A Sweet & Cozy Birthday Party

My mom and two sisters have always had the joy to celebrate their birthdays together, since they are all January babies. Of course I had to throw a little lunch & dessert party! Although this winter hasn't exactly been "bad", I was totally inspired by a cute paper print I found and decided to go with a Sweet + Cozy Birthday Party. 

Lunch was pretty simple - Pizza, salad, veggies with cheeses & crackers. The little, white cups I used for the veggies are actually little "dessert wine glasses" I found at Marshall's a while back. I can't get enough of the white! The cupcake liner poms were from a fun little project my friend Jody and I made for an Anthropologie-inspired bridal shower. I love every chance I get to re-use those pretties! 

 

To go along with the cute + cozy theme, dress code included a requirement to wear a scarf. Maybe a little cheesy, yeah, but I had about 30 to choose from and everyone had a fun time with it! 

The birthday girls!

And then for dessert! 

While planning the party, I was really excited to pull colors and inspiration from the paper I found. I used lots of white and cream, plus aqua, mint, coral, terracotta, grey and some patterned black and white. 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been in love with yarn poms for the longest time and especially after our friends threw us an amazing farewell party and decorated the room with tons of poms, I never realized how easy they are to make! There are a few ways to do it... I know there are lots of pom-pom makers - wooden and plastic, using a FORK - but I went old school and used my fingers. I think it took me about 4 lazy hours to make all the poms for this party. By lazy, I mean 4 very distracted hours filled with movie-watching and music-listening as I wound, tied and trimmed. Not bad! I loved combining them with my clear, vintage glass vases, pearls, twine balls, mini tree stumps and doilies. 

 

 

Back in December, I asked my sister, Vanessa, to knit me some extra long skinny strands that could be used as garland for our Christmas dinner party. I just about died when she showed me four 30-foot strands she made. I was to stinkin' excited to be able to use them again.. what's more appropriate for a cozy-inspired party than knitted strands of yarn?!

 

A few of the patterns and paper prints I used. Love the polka dots and stripes! I punched each flag with two of my favorite Martha Stewart punches. 

 

Sistas!

A Mix to Keep You Warm: 2012

xo

A Few Thoughts About Winter, Snow and Freezing My Face Off

Wouldn't it be great, if when it snowed, it was always a sweet and cozy, problem-free, stress-free experience?

I wish. 

Honestly.. When I think of the word 'snow', my first reaction is to gag. I hate snow. Thoughts, feelings and experiences I associate with snow are as follows:

Frozen body

Runny nose

Numb skin, arms, hands, legs and toes

Salt everywhere. Including salt in my socks and salt in my shoes 

Oh yeah, and salt stains running about a foot up the back of my jeans

Slipping on ice

Shoveling the driveway

Struggling to scrape ice off of my windshield, windows and mirrors

Waiting for the "car to heat up"

Slush that ruins my flats

Driving in terror

I've been dreading the cold since we first decided we would move back to the Midwest. All I could think of was the times I hated pumping gas, feeling like my face had frozen off or times I nearly crashed my car from all the black ice. I hated having to run outside to start my car at 3am to prevent the engine from freezing. I hated having a big clunky coat everywhere I went. Wahh, Minnesota is so cold. SO cold.  

Halloween Blizzard of 1991

"Armistice Day Blizzard" of 1940

2011 - Collapsed Metrodome after 17" of snow

I think it was late September when I realized the cold was hitting hard and fast. We finally had our first snowfall sometime in November.. Unfortunately it was a night I had to work late and had to make the nasty drive back from Minneapolis. Oofta. 

I keep bracing myself for a 3-foot snowfall or a massive storm to hit, providing us with a real Snow Day (unlike SC's version of a "Snow Day"). It's been strange though - Surprisingly warm for a Minnesota winter. It's been so dry and mild, that some of our friends and family have called us "lucky charms" - claiming that we brought the warm up from South Carolina. Ha! I do wish we had the same winters as SC. If I had it my way, I'd want snow for the week of Christmas and then it can melt away for all I care. I miss wearing flip flops in February. 

I'm not exaggerating on this winter being dry, either. According to MPR, last year to date, MN had more than 60 inches of snow. This year, to date? We have only had 14.9 inches! The Metrodome roof collapsed thanks to 17 inches of snow - more than we've had all year. WEIRD! It actually makes me tolerate snow a lot more - to the point of even liking it a little. Hmm.. I'm hoping and praying it doesn't snow again until next year. I doubt that will be the case, but it feels good to hope!

xo

{Click photos for source}

Puppy Birthdays!

Our little beans are growing up! Pretty exciting that their birthdays are less than a month a part. We celebrated with some new treats, bones and matching t-shirt hoodies!

Romeo is now 3 years old and Coco Chanel is 1 -- I just adore these little loves!

xo