Valentine/LOVE Party

Well, it look me a little while, but I'm finally posting our Valentine/LOVE party. 

Can we first just take a minute and talk about that cake?
Oh, WOW!

I actually ended up making this cake two week-ends in a row because my family didn't think they got enough of it the first time! It was really that good!

Three layers of dark chocolate brownie, sandwiched together with a rich and fluffy chocolate chip cookie dough icing.  (The icing was incredible!)

The recipe came from here.
Instead of pouring chocolate ganache over the entire cake, (like the recipe said) I frosted the top and then poured the chocolate over each piece as it was sliced and served. It was so delicious!
(The LOVE lettering was made with melted dark chocolate piped on wax paper.)

This party was a Sunday lunch gathering.  AH chose to grill up his favorite ribs for everyone.  Click here for that recipe.  We also served green salad, fresh fruit and vegetables...but really the ribs and cake were the stars of the show!

OK, moving onto the decor.  Red was the color of the day.

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I pushed my two tables together to make seating for 12 guests.
Solid red wrapping paper lined the tables as a runner.  Grapevine branches were found on Christmas clearance at Joanns.

Red mini stands and pillar candles were found at Michaels
and this wide wired ribbon was looped down the table runner.

Red chargers, red paper napkins and heart paper plates were used. Guests ate on glass plates that set atop the paper plates and chargers.

These square bud vases were filled with red and white carnations and a few mini roses and greenery.  I absolutely LOVE these vases and I use them all the time.  I've had friends borrow them for showers, parties, weddings and I even used them at this memorial. 

I tied on little paper hearts to the drinking glasses for name markers.

The pops of red in our home were eye catching!

Here's a look at the kid's table.

Melamine heart plates (found at Target years ago) and lots of felt hearts decorated this table.  Mini red pails held candy for each guest and a red mailbox became the centerpiece.

And of course I made a photo booth.

This photo backdrop actually covered the messy desk area in our kitchen...perfect coverage!

The love balloon came from here.  The striped fabric is actually a shower curtain from Target.  I love using fabric shower curtains for back drops because you can hang them so easily with Command hooks.  The shower curtains already have built-in holes.

My daughter took lots of photos with her Instamax camera. (It's so fun to have one of these cameras at a party.  Guests can go home with an actual photo!)  I took lots of digital pictures, too.

This was such a fun party, that we re-created it the next week-end when my parents came to town.  I was amazed how easy it was to pull this party together the 2nd time around.  The thought did cross my mind (just for a second) that every party should be done twice.
No, that's just too exhausting, but my family would argue that the desserts should be made twice.

 Click here to see my party page. An A to Z list of every party I've posted on michellepaigeblogs.com

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4th of July Photo Booth

Ever since this post, I've vowed to set up a 'photo booth' at each and every celebration.
The 4th of July is definitely a celebration.
So...a photo booth was a must!

Look how simple this was...
Dress: we all wore our Old Navy flag T-shirts.
For the backdrop: a big USA flag hung sideways on a blank wall.
For the props: Uncle Sam hat, fake white beard, small flag on a stick.

Here's my very patriotic family...

I especially love it when our guests eagerly participate!

 Hope you had a great 4th!  We sure did!

To see more of our photo booths...

Click here for the Spoon Party shots.

Click here for our Mother's Day Photos.

Click here for our Father's Day Fishing Pics

Don't you think every party needs a photo booth?
 

Here's some more 4th of July ideas for you!

4th of July Decorating   Fireworks Wreath      July 4th Festivities

Quick Red, White & Blue Parfaits             Uncle Sam Photo Shoot

Red, White & Blue Chip Mix                 Layered Crispy Treats on a Stick


Washi Tape Cup Markers

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Linking up to: FoxHollowCottage, SerenityNow,

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Setting Up a Photo Booth at the Spoon Party!

I'm almost ready to share the entire Fabulous 40 Spoon Party for my friend, Leah.

Click here if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

But for today, I just have to share the photo booth I set up at the Spoon Party.

I need to tell you that at every party I have ever hosted,

I have always taken pictures of all the guests.

I'm a scrapbooker, I need lots of pictures, so I take lots of pictures!

 

But, I had never created my own party photo booth before...until NOW!

...and NOW,
every single party from here on out MUST have a photo booth!

(This is a warning to all family members and friends reading this.) 

Here's what I did. 

In our playroom, I hung a zebra printed flat sheet on a tall cabinet,

and on the opposite wall, I hung a hot pink flat sheet, over our folded up ping-pong table.

This gave me two background choices.

(I found the sheets at Goodwill for about $6. each.  I washed and ironed them,
AND I will not be using them as sheets--just so you know.)

I brought in some different height stools for sitting,

along with some props.

Props included...

This great, big enormous spoon that my girlfriends and I gave to Leah.

Click here for spoon source.

(Oops! My zebra sheet wasn't ready for a big group photo...

but don't you love how we all color co-ordinated!)

Other props included:

Feathered boas, black open frames, silver glittered hats and white boards with messages.

I let the guests, choose the props they wanted as I snapped the pictures.

Some guests chose to keep things simple.

Other guests decided to use every prop I had laid out.

One guest found one of my son's toys to use...

(I hadn't even considered using this prop!)

This cute couple had their newborn baby boy with them...
No, he wasn't a prop, but look how perfectly he fit in the spoon!

Check out these fun pictures I captured!

I originally thought that I would like the zebra printed background better,

but after viewing the pictures, I think the solid color is the way to go.

The guests sort of get 'lost' in the zebra print...

What do you think?

Click here to learn why we had a Spoon Party for Leah.
Click here to view the spoon wreaths.
Click here to see the entire Spoon Party!

Click here to view our Mother's Day Photo Shoot!


Click here to view our Fishing Father's Day Photo Shoot!

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An Old Window

Remember this old window I brought home from the Junk Show? 

Well I FINALLY did something to it!

Want to see?

Here it is!

(I know it's summer, but this was supposed to be a spring project, so spring pics it is!)

I did a bit of washing (it was dirty!) and sanding (it really needed it!).

Followed by a coat of primer and some white paint.

And of course lots of window cleaner on the panes (front and back!)

I had my 'awesome' husband hang a white picture ledge between our old sconces in the living room.

(I'm currently on the lookout for some new 'complimentary' sconces.)

I took these bright pictures of my kids at the tulip fields this past spring. Remember?

(Click here if you missed that colorful post.) 

I chose about 8 great pics and had them enlarged to an 8x10 size.  Costco only charges $1.49 a piece.

I played with the pictures until I liked the arrangement.

Because all my pictures were taken horizontally, I turned the window sideways so the glass panes were horizontal.

Using scotch tape, I taped each picture in the back of the window sill. 

Scotch tape will make it easy to pull out the photos and add new ones later.

Unfortunately, my window panes were about a half inch wider than my photos.

(See the light coming through?!)

No problem that a little paint can't fix!

I (very roughly) painted an edge on the glass all the way around each window pane.

Can you see the painted border?

 Definitely a 'rustic, shabby chic' look!

There you have it!  It adds so much color to the wall. 

I can't wait to re-fill it with some beach photos and then some autumn leaves

and then some snow shots and then...and then...

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