A Casual Tiki Birthday Dinner

Hey there princess!

Recently, I hosted a tiki-themed birthday dinner for my sister at my home. We had such a nice time cooking kabobs on the grill, and eating lots of fresh fruit! The weather cooperated beautifully, and we were able to eat in the backyard with all of the beautiful roses. 

I love having any opportunity to celebrate others, and if you remember my tiki party from 2020, you will see a lot of the same decoration used here! We added the monstera leaf tablecloth, some tiki straws, and toothpicks into the mix just to freshen things up. 

At the start of the party, every guest got a lai and a Pina colada mocktail with a little umbrella in it. The perfect thing for a hot day! I love immersing guests in the theme of the event, and giving them something fun to enjoy throughout the party. 

For the dinner setup, I used my absolute favorite dishes from Anthropologie along with some placemats from Hobby Lobby and the cutest tiki salt and pepper shakers, also from Hobby Lobby.

I just loved eating outside with my roses all in bloom! The evening air was just cooling things off, and even though you can't smell through the internet, trust me when I say that the grill was giving off the most mouth-watering aroma. I loved having my husband and brother manning the cooking duties - they did a great job!

Here is my little half-drunk virgin Pina colada. I absolutely love these glasses that I got from Amazon several years ago. They stay in my cabinet and I use them all the time! I always think it is smart to invest in things that bring you joy! 

Entertaining for family is always a highlight for me and I am so grateful to have opportunities to celebrate life with the people that I love. 

As far as party theming - what are y'all planning this summer? I would love any party ideas you may have!

Sparkle on!

 

Independence Day Lunch

 Hey there princess!

I was so happy to be able to spend the 4th of July with my sweet family at their home. First, we went swimming with my little boy in the pool where he went wild throwing the ball and watching my dad and brother race toy boats. We also ate the classic American lunch of chili dogs with chips and all the dessert that you could possibly consume. Then, we went home and took a 3 hour nap because... America!

I just have to show my mom's set-up, though! She put so much work into this, and is always such a wonderful hostess. 

Every 4th of July my mom brings out this flag platter and serves red, white, and blue fruit/marshmallow skewers. They are one of my favorite things and I probably ate way too many! Blackberries are my favorite fruit, and they bring back amazing childhood memories of picking them off of the bushes that my mom grew at our home. I would always wash them off with the garden hose and snack on them with my brother and sister. 

It isn't a family event without festive napkins! I love a holiday napkin. Also, these macaroons were divine!!!!! 

Then my mom made these amazing cupcakes with Pop Rocks in the middle! There is nothing better than a good Pop Rock in my opinion, and they were very patriotic - especially with the picks that were put in them (you can find them on Amazon here).

The main feature of her display was this wreath featuring historical American figures. It is so cute and so special! 

My contribution to this event was my Oreo cake balls. This is the third batch that I have made for this July 4th weekend (one for friends, one for my husband's work, and this batch for family). They are such an easy and fun treat. I believe I made them several years ago on this page when I was doing Movie Monday, so the recipe should be on here if your scroll through a bit!

Of course, my mom managed to find patriotic taffy. It was so cute and so yummy! Also, if you haven't already hopped on the Nora Fleming band wagon, what are you waiting for?! They are so fun! You can find my mom's Uncle Sam by clicking here, and there are tons of bases to choose from. 

In honor of Independence Day, I made a little calligraphy piece of The Star-Spangled Banner that I brought with me. I am always looking for new ways to decorate and practice art. 

We had so much fun, and the most important part of any holiday are not the decorations - it's the people you celebrate with. I am so grateful for my family and my husband and sweet little boy - all of whom I get to celebrate every fun day of life with! 

How did you celebrate the 4th? I would love to hear all about it!

Sparkle on!

Ladies who Lunch - Hosting an Event Table

 Hey there princess!

Recently, I was given the opportunity to host a table for a luncheon at my church. This is my first time embarking on this type of project, and I am so thankful that I was able to co-host with my mom so that the project felt more manageable. My mom is a hostess extraordinaire, and she has a wealth of knowledge and linen to make planning fun and stress-free. 

The event didn't have a theme, so we had free-reign to decorate how we pleased. The verse that we chose for our table was Song of Solomon 2:11-12, "For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and done. The flowers appear on the earth, the season of singing is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."

So basically... flowers! So let's begin with a review of our table...

My mom and I are both huge fans of Spode's Blue Italian, so it was an easy choice when it came to the place settings. This was the pattern I chose for my wedding china, and between my mom and myself we have more than enough place settings and specialty pieces. For napkins, my mom purchased these special pieces from Laurie Byrne on Etsy (click here for her shop).

We decorated our table with tons of fresh flowers, which were so gorgeous and also were the perfect compliment to the Bible verse we chose for our theme. My mom has an extensive tulipiere collection in blue and white, so it was great to be able to pull all of them out and put them on display for our friends. I made each guest a place card so that they would know where to sit, and I also painted a small canvas for each lady to take home as a memento of the afternoon. 

