Where the Wild Things Are Party

I'm catching up on my to do list. A while ago, I told you guys about my son's Kindergarten class having a "Where the Wild Things Are" Party in October. Here are some pictures from all the fun.

Max's Crown:

I went to Burger King, and they were nice enough to give me crowns for the class. The only problem was that the month that I went, was Spongebob's Anniversary. So my son, and I spent the evening spraypainting crowns gold. Ms. Beaver had an array of fur and jewels for the kids to bling up their crowns.



Monster Puppets
I manned the monster puppet station. The kids had a great time. I think the only thing I would have done differently, would be to cut out my teeth, noses, and other items ahead of time. But overall, creativity took over.



Monster Cupcakes
The monster cupcakes were a hit. One of the moms baked and iced the cupcakes. She had dirt(sprinkles), candy corn, and other tasty accessories for the kids to make their own cupcake creations.



Monster Mix
The kids also made Monster Mix, or Chick Mix if you are me. They combined several things like marshmellows, pretzels, and M & Ms to create a yummy treat.



The party was great for more pictures, check out Mrs Beaver's Blog or my previous post for more inspiration.

Image Source:http://beauclercbeavers.blogspot.com/

Hostess Chick For Haiti

So, unless you are hiding under a rock, you have heard about the devastating earthquake that crippled the nation of Haiti. I am not Haitian, nor do I have any close friends from the country. But this tragedy is really touching my heart. Maybe its the 24 hour coverage, the 100's of tweets of organizations begging for our aid, the high energy biscuits from the World Food Program, or maybe it's the picture of dead babies lying in the street. Maybe it's all of the above. As part of the human race, I feel like we have to do something.

Just like people rallied the troops during the Presidential Election, hosting parties and giving money. Let's find that same spirit, and give to the people of Haiti.

You guys know I love a party. So If you want to have a Party for Haiti, and collect money to donate to the Red Cross, World Food Program, or other reputable organization, here are some tips.

• Incorporate the colors of the country. The vibrant hues of red and blue can be used in the foods served like blueberries and strawberries.


• Have a theme in mind, and make sure you inform your guests. My friends chuckle when I talk about Hoarders for Haiti, but I really do think we can save Haiti by cleaning out the homes of hoarders. I just envision an abundance of clothes, blankets, and basic items in the closets of Americans. There are organizations like Abundant Ground, and many churches that are gathering clothing and shoes to give to the people of Haiti, once we get through this initial phase of the Disaster. (I could not think of something as clever for monetary donations, but I just thought about Hygeine for Haiti -- again providing basic necessities for people in Haiti such as toothbrushes, wipes, sanitary napkins, deodorant, and diapers.


• Plan something for a few months from now. The rebuilding and recovery efforts for Haiti will be long. Hopefully, we will be able to teach them to fish, and help them rebuild on a more solid future than the foundation of their past.


• I chose to donate to the World Food Program. My interest peaked about the organization, mainly because they were already in Haiti even before the Earthquake began,and also because the WFP Spokesperson Bettina Luescher talked about the high energy bars that they were giving out from Day 1 of this disaster. The bars are supposed to have all the nutritional value that one would need in a day. My friend Shawanda from You Have More than You Think was nice enough to find me a recipe from Recipe Czaar for the biscuits. I'll try to make them, but in case I don't...let me know where I can buy some or how your's turned out.

Personalizing a DIY Wedding Invitation

My sister’s wedding weekend is officially over. We managed to pull it together in less than three months and for less than $5,000. Although, the savings were huge, we did not skimp on the chic details.

Let’s start with the invitations. We went back and forth. We thought about designing our own, we searched etsy and found some beautiful designs, and we even thought about using a local printer. In the end, we went with a classic diy kit from Joann’s. Not only was it classic, and elegant, but we also had a coupon for 40% off. Luckily for us, this wedding was small. (But print out a few coupons, make a few trips, and you could save big!)



Note: The invitations we used were slightly different. It’s always important to go to the stores. They always have more options than you will see online.

Now for my brides that scoff the idea of having such a generic invitation for such a grand event as your wedding, let me give you my best tip on dressing up a basic invitation. Nothing says personal like your a wedding monogram. It sets the tone for the event, and it’s a simple way to add consistency. We went with a digital monogram from Etsy. She created the digital logo for only 6.00! We used this logo on the programs for the Engagement dinner, the wedding programs, menu cards and other touches that helped create a cohesive link to this wedding. You could also purchase a Monogram Stamp from your local print shop or Expressionary.com

Ten tips to make your invitations set the town, for a fabulous wedding.

1. Take your time. If your rush it will show.
2. Make sure your hands are clean. Sounds simple enough, right.
3. Use glue dots. I know its tempting to bust out your kid’s Elmer’s School Glue, but trust me…You will see the difference.
4. If you don’t have beautiful penmanship, save yourself and your guests by using mailing labels.
5. Make sure you include postage on your RSVPs.
6. Make sure your postage is pretty. The post office has pretty postage. Also check out perfectpostage.com
7. Make sure you include your return address!
8. Make sure you have enough postage on your invitations.
9. If you are having a small wedding, don’t feel bad about emphasizing the importance of RSVPs and adhering to the number of guests invited.
10. Check out this post about wedding invitation etiquette and basics.


Next wedding post, I'll talk about the details...and when to splurge.