Birthday Bash

This month has really flown by! It feels like summer goes by faster with each passing year. Life sure is busy. It's so nice to be able to step back from all the "busy" and get together with family to celebrate special occasions. This past Sunday, our family celebrated my sister Francie's 30th birthday. We threw a little party, and I wanted to share some of the highlights on the blog. Enjoy!

A group of us assembled early in the day to decorate before the arrival of the birthday girl. She knew we were having a cookout, but we wanted to incorporate some extra special touches for her extra special day. Balloons, streamers, garlands...we went all out!

Francie loves candy. We set up a candy bar of glass jars filled with chocolate truffles, gum balls, lollipops and sour watermelon slices. We included fun little colored plastic scoops and treat bags so guests could take some sweets to-go at the end of the party.

The streamer backdrop behind our cake table was really easy to make - I layered 3 different colored plastic tablecloths and cut them into strips, braided them at the top {about 3-4 inches} and let the rest hang. It only cost me $6 and it ended up looking super!

The menu definitely hit the spot - steak & veggie kabobs, butter rice, a mixed greens salad & plenty of fresh fruit. We even had Champagne Grapefruit Mojitos {recipe here} So yummy! 

Have I mentioned that our younger sister, Maris, is a pastry making machine? She was in charge of dessert, and she made grilled cherry peach mascarpone cake. It was marvelous! 

We played corn hole, bocce ball, croquet, and chased the little cousins around the yard. 

And of course, we sang "Happy Birthday", ate the fancy cake, and watched as presents were opened.

It was an excellent party complete with good weather, good food, and good company. I don't think you can ask for more than that! Thanks for reading the birthday bash recap, and have a great Labor Day Weekend! We're planning on {finally} finishing our deck, kayaking, and enjoying some R&R!

Rustic Chalkboard Charger

This is a very easy project that anyone can do. I got the supplies at my local craft store: a slice of wood, black acrylic paint, and clear chalkboard paint. {The wood is about the size of a dinner plate} I painted one coat of black acrylic, let it dry, then applied the clear paint the next evening per the directions on the bottle. As you can see in the photo, it goes on visible. But true to form, it dried clear. You can speed up this process by just buying black chalkboard paint… my store was out, and I didn't want to use a bright color. This is really very simple, and a fun project that can be completed in just a few short hours. So there you have it, a cute little item to spice up your appetizer spread at parties - for under $10!