touchdown celebration

I’ve seen many Superbowl Party ideas, but this Chili Bar from the creative and talented Chris at Celebrations at Home really caught my eye. The menu reads winter and football to me AND not only is it adorable, it is doable! For complete recipes and details, visit here.

After your family and friends have stuffed themselves silly with chili and all the fixings, it’s time for dessert.

These football-shaped whoopie pies, cupcakes, brownies and chocolate covered strawberries are sure to satisfy.

{images via Celebrations at Home, Brownies from Tablespoon, Whoopie Pies from The Football Foodie, Double Chocolate Cupcakes from The Baker Chick, Chocolate Covered Strawberries from Pinterest}

you are my sunshine

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away

My mom and I sing this to my kids all the time. My daughter particularly loves it ~ her eyes light up when she hears it, and when the song is over she always asks for more.

It’s a meaningful song to me, so I brought it to life with my inspiration board today. Hope it brings a little sunshine to your winter day…and I think it’s a sweet spin on Valentine’s Day for your loved one {make your Valentine feel like he/she is the sunshine of your life}.

I’ll leave you with a cupcake recipe that looks like it tastes as refreshing, yummy and sweet as sunshine. It makes me wish summer was here.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes by Half Baked, The Cake Blog

images via:
Zappos Hunter Original High Gloss Rain Boot | Sugarboo Designs You Are My Sunshine Art Print |  Country Living Yellow Painted Bedroom | Yellow Centerpiece with Chevron Runner from Oh So Beautiful Paper | You Are My Sunshine Sign by Etsy seller Go Jump in the Lake | Flower Necklace by etsy seller RachelleD | Yellow and White Sailor Tote Bag found at Damsel in Dior and sold by Etsy seller Bayan HippoJonathan Adler Grapefruit Pop Candle |  You are my Sunshine Cake found at P is for Party | Pinterest Hello Sunshine pillow | Mulberry Fashion Ad from Damsel in Dior | Half Baked, The Cake Blog | Sunflower Soiree Party by The Party Dress | Invitation by Fleur de Lis, a paperie

diy vase

I’ve seen people make beautiful handmade centerpieces with just about anything – bark, photos, candles, mason jars and of course vases. Today, we broaden our vase database with these adorable and chic ideas!

Cori Cook Floral Design, a sweet and creative Denver-based floral designer we ADORE, designed some cute DIY vases that would work for any party, especially a bridal shower or baby shower. I can’t wait to do this! Find her tutorial here.

The talented Beverly at Flamingo Toes made some cottage chic single-bud framed vases, and shares her fabulous how-to here.

Eden from Sugar and Charm shares her bright, DIY enamel-painted vases that is sure to impress, and easy to make. Visit her site for how-to instructions.

Hey Gorgeous transforms various-shaped milk bottles into a beautiful display of white vases with spray paint. Here directions here.

Add an antique touch to your table setting by using vintage tea tin cans as a vase. I love this look. The tea tins at Pearl River Mart would be perfect for this project.

{images via Cori Cook Floral Design, Flamingo Toes, Sugar and Charm, Hey Gorgeous, The Sweetest Occasion}

coco chanel for babies

As you may or may not know, Jenna {our sister, owner of Fleur de Lis and contributor to this blog} is pregnant with her first baby! We are so thrilled and we know she is going to be such a wonderful mama!

It’s also important to note that Jenna is our little fashionista and hasn’t given up the heels, her handbags or style … even while 7 months pregnant.

I have several ideas for her upcoming shower {I hope to share all of them with you}, but for today’s potential theme, I’ll give you two quotable clues …

1. “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
2. “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.”

Pregnant or not – we know that Jenna is classy and fabulous, she likes to be different, and one of her fashion idols {besides her fave Audrey Hepburn}, is CoCo Chanel.

Yep, a Chanel-themed baby shower seems fitting!

{These are our brainstorming party ideas so bear with us … not quite the final plan}

Colors: soft greys and pinks, with black & white stripes {we don’t know the sex of the baby, so we are keeping things fairly neutral, with just a splash of pink for the pregnant mama}.

Food: brunch inspired foods… fresh fruit, caprese skewers, egg casserole, asparagus, blueberry coffee cake, rosemary potatoes.

Dessert: White and black cake pops with Chanel No. 5 {Jenna No. 1} design. Candy” bar” with Jenna’s favorites which include, jelly beans {black, white and pink}, licorice, snickers, Hershey’s kisses and swedish fish inside glass candy jars. Frosted pink donuts.

Drink: Prosecco {Jenna’s non-pregnant favorite}, pink lemonade {her pregnancy craving} with black and white striped straws.

Table Numbers: Chanel-inspired perfume labels displayed the table number, but instead of “Chanel No. 5” it will have “Jenna No. 1.”

Centerpieces: Black or clear vases with white flowers and peonies. Even single vases with a single bud would be beautiful and for a “baby” touch, baby bottles would work as vases too.

Invite: Ask guests to wear black and white, and of course pearls. Black and white color invite with signature Chanel quilting, black & white stripes, and maybe a splash of pink due to the “ladies only” feel. All corresponding paper products will match with “Jenna No. 1” on it or will have Jenna first initial in the mirrored-image style, just like the Chanel logo.

Decor: Black and white striped fabric on dessert table or as a background to dessert table. Blush pink colored poms hanging from ceiling. Pearls. Brooches. Jenna’s baby pictures in small frames on each table.

Activities: Jenna is not one to like shower games, so I love the idea of doing “diaper notes,” where guests leave notes on different sized diapers for Jenna and Will to ready when they have to change their little one.

{images via The Fashion Shows, Trendy Rose, Cake in Bed, Hostess with the Mostess, Belleza e Luce, See Jane Design}

nye place to be

Talented designer and a bestie of mine, Kimi Hansen, Sales, Marketing & Design Specialist for Après Party and Tent Rental, and her wonderful boyfriend Tim, hosted a gorgeous soiree for 30 of their closest friends to ring in 2012.

This couple is the best host and hostess – their level of taste is exquisite and they plan nothing but the best for their loved ones. Plus, with both of them being in the event industry {Tim Geisler, General Manager of EMI Audio, a lighting, sound and video company in Minnesota}, they have a party planner’s dream access to decor pieces.

The pink and purple lighting blended perfectly with their white and silver decor and table setting. The party was potluck style. The signature drink of the evening was made with vodka, champagne and Kinky {blood orange liqueur}. And guests were treated with ALL homemade desserts including 2012 cookies, drizzled pretzels, puff corn, cake balls and adorable melted snowmen cookies. Kimi and Tim even used a couple of Tutto Bella NYE party tips – a shiny 2012 display on the wall, along with “bubbly” balloons and countdown numbers on their cocktail glasses. They added snowflake sticks to each drink so people could personalize…very cute! And we love the bling and candlelight on the table!


Thanks for sharing your party with us Kimi and Tim! We wish you all the best in 2012.

We love to receive party submissions…so if  you or someone you know have hosted a fabulous party, please send photos our way…we would love to feature it.

{images via Kimi Hansen}