

I did an oak leaf, but you could do any leaf that you like, or a combination. If you're not great at drawing you could just use clipart for a pattern.

If you're a Cricut owner you could go into Cricut Design Space and find a simple leaf pattern and cut it out on card stock to make a very simple stencil. You can also use your Cricut to make iron-on vinyl stencil. This works great with a coir doormat and a more complicated design. I've experimented with the freezer paper method, and vinyl stencil methods too, and found the iron-on stencil the best for very intricate designs to ensure no bleed. If you want to learn more about this method -check out this blog post about how to make an iron-on vinyl doormat stencil with your Cricut machine.

The method I used here is v

ery simple. We cut out our design by hand with scissors, and used white paper. This is the easy way to make a outdoor mat. No complicated Cricut cutting machine required.

Painting

Once you have the paper stencil created, use some white acrylic paint and dab it on with a paint brush. I used a random pattern for my leaves, and I stencilled a few leaves coming off the side as well to create a really cute fall doormat. The fun part is placing the leaves in creative ways and making your own pattern, my turning the turning the stencil different ways. I love a random pattern, but you can making it more uniformed if you prefer. You also might want to use different leaf stencils, or different sizes. It's so much fun designing your own, and creating something you love that you could never find at a store.

You want to take your time and be careful to hold down the paper and not get it underneath. I didn't use masking tape or spray adhesive or glue dots for this project, I just worked carefully. This method worked really well, and was so simple and non-complicated. You could use stencil brushes for this part, but again I found a regular brush was fine, and I just worked carefully. You don't need much paint on your brush when you're stencilling, because you don't want any excess to bleed under the paper. As much as possible you want nice crisp edges.

You could different kinds of paints. Some people use outdoor paint, if they want their stenciled doormat to last longer. I had great success with craft paint from the local craft store. I don't rec

ommend spray paint for this project, because it's harder to control, and more likely to bleed under the paper stencil and not give crisp lines.

I wanted the paint to not be totally uninformed -kind of rustic looking. So I didn't worry about the paint being completely even. If you want a more even look, just do several coats of paint until you're happy with the look.

Recipe

DIY Fall Doormat

Easy Stenciled Door Mat

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Equipment

scissors

Materials

plain doormat
white craft paint
small brush
paper

Instructions

Draw or trace a clipart leaf pattern onto some paper or card stock and cut it out with scissors.
Place your paper stencil on your doormat and use a paint brush and white paint to stipple the paint on. Work up and down, with a small amount of paint at a time to avoid overloading the paint and having it seep under the stencil.
Move the leaf stencil around to create a random pattern of leaves on your mat, including some coming off of the edge of the mat. Allow the paint to dry fully before using.

I really like how our new welcome mat turned out. It's so simple and pretty for fall. I love the neutral, and think it looks great with white faux and fresh pumpkins. You could, of course, do this in fall colors if you prefer for your own doormat. This would look great as a layering rug too. Stack your first mat on top of a larger checked or polka dots outdoor rug for a great layered look to your front porch decor.

Also this easy DIY method of transforming a blank doormat would work for any seasonal decor, or theme at any time of year -think snowflakes for Christmas or winter, flowers for summer, and a pattern pumpkin doormat as a cute halloween doormat. After you make your first doormat you'll have so many fall doormat ideas, and for other seasons and occasions too.

This DIY fall doormat was easy and inexpensive to make, and it looks really great with all the other white fall decor.

DIY Fall Doormat: an easy to make fall doormat, with simple make it yourself stencil and craft paint. Perfect way to personalize your fall decor.

See how I made the all white fall outdoor planter here, and the DIY white pinecone wreath here.

With a DIY Fall Doormat, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our DIY Pampas Grass Wreath here.

Also check out our Fall Home Tour here.

Fall Home Tour: Vintage Botanical Scientific Decor with Boho Maximalist Influence means lots of plants, insects, and pumpkins.

You might also enjoy our Rustic Fall Mantel with apples here.

White Fall Outdoor Planter

Sep 19, 2012 · 13 Comments

White Fall Outdoor Planter -easy to put together, and something different in neutral fall colours. Discover how to make this linear style planter for fall.

I have fallen in love with white, and thought it would be fun to do an all white neutral fall outdoor planter for my front door. I love how it turned it, and that it's a bit different and really simple to do.

Linear Style Planting

I wanted to use the linear style and arrange the plants in rows. The first thing I needed was a square container. I would have liked an antique crate, but didn't have one that I wanted to use for dirt and plants. A square galvanized wash tub worked great. I thought it might be too large, but the proportions turned out well. You need it to be big enough to really give the effect of rows.

Birch Logs

My first row was my birch logs.

I went to the forest and cut down a little tree and sawed it to the right lengths. I realize that not everyone has a forest at their disposal, so here's a few other options.

You could buy birch poles to another good option would be to use twigs. Dark brown twigs would look great and give you the height you're looking for in the back. Another good option would be fountain grass.

I stuck my branches into the dirt, since they weren't too tall. If you're worried about them falling over, you can cement them into an insert container, like I did for my Christmas urn here.

Kale

For my next row I used kale, I liked it's texture, and the height was good. I found a large pot of 3 at the garden centre for $10 and split it to make a row. You do feel a little like your killing the plant, but just go ahead and pull it apart it will be fine, really.

I stuck with the white here, but was tempted to use the purple -which would be great with the purple mums, oh the possibilities!

Fall Mums

Next I planted a row of the quintessential fall mums. I went for the white again (catching the theme?), 3 for $10 can't go wrong, and I wanted small ones that I could plant in a row rather than a large one anyway.

Cinnamon Sticks and Mini Pumpkins

After I planted the mums I added in the cinnamon sticks and the pumpkins. I was able to get these great long cinnamon sticks from my florist sister, but you can also find them at a bulk food store. They smell AMAZING, and while I was photographing them this morning I started thinking about cinnamon buns and then realized it must be the smell of the cinnamon sticks. Also, you can save them and use them in other floral arrangements or pots afterward.

Another good option if you didn't have these would be small twigs, or maybe a row of large pinecones -you get the idea.

I finished up with a row of mini white pumpkins. Love them. Nothing says "I'm the fall arrangement" like sticking a pumpkin in it. I think it helps it read as fall and not winter wonderland white.

I love it, I know I'm biased but I love it. The rows just make it more modern. And, it was inexpensive and easy -my two other favourite things. I already have visions of something similar for Christmas.

With a fall outdoor planter like this, life really is a party!

See how I made the fall doormat here.

You might also like the pinecone wreath tutorial here.

You might also like my Christmas version of this liner outdoor planter here.

Camp S'More Free Printables

Sep 12, 2012 · 6 Comments

Camping Party Free Printables: Camp S'more free printable labels, party invitations, scavenger hunt lists, and food table labels. Perfect to make your camping party extra special.

Today I want to share our camping party free printables from our Camp S'more party! (Special thanks to my husband for bearing with me as he taught me and re-taught me how to do this!)

You can download all the files for your own camping themed party. I've included an invitation, food labels, scavenger hunt list, and the camp s'more logo that I printed onto sticker labels and ~~plastered everywhere~~ used to decorate some other things.

Camping Party Invitations

This is the invite I designed for Paige's party. Don't you love the 3-D s'more? I used a toothpick, coloured with a little brown marker to help it show up against the wood background, and a little square of felt all attached with a little hot glue. So simple, but so cute.

Camping Party Printable Food Labels

I've also created some food labels. Here's a picture of the how I used the food labels at the party.

Camp S'more camping themed birthday party ideas.

I've made a plain version available here, for you to fill in with your own menu items.

Scavenger Hunt List

Remember the cute Camp S'more scavenger hunt bags from yesterday, you can download them here, all ready to print onto a standard brown paper lunch bag, just follow the instructions for taping the folds that I shared here.

Camping themed party activity scavenger hunt, printed on a paper bag to collect the items in.

Camping Party Free Printables Camp S'more Logo

And lastly, I want to share the cute Camp S'more logo here. I used it on the camp hats, the loot bags and the water bottles.

Camping themed birthday party, birthday girl in party hat.

With Camp S'more Camping Party Free Printables, life is a party -a party with lots of well coordinated printables!

Check out all the other amazing parties details, if you missed any, by clicking on the links:

Rustic DIY Tree Branch Dessert Stands

How to Make Gourmet S'mores

Camping Party Free Printables: Camp S'more free printable labels, party invitations, scavenger hunt lists, and food table labels. Perfect to make your camping party extra special.

Camp S'more -Camping Themed Birthday Party

Sep 11, 2012 · 6 Comments

Camping Themed Birthday Party: Camp S'more birthday party with ideas for a games and activities, homemade decorations, food, s'more buffet, and free printables!

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Over the weekend we celebrated my daughter Paige's eighth birthday with a camping themed birthday party. We called it "Camp S'more", and had an amazing time roasting hot dogs, and making s'mores around a campfire, and enjoying the forest. It was so much fun. Paige was a very happy camper, and I think it's one of my very favorite birthday party themes, that works great for boys or girls.

Camping Themed Birthday Party

Today I want to share with you all the fun ideas from our camping themed birthday party. The first thing I did was book a local campground to use for the day. It's really close to where we live, but most of our guests had never been to it and lots said they always wanted to come in and see what it was like.

Paige really wanted to roast marshmallows, and with all the by-laws around campfires, coming here was a great solution for having a real fire. It also provided an amazing forest backdrop and large area to play, and lots of fun for the kids!

A backyard camping party is fun too, and depending where you live might work out great. We didn't actually sleep over for our party. We had a great campfire lunch, games, and crafts and then headed home. You could use all these ideas for an actual camping trip though, or a camp out in your own backyard too.

And if you're not fortunate enough to have a summer birthday, you could even use these ideas for an indoor party at home.

Camping Themed Birthday Party Decorations

Paige's favourite colour is aqua, so we decided to use that in all the party decorations.

I sewed some fun bunting flags to decorate the camp ground. We used the same method and pattern that I used for the Father's Day bunting. I love all the pretty shades, and textures of aqua fabric we found and how nice they looked waving in the breeze at the campground.

Along with the bunting, I used the same material to wrap a letter "P" for Paige on our welcome table. I just ripped strips and knotted them together as I wrapped, and I love the rustic look it created.

It's always nice to include a picture of the birthday girl. To make a rustic frame to go with our theme I used some twigs and hot glued them around a picture as an easy way to create a frame.

Camp S'More Sign

On our welcome table we had a large camp s'more sign. To make the sign I spray painted an old board aqua and used twigs to create the letters. It turned out so cute, and was really easy to make and a great way to welcome our party guests and set the mood for our camping-themed party.

Camp Hats

For party hats, I found white camp hats, and used a sticker to add our camp s'more logo. The kids looked so cute in their camp hats. Get our free Camp S'more printables here, including the one I used for the hats. It was a fun detail that made it feel a little like summer camp. Since the logos were just stickers, they could remove them after the party and use the hats again. It was a nice addition for our little campers to their party favors.

On our welcome table we also added a basket of assorted bug spray options -it was a wee bit buggy! Sunblock could be a good thing to include here too.

Camping Themed Birthday Party Table

For the kids food table, we used the picnic table that was at the campsite. I covered all the tables in white table cloths and then layered burlap on top. It added a great camp-y feel.

We used my plastic dollar store white plates on the table. I have to tell you they were a great investment; reusable, non-breakable, and dishwasher safe, not to mention better for the environment. The plates are layered with the cute polka dot napkins, and aqua water bottles. I felt like I carried around a napkin, water bottle cap and straw in my purse for weeks, since aqua can be a bit tricky and I kept having to refer to what I'd already bought to make sure the shades worked together -just part of being a party obsessed mom. 😉

Personalized Water Bottles

The water bottles were also from the dollar store, and I added the cute camp s'more logo with a sticker -get the free printable here. I made the individual tags with card stock and stamps and tied them on with aqua baker's twine. I love how all the little details turned out.

For the centerpiece for our camp party I found these pretty lanterns. I like that they are white and I'll be able to use them a lot, since they could go with anything. My mom did the beautiful flowers for me. I asked her for ferns, to go with our camping theme, and some white flowers. We arranged them in glass jars, and I love how they turned out.

I tried to create a runner effect with other natural elements. We used some twig and moss balls, pine cones, and birch balls. The birch balls are made by hot gluing birch bark strips to Styrofoam balls. Love how they turned out.

I also spray painted some acorns and pine cones - you know I am obsessed with and love spray paint! I wanted a cute way to add a few more pops of aqua on the table, but still keep the big things that I was re-using or hope to re-use in the future, neutral. this was a fun way to add some aqua colored details, that you could use for any color scheme.

We used another picnic table as a craft table, and place for adults to eat at. I did the centerpiece of lanterns, flowers and natural elements on it also.

There were a few little aqua butterflies tucked in too.

For one of the other tables I used a upside down old crate to display an antique lantern -actually my Grandma's old lantern that she used to use at night to go to the barn and do chores, nice to have a little bit of Grandma at the party. 😉 I also displayed these cute squirrels. They started out life as slightly questionable garden ornaments from the dollar store, but after having a little encounter with Mr. Spray Paint they got to fulfill their ornament destiny as centerpieces! I love how these creative ideas came together. Seriously, aren't they cute?

Don't Feed The Bears Sign

The fun detail that the kids liked was our "Don't Feed The Bears" sign, made with an old board, and a white paint pen. Don't forget to add in a teddy bear or two. It made everyone giggle.

Camping Birthday Party Games and Activities

We had a wonderful time at Camp S'more on the weekend for my daughter Paige's eighth birthday party. I wanted to do a few camping themed activities at the party for all the kids to enjoy. Here's what I came up with.

Polymer Clay S'more Charm

camping birthday party games and activities

Since our camp name was Camp S'more, I wondered if we could do some kind of s'more themed craft, and I stumbled upon some cute s'mores made out of polymer clay.

Paige isn't really a jewellery girl, so we made ours into key rings, or backpack clips, but they could easily be slipped onto a chain and worn as a necklace, like this one I made as an example and wore for the party.

Recipe

DIY s'more charm made from polymer clay at a camping themed birthday party.

Polymer Clay S'more Charm

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 15

Additional Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Materials

beige polymer clay
brown polymer clay
white polymer clay
rolling pin/dowel
toothpick
small square cutter
jewelry pin
wire cutters
small pliers
jump ring
clip
toaster oven

Instructions

So, here's how we made them, everyone was given a little placemat to work on. We started out forming the marshmallow, since I found on my own first attempts that if you start with the other components, the tan and brown clay leave residue on the mat, and the white clay picks it up as you try and make your marshmallow.
After the marshmallow the kids used these little dowel rods as rolling pins, and rolled out their graham crackers, then cut them with the mini square cutter and used a toothpick to make the characteristic line down the middle and small dots. For my first attempt at making them before the party, I used a small cardboard square as a template to help make the graham crackers the same size. I thought this might be a little tricky for the young children at the party. At Michaels I was pleased to discover that they make little cutters for polymer clay. The square one worked out great for the graham cracker and the chocolate square.
The last part was the chocolate, rolled out and cut the same as the graham crackers and then we used a toothpick to make lines for the chocolate bar sections.
After all three pieces were done they stacked them together, I cut and added a little jewellery eye pin from the craft store and then I baked them in our toaster oven for 30 min. according to the package instructions. After they cooled I added a little jump ring, and the key chain hooks. (Our campsite had electricity hookup and I made sure to also bring an extension cord.)

When they were all finished, we attached them to the loot bags. I love how they turned out, and the kids loved them too.

Camping Themed Loot Bags

Inside their loot bags they also had a camping themed book. For the older girls we choose "Cara the Camping Fairy" -Paige and her friends LOVE the Rainbow Magic Fairy books. For some of our younger guests, we found "Curious George goes Camping" and "Caillou Goes Camping".

This is the first time I've used books in loot bags and think it's a great idea. You know you're giving something that the kids will actually use, and sometimes it's nice to do one larger thing, instead of a bunch of little things. I've heard some reports that the kids really liked them too. And it's a great personal touch to use books that the birthday child loves and is excited to give to friends.

We did the s'more craft as soon as everyone arrived which worked out really well, since the kids were still fairly settled down and able to listen to the detailed instructions and it gave us time to bake and cool the clay.

Scavenger Hunt

After the s'more craft we went on a little nature themed scavenger hunt. This activity is really fun for guests of all ages. I made a scavenger hunt list -get all our camp s'more free printables here, and printed it right onto paper sandwich bags.

camp s'more camping themed birthday party

I found out how to print on paper bags over at Oh Happy Day, here's the scoop. You have to tape shut the bag and bottom flap so your printer doesn't get jammed, and set your printer to print on thick paper.

Feed them in one at a time, and once they're printed remove the tape. I did find the tape a little too sticky, even though it was painters tape, and found reusing it over and over helped. Or you can always just print on regular paper and attach it to a the bag.

One of the items to be found was a cute little paper gnome that we printed from a free printable.

Grandma and Grandpa hid them in the woods while I was setting everything else up, and at scavenger hunt time the kids had a great time spotting and collecting them. This was a real hit, and so simple.

Outdoor Games

The other activities at the party were some games we brought, including badminton, kid's horse shoes, and croquet, but the kids had the most fun running around and playing with each other, and balancing on a few logs at the edge of the campsite. Of course there was also the hotdog roasting, and s'more making.

Camping Themed Birthday Party Food Ideas

I've been saving the best till last, the food! The idea for a camping themed birthday party came from my daughter wanting a campfire to roast hotdogs and marshmallows, so that's what we did.

I set up a little buffet for the hotdogs beside the camp fire.

The hotdog buffet included the dogs, and buns and some great toppings. Most of the kids just went for ketchup, but for the rest of us there were some delicious options like fresh chopped tomatoes from my mom's garden, relish, sauerkraut, pickles, onions and cheese.

I love a good hotdog, and nothing beats one roasted over a campfire.

Along with the hotdogs, we had simple veggies, dip and chips. The individual dip containers worked out really well -they were the perfect way to make things easy and made sure there was no double dipping. 😉

I picked up these cute little take-out french fry boxes and served kettle roasted potato chips in them. The individual servings made it really easy for everyone.

Custom Roasting Sticks

Before the party, I made custom roasting sticks for everyone -which turned out to be one of my favorite things about this party. Love is in the little details.

On a trip to the woods I collected some birch bark from the ground and used it to create labels on the sticks.

II cut the birch bark with a paper punch -which worked really well. Then I stamped on the kid's name, or Camp S'more, and finished it with some aqua ribbon to tie them into our theme colour.

It worked out really well; everyone had their own stick and they were super cute gathered around the fire pit roasting hotdogs and marshmallows.

Drinks

We also had a drink table at the party. We offered spring water and pink lemonade.

Since the weather was a little cooler, and fall like, we also had hot chocolate. We made it at home and brought it in some assorted thermos.

This worked out really well, since guest could help themselves and it stayed nice and hot. For the hot chocolate we also had some mini-marshmallows, some store bought and some of the home made ones, and whipped cream! I also really loved the cardboard cups, which came with lids -I found them at A Buck or Two.

