Happy Tuesday! Ok, so running one day late with the blog. I'm on vacation right now and, well, my 2 year old grandson is quite the distraction! LOL! I didn't totally forget but it was insanely late last night when I did remember...so better late than never? Today we bring you Benjamin's 2nd Birthday Party! 

 I think everyone would love to have the big expensive, anything you want you can have, party. But since most of us don't have 1K to spend on our kids parties we have to be a bit more selective on what we do and do not have on the big day and figure out how to get what we do want for less money.  And that starts with the invitations! The Mom here simply made her own! She just designed them on her computer and printed them out on nice computer paper and then backed them with colored card stock! Simply adorable!

 Now to set the table. Black and yellow are the perfect background colors for a Construction Party Plan! The flatware is just yellow plastic wrapped up in black napkins tied with black ribbon. Add in the patterned napkins, black plates and cups and you have your Construction theme set for the day!

 Sandwiches are always easy to eat and when you set them out with all the trimmings, fresh fruit, bagged chips and you have the perfect but easy and affordable spread for your guests.

 So here is one of the cutest tips I have found this year. Get new trucks for your little guy and line them with plastic wrap, foil or butcher paper and then fill with treats for your guests to grab. The Mom here was smart because she actually set up an "overflow" cup for that inevitable tumble of pretzels to come.

 The trucks add to your theme as well as give you another serving dish for convenient self serve...in this case,   Cookies!

 Here is a look at the whole table. Everything within easy reach and everything in the party colors too!

 The little favor boxes were SO cute! The kids loved the little cartoon tools....

 And, inside, they found little construction vehicles to play with, blow-outs, bubbles, foam tool and sunglasses for each child. SO cute!

 You don't have to go crazy with decorations to keep the theme going...a few balloons and construction site tape does the trick perfectly!

And then there is cake! A friend of theirs did up this wonderful Construction Themed cake for Benjamin. How completely adorable!

So it's easy to throw a great "at home" party and have all fun and feel of an expensive one if you just make sure to add in the little details. Benjamin had a great party, a fun time celebrating with his friends and family...just perfect for this adorable 2 year old!

Next week I'll feature a baby shower! Hope you can come back next week and see how it all turns out!

Cat

 Happy Monday! Can you believe that June is half over already!?! This past week I was tapped to make a cake for my son's 6th Grade Graduation and they wanted surf boards so after making the cake I thought, "What a cute party that would be!" and decided to share with you a very cute Birthday Party Plan!

 There are many surf themed invitations out there but I totally loved these! And if you don't have a pool? Just throw some blow up kiddie pools around...you will find that people will still play in the water!

 Set the mood with themed paper goods. What I really liked about this set up was how they used patterned napkins with solid colored napkins to wrap around the flatware. SO cute. You could do this with any party and it would be a hit!

 I was just at the Dollar Store the other day and these nets were a buck each! What an easy way to decorate your tables, fence line, even doors!

 Table top tiki torches are everywhere this time of year but if they are not readily available in your neighborhood then you can find them, and the nets and several other beach themed items, at Oriental Trading Company online.

 Serving something like salad can be hard on a hot day. So filling up a floatie with ice and then placing your food down into the ice will keep it nice and fresh and cold.

 That goes for your drinks too! A blow up floatie or kiddie pool works great to hold bottles and cans!

 You can even make your food part of the theme. This fruit salad is just different fruits arranged to look like a beach ball. Really simple to make!

 And for your table use new washed buckets to hold your food! Chips, crackers, fruit all would work very well with shovels and pails on the table.

 This is a super cute way to present candy in a pool or beach theme...

 Or take the easy way out and just buy a bucket of redvines and then cover label with themed paper and tied with matching ribbon. SO easy!

The one thing that always stands out poorly is the trash can. And if you want to recycle then you will have TWO cans sticking out! You can buy these can covers at Oriental Trading company for just a few bucks and make the cans part of your decor instead of spending your time trying to hide them.

