Twin Cities Wedding Fair

This past Sunday I attended the Wedding Fair at the Convention Center (put on by the Twin Cities Bridal Association). It was my second time attending, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first! If you are engaged, I strongly recommend buying tickets for the next one coming up this January. What better way to shop around for vendors? This forum gives you the unique opportunity to speak with hundreds of representatives at one place, one time. No more playing phone-tag, being greeted by telemated phone systems, and receiving those pesty blast emails.

The Wedding Fair presents you with the opportunity of having your questions answered in a face-to-face conversation. It is this particular aspect that can really help you narrow your choices. Most times while interacting with vendors, you can quickly get a feel for whether or not your styles, ideas, and goals are similar and parallel. This is a lot more difficult to determine while visiting a webpage.

One other added bonus of this event is the special pricing and promos for Wedding Fair attendees, and the chance to win fabulous prizes [how does a free honeymoon sound?]. As soon as I hear of the next few sets of dates, I will be sure to share them with you. Until then, here are a few snapshots!

DIY For Halloween

So if you haven't gathered this from any of my previous postings, fall is my favorite season. I love everything about it. Well, usually! Except for when it snows in Minnesota during October... Anyway, one of my favorite things to do is to put out my fall & Halloween decorations. I think it's more enjoyable than getting ready for Christmas because you get to up the cozy-factor at home without all of the hassel/cleaning up to do afterwards! This year, I tested out a quick and easy Halloween DIY project that turned out pretty cute. At least I think so! The finished product is re-usable and inexpensive. Here's the 411 in case you'd like to try it out for yourself:

Required materials:

Medium-sized styrofoam balls: $3.99/each

Tempra paint (black): $3.79

Wood/foam painting tool: $1.29

Small fuzzy/decorative balls: $0.99

Peach-O's: $2.78 for 2 bags

Glue: I had it on hand, but you could purchase a low-temp glue gun for $11 at Wal-Mart.

Instructions:

1. Start out by painting the styrofoam ball completely black using the Tempra paint and foam tool. Wait for it to completely dry.

2. Glue the Peach O's onto the styrofoam using a hot glue gun or E6000. Use any pattern or arrangement you'd like.

3. Glue on the black 'fuzzies' scarttered throughout the open spaces. Wait for it to completely dry.

4. Place the ball on top of a vase or narrow bowl to display. I set mine on top of clear glasses filled with candy corn for extra color.

Suggestions:

1. You could easily personalize this project and use different kinds of candy. For Halloween, another option would be to use Reeces Pieces or the new Electric M & Ms. Tip: If you're working with chocolate, keep in mind that the hot glue may cause it to melt. I'd suggest using a different glue if you choose to go this route.

2. Depending on what you choose to decorate them with, this craft could be used for any season/occasion.

3. Save it with your other seasonal decorations! This project is something that could be pulled out and displayed year after year.

I encourage you to try this one out because it doesn't get any easier than this! Not counting the glue, it costs only $8.41 to make each! A little cheaper than buying decorations from Target, don't you think? Plus, there's something to be said for the satisfaction that comes from making things yourself. I have one displayed on each end of my fireplace and I love 'em!

Birthday Bash on 10.10

Hey guys! Here are some photos and details from a recent birthday party by EDLV. All photos were taken by Megan of Megan Sherwin Photography.

Her [brand new!] official website is http://www.meganmsherwinphotography.com.

She enjoys photographing just about anything including weddings, parties, senior pictures, couples, and kids. Check her out!

These 12 rambunctious ten year-olds were able to burn off a lot of energy in this ginormous 'jumpy.'

Party favors consisted of Silly Putty and a Puppy Chow-Lollipop-M & M goodie bag (How's that for sugared up?!)

Since it was pretty chilly on Saturday afternoon I planned a few SHORT indoor activities to keep the guests occupied. And I mean short! These were 10 year-old boys I was dealing with! :) After lunch the boys participated in a trivia game about the birthday boy. There were a lot of laughs with this one! The quiz pictured above provides a perfect example: one boy guessed that Zach's favorite movie was Tinkerbell. Hhmmm.... close! ;) The 2nd activity involved guessing how many pieces of candy were in each jar. Whoever had the closest guess won the candy which included Mike & Ikes, M & M's, Candy Corn and Sour Worms.

I also setup a caramel apple station where they could add whatever toppings their little hearts desired. (Oops! There's that sugar again...) FYI: If you are attempting to make home-made caramel as I did, leave yourself extra time for the caramel to chill and thicken after cooking. Another helpful tip: Place the pan of caramel in a big bowl of ice to speed up the thickening process. Let's just say that I certainly lived and learned with this one.

After all of these activites the boys went outside to play a very animated and energetic game of flag-football in the yard. Overall I think the kids had a blast, which is what makes any event a success. Happy 10th birthday Zach!

Puppy Party

I wanted to share a few photos from a puppy-themed birthday party my aunt recently attended (the darling 4-year old birthday girl adores puppies!). As you'll see in the photos, the hostess found a way to incorporate the puppy theme into almost every aspect of the occasion, including the decor, treats, and even the serving ware.

The party included a puppy piñata, puppy-paw birthday hats, biscuit shaped cookies, an adorable puppy-themed birthday cake, and of course, a big bowl of the delicious sweet treat, puppy chow. The hostess even had the clever idea to present all of these goodies in multi-colored puppy bowls! How creative and fun for the kids!

All of the goodies featured in these photos were made by Mary Jo Anderson, an expert baker here in the Twin Cities. Please contact me if you'd like her contact info. You can see more samples of her work featured in my 'Pretty In Pink Party' blog from August 28th. She's truly talented!

Happy 4th birthday Quinn! Awesome ideas Leah!