Fall 2012

Here it is! Our new Fall/Winter 2012 catalog has just been released! The new items are available for purchase starting next week, so be sure and book your party with me before my August fills up! Earn some free swag for hosting an appetizer party, wine tasting or "back to school night"! The catalog is ready for viewing on my website! Click HERE to view it!

 Happy 4th of July!
Today we are doing a simple celebration with my parents, grilling some food and Broomfield's community festivities. Since the open space where they shoot off the fireworks is right next to our neighborhood we will sit in our front yard to watch. This way Brooklyn can be in bed and not be tortured by fatigue and loud noises. This will be Ryan's first year staying up to watch them, so we'll see how this goes!

To prepare for our little BBQ, I made some Red, White and Blue skewers with pineapple stars on top. Ryan had fun helping me "spray paint" the mallows and cut the pineapple with a cookie cutter.

I already had the blue food spray for Ryan's upcoming shark party, so it was perfect that I could spray white mallows for the occasion.

And there you have it! A simple treat for your guests. Also, as the Junco/Bruzza/Wassmer family states, "Waste Not, Want Not" I sliced the leftover star cut-outs into little triangles. The entire pineapple is being used for yummy consumption!

My Friend Anna - her story

Here is a video of my friend Anna Peterson giving her testimony about her latest ordeal giving birth to her 7th child. Some of you may remember that six months ago I was asking you to fervently pray for her as she was in critical condition for several days, and at one point I even worried that my next visit to Fresno would be for a funeral. Praise God that those fears have been calmed and our prayers were hear around the world. Anna is still in the recovery process undergoing continual doctor's appointments and medications to make sure she is on the right path. I am so happy to make this post today as she shares how her life has been changed once again! 

 

Just chumming around!

Making Ryan's shark party invites was so much fun...for me! A "quick" trip through Hobby Lobby and I am finding all kinds of things to make.

I asked Ryan what kind of party he wanted, giving him the options of shark or pirate. He was certain he wanted sharks. So I set out on an endeavor to find invites. Seeing that I don't want to spend too much I decided to make the invites myself (this is when my creative juices start churning and I start having fun). I went online and found a few ideas for the wording and design. I bought the blue paper, then printed them out  making sure they would fit into the 5x7 envelopes I bought. I originally wanted to just do the shark bite, but then I saw the sand. Thus was born the border!

 I also bought a red paint marker to outline the bite mark. Then I took Elmer's glue around the edge and then poured sand generously over the glue patting it lightly to make sure it's covered. Then I simply picked up the invite and let the sand fall off, and then let it dry. In the end were cute little invites waiting to dry and be mailed.

The most time consuming part was cutting out the bite marks, but that's not all that bad. I had the invites in a Pyrex pan to put the sand on which allowed for an easy pour back into the bottle.

Now it's on to planning the cake (which Ryan said he wants a "shark fire cake"). I think I'll just find a way to make a shark cake and then put candles on it. I am also planning to have little chum buckets for the kids filled with goodies. It'll be so much fun! Hopefully for everyone, but probably mostly for me. I love event planning, so I flourish here. I think. We'll see!

Here Comes Summer!

So a lot of new offers have made their way to the table! I love the beginning of every month because that's when I first learn of next month's specials and if there are any sales. It's almost as fun as Christmas. I try my best to get these specials out so you can see what's in it for YOU! Whether you want to be a customer or host a party or even join my team, these are great products! 

So first, a review of our June specials for hosts and customers: 

The best thing out right now are our $99 June Bundles. These bundles are great for any outdoor BBQ, picnics or having family and friends over.

Pick a bundle and save over 25% than the individual items (secret: that's more of a discount than I get!) These bundles are listed for the month of June, so get some while you can!

Now, onto July!

Gourmet Mother's Day

I ventured up to my parents house for the whole day yesterday, which was Mother's Day. My father had prepared a wonderful meal for me and my own mum. He had marinated steaks, baked sweet potatoes, shrimp, slice watermelon and and array of cheese and crackers. For a sweet treat he made these beautiful chocolate covered strawberries! He did the dipping and decorating himself. I was definitely full all day long.




My little kids came with me and spent the day playing with Nana and Papa. They played so hard that Ryan fell asleep on the way home (rare) and both are still a little cranky this morning. A nice relaxing day filled with naps sounds like a good idea.

My mother has collected some of the Biltmore Inspirations' dishes including the Olmsted Collection and the Lotus Leaf Bowls and Platter. It made for some beautiful decor, and perfect for serving the strawberries!

The colors on this platter are just spectacular! As the lighting in your house changes, so do the highlights on these dishes. I had fun playing photo shoot just because I don't have these dishes yet!

All Things Paisley

Well, in just over a week my little Brooklyn will officially be 1 year old. What?! Yes, she's already a year. Since the first 6 months are usually a blur, I really feel like she's only 6 months old. I had a hard time calling Ryan a toddler after he turned one - it just can't be!

Needless to say, I've been preparing for her birthday. I've fallen in love with all things paisley, and I found a sweet little paisley butterfly online that I am having piped onto a cake, and now I am loving paisley and butterflies! Here's a sneak peak into some of the crafts I've been diving into to make her 1st a one-of-a-kind day. 

Beginnings of butterfly favors

This is the paisley butterfly that will be on her cake

Working on the favors

Renewed Candle with ribbon and jewels

 Just as with Ryan's 1st birthday party, I do believe I am having the most fun with this! More pictures and details to come as things come together. I really love having all these "crafty" things to do. I have a feeling I'm going to be one of those moms that shoves her kids aside during their kindergarten craft day just to make my own, then I'm going to point at some kids "art" and laugh. Just kidding. I would never do that. But I probably would make my own craft.