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!

No Time To Siesta - It's a Baby Shower Fiesta!

 Hey there princess!

If you couldn't already tell - we throw a lot of fiestas in my family! It's always an easy party theme, and who doesn't like Mexican food? Plus, by this time we have tons of decor to go around! 

This past March, my family threw me the absolute best couple's baby shower. This is my first child, and the first grandchild for my parents, and anticipating his arrival was such a fun time in my life. Pregnancy was absolutely awful, and with the end in sight I really enjoyed this party with all of my most favorite people!

If you know me, you know I was absolutely thrilled when I opened up my mail and saw this invitation! It is absolutely gorgeous, and came from Sweet Caroline Design. Caroline's invitations and Christmas cards have been a staple in my life and I love her use of color. This baby shower was held at one of my favorite restaurants, Escalante's, which is also conveniently located right next to my church! Even with my crazy pregnancy nausea, I was able to enjoy my fajitas. 

The shower was held in the party room in the back of the restaurant and our service was incredible. My family brought all of their fiesta decor, and they filled the room with colorful flowers and brightly painted vases. My mom even brought the party piñata that has been sort of the mascot at many of our fiestas over the years. 

One of the best gifts I received from my family was a baby book full of gorgeous illustrations from Over the Moon Gift (you can see it here). We had everyone who attended the shower sign the book so that we could keep the memory for our little boy. I also love this sleeping ceramic man that doubles as a planter/vase. My mom filled it with gorgeous roses that all of the female guests got to take home with them. Now, the sleeping man sits in my kitchen snoozing away in all of his cuteness!

Speaking of gifts, my mom also got these adorable honey pots with dippers and custom labels for guests to take home with them. These are not only precious to look at, but they are super practical! Everyone loves honey and it makes the perfect topping for sopapillas. You can find something similar on Etsy by clicking here.  When selecting a gift to give your guests at the conclusion of your event, I always prefer something that is practical. Either something edible or something that is useful for their daily lives! 

My favorite detail from the event was the tower of hand painted macaroons. These were absolutely gorgeous, and were created by the ever-talented Treney from Indulge Gourmet Desserts (click here for her info). Treney has created beautiful desserts for several of the parties that I have thrown over the years, and I have to say that these are my absolute favorite! During my pregnancy, I was incredibly sick, and one of the few things that would settle my stomach was Sonic's Cherry Limeade. Treney knew about this and created special macaroons that tasted just like them! I couldn't get enough!

Here is an up-close look at these gorgeous macaroons. Treney used inspiration from the shower invitation to decorate them and they absolutely stole the show! They were also a huge hit with my guests who thought they were delicious. 

Here is a photo of part of the party room (and a sneaky peek of my little brother helping with set-up). The room was absolutely perfect, and all of the little pops of color that my family added were just the right touch.

Here is a close-up of one of the floral arrangements that my mom put together for the table. This little donkey is also proudly prancing around my kitchen now! I love being surrounded by things that bring back happy and cherished memories. 

I had tons of fun at this shower, and with only about a month left in my pregnancy it really was the best way to wrap the pre-kid era of my life. I was so happy to spend the afternoon with the most important people in my life and enjoying everyone's company (and enjoying fajitas as well). 

When planning any party, the most important thing is always to keep your guests in the forefront of your mind. We all love events were we can talk, relax, and eat! Don't overthink things, or overcomplicate what is bound to be a fun and fabulous time. 

Also, my top party-planning tip is to keep your theming consistent from party to party. Try to purchase decor that you can reuse and invest in quality pieces. While some people might want to stray away from theming that feels repetitive, I promise that the creative hostess can introduce new elements each time to help things feel creative and new. 

Sparkle on!

Bachelorette Party in San Antonio: Day Three, Sunday

 Hey there princess!

For the final morning of the bachelorette extravaganza we all met in the Menger Hotel lobby for breakfast. This room is absolutely gorgeous and I had to share some photos of it when it was quiet so that you could see how beautiful it was. 

