Two Year Blogaversary

23rd Apr2013

Two Year Blogaversary

by Dinah Wulf

Woo hoo! With well over 500 blog posts published and a community that has grown to be over fifteen thousand, I can’t believe it’s been two short years already. Last year I did a One Year Blogaversary Awards and Honorable Mentions. I thought I’d do it again combining both years. As with last year, the winners are chosen by social media shares, “likes”, email inquiries, pins, and more.

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Most Popular Recycled Craft: Book Page Butterfly Wreath

I made this wreath out of items I already had (wire hanger, book pages, branches from my back yard), so I didn’t spend a dime on it. Who knew it would be so popular!

Honorable Mention Recycled Craft: Coffee Filter Flowers

Another project I made without buying any new supplies. This is probably one of the easiest crafts I’ve EVER done. They are still displayed in my living room today!

Most Popular Kid’s Stuff Post: Reading Nook for Kids

I loved this project made from a free frame and photo ledges. More importantly, it encourages my daughter to read. We have read 4-5 books every night since I put it together.

Honorable Mention Kid’s stuff Post: Repurposed Plant Hanger Toy Storage

Originally a hanging centerpiece at a garden inspired birthday party, I turned this plant hanger I found in the trash into a fun and whimsical storage bin for my daughters small stuffed animals.

Most Popular Upcycling Idea: Map Covered Drawers

By covering my craft room craft drawers with maps, it instantly transformed my otherwise boring white drawers.

Most Popular Round-Up Post: Top 15 Recycled Crafts of 2012

These are my top and favorite recycled crafts by yours truly… the best of 2012.

Most Popular Theme Party: Candy Land Theme Party

This is the most visited post to date; a fabulous candy land party by my best friend Jenny that I had to break up into two posts! Make sure you read both!

Honorable Mention Theme Party: Hello Kitty Theme Party

This is also one that I get a ton of emails about. It’s fun Hello Kitty themed party filled with ideas for games, activities, and decorations by my friend Maily.

Most Popular Halloween Post: Headless Man and Headless Woman Costume

Back again this year! I have a feeling this post will reign as the most popular Halloween post every year.

Honorable Mention Halloween Post: Hello Kitty Pumpkin

I had this pumpkin forever! Who knew that an un-carved pumpkin would last so long? I changed her hat from a Halloween witch to a pilgrim for Thanksgiving and then to Santa for Christmas.

Most Popular Kid’s Craft: Recycled Christmas Card Ornament

Need an idea for all those Christmas cards you get every year? Here it is! This is a fun craft project you can do with the kiddos at Christmas time.

Most Popular Christmas Post: Hanging Pinecones Wreath

After going on a hike and collecting the largest pinecones in the neighborhood, I made this lovely pinecone hanging wreath that I kept and will use every Christmas.

Most Popular YouTube Video: Owl Themed Party Decorations

I started a YouTube channel this year and these Owl themed decorations I made for my cousin’s birthday were my most viewed.

Honorable mention YouTube Video: DIY Address Wreath

I was honored to be a part of Joann Fabric’s Creativity Made Simple campaign. Here is a tutorial I did for making an address wreath with fabric flowers for your front door.

Arrowhead Holiday Water Bottles

by Dinah Wulf

Did you know about Arrowhead® 100% Mountain Spring Water’s ReBorn™ Bottle made with 50% recycled plastic? By recycling more, you’re helping us get closer to our goal of making our 500mL ReBorn™ bottles with 100% recycled plastic! This isn’t Arrowhead’s first environmental initiative. And it won’t be our last. In fact, Arrowhead has a long history of treating Mother Nature right.

The new Reborn bottle material that can be recycled again and again, so there is no end to its usefulness.
Arrowhead preserves and protects their carefully selected natural spring sources (and acres surrounding them) to sustainable sourcing of our waters
Arrowhead uses LEED certified facilities to utilizing wind turbines for renewable energy
Arrowhead is constantly improving packaging

Join Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water in the recycling movement today!

I am so excited to have partnered up with Arrowhead in this recycling movement. I wanted to share some creative ways to use plastic water bottles. I had made this pineapple candy holder to give away as a gift but with St. Patrick’s Day and Easter coming up, thought I’d make some cute water labels for the get-togethers I’ll be attending.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Arrowhead® 100% Mountain Spring Water’s ReBorn™ Bottle
Scrapbook paper
Ribbon
Holiday stickers
Circle craft punch
Tape or glue

I cut 9”X1.5” strips of paper or ribbon to fit around the Arrowhead bottle label and used tape to secure it. I embellished the bottle with stickers and used circle craft punches for the medallion in the center. These are inexpensive and easy to make and will add a little extra fun and personality to your St. Patrick’s Day and Easter get-together.

Join me and show your support for Arrowhead’s recycling efforts! Before you leave I want to share this interesting infographic!

A big THANK YOU to Arrowhead for sponsoring today’s post!

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Holidays

Tags : Easter Ideas, Party Ideas, Recycling Ideas, Sponsored, St. Patrick's Day

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13th Mar2013

Lego Birthday Party

by Dinah Wulf

I have another fabulous theme party to share with you by one of my best friends, Maily Cano. You may have seen here Hello Kitty Party, her Purple and Pink Masquerade Party, or her Red and Black Anniversary Party on DIY Inspired before. This time she converted her office into a colorful Lego Birthday Party wonderland for her nephew. She always pays great attention to detail, transforming the party space completely. Thanks AGAIN, Maily for sharing this! <3

Written By Maily Cano

I hosted a Lego themed birthday party for my nephew at my business. I bought plastic table covers from the $0.99 store and stapled them onto the walls, using a different color for each wall. I then printed the Lego logos on colored construction paper that matched the walls.