S'mores Buffet

The rest of the food for our camping party was sweets. For dessert we enjoyed the much anticipated S'more Buffet dessert table!

One of my favourite little details was the marshmallow tree I made with sticks and mini marshmallows as a centrepiece for the table.

Cookies

I made three kinds of cookies to start with. First was the homemade graham crackers -read all about them here, -they really are so much better than store bought!

I also made chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter cookies. They were all really good.

The cookies looked so good on top of the Rustic DIY Tree Slice Cake Stands that I made. Love it when a plan comes together (since it really is so rare.)

Marshmallows

We had six kinds of marshmallows at our s'mores station. Most of them I found on a cross-border shopping trip. There we got the chocolate, chocolate mint, and cinnamon bun. At home in Canada, I found coconut, and gigantic strawberry.

I made the homemade vanilla -by far the best in my humble opinion.

Admittedly I went a little overboard and there were tons left over, but I have to say for the impact it had, and the kids sense that they'd died and gone to heaven it was definitely worth it! And let's face, overboard is the way we roll around here!

Chocolate

Of course our s'mores also required chocolate. Why have just plain chocolate when you could have a whole bunch of kinds?

So we had milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate with almonds, mint chocolate, caramel chocolate, and cookies and cream chocolate.

The guests all had a great time, mixing and matching different cookies, marshmallows and chocolate to come up with their own s'mores creations.

Birthday Cupcakes

They ate so many s'mores that they didn't have room for cupcakes!

I made cupcakes in a jar, since they're perfect for camping. Birthday cakes are great, but have to be sliced and served. The cupcakes in a jar we super easy to serve.

The cupcakes are in small mason jars, and tied them with baker's twine and the sweetest wooden disposable spoons. I found the plain spoons, and added the polka dots with the eraser end of a pencil and some aqua ink. They turned out so cute. Inside was a plain vanilla cupcake cut in half and layered with raspberry jam, and aqua coloured icing.

The cupcakes made a sweet end, to a very sweet day!

Camp S'more turned out great, the only problem, it was over too soon! I hope all these fun camping party ideas help inspire you. Birthday's only come around once a year, and it's so much fun to make birthday parties extra special.

With a camping themed birthday party, life is really a party!

Check out all the other amazing parties details, if you missed any, by clicking on the links:

Gourmet S'mores

Sep 7, 2012 · 4 Comments

Gourmet S'mores: homemade marshmallows, and homemade graham crackers come together to make the best s'mores you've ever had in your life!

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Since we're having a camping themed party on the weekend, it seemed like the perfect occasion to try making homemade vanilla marshmallows and homemade graham crackers. I wasn't too sure if homemade would really taste that different from store bought, but I have to tell you they are amazing!

Homemade Marshmallows

I started out making the homemade vanilla marshmallows. I've made them before here, and I used the same recipe this time, from Alton Brown. They took a little longer cooking than the recipe said, but just use a candy thermometer and you'll be fine. They are a little time consuming but pretty easy to make, the thermometer and the stand mixer do all the hard work for you.

Let them sit overnight, and in the morning cut them into squares. They are like little white and fluffy clouds of yumminess! -is that a word?

Homemade Marshmallows

I also tried making homemade graham crackers for the first time. I have to say that I'm not a huge graham cracker fan in the first place, they're just not a favourite, and I had read really mixed reviews on-line with most of the recipes I looked at. I ended up using the Brown Eyed Baker's recipe, she had me at the mention of the difference using butter makes to the taste and how it really makes them so much better than the boxed version. After making them and trying them myself, I'd have to agree with her.

To make these little crackers of goodness, you'll need to get your hands on some Graham Flour. I couldn't find any at my local grocery stores, but they did have it at the health food store. Look for the Bob's Red Mill brand.

The graham flour really does give them that characteristic graham cracker texture. I used light brown sugar, since it's what I had on hand, and I think it worked out great. They also have some honey in them, also adding to that honey graham taste you remember from childhood.

gourmet s'mores homemade graham crackers

I did find the dough quite crumbly and hard to work with when I was rolling it out. I switched from a floured surface to rolling the dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap, and it helped a little.

Homemade Really Is Better!

I have to say, I think it was really worth the extra effort to make homemade marshmallows and homemade graham crackers -they're that good.

With gourmet s'mores, life really is a party!

Check out all the other amazing parties details, if you missed any, by clicking on the links:

You might also like our Homemade Coffee Marshmallow recipe here.

Also check out our Homemade Flavoured Marshmallows -Baileys, Chocolate, and Vanilla.

Rustic DIY Wood Slice Cake Stands

Sep 6, 2012 · 2 Comments

DIY Wood Slice Cake Stand: tutorial to make your own wood slice cake stands perfect for rustic entertaining, parties, or weddings.

We're having a camping themed birthday party this weekend, and as soon as we finalized the theme I knew I wanted some rustic a DIY wood slice cake stand for the dessert table.

Luckily, I just happen to know a guy with a chain saw and a forest at his disposal.

My friend Dan did me the amazing favour of finding the wood and cutting it for me. In fact, when I described what I wanted to do, he knew more about it than I did.

He explained to me that we would need to find some wood that had been down for a while and had had some time to dry out. Other wise, when you cut your tree rounds, they split as they dry. This is some important info -thanks Dan.

After a fun walk in the forest with the kids, harvesting our materials, and a wonderful mini vacation with our friends in Haliburton who not only own their own chainsaw, but know how to use it 😉 it was time to head back to home to the "city" and put them together

Materials:

wood slice for the top
smaller wood piece for the base
sand paper
wood glue
clamps or something to use for a weight, like books
spray varathane

How To Make A Wood Slice Cake Stand

The first job was securing our wood slices for the tops and the smaller wood pieces for the bases. Once home I started sanding the tops of the tree rounds.

I used my palm sander to smooth out the tops. I don't mind things a little rustic, so I wasn't too bothered that they weren't completely level. If you're bothered by these things ~~you should relax~~ you could use a level and an electric plane to make sure everything lines up.

After they were all sanded on top I used wood glue to attach the top to the bottom.

You could use clamps to hold the wood while the glue dries...or if you have no clamps you could use cook books - see those fancy cookbooks you rarely open are useful. 😉

After the glue was dry I sprayed the tops with a little varathane to seal the wood. I love how they turned out.

Can't wait for the party on Saturday, and praying it won't get rained out!

With beautiful a DIY Wood Slice Cake Stand, life really is a party!

Check out all the other amazing party details, if you missed any, by clicking on the links:

Gourmet S'mores

Easy Stuffed Zucchini with Ground Beef and Rice

Aug 30, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Easy Stuffed Zucchini: this easy recipe is made with ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce, and topped with cheese. The perfect hearty meal.

Stuffed zucchini with ground beef and rice.

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Stuffed zucchini is a hearty, and delicious favorite. Any zucchini lover will love this delicious casserole version, filled with ground beef, rice, tomato sauce, and veggies and topped off with a layer of cheese.

Fall is coming and it makes everyone feel like eating a nice hearty casserole and these easy stuffed zucchini are perfect for the whole family. If you are a gardener, you've got a lot of zucchini this time of year, and if not they're at the farmers market and supermarket and the price is right. This recipe is perfect for zucchini season, or any time of year.

I saw some lovely ones this week and couldn't pass them by. I have a funny memory of my Dad making dinner one night (which was a bit of a rarity when I was a little girl) and making stuffed zucchini. He was so excited about it. I think he got the recipe from a friend at work and they were delicious. It's always been a favorite of mine.

One Dish Meal

We love that this is a complete meal in one dish. It's full of delicious veggies, and also contains rice and meat, so it's everything you need all in one dish. We often serve this with a salad and crusty bread, but all on it's own a great complete meal.

Individual Stuffed Zucchini Boats or Casserole?

Many times when people make stuffed zucchini they create a stuffed zucchini boat by scraping the inside of the zucchini out and discarding the insides to create a hollow area in the middle of the zucchini half for stuffing. You can certainly do that with this recipe. If you want to hollow out your zucchini to make zucchini shells, you can use a melon baller to scrape them, and then discard cores. This recipe will make more than enough stuffing if you want to stuff the zucchini without overflowing contents. You will have enough extra filling with this recipe for 6 whole zucchinis, cut in half to make 12 stuffed zucchini boats if you want to stuff them without over filling each individual zucchini boat half. Or, cut the filling part of the recipe in half to not have extra filing leftover if you're not making the casserole version of this recipe.

I've chosen not to scrape out the zucchini pulp insides of the zucchini halves. I don't see the reason to waste the inside of the zucchini, since it's so delicious, and more veggies are always a great idea. My version of the stuffed zucchini is more of a zucchini casserole, overflowing with delicious toppings and all bathed in tomato sauce, and covered in cheese. This more hearty version is a little less delicate, and deliciously hearty.

Other Options

If you prefer not to eat ground beef, you can substitute ground chicken or ground turkey in this stuffed zucchini recipe.

This beef mixture is also a delicious filling for stuffed peppers also. Make them in the same way substituting hollowed out bell peppers cut in half for the zucchini, fill them with the meat mixture, and top with cheese and bake in a casserole dish the same way you would with the stuffed zucchini recipe.

easy stuffed zucchini with ground beef and rice

Vegetarian Version

If you want to make this into a vegetarian version of stuffed zucchini you can substitute the ground meat in the recipe for a vegetarian meat substitute, or leave it out and add in some extra peppers and mushrooms. To make the recipe vegan, substitute a vegan cheese for the topping of the stuffed zucchini.

Low Carb Version

If you are on a low carb diet, you can leave the rice out of this dish. Or substitute the regular rice with a cauliflower rice option.

The leftovers from this dish are delicious the next day too. If you have leftovers, store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container, and reheat in the microwave.

I like to serve this dish with a green salad and fresh bread or rolls. This is one of my favorite dinner recipes. It's perfect whenever you're craving a hearty dish.

I am a zucchini fan, I love zucchini cake, zucchini fritters, ratatouille, sautéd zucchini...what can I say, I like it. My five year old daughter...not so much. So, I'll say if you're a zucchini fan, your going to love this, if you're not a zucchini fan, if you eat your dinner you can have a cookie. ;).

Recipe

Looking forward to the leftovers for lunch 😉 -Hope you enjoy!

With easy stuffed zucchini, life really is a party!

More Recipe Inspiration

You might also like our Unstuffed Zucchini here.

Also check out Mom's Easy Lasagna here.

Easy Lasagna with cottage cheese: this is a great make-ahead, and it freezes well. Easy to put together, and sure to be a family favourite.

You might also enjoy our Butter Chicken Pizza here.

Butter Chicken Pizza: use frozen naan bread and jarred butter chicken sauce from the grocery store, for this quick and easy butter chicken pizza recipe.

How To Make Inexpensive DIY Pergola Shade Cover

Aug 1, 2012 · 21 Comments

DIY Pergola Shade Cover: create shade under your pergola with these DIY fabric covers. These inexpensive covers are made from drop cloths and brass grommets and woven through the top of the pergola.

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We Needed Some Shade

These DIY pergola shade covers were a necessity in our backyard seating area. A few years ago we had this beautiful pergola built in our backyard. I love it. It adds so much character and drama to our outdoor space. Because our house is a new build, we desperately needed a spot with some shade to be able to sit out and enjoy our outdoor area in the summer. We have a beautiful seating area under the pergola, but it was so hot and sunny that we weren't even able to sit out and enjoy it without getting sunburns.

We had always planned on growing vines over the pergola for shade. I planted vines on it, and have been patiently waiting for them to grow up and provide some much needed shade in our backyard. It's year three, we've had one casualty and re-plant, and I'm getting a little less patient for my vines to grow. It's a really lovely place to sit, but it's just too hot and sunny to really enjoy.

DIY Pergola Shade Cover: create shade under your pergola with these DIY fabric covers. These inexpensive covers are made from drop cloths and brass grommets and woven through the top of the pergola.

I had an idea that I could make some shade, by weaving some fabric through the wood, with some DIY pergola shade covers. It worked so, so well. If you're looking for an inexpensive and non permanent solution to create some shade with your own pergola, then this might be a great idea for you also.

Inexpensive Solution

I wanted a temporary shade cover on our pergola. We really wanted the plants to climb the pergola and provide shade eventually. But until they grow, we needed a non-permanent solution to provide the perfect shade and protect us from excessive heat.

We considered a few options for the space out of the wide range of styles and types of shade covers. A shade sail didn't seem like the right choice for this space, because it would take away from the Victorian architecture of the beautiful pergola. A mechanical retractable canopy wasn't the right solution for this space, because again it won't go with the style of the space at all, we would need custom sizes at great expense and it would be permanent. Our goal was only to block out direct sunlight and create a spot to sit that was more comfortable with a little extra shade, while we wait for the grape vines and other climbers to grow and provide a covered pergola with their leaves. We weren't trying to create a solid roof, waterproof pergola covers or rain protection for our space.

We wanted the type of canopy to extend our outdoor use of the space in the summer months and give the space some shade, while not taking away from the beauty of the structure and the ornate Victorian style wood work. Our perfect solution was to create our own pergola sun shade using different pieces of fabric, that we could easily remove once the vines grow in.

Choosing The Fabric

When we decided to use fabric to create our shade covers the next question was what kind of fabric to use. I considered using some outdoor fabric to create our outdoor pergola shades. The biggest reason to not use a special outdoor fabric that is designed to withstand bright sunlight and the harmful uv rays, as well as hold up against strong winds and heavy or light rain getting it wet regularly was the price. The specialty outdoor weatherproof fabrics probably last much longer, but they're so expensive. Since this was meant to be a temporary solution anyway, we didn't feel it was worth the big investment of special fabric.

What we decided to go with instead was regular inexpensive drop cloth material. This was really a great option. We bought large heavy duty fabric painter's drop cloths at the hardware store. These are made of a heavy and thick hard wearing cotton material. The fabric is easy to work with, and has actually held up very well for the price. This fabric is thick enough to easily block the light. Because it's fabric, when it rains it does get wet, but it dries out quickly in the sun afterward. With gusty winds, the fabric allows the wind to blow right thru it. I also liked the natural color of the fabric and that there was no pattern on the fabric, that might take away from the space, or draw too much attention to itself.

I did have some concerns about using this inexpensive solution. We were worried about how the fabric would hold up to the sun, to heavy rain, and how it would look. One way we tried to address any problems with staining was to make sure that the fabric panels were installed in a way that made them removable so that we could wash them in the washing machine if and when we need to. This also made them easy to remove and store during the winter months and reinstall in the spring.

Brass Grommets

I thought it would be a beautiful and useful detail to add grommets to the corners of the fabric strips so that we could tie them onto the pergola. Grommets were a perfect solution. They make the project look a little more professional, and work great in a practical way. The grommets reinforce the holes in the ends, giving them strength so they don't rip the fabric if there's high winds. They're easy to instal in the fabric also. You can buy an inexpensive grommet kit at the hardware store that contains the grommets as well as the special tool to instal them. In addition to the kit all you need is a hammer and scissors to instal them.

Brass is also the perfect metal for this outdoor job, because it doesn't rust. They are also very strong and won't easily break. Without rust forming it won't stain the fabric. The brass will develop a pretty patina over time.

It turned out really great, and best of all, it's not so burning hot out there anymore.

Pergola Shade Cover Cost Breakdown

These prices are all in Canadian dollars. If you're in the US, it would probably be a bit cheaper. At the time of writing this $77 Can is equal to $57 US dollars. These prices also include sales tax.

8 x 12 heavy duty cloth drop cloth from Home Depot -$44 with tax
brass grommets kit from Home Depot -$19 with tax
cable ties from Home Depot -$14 with tax

Total: $77

I already had the thread to sew with, and a sewing machine. I also already had the staples we used to install it. There were some grommets and zip ties left over after this project.

Pergola Shade Cover Maintenance

Because we live near Toronto, Canada and have harsh winters with lots of snow, we take these down every year in the fall. We wash them in the washing machine with hot water and bleach. Some years we've done a double wash, putting them through the washing machine twice, and then dry them in the dryer. They're easy to store, folded up in our basement storage room. In the spring we re-install them for the season. Because it's a bit of an effort to take them down, we haven't washed them during the season. But if you choose to, you could wash them more frequently.

They have held up well to the rain and the sun. The fabric is still strong, and hasn't broken down at all after one full season. The fabric has become a little discoloured overall with some black marks, but overall it still looks fine. The discolouration isn't very noticeable at all while they're installed, it's just on close inspection that you notice them. There are no holes in the fabric at all. The gromets have held up perfectly and not ripped out at all. To remove them just snip off the zipties and use a flat screw driver to pop out any staples you may have added for stability.

Pergola Shade Cover Update:

I made this cover 5+ years ago and it's held up really well. I get asked sometimes about if it would be better to use a special weather proof fabric, and if this has held up. It does have a few stains and black marks on it. Every year we put it up in the spring and then take it down in the fall and wash it with bleach at the end of the season. The fabric has help up really well. It hasn't broken down from the sun or rain or wind. It still has no holes in it anywhere. The grommets are still all attached and in good condition. None of them have ripped out or torn the fabric.

For the low cost, I'd say it was well worth it and highly recommend.

We're still trying to get those vines to grow. ;). As the vine have grown we have been able to remove just one or two panels of the cover where the vine is grown out. This was an added bonus we hadn't thought of when we made the design, but just worked out really well.

Recipe

DIY Pergola Shade Cover

Make your own fabric pergola shade cover with inexpensive drop sheets to provide protection from the sun.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Cost: $50

Equipment

Hammer
Sewing Machine
scissors

Materials

Drop Cloths
Thread
Brass Grommet Kit
Zip Ties

Instructions

I started out with a good old home depot drop sheet (blogger's linen). I pre washed and dried the covers in the washing machine and dryer. The spaces in the pergolas top pieces were measured and I used the measurement to cut the fabric in strips, adding on a seam allowance. For the size of the strips, we were guided by the pergola and the arrangement of the top wood pieces. For our pergola we fit 4 equal size pieces width wise. You want the length to be fairly taught when the panels are installed so that the fabric isn't dropping too much. If it's taught it won't have room to twist in the wind either, and should lay nice and flat and tight. I stitched up the hem all four of the sides on the sewing machine to create the fabric strips.
Then I added grommets to the four corners of each strip of fabric. The very helpful man at Home Depot said they wouldn't rust, since they're brass. I just followed the instructions on the package, and they turned out looking great.

Update: The Home Depot guys was completely right, 5 years later and the brass didn't rust one bit.
Next we wove the fabric strips through the top of the pergola, and tied them on the ends with small clean zip-ties. Lastly we added a few small staples for stability. When you're installing them weave one over and under in a pattern, and then weave the next under and over for a pretty effect.

With a DIY pergola shade cover, life really is a party.

More Inspiration

You might also like to see 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.

And also check out Teacup Fairy Village Gardens here.

Teacup Fairy Villiage Gardens -use teacups and teapots to create these whimiscal miniature fairy gardens with polymere clay houses and mushrooms.

You might also enjoy our Portager Garden here.

How To Make A Potager Garden: create a beautiful French kitchen garden with flowers, herbs, and vegetables in raised beds, and garden she shed.

