DIY Pinatas

This weekend (and this upcoming week) is all about party prep. I am hosting 8 people for a Mexican Fiesta dinner party. I was so excited in planning this party that I created a pinterest board (follow me here: http://www.pinterest.com/aedepp/mexican-fiesta/). I loved the mini-pinatas I saw on Oh Happy Day's blog. I had no idea how long they would take. But I know that they will absolutely add an additional flair. Below I share my version of getting these babies done!

Step 1: Create a template - this took me a few times before I got one I liked. 

Step 2: Cut out template - I folded my cardboard paper and cut out two at once so that the front and back were identical.

Step 3: tape along edges of one template - tape is facing up on this image - I taped it while it was the other way and then lifted it.

Step 4: Cut strips about 3/4 inch thick and begin to tape to bottom template. Repeat with the top portion to create a 3-d figure.

When you are done it will look like the below two photos.

Step 5: To make the color, I used crepe paper. I cut 4 lengths about 6 inches long, stacked them and then folded them in half. I then cut small slits on the non-folded side.

Step 6: Once cut, I unfolded the paper and cut along the fold. This created strips for me.

Step 7: I used elmer's glue and wrapped the strips of crepe paper (starting at the bottom) along the legs and then moved to the body.

The completed donkey pinata is below. Not the best nor the worst and will work perfectly as VERY time consuming name cards. :)

 

These pinatas purposely do not hold candy or treats. It was more about a look versus a purpose.

House Redesign: More Sneak Peeks

If you have been following the blog, then you are aware I have been updating the design elements inside my house. I took a long break from the blog and now that I am back, I wanted to give you another sneak peek.

I decided to accent the new entry wall and the wall along the entry hall with wallpaper. I wanted something bold and eye catching but not too bright. I ended up going with this bold floral from Osborne & Little. It is beige and white with grey highlights. I absolutely love it. (White door is the front door that leads to front yard.)

 

Also in the above picture you can see the new hardwood floors. I absolutely love the color and so happy that I did it. They are a mix of jacobean and walnut. 

In the last sneak peek I shared the new circular dining table. Now for the chairs. We went for a sleek black and I love the x-back look. You will be shocked to learn that I got these from Target for $99 for two. What a steal!

In the above picture you can also see one of the new rugs. This one is grey and super soft. I got it from overstock.com and can't remember anything about it except that it was less than $300 for an 8x10.

That is all for this week. More next week!

Game Night Dinner Party

I recently hosted a Cards Against Humanity dinner party. My whole goal was to get a fun group of ladies together to play the game. But I wanted to class it up a bit - the game is super dirty - so we did a more formal dinner party. Guests all brought a main dish and we had appetizers and dessert as well. The weather has been gorgeous so I hosted cocktails and apps inside and then we went outside for dinner and game playing. This was a great choice since we stayed up until midnight laughing hysterically. I decided the colors would be black and white to match the game but add a pop of color.

Apps were placed on the dining room table. We used white craft paper on the table and black/white scrapbook paper under the plates. The plates are old and from the Target Missoni line.

 

As guests walked outside they were greeted by a decorated coffee table. We placed all of the wine bottles here during dinner. The cups, napkins, cake plate and ice bucket are all from the Oh Joy! for Target line out this past spring. The light up question mark also sold at Target and are in stores now.

 

The game itself was displayed on a side table. We used the larger plug in ? here. Also sold at Target.

 

The dining table featured paper place mats (so easy at clean up), missoni chevron plates from Target, napkins tied with ribbon to look like bows and Oh Joy! for Target cups filled with flowers and vases. We used mason jars for water and printed place cards in a chalk font.

 The entire evening was fantastic. I can't wait to throw my next party. 

Cupcake Princess First Birthday!

We recently celebrated my niece's first birthday and my sister was ready to do it up big! This being her last kid and only girl, meant lots of pink and frill. We decided to go with AndersRuff for the printables and chose their cupcake theme. You can find it here: http://shop.andersruff.com/cupcakes-paisley-birthday-party-printables?filter_name=paisley%20cupcake
Parties are best told in the pictures which you can see below. After the pictures you will see the vendor list but prior to that a few details to share.
We had a bounce house, cupcake decorating and apron decorating stations for the kids (ages 1-10). These activities seemed to keep them quite happy. And a taco guy and booze for the adults which kept us VERY happy. We used chalkboard signs to get people from the front door to the backyard. The photo booth was created for the smash cake session and was a total hit. Everyone loved watching the birthday girl get into her cake and she was not shy. We also had a lasting gift for the birthday girl - cards attendees could fill out giving her advice that she would open on her 18th birthday.

 Birthday girl!

 Birthday girl with her Auntie! Frames in photo booths are my absolute favorite!

 Above you can see the photo booth and the cupcake decorating station.

 Close-up of the decorating station.

 Wouldn't be a proper party post without a shot of my own baby!

 Decorating result. This was one of many.

 Kids refreshment center near the bounce house.

Apron decorating. The girls really spent the most time here!

A first birthday is not complete without a ton of pictures showing the growth. We had lots of fun picture banners throughout the party.

The focal table outside. I had to create the patterned ONE. It now hangs out in the birthday girls room.

Directional signs.

Smash cake set-up. So much pink!

Front door set-up.
Baby girl with her Mom and Dad!

A view into the chaos of the party.

The first taste.

The brothers getting into the action.

Smash Cake Success.