Using a circle cutter, which you can get at any crafts store, I cut the logos into circles. Trust me, the circle cutter will be an invaluable investment for this project.

I also created take away gift bags and affixed the same Lego logos to the front, making them look like Lego pieces. And since this was party was hosted at my office, I had office supplies (fax machines, files, cabinets) that didn’t go with the theme. To remedy that, I boxed up all of the items and wrapped them in various colors, again attaching Lego logos to also turn them into Lego pieces.

The final result was a fantastic and colorful Lego themed party that any kid, young or old, would love.

All Lego Party photos were taken by Brendan Cao Photography.

For more Lego party inspiration, check out how to make Lego marshmallow pops, DIY Ninjago invitations, and some other Lego party ideas.

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Category : DIY Budget Party

Tags : Birthday Party Ideas, Maily Cano, Party Favor Ideas, Party Ideas, Theme Party Ideas

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04th Mar2013

How To Throw a Party

by Dinah Wulf

If you are throwing a party for adults, whether it’s a birthday, an engagement do, a housewarming, an office bash or anything in-between, you want to make sure it’s remembered for all the right reasons and that everybody has a good time. So, make your party stand out from the rest with some little suggestions that should make it a fantastic event for all involved. Here are a few tips on How To Throw a Party.

First and most importantly are the invitations. Make your own invitations right and you are halfway there. There’s no point in throwing the most fabulous party there has ever been, only for no one to turn up because they didn’t have enough notice. Make sure you get your invitations sorted and sent out in plenty of time so that people with responsibilities such as work, children or just hectic lives in general can make arrangements so that they’re able to come.

Making your own invitations is a wonderful way to add a personalised touch and will make them stand out. It will also save you money if you can make your own invitations, so give it a go and get crafty! Use whatever theme you go for in your invitations to decorate the house with as well. If you’ve got kids, get them involved in making things like bunting and table decorations, turning a money-saving tactic into a fun, family activity to stop the kids getting bored! Here is an example of a DIY Owl decoration.

Obviously any party needs plenty of food and drink, but a good idea is to have a theme running through this as well. So you could go for an Australian theme if someone is emigrating and make sure the invites and party decorations match the food and drink on offer or a hearts and flowers theme for an engagement; whatever is suitable for the occasion. Here are some fun party theme ideas to get some inspiration.

Finally, some entertainment is what really makes a party memorable, whether it’s a band, a magician or, for something really different, you could arrange for everyone to have a tarot card reading! Do some research into online clairvoyant readings to find out what’s available for parties and events.

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Category : DIY Budget Party

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Bridal Shower Ideas, DIY Invitations, DIY Tips, Party Ideas, Theme Party Ideas

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27th Feb2013

Conan O’Brien Glasses

by Dinah Wulf

I often take for granted the many fun activities there are to do here in sunny California. I am always reminded when I have friends from my hometown come to visit. Last week, my friends and I attended a taping of Conan O’Brien (it was the one with Snooki and Jwoww). Of course, we HAD to set ourselves apart from the rest of the audience. So we decided to make Conan O’Brien Glasses.

My friend purchased orange sunglasses (Conan’s signature color) from a discount department store for $2.00 apiece. What a steal!

Her husband and my long-time friend is the owner of Custom Concepts, a signage and graphics business. He designed and printed Conan’s hair, eyes, and nickname, Coco onto an adhesive vinyl. The eyes and nickname had tiny holes in it so that you could cover the lenses and still see through them.

Each of us attending the taping had a craft day and made our own glasses. We even made a “blinged” out rhinestone pair for Conan himself. For the hair, we stuck the sticker onto cardboard and cut them out.

The material made it easy to smooth out.

For the eyes and the nickname, we stuck them directly on the lenses and used a craft knife to trim the edges.

Here are all five pairs of glasses we made.

These are us being complete dorks and messing around and “modeling” in them!

We had a fantastic time making them and attending the taping. We had an audience page give the rhinestone pair to Conan. They were a hit with the staff and fellow audience members. A few couldn’t believe that we made them!

This is a great activity to do with kids (or adults!). Consider making fun glasses like these for a birthday party activity or kid’s craft!

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Category : Crafts, Kids Craft Ideas

Tags : Dinah's Tutorials, Gift Ideas, Party Favor Ideas, Party Ideas, Theme Party Ideas

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20th Feb2013

Fun and Fruity #LiptonGirlsNight Cocktail Recipes

by Dinah Wulf

I am a very lucky girl to have a core group of girlfriends I’ve known for many years! Now that we are all busy moms, it is vital for us to schedule a girls night out every once in a while to catch up on the latest gossip and take a break from the kiddos. Our resident libations specialist, David from our Cocktail Corner, tested and put together some fun and fruity Lipton Iced Tea inspired tasty concoctions with Lipton 100 Calorie Half & Half (Tea & Lemonade) or Lipton Diet Green Tea Honey Ginseng for our next outing. My favorite is the Exotic Fruit Tea because I love mango and lychee…yum! Here are five fabulous cocktail recipes for your next girl’s night out.

