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}

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}

party like it’s 2012

Reflection of 2011 and resolutions for 2012 is upon us with the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebration. It’s been a wonderful year for my family and me and I can only hope 2012 is filled with as much laughter, joy and good memories as 2011 blessed us with.

Start the year off with a fabulous party…with shades of pink and gold. Here are some fun ideas to add to your New Year’s Eve shindig. Now you just have to decide…who’s the lucky lad {or lady} you’re gonna kiss at midnight?

DIY Gold Mason Jars: We have serious mason jar love. These DIY spray painted gold mason jars are the perfect vase for pink flowers or pink-and-white-striped straw holder for your New Year’s Eve bash. Directions for how to spray paint can be found at 100 Layer Cake.

Strawberry Champagne Sparkler Cupcakes: When I saw these on Oprah several years ago, I just knew I had to include them on my next New Year’s Eve menu. So festive with the indoor-safe sparkler candle, and who doesn’t love the combination of cupcakes, champagne, strawberries and chocolate! Sign me up for one {or two of these}. Recipe and directions found here.

2012 Sign: Love the idea of adding a 2012 sign at your party made of wooden numbers covered in gold or pink coins or sequins like the LOVE sign above. It can be a DIY project that is sure to impress. 

Shiny Centerpiece: Crate a glimmering centerpiece by sprinkling pink or gold oversized sequins between two cylinders and nestle a votive candle inside. Visit Martha Stewart to see where her team found the products to create this shimmering look. Or, add gold ornaments to glass vases and flutes in varying styles, and cluster them on a cake stand to craft a truly stunning and effortless centerpiece just like Martha Stewart did here.

Wall Decor: Use shimmering gold paper {leftover from Christmas would make this a budget-friendly project} to make streamers like this. Or, hang pink accordion circles above your dessert table and modify them by turning them into New Year’s Eve clocks. This great idea and how-to details can be found at Fiskars. For champagne-like wall decor, add different sized gold and clear balloons to the wall above the champagne table to create the bubbly effect on the wall.

Champagne: You must have champagne when you throw a New Year’s Eve party, but spruce it up a bit this year with fun and cold {just like the air outside} popsicles to serve up fancy frozen fruit pops. Don’t forget a splash of Prosecco for a colorful and unique drink display. Add sticker numbers to each glass for an official countdown beginning with 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1!

Dessert: In addition to the Strawberry Champagne Sparkler Cupcakes, make smore’s with a dusting of gold edible sprinkles. More gold inspiration found at The Cake Blog. And, you will really wow your guests with homemade fortunes. Give your guests something to talk about and look forward to with homemade fortunes {all positive of course} using your favorite quotes. For directions on how to make the fortune cookies and how to insert the fortune, visit Alisa Burke.

Favors: Give your guests a mini bottle of champagne in a bucket with a straw so it can be iced all night and passed out before midnight. Chris from Celebrations at Home has some great ideas to decorate the bucket.

I gotta feeling…2012 is gonna be a good, good year.

 {images via 100 Layer Cake, TLC, Justine Smith, Martha Stewart, Southern Living, Alisa Burke, Fiskars, The Cake Blog and Celebrations at Home}

merry christmas and happy holidays from tre sorelle

We’re taking some time off to be with family this holiday season, but we will be back in less than a week with more “all things beautiful” for you.

Since we couldn’t mail each of you our Christmas cards individually, we found a more paper-friendly way to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

With love, Tre Sorelle

{in case you have a hard time reading the fine print:
they came without ribbons, they came without tags,
they came without packages, boxes or bags.
our children are miracles and give us great joy,
for we are blessed with one girl and one boy}.

{images via:}
Jessica’s cardMeredith Moran Photography – up and coming Denver-based photographer who specializes in kids, families, weddings, engagement, lifestyle/artistic and business photography. She is a joy to work with and has an artistic eye for those priceless snapshot moments.
Jenna’s Card: Tutto Bella
Jodi’s cardJenna Walker Photography

{All cards were designed by Tag and Company ordered through our favorite stationery store, Fleur de Lis}

it’s a wrap

If you’re like me, you still have to organize and wrap all your gifts this year.  The clock is ticking…3 days to go until Santa arrives.

I know I’m opting for the brown paper packages tied up with string {aka, Kraft paper/red and white striped twine} for my wrapping this year… I love the way it looks together – so simple, yet festive and a bit rustic.

Use your creativity to wrap gifts this year. It’s all about the presentation people! I know it’s more work and it will be ripped off in a matter of minutes or even seconds, but a beautifully wrapped present under the tree, or even brought to a party is a statement piece and shows that you went above and beyond to make this holiday special.

Here are some wrapping tips to help you and/or your elves wrap this year!

1. Upcycle: Use objects sitting in your closet or garage that you’re not using anymore. Use an old sweater for a warm and cozy gift-wrapped bottle of wine. Step by step instructions for a DIY Wine Wrap found at Grey Likes Weddings. I love the idea of using maps, newspaper, doily’s and recyclable shopping bags. You won’t need to spend more money on wrapping paper, it gives your gift character and some shopping bags out there are cuter than wrapping paper. 🙂 For how-to instructions on how to wrap your gifts using Trader Joe’s shopping bags {photo on the bottom row, 2nd from the right}, visit A Creative Mint.
2. Embellish: Whether it’s a flower made from burlap, ribbon or paper, initials, buttons, bells, feathers, ornaments or candy, add something unique to seal your gift. Directions on how to make a fabric pom {seen on the photo on top row, 2nd from the left} can be found at Style Me Pretty.
3. Use your creativity: Everyone’s loves the original look of children’s artwork, so why not have your child draw holiday designs on Kraft paper or solid-colored wrapping paper. A book wrapped in Kraft paper, topped off with a library card and wrapped in twine is so adorable and thoughtful for the reader in your life.
4. Think outside the box: For the baker in your life, present your kitchen utensils in a hot mitten wrapped with a big bow. Or for the tool lover or first-time homeowner, make an arrangement of tools and house necessities in a galvanized bucket.
5. Personalize: Create a modern, handmade wrapped gift using stamps to spell out the recipient’s name, or add a new or old photo to the top of the present so he/she will know who the gift is for, and also have a snapshot to add to their memory books.

{images via Style Me Pretty, A Creative MintThe Haystack Needle, Allora Handmade, Martha Stewart, Pinterest and Design Sponge}