How to Plan a Party Video Series

My Frazzled to Fabulous: How to Plan a Party to Remember workshop last Saturday was really well received by both party planning beginners and experts, which was a real treat to hear.  And, since I had a few requests, I decided to record an abbreviated version of the presentation to share.

I hope you enjoy the tips in this three-part video series:

• Daydream (Part 1)
• Lists, Lists, & More Lists (Part 2)
• Seem Effortless (Part 3)

You'll learn how to remove the stress and uncertainty from planning a party, so you can become a graceful and effortless hostess. Are you ready to go from Frazzled to Fabulous?


I'd love to know what you think!

Frazzled to Fabulous: How to Plan a Party to Remember

Do you love the idea of hosting a party but get discouraged when it comes to pulling all the details together? No need to feel frazzled! 

UPDATE: Watch the three-part How to Plan a Party video series of this presentation on YouTube. 
 
I'll be presenting my favorite tips that make party planning fun and stress-free at the Huntsville Madison County Public Library's Eleanor Murphy Branch on Saturday, July 21 at 10:00 am in Huntsville, AL.

I'm super excited about this live presentation (my first in many years), so I'd love to have your support and, more importantly, get the opportunity to meet you in person!  I've got lots of tips that have made all the difference in the world in my party planning and hosting, and I can't wait to share them with you.

Seating is limited. Sign up to attend by calling Eleanor Murphy Branch Library at 256-881-5620. If you call after hours, just leave a message on the answering machine to RSVP.

Free Summer Printable Files for Memorial Day, 4th of July & Labor Day

In case you missed them earlier this summer, here are some free Summer Holiday Printables I designed just for fun.  Included in the summer printable file are two sizes of graphics and ideas for how to use them on all the major summer holidays: Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.

Hope you enjoy! Download the Summer Printable PDF file now.

Paper Doll Tea Party :: Sweet Simplicity

Ever since I saw Lily & Thistle's Mini Me Paper Dolls, I have been *dreaming* about throwing a Paper Dolls Tea Party.  I absolutely love that you can personalize the dolls to look like your daughter and her friends. Plus, there's just something charming and timeless about paper dolls that goes perfectly with a tea party. Well, this grown-up little girl got her wish thanks to some help from my good friend Sarah Brewer at Click Photo Designs, Bonnie Blue Boutique, Madison Living magazine, and of course,  the very talented Hannah Stevenson at Mini Me Paper Dolls.

I had so much fun cutting out these paper dolls! I went with Mini Me's printable option, which super affordable and allows you to print off as many copies as you want.  For example, you could have a paper doll designed to look like your daughter for $14.50 and give a copy to all of the guests at her party for one flat price. If you're having a small party, it's super special to have a doll designed to look like each of your guests (discounted party packages are available), and you can print off copies of all of these friends for your daughter to play with long after the party. As guests arrive, I highly recommend having scissors, so they can start cutting out outfits for their paper dolls. Have fun bling like rhinestones, glitter, mini flowers, ribbon, and other accessories for them to add extra flair, too.

Tulle is one of my go-to crafting supplies because its so easy to work with and makes a big impact.  It was perfect for adding a little flair to this tea tray I found at Home Goods. (By the way, I'm so excited to finally be getting a Home Good in my town...YAY!)  I found some adorable punch cups at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store, which were perfect of a little girl's tea party. Thanks to my Facebook fan, Shannon Belew, for tipping me off to all the great finds there.

Even though it's a tea party, I think pink lemonade is a little more fun and girly, so I served that up decanted in these inexpensive bottles from IKEA. I kept the menu super simple: pink lemonade, teddy grahams, iced sugar cookies, and gumballs.

Aren't these tea cookies cute?!  I just stacked up mini frosted cookies from the Target bakery and poked a ribbon-topped sandwich pick through the center. I love to bake, but as full-time working girl, its nice just to take something store bought and make it fab.

One of the biggest hits at the tea party were these Teddy Grahams.  Who would have thought?!  I'll definitely be adding these to more of my kids party menus. If you haven't seen my trick for making candy jars look fuller with less contents, you have to check it out.  I definitely used that in all my jars at this party, including the gumball jar below.

Paper dolls aren't just for play. They make wonderful decorations in this shadow box and peeking out of the flower arrangement.