Strawberry Coconut Dream

1¼ oz. Coconut Rum
½ oz. Strawberry Purée
4 oz. Lipton 100 Calorie Half & Half (Tea & Lemonade)

Add the rum, purée and iced tea. Stir thoroughly, taste and adjust sweetness if needed; garnish with a sprig of mint.

Exotic Fruit Tea

1¼ oz. Mango Rum
½ oz. Lychee liqueur
4 oz. Lipton Diet Green Tea Honey Ginseng

Add the rum, liqueur and iced tea. Stir thoroughly, taste and adjust sweetness if needed; garnish with a slice of lemon.

A Pear of Peaches

1¼ oz. Pear Vodka
½ oz. Peach liqueur
4 oz. Lipton Diet Green Tea Honey Ginseng

Add the vodka, liqueur and iced tea. Stir thoroughly, taste and adjust sweetness if needed; garnish with a slice of lemon and sprig of mint.

Black Cherry Ginseng

1¼ oz. Black Cherry Vodka
½ oz. Peach liqueur
4 oz. Lipton Diet Green Tea Honey Ginseng

Add the vodka, liqueur and iced tea. Stir thoroughly, taste and adjust sweetness if needed; garnish with a sprig of mint.

Fruity Lipton Paradise

1¼ oz. Citrus Vodka
½ oz. Peach liqueur
5 Blueberries
4-6 Mint Leaves
4 oz. Lipton 100 Calorie Half & Half (Tea & Lemonade)

Muddle the berries and mint leaves in a glass. Add the vodka, liqueur and iced tea. Stir thoroughly, taste and adjust sweetness if needed; garnish with a slice of lemon and sprig of mint.

So are you ready for your next girls night out, or should I say girls night in in with your new entertainment room?

What do you like to do on your girls night out?

Everyone loves a girl’s night in and 2013 is my year to mix it up! Whether I am sharing unique, new recipes with friends, finding new ways to entertain or fun ways to stay active, I can’t wait to have more girl’s nights in this year.

Lipton Iced Tea and Dance Central 3 have teamed together to host the ‘Game On’ sweepstakes so you too can take your next girl’s night in to the next level. Enter to win one of four ultimate entertainment room makeovers which include a new Samsung TV, sound system, Xbox 360 Kinect bundle and console, Dance Central 3 and more! Find out how here.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton Iced Tea. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Category : Cocktail Corner

Tags : David Edessa, Party Ideas, Sponsored, Spring, Summer

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07th Feb2013

12 DIY Theme Party Ideas

by Dinah Wulf

Looking back at my past 22 months of blogging, I noticed that my party theme ideas get a lot of love in the social media world. I decided to put together this round-up of 12 DIY Theme Party Ideas. These parties have been liked, shared, and pinned often and I also get several emails about them too. Each link has the full details for each party and some parties have more than one post.

Animal Print Tween Party

This is a collection of easy decorating ideas including food labels, paper medallions, and glittered wild animals perfect for the favorite tween in your life.

Butterfly Garden Party

A whimsical outdoor butterfly inspired party complete with DIY decorating tutorials, hot dog bar and recipes, and cupcake decorating station ideas.

Candy Land Party

A fun candy filled board game inspired party with life sized game board, peppermint, gumdrop, chocolate, and lollipop woods.

Carnival or Circus Theme Party

A true birthday carnival complete with DIY game ideas including ring toss, balloon darts, baseball toss, costume photo station and popcorn centerpieces.

Cherry Themed Party

A baby shower perfect for a mommy expecting twins. This posts shows giant cherries, adorable party favors, and decorating ideas.

Colorful First Birthday

With Elmo as the special guests, this first birthday party has colorful inspirations to fit and type of party.

Golf Themed Party

This party was for a co-ed baby boy shower; however these navy and green party ideas are great for father’s day or for any golf lover.

Hello Kitty Party

One of the most shared theme parties in the social media world, this Hello Kitty party is all pink with ideas for games, dancing, dress up, and more for both boys and girls.

Mickey Mouse Party

Inspired by red, black, yellow, and polka dots, this party has ideas for Mickey Mouse sweet treats and food serving ideas.

Owl Themed Party

This cute owl themed party has tutorials on how to make your own owl invitations, party banner, and centerpieces.

Poker Party or Casino Night

This budget friendly party shows you how to use a regular pack of playing cards in your party décor with tutorials on how to make playing card drink umbrellas and personalized poker chip party favors.

Wine Tasting Party

Probably the most popular theme party on DIY Inspired, this party has tutorials for DIY wine charms, invitations, wine tasting rules, and bridal shower games.

I hope you enjoyed my 12 DIY Theme Party Ideas round-up! Which one is your favorite???

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Category : DIY Budget Party

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Bridal Shower Ideas, DIY Invitations, Party Favor Ideas, Party Ideas, Theme Party Ideas

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28th Dec2012

Kids Craft Ideas New Year’s Noise Makers

by Dinah Wulf

Ever since I had my little nugget, New Year’s Eve hasn’t been quite the same. Since it is extremely difficult to find a baby sitter on this popular night out, we have had to fit our little one into our New Year’s Eve party plans. My friends who also have young kids will likely get together to celebrate the New Year at one of our homes. To keep the little ones busy, I decided to think of some kids craft ideas. This year, I thought it’d be fun to make New Year’s noise makers out of recycled items from around the house to help ring in the New Year.