Purple Dessert Table

Jul 25, 2012 · 5 Comments

Purple Dessert Table: cookies, cake pops, donuts, blueberry trifle and a candy buffet create the most beautiful dessert table.

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My dear friend Connie celebrated her 30th birthday on the weekend. We had a lovely 30th birthday dinner party -which you can read all about here, and finished off with this beautiful purple dessert table with lots of ideas inspired by our Purple Party.

Purple Dessert Table

The backdrop of the table was made by stringing up some ruffles. I love command hooks, they make it so easy to add party decor, and remove it latter without marking the walls.

I also cut out the "30" from some foam board and decoupaged it with paper doilies, and a little glitter.

Blueberry Trifles

I made sweet little blueberry trifles, see the recipe here.

I love serving individual portions.

Donuts

I had these sweet little tea cups, with pretty purplish flowers, and thought they'd be lovely to hold simple donut holes.

I also served some jelly donut holes on these cute Asian spoons, with a sweet toothpick and ribbon flag added.

Cake Pops

I made vanilla cake pops, and added a ribbon detail for a little more purple.

Shortbread Cookies with Purple Sugar Sprinkles

We also made shortbread cookies, and tied them into little bundles with purple baker's twine.

Candy Buffet

I also served some candy, in my pretty vintage milk glass candy bowls.

With a dessert table like this one, life really is a party!

Happy Birthday Connie!

With a purple dessert table to enjoy, life really is a party!

You might also like The Purple Party here.

Also check out our Homemade Purple Marshmallows here.

30th Birthday Dinner

Jul 24, 2012 · 1 Comment

30th Birthday Dinner: we decorated with white and purple, had a beautiful dinner party and money tree to celebrate our birthday girl.

30th Birthday dinner party menu and decor.

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This weekend a dear best friend turned 30 and we threw a pretty 30th Birthday Dinner party to celebrate an new decade and a new chapter. Milestone birthdays are special and it's always great to celebrate with an intimate dinner party. It was such a fun way to surprise our guest of honor.

Celebrating At Home

I love celebrating a special 30th birthday celebration like this in my own home, where you can decorate ahead of time, and linger into the night. The best 30th birthday venues are somewhere everyone feels comfortable, but that also have a sense of occasion for an important milestone. The important things for us were to gather the birthday girls group of close friends and have a great time together. We made things a little fancy with decor and a dress code. A surprise party in the comfort of home with closest friends around the dinner table was a really lovely way to celebrate.

Party Decorations

We used lots of white, ruffles, doilies and a little purple for our 30th birthday party theme for the party decor. We were inspired by the birthday girl's favorite color palette. On the front table, I added a picture of our guest of honor Connie, along with some candy and a beautiful bouquet of Queen Anne's Lace.

I also used my chalk board and added some paper doily bunting and a birthday greeting, as a great way to set the tone as guests arrived.

The dining room was all dressed up for the party. We hung beautiful paper lanterns and a few DIY paper doily balls. They looked so pretty with the chandelier.

The Table

The table was set for 10, with a simple white table cloth. I used my pretty purple wine glasses to add a little colour.

I love how these pretty lacy metal candle holders looked with all the other lacy details, and how their round shape echoed the paper lanterns hanging above.

The focal point white flowers were more of the Queen Anne's Lace, in three containers down the centre of the table.

I used simple white cloth napkins, and white plates made for perfect pairings at the place settings. The cutest detail for this special occasion were these pretty individual domed dessert holders.

We served homemade shortbread cookies in them. I loved how the cookies, stacked and tied into little bundles with baker's twine, added another small pop of purple to the table. It was all so pretty, and the best part was that they were delicious.

Birthday Girl Chair Decoration

Another fun detail, was decorating the birthday girls chair. I made a simple rosette with paper doilies and tied on some ruffles and ribbon.

Appetizers In The Garden

We started the evening outside with some delicious appetizers. It's always nice to build a little movement into your evening and starting out in the garden before heading inside is always a good choice.

We tried this yummy corn dip recipe from Inspired by Charm. Everyone loved it.

I served a simple purple punch of grape juice and ginger ale with vodka on the side for those who wanted to make it a little special. 😉

30th Birthday Dinner Ideas

Dinner was delicious we served a dinner salad with roasted potatoes, along with grilled flank steak and flattened chicken. Get the recipe for the flattened chicken here. It's the perfect summer dinner menu.

Dinner Menu:

Salad with Roasted Potatoes
Grilled Flank Steak
Flattened Chicken

Money Tree

Since our birthday girl was travelling for the next year, we had the good idea to make a money tree in lieu of gifts. Guests brought $10 bills (they're kind of purple here in Canada so they fit our colour scheme perfectly), and tied them on with these little ribbons and paper clips. It was a real blessing to Connie, and just one of the creative ideas that she really loved.

Dessert

You can't have a birthday party without birthday cake. And what's better than only serving cake? Creating an entire dessert table! I had so much fun putting together a purple themed dessert table,inspired by this purple party. See all the details of the beautiful 30th birthday white and purple dessert table here.

More Fun 30th Birthday Party Ideas

Our intimate dinner party was so fun, but another great option would be to book a room at your favorite restaurant, you might even look for somewhere with live music and a dance floor, or a rooftop bar with a happy hour to get the party started.

If you're looking for more at-home party ideas try a board game night, online cooking classes with friends, or an online mixology classes. If you're into a themed birthday party how about a murder mystery party, great gatsby, wine tasting party. Escape rooms also make a fun theme. Another idea for a good time would be to book a spa day. And a unique way to celebrate, not for the faint of heart, is a big group camping trip. Turning 30 is a big deal so how ever you choose to celebrate the birthday boy or girl, I hope you have a wonderful time and make lots of memories together.

More Party Inspiration

You might also like our Toast Party here.

Also check out our Beer and Rootbeer Tasting Party here.

You might also enjoy our Favourite Things Birthday Party here.

Favourite Things Party: the perfect 50th birthday party ideas for your husband. Favourite food, favourite dessert, favourite book as a party favour.

Stuffed Puppy Dog Adoption Birthday Party

Jul 17, 2012 · 14 Comments

At this Puppy Dog Adoption Birthday Party children choose a stuffed dog, fill out adoption papers, named it, dressed it, take it to the vet, groom it, walk it, and play with it. Amazing inspiration for a puppy dog themed birthday party including a hot dog buffet, dessert table, and DIY decorations.

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Why We Love This Party

Puppy love is to mild of a term to discribe how much we love dogs!
The adoption center had the cutest dogs and such fun activites for the kids the enjoy.
Who doesn't love a hot diggy dog for lunch?
Is there anything sweeter than dog themed desserts?

My little friend Allie LOVES puppy dogs. So for her birthday her Mom Heather set up the most amazing stuffed puppy dog adoption center for her and all her friends. There was also sweet DIY decor, and a amazing hot dog buffet and dog inspired dessesrt table.

Love dogs too -you might love this party for my dog's birthday too. Or check out our Magical Animal Adoption Agency party, or Teddy Bear Party. And if you're looking for ideas on how to decorate for an at home birthday party, there's lots of inspo here.

The Invitations

The sweet invitations, which Heather ordered from a seller on Etsy, set the tone right from the beginning. These and other pintables for the party were so cute, and added a vintage feel.

I also loved how Heather made a little paper doily envelope and tied it with bakers twine.

DIY Decorations

When we arrived at the party we were greeted by this pretty garland made it out of scrapbook paper, bakers twine, scrapbook letters and more doilies.

Heather found these fun ceramic dogs and spray painted them yellow and added cute little paper flowers to embellish them. They really brought the puppy theme to the tables. It's amazing what yo can do with a little spray paint!

As guests arrived they were welcomed to the first centre, The Puppy Adoption Centre, where they choose a stuffed puppy to adopt.

Stuffed Puppy Adoption Centre

Decorate a box for the puppy.
Fill out pet adoption papers.
Write the dog's name on his collar

Each centre had one of these sweet signs with instructions.

At this centre as well as choosing their stuffed dog, the kids could decorate a box with the puppy's name, fill out the adorable adoption papers, and pick out a collar and add the puppy's new name.

There were lots of fun supplies to decorate the puppy boxes.

After decorating there were adoption certificates to fill out.

The cute pet adoption party free printables can be found here, at the Chickabug Blog.

Heather made the cute collars out of ribbon, velcro, and gift tags. The kids loved being able to write the puppy's new name on them.

Puppies 'R Us Centre

outfits
leashes
ball
puppy treats

The next centre was The "Puppies R' Us" centre, where they picked out outfits, leashes, a ball, and puppy treats.

The little puppy outfits were from IKEA.

I love the puppy treats, with their paper doily details, which contained a little snack of chocolate cereal -for hungry puppies, or their little owners. 😉

Here are the leashes. The were stiff, so the kids could really "walk" their puppies. And, they had a little button on the end that made a barking sound -so cute!

Grooming Station

brush and mirror
mini towel
spray bottles with sponges

The next centre was the Grooming Station.

At this centre there as a brush and mirror for everyone, and a little towel made out of felt. The kids could spray their puppies with a little water, and wash them with a sponge, then dry them and brush them.

Vet Clinic

puppy checkup with vet toys
puppy vitamins

The final centre was a Vet Clinic.

Puppy owners were invited to give their puppy's a check-up and pick up a container of puppy vitamins.

Here's the vitamins, filled with gummy bears.

Puppy Dog Party -Stuffed Puppy Adoption puppy vitamins

And here is the birthday girl, giving one to her puppy.

Looks like this little puppy needed a band aid on his leg.

It was so much fun going around to all the little activity centres, and gathering up the puppy supplies. And it was great to have the little boxes to put it all in.

We went home with two new puppies, "Sophie" and "Lilly", and I have to say they've been very quiet and good little puppies. 😉

The Drinks

The drinks table was so pretty. Heather, set up lemonade and mason jars with daisy tops and paper straws. They were so pretty!

Heather and I were out shopping one day and we spotted this fire hydrant drink dispenser on sale! So perfect for a dog themed party, she couldn't resist.

There was also a cute yellow dog dish with chips for munching on.

The two little puppy dog sippy cups are from IKEA and were for some of the toddler guests at the party.

The Hotdog Buffet

For lunch there was a hotdog bar -get it, hotdogs, dog party!

Heather has all kids of hotdogs, veggie dogs, mini hotdogs and sausages, and every topping imaginable too. It was delicious.

The cutlery was in these cute IKEA plant pots, that echoed the paper doily details.

Heather also made the sweetest food labels out of scrapbook paper and more paper doilies.

Side Dishes

Along with the hotdogs, there was a table of beautiful side dishes.

There were chips, in these cute cardboard containers.

Heather also served little mac and cheese cupcakes -perfect hand-held party food.

There was also a yummy pasta salad, served in mason jars. I love how she used a cupcake liner on top of the lid -such a pretty detail.

Puppy Dog Dessert Table

And saving the best til last, the puppy dog desert table was amazing.

Heather made these beautiful vanilla cupcakes with butter cream frosting -they were so good. She used the party printables to create the cupcake picks.

There was also fruit salad served in a mason jar.

Another fun addition were these "puppy water bowls" made with blue jello. There were so cute and the kids loved them.

I made these cute little puppy dog cake pops. To make them I made regular cake pops and then added a mini M&M nose, candy eyes and little chocolate ears. To make the ear shape I put some melted chocolate in a mini plastic spoon as a mold and let it set. Once it's set these make the perfect ear shapes.

There were also some cute paw print lollipops that fit the theme perfectly.

Heather also made her famous sugar cookies. She packaged them in these lovely paper bags in the party colours, and sealed them with stickers she made from the party printables.

Inside were the beautiful cookies; puppy dogs, with pretty pearl collars, dog bones, and paw prints. They were so delicious, and easy for guests to take home in their little bags.

Happy Birthday Allie! It was truly one of the sweetest parties I've ever been to. With the best puppy dog party ever, life really is a party!

With a Puppy Dog Adoption Party, and new puppies to love, life really is a party!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the stuffed dogs from? The dog clothes? The dog leashes?

The stuffed dogs are from Amazon. The dog clothes were from Ikea, but they no longer carry them. Look for something similar on Amazon. The stiff walkable leashes were from Amazon, but they don't seem to be avaiable any longer.

Where are the adoption printables from?

Find the free animal adoption printables at the Chickabug Blog.

Where were the party invite and other matching printables from?

They were purchased from LoveCreationGirl on Etsy. They don't seem to be available any longer, but you could reach out to the seller.

More Party Inspiration

If you try any ides from this Puppy Dog Adoption Party or any other ideas on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

How To Make Campfire Muffins In An Orange Peel

Jul 13, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Campfire Muffins: make muffins over the campfire in orange peels, such a fun campfire recipe idea for breakfast or a snack.

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We love cooking special camping food recipes. These campfire muffins are so fun and delicious to make. The muffins are baked inside of an orange peel, in the hot coals of a campfire. This delicious treat is so much fun to make on a camping trip.

When I first made these we'd been away camping for a few nights at the beach. We had a great time at the beach, going for long swims and making sand creatures. Another highlight was making these campfire muffins using muffin mix in an orange peel! These are a really fun idea for a campfire recipe that are really delicious.

We had 5 moms and 9 kids between us all on our camping trip, and decided to divide up the cooking so we all only had to do one meal for everyone, and lunches for ourselves. Since all of us are the main cooks at home, and cooking while camping is even more work, it was a real treat to have a little "time off".

I made one of the dinners and for dessert decided to try these campfire muffins. The muffins are baked in a hollowed out orange peel used as a muffin cup. It makes the muffin have a delicious orange flavor and smell, and insulates the muffin from burning in the campfire.

I highly recommend trying this on your next camping trip. These orange muffins are such a fun outdoor cooking idea, and a really fun camping activity.

Ingredients:

muffin mix, egg and oil according to the package directions
3 oranges
tin foil

I bought a blueberry muffin mix, and brought a ziplock bag to mix it in, and the oil and egg that it called for, along with some oranges. You could make muffin batter from scratch if you prefer, but I thought that using a store bought muffin mix was a great way to make this easy while camping. Be sure to read the ingredients you will need for your particular muffin mix. The blueberry muffin mix we used called for egg, and oil to be added to make the batter.

Orange Peel Muffin Cups

We started with the oranges, cutting them in half and scooping out the fruit without puncturing the peel. Use a spoon to help you scoop out the orange segments, and take care not to damage the orange peel cups.

Next, mix muffin mix together in the ziplock bag, by adding the other ingredients and squishing it together in the sealed bag. Next, cut off the corner of the ziplock bag and pour batter into the inside of the orange halves.

To bake the muffins, you wrap the little cups in heavy duty aluminum foil. Set the orange peel in the center of a piece of aluminum foil, and pull the corners up over the top of the orange and squeeze it together to seal it.

Then you place the foil-wrapped oranges into the coals of the fire. Don't place the campfire muffins directly in the flames.

I cooked them about 20 min., turning them after 10. I checked them with a toothpick to see if they were done.

Remove the finished campfire muffins from the coals, and then unwrap them and enjoy the best part -eating them.

The smell was amazing, fresh blueberry muffins, mixed with the scent of oranges.

I thought they were really good, and so did Paige, who ate two. The other kids were more interested in campfire popcorn, and s'mores, but they were fun to make and enjoyed by the adults. ;). The blueberry flavor pairs so well with the hint of orange flavor that comes from baking in the orange peel.

We love this idea for any camping trip or even a backyard cookout. It's such a fun and easy activity to do with your kids around a good fire.

With fresh baked campfire muffins, life is a party.

More Camping Recipe Inspiration

You might also like 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.

Also check out Campfire Cinnamon Rolls here.

You might also like Campfire Baked Apples here.

Easy Classic French Crepe Recipe

Jul 4, 2012 · 2 Comments

Easy Classic French Crepe Recipe: authentic French crepes made of simple ingredients and lots of sweet filling ideas.

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Classic French crepes are so delicious. We love them filled with sweet fillings for the perfect dessert. The thin pancake batter is easy to make, out of simple ingredients. You can get creative with your sweet fillings for inside of the crepes. You will love this easy recipe that's quick to make, and made from simple ingredients.

After picking fresh raspberries and strawberries the other day, I was looking for a nice dessert to use them in for company. I decided on sweet crepes, always a crowd pleaser, and easy to make. It's always fun to set up lots of different toppings so everyone can make one with all their favourites.

Classic French Crepes

Traditional French crepes are made with a very thin pancake batter, and then they're filled with fillings that are rolled or folded inside. They can be filled with sweet or savory fillings. For savory crepes the thin pancake batter basic recipe is made without sugar or vanilla, and then filled with savory fillings. For sweet dessert crepes the classic French crepe recipe includes a little sugar and vanilla extract, and the the delicate crepes are filled with sweet fillings.

Crepe Pan

The best pan for cooking crepe is a crepe pan. This flat bottomed, low edged pan is perfect for cooking crepes and designed to easily release the crepe and cook it evenly to a golden brown color. Crepe pans are often sold with a small wooden tool called a wooden crepe scraper, They help to spread the batter thinly and evenly over the crepe pan.

You don't need a crêpe pan or a wooden crepe scraper to make your own great crepes at home. Use any nonstick frying pan. Be sure to melt some butter in the pan first for flavor and to make the crepe easier to flip, even in a nonstick pan. Place the batter in the center of the pan, and swirl the pan to spread the batter thinly and evenly over the bottom of the pan. You want to use enough batter so that the crepe is still thin, but not so thin that it tears when you flip it.

Since crepes are very thing, they cook very quickly. Cook the crepe batter for only 1-2 minutes and flip the crepe as soon as the crepe has fully set. Cook the other side for just a minute.

There is a knack for flipping your crepes. Often the first one doesn't turn out. Don't be discouraged on your first time. You can use the corner of a spatula to loosen the crepe around the edges from the pan and then flip it over. Some people actually prefer to use their fingers for flipping crepes. It allows you to use a gentle touch. Just be sure not to burn yourself on the hot pan. After a few tries you'll be making perfect crepes.

Blender Batter

The best way to ensure a perfectly smooth crepe batter is to mix it together in a blender. If you don't have a blender you can use a food processor instead. You don't want any lumps of flour in your crepe batter. The blades of the blender cut the flour and perfectly blend it with all the other ingredients, making it lump free and smooth. This ensures the batter is fully combined and that you won't bite into a lump of flour in your finished crepe, but that your finished crepes will be smooth and lump free.

Letting The Crepe Batter Rest

It's best to let your crepe batter rest after you've blended it in the blender. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes or up to two days in the refrigerator for the best results. If the batter has been in the refrigerator, let the batter come up to room temperature before cooking. Letting the batter rest allows the flour to fully absorb all the liquid. It also lets the gluten relax. Blending the batter in the blender helps make it fully mixed but also develops more gluten and adds air to the batter. Letting the batter rest results in a delicate and tender texture for the thin pancakes instead of a chewy one.

Store your remaining batter in the refrigerator for up to two days and cook as needed. For leftover cooked crepes, store them in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. To serve leftover crepes warm, heat them in the microwave.

