Garden S'mores Bar

I know you must be thinking..."another party? Didn't she just do one?" Yep! But I love it! This party was for my mother-in-law, Lynette's 50th birthday! She is so fun to love on with this party.  Ever since Nate and I started dating, I have been not only accepted but welcomed into the family.

INVITATION:

Music is an essential party of Lynette's life. She grew up playing various instruments and singing, and still does.  So that was part of our theme. I designed the invitation on Adobe Illustrator but ran out of room for my RSVP. So I used bakers twine and a tag. I think it turned out great!

ENTRANCE:

The other part of our theme was kind of "garden party style."  My father-in-law and sons worked really hard fixing up the yard for her special night.  We hung lights all around.  If you saw a previous post, you know I am obsessed with backyard canopy lights.

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION:

Lynette is very similar to me in that she feels very loved by words of affirmation. I made a frame that said "Write your favorite thing about Lynette."  We had people use clothes pins to hang them on the lattice. Oh...and her favorite color is purple, so of course we used purple pens.

We also had a few people share a favorite memory with Lynette.  I think she felt very loved.

 S'MORES BAR:

The s'mores bar was a hit. So many people said "I don't remember the last time I had a s'more."

My wonderfully creative sister-in-law, Jenalyn, made the cutest pennants out of sheet music, 

as well as the tassel garland to add color to the tables. 

I created a S'mores instructions frame for those who had forgotten. 

I wrapped candles in music paper to decorate the table.  

We had honey, chocolate, and cinnamon graham crackers, PLUS striped cookies.

I made a s'mores menu to encourage people to try different combinations. 

For candy, we had Hershey's Milk Chocolate, Hershey's with Almonds, Reese's, and Kit Kat.

We also had toppings: multi-colored sprinkles, coconut and banana.

We had three different types of marshmallows: chocolate, original, and mint.

I really loved hearing all the different combinations people came up with. 

Some were even making up names for them...smurnutter?

DECOR:

My sister-in-law made some awesome banners to hang along the fence with doilies along with lights

People roasted their marshmallows AT THEIR TABLES! We used Terra Cotta pots, filled with a little sand, and cans of Sterno Chafing Fuel. We used wood skewers

In between the pots we put mason jars filled with babies breath. I wrapped them in music papers and tied twine around it.

FRIENDS:

This party was the perfect atmosphere for people to just relax and chat. 

We did have a "Name that Tune" game with some of Lynette's favorite songs.  

 

We put a candle in a marshmallow on top of a striped cookie!  One of the things I loved most about this party was how perfect it was for Lynette. It was fun coming up with ways to love her on her birthday!

BIG thank you to the whole family! It was an awesome team effort and I couldn't have done it without you. God blessed me with incredible in-laws!

Mom's Birthday Pots

I love lovin' through personal, thoughtful, diy gifts and I love lovin' on my mom!

For my mom's birthday, my family was staying down at my uncle's beach house in Newport Beach.  We don't get a lot of exclusive family time so it was very cherished.  I was scouring Pinterest trying to come up with an idea for a gift and came across leaning pot tower.  

http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/2012/03/diy-garden-planter-birds-bath.html

I had the brilliant idea to turn it into a family craft, each of us decorating our own pot. 

So I went to Lowes and bought one 12" tera cotta pot for Mom and four 10" pots for Dad, Lindsey (sister), Nate and I.  Michaels had sponge brushes and outdoor acrylic paint. I brought pencils and paints I had at home as well. 

Really couldn't beat the view for craft time!  And except for sunburned shoulders everyone really had a blast, even some who are self acclaimed "not artistic."  Every pot is so unique to each person which makes the completed project so perfect!

My sister decided to splatter paint hers.  She painted the bottom white and the rim with chalkboard paint in hopes to write messages on it.  Then she picked a few colors and flicked away.  It was quite fun to watch.  It turned out so great!

I did a watermelon pot.  It is so nice not being a perfectionist because with those sponges I couldn't be too precise.

My husband (who IS a perfectionist) did a robot portrait.  This was only a couple weeks after his grad party if you saw that post.  I am so jealous of his ability to be great with both sides of his brain!

Birthday girl (mom) did greens and whites with hearts. Beautiful job!

Since we were staying at the beach house my dad decided to go with a lighthouse theme. It took one of the decor pieces and then sketched it onto the pot.  He even got into the details with birds and clouds and the ocean.  Very impressed.

Here is the completed project in my parents' backyard.  I bought a 6 foot piece of rebar at Lowes and put it about a foot and a half in the dirt. The large pot (mom's) went on the bottom with the rebar going through the center hole.  My dad filled that one with potting soil and tilted the next pot.  He figured out the if he filled a little bit of the bottom corner of each pot with rocks it helped with the water flow.  For the rest of the pots, simply put the rebar through the bottom hole and lean it to the side.  I was so excited to see it completed.  It turned out exactly as I had hoped. My mom put it in front of the window above the sink, so she will smile while doing dishes.

I love you mom!