Step One:

Gather your recycled containers. Any plastic or cardboard box will work. Make sure it’s small enough for little hands to hold and shake. Check the kitchen, bathroom, and pantry. I used a cracker box, soup can, medicine box, and aspirin bottle.

Step Two:

Gather your embellishments. Think vibrant, glittery, metallic, and bright…anything fun for the New Year! I used glittered animal print scrapbook paper, neon paper, and glittered craft foam numbers.

Step Three:

Gather your noise making materials. Look for anything around the house. I used bottle caps, paper clips, elbow macaroni noodles, and coins. The bottle caps make a nice chime sound in small cardboard boxes.

Step Four:

Gather some basic craft materials like glue, tape, scissors, rulers, pencils, and craft punches and let the kids have at it! My daughter loved helping me. She is learning to count so she had a great time counting each macaroni noodle or bottle cap and putting them in the box.

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Holidays, Kids Craft Ideas, Special Occasions

Tags : Birthday Party Ideas, Dinah's Tutorials, New Years, Party Ideas, Recycling Ideas, Theme Party Ideas

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14th Dec2012

Top Tips to Set your Table for Christmas

by Dinah Wulf

One of the biggest parts of Christmas is Christmas dinner. The big Christmas meal is often seen as more important than the decorations and the presents, and this is usually because it’s a chance to over-indulge and enjoy time with the entire family.

However, if there’s one way to spoil a Christmas dinner it’s by not setting your table properly.

Why?

- Because people won’t have enough elbow room.

- Because there may not be space for all the side dishes and accompaniments.

- Because there’s a higher risk of drinks being spilt or plates being knocked off tables when things get crowded.

What’s the right way to set your table this Christmas then?

There’s definitely an art to setting your table just right, but once you’ve got it down pat you won’t have any problems ever again.

So, if you want to get your table just right this Christmas, implement the following tips:

Image was used by permission under the Creative Commons Licence courtesy of Fotopedia.

- Pick a theme

Picking a theme for your Christmas dinner will help you to bring everything together perfectly. Your theme could be based on absolutely anything – different colours, contemporary or old fashioned cookware, etc.

Image was used by permission under the Creative Commons Licence courtesy of Christmas Stock Images.

- Provide the right cutlery

If you’re planning on serving a starter, a main meal and a dessert, you should provide cutlery for each of these courses. This will stop you from needing to jump up and retrieve additional cutlery for everyone at the end of each course, and it can also add a formal touch to your meal.

As a general rule, place dinner knives and forks closest to the plates, then knives, forks or spoons for starters, and dessert spoons or forks on the outside. This means your dinner guests can work from the outside in when choosing their cutlery. Also, include soup spoons if you’re serving soup.

- Consider using a hostess tray

If your dinner table isn’t very big, you don’t have to rush out and buy a new one just to make sure everything fits on it. Rather than crowding your table with multiple plates full of roast potatoes, turkey, Brussels sprouts and other dishes, think about investing in a hostess tray.

You can use this to transport your dishes from the kitchen to the dining room and can also store them on it while everyone’s eating. Not only will this free up space on your table, but you can also use it to take all of the dirty dishes back to the kitchen after the meal!

Image was used by permission under the Creative Commons Licence courtesy of Mo Barrett.

- Set out napkins

Christmas dinner is bound to get messy with all the food available, so always set out napkins for your guests and have some spare as well.

- Offer wine glasses and water glasses

Give your guests wine and water glasses so that they can enjoy a sip of refreshing water and a quick tipple at dinner.

Image was used by permission under the Creative Commons Licence courtesy of Christmas Stock Images.

- Remember the Christmas crackers!

Christmas dinner is all about having fun and enjoying a great meal with close family and friends, so Christmas crackers are a must! Place them over dinner plates to ensure your guests know which one is theirs.

Christmas dinner may take hours to prepare and cook, but your guests will take just minutes in devouring it! Make sure your table is set properly to make sure everyone enjoys their meal.

This article was written by Britannia Living, a UK company selling everything from cooker hoods to cream range cookers from Britannia Living.

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Category : DIY Budget Party

Tags : Christmas, Guest Author, Party Ideas, Sponsored

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21st Nov2012

Lego Theme Party Ideas

by Dinah Wulf

My brother purchased the Lego Haunted House this year for Halloween and I got inspired to write this pot. Even though most the Lego theme parties I see are for boys, I LOVE Legos and I’m hoping Mia, my daughter will one day love Legos too! If that day comes and she wants to have a Lego theme party, I’ve put together some fabulous ideas I’ve found on Pinterest and out there in the blogosphere. Here are some fun DIY Lego theme party ideas that I hope you enjoy! The links I provided are full details of each amazing party.

Decorations:

What I love about Legos is that they are so bright and colorful. When decorating for a party, just think of bold primary colors, black, and white. Check out this amazing Lego Dessert Table Display, complete with free printables, this elaborate display was made with gift wrapped juice drink boxes.

I love this Lego Wall Art made from colorful scrapbook paper. It’s such a creative yet inexpensive idea that makes a big impact.

