Category Archives: Parties

Dinosaur Birthday Party Ideas and Inspiration

March 9, 2016

My cute little Thomas is going to be 5 at the end of the month, and all he does is tell me about his Dinosaur Birthday party ideas. He has opinions on everything from: Dinosaur party games, party bags, invitations, decorations, you name it! I love that he’s so into it!

We shopped around the web together, and these are his favorite Dinosaur Birthday party ideas.
He also has very specific Dinosaur party games he wants to play. Dinosaur tic tac toe, Pin the tail on the Dinosaur, a Dinosaur bouncy house, to name a few. And, did I tell you he wants a Volcano Birthday cake?! Ha! I don’t even know how to attempt to make a Volcano cake, anyone want to help me out?!

Looks like I have my work cut out for me with that kid! But, how can I say no, you only turn 5 once, right?! And, don’t get me started on how my youngest is turning 5! I’m in COMPLETE denial and beg him daily to stay 4 for me. Time is such a thief!

I always love to put together a little mood board or party inspiration before I plan parties for my kids. It always helps me to get the color theme I am looking for. It also helps to have a visual to see if what I am planning works well together, and the overall look is what I am going for!

I wanted to share some Dinosaur Party Inspiration Sources if you’re also looking for some ideas for a Dinosaur Birthday party for your little boy or girl!

Sources: From Right to Left, Top to Bottom: (affiliate links used in this post)

Hope the party will be Dino-mite! Ha! And, be sure to check back on the actual party. I’ll be posting it soon!

Be sure to check out my little Tommy’s birthday parties over the years:

Tommy’s Panda Birthday Party
Tommy’s Black, White, and Gold Birthday Party
Tommy’s Fox Inspired Birthday Party

And see more posts from my Party and Entertaining Section here.

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Minted // How to throw a Valentine’s Day Cookie Decorating Party

February 11, 2016

My little first grader Norah just LOVES anything to do with a party. So, we decided to invite her classmates over for a little Valentine’s heart cookie decorating party. She was in heaven helping me plan out all the details. When I throw a party, I used to hand make every last detail, which was fun for me, but so time consuming. This time, I wised up, and order some cute Valentine’s party decor from Minted.

Minted has a great selection of party decor by theme. The Valentine’s selection is really cute, and we went with the Ombre Love party decor. You can customize your party package, and change the signs according to what you need for your party. It was so easy to customize her party, with custom signs, banners, garland, straws, place cards, stickers, flags, table confetti. So many cute details! It was so nice to be able to have most of the party ready to go and delivered from Minted from their party decor line, even the plates, straws, and napkins came in the party pack we ordered! This made it so convenient and easy!

I thought it would be easiest to set up a place for each girl with their own frosting and sprinkles to avoid sharing any germs, since kids at their age tend to lick the knife. I made it easy, and ordered some heart shaped Valentine sugar cookies from Harmons Grocery, and made the buttercream frosting. I bought various Valentines sprinkles, and some Valentine candy to decorate the cookies. The girls had a good time decorating their cookies, and eating them! For the girls who wanted to bring them home, we placed them in the bags that came with the party favors from Minted.

I made a garland with the circle garlands from Minted, and used some Hello Maypole felt balls to string up some felt ball garlands on my mantle. I just used some bakers twine and a fine point needle and string the felt balls to the size I needed.

I found these cute Valentine Bingo cards at Target, and instead of the pieces, we used little heart candies for the bingo pieces. The girls loved playing the bingo game, and we gave out a few Valentine themed prizes for the lucky winners!

It is so much fun that my little lady enjoys party planning just as much as her mama! It was so fun to plan, and work on this little party with my girl, and even more fun to watch her enjoy it with all of her friends.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

All photos by me.

A Fall Table // Trebo Salad Recipe

November 4, 2015

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, Fall tablescapes are on my mind. I like an approach to a Fall table that doesn’t seem so obvious. A few fall colors mix in with some brighter colors makes for a beautiful table that doesn’t scream Fall or Thanksgiving and I think is a nice chic approach.

A simple Rosemary sprig can help dress up a place setting, and it doesn’t break the bank.

Florals always bring a finishing touch to the table. I picked up this fall floral bouquet from Harmons Grocery, and a table cloth and linens from Home Goods. Once I knew the colors with the help of my tablecloth, I was able to put the rest together. I found the perfect little Pellegrino bottle from Harmons and a few little treats to decorate the table from Home Goods.

This salad is one of my favorite salads, but would also be an amazing addition to your Thanksgiving spread. With brussels sprouts and fresh thyme, it is the perfect fall salad that is always a show stopper. My friend JaNaan served this at one of her amazing lunches, and I just had to get the recipe. It has a homemade vinaigrette with a lovely fresh lemon flavor mixed with fresh thyme.

Trebo Salad

Adjust amounts to the size of salad you will need:

Fresh Arugula

Shaved fresh brussels sprouts

Toasted sliced almonds (toasted in a skillet for a few minutes until the edges are a little golden)

Hard Boiled Eggs, Sliced

Bacon, cooked and cut into small strips

Pecorino cheese, grated

Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely minced shallots

1 teaspoon fine lemon zest (zest the yellow part of the lemon only with a microplane)

1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves

pinch of freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste.

Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of regular olive oil (not extra virgin).

Adjust lemon juice to the acidity taste you like.

Add the dressing to the salad just to coat and serve.

Enjoy!

I hope this has helped inspire your fall table. I don’t know why, but I just love a nicely set table. It seems to be a rare occurrence these days, gone are the days that every couple registered for a nice china set for their wedding. But, I sure hope the art of setting a nice table continues on. There is something special about sitting around a table with those you love enjoying a nice meal.

Table Sources: (affiliate links included in this post)

Florals: Harmons Grocery

Dishes / Plates: A lucky thrift store find

Tablecloth/ Cloth Napkins: Home Goods

Treats: Home Goods

Chairs: Scoop Back Chairs West Elm

Stem Glasses: Tai Pan Trading

Silverware- Wayfair

Moroccan Glasses: Wayfair

{all photos by me}

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