Vendors:
Party Styling: Ashley Depp/Crafty Mama www.craftynotartsy.blogspot.com
Party Printables: AndersRuff
Cupcake boxes: Nashville Wraps
Beach Balls, Aprons, Inflatable 1s: Oriental Trading Company
Pre-wrapped letters: Paper Source
Pink/Blue Martini Glasses: Target $1 center

Funfetti Cookie Dough Truffles

YUMMY! I recently made these amazing truffles and wanted to share with you all. I loved them and am actually going to use this recipe to make cake pops instead of the traditional cake pop recipe (baking a cake, crumbling and mixing with frosting). I really do not like the taste of regular cake pops.
So this recipe is super simple. I actually started by following the recipe posted by Food Fanatic (http://www.foodfanatic.com/recipes/cookie-dough-truffle-recipe/) and made a few tweaks. Below recipe includes my tweaks.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sprinkles
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

candy coating:

• Dulci Frutta candy coating - found near the strawberries in the grocery store (http://sacofoods.com/products/view/dolci-frutta)
• sprinkles

Ingredients:

 

Directions:

Beat butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Beat in sugar, flour, salt and vanilla until completely combined. Fold in sprinkles.

Scoop about a tablespoon and roll into a ball and place on a parchment paper lined freezer safe cookie sheet. Freeze truffles for about 2 hours.

Using a toothpick, dip frozen truffle into melted vanilla coating. Tap on side of bowl to remove excess.

Immediately add sprinkles for garnish.

Home Redesign: Sneak Peeks

So I am not quite ready to share the redesign but wanted to give you a few sneak peeks. The redesign is totally coming together and I am LOVING my new space. So adult. And my son is LOVING his playroom. We both have our own space that is perfectly suited to each of us.
Sneak Peek #1:
Drapes. The new space is grey but I still have my beige couch so I wanted drapes that could tie-in the past and the future. I found the perfect drapes at Pottery Barn. You can find them here:
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/shelby-geometric-linen-pole-pocket-blackout-drape/?pkey=call-windows&cm_src=all-windows||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-
Here is a very non-revealing picture:

Sneak Peek #2:
Reframed prints. I had two large prints in my space before and my decorator suggested that I get them framed similarly and hang them next to one another. After a trip to Aaron Brothers to get the black poster framed to match the mermaids, I quickly realized I needed another plan. It was going to cost me $900, WHAT? No way. So I googled frames and ended up spending $100 from pictureframes.com for something that looked similiar. Below is a sneak of the two prints hanging.

Sneak Peek #3 & #4:
The Wall and The Floor.
The biggest update for the space was to add a 6 foot wall that allowed for a focal point when you walked into the room from the front door hallway. This made me a bit worried since he would block off a lot of light. Well the wall went up and it was marvelous. I did not care how much light was blocked because it really added a sophistication to the space. Even the contractor was surprised at the impact. You can also see a peek at the wallpaper on the new wall. This should be installed at the beginning of June.

You can also see in this photo the refinished hardwood floors. This is the very first thing I did and the change was shocking. In a good way! I absolutely love the color of the floors. The richness of the color immediately classed up the joint!

I cannot wait to show you the balance of the room. It really is a spectacular transformation!

DIY: Thank You Card Gift

As I was helping my sister plan and style her daughter's first birthday, one of the tasks were to print her thank you cards from the GORGEOUS Anders Ruff printables package she purchased. After I printed the cute thank you cards, added jewels and bought the envelopes, I knew that I needed a cute way to present this to my sister.
I found a cute and CHEAP chevron portfolio at Target ($1 center) and simply placed everything inside. Below is a guide to the elements that were included and the finished product.

Items to include:
thank you cards
envelopes
pens
return address labels
stamps - custom made with my nieces face on it (stamps.com)
cupcake closure stickers

Items needed:
alphabet stickers
portfolio/case for elements

Oh Joy! for Nod

If you have followed my blog you know I am OBSESSED with Land of Nod. I am also obsessed with bloggers but that is for another post. I have been lucky enough to befriend a fabulous woman named Katie who does PR for Land of Nod. She has been so kind to include me in Southern California Nod Events.

Two weeks ago, I attended the launch of Oh Joy for Nod. Joy Cho is a blogger/designer/uber talented woman and has designed a new bedding collection for Land of Nod. You can follow her here: http://ohjoy.blogs.com/ She also just launched an awesome party line at Target. And yes, I did buy almost everything.

And now for the fabulousness of the party. I realized after I got home that I did not take any pictures of the actual bedding line (I have a boy!). The party was so well designed and the space was amazing that I completely overlooked the obvious! Oops.

The event was held at The Fig House which was designed by Emily Henderson of HGTV. I am a HUGE fan and she was in attendance but I did not have the courage to introduce myself. Star struck! lol. You can read all about her journey on the space here: http://www.fighousela.com/blog/
And now for pictures of the gorgeous and fun party!

The courtyard of the space was set-up with tents, kids toys, the Nod bus and an amazing photo booth. Here is my son holding the adorable ice cream cone pillow from the collection at the photo booth.

I love big balloons and these pink ones were in a corner and so cute against the bright walls.

Fun flowers in ice cream cones. Brillant. The cones were real and used throughout the space.

My son loving the giant balloons. Many kids were mesmerized and playing with these balloons.

Crafting Community was in attendance doing two fun crafts. Oh how I love this company!

Here is a great shot of that gorgeous emerald green couch, signage and the giant balloons. I was pretty obsessed.

The goodie bag set-up was so well styled it was difficult to keep my son away. Who doesn't love some poms?

My son and a friend enjoying the bubbles. You can see behind them the adorable Land of Nod tents set-up and the fabulous campfire pillows. Love!