Who says you have to buy all your party decorations. This Lego utensil holder is made of… you guessed it…Legos! What else can you make?

I love this soap dispenser for the bathroom! What a great idea!

Goodies:

There are so many great Lego food and goodie ideas. I have actually done a tutorial for easy Lego marshmallow pops in the past. Here are some tasty looking Lego cookies.

More Lego cookies!

How fun is this Lego Jello?

Favors:

Check out these cute Lego gift bags. You can purchase regular gift bags and add circles with scrapbook paper.

These adorable Lego Jars and made out of recycled baby food jars. Fill them with Legos or candy and you have the perfect party favor.

Check out this dessert display with colorful gumballs and clear square boxes. Add a themed label and they are perfect to take home.

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Kid Stuff

Tags : Birthday Party Ideas, Party Favor Ideas, Party Ideas, Party Treats, Theme Party Ideas

4 Comm

02nd Nov2012

Whimsical Monogram Sign

by Dinah Wulf

Yesterday I posted about some decorations I made for the Baptism of my God Daughters (Yes! Twins!). These decorations aren’t exclusive to a baptism; rather some of the ideas can be used for a baby or bridal shower too. I wanted to share more pictures but, specifically, a whimsical monogram sign that my best friend Jennifer and I made. For this sign we used:

Wooden monogram letters for each baby
3.5”, 3”, and 2” circle punch
Scrapbook Paper
Fishing line
Wooden frame
Staple gun and staples

I first did the tedious task of punching out circles, two for each side, and laid them out in a pattern.

Using fishing line, Jen attached each line of circles using double sided tape. She carefully attached the monograms using the fishing line inside the frame as well. She attached each end using a staple gun. Here are photos. It was so hard to take good photographs to capture how cute it was! I STILL need to take that photography class!!

Here are some other photos of the party as well. Jennifer used all the decorations I made as well as some apothecary jars filled with natural fillers, balls, and shells to go with the theme. I filled the burlap shell jars I made with flowers fresh cut from my front yard.

We had a wonderful time and I am officially the proud God Mother of two beautiful twin baby girls!

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Special Occasions

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Bridal Shower Ideas, Dinah's Tutorials, Jennifer Hostetler, Party Ideas, Theme Party Ideas

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08th Oct2012

Golf Themed Baby Shower

by Dinah Wulf

This time last year I helped one of my best friends with her wine tasting bridal shower. Almost exactly one year later, I helped co-host her baby shower! This baby shower, I’d have to say, was one of the most fun that I have helped decorate for to date. The Mommy-to-be requested a co-ed golf themed baby shower and that’s what we gave her!

Let’s start with the ambiance! It was located at a family member’s house. Bushes meticulously trimmed and full of flowers, this back yard was the perfect setting. We rented three round tables with tan linen and used black chairs. The food was set up under the covered patio, and the bar was full with wine, a margarita machine, and a fully stocked bar.

For the centerpieces, I used a plastic green “putting green” from my daughter’s butterfly garden party and filled ribbon trimmed apothecary jars with golf balls and golf tees. On my computer I made golf balls with the couple’s last name as the brand of the ball. I also cut and arranged fresh white flowers in recycled jars for some of the guests to take home. I made golf themed signs and made a flag to adorn the flower arrangement with.

The food was done by the Mommy-to-be’s family. They made the most adorable fruit basket out of a watermelon to look like a baby in a carriage complete with a pacifier! We served delicious Mexican food, fresh fruit and vegetables, several dips, and cheese and crackers. For dessert we have cupcakes and three kinds of pie.

For the favors, I embellished small white boxes and filled them with Ghirardelli sea salt chocolates. I made a diaper cake and diaper cupcakes as the centerpiece. With ribbon and circle punch, I made a “congrats” sign.

Hope you enjoyed this golf themed baby shower! It was a blast!

Have you signed up for my emails? I’d love it if you did!

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Sweets and Treats

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Centerpieces, Father's Day, Party Ideas, Theme Party Ideas

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19th Sep2012

Summer 2012 Project Round Up

by Dinah Wulf

September 22^nd is the first day of fall! I wanted to end the summer with a recap of some of my favorite DIY Inspired’s summer projects and party inspiration. Here is my top eight summer 2012 Project Round Up.

Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath – Full step by step photo tutorial for a wreath I made out of an old book, a coat hanger, and branches from my back yard.
DIY Cake Stand – Make your own cupcake stand or party serving tray with thrift store finds.
Owl Themed Invitations – A detailed step by step tutorial and YouTube video on how to make these adorable invitations with moving wings for an owl themed party. This is perfect for a baby shower or kid’s birthday party.
Summer Birthday Party – A butterfly and garden inspired birthday party complete with a cupcake decorating station and stacked hot dog bar and hot dog recipe suggestions. Also check out a short three minute YouTube video of the complete party details.
Stenciled Butterfly Wall Art – An easy way to upcycle an old unwanted painting with burlap, stencils, and butterflies perfect for a little girls bedroom.
Junk Drawer Crafts – Make magnets out of bottle caps, paint color swatches, Scrabble tiles, and old plastic gift cards, perfect for stocking stuffers or a fundraising event.
Repurposed Plant Hanger – A whimsical butterfly inspired chandelier made out of a unwanted plant hanger.
Recycled Jar Tea Light – Make your own tea light lanterns out of recycled jars and burlap for less than $1.