When arranging flowers, it is important to look at your display from every angle. Since we were at circular tables, they needed to look lush and gorgeous from the perspective of each guest. These were so much fun to do with my mom, and lots of the beautiful roses came from Life in Rose Farm, and some of the other flowers came from Whole Foods and Kroger. 

Luckily for us, we had some time to go around the room and look at some of the other tables that the ladies decorated. I have included photos of those below. They were so much fun! Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite!

This was such an amazing opportunity to be creative and connect with my church community. I am so happy that we were able to participate, and I can't wait to challenge ourselves next year with another amazing and fun design. 

Barbiecore: Come on Barbie Let's Go Party

 Hey there princess!

With the Barbie movie headed to theaters soon, I have been fully engrossed in finding both Barbie and Barbie-inspired apparel to get psyched. I love seeing all kinds of hot pink things headed to stores, and if you have any Barbiecore looks that you're loving, I would love for you to send them my way. 

Recently, my mom and I went to see Legally Blonde at our local Alamo Drafthouse, and we had so much fun! I am hoping to have a similar experience at the Barbie movie in a few months. I'll be honest, my life has been needing more sequins and satire. 

LIKELY Electra Embellished Dress $448

Retrofete Blaire Sequin Dress $995

Barbie Swimsuit $118

Barbie x Unique Vintage Skirt $78

Lena Strapless Feathered Maxi Dress $1,100

Barbie Sandals $19.95

ALEXIS Pink Satin Pumps $109.95

So what do you think? What will you be wearing to go see the Barbie movie this summer?!

Davy's First Rodeo - How the West Was One

 Hey there princess!

This past weekend, we held my little boy's first birthday party at our home. I started planning his first birthday party the second I knew I was having a little boy. Since we live in Texas, and my little boy's name is Davy (like Davy Crockett) I thought a rodeo theme would be absolutely perfect. We had such an amazing time, and I am so excited to be able to share all of the details!

If you've been following me and my parties, you'll know that my top tip is to recycle party themes year after year. Luckily for me, I hosted a homecoming party that had a rodeo theme about 6 or 7 years ago, and I also cohosted a bridal shower with a Texas theme about 5 years ago. I invested in some nice items for those parties, like mason jar drink dispensers, an ice bucket, a beverage tub, and several platters and trays. I used these items as a jumping off point for this first birthday party, and spent several months collecting new items to make this event special and unique. 

One of the new additions to my western collection was this table square that my mom made for the party. We found this incredibly cute fabric with little cowboys on it and paired it with a red gingham accent fabric. My mom graciously sewed the table square for me (since sewing is not my gift, but she is great at it!), and I think it really is such a show-stopper! Personal touches like these can really elevate a party, and now I have a beautiful piece with a sentimental story that I can use in future parties!

This table is where guests set their gifts, and it also held Davy's baby book that everyone could look through and enjoy all of the memories from our first year with him. 

The weather on the day of the party was a little chillier and windier than expected, so we brought all of the decor and lunch table inside and set up in our living room. I absolutely loved the banner that we attached to Davy's highchair. This was handmade by an Etsy seller, and is so adorable! I was incredibly impressed, and I was able to get a few windswept photos of Davy in the garden. 

Another one of my favorite decorations was a banner that I purchased off of Etsy (link here) where I was able to put all of the photos of Davy that I took each month together so that everyone could see how much he had grown over the year! It was amazing to see, and I am so grateful that I took those pictures even though it was super hard sometimes with a wiggly little baby. I plan on keeping the banner up all month so that I can enjoy it and the photos of my little boy.

Headed back to the kitchen table, I made Dr Pepper floats for everyone since they are always a crowd pleaser. It is also a little nod to our wedding reception which was held at the Dr Pepper museum in Waco and we served our guests floats from their soda fountain. To help these feel a little more festive, I added silly straws that I found on Amazon (link here) and also had these adorable western cocktail napkins from my mom. 

Also on this table, I put this really fun art print that I purchased from Etsy (link here) that I will be hanging in Davy's room later this week. I love the quote, I love that it is from Davy Crockett, and I love that it can hang in his room as a reminder of this fun day! Another fun piece of table decor is this kid's cowboy hat that I found on Amazon (link here). This was a fun thing to have Davy wear later in the day until he was totally over it. 

Now for the real focus of any party - the food! We had Rudy's cater meat, corn on the cob, and beans and I made macaroni and cheese, marshmallow popcorn, dip in a bread, Dr Pepper cake, cowboy cookies, and firecracker Cheez-its. I also purchased chips, watermelon, lemonade, Chicken Express sweet tea, and bottled drinks to supplement everything. Now, there weren't tons of people at this party, but I am a big believer in it being better to have too much than not enough.

