Mantles are not just for Christmas... In fact, if you decorate nothing else in your home, then go for the mantle piece as its usually a focal point and can instantly feel festive, whatever the occasion. And Halloween is not different! So I've gathered a few ideas to help inspire your own spooky shelfies ;)
Halloween Chocolate Bark Lollipops Recipe
If you're looking for a BOO-tiful, kid-approved treat recipe for Halloween , this is IT! Easy to make, quick, 'scary' tasty and loads of FUN for all. Trust! Plus, it only requires two ingredients , which is a major bonus in my party book.
Party Food | Italian Sausage & Ravioli Appetizer Recipe
Italian food has a very special place in my heart due to my Italian roots. To me, it's more than food - it means love, comfort, family values, tradition... I still remember to this day, being in awe of my grandmother's pasta-making skills , in her kitchen cutting tagliatelle with a knife, dusting them with semolina and hanging them to dry on a broomstick made by my granddad!
Recipe | Bite-Size Pumpkin Pies with Mascarpone Cream
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Truvia® but all photos and opinions are my own. Pumpkin pies are traditional and synonymous with Fall. But to keep things 'fresh' and a little more exciting, I always try to jazz up my traditional recipes with a little twist to bring'em bang up to date - like these dinky pumpkin pies! They're super easy and quick to make (and eat!) , look really cute and are therefore ideal for serving as a sweet appetizer or party food on Halloween, on Thanksgiving, or any other Fall celebration.
Editing a magazine is a lot like a baking a cake. Getting your tools ready, making a little mess in the process, but knowing that if you get all these different ingredients together in the right way, hopefully you'll create something drool-worthy at the end. You don't know how your recipe's gonna turn out until you get it out of the oven. The wait is also a little long, but it's all SO worth it in the end! ;)
Easy DIY Wall Art Painted Canvas
Why buy when you can DIY - that's my motto in life. So naturally, I turned to my paintbrushes when creating this large wall art canvas for my new studio bar . I wanted something big, abstract and eye catching to hang as a focal point.
The Birdie | Lychee Liqueur & Grapefruit Cocktail
TGIF! And you know what Friday means? Happy hour, of course! And to test drive my brand new studio bar , we had to create a brand new cocktail recipe! This one is supper yum, and perfect 'transition' cocktail to take you from summer (and the warm days that we're still having. Yay!) into Fall. And we call it a 'Birdie' ;)
Party Food | Apple & Cinnamon Pie Pops Recipe
Have you noticed how almost anything tastes better on a stick?! Not sure if it's the novelty of seeing our yummy recipes in bite-form; or actually a scientific reason behind it. Whatever it is, pie pops are my new Fall favorites! They are perfectly practical for serving at parties. And can we just taking a minute to appreciate how cute they look? :)
How to Style a DIY Home Bar
If you follow me on Instagram , you'd have been sneak peeks of my summer studio and office makeover. Yeah, I basically spent a good chunk of my summer with a paintbrush in hand...and although it's far from finished, I'm celebrating each little 'victory' and taking pleasure in seeing some areas come to life - like my studio bar!
White Chocolate & Rosemary Crème Brulée Recipe
We're starting the week on a sweet note. Is there a better way?! I think not ;) Especially when it concerns one of my all-time favorite desserts: Crème Brulée! Seriously, I could eat it all day long. And so for the sake of variety, and keeping this classic up to date, I like to experiment!
Peach & Berries Smoothie Bowl Recipe
Okay, so we're all settled now into a back to school or back to work routine. But are you like me, still on summer body-clock time, and feeling like "I need my pillow" every morning? Well, it may be we need something healthy and exciting to kick start our day!
The Easiest Peach & Raspberry Galette Recipe
This is quite possible, the easiest "pie" recipe I've ever made! Pastry and all. Well I say pie...but really, the shape is the typical French galette style. No fuss, rustic goodness. And that' how I like my pies! The most difficult part is waiting for it cook (and cool!) so you can start devouring ;)
Honeycomb balls are the new hot trend gracing the pages of the party blogs. You just can't miss them! Mainly because you can use them in your party or styling decor to achieve the "wow factor" without much effort or cost. Sure, they make great hanging decorations and garlands for birthdays, weddings, home decor...but today, 'funky' and 'unexpected' is the name of the party game. And here are my top favs to help inspire your next shindig!