The girls loved the breakfast spread which included things like an omelette bar, grits, hash browns, pancakes, bacon, eggs benedict, fresh fruit, and breakfast pastries. Everything was delicious and filled our bellies for the long drive home. Checkout was at 11:00am, so once we finished eating we promptly made our way back to the rooms to pack and head out.

I just had to show some close-ups of the dining room. It is so gorgeous, and I love eating in here. The air is cool and the atmosphere is perfection!

I am so thankful that we were able to travel to San Antonio for this bride's bachelorette party! We had an incredible time, and I think all of the girls felt incredibly cared for and knew what to expect from the weekend's events. 

I would love to hear from other maids/matrons of honor about how you are planning these kinds of trips! When doing all of my initial research there were tons of cute themes to choose from. I think in the future it would also be fun to choose one of these themes and just plan a fun girl's weekend! 

Sparkle on!

Bachelorette Party in San Antonio: Day One, Friday

 Hey there princess!

Now that I have gone through most of the pre-planning that I did for our bachelorette weekend in San Antonio, I wanted to talk about how things went day by day of the trip. I was in charge of driving the bride, and the plan was to meet all of the other girls at the Menger Hotel once we got into town. 

In planning for our travel day (the drive from where we live in Houston to San Antonio was about 3 hours) I made a playlist with all of the bride's favorite songs. When choosing a hotel, I picked the Menger because it is centrally located by both the Riverwalk and the Alamo. This meant that the only time I would need my car was for the drive to and from San Antonio. 

Of course, no Texas road trip is complete without a stop at Buc-ee's! We picked up some extra drinks and snacks for the road, and did some shopping in the swimsuit section since the hotel has a pool and we thought it would be fun to get a swimsuit from the famed gas station/rest stop. 

If you have never stayed at the Menger before, and you are going to San Antonio in the near future, I highly recommend it! Theodore Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders out of the Menger's bar, and the hotel is absolutely full of history. It is also completely gorgeous! There are courtyards to be seen, a beautiful grand lobby, a pool, the most amazing dining room, and it is in the perfect location to see everything there is to see in Downtown San Antonio. Below are some photos of the courtyard when we first arrived, as well as photos of the entrance and the lobby.

Once everyone had arrived and checked in, it was time for fun! I had already put out all of the bachelorette bags and coffee bar treats that you can read about in my two previous blogs, and I left activities for the rest of the evening up to the girls. Of course, everyone was starving so after a little exploration of the hotel it was time for dinner!

Something fun to note here is that I made sure the bride had something special and unique to wear on each day of the trip. On this first day, I got her a shirt that says "My Final Fiesta" which I purchased off of Etsy.  I liked her having something for each day to help her stand out and feel special!

Everyone loved spending some time on the Riverwalk in the evenings, since it is so much cooler (especially since this was a summer trip) and there is tons to do! If you aren't familiar with San Antonio, but you need something to do and somewhere to eat, the Riverwalk is a great place! For this first evening, I felt like it was important to not schedule anything for the girls to do. I know that they wanted to spend time catching up and talking to each other. We had the whole weekend for scheduled activities, and I wanted them to have the chance to get settled and have quality time with one another. If your bridesmaids get to see one another all of the time, this might not be necessary. However, in this case, the girls have moved to different states since college and only get to talk on the phone. Quality catch-up time was a must!

Another great thing about the Menger is that they offer rooms with connecting balconies. I made sure when booking that the rooms I chose were connected and had connecting balconies so that everyone could easily go from one room to the next, and that there would be a safe place for the girls who wanted to stay up late to go when other people wanted to go to sleep. The balcony got used a ton, and I am so thankful I made that selection!

What do you think? Have you ever stayed at the Menger before? What kind of bachelorette ideas would you add? Are you planning a trip of your own soon? I would love to hear about it!

Sparkle on!

Bachelorette Party in San Antonio: Stocking the Hotel Rooms

 Hey there princess! 

When planning the perfect bachelorette weekend, I chose to follow the old adage "luck favors the prepared." We were going to be in San Antonio for 3 days with 9 girls and I wanted to make sure that when planning I could anticipate people's needs and make everyone as comfortable as possible during the "fiesta." 

