Cool Kid Present

Cole is always excited when Aunt Karen comes to visit. She always comes up with something special we've never seen before.

Knowing Cole's interest in crystals and gems... Karen found this very cool box with maps on the outside.

Inside she placed shaved wood and selected some really cool rocks for the treasure inside. A rock and mineral book to identify them all tops it off. The snake was inside guarding the gems!

An Indiana Jones Birthday

My son is turning seven, and he has asked for an Indiana Jones birthday party. Well, I have to admit that I am not much for character parties with premade plates, cups and napkins. My one concession was the invitation. I found these on Baysic Design's Etsy shop. You send a picture of your child to her and she sends a file back to you that you may print or email. How simple is that?

Cole was so excited when he saw the finished invitation. You can get your own here.

I founds some inexpensive fabric at Joanne Fabrics to make a tent like structure. My sister found some rope at our local hardware store to hang from the trees above our deck.

We wrapped some snakes in the ropes, since Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes. (The snakes were part of Cole's present from his Aunt Karen... more on that in the next post!)

We had an easy activity to start with. The children broke up into groups and took turns wrapping each other into mummies! They were giggling and having so much fun. We certainly got our money worth out of a few rolls of toilet paper!

I made this little pillow pouches myself. I found the paper at Michael's in the scrapbooking section. The template for the pouch was at the Got Crafts blog here. I put the paper in my printer and printed the template on the back. Easy cutting and gluing and voila. Now I have to tell you that I made these pouches because I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, and I didn't have enough time to have something shipped. If you are not into making things, or simply do not have the time, you can find some wonderful boxes at LilithEvy's Etsy shop. We filled ours with magic tricks from the dollar store.

We found "chalices" on line at a floral supply house. I purchased jewels with stickers on the back at Oriental Trading, and glitter, gold and silver markers at Michaels. While the kids were decorating their goblets, my friends hid treasures in the yard. (Thanks Robin and Tara!)

It was important to me to find jewels that looked real. The kids were so into them!

I made these pyramid boxes to hold faceted "jewels" that I also found on Etsy. My son picked out colors for each of his friends, we filled the boxes with shredded wood and one large jewel. I wrote each child's name on the box and we hid them around the yard for a treasure hunt. Here is the link to the pyramid box template I found online.

To keep the kids busy, we had another activity. Originally I thought I'd send these home with the kids, but they had great fun being archeoligists digging out egyptian treasures. The Pyramid Dig Kit is from Oriental Trading.

I found some edible jewel decorations on Fancy Flours to decorate the cupcakes, and some "crystal" skulls too. We ordered plain cupcakes at Wegmans and decorated them a few minutes before the party.

My Sister is flying across the country...

and we are so exciting to see her! Whenever I have an overnight guest coming to visit, I like to make sure they feel very welcome and at home in our home. A few little unexpected touches are sure to warm their heart.

Nicely folded extra thick towels in white feel fresh and lush. A little gift on top is an idea I learned from my sister. We often exchange new products that are small and easily fit in a carry on bag. Some of our past gifts have been the new Butter nail polish that is formaldahyde free, soaps, cute nail files, a sample of No Frizz by Living Proof. (perfect for the humid east coast!) In this case, it's peach soap by Provence Sante and a sample size No Frizz.

It's nice to have a carafe and glass for fresh water in the guest room. I bought this set a few years ago from Entertaining at Home. Just these small extra touches make your guest's visit more comfortable and extra special. I'm sure they'll know you want them to visit again!

Stunning Cookies

A while ago, I came across these very pretty cookies on Etsy made by Amber at SweetAmbs. The detail on them is amazing, the cookies are like little works of art.

The gold icing on these Fleur de Lis cookies simply wowed me.

These Mad Tea Party cookies are so whimsical, aren't they?

These would be just perfect for an elegant tea party.

I think I may need to send these as a gift to someone special.

Look at all of the brush strokes it takes to make these flowers, almost like lace fabric.

These monogrammed cookies have such painstaking details - so special for a shower or wedding favor. Amber also had a blog where she posts about all things beautiful. Amber truly is the princess of pastry!

Timeless Paper

Aren't these butterfies beautiful? Can you imagine them at a reception on every glass? For that matter, at an exclusive bridal or baby shower? How about a nice tea with your best girlfriends?

The butterflies look so delicate, as if they landed on each glass...

I must have this font! Flourishes abound!

So much more interesting than a flat table card. I love that they are three demensional.

These paper creations are fabulously special and decadent. Emily at Timeless Papers creates them and more at her Etsy shop. Menu cards, place cards, table numbers and napkin rings are also available. Currently, Emily has peacock, dragonflies, pumpkins, acorns and leaves as options in her Etsy store. I am sure that she could execute almost any theme, as she is wonderfully creative. The creme de la creme? There is a labor day special going on right now!