I had so much fun this summer creating these projects. These were just eight of my favorites. I’m looking forward to the fall and the upcoming Holidays!

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Category : Crafts

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Bridal Shower Ideas, Dinah's Tutorials, DIY Burlap Crafts, Mason Jar Crafts, Party Ideas, Recycled Book Pages, Recycling Ideas, Theme Party Ideas, Upcycling Ideas

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17th Sep2012

Golf Themed Baby Shower Sneak Peek

by Dinah Wulf

One of my best friends is having a baby boy (yay!) and she asked me to help with the decorations for a Golf Themed Co-ed Baby Shower. The shower is not for several weeks but I wanted to show you this Golf Themed Baby Shower Sneak Peek. If you know me you’d know that I am far from being a procrastinator. I’ve always been that way. My term papers in high school and college were drafted, revised, and completed days before the deadline. In my career I was obsessed with hitting goals early in the month. I guess you could say that I’m a bit anal retentive, always needing to be in control, and getting this started and finished early gives me that control. As a result, I started the decorations for this party very early.

I decided to use the grass mats I used for my Butterfly Garden Party I had for my daughter’s birthday party. I thought they’d make a cute putting green. I bought some fun green and navy blue pinstriped and argyle decorative paper and made a few signs that say, “Daddy’s Little Caddy”, “Titleist in the Making”, “It’s a boy”, and “Let’s Par Tee.”

I gathered some small apothecary jars and filled them with golf balls and golf tees. By the way, if you decide to do a golf theme party like this, purchase the plastic practice balls versus actual golf balls. It’ll save you so much money! I found them at Walmart. They were less than $2 for a dozen golf balls.

We are playing a few games. One of them is the baby food game (pictured above) where each person has to guess what food is in the jar by smelling it. The person who has the most correct wins a prize.

I can’t wait to show you the rest of it! Stay tuned!

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Category : DIY Budget Party

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Party Ideas, Theme Party Ideas

5 Comm

23rd Aug2012

Circus Theme Party Ideas

by Dinah Wulf

One of my most popular posts is the carnival circus theme party my best friend Jenny did. I get emails all the time about how she made the centerpieces, games, and decorations. With so much imagination and creativeness out there, I thought I’d share some more circus theme party ideas I have come across. These are such great and simple decorating, favor, and entertainment party ideas that anyone can do for little cost. Here we go!

This is so cute! There are so many ideas in this site but this one caught my eye. I believe it is marshmallows to look like popcorn!

What a spread on this vintage inspired circus party! It’s fabulous!

These goldfish favors are a very cute, simple, and inexpensive favor idea by Thoughtfully Simple.

Other ideas from Thoughtfully Simple are these cute hot dog stand with easy to grab chips and a photo booth… just like the real circus!

This is also a great colorful and tasty circus party favor idea. I’ve seen these plastic popcorn buckets in the $1 bins and several retail stores.

You can’t have a circus themed party if you don’t have red clown noses! This is a clever and fun idea.

If you’re stuck indoors, this is a smart solution for a big top feel. Use plastic party table cloths or streamers to get the full effect.

I hope you try these out! I’d love it if you came back to share it if you do!

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Category : DIY Budget Party

Tags : Birthday Party Ideas, Centerpieces, Jennifer Hostetler, Party Favor Ideas, Party Ideas, Party Treats, Theme Party Ideas

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14th Aug2012

Owl Party Decorations Video Tutorial

by Dinah Wulf

OK, here we go. I decided it might be fun to try doing YouTube video tutorials. THIS IS MY FIRST ONE…AHHHHH! Don’t ask me why this is so nerve racking to share. Shyness? Insecurity? Fear? All of the above…

Seeing yourself in a video is weird. I do recall that when I was 12 years old, I somehow got sucked into doing a local commercial for WIC. They made me the token pregnant teenager and my line was, “I’m a pregnant teen and I love the peanut butter.” Uh, what? Anyway, it was weird then and it’s weird now but here is goes!

I wanted to start with something simple. This is a tutorial for the Owl Party Decorations I posted earlier. I just wanted to get your honest feedback on it! By the way, this will suck up 6 minutes of your time so BEWARE!

Thanks in advance for sticking it out and watching!

P.S. If you don’t know me (I mean know me know me), I sound like I’m still 12 years old…

P.P.S. Here is what they look like:

Owl Party Decorations Video Tutorial

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Category : Crafts, DIY Budget Party

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Dinah's Tutorials, Party Ideas, Theme Party Ideas, Video

7 Comm

06th Aug2012

Summer Birthday Party Food and Drink

by Dinah Wulf

Since I had so much to share for my daughter’s birthday party I broke the posts into: Summer Birthday Party Sneak Peek, Summer Birthday Party Decorations, and today’s post Summer Birthday Party Food and Drink. Let’s get to it!

Food

We had a hot dog bar complete with all the toppings, sauces, and recipe suggestions. Here are the Hot Dog Recipes I used:

LA Mexican- Jalapenos and bacon
Texas- BBQ, cheddar, onions
New York- mustard and sauerkraut
Coney Island- chili, mustard, onion
Southern- ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles, chili
Chicago- mustard, relish, tomatoes, onions, pickles, peppers, celery salt
Hawaiian- ham, pineapple, onion, mayo
Southwest- Corn, olives, cheese, onions, ranch
Mia- EVERYTHING!

