Carnaval Celebration{Brazil}

 We had a small get together to celebrate Carnaval! I always try to keep my native culture alive even if we live miles and miles away from Brazil. The guests were able to try some goodies from Brazil like an assortment of bonbons, bis(chocolate wafer)and brigadeiro(chocolate fudge). We also had a brazilian barbecue and caipirinhas(brazilian drink). We all had a great time and it felt that I was back in Brazil! ;)Enjoy the pictures!

To learn more about Carnaval, click HERE.
Great info about Brazilian barbecue HERE.
Recipe for Caipirinha, HERE.
Mari Grass cupcake topper from The TomKat Studio

Vintage Valentine's Party

For sometime now I have been in love with vintage style, so when Bird from Bird's Party contacted me asking if I would like to style a party using their new Vintage Love Birds printable, I was in heaven! Bird designed the most adorable printables that match exactly with what I had in mind.

DECOR

We had an outdoor party since the weather here in the Phoenix area has been so beautiful for the past few days. For most of the props, I already had them around my house, but I did hit a few thrift shops to find small treasures for my sweets table. The gorgeous vintage ribbon garland was made by Nancy from AtoZCelebration. I used one of my trellis to hang some mason jars filled with silk pink hydrangeas as a backdrop for my cupcake table. 

DESSERT/FOOD

I used the desk from my daughter's room to display all the yummy treats. When I think of Valentine's day, flowers and chocolate come to mind instantly! So I tried to have treats that was chocolaty. Some treats include chocolate bonbon(from Brazil), dark fudge kettle corn,oreo cakesters, strawberry chocolate filled marshmallows, love birds chocolate cupcakes and chocolate dipped puffs. Most of the goodies were store bought and I just found ways to make them look more festive!

I also had some healthy snacks like whole wheat love bird sandwiches and vegetables shots. All of the children followed the rule that they needed to eat healthy before they attacked the sweets!

I set up a large table for the girls to sit while they enjoyed the treats. I made a flower for the table's center piece out of soda cans and I also made the cute DIY vintage napping rings. The girls were trilled that they were able to use the real napkins!! I found brand new lace napkins at my local thrift shop for 30c a piece!

ACTIVITIES

Because this was a party for two different age groups(ages 8 and 12), I had 3 activities for them to choose from. The most popular one was "Steal my heart game", where the children started by removing hearts from a bowl using only their chopsticks, and then placing the candies in front of them. When time is up, the player with the most candy hearts wins. We also had a "Make a Valentine's Bracelet " and "Make You're Beary Special frames".

PARTY FAVORS
The children took home the bracelets that they made inside cute metal tins that were embellished using bird's printable, DIY pillow favor boxes and pink organza bags filled with kisses, M&M's and Hershey's Miniatures.

I also used the printable scrapbook paper, cupcake toppers, printable cut-outs and editable buffet cards from the collection to embellish the dessert table items like the white frames, the cupcakes, the wooden birds and the doily banner.

Vendors credit:

Party Styling: Crissy's Crafts 

Valentine's Printable Collection: Bird's Party

Love Birds Cupcake Topper: Edible Details 

Vintage Ribbon Garland: AtoZCelebration

Girls hairbands: Vintage Rose Wraps

Poms: Pom Flair

Surprise Tea Party

I had a small surprise tea party for my girls to celebrate Valentine's Day. My oldest daughter's  birthday is on Valentine's day so most of the time we overlook Valentine's Day. This year was different, we had a Valentine's party for their girlfriends but I wanted to do something just for us! I had to bake a few treats for the Crystal Ball (that their school holds for Valentine's Day) and I had some treats left over. So, when I found the Valentine's Shabby Chic printable from Funky Time, I knew I had to do something special for my girls. The printable matched perfectly with my china and props.  For the decorations, I reused some of the decorations from our Valentine's party like the ribbon banner and poms. I set everything up while they were at school and surprised them! We had very simple, but yummy treats like brownie hearts, shortbread cookies, red velvet cupcakes, and ham/cheese croissants.  I enjoyed a pomegranate raspberry tea and the girls had strawberry milk.  It was a simple and super affordable way to celebrate love and happiness with my girls! I think we just started a tradition!

Party Styling: Crissy's Crafts 

Free Valentine's Printable:Funky Times  via Today's Creative Blog

Vintage Ribbon Garland: AtoZCelebration

Poms: Pom Flair

 

Valentine's Game and Craft ideas

Because our Valentine's Party was for two different age groups(ages 8 and 12), I had 3 activities for them to choose from. The most popular one was "Steal my heart game", where the children started by removing hearts from a bowl using only their chopsticks, and then placing the candies in front of them. When time is up, the player with the most candy hearts wins. We also had a "Make a Valentine's Bracelet " and "Make You're Beary Special frames".

 The bracelets made by the girls! So cute!!

Game idea from: Family Fun

                   Poms: Pom Flair