Also, I have to call out a few of the serving pieces in the above photo, because I love them! The striped bowl is from Happy Everything by Coton Colors (linked here) and the Texas attachment is detachable (linked here). I received the bowl as a gift several years ago and it is one of the most used items in my home. I have different attachments for each season, and it is always out on my counter. Inside the bowl I have Mallow Magic popcorn - if you've never had it trust me... it is delicious - with cowboy sprinkles.

Peeking behind the bowl is a tiered galvanized metal stand that I borrowed from my mom (link here). On it, I stacked some firecracker Cheez-its that I whipped up (a family favorite), cowboy cookies, rice Krispy treats, star shaped cheese crackers, and Dr Pepper cake. Instead of having a single flavor of birthday cake, I thought it might be a nice change of pace to have a few different dessert options. If you're interested in recipes - let me know!

Next to all of the snack-esque items I had the sides for everyone to choose from as well as the barbecue. Rudy's is always a crowd pleaser, and it makes great leftovers! I also made baked macaroni and cheese for the first time from a Stovetop Kisses recipe that I found online (click for recipe). It was incredible! There was something for everyone with this meal, and I was so pleased with how it all turned out. 

Also, I had these paper napkins custom made on Etsy, and they turned out so cute (link here)!! I was so thrilled with this entire spread, and it was a big crowd pleaser. 

It isn't a party without a nice drink set-up. In my family, sweet tea is an absolute requirement. Typically, I would make the sweet tea myself, but in the interest of saving time and reducing stress, I bought a couple of gallons of tea from Chicken Express. If I'm totally honest, I think their tea is the absolute best, and it has been such a treat to drink it throughout the week in the afternoons. 

Both of the drink dispensers are from Target, as is the beverage tub. I purchased them probably about six years ago, but I am sure that there is something similar available now! Below the drink dispensers I put down some red and white gingham wax paper that I found on Amazon for a pop of color (link here). The bucking bronco kitchen towel is from Etsy and I absolutely love the retro-look of the image (link here).

The big plus side of eating in the living room was that we could keep watching the Davy Crockett movie while we ate. The napkin rings are from Arthur Court and were a Christmas gift from my husband along with the cowboy napkins. The plates that I used are enamelware from Amazon and they were so fun and western-feeling (link here). There in the middle of the table is my family's favorite guilty-pleasure treat - dip in a bread. I am not sure if this is a popular dish for other people, but if you're interested in the recipe, please let me know and I will share it!

Here is an up-close look at the table, and my most favorite little detail! Instead of placards, I had custom bandanas made with everyone's name embroidered on them. I thought these made such great party favors, and was so incredibly pleased with how they came out (link here)!

After everyone had their fill of lunch, we made our way to the backyard where thankfully things had warmed up and it was time for cake! My mom had the cutest custom cake topper made and I bought a classic sprinkle cake from HEB for Davy to smash and enjoy. We changed him out of his nice clothes and put him into an oversized shirt that my parents got him on a recent trip to the Alamo and he dug in!

At first, he wasn't totally sure about what to do with the cake, but once he got started he loved it! 

My heart is totally bursting! These are such happy and cherished memories and I am so grateful for my sweet one year old boy!

At the end of the day, the most important thing to keep in mind when hosting a party is the people that you are hosting it for. From the music to the food to the entertainment, everything should be catered to the people on your guest list. For me, this party was the perfect blend of casual and creative. Not every moment will be Pinterest perfect. Naps will be thrown off and messes will be made, but at the end of the day everyone had a great time and that is what is most important! 

Sparkle on!

Cinderella-Inspired Prom Dresses - Meet Me At Midnight

 Hey there princess!

Prom season is upon us, and I have seen so many gorgeous gowns on the market! Attending prom was such fun part of my high school experience, and I drew inspiration from my favorite Disney Princess, Ariel, when selecting my dress. For me, the goal when selecting a dress for any event is to choose something that I can look back at photos of in ten years and not feel completely mortified by how dated I look. Simple, classic, and elegant are all elements that make a dress a great investment. 

Looking at the options for this year, I thought there were tons of gorgeous gowns that would be perfect for a Cinderella-inspired look! Cinderella is such a classic princess, and the blue of her ballgown would look perfect on anyone! Pair it with some glass slippers, and you'll have any wicked stepsisters out there green with envy! Prom is such a special time - who knows, the next time you step into a floor-length gown may be on your wedding day! Make this dress count!

Don't forget to give the prince your digits, and try to be home by midnight!

Selkie The Ritz Dress

Mac Duggal Strapless Bow Mermaid Dress

Sachin & Babi Pryce Dress

Illusion Long Sleeve Embellished Gown

Badgley Mischka Collection Embellished Dress

Glitter One-Shoulder Ombre Gown

Marchesa Textured Organza Ball Gown

Mac Duggal Sequin Sleeveless V Neck Gown

Rickie Freeman for Ter Jon Ruffle Gown

Beaded Sequin Cap Sleeved Dress