In doing this, I wanted to fully stock the hotel rooms with some essentials so that the girls would be comfortable.

The first project I worked on was making sure that the mini fridges in the rooms had tons of water bottles! For pretty much every single party I throw I purchase custom water bottle labels online to give things a unique touch. I wanted to make the bride feel special and loved, and I thought these were just so fun! You can purchase the labels that I used (they matched the hand sanitizer that I shared yesterday) by clicking here. 

Next, I stocked the fridge with Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. This is a favorite beverage of the bride's and I thought it would be fun to have on-hand. You can find the labels I used here.

I set up baskets in all of the girls' hotel rooms so that they would have snacks and coffee for the weekend. Our activities involved walking outside in the Texas heat in the middle of the summer so hydration, caffeination, and keeping fed were all priorities. One of the cutest things I found were these plastic, reusable Otomi cups off of Etsy (click here for the ones I used). I plan on pulling these out for future fiestas! The wicker basket was a Target find, and I filled this with power bars, sugar, and a variety of different Starbucks drink mixes (things like this, this, and this). I also included some Starbucks Raspberry Refreshers packets for the non-coffee drinkers. I put creamers in little salsa bowls to keep things on theme and looking festive. 

Look how cute everything turned out! The flowers are from a local florist who has a booth at our farmer's market, and there are plastic ice buckets filled with snacks like popcorn and cookies for the girls to munch on. I also got these incredibly cute personalized napkins off of Etsy and my mom found cactus drink stirrers to tie everything together. 

Here is a close-up of the napkins - they were so cute! This little set-up was so helpful during the bachelorette weekend. The snacks were devoured, the coffee consumed, and everyone went home perfectly exhausted and content.

So what about you? Are you planning an upcoming bachelorette party or girl's weekend? I would love to hear about it! Let's chat in the comments below!

Sparkle on!

A Palm Beach Bridal Shower

Hey there princess!

About a year ago, my younger sister, Coco (who was my Maid of Honor) and my mother threw me a 1960's Palm Beach themed bridal shower at my family's home in Houston, Texas. It was honestly one of the best times ever, and such a beautiful party. 

I painted a centerpiece for the party based on my engagement photos (featuring my favorite Lilly Pulitzer maxi skirt), and bought a fun frame for it at Hobby Lobby. 

My mom found these adorable invitations on Etsy and they are my absolute favorite. To me, invitations are super important to any party because they set the tone for the event. Guest know from the invitation what they should expect in terms of the level of formality, and who is hosting the event, and it is also a great keepsake from the party! I love holding on to invitations from past-parties that I loved attending!

Regarding decor, my hosts fancied-up my family's dining table with a Lilly table runner from Etsy (can you tell we are all huge Etsy addicts??). One of my favorite touches was using the depression glass that Coco and I have collected since we were young to serve the sandwiches and food. We both have the cameo ballerina dishes, mine in yellow and hers in green.

Look at how beautiful that table is (and in the background you can see me sneaking a bite)! We had tiers of sandwiches from Chicken Salad Chick and tons of snacks, beautiful flowers, and an unbelievable macaroon tower. 

I mean look at how stunning it is! I could die! This tower came from a shop in Houston called Sweet, located in City Centre and the flavors Shailee chose were lavender, rose, and lemon (they were all divine). I felt just like Marie Antoinette!

One of my bridesmaids also put together some amazing charcuterie boards, and my mother and sister put together plates of Lilly shift cookies, candied pecans, and tons of bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cake. 

Just for fun, Coco and I made some white chocolate-covered popcorn and then absolutely drenched it in pink sprinkles. It tasted pretty good, but mostly it was just super festive! 

I am so thankful to my sweet friends and family for making my bridal shower such a special day. I know that I am going to remember this party for a long time! 

If you want to see more of my little parties and celebrations, please follow along at @heythrprincess on Instagram!

I would love to hear about the special parties in your life - whether it's a bridal shower like mine, a birthday party, or just a party for the sake of a party. How are you celebrating?

Sparkle on!