For sides I served potato salad, fruit skewers, party mix, chips, pretzels, jello with whipped cream, and cookies.

Drinks

I used a dresser to display the drinks. I also kept the extra hot dog buns and chips in the drawers for easy access. I simply made lemonade with sliced lemons, and strawberry lemonade with sliced strawberries. I also have a jug of ice water on hand and a bottle of citrus vodka if the adults wanted to add a little kick to their drinks!

Decorate Your Own Cupcake

This station was a hit because it doubled as an activity for the kids. It also made it cheap and easy to get plain non decorated cupcakes. The topping I put out were chocolate chips, mini M&M’s, marshmallows, mini Oreos, gum drops, and chocolate balls. I also had caramel, chocolate, raspberry sauces and whipped cream.

The party was a blast! I couldn’t thank my friends and family enough for all the help!!

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Sweets and Treats

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Bridal Shower Ideas, Centerpieces, Party Ideas, Party Treats, Theme Party Ideas

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16th Jul2012

DIY Cupcake Stand

by Dinah Wulf

The BEST part of this DIY Cupcake Stand project is that I bought these blue trays years ago for $2.00 a piece on sale. I have used them MULTIPLE times for baby showers, birthday parties, Super Bowl parties, and everyday entertaining.

I wanted to use them again for my daughter’s birthday party. This time, however I wanted to create more height and dimension to the table to make the presentation better. I purchased two candlestick holders from a local thrift store for $1.25 each. I added a small wooden circle cut out so that the platters would be more stable and glued it to the top of the candlestick. I decided to paint them white with paint I already had. I simply attached the candlesticks with E6000 adhesive.

You can purchase E6000 here: E-6000 Med Visc 1-Ounce Adhesive

Here are some tips when completing this DIY Cupcake Stand Project:

Make sure that the platters you choose are food safe.
Wash all platters and candlestick holders and remove all stickers before you begin.
When aligning your platters, place them against a corner for more accurate alignment (see photo).
Place something heavy on top of the top platter until it dries completely.
Follow the directions on your glue as directed for drying times.
Do not wash your Cupcake Stand in the washer, rather hand wash them.

Here are some more after photos.

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Category : DIY Budget Party

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Bridal Shower Ideas, Centerpieces, Dinah's Tutorials, Party Ideas, Recycling Ideas, Upcycling Ideas, Wedding Ideas

8 Comm

09th Jul2012

Stenciled Butterfly Wall Art

by Dinah Wulf

Recently, I wrote a post on DIY Butterfly Wall Art from items I found in my craft closet. With my daughter’s garden themed birthday party coming up, I decided to make another craft scrap art piece. I wanted to use it as part of the decorations at her birthday party, as well as hang it in her room after.

Once again, I didn’t have to buy anything new. I had every item already sitting in my craft closet. I even had another ugly painting that I inherited when my husband and I moved in together. If you don’t have an old ugly painting, blank canvases can be purchased at any craft store. Also consider going to a thrift store and recycle an old one. It may even come with a frame you can reuse.

Here is what I used for my Stenciled Butterfly Wall Art project.

Old painting or canvas
Burlap
Staple gun and staples
Craft paint
Spouncer
Stencils
Paper plate
Glue gun and glue sticks
Craft Butterflies

I started off by covering the painting with burlap that I had from my Stenciled Burlap Placemat project by attaching it with a staple gun. Make sure you pull the fabric taught as you staple it. Next, I laid out my stencils and butterflies in the order I wanted them placed on the canvas and took a digital photo of it.

I stenciled my daughter’s name on the bottom right and stenciled a butterfly in the center. Check out my Stenciled Burlap Placemat project for stenciling tips and tricks. Next, referring back to my digital photo, I hot glued each butterfly onto the canvas.

Both quickly and easily I have a unique and personalized party and room decoration that didn’t cost me a dime!!

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Category : DIY Artwork, Kid Stuff

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Dinah's Tutorials, DIY Burlap Crafts, Easter Ideas, Gift Ideas, Mother's Day, Party Ideas, Recycling Ideas, Stenciling, Theme Party Ideas, Upcycling Ideas

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03rd Jul2012

Last Minute Party Appetizers

by Dinah Wulf

Every year we go to my best friend’s house for the Fourth of July. It’s a casual potluck style get together and I always have a ton of fun. This year I was assigned appetizers. Although I didn’t know this until yesterday I was able to put together some fun festive last minute party appetizers.

Finger foods work best, in my opinion, at casual outdoor parties like this one. You don’t have to worry about supplying/holding/throwing away utensils. My favorite “party utensil” is the toothpick or skewer. It’s so easy to put together and they look great too.

This year, I went with the red, white, and blue theme and made raspberries, star shaped marshmallows, and blackberries on toothpicks.

I also make skewers with cold tortellini with Italian dressing, salami, and cheese. I made little festive flags on my computer and printed them on address labels.

Some other toothpick/skewer last minute party appetizers to consider are:

Any combination of fruit
Any combination of veggies
Cucumber, olives, blue cheese, and tomato
Mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomato
Gorgonzola, apple, bacon
Deli meat, cucumber, tomato
Any combination of gummy candies
Any combination of deli meat, cheese, and tomato

Tips:

The more colorful the better
Consider using a small cookie cutter for fruit and such
Marshmallows are inexpensive and can be dipped in chocolate, sprinkles, or melted candy to fit any party theme.
Gummy skewers are fun for candy bars. They can also be wrapped in a clear plastic treat bag, tied with ribbon, and given as a party favor.