Sweet Crepe Toppings

I set up a dessert crepe buffet of toppings with fresh raspberries and strawberries, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, maple syrup and chocolate sauce, vanilla custard and whip cream. Use small bowls to hold all your different topping options, so your guests can help themselves. This is a really fun way to serve your homemade French crêpes when your entertaining. Your friends will love mixing and matching all their favorite toppings, and coming up with their own favorite combinations.

There are so many different topping options. These are few you might light to try:

fresh raspberries
fresh strawberries
jam
lemon curd
cherry pie filling
blueberry pie filling
chocolate ice cream
vanilla ice cream
maple syrup
chocolate sauce
caramel sauce
vanilla custard
chocolate pudding
Nutella
lemon juice and sugar
whipped cream

There was a chocolate with more chocolate option for the chocolate lovers. My personal favourite combination was fresh raspberries, vanilla custard, whipped cream, and maple syrup. What can I say, I'm a vanilla girl.

These simple crepes are always a hit, and I highly recommend them for a special get together with friends. The guests are always impressed, and love that they can build their own with all their favourite toppings. These are always a hit with kids too. Picky eaters can keep their toppings quite plain, and more adventurous sweet tooths can try lots of different combinations.

Recipe

Easy Classic French Crepe Recipe

Tender crepes with fillings.

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Additional Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 59kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients of flour, milk, water, eggs, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
Let stand for 30 minutes before cooking, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
In a small non-stick pan, melt a little butter over medium heat. Pour a little crepe batter into the pan and then quickly swirl the pan to coat the bottom in a thin layer of batter.
Cook a few minutes until crepe bubbles and bottom is lightly browned. Flip crepe with the corner of a offset spatula or fingers. Cook on the other side until browned slightly. Makes about 12, and the recipe can be doubled for a bigger crowd.

Nutrition

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

make your own dessert sweet crepe buffet

With homemade perfect French crepes, life really is a party!

More Dessert Inspiration

You might also like our Crepe Dessert Buffet here.

Crepe Dessert Buffet: make ahead crepeps, fruit, custard, whip cream, sauces, and ice cream create the perfect crepe buffet, perfect for entertaining.

Also check out Breakfast Picnic here.

You might also enjoy Jelly Donut Pancakes here.

Jelly Donut Pancakes: Your two favourite treats combined! Cut into a delicious pancake with a surprise inside -your favourite jam!

The Pie Stand Dessert Table

Jun 19, 2012 · 16 Comments

Pie Stand: Perfect for your next party, a pie stand your guests will LOVE. Includes a free printable, and lots of great pie recipes.

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This weekend for Father's Day we made pie, lots and lots of pie, and set up a fun Pie Stand dessert table for our family celebration. I think it just might have been one of our best ideas ever. 😉 It was a labor of love and all our family members loved it. This pie dessert table is perfect for celebrating any special occasion. It would also be amazing at as a wedding dessesrt table, or for a birthday. It was inspired by my sweet husbands love of pie. Dessert bars are such a sweet treat for a special event. Guests can help themselves and enjoy a little bit of everything. It's such a fun way to serve a special dessert for a crowd any time of year.

The Pie Stand

I set up the pie stand under some nice trees in the backyard. I used the blue bunting I made last Father's Day out of old men's shirts over the stand. I used the different shades of blue as the colour scheme, which seemed really fitting for Father's Day. If the pie dessert table were for a rustic wedding pie buffet or a baby shower, white bunting would be a great choice too. A pie buffet is a great alternative to a traditional wedding cake. It's also a great option for a thanksgiving pie table.

Another fun addition to the table was this cute "I love you even more than I love pie" sign.

I spelled out the word "pie" from some letters I had around the house as another fun decorative detail for the dessert table sign.

An old crate worked really well to create height and add different levels to the dessert table and hold some mini pies and tarts. Also be sure to include a knife and a few pie servers so that everyone can cut a slice of pie that's just the right size for them.

The Pies

The star of the show was of course the pie! We had so many great traditional pie flavors for our pie dessert bar. There was:

blueberry crumble mini pies
rhubarb custard tarts
mini apple pies
banana cream pies in a mason jar
cherry pie
coconut cream pie
strawberry rhubarb pie

It was great to have a variety of sizes from full pies all the way down to tarts, and so many different flavors to choose from. Since our pie stand was set up in the summer, we had lots of seasonal favorites. If you were doing something similar in the fall or for the holiday season you might want to also include pecan pie or pumpkin pie. Another great summer addition would be lemon meringue pie or key lime pie.

We made the banana cream pie in a mason jar and it was so cute. They were quite easy to make with a simple graham cracker crust. These cutie pie jars looked so good as part of our pie stand, and were the perfect single serving.

My favorite pie was the cherry pie, displayed on a wood cake stand.

And, my husband's favorite, coconut cream, with a sweet little mini bunting made with a little embroidery thread to match the other larger bunting over the pie stand.

My daughters made the mini apple pies, some with double crust, and some with crumble. The middle pie is strawberry rhubarb. This one and the rhubarb custard tarts were made by my sweet sister-in-law Heather -thanks for catching the vision Heather! Heather is a fellow pie lover.

We had vanilla whipped cream and vanilla ice cream to top off the pies in the perfect way.

The Pie Recipes

I am not an experienced pie maker; experienced pie eater, yes. My mom is amazing at making pie dough, but I've always been a little afraid of it. We decided to conquer our pie crust making fears and just go for, I mean after all, not great pie crust is still pie, which is still pretty great. 😉

I'm not going to lie and say it was easy. Whoever first said "easy as pie", well let's just say they may have been a liar.

The Pie Crust

We started out with making a whole lot of pie crust. I used this recipe from the crisco website for "Easy as Pie" Pastry Dough.

I made one batch with one daughter, while my husband made another batch with the other daughter -since we knew we needed a whole-lot-a-crust for the variety of flavors of pie we wanted to make. If you're not up for making your own pie crust, you can use pre-made crusts to make this process a little quicker and easier.

Apple Pie

For the apple we used an old family recipe, and it turned out great.

Blueberry Crumble Pie

For the blueberry filling and crumble we used good old Martha's recipes -blueberry filling here, and crumble (which we also used for some of the apple) here.

These were really, really good, and I would definitely use this recipe again.

Coconut Pie

For the coconut I used a packaged coconut pudding that you cook on the stove top. After cooking and cooling an empty pie shell, we added the pudding.

After it cooled we topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut. It was quite easy to make, but did involve a lot of steps and a lot of waiting in between. This is my husbands favorite flavor and he would say it was worth it.

Mini Banana Cream Pies

The final pies I made were these cute little mini banana cream pies as individual pies in mason jars.

I added some graham crackers to make the bottom crust and baked for 10 min. (just follow the directions on the package for making pie crust). Then I added banana pudding, over some slices of banana.

After they cooled I topped with whipped cream, and sprinkled with some remaining graham cracker crumbs. This one, with no pastry was by far the easiest, and really yummy too.

The pie stand was a huge hit, and making pies together as a family was really fun, and will be a great memory for years to come. A pie dessert table is such a great way to serve dessert to a large group. Whether you're celebrating for Father's day like us, as part of your special day with a wedding dessert table, for a special birthday, or any other special event a pie stand is sure to be a great hit.

With this much wonderful pie, life truly is a party!

More Pie Inspiration

You might also like Strawberry Cheesecake Pie here.

Also check out Nectarine and Blueberry Galette here.

Nectarine and Blueberry Galette: literally make in minutes with frozen puff pastry, so easy and the perfect way to enjoy fresh nectarines and blueberries.

You might also enjoy The Pie Party here.

The Pie Party: pies, pie pops, pie fruit dip, pie toppings and beautiful decor make the perfect outdoor fall pie party for family and friends.

Bug Themed Food

Jun 8, 2012 · 1 Comment

Bug Themed Party Food: pizza butterflies, dirt pudding, strawberry ladybugs, and grape caterpillars create the most fun insect inspired dinner.

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It's Friday night, and Maddie, my youngest daughter who's 5, and I were inspired by "Scientist in the School" bug day to create a bug themed dinner! This bug themed party food would be perfect for any insect related celebrations.

We learned all about insect body parts, how they eat, and camouflage today at school through this great program, so at the grocery store we got to thinking it would be fun to make some bug food for dinner, and keep the fun going. Here's what we came up with.

Butterfly Pizza

We made butterfly pizza, with a home made little pizza cut in half for wings, a piece of celery, carrot eyes, and green bean antenna.

Dirt Pudding

For dessert, we started out with dirt pudding. We used a chocolate pudding cup, mixed in some whip cream and some crushed Oreos. It was so yummy, I just might be "going to the garden to eat dirt" in the future!

Strawberry and Cherry LadyBugs

We also made some lady bugs. Their bodies -or thorax and abdomen (I was listening!) were strawberries, with chocolate chip spots. Their heads were cherries with candy eyes, and chocolate sprinkle antenna.

Grape and Marshmallow Caterpillars

We also made some caterpillars out of grapes and mini marshmallows on a tooth pick, with the same candy eyes and sprinkle antenna.

It was so much fun, and the kids really enjoyed it. Life is what we make it, so we may as well make it a party...especially on a Friday night. 😉 Hope you have a great weekend.

With bug themed party food for dinner, life really is party!

You might also like our Ladybug Birthday Party here.

Also check out Board Game Night here.

Yellow Brunch

May 14, 2012 · 2 Comments

Yellow Brunch: easy sunny yellow decor helps create a beautiful brunch, including a great menu and links to all the recipes.

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This year for Mother's Day I decided to put together a little brunch, and invite my Mom and my BFF. We had a lovely time, and my husband did most of the cooking so I could enjoy it too.

Yellow For Spring

I was inspired by the beautiful spring weather to use yellow as the colour scheme for the party. I don't own a lot of yellow, but since I used yellow with white, I didn't really need too much. A few strategic hits of yellow had a big impact.

The Table

I started out wanting to do a grouping of pom poms and paper lanterns over my kitchen table, that incorporated my fun light. I made paper doily pom poms, and used some yellow paper lanterns for big impact.

For the table I used a simple white linen runner, and layered on some simple sweet yellow candles with some garden bouquets in mason jars. I don't have a lot of yellow flowers in my garden, so I used white, added some yellow spray roses that I bought. Tying the jars with different yellow ribbons helped add a little more yellow. I love how it turned out.

I wanted to eat outside in the sun, so we set up the table buffet style. We used pretty polka dot paper napkins, and these sweet yellow striped paper straws.

Brunch Drink Ideas

For drinks we served Irish tea, along with lemonade for the little girls, and mimosas for the grown ups. I found this bottle with the fun stopper at the dollar store. The colour didn't match our decor, so I wrapped it in a paper doily and ribbon. I love how it turned out.

The Brunch Menu

I decided to serve granola with yogurt, honey and berries, so we could make our own parfaits. I made homemade granola, you can find our favourite recipe here. My guests loved it so much that I sent them all home with a little for their breakfast the next day!

We also served a hash brown casserole, bacon, sausage, and quiche. I used this recipe for the quiche, and made one with broccoli and cheddar and the other with Swiss cheese and spinach. I made them the day before and just re-heated for the brunch. Worked like a charm.

The whole brunch idea came about because my husband makes the best buttermilk pancakes. He made plain, blueberry and chocolate chip.

We served them with vanilla whipped cream, warm maple syrup, and blueberry syrup, which I made by cooking blueberries in maple syrup. Yum.

For dessert we had some donuts, and I made the chocolate chip oatmeal muffins again, see the recipe here -one of my new favs.

Some little people really enjoyed the donuts. 😉

Simple Outdoor Table

I wanted us all to enjoy the warm weather so I set up the outside table with our yellow theme too. We hung our regular white candle lanterns with some pretty yellow ribbon and I made a yellow and white planter for the table.

I wanted to add a little more yellow, and thought the garden gnomes were a really fun addition.

At the dollar store I found some $2 garden gnomes, and a ceramic mushroom and gave them a few coats of glossy yellow paint. I love the bit of whimsy they add to the table.

The brunch was so yummy, we all enjoyed the sun, eating and drinking and making our way back to the buffet for seconds and thirds, while the kids played tag and enjoyed the swing and sandbox together. It was a very happy Mother's Day!

With a fun yellow brunch like this to celebrate Mother's Day, life really is a party!

You might also like our Breakfast Picnic here.

Also check out our Easter Finger Foods Brunch here.

You might also like our Breakfast In Bed Gift Basket here.

Easy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

May 8, 2012 · 3 Comments

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins: these easy muffins with oatmeal and chocolate chips are the perfect combination for breakfast or a snack.

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Chocolate chip oatmeal muffins are the perfect combination of home-y nutty oatmeal and delicious chocolate chips. They have a chewy texture from the quick-cooking oats, and then a nice bit of chocolate too. This is a real favorite for a perfect breakfast. It's the perfect way to start your day with your morning coffee. These delicious homemade muffins is also make a perfect snack.

You might also like our Easy Banana Snack Cake.

I got together with some girl friends this morning for a cup of coffee, and thought I would make these yummy oatmeal chocolate chip muffins. They are really delicious and easy to make. And they're filled with simple ingredients that you probably have in your pantry already.

Like any typical muffin recipe, or quick breads these muffins rely on baking soda for their rise. For best results make sure to use fresh baking soda that is within date. This moist muffin is quite dense and hearty because of the oatmeal. The oatmeal adds such a wonderful nutty flavor, and chewy texture.

chocolate chip and oatmeal muffin recipe

This recipe starts out by soaking the oatmeal in milk. This adds a dense richness to the muffins and makes them very moist. Other than that, this recipe is very quick to mix together. There's no need for your stand mixer you can quickly mix these together by hand. There' a perfect quick recipe to mix together in the morning for fresh baked muffins for breakfast. It's also a great easy recipe to make with kids.

Chocolate

These muffins are filled with chocolate chips. We like to use regular semi sweet chocolate chips. They are nice and sweet and chocolatey. If you are making mini muffins, you might substitute mini chocolate chips instead of regular. You can also change out the chocolate chips to use milk chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips if you prefer.

Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature.

This oatmeal chocolate chip muffin recipe is a small batch. It only makes 12 muffins. You can double it if you need more a second batch of these. If you're making these for little ones, you can also make them into mini muffins, perfect for school lunches. Just be sure to adjust the baking time to less for the mini muffins.

These hearty muffins are delicious for a quick and easy breakfast or a snack anytime of day. The kids loved them since they include chocolate chips, and I liked that they had oatmeal in them too. The oatmeal adds a lovely nutty flavor and great texture to these moist muffins. This is sure to become one of your favorite muffin recipes. Next time you want a great muffin with a little bit of chocolate, give this recipe a try.

Recipe

how to make oatmeal and chocolate chip muffins

With homemade oatmeal chocolate chip muffins, life really is a party!

More Recipe Inspiration

Cupcake Themed Birthday Party Ideas

Apr 30, 2012 · 6 Comments

From cupcake party decorations, cupcake party games and activities, to a cupcake dessert table!

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We had the best time celebrating Maddie's 5th birthday with a cupcake themed birthday party. For weeks we've been planning and decorating and I'm so excited to share all the fun details.

Bakers and Cupcake Decorators Wanted

We greeted our party guests with our "Help Wanted" sign on the front door -cute and easy.

bakers and cupcake decorator needed sign.

The Cupcake Party Decorations

The dining room was set up for cupcake decorating -more on that to come, and the living room was our pretend play bakeshop and cafe.

We used 3M hooks that come off with no damage to the paint, to string up a combination of tissue paper pom poms and paper lanterns.

I made this sweet little "Hello Cupcake" banner on my Cricut machine with some cupcake scrapbook paper, and added in the felted sweater heart garland I made for Valentine's day.

The entrance way got dressed up with pink, and sweet little cupcake candles that I bought years ago for another cupcake event and went with our cupcake theme perfectly.

I decorated the fireplace mantel for the party too. I love putting out some baby pictures of the birthday girl -my how she's grown! The cupcakes are more candles. I also used this reusable cupcake banner. We made the cupcake banners with simple felt flags stitched to some seam binding. I made it several years ago, and add different felt pictures depending on the birthday theme. Love these sweet cupcakes with sprinkles and cherries on top to match our party theme!

There was also a Happy Birthday banner, with the same cupcakes.

And, another banner decorated the front of the pretend bakeshop.

Cupcake Flower Arrangements

One of my very favourite details were the sweet little cupcake flower arrangements. I was inspired by How Does She, but wasn't able to get the containers here in Canada. One day, while in my favourite store (Dollarama) I came across cupcake liner shaped little ice cream bowls and spoons -angels sang.

They came in bright summer colours, but me and my BBF -spray paint, we fixed them right up! We left the one bright pink, and painted the yellow, green, and blue ones light pink. I sent them to my sister, and she filled them with a little floral foam and white mums -thanks Auntie Heather! I had some candles in just the right size, which were the finishing touch. Aren't they the sweetest? I heart them -a lot.

In the kitchen, I also used one of Maddie's sweet, and tiny bakery toys and arranged it on this beautiful cake plate.

It looked so cute, and was a great way to share it with little friends, without losing any of the teeny, tiny little pieces in a house full of people. I always love incorporating some of my kids toys into their birthday party decor.

Cupcake Soap and Towel

It's always fun to put a little unexpected themed decor in the powder room for a party.

For her cupcake bakery themed birthday party, I decided to make a cupcake towel for Maddie that she could use after the party. It was really simple, and inexpensive. I started with a nice white towel, and appliqued a cupcake I cut out of felt, and a little pink ric rac trim.

Before sewing on the bottom, I used the sewing machine to create the signature cupcake paper lines.

I found this sweet cupcake soap. The special towel and soap looked really "sweet" in the powder room on the day of the cupcake bakery birthday party.

Cupcake Party Dress

I really am not great at sewing, but I can handle a few straight seams. We found some cute cupcake fabric at Walmart, but they only had small squares of it available. I decided to try a simple pillowcase dress, and went searching for instructions on-line. This tutorial from The Mother Huddle, including a great sizing chart was great. Her instructions are really good and easy to follow. If I can do it, you can do it. I had to cheat the sizing slightly, since the pieces of cupcake fabric weren't quite wide enough, but it still turned out really well, and just wasn't as full as the pattern called for.

I used a sweet polka dot fabric at the bottom, and a polka dot ribbon to match. The dress isn't perfect, but Maddie loved it, and that was what was important. 😉 It was a cool day so we paired it with white capri leggings and a white t-shirt underneath. What a cutie, and sweet as a cupcake too.

Cupcake Themed Party Games and Activities

I always like to start a party with a little craft that everyone can join in with as they arrive.

Cupcake Painting Craft

We started out with the kids decorating some cute little paper mache cupcakes, I found at Walmart. I put out pink and white paint, and an assortment of jewel, and pearl stickers, along with red pom poms and glitter glue. The kids had a great time decorating the top of a cupcake and they all took them home at the end of the party.

Real Cupcake Decorating

After the craft it was time to decorate the real cupcakes.

