lucky charm

St. Patrick’s Day is a celebrated holiday in my house ~ after all, I have an Irish hubby, a son named Jameson and a little Irish blood running through my mostly Italian veins.

This year, I created DIY treats to spread luck and cheer to our family and friends. All they need to enjoy it is a cold cup of milk and a spoon. I admit, it’s not the healthiest breakfast or snack, but kids love it, and it’s justifiable at least once a year to celebrate the luck of the Irish.

Jenna at Fleur de Lis, a paperie, created these adorable “lucky charm’ custom tags to attach to my treat bags.

Click here for the free printable.

All You Need Is:

  • 1 box of Lucky Charms cereal
  • Green pipe cleaners or ribbon
  • Clear Party Bags {I used Wilton Clear Party Bags, 4×9.5 inches}
  • Scissors to cut the tags and bags
  • Custom tags

How To:

  • Fill the bag with a cup or so of Lucky Charms.
  • Cut each tag, and punch a hole through each one to attach to favor.
  • Wrap or tie the green pipe cleaner around the bag tight, add the custom tag and make either a bow or a 3-leaf clover to complete the look.
  • Gather the excess bag on top, and cut to your preferred length.

{images via Tutto Bella}

DVF at GAP

Happy Fashion Friday!

Parents and kids … get {excited}! Diane von Furstenberg has designed a line for children at the GAP – due to launch March 15th. The line is fresh, colorful, and affordable!

DVF at GAP

Watch the video preview of clothes with commentary from DVF here.

{image via DVF}

baby brewing

With all the wonderful baby news going on around my life these days, I thought I’d make a fun and creative way for people to tell their friends and loved ones they are expecting. Super easy and if a preggo mama can’t drink coffee, someone else might as well enjoy it, right?


I worked with Jenna {of course} at Fleur de Lis, a paperie to create custom tags with the baby news, cut them out and used double-sided duct tape to adhere to coffee sleeves. If you are sharing the news in person, the sleeve would be adorable on an actual cup with coffee or a Starbucks VIA Ready Brew inside. If you are sending via mail and want to save some $ on shipping, you can just use the double-sided tape to attach the Starbucks VIA Ready Brew inside the sleeve.

Order a custom baby brewing tag from our Etsy store, Fleur de Lis, a paperie today. $7 for a custom file. Click here to order and start sharing your happy baby news.

{images via Tutto Bella Blog}

taste the rainbow

Well, we’ve taken the melting candy project to another level since our peppermint DIY serving tray back in December.
This time around, we used Jolly Ranchers … and we are loving the results!
How cute is this rainbow tray for St. Patty’s Day?!

All you need is:
Jolly Ranchers {I used about half of the large bag}
A cookie sheet
Wax {or parchment} paper
Pennies
{or other decorative items – I think marshmallows would be adorable to use as clouds in place of pennies!}

How to:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees
Line the cookie sheet with wax paper
Decorate Jolly Ranchers in a rainbow shape
Bake for approximately 12 minutes
{time may vary depending on altitude, thickness of cookie sheet, ect – keep an eye on it!}

Take Note:
The wax paper may get a little smoky while baking in the oven… just keep an eye on it!
{check every two minutes or so}
The center candies may not melt as quickly as the outside. I took it out when the outside candies were properly melted and left the candy on the cookie sheet – the inside candies slowly melted from the heat of the cookie sheet.
If you have imperfections, don’t sweat it. Carefully glaze the outside of your shape with a sharp knife.
Wait until your tray cools to peel wax paper off of the bottom. I kept mine on at the bottom to avoid stickiness while carrying.
Feel free to experiment with a sealant to solve the sticky issues. (I have not tried a sealant before}

May you have all the happiness
and luck that life can hold—
And at the end of all your rainbows
may you find a pot of gold!

{images via Tutto Bella}

snowman fun

It’s been a snowy couple weeks in the mountains, and my kids are loving the wet, snowy playdates outside. Followed, of course, by some hot chocolate in our favorite snowman cups inside. It could be double or triple the fun with friends. So, if I get my act together, I’m going to host a Snowman Party for my kids friends…and mine too.

ACTIVITIES

Be sure to tell everyone coming to the party to dress warm. Bring their gloves, hats, mittens, etc for playing outside. Form groups of 3-4 people {depends on the total number of rsvp’s} to compete in a Build the Best Snowman competition. Have plenty of carrots, scarves, oreo cookies, tree branches, buttons hats, clothes, etc available so the kids can get creative. The winning team {judged by the party hostess} gets a cute new winter hat/beanie.

Sleds make for a fun playdate in the snow too.

A fun indoor activity {and snack} is Snowman on a Stick. This was the activity at our local library’s story hour this week and the kids loved it.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU

Serve 2-3 different kinds of soups and grilled cheese for the kiddos too. Easy to prepare ahead of time and warming to the soul and belly. Don’t forget the fresh baguette.
Lasagna Soup
Winter Lentil Soup
Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese Bites

Have a hot chocolate bar ready for when the kids come in from playing in the snow for dessert, served of course with snowman donuts {simply place a candy corn down in a mini powdered sugar donut, and use black icing or chocolate for creating eyes and mouth}. For the hot chocolate bar, fill bowls with all the yummy fillings…marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, candy canes, whipping cream, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, cherries and Bailey’s Irish Cream {for the moms of course}.  To make this easy on yourself, prepare the hot chocolate ahead of time, and keep in a large thermos. Set as many cups as you need on the bar, along with all the toppings, so when everyone comes in from the cold, they can go straight to the hot chocolate bar.

Serve irresistable Milk Men from Bakerella too for a cold glass of milk. You MUST check it out here.

FAVORS

I was smitten when I saw this Snowman Soup party and printable on Celebrations at Home awhile back, and Snowman Soup served in little mason jars would be an adorable favor for all the kids. Visit here for photos of the party and a link to FREE printable for the soup label. You will need hot cocoa powder, marshmallows, chocolate chips and peppermints to fill the mason jars.

{images via Giggles Galore, Celebrations at HomeFête Fanatic, Disney Family Fun and Bakerella}