Love the coincidence of how close their outfits a match in this shot.  You can get a better look at some of the glitter sparkle I added to the paper doll's cotton candy, too...I had so fun blinging up my paper dolls.

Sarah Brewer did such a fantastic job of capturing the personality of all the little girls at the party.  Love this precious smile! Bubbles are my favorite party favor for little ones, too.  You'll get lots of smiles with these at a party for sure.

All of the adorable outfits at the party were provided by Bonnie Blue Boutique in Meridianville, AL.  The two outfits above from Persnickety Clothing are my favs...so frilly.

All of the little girls wanted to take the lid off of the tea pot to see what was inside.  If you don't serve tea out of your tea pot, I highly recommend hiding some little surprises for the curious ones at your event.

As I mentioned, mini bubbles are one of my favorite party favors for children's parties, and I love to "serve" them up on cake pedestals. It's a great way to give them a more prominence on your table and add height to your display.

This is my other favorite Persnickety Clothing outfit picked by Bonnie Blue Boutique....so precious!

I think details make a party.  Even my little tea bags got a custom heart-shaped tea party tag. I also love the pop of color the blue gumballs provide in all the shots. Party City has a great selection of large and small gumballs by color, so it was easy to find the perfect shade of blue to match the paper doll tea party's decor.

If you'd like to see even more inspiration photos from this Paper Dolls Tea Party, check out the online version of Madison Living magazine on Facebook. I'm so thrilled that the party made the cover!

Sources & Credits
Photography: Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer
Wardrobe: Bonnie Blue Boutique featuring Persnickety Clothing
Printable Paper Dolls: Mini Me Paper Dolls
Publication: Madison Living Magazine
Cookies: Target
Candy: Party City
Serving Pieces: Salvation Army Thrift Store, IKEA, Home Goods
Styling and Design: Belly Feathers

The Best Freezer-to-Table No Bake Dessert for Summer Delizza Cream Puffs & Mini Eclairs

Memorial Day starts the summer cookout season. From here until the fall, most of our weekends will be spent around the grill with good food and great friends. This time of year, it's especially nice to have some extra yummy treats stashed away for spontaneous gatherings and last-minute barbeques. That's why I absolutely love Delizza Desserts. I can keep a couple boxes of their cream puffs and mini eclairs in the freezer, and just pop them out 30 minutes before I need them...so easy and so super yummy. They really are the Best Summer No-Bake Dessert!

In the summer, I also love to keep a stack of bandanas around for fun napkins. They really brighten up the table at a cook out and give it a little extra panache. The cloth bandanas are super casual and little fancy at the same time...kind of like Delizza Desserts - easy and elegant. That's why it seemed perfect to decorate my Delizza Desserts boxes with a bandanas, so they're always barbeque ready whenever I need them.  Of course, I couldn't stop there, I had to design some cute printables for the extra special summer cookout holidays - Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.

Freezer-to-Table No Bake Dessert for Summer 
Supplies: 

• Delizza Desserts Cream Puffs or Mini Eclairs, two boxes for a bountiful display 
• One bandana
• Elastic, 2 feet
• Safety pin

Create a 2-3 inch overlapping fold in the center of your your bandana.

Turn and create another 2-3 inch overlapping fold in the center of your bandana on the opposite side to create a smaller square.

Place your box of Delizza Desserts in the center of the folded bandana, so that the flat sides of the box are centered on the points of the bandana.

Tightly wrap your length of elastic around the top center of the box, creating an inch of overlap. Secure elastic with a safety pin.  Make sure the elastic band is tight around the box and remove.

Gather the points of the bandana to the center of the Delizza Desserts box lid.

While carefully holding in place, lift the box up and place on top of your elastic band. The safety pin should be centered on one of the sides of the box.

Slowly slide the elastic band up around all four sides of the box to hold the bandana in place.  (This is how I store my box in the freezer until I need it.)

Fold the sides of the bandana down to completely cover the elastic band.  Pop the lid off and enjoy! 

For a really full box, I like to add the contents of a second Delizza Desserts box.  It's fun to mix in two different types like the cream puffs and mini eclairs for extra variety like I did in my photos. Plus, that gives a little something for everyone.

Isn't this so super cute?!  For the the big summer holidays like Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day, you can use these summer printables to create a fun sign to pop into the box.