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Category : Sweets and Treats

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Bridal Shower Ideas, DIY Tips, Fourth of July, Party Ideas, Party Treats, Theme Party Ideas

6 Comm

25th Jun2012

Repurposed Plant Hanger

by Dinah Wulf

Oh my! This may be one of my most fun projects to date!

When my husband and I moved into our home, I found this pile of junk lying on the ground on the side of the house.

The first thing that caught my eye was the rusty iron plant hanger. I didn’t quite know what I was going to do with it, but I knew I wanted it in the “keep” pile. Fast forward five months later, it hit me. I would turn it into a chandelier for my daughter’s 2^nd birthday party. I thought it’d be cute, hanging above the food or dessert table for her garden inspired birthday party. Here is a before and after shot of my Repurposed Plant Hanger.

But get this… the BEST part is that I spent $10.50 on the entire project. I ransacked my craft closet and only needed to buy one can of spray paint and some plastic beads. I had everything else!

The first thing I did was rinsed the plant hanger down with the garden hose. I brushed it slightly with a wire brush from our metal gate project. After it dried, I spray painted it a glossy turquoise color. I hung it to dry and touched it up as needed.

Decorating it was the fun part. I used green flower gems I had from scrapbooking, wire earring hoops from my DIY Wine Charm project, butterflies from my DIY Butterfly Wall Art project, and I strung the beads I bought on the hemp string from my hanging Mason jar lantern project. The hot glue gun I used worked fantastically and I didn’t even use two hot glue sticks!

Here are some after photos. It turned out so well, that I am going to hang it in my daughter’s room!

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Kid Stuff, Trash To Treasure

Tags : Baby Shower Ideas, Birthday Party Ideas, Bridal Shower Ideas, Craft Ideas, Dinah's Tutorials, Party Ideas, Recycling Ideas, Repurpose, Repurposing Ideas, Upcycling Ideas

12 Comm

01st Jun2012

Gummy Bear Cocktail Recipes

by Dinah Wulf

Written by: David Edessa

There is always room for Jell-O!!!

Last week I mentioned that I was going to infuse Gummy Bears for a trip down the river, and a wonderful mistake happened. I will be giving both Gummy Bear Cocktail Recipes. It proves there are no mistakes!!!! Just Jell-O

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Drunken Gummy Bears:

Ingredients:

1 (750 ml) bottle Banana Vodka
48 oz. Bag Gummy Bears
8 oz. White Cranberry Juice

Instructions:
Fill a glass or ceramic container (container with a lid is ideal) about halfway with gummy bears. Then fill the container with vodka and white cranberry juice till the top of the gummy bears. The ratio of vodka to juice is 3:1. Allow the gummies to swim in the vodka for 24 hours in the refrigerator. If you leave them in the vodka for more than 24 hours, they will get slimy and bloated, so don’t make them too ahead of time. Serve with tooth picks. If you have liquid left behind from the soaking, you have great tasting infused vodka….Drunken Gummy Martinis!!! Or Drunken Gummy Bear Snow Cones (my favorite).

Hint:
The soaking time may vary due to the type of candy. If you have stale gummy bears work great!!!! And you can use rhum if you prefer. You can use other gummy candies.

Be careful when eating these adult vodka soaked candies. It’s very difficult to estimate how much alcohol one consumes per gummy bear.
•<~>•<~>•<~>•<~>•<~>•<~>•<~>•
The first batch I made a mistake by not storing the batch in the refrigerator. Also, I had them soaking for three days where it started to dissolve.

EUREKA….. I had an idea!!!!
SPIKED GUMMI BEAR JELLO SHOTS

I let the batch sit for an additional two days (5days total). Then, I placed batch in a food processor and made gummy syrup. Be careful to lay newspapers down when working with syrup.

•<~>•<~>•<~>•<~>•<~>•<~>•<~>•

SPIKED GUMMI BEAR JELLO SHOTS:

Ingredients:

1 (750 mL) bottle Banana Vodka
48 oz. Bag Gummy Bears
8 oz. White Cranberry Juice
1 (3 oz.) package Lime Jell-O
2 cups Hot water

Instructions:
Fill a glass or ceramic container (container with a lid is ideal) about halfway with gummy bears. Then fill the container with vodka and white cranberry juice till the top of the gummy bears. The ratio of vodka to juice is 3:1. Allow the gummies to swim in the vodka for three to five days at room temperature. Then, place gummy batch in a food processor and blend till gummy bear syrup is the end result. Place in container at room temperature.

Boil two cups of water and remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof pitcher. Add box of Jell-O into hot water and stir till it completely dissolves. Mix in three cups of gummy bear syrup into pitcher. Pour batch into 2 oz. plastic cups then cover and transfer cups into refrigerator overnight. Chill until firm.

Enjoy!!!!!

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DRINK RESPONSIBLE & DRINK SMART!!! And always follow the rainbow

For a complete list of David’s how-to and drink recipes, visit our Cocktail Recipe Index.

Photo Source: Amazon.com

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Category : Cocktail Corner

Tags : David Edessa, Guest Author, Party Ideas

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