I set up the dining room table for the best cupcake decorating ever. Everyone had a cute little cupcake apron waiting for them on their chair, see how I made the cupcake aprons out of tea towels. These were a really cute addition to the party, and everyone took theirs home as part of their party favor.

I bought cupcake bakery boxes for everyone to be able to bring their own cupcakes home in and feel like they worked in a real bake shop. The cupcake boxes worked really well, so everyone knew exactly which cupcakes were their. They all took their boxes of cupcakes home with them at the end of the party.

The Cupcakes and Decorations

vanilla cupcakes
chocolate cupcakes
chocolate chip cupcakes
coconut cupcakes
vanilla frosting
dark pink frosting
light pink frosting
chocolate frosting
sugar roses
chocolate 5s
pink smarties
chocolate sprinkles
white sprinkles
pink sprinkles
white sanding sugar
pink sanding sugar
mini marshmallows
maraschino cherries
silver dragees balls
gold dragees balls
chocolate chips
mini heart cookies

I baked four different flavors of cupcakes before the party for decorating. We had chocolate chip, coconut, vanilla and chocolate. Mini cupcakes would be a great option too.

Cupcake Frosting

I made vanilla frosting, and tinted it dark and light pink. We also made chocolate frosting. I had grand visions of putting each of the icings in a piping bag for all the kids, but forgot to take the icing out of the fridge on the morning of the party in all the rush, so...we stirred it into submission and set out bowls and knives. Of course the highlight to the decorating was all the fun sprinkles and toppings. I was collecting for weeks finding every pink decoration I could.

Decorating

The sugar roses from the bulk barn were a real hit with the little girls. They all had a good time adding them to their cupcakes. I also used some pink chocolate to make some 5's. I just melted it and put it in a ziplock with the corner snipped off to pipe them onto wax paper.

The kids loved their decorating with their own birthday cupcake ideas, and took it very seriously. They worked on paper plates, and when they were done we transferred the finished cupcake designs to the bakery boxes. This was a good idea, and the easiest way because the plates gave them room to work on each delicious cupcake, but also caught any stray rainbow sprinkles. Cupcake decorating was an obvious choice for a cupcake themed birthday, but I think it's a great option at any birthday parties.

Here's a few of the finished products...someone likes cherries. ;). They loved decorating their cupcakes with all the different colors, and toppings, and options. The birthday child was truly living her best life.

The cupcake decorating was a real hit, everyone enjoyed it, and loved taking their little aprons, and finished cupcake masterpieces home in their "real" bakery boxes.

The Pretend Bake Shop Pretend Play Centre

We thought it would be really fun for the kids to turn our living room into a pretend bakeshop for the kids to play in for our cupcake themed birthday party. So we moved out some of our living room furniture in brought in the toys!

Play Kitchen and Pretend Bakery Food

We started out with Maddie's sweet pink kitchen, bought at Target a few years ago.

I cleared off some of the book shelves, and we stocked them with bakery supplies. I used an old egg carton and some plastic Easter eggs, as well as some empty packages from sugar, flour and cream. Kids love using the "real" stuff, just like Mom and Dad, so save those empty containers.

I also found these cute little fabric bags and used stamps to add the words "flour" and "sugar", and then filled the bags with some white cotton balls for the kids to bake with.

Along with these I shopped the house for all the baking and cooking toys I could find, and made a little work area for the bakers. I also added a few of my real cookbooks.

The Pretend Store

We used the toy box as the store counter, complete with cash register, phone, little bakery boxes and brown paper bags decorated with cupcake stickers, and paper and pencils to write down orders.

My sister even made little business cards.

We used the chalk board as a menu for customers.

On the other side of the counter we set up some tables and chairs for the customers. We bought Maddie the IKEA dish sets for her birthday and used them in the cafe.

I found the little wall decals at Dollarama, and they added a fun touch to our little cafe. Maddie added a little dandelion bouquet, to "make it look like a real cafe". 😉

The kids really enjoyed playing in our little pretend bakery and cafe and had such a fun time. It was really pretty easy to put together. Almost everything we used were things we already had. Of course they loved decorating real cupcakes and eating them! But the next best thing was being able to play as long as they wanted at the pretend bake shop. For a younger age group like our guests, this was the perfect activity.

The Cupcake Party Drinks

The drinks for the party were pink lemonade and bottled water, I found the mini bottles which were the perfect kid size and wrapped them in cupcake scrapbook paper. Love is in the details.

Cupcake Party Lunch

Our kid friendly fare was hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls, veggies and dip, a fruit tray and a favourite around here -this crock pot Mac and cheese. I tripled the batch and put it in the crock pot in the morning, by lunch it was ready and delicious, and left-overs were great too.

Adults Panini Bar

For the adults (and any kids who wanted one) we made a nice salad and created a panini bar, with lots of different meats and cheeses, grilled veggies, and fun condiments like pesto, tapenade and sun dried tomatoes, along with all kinds of fresh breads from the bakery. Guests were invited to create their own sandwiches and then grill them on one of three panini grills we had set up. They were a great success.

The Cupcake Dessert Table

Lunch was lovely, but it was the sweets table that we were all waiting for!

I think I set a new all-time record preparing for this party I used 3 dozen eggs and 5 lbs of butter! That's a lot of baking!

The Sweet Stand

The sweet stand inspired the whole party. My sister and brother-in-law made this great stand for my girls for Christmas. They had their eye on a toy lemonade stand in a catalogue, but Uncle Shaun decided to create his own version. My sister had the "Sweet Shop" banner created just for Maddie, and printed at a sign shop.

I wanted to fill all the fun baskets with treats so I baked three kinds of cookies, and marshmallow pops, and wrapped them individually so it would look like a real bakery. It was a lot of work, but everyone absolutely loved it. And since everything was individually wrapped it was really easy for guests to take some of the extras home with them.

Cupcake Marshmallow Pops

These cupcake marshmallow are easy to make. I put the marshmallow on a stick and dipped the whole thing in melted milk chocolate. After it dried, I dipped the top in melted pink chocolate, and while it was wet added sprinkles and red smartie cherry-on-top. We wrapped them in little cello bags and tied them with simple ribbon.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I also baked chocolate chip cookies -see our favourite recipe here and just leave out the toffee for plain chocolate chip cookies. These are one of the birthday girl's favourites, and we tied the bags with pretty pink bakers twine.

I also made a family favourite homemade jam jams -recipe here. Don't they look delicious with their raspberry jam filling?!

cupcake bakery birthday party dessert table

Cupcake Sugar Cookies

The prettiest cookies were the cupcake sugar cookies. I iced them all in dark pink, light pink and white icing, with white and pink sprinkles. I love how they turned out and they were so delicious.

The Cupcakes

Up on top of our sweet stand were birthday cupcakes, and few other sweet treats. Of course we had to had cupcakes instead of a birthday cake.

I made the Barefoot Contessa's Coconut with Cream Cheese Frosting, always a big hit with the coconut fans. Also I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I tried a new recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcake book for chocolate chip cupcakes. I frosted some with vanilla and some with chocolate chips and sprinkled with white or chocolate chips. For the vanilla cupcakes I also used the Barefoot Contessa Coconut cupcake recipe, just leave out the coconut, and they are my very favourite vanilla cupcakes. These are the best cupcakes, and have become my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe.

Cupcake Picks

I made some sweet little cupcake picks for the party, using scrapbook paper, cupcake wrappers and some scrapbook embellishments. I love how they turned out and thought they were so much fun for our theme.

More Treats

Along with all the cupcakes I served some pink cotton candy in plastic shot glasses, served on sweet pink gingham paper boxes.

Also made homemade chocolate pudding with vanilla whipped cream. I saw the recipe at Whipperberry a few weeks ago, and knew the party was the perfect occasion to try it out. I served it in sweet little mason jars, and it was delicious and very, very chocolaty!

After hours and hours of baking for the party, it was great fun to enjoy all the sweets with friends and family! On Friday morning, feeling a little overwhelmed with all the baking I had to do, I asked Maddie if she thought I was making too many sweets for the party. And her response, "there's no such thing as too many sweets"! And that is why this was the perfect party for our little sweetie!

Admittedly I want a little overboard on the sweets. I wanted to fill the whole sweet stand and put a different sweet treat in each section, but it really was so beautiful, and everyone loved all the great homemade options.

This was such a fun party, and worth all the effort . Happy Birthday Miss Maddie, you make our lives so much sweeter!

With a cupcake themed birthday party, life really is a party.

More Inspiration

You might also like our Cupcakes In A Jar Recipe here.

You might also like our Strawberry Cupcake Recipe here.

Homemade Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe: made with fresh strawberries these cupcakes are beautiful, moist and delicious. Perfect for entertaining.

Also check out our Cupcake Aprons from Tea Towels Tutorial here.

How To Make Aprons From Tea Towels

Apr 28, 2012 · 3 Comments

Tea Towel Apron: easy step by step instructions on how to make an apron out of a tea towel and ribbon for kids or adults.

How to make an apron from of a tea towel.

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Tea towel aprons or dish towel aprons are inexpensive to make and easy to sew. A tea towel apron is perfect for a baking birthday party, or just for any baking and cooking at home.

This past weekend we celebrated our baby turning 5! She loves all things sweet so we went with a cupcake and bakery theme for the party. Weeks and weeks before the party I started hunting for cupcake fabric to make aprons for all our little guests.

I stumbled upon some cupcake tea towels. These were perfect! They weren't expensive, and already had some of the sewing done for me. I am not a great seamstress by any means, but with my Grandma's old sewing machine, and a few straight seams I managed to make ten sweet little aprons for all the party guests. I would say that if you can sew a straight line with a sewing machine, then this easy apron should be no problem for you. It's a great beginner sewing project. If you're looking for quick projects that you can personalize, this is a great one.

Materials:

tea towel
ribbon
ruffle
frey stop
pins
sewing machine
thread

How To Make A Tea Towel Apron

Cutting The Tea Towel Apron Shape

1. I started out cutting off the top of the kitchen towel to make the aprons short enough for little ones, and create the apron shape. If you were making this for an adult, then you don't need to trim down the top of the towel. You want to create the classic apron shape at the top, by cutting about a 45 degree angle at each side to create the arm holes. You want to have a straight top to the apron, which is approximately ⅓ of the towel, and the angle the sides down to the waist. Mark your pattern with a disappearing maker and cut off the sides.

Sewing The Edges

Next use an iron and the ironing board to fold over the raw edges a ¼ inch seam allowance, and then another ¼ inch to create a nice folded edge. Use straight pins to hold the edge of the towel in place, and sew the edges with a straight stitch using the sewing machine and white thread, or whatever matches your apron.

Tea Towel Apron Neck Straps and Back Ties

2.After the basic apron shaped was sewn, I added on a neck strap, ties for the back, and a little ruffle at the bottom.

To make the neck strap and apron ties I used some pink polka dot ribbon. I sewed it on to the apron and finished the ends with a little fray-stop to ensure the length of ribbon doesn't unravel. Using a pretty ribbon for this part is a cute little apron detail.

We also found ready made pink ruffles at the fabric store. This made adding this detail really easy. I just turned in the raw edges and used a top stitch to add it to the bottom seam.

For the little boys I used cream coloured twill tape for the fabric ties and didn't add the ruffles to the front.

Recipe

Aprons made from Tea Towels

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Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 30

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Equipment

pins
Sewing Machine
iron
scissors

Materials

tea towel
ribbon
ruffle
frey stop
thread

Instructions

I started out cutting off the top of the kitchen towel to make the aprons short enough for little ones, and create the apron shape. If you were making this for an adult, then you don't need to trim down the top of the towel. You want to create the classic apron shape at the top, by cutting about a 45 degree angle at each side to create the arm holes. You want to have a straight top to the apron, which is approximately ⅓ of the towel, and the angle the sides down to the waist. Mark your pattern with a disappearing maker and cut off the sides.
Next use an iron and the ironing board to fold over the raw edges a ¼ inch seam allowance, and then another ¼ inch to create a nice folded edge. Use straight pins to hold the edge of the towel in place, and sew the edges with a straight stitch using the sewing machine and white thread, or whatever matches your apron.
After the basic apron shaped was sewn, I added on a neck strap, ties for the back, and a little ruffle at the bottom.
To make the neck strap and apron ties I used some pink polka dot ribbon. I sewed it on to the apron and finished the ends with a little fray-stop to ensure the length of ribbon doesn't unravel. Using a pretty ribbon for this part is a cute little apron detail.
We also found ready made pink ruffles at the fabric store. This made adding this detail really easy. I just turned in the raw edges and used a top stitch to add it to the bottom seam.
For the little boys I used cream coloured twill tape for the fabric ties and didn't add the ruffles to the front

The Perfect Gift

I just love how our diy apron turned out, and the kids seemed to really like them too. There were three different patterns to choose from. The aprons were also part of their party favour at the end of the party. These are a great idea for handmade gifts. You could personalize them for any family member with a color and pattern they'd love, and add neck and waist ties in a ribbon or fabric that they'd love.

When the kids arrived for our party the aprons were hung over the backs of the chairs, ready for the little bakers to decorate their cupcakes and cookies with.

This simple sewing project was a labour of love. It was fairly time consuming to make this many aprons. but pretty simple, and worth the effort in the end. Making them was much cheaper than buying them, and they turned out so cute and matched our cupcake theme perfectly. It took a little bit of planning to find the tea towels and get the matching ribbon and other supplies, but it was a lot of fun to add the creative side to the party prep. I also loved how they played double duty as part of our party activity and then part of the take home goodie bags afterward. It was really such a cute look when all the kids were in their matching aprons to decorate their cupcakes. It really was a great way to made them feel like little bakers.

Our two have all the chocolate frosting washed off now, and they're ready for future baking adventures!

With a tea towel apron this cute, life really is a party!

More Sewing Project Inspiration

You might like our Felt Cookie Play Food here.

Felt Chocolate Chip Cookies -easy to sew, and the perfect play food for kids to enjoy. The little faces with their different expressions are adorable.

Also check out our Bunny Treat Bag here.

You might also like our DIY Velvet Mushroom Craft here.

DIY Velvet Mushroom Craft: make your own Anthropologie inspired velvet mushrooms perfect as decor, or as an ornament.

Beer and Root Beer Tasting Party

Apr 11, 2012 · 5 Comments

Beer Tasting Party: mini sample size tastings of beer or root beer, complete with scoring cards for a fun party for drinkers and non-drinkers of all ages.

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This weekend we celebrated by husband's birthday. Since I'm always planning parties for other people, I wanted to make his celebration special too. It was a really small get together with mostly family, so we decided to do a beer tasting party, and for the non-drinkers among us, a root beer tasting. It was so much fun!

Rootbeer

I went root beer shopping early and was able to find 8 varieties at my local grocery store, a few were from the health food section. I was really surprised at how many there were.

Beer

For the beer we had 12 varieties, including some light lager, dark lager and ale.

For both tasting we bought a couple of each type, and served the tastes in 3 oz disposable shot glasses. This was enough for everyone to try everything, and return to their favourites.

Scoring

While we tasted, we gave each drink a score from 1 to 5, ranging from a number 1 being "I'd almost choose water over this, but at least it's still beer" to number 5 being "I'd give up watching F1 (by guy's fav.) or golfing, or riding my motorbike...(choose the appropriate answer), to have this beer again. My husband made up these great score cards, using the logo from each beer or root beer, so everyone could remember their favs.

Beer Tasting Party Table

I used simple white tubs filled with ice for the beers, and added chalkboard labels. In addition I also embellished with "cheers" which became our party theme!

I used this great old wash tub with ice for the root beer.

The simple centre piece was some spring flowers, and a menu board.

Cheers Sign

The "cheers" sign was put together from various letters from different collections. I really love the different sizes and finishes together. Top Tip: I used a little blue tac to help hold them all up on the table.

Easy Beer Tasting Party Munchies

We started off the party with some really easy munches. I made veggies and dip, and then had a great time at the bulk store and West Indian grocery finding all kinds of fun nuts, chips and snack mixes. These were a real hit with everyone, who seemed to enjoy all the different varieties and they were the perfect accompaniment to beer and root beer.

beer tasting party snacks and food ideas

Lunch

For lunch my father-in-law made curry (thanks Bob!) we also had fried rice, chow mein with roasted chicken and roti -a favourite menu of my Guyanese family and super easy for me, since it was mostly take-out!

Rustic Table Setting

For the table I went with my new fav. brown kraft paper. I used white dishes, and bundled up cutlery and napkins in mini paper bags tied with twine. We stamped "Cheers" on to wooden veneer business cards, punched a hole and tied them on to the bags.

I love the rustic feel of all the brown paper, and twine, and felt like it went with the beer theme really well.

Dessert

Next it was dessert time!

For dessert I made cupcakes. Keeping with our beer theme, I made Guinness Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

I made these sweet "cheers" cupcake picks from brown paper, rubber stamps and twine. Love how rustic they turned out. There were also vanilla cupcakes, cookies and a fruit platter.

It was such a lovely afternoon. We started the party at noon, and enjoyed eating and drinking the day way together.

Happy Birthday Roland, we love you even more than Beer!

You might also like our Favourite Things 50th Birthday Party here.

Also check out our Board Game Party here.

You might also like our Game of Thrones Party here.

Game of Thrones Party Food and Free Printables: Fire and Ice Snack Board, themed food with printable labels and "Winter Is Here" Banner.

When I'm 64! 64th Birthday Party Ideas

Mar 5, 2012 · 4 Comments

When I'm 64 Themed Birthday Party: What better theme for someone turning 64 than the Beatles classic song? Decor ideas and menu ideas with a bistro feel.

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Last night we got together with "some random person off the street" -who doesn't want everyone to know she's 64 😉 It seemed an obvious theme considering her age, to go with the Beatles fun song "When I'm 64!" It's such a timeless classic and the perfect way to celebrate this milestone birthday.

The Song

The song "When I'm 64" was the perfect theme to the night.

When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a Valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine

If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four

You'll be older too
And if you say the word
I could stay with you

I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride
Doing the garden, digging the weeds
Who could ask for more

Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four

Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck and Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away

Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four

The Party Decor

To celebrate this special day we wanted to do a rustic and casual feel for the party decor. I decided to use a table runner of brown craft paper, and that set the tone for the rest of the table and food. This is such an easy option for entertaining and gives a real bisto vibe. After the party, no worry about washing linens, you just put it in the recycling bin.

I used cute little mini brown paper bags to hold everyone's knife, fork and napkin, and made a little silver pom pom, and tied them to the end of skewers with twine for fun. The paper bags went with the runner and were a fun detail to add to the table.

silver sparkle and twine pom poms party decor

The bags were stamped with the number 64. I used a set of stamps I already had. Look for them at the craft store.

When I'm 64 Themed Birthday Party cutlery bags

I saw these fun number balloons at new years, and tucked them away in my mind for the future. I thought they'd be great for the party. Unfortunately when I went to pick them up, they told me they had to order them in 🙁 so no number balloons for me, but if you were doing something similar they'd be great addition to the party decor. I love how large these ones are. They're a real statement pieces. They were also the inspiration for bringing silver into the table.

When I'm 64 Themed Birthday Party balloons

At each place setting, I printed the song lyrics out for everyone, with the menu on the back.This was a great place to include the song, so everyone could read the lyrics.