A couple months ago when Delizza Desserts approached me about trying their products and blogging about them.  I was super excited because I love serving their cream puffs at baby showers and parties all winter long.  They're a really easy way to expand a menu and add an elegant touch.  I had never even thought about how perfect they'd be for summer parties, though. They're cool and refreshing (at least they are if you can't wait for them to completely thaw like me...so yummy!), and they keep you from having to cook in a hot kitchen.

I'm really excited to have Delizza Desserts as a new no-bake dessert in my entertaining arsenal for the summer, and I hope you will, too.  In fact, I've got two chances for you to win a Delizza Dessert item of your choice.

How to Enter to Win:

1. Head over to Delizza's website at www.delizza.us, and check out all their yummy flavors.  
2. Then stop by my Facebook page, and post a comment to tell me which Delizza Dessert is your favorite or the one you plan to try if you win.  Leave your comment on my Facebook page by midnight central on June 7th.

I'll draw two winners on June 8th to receive a coupon by mail redeemable for a free Delizza Dessert.  If you win, I'll message you to get your mailing address.  Good luck and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Cinco de Mayo Recipe: Easy Chicken Verde

I can't believe it's almost Cinco de Mayo again!  One of the biggest hits at our Cinco de Mayo Margarita Party last year was my husband Roger's Easy Chicken Verde. In fact, almost everyone at the party requested the recipe. It's so good that I keep trying to convince Roger to cook it at least once a week. Instead, he decided to teach me how to make it this week, so I could share it with you.

This recipe is so perfect for a fiesta or a week night meal. To be honest, I really don't enjoy cooking meals or anything with meat in particular, but this really was pretty easy and fast. I could definitely make this for company.

Easy Chicken Verde Recipe

2    tablespoons olive oil
      salt
4    chicken breasts or thighs, boneless (1-1.5 lbs)
1    cup onion, diced
1    16 oz jar Frontera Tomatillo Salsa (available at Target)
¼    cup cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Salt both sides of chicken breasts and place in pan. Brown on both sides for about two minutes. Remove chicken from skillet.

Brown onion in the skillet.  Pour tomatillo salsa on top and stir until the sauce thickens a little.  Place chicken back in the skillet, cover, and simmer on medium heat until chicken is cooked thoroughly, approximately 8 minutes. By the way, if  you want to take pity on my old coil stove, please visit my online store and make a purchase to support the "Betsy Needs a New Stove" Fund.

Shred chicken. Garnish with cilantro before serving. Serve with tortillas and sour cream, if desired.

When we made this Chicken Verde hours ahead for our party, we placed everything in a casserole dish covered with foil, so we could keep it warm in the oven until it was time to serve.  According to my husband's Mexican Cooking Bible, Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday, thighs will stay juicer in the oven like this, but we always use chicken breasts. I think the sauce keeps them moist enough.

Download the Easy Chicken Verde 3x5 Recipe Card

Here are a few shots of the Chicken Verde at our Cinco de Mayo Margarita Party.  All of the lovely photos below are by Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer, who I absolutely love working with on special events.

 

 See more photos and details from this Cinco de Mayo Margarita Party.

• Cinco de Mayo Margarita Recipe (our own house mix)
• Easy Fried Ice Cream Recipe
• DIY Mexican Paper Flags: Easy Papel Picado Alternative

Easy Kite Brownies on a Stick

It doesn't get any easier than these super cute Kite Brownies on a Stick for spring...especially since Little Debbie does most the work! These would be absolutely perfect for a school kite day!

Taking a cue from my friend Melissa at Buckets of Grace, who made some adorable skewered Little Debbie hearts for Valentine's Day, I was instantly inspired when I saw these Little Debbie Kite Brownies at my grocery store.

To make this display, I used:

• Little Debbie Kite Brownies
• A jar filled with glass beads
• Bamboo skewers (long and medium lengths)
• Long lengths of organza ribbon
• Short strips of a accent ribbon (mine were satin and grosgrain)

I recommend storing the skewers horizontally on a tray and waiting to assemble vertically right before your event. The brownies are soft, and I did have one of the brownies fall off its stick.  However, it held tight for about a hour before that happened. I'm sure your brownies will be snatched up before that happens.

If you make some Kite Brownies on a Stick, I'd love to see a photo!  Leave a comment on post on my Facebook wall.