Simple Summer Centerpiece ~ Hydrangeas

Simple Summer Centerpiece

I put together this centerpiece a few weeks ago at my Mom's for a small get together.

I think blue Hydrangea's are the perfect nod to the relaxing days of Summer.

Read more about our backyard party here.

I used grocery store flowers.

The beautiful bouquet of Nikko Blue Hydrangeas was only $21.

Having guests over this weekend?

Why not add a small special touch to your dining table or entryway.

Have a great day!

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Funky Junk Interiors

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Outdoor Entertaining ~ Backyard Party

As I shared earlier this month I have been helping my Mom plan a small party for her bunco group.

For any of you who don't know, party planning is one of the small details we take great pride in.

We certainly do know how to throw a good time, while making your guests feel welcome & invited.

I think we enjoy planning the party almost as much as

 seeing it through to the final goodbye of the last guest.

This party turned out to be a great success!

The ladies enjoyed a great evening of fun, food & cocktails.

When we originally started to plan the party I thought it would be a great idea to have it outdoors.

This would accomodate the group of 12-14 women more comfortably than being indoors.

Little did we know that Iowa would have one of the hottest Summer's on record,

nor did we know that we were in for a heat wave for the entire two weeks prior to the party.

Thank goodness we had a reprieve on the evening of the ninth & the weather cooperated.

Well.....mostly!

We rented this long table & chairs for the main table.

Originally the plan was the table would be in the yard underneath the big Maple tree.

Well, there goes that darn Mother Nature again.

An hour before the party she changed our plans.

We had a huge down pour that lasted about 30 minutes.

So, we scrambled bringing the decor & bar indoors & out of the rain.

Thank goodness we saved the table cloths!

Then what do you know, 15 minutes before the party sunshine & clear blue skys again!

Back outside we went quickly before anyone was the wiser.

Outdoor Bar Area

Galvanized buckets served as chillers.

Filled with ice wine & bottled beer our guests could help themselves.

Don't be afraid to use your glass stemware outdoors.

It's a nice elegant touch added to a casual outdoor setting.

Perfect for outdoor evening entertaining.

We set up a couple different seating zones for guests to mingle throughout the yard.

Below is a bench near the pond.

Our menu was fairly light & refreshing.

Broccoli Salad, Greek Pasta Salad, Bruschetta, Fresh Strawberries,

& for dessert your choice of decadent carrot cake or a slice of sweet lemon cake.

The cake's came from a local bakery all the other food we made the afternoon of the party.

I actually decided to help out with preparing the food, refreshments, serving & clean up.

It made it much easier for my Mom to host & enjoy her guests for the evening.

Broccoli Salad with an Italian Vinaigrette

Greek Pasta Salad recipe from Everyday Occassions

I absolutely loved helping my Mom plan this party.

It was so much fun.

Hmmm I could even see myself as a bit of a party planner.

Do you like to host parties?

What about planning?  I would love to hear your stories.

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Liz Marie

4th of July Party - Inspiration

jennysteffens.com

If I have not shared before one of my all time favorite daily reads is

Everyday

OCCASIONS

by Jenny Steffens Hobick

I absolutely adore Jenny's simple effortless style that can be used for any occasion.

Her style encompasses classic American tradtions in such a tasteful way.

I could not resist sharing her

star spangled

4TH OF JULY

PARTY

I love hosting & entertaining guests

and simply can not wait until our new home is finished,

to share special backyard parties with our friends & family.

I will definitely be stopping by Jenny's blog for inspirations.

If we were entertaining for the 4th, I hope it could look as inviting & timeless as this.

Have a great weekend &

 Happy 4th of July!



Mother's Day Centerpiece

A Mother's Day Centerpiece.

Are you entertaining guests for Mother's Day?

I thought I would share how I took my simple Spring Centerpiece,

to a perfect casual centerpiece for a Mother's Day brunch, lunch or casual dinner.

First I filled my white pitcher overflowing with these fresh green Snowball Viburnum.

 I added a smaller container & filled them with a pop of purple from the clematis from the trellis.

For a casual get together I like to place stacked plates for easy access right in the center of the table.

I think it sets the tone for your guests that it is intended to be a casual occassion.

The silverware I placed in a third small pitcher.