The Menu

I liked how the kraft paper created a bistro feel, and it inspired my menu for the night.

Birthday Celebration Menu

-Dinner-
French Dip Roast Beef
Sandwiches
Fresh Cut Fries
Homemade Onion Rings
Grandma's Coleslaw

-Dessert-
Coconut Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcake

French Dip Roast Beef Sandwiches

The French Dip Roast Beef sandwiches were a new recipe, and boy were they a hit. Like everyone oohing and aahing and over eating kind of a hit. I found the recipe over at Our Best Bites.

They were really easy. Like roast, beef stock and a couple envelopes of onion soup mix in the slow cooker all day, kind of easy. I love a recipe where the slow cooker does all the hard work for you. You should try this recipe, it will improve the quality of your life.

I sautéd some onions and mushrooms to go on the sandwiches, along with a little Swiss cheese. I cut open some fresh buns, piled on the beef, onions, mushrooms and topped them off with the swiss cheese. Then they went under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese. The dip was on the side in the ramekins. They were so delicious. And the perfect item for a casual dinner party.

homemade beef dip sandwiches with cheese

Homemade Onion Rings and French Fries

I also made homemade crispy panko onion rings. These are also so, so good.

And, while the deep fryer was out, I decided to make fresh cut fries.

I used the double fry method, and they were crispy and delicious. The first frying is at 325 and is only about 3 min. They come out like this, not browned yet.

Then you turn the fryer up to 375 and finish them, frying until golden brown. They were delish.

Along with all the yummy fried up food, I also did a sweet-ish coleslaw, my Grandma's recipe. It was perfect to balance everything out. Sandwiches with fries and salad could seem like a pretty regular menu for a celebration, but by making our food all homemade including the fries and rings it felt like such a special menu and it was all so good!

Dessert

After dinner we had the best part -dessert, made from scratch cupcakes. They were so yummy, and the perfect size little treat after a big meal.

When I'm 64 Themed Birthday Party cupcakes

Coconut Cupcakes

The birthday girl's favourite is The Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes. If you like coconut, you will love this recipe. In recent years, it's become a real family favorite for us.

I don't really like coconut. 🙁

Vanilla Cupcakes

One day, while making these for the coconut lovers, I had a lick of the batter before adding in the coconut. I was thinking this is the best cupcake batter I ever tasted. And then the light bulb, what if I leave out the coconut.

The Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes (without coconut) are the best Vanilla cupcakes I ever had!

What I usually do is make half vanilla and half coconut. Just before adding the coconut, scoop out half the batter and fill about 15 cupcake tins. Half the original coconut and add to the rest of the batter to make the rest coconut.

I use the cream cheese frosting on the recipe for the coconut cupcakes, but only make a quarter of the original recipe, and I find it's the perfect amount.

For the vanilla ones, I make a simple butter cream.

To coordinate the cupcakes with the rest of the party decor, I put the cupcakes in the same little paper bags that I used for the cutlery, just cut down a little. I made a fun little food pick with a toothpick and some more twine and silver ribbon.

I also used "64" sparkle candles.

Gifts

After dinner it was time to give her her amazing gift. Her 64th birthday gift was something off of her wish list. You can't give any old gift for a milestone year like this. Of course though, the best gifts are always spending a special night together with the people you love over great food! The perfect gift is love.

We all had a great time, and the "random person of the street" seemed to enjoy herself as well! I guess it's for sure then, we will still need you and we definitely will still feed you, when you're 64! If you have someone special or a family member turning 64 this is the perfect party theme to kick off a new year. I really can't think of a better way. I hope all these great ideas for celebrating have inspired you. Happy 64th birthday mom!

With a When I'm 64 Themed Birthday, life is really a party!

More Birthday Party Inspiration

You might also our Beer/Rootbeer Tasting Birthday Party here.

Also check out our Make Your Own Pasta Bar party here.

You might also enjoy our Toast Party here.

Valentine's Day Tea Party

Jan 31, 2012 · 6 Comments

Host a Valentine's Day tea party for Galentine's Day, family time, or celebrating with your favorite people. This afternoon tea features heart-shaped treats, vintage and coquette-style decor, and everything you need for a memorable Valentine's celebration.

Valentine's Day Tea Party Quick Look

🎉 Best For: Galentine's Day, family gatherings, friendship celebrations
👥 Serves: 4-8 guests
🍽️ Menu: Tea sandwiches, Scones with clotted cream and jam, and Sweets
🎀 Style: Pink and red, coquette aesthetic, bows and hearts
💕 Top Tip: Set the table and make sweets and sandwich fillings the day before.

Why You'll Love This Party

Lots of items can be made ahead.
Simple ingredients from your grocery store.
Perfect for Galentine's Day celebrations with friends, or mother-daughter bonding.
Coquette aesthetic with bows and vintage details is beautiful and on trend.
Works for small intimate gatherings or larger groups.

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What could be more fun than a Valentine's Day tea party?

I invited some of my besties over for an afternoon of sipping tea, and eating treats and we had the best time. This is such a great girlie idea to do with your gal pals for celebrating love day this Feburary. But tea parties are also fun for the whole family, and grandparents particularly love them. It would also be a great way to surprise your partner.

If you're looking for more Valentine's Day entertaining ideas, check out our Valentine's Day Breakfast Ideas and Valentine Breakfast Board for a morning celebration, Heart Shaped Hamburgers for a fun dinner, or our Valentine's Day Pizza Party for kid-friendly festivities. And our 20 At Home Valentine's Day Ideas. And if you love tea parties as much as I do, don't miss our How to Throw an Afternoon Tea Party for Adults for more hosting tips, and our Winter Tea Party.

The Tea Party Decor

For our Galentine's Day celebration, I wanted the decor to embrace the coquette aesthetic that's so popular right now. Think pink, bows, vintage teacups, and feminine details everywhere. It's the perfect style for a Valentine's Day tea party with your girlfriends.

Floral Tablecloth: I started out with the prettiest pink floral tablecloth. If you can't find what you're after you can always look at the fabric store. Ours was light pink with tiny rosebuds and the perfect backdrop for our table.
Plates: I used lots of vintage pieces for this party, including the pink depression glass luncheon plates. I layered these with some cute heart plates for Valentine's Day. It's always nice to offer guests one plate for savoury and a fresh plate for sweet for a high tea.
Vintage Tea Cups: The tea cups were also vintage. Look for them at thrift stores or antique stores. They're all different, but all have touches of pink floral designs to tie them together.
Pink Champagne Coups: My favourite part of the table settings were the pink champagne coupe glasses, with bows tied on the stems. These were a very lucky antique store find one day.
Gold Cutlery: Each place setting was finished off with some gold cutlery. Be sure to include a knife so guests can fix their scones. We also included gold heart spoons perfect for stirring a cup of tea, and off-white linen napkins.
Serving PIeces: We also used lots of vintage serving pieces, like pretty china serving plates, vintage tea pots, cake plates. Look for these pieces at antique stores or thrift stores too.

Valentine's Day Centerpiece

Candles with Bows: For the Valentine centerpiece in the middle of the table I used some gorgeous glass candlestick holders, and added ribbon bows to some. Candles are fun even in the afternoon for special occasions.
Painted Candlesticks: And to add another fun bow detail to our Valentine party, a few of the actual candles have bows painted onto them. I used a regular craft paint and they still burned perfectly. This is such a fun way to add an extra detail.

Fresh Flowers: We also added some really simple floral arrangements of pink spray roses. I love spray roses, and thought they were perfect to go with our rosebud tablecloth. We used my collection of vintage bottles for the fresh flowers and they looked so pretty.
Valentine's Day Candy: I finished off the centrepiece of the table decorations with some small bowls of Valentine's Day candy. It is a fun detail for the occasion. I had two matching small swan vessels that I found at the thrift store and added a bow around their necks. We filled them with candy cinnamon hearts, and Valentine jelly beans. I used another vintage tea cup as a candy bowl for some conversation hearts, because they're so quintessentially Valentines.

The Drinks

Hot Tea: You can't have a traditional afternoon tea party without tea of course. I like a traditional orange pekoe, earl grey is always a good choice too. It's a good idea to have a few options for your guests, including something that's decaf, and herbal tea. Brew your tea in a teapot, and be sure to have extra hot water for making more tea as the party continues. We used tea bags, but loose leaf tea feels extra special for a tea party.
Milk and Sugar: Black tea is traditionally served with milk not cream, so be sure to have some. I also made some adorable pink heart shaped sugar cubes using a small mould. They're very easy to make -see exactly how I made the homemade sugar cubes here.
Sparkling Wine: Since it was a Galentine's party, we also had some sparkling wine. A glass of champagne is a very fun addition to the afternoon. And the perfect way to make it feel like a real special occasion.
Non-Alcoholic Options: I always recommend having a non-alcoholic cold option for guests too, for any non-drinkers. Sparkling juice is perfect for this.
Hot Chocolate: If you're having little girls at a tea party, hot chocolate is a great option, and pink hot chocolate for Valentine's Day is even better.

The Food

Tea Sandwiches

Top Tip: Make your mini sandwiches a couple of hours ahead of time and cover well with plastic wrap so that they don't dry out. You want these sandwiches to be delicate and easy to eat. Offer a variety of fillings and breads, remove the crusts and cut the sandwiches into small pieces.

Cucumber Sandwiches: Cucumber sandwiches are an afternoon tea favourite. We made finger sandwiches with white bread, butter, mayo, cream cheese and thinly sliced cucumbers. Cut off the crusts and slice them into long rectangle fingers. We also made a few extra special by cutting them into heart shapes with a cookie cutter and topping with a cucumber bow.
Egg Salad Croissants: I like to serve egg salad on a mini croissant, and top them with some mixed greens.
Ham and Cheese: We made simple ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches with honey mustard.
Chicken Salad Toast Cups: These are really easy to make and always a hit with guests. See the chicken salad in toast cups -see the recipe here.

Scones

Top Tip: Scones are best when they are served the day they are made. They have a nice crust on top, and it softens when they're stored in an airtight container. If you don't have time to make the scones the morning of the party, you can make the scones ahead of time and freeze the dough to bake the morning of the party. Prepare the dough and freeze on a cookie sheet until frozen through, then store in a freezer bag. Find our favorite easy food processor scone recipe here.

Heart Shaped Scones: The next traditional course is scones with jam and cream. We made our Easy Food Processor Scones - see the recipe here. Instead of cutting them into wedges, I rolled them out and cut them with a cookie cutter to make them heart shaped.
Jam Options: We served ours with raspberry jam, another great option is strawberry jam, or lemon curd.
Clotted Cream: Scones are traditionally served with clotted cream. It's sometimes hard to find here, look for it in British shops or some grocery stores in the dairy section. You can also substitute whipped cream if you cannot find clotted cream.

Valentine's Day heart shaped scones with cream and jam

Sweets

Top Tip: I try to have a few different options and always include at least one option that is vanilla, chocolate and berry, so that there's something for everyone's different tastes.

Heart Shaped Vintage Cake: This pretty heart shape vintage cake was so beautiful. We made it from a white cake, and it had raspberry jam filling and Swiss meringue buttercream. It was the star of the show.
Shortbread Hearts: Shortbread is always a great addtion to a tea party, and a favorite of mine. Get my favorite shortbread recipe here.
Strawberry Marshmallows: Homemade strawberry marshmallows, cut out with a heart cookie cutter.
Cherry Pie Love Letters: Little cherry pie love letters -see how I made them here.
Custard Cream Cookies: Custard creams are a tradional British cookie and perfect for a tea party. We made these heart shaped for Valentine's day and they're so tender and delicious. Find the recipe for the Heart shaped custard cream cookies here.
Mini Chocolate Eclairs and Macaroons: We also had an assortment of mini chocolate eclairs and macaroons. I picked up these treats at the bakery and grocery store. I love to mix some store bought treats in with the homemade, especially when they're speciality items like these that are a bit challenging to make at home.

Admittedly we had too many sweet treats and lots of leftovers, but they all looked so beautiful.

Coquette Aesthetic for Your Valentine's Tea Party

The coquette aesthetic is having a major moment right now, and it's the perfect style for a Valentine's Day tea party. This ultra-feminine trend embraces everything soft, pink, and romantic with lots of bows, vintage touches, and delicate details. Think balletcore meets cottagecore with a romantic Valentine twist.

Why Coquette Style Works for Tea Parties:

Naturally Feminine: Tea parties are already inherently girly and elegant, so the coquette aesthetic feels like a natural fit. The vintage teacups, delicate treats, and pretty table settings all align perfectly with this trend.
Instagram-Worthy: If you or your guests love taking photos, the coquette aesthetic creates a cohesive, beautiful look that photographs incredibly well. Everything is pretty and coordinated without feeling overly formal.
Easy to Achieve: You don't need to buy all new decor. Shop your home for vintage pieces, add bows to everything, work with a pink color palette, and incorporate florals. Thrift stores and antique shops are goldmines for coquette-style pieces.

Key Coquette Elements:

Bows on everything (candles, glassware, candy dishes, napkins)
Pink as your main color with touches of white and red
Vintage or vintage-inspired pieces (especially depression glass and floral china)
Delicate florals (roses, especially)
Lace, ribbons, and feminine details
Heart shapes for Valentine's Day

We had so much fun spending hours at the tea table with delicious food, sparkling wine and tea, and great conversation. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon, or a better type of party for Valentine's Day with your girlfriends.

More Tea Party Inspiration

Frequently Asked Questions

How many tea sandwiches do you need per person?

At most hotel teas there are usually 4 tea sandwiches per person. If you are serving your afternoon tea more as a lunch you might want to have up to 6 per person. Remember a tea sandwich is quite small.

How far in advance can I make the tea sandwiches?

You don't want your tea sandwiches to be dry, or soggy. The best way to ensure this is to make them right before serving. If you need to make them ahead of time, prepare your fillings like chicken salad, egg salad, or tunna salad the day before. Be sure to spread your bread with butter to help keep the sandwich filling from making the bread soggy. After assembling your sandwiches the day of the party keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to keep them covered with plastic wrap righ until serving to ensure they don't dry out.

How can I make my tea party seem special for Valentine's Day?

Decorate your table with Valentine's Day colors like pink and red. Make some of the food heart shaped like sandwiches cut with a cookie cutter, scones, cake and cookies. Offer rose sparking wine for an extra special touch.

What time is afternoon tea?

Afternoon tea is usually served in the late afternoon. It was originally a way to fill the gap between lunch and much later dinner times than most of us have today. I usually serve afternoon tea as a late lunch, that way guests have room for all the courses and can really enjoy the whole menu.

What is Galentine's Day and when is it?

Galentine's Day is traditionally celebrated on February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day. It's a day to celebrate female friendships and spend time with your girlfriends. The holiday was popularized by the TV show Parks and Recreation and has become a real celebration for women to get together and honor their friendships. Galentine's Day has come to mean any Valentine celebration that celebrates women's friendships and can be celebrated anytime during the season.

What should I serve at a Valentine's Day tea party?

A traditional afternoon tea menu includes three courses: tea sandwiches (like cucumber, egg salad, and chicken salad), scones with jam and cream, and an assortment of sweets and desserts. For Valentine's Day, make items heart shaped when possible, use pink and red colors, and include Valentine themed treats. Don't forget to serve both hot tea and sparkling wine or champagne for a festive touch.

What is coquette aesthetic?

Coquette aesthetic is an ultra-feminine style trend that embraces everything soft, pink, and romantic. Key elements include lots of bows, vintage touches, delicate florals (especially roses), lace and ribbons, and a pink color palette. It's perfect for Valentine's Day celebrations because it naturally incorporates all the romantic, pretty details that make the day special.

What's the difference between afternoon tea and high tea?

Traditionally, afternoon tea was a light meal served in the late afternoon with tea, finger sandwiches, scones, and sweets. High tea was actually a heartier early evening meal. These days, most people use the terms interchangeably to mean the same thing - a fancy tea party with all the pretty treats and teacups. What we're hosting here is what would traditionally be called afternoon tea, but call it whatever feels right to you.

What should I wear to a Valentine's Day tea party?

Embrace the coquette aesthetic with something feminine and pretty. Think flowy dresses, skirts with blouses, or anything with bows, lace, or floral details. Pink, red, or white are perfect color choices for Valentine's Day. The key is to dress up a bit since tea parties feel special and fancy, but you don't need to be overly formal. Comfortable and pretty is the sweet spot -you'll be sitting and eating for a few hours, so choose something you feel good in.

With a Valentine's Day tea party with your girlfriends, life really is a party!

If you have tried any of these Valentine's Day Tea Party Ideas or any other ideas on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Princess Birthday Party Ideas

Jan 8, 2012 · 2 Comments

Princess Birthday Party Ideas: princess decorations, lots of princess party games and activity ideas, and a princess table and menu.

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My sweet little God daughter Tara turned 4 today, and she had the most wonderful, most pink and purple, most princess-y party ever! Today I'm sharing all the princess birthday party ideas to inspire you.

A Princess Welcome

From the moment we walked in the door it was magical. My friend Heather decorated the entrance with streamers, and the loot table, signs for any little girl of wonderful things to come! It also had the first activity, decorate your own tiara.

Princess Birthday Party Games and Activities Ideas

Princess Castle and Dolls Centre

There were lots of princess activities to keep everyone busy at the party. There was a castle set up to play dolls at.

Princess Playdough Centre

There was a playdough kitchen, with princess cookie cutters for some pretend baking.

Pin The Crown On The Princess Game

There was also a game of pin the crown on the princess.

Princess Cookie Decorating

One of my favourite activities, and one of all the kids favourites too, based on the line up at one point, was the cookie decorating. Heather made princess cookies, and the kids decorated them with icing and candies.

Here's the sweet birthday girl hard at work!

Princess Beauty Shop

The main attraction was that the living room had been transformed into a princess beauty shop.

I love the garland of pink feather boas, mini lights, roses, and crystals, along with the pink mirrors so the little princesses could admire themselves! There were lots of beautiful princess gowns to wear.

There was also a princess vanity set up with heart sparkle nail polish, and glitter hairspray.

The little princesses were treated to having their make-up done by a great face-painter who did everything from princesses and fairies to royal tigers and kitty cats!

Here's Maddie with the tiara she made, smiling with the birthday girl.

Princess Party Food Ideas

After all that fun, the kids enjoyed a snack fit for a princess!

Each chair was decorated with ribbon, tulle and a princess brooch -from the dollar store, oh how we love the dollar store especially when we need a little sparkle!

The clock was set to Cinderella time, and Heather decorated with these fun tulle pom-poms.

Each place setting was set with a silver paper doily place mat, cutlery decked out with jewel stickers, a princess wand, a rose, and lollipop ring.

On the menu were individual pink pudding with cookie spoons, pink popcorn, and beautiful cupcakes. There were also chocolate dipped marshmallows with pink and purple sugar sprinkles, and little castle and crown jam and cream cheese sandwiches.

pink pudding with cookie spoons
pink popcorn
cupcakes
chocolate dipped marshmallow pops
crown shaped sandwiches
fruit skewers
birthday cake

Isn't the fruit cute on these little pink skewers.