Raspberry & Yogurt Ombré Popsicles Recipe
It's the last few days of summer vacation for us, and we're determined to squeeze out every fun moment we have! Including celebrating the every day with family and friends. 'Round here we need no special excuse for a party ;)
Snapchat. Is it for me?
Hey friends! I know it's Sunday and I don't normally post at all. But today I had the urge to just chat. Snapchat to be precise ;) It all started with the kids making Sunday Brunch today. And I thought it was so cute, and something fun to Snap!
Happy Friday, party lovas! Today we're rounding up our fav back to school party ideas and DIYs from the blog , to help you get organized, celebrate and make the transition a little easier, and a loads more FUN! ;)
DIY Bridal Shower & Wedding Decorations
I wish Pinterest was around when I got married. The amount of fun DIY inspiration and creative ideas...oh my! No matter how little or how much you're actually doing yourself, nothing beats getting stuck in, hands on. If nothing else, simply to have a keepsake or fun memory of something made with love, by you! And being able to say in years to come - "Oh this?! I made it!" ;)
This has become my go-to salad this summer. You know, the salad that you find yourself making over and over, simply because you're either: a) digging all of that gorgeous, ripe summer produce b) want something healthy but delicious to chomp on c) want a quick meal without putting the stove on d) all of the above?! ;)
Celebrate Magazine has been one of my favorites since way back when I started this blog... Always full of inspiring party ideas, delicious recipes and fun DIYs for any occasion or celebration! So you can imagine my joy and excitement when they invited me to be in their August Birthday Issue !!
Usually, when we have giveaways or contests here on the blog, we post the winner details on the giveaway post. But for our Coca-Cola® #ShareaCokeContest , I wanted to write a post apart... Mainly because it's a reeeeeally special prize, and I just spent most of my morning going through all the AMAZING Pin boards you guys linked up here!! And for that alone, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who took the time to pin their party ideas, favorite summer party photos and took the time to share them with us!! But also to say a HUGE thanks to Coca-Cola® for the fabulous prize!! :)
Blackberry, Banana and Maple Smoothie Bowl Recipe
I grew up on smoothies. My mom used to create the most weird and wonderful concoctions of fruit and veg, all blended up into a practical and nutritious drink/snack. Some flavors I loved, and some I hate to this day (hello trauma of beetroot!), but now find myself passing down my love of smoothies to my kids. And smoothie bowls are not only the latest healthy rage around, but I found it to be a super FUN and healthy snack for kids , as well as a lazy (but nutritious) breakfast option for busy gals ;) Major bonus points that they look totally Instagram worthy (wink) AND are super good for you!
Ice Cream Social Birthday Party Printables
Some of you may be already prepping for back to school, but summer's NOT over folks. And we're determined to squeeze all the sunny days and summer parties in, before Fall totally takes over... Oh, yeah! Speaking of which, I'm thinking these ice cream social printables would make a cool end of summer party, birthday bash theme or a refreshing back to school celebration . Sorry, pun intended ;)
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Nestlé by all recipes and opinions are my own. Everyone has their go-to dessert for summertime parties, BBQs and gatherings. And for me, a NO-BAKE recipe is a must! That's where the NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Morsels come in super handy - they can be enjoyed straight out of the bag! ;) And for this summer recipe with Nestlé® , I decided to turn up the volume and update my standard lemon cheese cake into little parfaits; which are super cute to serve and the perfect little treat for a summer dinner party or luncheon.
DIY Ice Cream Stand Awning for Your Party
Styling a tented stand has been on my party bucket list since ever! You know, the super cute stands complete with the mandatory awning , that you can use for SO many party themes in summer and beyond?! Like lemonade stands, ice cream stations, drinks stations , circus carnival concession stand... (You name it, and chances are; you can put an awning on it!) So for my latest Coca-Cola partnership , I decided to tick it off my list.