I think this table setting makes for a casual comfortable environment when guests arrive.

It also saves you a little time as the host.

When the meal is ready, you don't have to spend time setting the table or getting out the dinnerware.

White dishes are a must have for me.

I love white serveware, dishes, pitchers, platters...you name it.

You can never have too much white serveware in my opinion.

White is a staple you can use in a casual or formal setting

The best part about this table setting is I did it all without spending a penny.
By using the basic essential dinnerware I had & basic white pitchers
all that was left was taking time to cut some fresh flowers from the garden.
Once that was done a few more minutes arranging the pitchers & done.
Simple. Casual. Beautiful.

What are your Mother's Day plans?

Carrie

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Custom Invitations

Yesterday I shared pics from a wedding shower I recently hosted for my soon to be sister-in-law.
Haven't seen the shower pics yet, click here to take a peak.

When planning the shower, I just knew I wanted to find custom invitations on Etsy.

Here is what I ordered.

What do you think???

I think it turned out super cute, right?

Well, I wanted to introduce you to the cute little Etsy shop where we found

several great custom invitations to choose from.

Nicole from Designs By Nicolina is so creative & talented I just love her work.

She was super sweet, helpful & efficient with our order as well.

Thanks Nicole!!!

Of course, I was in a hurry (aren't we all) & she helped to put a rush on my order

so we could get our invites out in time a few weeks before the shower.

Here are a few of my favorite invitations in her shop now.

Stop by & check out her shop for your next party.

 

Preppy Grey & Black Chevron Stripe

Retro Dandelion

Love Birds

Chevron Ombre Banner

After ordering the last few invites I have needed from Etsy shops,

I really don't think I would go any other way in the future.

Nicole's prices were all very reasonable & you just can't find

invites that are so creative anywhere else.

The level of service from a small business is remarkable as well!

Thanks again Nicole!  We truly appreciate all you did for us.

Ordering Custom Invitations?

Here's a couple tips to get you started.

{Tip}

When ordering your next invitations.

Go custom!

Try Etsy.

Most shops are small businesses & are all about the customer.

I have had great experiences & would highly recommend it to anyone.

Some sellers will even help you to create a customized invitation all your own.

Be sure to ask them if they do so, some shops charge a small fee too.

{Tip}

If you try Etsy some shops will do the printing for you for a fee.

Other shops will provide you with an electronic image to have printed yourself.

Which is what we did in this case.  We were on a tight schedule & did not

have time to allow for custom invites to be printed.  So, once we received the

image of the invitation we headed off to Kinko's to have them printed.

We could have gone to a local print shop & had them done for about $30.

All together we spent about $40 for super cute custom shower invitations.

Carrie

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Hosting a Bridal Shower

Last weekend my aunt, cousin & myself hosted a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law.
Katie Crane will be marrying my little brother Matt in June.

Our guest of honor.

We had a Sunday brunch on a beautiful Spring day in downtown LeClaire.

Katies' family made the trip from out of town & several local family

friends & family members attended as well.

The shower was held at the local Civic Center.

This space has a history with for our family, so it seemed the perfect place to hold the shower.

My Mother & Father actually held their wedding reception in this location over 40 years ago.

All of our family showers are hosted here as was my bridal shower just 2 1/2 years ago.

Of course we had to put Katie on the spot a bit & ask her a series of questions about her groom.

She was a great sport & I hope she had a little fun too:)

Their wedding colors are a marine blue & fuchsia.

We made these tissue pom poms for pops of their wedding colors.

The tables were decorated with these simple Hydrangea bouquets in clear glass vases.

Welcome to our family Katie!

We had a great time coordinating & hosting your shower!

Both you & your family were so gracious & kind.

Wishing you all the best as you begin all of the fun details leading up to your big day!

Carrie

{Tip}
Here's a tip for hosting your next shower.
I think added touches of fresh floral help create a soft touch in the space.
Try to find a fun and whimsical way to set the mood through the atmosphere for your guests.
Creating a warm & inviting space makes helps everyone relax & enjoy themselves.
Here we used the pom poms to brighten up this room & add a little fun.
Note: Less is More in this case.
We were actually planning to hang more pom poms, but as we began hanging them.
We decided it would have been a bit too much. 

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