There was also a sweet princess cake, decorated with the a fun "4" sparkler candle!

We had such a fun time being princesses for a day!

Happy Birthday Tara, the sweetest princess of all! 😉

With all these great princess birthday party ideas, life really is a party!

You might also like our Sleeping Beauty Party here.

You might also enjoy our Beauty and Beast Party here.

New Years Party Decor

Jan 2, 2012 · 6 Comments

New Years Party Decor: candles, clocks, noise makers, party hats, and mirrored balls create the perfect party atmosphere for New Year's Eve!

We had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year with some old friends, and thought you might like to see some of the New Years party decor and shiny details, before all the holiday decorations get packed away until next Christmas.

Clocks To Mark Midnight

On the fireplace, I did a grouping of clocks. Some were ones I had, and a couple I found at thrift stores. It was fun to hear the loud ticking of all the clocks combined. I love this idea for a New Year's Eve party.

New Years Party Decor and Banners

In the living room I made a fun Happy New Year banner with my cricut, and hung it with some mirrored garland, and fun twinkle lights.

Party Horns and More

I had fun at the party store buying silver and black noise makers, hats, glow sticks, and beads. New Year's eve seems to bring out the kid in all of us. 😉 I grouped them all on a nice silver tray on the coffee table, ready for the big count down.

Disco Balls

My favourite of the decorations was the dinning room table. I used a silver runner for the base and grouped a collection of mirrored balls and candles. The mirrors made the candle light dance around the room, and it was so pretty.

Drinks Table

We had a fun evening of eating, drinking, and laughing together! I set up the drinks in the kitchen, with a centrepiece of three different orchid pieces. A mini potted orchird, in a beautiful pot, some floating candles, with a few orchid blooms, and an arrangement of orchids and roses my sister brought me at Christmas.

New Years Dessert Buffet

We started out with lovely appetizers, and around 11 I put out a dessert buffet in the kitchen. There were lots of Christmas cookies, including these almond biscotti, a family favourite.

Along with the cookies, I made mini pavolas, and individual portions of Christmas pudding, my grandma's old recipe. We also did mini ice cream cones with candy cane ice cream.

I made fun dessert picks out these great clocks from PS Make It Your Own. I cut them out and backed them with some fun glittery card stock. And, I also made some cute straws for drinks with these free drink flags from Bloom.

We had a great evening ringing in the New Year. With New Years party decor ideas like these, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our New Year's Eve Table Decorations here.

Also check out our Vintage New Years Cards Free Printables here.

You might also like our Black Berry Sparklers here.

Blackberry Sparklers: fresh blackberries are pureed for this cocktail, make it with alcoholic, or without for a non alcoholic mocktail version.

Christmas Women's Ministry Party

Dec 12, 2011 · 2 Comments

Christmas Women's Ministry Party: inexpensive DIY snowflake themed decorations, take out dinner ideas, and a snowflake dessert table.

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Our Christmas women's ministry party was this weekend and we had a wonderful time of celebrating. We ordered in take-out for dinner, did an ornament craft together, and enjoyed some sweet Christmas desserts.

Snowflake Christmas Decor

We went with a snowflake theme this year.

The main tables were decorated with simple twig centre pieces. I spray painted some sticks with silver spray paint -I do love a little spray paint! Then we put them into vases with some faux snow and decorated the branches with some snowflake and silver ornaments.

inexpensive Christmas party ideas for a crowd

I also decorated the tables with lots of candles, and these sweet mason jar snow globes.

We had fun making a simple Christmas ornament together before dinner

Drinks

We had a simple white cranberry juice punch, along with bottled water, coffee and tea.

I really liked how the snowflake lights looked on the drink table, such a simple way to add a little Christmas sparkle.

Christmas Women's Ministry Party Dinner

To make things simple we had a take out Swiss Chalet dinner. We had everyone pre-order when they signed up. This table was waiting for the chicken to arrive.

how to host a women's ministry Christmas party

Christmas Women's Ministry Party Dessert Table

After dinner there was a beautiful dessert table, with some traditional Christmas treats, and snowflake themed treats too.

Christmas Women's Ministry dessert table

I made these vanilla cupcakes, decorated with some simple snowflake sprinkles.

I used these sweet little snowflake place card holders to hold our dessert labels. We also had tiramisu in individual cups, and several kinds of delicious Christmas squares.

My friend Heather made these gorgeous snowflake sugar cookies.

Christmas Women's Ministry dessert ideas

And, she also made these cute little mini cheesecakes. She made the decorations with melted chocolate wafers piped into designs, and then placed on the cheesecakes after they hardened. I love the "w" and "m" for "Women's Ministries" -love is in the details.

We had a wonderful evening together, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas, light shining in the darkness. I hope you have the blessing of amazing, encouraging, fun women in your life, and an opportunity to get together this Christmas and celebrate.

With a Christmas Women's Ministry Party, life really is a party!

You might also like our Women's Ministry Christmas Event here.

Also check out Women's Ministry Chocolate Spa Night here.

You might also enjoy our Merry and Bright Christmas party here.

Merry and Bright Christmas Party Set: these party printables include menus, place cards, straw flags, conversations starters, cupcake picks, and a banner.

DIY Silver Christmas Wreath

Nov 25, 2011 · 18 Comments

DIY Silver Christmas Wreath: This beautiful and easy Christmas wreath is made from a inexpensive dollar store pot scrubbers.

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I love, love, love how this DIY Silver Christmas Wreath turned out, and wanted to share with you how easy and inexpensive it is to make with supplies from the dollar store.

Materials:

12 - 20 Pot Scrubbers
Foam Wreath Form
Hot Glue
Ribbon
Christmas Balls

How To Make A DIY Silver Christmas Wreath

The wreath is made out of dollar store silver pot scrubbers!

To begin this project, I used 4 packs of 3 for my foam wreath form. First open up the circle of the pot scrubber and then cut in half. Finally, you break out the old glue gun, and hot glue it to the wreath. It's really very simple to put together.

Also, here's the view from the back.

After it was all glued together, I next embellished it with some simple white and silver Christmas balls. I love all the sparkle!

Lastly, a silver satin ribbon was the perfect finishing touch.

how to make your own dollar store Christmas wreath

I love how it looks on the front door, with my Christmas urn decked out in silver this year too, and these sweet glittered skates.

Merry Christmas, hope you're having fun decking the halls too!

With a DIY Silver Christmas Wreath, life really is a party!

You might also like our Vintage Ornament Christmas Wreath here.

Vintage Christmas Ornament Wreath: How to make a beautiful Christmas wreath out of vintage ornaments.

Also check out our DIY Pinecone Wreath here.

DIY Burlap Table Runner

Oct 20, 2011 · 5 Comments

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

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Like so many other bloggers, I seem to have developed a bit of a crush on burlap. It seems like such a great fit with rustic, cool, fall days. This easy burlap runner is really inexpensive to make.

Materials:

burlap from the garden centre

This year I decided to make a runner for my dinning room table out of burlap. I did check out the fabric store, but all they had was "fancy" tightly woven burlap, not exactly the sack bag image I'd been picturing. So, I headed to the hardware store -success! Not only did they have the authentic stuff there, but it was way cheaper -and you know me and a bargin are BFF's. So I purchased some burlap, intended for winterizing shrubs, from the garden centre.

How To Make A Burlap Table Runner

To make my runner I cut a strip about 22 inches wide, and long enough for some overhang on my table, remembering that the table would have all its extra boards in making it extra long for Thanksgiving dinner. 😉 Just follow the line of the fabric as you cut.

I considered different methods of finishing the edges, but in the end decided I really liked the slightly frayed look of leaving it as is. It was a little lumpy, bumpy so I gave it a quick iron. The smell of ironing it reminded me of days as a little girl playing in my Grandma's barn at her farm, happy memories.

I am using it for fall on top of my dark wooden dinning room table, but I also used it for Thanksgiving over a white table cloth, and loved the way it added texture to the table.

This was a simple, quick, inexpensive little project, and I love how it turned out.

With a DIY Burlap Table Runner, life really is a party!

You might also like our How To Paint A Buffalo Check Feature Wall here.

You might also enjoy our DIY Deer Book Art here.

Twine Pumpkins

Oct 12, 2011 · 14 Comments

Twine Pumpkins: tutorial on how to ordinary kitchen string, twine, and balloons to craft these beautiful decorative pumpkins for fall.

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This fall, I'm loving the look of burlap, white pumpkins, and all things neutral. These twine pumpkins are the perfect addition to my table with battery operated tea lights.

I love decorating with pumpkins this time of year, and my favorite are the ones I can use year after year, like these DIY Wood Pumpkins.

Materials:

cotton string, jute, and twine
balloons
white glue
tree branch
hot glue

How To Make Twine Pumpkins

I blew up several small balloons, all in slightly different sizes.

Next, I dipped the strings in white glue, and got my hands dirty wrapping the balloons.

After the string was dry, I popped the balloons, and made sure there was a big enough space in the bottom to insert a battery operated candle.

Then, I went for a little walk to the forest, and found a stick large enough to resemble a pumpkin stem. I cut the stick to length, and glued it to the top of the string ball with a little hot glue.

I grouped the five little pumpkins on a cream coloured runner on my kitchen table. They look great flickering away in the evening.

This was a fun, and simple project, and I got lots of compliments on them at Thanksgiving. 😉

With twine pumpkins, life really is a party!

You might also like our DIY Faux Concrete Pumpkins here.

Also check out our Driftwood Pumpkins here.

You might also enjoy our Paper Flower Pumpkin here.

Paper Flower Pumpkin: Use a faux pumpkin and an old book to create this pretty paper flower pumpkin craft, the perfect additon to your fall decor.

The Picnic Party

Sep 9, 2011 · 4 Comments

Picnic Party: a picnic birthday in red and pink planned for the beach with individual picnic lunches, activities, decor, and party invitations.

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This weekend my little Paige turned 7! She wanted to have a picnic party at the beach. We were picturing lots of red and white gingham, and cause every thing's better when it's pink, we went with red and pink as our colour scheme.

DIY Bunting Invitations

We made these sweet bunting flag invitations. We started with these brown kraft paper cards and envelops, and cut out triangles from craft paper to be the bunting flags. We used our glue stick to attach them, and then sewed along the top with our sewing machine. We used our home printer to print all the party information directly on the cards before we added the bunting.

Unfortunately, the weather was cold and windy, so we had to move the party from the beach to indoors. No one seemed to mind though, and we all had a great time!

Picnic Party Decorations

I had planned all the food, decor and activities for the beach, but when we felt the cold wind, we quickly shifted things around to work at home.

DIY Party Bunting

Just like our invitations we wanted to add bunting to the space. I made some simple bunting flag before with with pinking sheers and ribbon, but this time I made them double sided, ironed them and used seam binding along the top. They look much more professional, and I'm really pleased with how they turned out. They were a lot more work, but turned out great.

We also had some fun red and pink balloon bouquets.

The Table

We set the picnic food up in the dining room. I found this great vintage table cloth at an antique store this summer, and fell in love with it. I used these sweet miniature picnic baskets for decoration on the food table too.

For the centre piece of the table I used these sweet mason jars filled with flowers from my mom's garden. I always like to have a picture of the birthday girl as part of the centrepiece for a birthday party.

Each guest had an individual picnic bag, the adults were on the left, and the kids were on right.

Picnic Drinks

Around the back of the table I set up the drinks.

I had fun finding old fashioned pop bottles of cream soda, black cherry, root beer and coke.

For the kids there were Kool-Aid Jammers, and lots of water for everyone. I used a mason jar to hold some striped straws.

I had also planned a coffee and tea station for the grown-ups, since the party started at 11. We planned on using thermos flasks for the beach, but since it was at home I just set this basket I'd prepared next to the coffee maker.

Picnic Blankets

We also had a picnic basket filled with red picnic blankets, that I picked up at IKEA.

The Beach Picnic Activities and Games

Loot Bags

Our loot bags were sand pails. We couldn't find any pink metal sand pails, but we did find these pink plant pots at IKEA. We drilled holes in the side, and sanded them with a metal file. Then we added thick sisal rope and tied it to create the handle.

I found some pink shovels, and filled the pail with other beach treats.

We were planning on a sand castle building contest, so we included these fun flags, made with bamboo skewers, fabric and my trusty glue gun! The birthday girl's favourite candy is Carmel squares, so we added some in these sweet organza bags. I tried to co-ordinate all the labels, including this one for bubbles.

Bubble Blowing

Sea Shell Tic-Tac-Toe

My favourite part of the loot bags, were these sea shell tic-tac-toe games that we made. I spray painted sea shells in pink and red, and then packaged them in cello bags, with a label instructing the guests to create their grid in the sand and have fun!

I set up the loot bags on the kitchen table with a cute picnic table cloth. My mom brought the beautiful roses from her garden, and we added some of the cute flags, to the mason jar vase.

My mother-in-law found some fun pink beach balls that fit with our theme, and mermaid dolls for the little girls to play with in their sand castles. Thanks Grandma!

Sand Castle Building Contest

We were planning on having a sand castle building contest at the beach. I found some fun trophies at the dollar store, and added some pink and red ribbon, and some labels for the winning sand castles. We divided the guests up into family teams and awarded each family a trophy for the Sandiest Sand Castle, the Cutest Sand Castle, the Biggest Sand Caste, and the Most Beautiful Sand Castle.

We had to change our plans a little since we were inside due to the cold, windy weather at the beach, so we drew pictures of the the sand castles instead, which everyone was a really good sport about.

The Food

Well, the highlight of a picnic is certainly the food! I love how all the details turned out. The individual picnic lunches were packed in red paper bags, with some sweet red gingham tissue paper, and tied with a little twine. I customized the bags with these labels I created.

Individual Picnic Party Lunches

It was so fun watching everyone excitedly unpack their picnic bags to see what was in them -including the grown-ups!

So here's the menu:

Fried Chicken
Potato Chips
Veggies and Dip or Bean Salad
An Apple
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cupcake-in-a-Jar

Let's start with the chicken, I purchased chicken the night before, and wrapped in up with waxed tissue paper, tied with twine, and marked with labels I made to fit our theme.

The kettle cooked potato chips were re-packaged in cello bags, with a custom label.

I made veggies and dip for the kids, packaged in cello bags, with a small container of dip, and tied with twine. The grown-ups had three bean salad, served in mini-mason jars.

Picnic Party Desserts

For something sweet, we made chocolate chip cookies, and packaged them in little brown paper bags, closed with the custom labels.

Our best treat was the cupcake-in-a-jar, and a great portable way to celebrate a birthday!

We made vanilla cupcakes, and cut them in half, then we spread the bottom half with a little raspberry jam, and layered it in the bottom of the mason jar.

Then we piped in some pink frosting, and added the top of the cupcake. It was also iced, and we added some pink sanding sugar on top.

They were delicious, and the kids loved digging into all that icing!

Our friends and family weren't bothered by having to move our beach picnic indoors due to cold windy weather, and laid out the picnic blankets in our dinning room and living room!

Before the birthday girl dug into her cupcake we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

With a picnic -inside or out -life really is a party!

You might also like our French Inspired Picnic here.

Also check out our Breakfast Picnic here.

You might also enjoy our Picnic Lunch here.

Pretty Picnic Lunch: Individual picnic boxes, wild flowers, tissue paper tassels, and a delicious menu make this the perfect picnic lunch.

Individual Mini Peach Cobbler in a Mason Jar

Sep 1, 2011 · 6 Comments

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

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Aren't these Mini Peach Cobbler in a Mason Jar treats the cutest ever? I recently discovered peach cobbler, and since it's peach season, this easy peach cobbler recipe was perfect.

You might also like our Easy Banana Snack Cake with Frosting.

Individual Serving Size

I made my individual mini peach cobblers in a mason jar, but you could also use a ramekin to bake them in. The individual mini cobbler is the perfect serving size for one, and the best part is that you don't have to worry about dishing it up. Serve this easy individual peach cobbler recipe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, or some whipped cream as a great way to finish a meal. Mini cobblers in a masons jars are really easy to transport and bring to an event too. Just screw on the tops of the jars to cover them. You can also use individual ramekins for making individual servings. Another option is to bake your mini cobblers in a muffin pan. Just use a regular size muffin tin for baking your individual serving size cobbler.

Cobbler

This homemade mini peach cobbler recipe is the perfect dessert for anyone who loves a fruit dessert but doesn't love making pie pastry. It's so much easy than baking a peach pie, because you don't have to roll out the pie crust, you just add the cobbler topping to the top. Homemade peach cobbler is made with simple ingredients, that you probably have on hand anyway. You can make cobbler with lots of different fruit or combinations of fruit. Fruit cobbler is a great way to use up extra fruit in the fruit basket when it's in season. See our strawberry cobbler recipe here. Try making berry cobbler, or apple cobbler, or your favorite fruit, But peach cobbler is a classic for a reason, and I think it just might be one of my favorite desserts. Anyone who has a sweet tooth and loves peaches will love this easy summer dessert.

Peaches

We used fresh in season peaches for this easy recipe. We used fresh fruit for our cobbler, but you can also make it with frozen fruit. If you're using very sweet peaches you can use a little bit less sugar. If your peaches are out of season, you may need to add a little more sugar for your peach filling.

I made my mini peach cobblers in small 4oz mason jars. The jars are filled them about half way with peaches, and then added the cobbler dough on top. These are perfect for easy transportation with the lid screwed on. And also make it very easy for serving.

Serving Suggestion

When the mini peach cobblers are golden brown on top they're ready. You can have this room temperature or as warm peach cobbler, whichever you prefer. Serve individual peach cobbler with whipped cream, or a scoop of ice cream on top. The peach flavors are perfect combined with whipped cream or scoops of vanilla ice cream. This sure to become a favorite recipe for baking juicy peaches when they're in season.

Today I was making this fresh peach cobbler for a sweet family going through a sad time so I added a little twine for decoration, and slipped the lids on for transport, along with a little bowl of freshly whipped cream.

I absolutely LOVE how they turned out. Thi is the best peach cobbler. And it always gets rave reviews from my friends and family. Life can't always be perfect, but even sad days are better with a sweet little treat like this and this great recipe. 😉

Recipe

Individual peach cobbler in a mini mason jar.

Mini Peach Cobbler in a Mason Jar!

Baked peaches with a sweet cake like topping.

4.46 from 24 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 35

Servings: Individual Servings

Calories: 439kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Peel and slice your peaches into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle ½ cup of sugar over peach slices and divide them between 6 -4oz. mason jars. Filling each jar about half way. Or instead of mini mason jars use small ramekins to make individual serving size.
Cream room temperature butter and 1 cup of sugar together. Stir in the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder and salt. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.
Spoon crumble topping over peach mixture in each mason jar. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Notes

To make one large peach cobbler use a 2 quart baking dish, and bake for 35-45 minutes.

Nutrition

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

With Mini Peach Cobbler in a Mason Jar, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like Peach Almond Crumble Muffins here.

Peach Almond Crumble Muffins: Delicious recipe, can be made with fresh or canned peaches, with the perfect crunchy sweet almond crumble on top.