 On to favors. I also saw bunches of these brightly colored shovels and pails at the Dollar Store that would make great favors for your little guests.

 And I've yet to find an adult who can resist the little rubber duckies! These beach themed cuties would be great to put on your desk at the office or just toss at the tv screen when your team messes up!

 The one favor you should hand out early is the beach balls! Just start tossing them out into the crowd and before you know it, you have a game of beach dodge ball going on in your back yard!

Finally the cake that started it all! This is a chocolate cake, from Cat's Cakes, and is covered in blue and white butter cream "water" and then decorated with fondant hand painted surf boards. The boards on top "lean" against a rack made from tied together wooden skewers. The boards are actually secured with some piped butter cream so they wouldn't fall off but it was a cute effect and the cake was a huge hit with the kids at the school. Imagine what a great centerpiece it would make for your surf and sand themed birthday party! 

As always, we have daily tips and tricks over at our Facebook Fan Site so drop on by and see what is up today!

Next week we will cover a certain little someone's Construction Themed 2nd Birthday Party! See you then!

Cat

 Happy Monday! This week we have a Beach Wedding Party Plan for you. There are many ways you can go with this plan including a blue and white palette, palm tree motif, lei motif...it goes on and on. We chose the sand as our foundation color and the pink hibiscus as our accent color.

 These invitations cover both colors and the feel of the modern beach wedding. It takes the neutral sand color and makes it look elegant.

 "Beach" hair is a challenge. Anything too formal wouldn't fit the theme and anything too loose could end up flying all over the place due to the beach breezes. This half up half down version with teeny orchids and diamond pins is perfection.

 There is also a few ways you can go for your girls. Chiffon makes for a flirty fabric choice that does very well in that beach breeze. You can go with a long version or the short version like this wedding party. Either way, consider flats for your girls. 

 In fact, consider flats for you too! These gorgeous beaded ballet flats would be perfect for walking in the sand.

Flowers also offer a lot of choices. We love the plumeria accented by the hibiscus blooms in this bridal bouquet.

 You can also use the sand color for your girls dresses and then accent that color with pink in the bouquets. Keep the pink as an accent or it will be a little too harsh in the photos.

 You can even fit some pink in for your groom. If he's not the "pink" tie kind of guy then just a simple pink bloom on his lapel will work very well.

 Even the Ring Bearer can fit into the plan. Tan shorts, suspenders are topped of perfectly with a little pink bow tie. Simply adorable!

 The old "Bride's Side" "Groom's Side" has pretty much gone away. Chances are the happy couple has known each other for a very long time and has lots of mutual friends. So more and more often you will find signs like this one that encourage guest to sit where they like. 

 A simple and inexpensive way to decorate your aisle is tulle. Sold for about $1 a yard , you can buy 40 yards and then just drape it over the chair, tie with a simple bow and tuck in a few wild grasses or flowers for a lovely beach look.

 If you don't want to get married on the sand then overlooking the water is a lovely option. Along the seashore there are plenty of hotels that have balconies with gorgeous water and beach views. The same type of feel but with solid ground under your feet instead of sand. A big plus if you are girl who loves heels!

 Welcome your guests into the reception with an adorable sign like this one that you can then hang in your home long after the wedding day has passed. 

 As they walk in have someone waiting with something to drink. If it's warm enough to have an outdoor wedding then it's plenty warm enough to need a drink after the ceremony. Just make sure that if your signature drink is alcoholic to have a nonalcoholic version available on the same tray.

 The beauty of a beach wedding is that you can go as simple as you like with your tables. A simple pink and white centerpiece on a light tan tablecloth fits perfectly.

 Or make the flowers your "tan" and the candles your "pink" on a white or off white tablecloth. Beautiful.

 A simple tropical bloom at each place setting would work wonderfully as well. If your flower budget is tight then use sand and shells for your centerpieces with a couple of candles and then place a single bloom on each napkin. Simple, yet lovely.

