Independence Day is almost here and if you’re hosting a Fourth of July party here are a few styling ideas and tips to keep your party festive, without spending too much time prepping. After all, summer parties should be about relaxing and enjoying plenty of fun in the sun with friends and family!

Let the grill do the heavy lifting for the food items, and set-up decorative dessert display for all your sweets – plan to have sweet treats that can withstand the outdoors for a bit so you can set-up before guests arrive! If you’ve seen my other parties, you know I’m always a fan of tissue garland and love the raffia ties on the one shown below. And check out the crepe paper tassels…would be adorable centerpieces on top of the red + white gingham table runner (pssst…it’s recycled wrapping paper). And when it’s time for the fireworks show, how cute would be it be to set-out individual popcorn bags and some themed mason jar cups for guests to grab easily before the show? Resource links below, and my free Fourth of July printables are available here.



{Sources} starting at top, from left to right. Sweets Table, image credit Sweets Indeed | Red + White + Blue Tassel Garland ($30), by The Paper Jar | Crepe Paper Tassels ($10), by Gnomes Whimsey | Red + White Gingham Paper Table Runner ($34 for 50 foot roll), Paper Source | Chevron and Star Straws ($5 for 30 straws), The Party Fairy |DIY Fabric-Covered Mason Jar Lids, tutorial by Two Shades of Pink | Brown Bag Popcorn, image credit Sweets Indeed

I’m a mom and with that I wear many hats, one of which is a semi-professional online shopper. Okay, maybe not so much a profession as it is an addiction, but what’s not to love about the convenience of online commerce? Computer, iPhone, iPad…I’ve got the one-handed-browse-and-purchase routine down. Luckily, I’m also a bargain hunter…most of the time.

So in honor of Mother’s Day approaching on May 12th, I put together this board with some of my favorite online items for the mom in your life – whether it’s yourself, your mom, friends who are moms, or a mom-like figure…here are a few things that can show you care – with just a click of a mouse. Easily send a personalized Mother’s Day Card {2} from Treat.com (the newest member to the Shutterfly and TinyPrints family), personalize and buy online and they’ll even mail to your recipient for you – how amazing is that? As much as I love the online world, nothing beats getting a card in the real mail. Speaking of loving things, have you noticed the macaron {3} trend lately? Now these beautiful and delicious treats can be ordered and mailed…fabulous, right? And if your looking for a little freebie, download my Celebrate Mom printable banner for a little festive decor (each letter is individual – so use for other occasions, too!). Resource guide to all the items shown is below the image. Happy shopping and Happy early Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there! xo



{Resources} 1. Vintage Pinboard. $39.95 | 2. Greeting Cards from Treat.com, $1.99+ :: birthday :: mother’s day | 3. La Petite Sucre Macarons, $22+, photo credit La Petite Sucre | 4. Summer Tote, $148.00 | 5. Free Celebrate Mom – Free Printable Banner, Le Partie Sugar | 6. Ikat Apron, $36.95 | 7. Tiramasu French Toast Recipe, photo credit How Sweets Eats

This morning I was taking a look at my Pinterest boards for some inspiration on some upcoming parties I’m planning, and realized I had quite a few heart products pinned. So with Valentine’s Day next Thursday I put together a quick inspiration board with some of my favorite heart items. Get out your crafting hat on and get happy by making some heart garland, or dress up your cupcakes with these adorable heart toppers (I’ve used these before here)! Resources below the photo, and check out my other Valentine’s Day inspiration board and my free Valentine’s Day Card printables.



{Resources} :: 1. Heart Cupcake Toppers | 2. Heart Stirrers | 3. 3D Heart Garland | 4. Heart Garland | 5. Heart Magnets

I was approached by Dawn from Not Just A Mommy to help design a few FREE printable pieces for a kid’s Christmas Cookie Party. She was inspired by my Gender Reveal party with the mustaches and lips and had the idea to use Santa’s mustaches for the boys and Mrs. Claus’ lips for the girls. Check out the full details on Design Dazzle including party photos and recipes, and don’t forget to download your free printables here which include food signs, water bottle wraps, favor tags and cupcake toppers. A great budget-friendly way to celebrate the holidays…perfect for kids and kids-at-heart!


{Credits} :: Photos and Party by Dawn of Not Just A Mommy, Free Printable Pieces designed by Cristina of Le Partie Sugar

I’m excited to share with you these FREE PRINTABLES just in time for Fourth of July next week. There’s a “Fourth of July” Banner, Drink Tags and Menu Cards (blank and with wording featured in photos). Check out the photos for some inspiration on hosting your own picnic-style Fourth of July party. A variety of boxed lunches and pre-made beverages make this an easy get together with friends and family!









Download the Fourth of July Printables by clicking here. Just print, cut and enjoy!

Wow, I cannot believe it’s already February…last month was busy with parties, custom orders and DIY fun – and I can’t wait to share some stuff with you this month! But first things first, with Valentine’s Day now just under 2-weeks away, I wanted to show you some love with some Free Valentine’s Day Printables {click here to download}. Perfect for your kid’s classroom cards, sharing the love with the office, or giving treats to friends. Enjoy!




Click here to download these Valentine’s Day Printables, and other free printables here. And check out my Valentine’s Day Inspiration Board for entertaining ideas from last month, there is still time to order!

I love to use custom drink wraps for water bottles at parties. They are an easy way to carry the theme into your food and drink. Once you have your custom labels, there are several ways to to adhere them to the water bottle – and after some trial and error I’ve found that a simple two-sided tape is the easiest way to do it! Below are my instructions for applying bottle labels – try it out this Halloween with my FREE Halloween Water Bottle Labels {click here to begin download}. Perfect for those of you throwing a Halloween Party this weekend!



To start you’ll need water bottles, water bottle labels {download my Free Halloween labels here}, Tape Runner XL or double-sided tape, and Fiskars Paper Trimmer or scissors.




And here are some of my learning experiences from previous trial & error:

So all this baby shower planning I’m in the middle of right now got me thinking about how amazing it was when a friend brought over food during the first few weeks we had our son. So for those of you planning to deliver a meal to some new, dreary-eyed parents here is a free, ready-to-print Meal Instruction Label with space for the name of the dish, heating instructions and a note. There are three color options available, with the wording on the green version more general so it could even be used when delivering a meal to a friend who is sick or recovering from surgery.




And if you’re looking to do some extra goodwill, check out Meal Baby to organize and help plan the meals for your friend. Meal Baby is a free, meal-registry service that let’s friends and family sign-up to deliver food on specific days and time – so no more trying to coordinate when and who is bringing stuff over, it’s all online!  You can even list food allergies, favorite foods or foods to avoid so friends don’t have to guess when taking over breakfast, lunch or dinner. How cool is that?

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Hope everyone is enjoying some time in the sun with friends and family. In case you have a little picnic or end-of-summer barbeque planned, enjoy these kitschy menu labels for your food items. I made four coordinating labels in fun summer colors -  print as many as you need and share with your friends! I recommend printing on white cardstock or cover paper for the best results. Click on this link {Labor Day Menu Labels} to download for free!

Happy Friday! Enjoy some free ready-to-print gift tags for the next time you’re walking out the door and realize you’re missing a card! I like to use my 3″ scallop circle punch for these tags and then pin on with a mini-clothes pin. Great to attach to a bottle of wine for a hostess gift or to a wrapped birthday present! To download the file click on Free Gift Tag Printables. Enjoy your weekend!