Package Pom-poms How To.

One of my favorite things about giving a gift is packaging it! Here's a fun way to add a little fluff to gift giving. I make these simple pompoms like this:

* Tie up your package and leave the ends of the tied yarn long

* Loosely wind yarn around your hand. (In this case I used just three fingers because I wanted it to be a bit smaller.) For this one I wound around 15 times.

* Carefully slip the yarn off your fingers and position it on top of the loose ends on your package like this:

* Tie the loose ends up and around, pulling tightly to secure the yarn loops.

* Trim the ends to the same length as the loops

* Clip the loops and fluff the yarn to finish your pompom.

♥

I've seen pompom makers that make tight, fluffy pompoms, but I like this method for a loose and slightly messy looking pom for gift toppers. I also like to use different types of yarn in other colors to add some interest like this one that I did for my friend's baby shower.

xo

And a good time was had by all!

All the preparations were worth it! I've been working on the details for Hubby's 50th birthday party for months -- even enlisted the help of my nieces on Thanksgiving to help with decorations. You can see their paper chain on the fireplace mantel in the photo below:

I printed pictures of Doug and attached them to playing cards then stuck them on plastic forks and into each of the centerpieces. I had 100 red dice to use as confetti on the tables (this actually ended up being a functional centerpiece because our guests had a great time playing dice games). Everyone went home with a handful of dice, and we still have a ton of them left!

photo by Carrie

Oh. My. Gosh. We had SOOOO much fun!!! Everything was perfect...not one thing that I would change about last night. Family. Friends. Fun. Laughter. And I won the blackjack tournament. (Was that appropriate for me to do since I was the hostess? I felt a little embarrassed.)

Tonight I'm deliciously exhausted. I've done enough decorating and cleaning up to last me for several weeks and the thought of pulling out the Christmas decorations doesn't appeal to me at all. Don't worry, I'll get over that quickly!

********

BTW, this is my 99th post! Watch for my first blog give-away on post #100! :o)

♥

Party Prep Continues...Party Prize Bags

"Big Kid" prize bags.

You can't have a great birthday party without some games and prizes, right? Right. Since Hubby's party next weekend is a casino theme, I made these treat bags to use as prizes for game winners. Each one has a deck of cards, mints, a small bottle of schnapps, and a scratch lottery ticket.

What kinds of games, you wonder? Name Tag Poker. See, I came up with this idea and I'm thinking that it can either end up being fun and a good idea, or it could be lame and kind of a disaster. Either way, I'm trying not to be too attached to the outcome (but I do want it to be a fun mixer!).

Here's how it will work (I hope): I printed sheets of stickers to use as name tags - each sticker has a different "card" printed on it (ex. queen of hearts is: Q♥ simple). The name tags will be handed out randomly as guests arrive. After dinner at some point, I will announce that it's time for name tag poker. Guests will have 5 minutes (or 3???...) to get into small groups to create the best poker hand, based on their name tags. (Does this make sense?) The team members with the highest "hand" get prizes - the goody bags shown above.

I also have a few extra prize bags. During the night I'll have my hubby draw a random card from a deck. If your name tag matches the card he draws you win a prize bag!

Those games, plus a blackjack tournament and poker at the end of the night for my hubby and his buddies - and probably daughter (Carrie likes to play poker). It's going to be so much fun!!!

♥

Planning two parties at a time? What was I thinking?

I will not be a crazy woman.

I will not be a crazy woman.

I will not be a crazy woman.

That is my MAIN goal for the remainder of November!!!

We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year (26 guests) AND having a 50th birthday party for my hubby that same weekend (35 guests). I've been fairly well organized with my planning, keeping my main goal in mind so that I don't end up stressed out and overwhelmed in the end. eh-hm. yeah.

IT'S ONLY THREE WEEKS AWAY AND NEXT WEEKEND WE'RE GOING CAMPING SO OMG I AM SERIOUSLY RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

So. I spent a lot of time this weekend finishing up some projects for hubby's casino themed party. I strung some garland using sewing thread, hot glue, poker chips and cards. (Do you call it garland if it hangs straight down?) These will hang from the arch in our entry way the night of the party. For now it's hanging on a foam board that I'll store in the garage to keep from getting mangled between now and the party.

(always a cat in the action...)

And, I folded 36 origami box party favors to fill with candy and place on tables (my finger tips are sore!).

Bonus: I ended up with a bunch of white and red cardstock strips (scraps left over from invitations and favor boxes) that I'm saving to make paper chains to use on the fireplace mantel the night of the party. I think this will be a fun project for my nieces and me on Thanksgiving afternoon, and the red and white will work for the birthday party and carry over through Christmas. I'll definitely have some pictures to post of that. :o)

♥

I'm not spoiled, just well loved! ♥

Remember the fireplace delemma I wrote about last week? I didn't like the brown, hubby (and daughter who always takes sides with hubby) LOVED the brown. Well, we met half way and here are some before and after shots:

Before:

During: ("Meow? A ladder? I MUST climb it!!!")

After: ~gasp~

I LOVE IT!

And, hubby likes it too -- says it makes the room look bigger. Daughter hasn't seen it yet...I wonder what she'll think...

.

And, I was right! I'm really happy with the gratitude banner now too. It was a subtle change, but I think it made a big difference.

.

Note to Connie: I need you to come visit me and help put a dark glaze on the brown that's left. I'm not crazy about the shade of brown, and I think a glaze would tone it down a bit and help bring out the texture. :o)

So very grateful.

Hello, my blog-world friends!

Well, I finished the gratitude banner I've been working on and I was a bit disappointed when I strung it across our fireplace and just didn't like it. I mean, it's grown on me, and adding the fall leaf garland to the mantle above it helped, but I'm just not as happy about it as I expected to be. Maybe I should take off some of the flowers I tacked on. ??? I dunno. Any ideas/suggestions?

This fireplace needs work anyway. When we moved into this house over 4 years ago, hubby got busy painting. I wanted a brown wall in the front room, which he gave me, but to my surprise when I came home from work that day, he had also painted the fireplace brown. {"Oh. Thanks, honey...'} At the time it was ok -- we were new to the house and I figured it would grow on me.

So, I really want the brown paint to be gone...like, yesterday. Thing is, hubby really likes the brown fireplace. Confession: there's a selfish motive here. My fantasy is that I'll LOVE the GRATITUDE banner if it's on a fireplace that isn't brown. :o\

I am SOOOO grateful to have a husband like Doug. He is sweet and for the most part, very accommodating to my whims. Last year about this time I asked for a red kitchen and he delivered, even though he wasn't keen on the idea. We'll see if that's the case with the brown fireplace. Stay tuned...

♥