 Over the tables, or maybe just the food tables, you can easily create a bit of drama with paper lanterns and tissue paper balls. A beautiful way to make a statement.

 You don't need to dress up each chair, which can get to be very expensive, but you can add a touch of beauty for you and your Groom's chairs. This is just chiffon fabric that has been woven in and out of the chair rungs to make a beautiful soft pattern for the back of the chair.

 And with such beauty your guests will want to take photos! If you are ok with them posting them before you get a chance to even get back from your honeymoon...or even done with your first dance with your new husband...then have one of your groomsmen pass out these little cards, either before the ceremony, or as guests enter the reception or just place one or two on each table.

There are, literally, hundreds of beach favor options out there from cookies, to candy tins, to bottle stoppers to frames. We love these bottle openers that look like starfish! 

And then it's time for Cake! This hibiscus wedding cake from Cat's Cakes would be perfect for a lovely pink accented wedding. With the fondant flowers and the sugar shells it would fit into the color palette and the beach theme wonderfully!

Next week we'll bring you another sand and shore party...a Surfer's Birthday Party Plan! In the meantime it's Father's Day over at our Facebook fan site so stop on by and get a few ideas to make your Father's Day celebration even better!

Cat

 Happy Monday! I got to work on this wonderful cake this weekend for a wedding that had a beautiful yellow and grey color palette. Now, the first time I heard of that combination I couldn't imagine it being beautiful...until I saw it in person. Gorgeous!

While I had never even heard of this color combo before apparently the invitation companies sure have! These are the type of invites for the wedding I attended so I thought I'd share them with all of you.

Most Bridal Stores will carry sashes you can add to your dress if yours doesn't already have one. Just pick out a bright yellow or, in this case, a silver sash to add a bit more of your color to your day.

And don't forget to add texture as well. This wedding is very whimsical so, of course, so was the bouquet. Who needs roses when you have flirty daisies and pom pom mums!

Your girls can easily fit right into this palette too! Have your Maid of Honor pick out either yellow or grey for her color dress and dress your other girls in the color she didn't pick.

And don't forget fun flirty flowers for your girls too! A mixed arrangement like this one tied with a big silver bow helps to add to the fun of the day.

Now yellow is a bit much for a guy but a nice tie matched with a gorgeous grey tuxedo would be divine! Top off your Groom's look with a Pom Pom Mum Boutonniere.

Or let his guys sport the yellow ties while he sticks to dark grey. Just make sure that his boutonniere is different from his groomsmen.

Simple but fun is the way of this day. Grey tablecloths with white milk glass vases and yellow flowers are perfection. Add in yellow napkins and your place settings are complete.

Make sure to have a pretty "Cards" box available to your guests. In this day and age when gift cards, as well as cash, are often given you don't want to end up with a stack of cards that somehow got pushed behind a banquet table. This one is super easy to DIY but there are lots of places to buy one already made online.

I love these favors. The boxes are from Martha Stewart and you just use scrapbook paper, two regular square paper punches and one frilly square paper punch to create the tag. Finish it off with a silver scrapbook pen and you have the perfect favor box for this wedding plan!

A "Viennese" dessert table is in style this season in a big way. This means that you don't just have wedding cake but lots of other desserts there to delight your guests. Easy enough to do with purchased rosettes for the wall, pretty fabric and a banner made from paper doilies, round punched paper and sticker letters. Just glue to a satin ribbon and string along the front of the table. 

But, of course, there was cake! This fun and flirty pinwheel cake from Cat's Cakes really makes a great centerpiece. It is even lemon cake inside so when it was cut into there was the Brides' color! Handmade paper pinwheels in the wedding colors was perfect for this theme and this palette. 

Next week we'll head to the islands with a whole new wedding cake and color palette! In the meantime find out what sort of extra fun we had this week over at Cat's Cakes and see what we are up to every day on our  Facebook!

See you next Monday!

Cat