Also check out Peach Sangria here.

Peach Sangria: The perfect peach sangria, sweet, fruity, easy to make and delicious. Made with fresh peaches and raspberries.

You might also enjoy Nectarine and Blueberry Galette here.

Farm Birthday Party Food Ideas

Jul 26, 2011 · 18 Comments

Farm themed birthday party food ideas savory snacks, main course and a dessesrt table full of things like rice krispie hay bales and tractor wheel oreos!

Farm Themed Birthday Party Food: All the best ideas for the food at your farm themed birthday party, from rice krispie hay bales to tractor wheel oreos!

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A farm themed birthday is so much fun, and the perfect gender neutral party theme for little ones. Today we're sharing all the farm themed birthday party food ideas.

We love a good party around here. Kids birthday parties are such a favourite like this Ice Cream Themed Birthday Party, Construction Themed Birthday Party, Ladybug Themed Birthday Party, and Oscar The Grouch Themed Party.

Yesterday I shared some of the Farm Themed Party Activities, and Decor at my little friend Allie's Farm Themed Birthday Party. Today I want to share with you some of the delicious food we enjoyed.

Farm Drinks and Snacks

It was a warm day, but we enjoyed the shade of their large silver maple tree, and some nice cool drinks.

There was a great drinks and nibbles area set up for us all to enjoy before lunch.

Iced Tea
Lemonade
Ice Wate
"Chicken Feed" Snack Mix
Cow Tails Candy
Fuzzy Peaches Candy
Sour Strawberry Candy
Mixed Fruit Jube Jubes

Farm Themed Birthday Party Food drinks station

I love the detail of the mini hay bale, used under the apple juice. Another great idea, "chicken feed" snack mix and cow tails, which are caramel candies!

chicken feed Farm Themed Birthday Party Food idea

Farm Themed Birthday Party Food Lunch

We enjoyed a great bbq lunch with homemade salads and corn on the cob for lunch.
I love the veggie patch! See the toy animals lined up for a taste?

Hotdogs
Hamburgers
Veggie Patch Veggies and Dip
Corn on the Cob
Potato Salad
Pasta Salad

Farm Themed Birthday Party Food vegetable patch veggie tray

I also thought this way of presenting the cutlery was a great idea, hooked up to the fence in these cute buckets.

Farm Themed Dessert

After lunch it was time for dessert! Heather, Allie's mom, created an amazing farm themed dessert table. She started with this sweet backdrop.

She made it out of red project cardboard, and added the details with white duct tape! I love the details of her name, the bunting and the hay -shredded paper! It made the perfect background for all the desserts.

There were so many delicious treats!

Apples from the Orchad
Fresh Cherries, Strawberries, and Blueberries with Yogurt Dip
Hay Bale Rice Krispie Treats
Tractor Wheel Oreos
Chocolate Covered Marshmallows
Pie Fries with Cherry and Blueberry Dip
Farm Animal Sugar Cookies
Cakepops
Birthday Cake

Farm Themed Birthday Party Food dessert table

There were some healthy choices, including apples from the orchard, fresh cherries, and other berries with yogurt dip.

Farm Themed Birthday Party Food dessert ideas

I love the hay bale cookies -rice crispy squares, and the tractor wheels -Oreos!

Farm Themed Birthday Party dessert Rice Krispie square hay bales

Farm Themed Birthday Party food Oreo cookie tractor wheels

There were also fun marshmallows -in the party colours.

One of my favourite ideas were these "pie fries".

Heather made french fry like strips of pastry dough, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and packaged in these cute mini paper bags, and served them with blueberry and cherry pie filling as dip!

Of course Heather made her famous sugar cookies, that she makes for all her fabulous parties. I love the barnyard animals, they're so cute.

And, what's a party with cake pops these days!

They were enjoyed by all.

Heather also made two birthday cakes, a sweet looking piggy, and a cow!

Farm Themed Birthday Party birthday cakes

What a feast we had, it was so much fun.

Happy Birthday Allie, hope you had as much as we did.

With a farm themed party, life really is a party!

More Birthday Inspiration

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the cow table cloth from?

It was made from a piece of fabric from the fabric store. The edges are finished with some iron-on hemming tape.

Where is the barn backdrop from?

It is made from a piece of red project board, and white duct tape was used for the details.

Where are the food labels from?

They were made from some red gingam card stock, with the food names printed out separately and glued on.

If you try any ideas from this Farm Themed Birthday Party Food or any other ideas on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Farm Birthday Party Games and Activities

Jul 25, 2011 · 9 Comments

Sharing ideas for a farm birthday party, including games and activities like finding the hidden eggs, a duck pond, a pony stable, and stuffed animal petting. As well as some cute DIY decoration ideas.

Farm Birthday Party Games and Activities: hidden eggs, toy duck pond, toy pony stable, a stuffed animal petting area and more!

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Farmer ALLIE had a farm, e, i, e, i, o! And on that farm she had a party....and what a party it was! One of my dearest little friends celebrated her second birthday on the weekend, and her parents created a farm in the backyard for her and all her playmates.

You will also want to check out the Farm Party Food Ideas from the party. You might also like this Stuffed Dog Adoption Party, or this Ladybug Themed Party.

DIY Farm Party Decorations

When we arrived, we were greeted by the cutest "farm gate" and a sweet little straw wreath created for the occasion.

There was also a basket of bandanas, for all the guests to grab and wear at the party.

how to do at a farm themed birthday party

Games and Activities

There were different activities for the kids to enjoy set up all over the backyard. The kids were all quite little, mostly toddlers and up to 7 year olds, so these little centers were perfect for them.

The centers also acted as decorations set up all around the backyard.

Find An Egg

There was tons of preschool fun to be had. One of the first activities was helping Rosie the Hen find her eggs. The eggs were kinder eggs that had been hidden around the garden. The kids loved finding them, and eating them!

Pony Stable

There was a pony stable, for riding. Aren't the stick horses a cute idea?

Duck Pond

There was also a duck pond to play in. They used a little tiny pool filled with water and rubber ducks. The little kids loved using the nets to scoop them up.

Farm Birthday Party games and activities

Fruit Orchard

They turned a playhouse into a little fruit orchard with a basket full of fruit balls to play with.

Cow Ball Pit

All the little kids loved the cow ball pit, to bounce in.

Farm Themed Water Table

This water table fit the farm theme perfectly.

Petting Zoo

My favourite was the "petting zoo", created with stuffed toys and garden fencing! I love the mini hay bale detail too!

Farm Birthday Party petting zoo with stuffed animals

Farm Crafts

There was also a wonderful craft area on the deck.

How cute are these containers holding the craft supplies!

There were a variety of fun farm themed crafts to choose from.

It was a wonderful afternoon of playing, eating, and celebrating together.

Be sure to check out all the amazing farm themed party food here.

With a farm party games and activities, life really is a party!

More Birthday Party Inspiration

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the Kinder eggs melt?

No, it wasn't a hot day. But if you were planning something similar in the summer, you could use plastic Easter eggs instead and put something non-meltable inside for the kids, like a small toy instead.

Where is the cow jumping pit from?

This is quite old and no longer available, but you could look for something similar on-line.

Where are the crafts from?

These were from the dollar store. Look for farm themed animal crafts there, or online.

If you try any of these ideas for farm birthday party or any other ideas on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Easy Sour Cream Donut Holes Recipe

Jun 20, 2011 · 4 Comments

Easy Sour Cream Donut Holes Recipe: These easy fried donuts are moist and delicious, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. They're the perfect treat for breakfast or dessert.

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Old fashioned sour cream donuts are such a favorite of ours. These easy sour cream donut holes are crisp on the outside and moist on the inside, and they're the perfect treat for any donut lover.

For Father's Day, I wanted to make my husband a special breakfast. He LOVES those tiny tim donuts you get at fairs, so I thought I'd make him some sour cream donut holes. He loved them. We all loved them -like we always do. They are delicious and easy to make, and the perfect treat.

You might also like our homemade Honey Crullers recipe, or these Homemade Fair Funnel Cakes Recipe.

Cake Donuts vs. Yeast Donuts

These sour cream donuts are a cake donut instead of a yeast donut, These donuts use baking powder and baking soda for their rise instead of yeast. This tends to make for a much more moist donut, that doesn't dry out as quickly as yeast donuts sometimes do. The texture of these old-fashioned sour cream donuts is a little more dense than yeast donuts and cake like, thus the name. Cake donuts are also quicker to make than yeast donuts, since you don't have to wait for the yeast to rise.

Make Ahead

Freshly fried donuts don't keep very well. They are best eaten the day that you make them. But for these sour cream cake donuts you can make the donut dough the day or two before and keep it in the fridge overnight. They work out really well for a breakfast because you can make the dough the night before, and all you have to do in the morning is fry them.

These sour cream old-fashioned donuts, like most fried food, are best if served while still warm or within a few hours of frying.

Frying Your Donuts

You can fry these donuts in a large pot on the stove or use a deep fryer. If you fry these donuts in a large pot of oil, the challenge is to keep the oil at the right temperature. For this method, a deep-fry thermometer or candy thermometer clipped onto the side of the pot will make it easier. If the frying oil is too hot, the donuts may cook too quickly on the outside and be raw still in the middle. If the oil is too cold, the donuts will absorb too much oil and be greasy.

You need at least two inches of hot oil in the bottom of the pot to fry the donuts. The temperature of the oil should be at 365 degrees F for frying. If you are using a pot of oil, keep your eye on the thermometer and adjust your burner up and down as needed.

It's much easier to use a small at home deep fryer for frying, since they have a built-in thermometer and will keep your oil at the right temperature for frying.

You can use canola oil, vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying. You want an oil that doesn't transfer flavors and has a high smoke point. I usually use peanut oil for frying.

After frying your donuts remove them from the hot oil using metal tongs or a metal slotted spoon and let any excess oil drip off. Place the fried donuts on some paper towels to absorb oil, before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar coating.

Can I Bake These Donuts?

The short answer to can I bake these donuts is no. This recipe is designed to be fried. It gives the donuts their distinct texture of crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. Without frying there is no crispy outside, and the donuts become more like cake... in which case, better to make a really good cake than a bad cake donut. The same goes for making them in the air fryer. They're just better fried in oil. If you're going to make homemade donuts, you need to fry them.

Sour Cream

The sour cream in this recipe helps keep the donuts moist and gives them the perfect cake like texture with a tender crumb. This contracts perfectly with the crispy outside of the donut. For this recipe you want to use full fat sour cream. There's no butter or oil in this batter and the sour cream and egg yolks add fat to the dough which is needed. For the best results, don't substitute low fat or no fat sour cream in this recipe.

Cinnamon Sugar

We love these donuts made as little donut holes and then rolled in cinnamon sugar while they are hot. You can use this recipe to make full size donuts, just increase the cooking time for the larger donuts. Make your cinnamon sugar before frying your donuts. Combine ½ cup of white sugar with 2 tablespoon of ground cinnamon and stir together.

The cinnamon sugar will stick best to the donuts while they are hot. It's important to roll them in the cinnamon sugar as soon as you've drained off the excess oil. Place your cinnamon sugar on a large plate and roll the hot donut holes in it, or place them in a paper bag with the cinnamon sugar and shake it until they're fully coated.

Some people prefer a simple glaze for their sour cream donuts, which is also delicious. Apply the glaze while the donuts are still warm for the most even coating. Dip the whole donut, not just the top and let the excess glaze drip off by resting the dipped donuts on a wire rack. Let the glaze set before serving.

Recipe

Storing Donuts

You can store the donut dough in the refrigerator for up to two days. After frying, these donuts are best eaten the day that they are made. If you do have leftover donuts, they are best left out at room temperature. If you put them in an airtight container they tend to go soft and lose any crispness, and if they are glazed the icing goes soft and runs off. Best to keep them container slightly open and not airtight.

We had a great breakfast of homemade sour cream donut holes, and cafe au laits. Sounds more like dessert doesn't it? These are such an easy donut recipe, and perfect for enjoying with a cup of coffee in the morning or for dessert. If you're a fan of old fashioned donuts, I know you'll love these. These warm donuts are such a delicious treat. The best way to enjoy these homemade sour cream donuts is as soon as they're made.

With sour cream donut holes, life really is a party!

More Great Donut Recipes

You might also like our Honey Cruller Donuts here.

Also check out Nutella Mini Donuts here.

Nutella Filled Donuts: This easy donut dough is made in the brad machine, mini sized, covered in powdered sugar and filled with nutella.

You might also enjoy our Jelly Donuts here.

Bread Machine Jelly Donuts: mini heart shaped jelly donuts, with an easy to make bread machine dough. Perfect for Valentine's Day dessert, or anytime.

Easy Moroccan Chicken Tagine Recipe

Jun 15, 2011 · 1 Comment

Easy Moroccan Chicken Tagine: easy to make without a tagine, loaded with green olives, apricots, and bacon. Sure to become a favourite.

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This easy Moroccan chicken tagine has become one of my very favourite recipes. It's easy to make and brings back memories of Morocco at Epcot centre, the closest I've come to the real Morocco -haha! It is even better the next day, and I think it might have to inspire a Moroccan themed dinner party in the near future. It's also great for a potluck, and always receives ohs and ahs from everybody. It's a great one pot dish. We like to serve it over plain couscous for a great dinner. If you're a fan of Moroccan food, you will love this easy chicken tagine.

What Is A Tagine?

A tagine is traditional cooking pot and the stew inside from North Africa. The tagine pot is a ceramic or clay cooking vessel with a large base, and a conical lid. The tagine's unique cone-shaped lid allows for steam and condensation as part of the cooking method. The steam and condensation rise to top of the cone shaped lid, and the condensation drips down the walls of the vessel and back onto the food creating a moist dish. The food inside, also called a tagine, is a stew-like dish, that often includes both savory and sweet elements, and rich Moroccan spices. It is traditionally cooked at a low heat for a long cooking time to create a tender and flavorful stew.

Do I Need A Tagine Cooking Vessel To Make This Dish?

No, you don't need to use a tagine cooking vessel to make this delicious dish. The tagine cooking method is very similar to a dutch oven. You can make this dish in a regular casserole dish with a tight fitting lid or a dutch oven. It won't be as authentic looking as a real tagine, but it will still be very delicious.

Chicken

Tagines are traditionally made with any meats or fish, or just vegetables. Ours is a chicken version. We are using skinless chicken thighs. Because the meat is braised during a slow cooking, you will want to remove the skin. The chicken skin won't have a chance to crisp up with this cooking method, and is best removed. We like to use bone-in chicken thighs, because it adds more flavor to the dish. We choose chicken thighs because of their flavor, and how moist they are with this cooking method. You could use different chicken parts in your Moroccan tagine, if you prefer, or even a whole chicken cut up up and skin removed.

Fruit

It's tradition to have a mix of sweet and savory in your tagine. Meat is often paired with a dried or preserved fruit. Our recipes uses dried apricots. These add a wonderful sweetness to the dish. And after a long cooking time the dried fruit becomes rehydrated and plum and juicy. They offer a wonderful contrast to the savoury chicken and salty olives and bacon bits.

This recipe makes great leftovers, since all the flavours just meld together better overnight. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this Moroccan chicken recipe over simple couscous. The cooking liquid soaks into the couscous making it so delicious. It's also great served with Moroccan bread to soak up all the chicken stew juices. If you can not find it, try using pita bread as an easy substitution.

This easy moroccan chicken tagine has tons of flavor. And the unique combination of sweet from the apricots, and salty from the bacon and olives, combined with the juicy chicken thighs and aromatic spices make this traditional slow-cooked moroccan dish a real winner. Your taste buds will thank you for trying this dish. This is one of our favorite chicken tagine recipes because of the wonderful blend of ingredients and the moroccan spice blend. The tagine seasonings add so much to the dish. It's a good idea to add this middle east inspired dish to your dinner table. If you've never tried Moroccan cooking, this is a great recipe to try.

Recipe

With this easy Moroccan chicken tagine, life really is a party!

More Recipe Inspiration

You might also like Butter Chicken Pizza recipe here.

Also check out our Unstuffed Zucchini recipe here.

Unstuffed Zucchini: the perfect quick and easy, one pot weeknight meal. We made cooking time quicker using zucchini zoodles.

You might also enjoy Mom's Easy Lasagna recipe here.

Camping Ideas

May 27, 2011 · 13 Comments

Camping Ideas: fun ideas to try on your next camping trip like DIY firestarters, tie foil dinners, and bacon and eggs in a paper bag.

I love camping and but together some fun camping ideas that you might like to use for your next camping trip.

Last weekend, for the long weekend, our family joined a bunch of friends for a group camping trip to Sandbanks. My husband is not a camper, so I had to reach way back to my girl guide days, and pull out a few tricks!

DIY Fire Starters

Before we went I made these fun fire starters.

Materials:

cardboard egg carton
dryer lint
wax

How To Make DIY Fire Starters

You begin with an empty cardboard egg carton (not styrofoam, they'd be toxic to burn), add old dryer lint, and cover in wax. They worked great.

You just let the wax dry, break them into 12 individual cups, and light the cardboard corner to start your fire.

Sandbanks Provincial Park

We went to Sandbanks Provincial park. I had never been there before, and it was beautiful. Despite the cold water, the kids had a great time the first day playing at the very sandy beach.

And the second day we all went to the sand dunes together, they were awesome. There was a hard core bocce ball tournament, and some pretty serious swimming, and playing in the sand too.

All that play made everyone hungry! A highlight of the trip for me was some of the fun outdoor cooking we did. Our friends made tin foil dinners.

Tin Foil Dinners

They were filled with various versions of potatoes, veg, and meat to make a complete meal. The very first version of t.v. dinners? sans the t.v.

Chicken with tomato, and potatoes, mushrooms and carrots -yum!

One family used a tin pie plate as the base of their dinner, clever!

Over at my site, we were making baked potatoes, and corn-on-the-cob over the fire. Well, actually the potatoes are all wrapped up in foil and in the fire, amongst the coals. They didn't burn at all and were delicious!

Dinner was delicious, supplemented with a few roasted hotdogs for some of the 11 kids that we had between the 6 families.

Bacon and Eggs in a Paper Bags

The coolest meal -by far was the bacon and eggs in a paper bag. The last time I did this I was about 12 years old camping with the girl guides, but it was just as much fun at 30 something!

how to make bacon and eggs in a paper bag

You start out with a regular old brown paper lunch bag. Using thick slice bacon, you rub down your bag a little, and line the bottom of the bag -takes about 3-4 slices. Then you crack your egg on top, add a little s & p, and fold down the top of the bag.

Then you put a stick through the top and hold it over some hot coals for about 10 min. until it's cooked!

Mine turned out great!

There were a few, shall we say, "mishaps". Don't get it near a flame or the top will catch on fire!

But he still ate it! Such a good sport!

Try it on your next camping trip. Hope you had a good long weekend too. Long weekend + great friends + lots of fun + great food = life is a party! I hope these camping ideas inspire you.

You might also like our Campfire Cinnamon Rolls here.

Also check out our Campfire Muffins here.