Tuesday, July 10, 2012

pool party favors

When my little girl asked me to plan her summer birthday party, I knew I had to come up with something good! She has a crazy big imagination, and I knew I needed to match it!

The problem? She wanted a fishy-themed pool party. Since, we just did a fishy theme for my baby,  posted about here, I knew she would wanted something different.

That's were Pinterest came to the rescue.

I remembered the worms from Clara's 2nd birthday party, and thought I could do a play on some of YHL's inspiration.

After a trip to the nearby dollar store, the party store, and the grocery store, I knew I had enough supplies to pull it off.

Take a look!

These lure-coated fishing rods were easy to create with pretzels rods, melted chocolate, and some colorful sprinkles. Attach a computer printed tag with some twine, and your in business.



 The fish breath bubbles were leftover from my other fishy party. I just attached a different tag. I used the same handwritten style font on each favor tag.


These cute little pals were a find at the party store for only .79 each. Filled with some gummy worms and Swedish fish, they were much better smelling than real bait!



And of course, what's a fish party with out the catch of the day? I spied these at the Dollar Store. Who would have thought a cheap piece of plastic would be so fun? These colorful fish had a drawstring worm attached at the mouth that when pulled moved the fish's tail. My kids had lots of fun testing it out in the pool prior to the party.



These flower-shaped orange noodles provide the perfect pool party floaty for all the fishy guests. (Because, some little fish don't swim so well yet.)


After the worm sandwich lunch, these worm topped ice cream and cake parfaits were served. Perfect for little fish taking a swim break. You can check out how I made them here.



My little fish said this was the best birthday party ever -even better than last year. Whew! I'm not sure I'm looking forward to planning her next party with that kind of expectation though.

And as a result of this party, I had a new table making project on my hands. {Lesson learned, don't leave unprotected furniture outside on the patio in the rain. But, that's later. . .}

Sunday: I Heart Naptime, Nifty Thrifty Things, It's Overflowing, MopItUp , Twigg Studios Monday: Made by You, C.R.A.F.T. DIY Showoff, Between Naps on the Porch, Debbie Doo's, Home Stories A to Z, diy home sweet home Tuesday: Coastal Charm, Nest for Less, Tip Junkie, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Get Your Craft On, ClaimingOurSpace Wednesday: Uncommon, Savvy Southern Style, Organize and Decorate, Power of Paint, Newlyweds Recipe Linky, Southern Lovely , Home Happy Home, Gingersnap Crafts Thursday: The Shabby Creek Cottage, Made in a Day, House of Hepworths, the 36th Avenue, Crafty, Scrappy, Happy, 52 Mantels Friday: Making Lemonade, Blissful and Domestic, One Artsy Mama, Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, The Shabby Nest, Thirty Handmade Days, Addicted 2 Decorating, Funky Junk Interiors, Financial Friday, At the Picket Fence, Classy Clutter

Monday, July 9, 2012

ice cream & cake parfait

The easiest way to serve cake and ice cream at a children's party -parfait style!

I made these ice cream and cake parfaits recently for my daughter's summer birthday party.  I was running the party solo, so I knew I need to have everything done in advance.

These were the perfect solution to serving cake and ice cream to a young crowd. Everything can be done ahead of time, just pull them out of the freezer and enjoy the party along with your guests.




MATERIALS
  • Clear glasses
  • Ice cream
  • Cake
  • Crushed Oreos
  • Gummy worms

DIRECTIONS
  1. Prepare a cake of your choosing. Bake in a half sheet pan.
  2. After baking remove the cake from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
  3. Freeze the cake, until firm enough to cut. I baked mine in the morning and it was chilled enough by evening to cut out.
  4. Using a round cookie cutter the same diameter as your glass, carefully cut out cake. (See photo below.)
  5. Place a scoop of soften ice cream into cup. Top with a layer of fudge, cake, and whipped cream.
  6. Garnish according to your event. I sprinkled crumbed Oreos and placed a gummy worm on top to accompany our fishy theme.
Don't forget use a cutter the same diameter as your serving glasses.


Anyone else have an all-in-one dessert favorite?


Sunday: |I Heart Naptime|Nifty Thrifty Things|It's Overflowing| MopItUp| Twigg Studios| Monday: |Made By You| C.R.A.F.T.| DIY Showoff|Between Naps on the Porch| Debbie Doo's| Home Stories A to Zdiy home sweet home Tuesday: Coastal Charm| Nest for Less|Tip Junkie|My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia|A Bowl Full of Lemons|Get Your Craft On|ClaimingOurSpace Wednesday: Uncommon|Savvy Southern Style |Organize and Decorate| NYMelroseFamily|Newlyweds Recipe Linky|Southern Lovely| Home Happy Home|Gingersnap Crafts  Thursday: The Shabby Creek Cottage|Made in a Day|House of Hepworths|the 36th AvenueCrafty Scrappy, Happy|52 Mantels Friday: Making Lemonade|Blissful and Domestic|One Artsy Mama|Serenity Now| Tatertots and Jello|The Shabby Nest|Thirty Handmade Days|Addicted 2 Decorating|Funky Junk Interiors|Financial Friday|At the Picket Fence|Classy Clutter|

Friday, July 6, 2012

visit boston

One of my favorite things about moving to New England has been getting to know the charming city of Boston. And since Wednesday was the 4th, it reminded me of all the fun things to do in the city.


NEWBURY STREET
Just a few blocks from the Marriott hotel, a Newbury St is a thriving vibrant downtown shopping and dining district.

COPLEY PLACE MALL AND SHOPS AT THE PRUDENTIAL
If you don't want to go outside to shop or dine, you'll love the 200 shops and restaurants connected via the Copley Place Mall and Shops at the Prudential Center.

BOSTON DUCK TOURS
Climb aboard a Boston duck Tour, a WWiii style amphibious landing vehicle shows you Boston by land and river. The comedic drivers really make this relaxing tour worth the ticket price.

COPLEY SQUARE
Copley Square s surrounded by magnificent buildings including the Trinity Church, Boston Public Library and John Hancock buildings.

FENWAY PARK
Celebrating its 100 Anniversary in 2012, this historic ballpark should not be missed. Take a tour to see where the Babe pitched, the Kid hit, Yaz dazzled and the Red Sox Nation roars.

FREEDOM TRAIL
Walk the 2.5 mile Freedom Trail and follow the American Revolution through 16 nationally significant historic sites.


SYMPHONY HALL
Go behind the scenes and see America's premier concert hall and where distinguished musicians come from all over the world to play.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
The MFA is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world, with a collection of over 450,000 works of art.

BOSTON PUBLIC GARDEN
Established in 1837 as the first public botanical garden, this beautiful park still features rich and unusual plants and a lagoon where the famous Swan Boats have been operating for more than 130 years. Plus, on any given day you can stop at any number of vendors for hot roasted nuts and hear live music.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

happy fourth!

With today being the Fourth of July, I can't think of a better place to celebrate than Boston!

With the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra conducted by Keith Lockhart at the Hatch Shell, a performance by Jennifer Hudson, and the finale fireworks display over the Charles River, it really is a spectacular event. Well worth hanging out with half a million other people and taking an overcrowed train home.

We went a few years back when Neil Diamond performed. Here's some photos. . .

The Hatch Shell is all decked out for the event.

source
Get ready to cover your ears when the fighter jets do a fly by. It was seriously the LOUDEST noise I have ever heard!
And of course, Neil Diamond HAD to sing Sweet Caroline, a bottom of the 8th inning Fenway tradition.

What's your favorite 4th of July location?
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