A Little Friday Lovin' {Let's Hang}

I'm a huge fan of hanging things from the ceiling. I don't really care what it is, but my first thought is to always hang it from the ceiling. I know it may seem a little strange, but nothing fills a space more than if there is something hanging from the ceiling. Think about it, if everything you have is the same height on tables that look the same, the room will only have one dimension. Hence why I always want to hang things from the ceiling. Plus, it will make a blah room look more festive. Take for example tomorrow's carnival. The room, which is a very nice room, is a strange shade of blue teal with a darker shade of blue teal boarder on the door frames and floor boards. Just slightly strange. But, since clearly they won't let me paint the room with red and white stripes, I'm hanging red and white pom poms from the ceiling. How do you feel about things hanging from the ceiling?

Delightful Dining {Hot Dog Bar}

Continuing with this week's dedication to carnivals (and my obsession with food served in a bar format), I bring to you a hot dog bar. Hello, what's more carnival than a hot dog. Personally, I've been craving hot dogs ever since we decided to do this! So we've rented a hot dog machine and this party is ready to rock! While we are not going as extreme as this picture with all of the toppings, I wish we could include it all! My dream hot dog would include chili, ketchup, and red peppers. But, what's best about this, is you could easily make some burger and brats too for those who don't like hot dogs. And if you include chili on your bar, people could just have just chili if they feel so inclined! 

What would your dream hot dog have on it? No limits! 

Get Creative {Guest Books}

Let's be honest, I hate guest books. I've always thought they were kind of cheesy. Having your guests sign their names in a kind of unattractive book that is going to go into a box that will never get looked at again is a little overdone. But, it is nice to have a way to remember all of the people who attended your special day. Thus, I have found a couple of non-cheesy options for a guest book. I love this option of a giant tree with leaves that guests can sign. It can be made in your wedding colors and after, you can frame it and hang it on the wall. Plus, I like the two little love birds in the corner! And, I think it looks a little better then one of those frames where people can sign the matting. 

I also love this idea of having guests put on props and take pictures. The pictures from the photobooth will develop immediately and they can stick in a book and sign a cute little message underneath. They still get to sign their names but it is so much more fun to look at! 

Here's what I did for the 90th birthday this weekend. I got a bunch of old pictures from my client, and put them in a Shutterfly book. I left plenty of empty pages for people to sign, but this way, guests can enjoy it by looking at pictures of the girl of the hour, or the happy couple if you do this for a wedding, and it creates a scrapbook for you. Because, it's always more fun to look at pictures than it is to read a bunch of ineligible signatures! 

Fun and Games {Ring Toss}

What's a carnival without ring toss? It's one of my favorite carnival games from when I was little. And, by the way, there is a huge gap in the market for purchasing/renting ring toss games. Hence why I decided to make my own! After many, many beers (over the course of a couple months...), 4 cans of spray paint, and countless hours of label peeling later, it is finished. I made two sets of this game so that more than one person could play at a time. So here's what you need to make it....

{50} label-less beer bottles -> note. It's better to use bottles with paper labels rather than ones that have sticker labels. The sticker labels leave a residue that DOES NOT come off. Trust me...

{4} cans of spray paint -> I used "Caramel Latte" to add a splash of something different. I was starting to get a little over the top on all of the navy, red, and yellow details. However, feel free to use whatever color you like. 

{1} pack of shower rings. 

So the best method for getting the labels off the bottles I discovered, is to fill a bucket with hot water and submerge the bottles in the water. The longer it can soak the easier it is to peel off the label. Once it's peeled off, you will still need to scrub it with a wash cloth to get the remaining residue off. Once the bottles are clean, dry them off and begin to spray paint. Once all the bottles are spray painted, let them dry. I left mine outside for a couple of hours. Maybe 3 or 4. After they are dry, you are good to go! 

Have fun! 

This Week I Feel...Like Clowning Around

Who doesn't love a good carnival? For months now, I've been planning a huge carnival themed party for a client's 90th birthday. And this week, I'm going to tempt you with little carnival treats, starting with some carnival inspiration. Stripes, games, popcorn and tons of candy is just about all you need. Maybe. With this carnival, I wanted everything to quirky, fun, and a kind of over the top. While we are lacking a kissing booth, we do have a fortune teller, clown, and a balloon man! All the details are dripping in red, yellow, navy, and white. I'm getting excited for all the fun on Saturday and I can't wait to share more details with you throughout the week! Wait till you see what fun I have in store for you tomorrow....

Happy 100th!

Woo! Today marks my 100th post! Nothing has made me happier these last couple months than blogging for y'all. Naturally, with any big milestone, I would plan on celebrating with a party. But given my lack of free time, it's simply out of the question right now. So instead, I'm celebrating with a post inspired by what this amazing party would be if I had the time to throw it. I'm imagining all things that sparkle and shine. Sparklers, shiny pom poms, glittery cupcakes, and bottles of champagne adorned with rock candy. Of course, there would be touches of corks everywhere seeing as it is an Uncorked party! 

Thank you all for reading over the past few months and I can't wait to see what the future brings! xo

Delightful Dining {Vanilla Bean Coconut Peanut Butter}

It's true. I just said Vanilla Bean Coconut Peanut Butter. I mean, how can you go wrong. A) I love vanilla bean. A lot. B) I love coconut even more than I love vanilla bean. And C) I live off peanut butter. Seriously, I have to have my own jar in the pantry and if someone else touches it, I freak. So, imagine the scream I let out when I stumbled upon this on Pinterest (my other obsession). I'm imagining this on a crostini and topped with chocolate shavings. Or even better, a vanilla bean coconut peanut butter and nutella sandwich. Okay, I have to stop because I'm starting to droll on my computer and I really can't afford to soak my keyboard again and have to have it replaced...again. I can't wait to try this recipe from Tasty Kitchen! Here it is...

   Ingredients

• 1-½ cup Roasted, Salted Peanuts
• ¼ cups Coconut Butter
• 2 teaspoons Cane Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
• Preparation Instructions
• Place peanuts into the bowl of a food processor. Process until peanuts break down into a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 3-5 minutes.
• With the motor running, stream the coconut butter in through the feed tube and continue processing until well-combined and smooth.
  Add in the sugar and vanilla bean paste and process until incorporated. That’s it!
  I store my nut butters at room temperature. Some oil separation may occur with this peanut butter; just give it a good stir before eating.
  *If you don’t have a food processor, simply stir 1 cup lightly salted unsweetened creamy peanut butter (instead of the peanuts) together with the other ingredients until smooth and well-combined.
  
  
  Let me know if you try it! I can't wait to hear what you think about it!