Memorial day is a wonderful day to celebrate with friends and family. Bring out all those red, white and blue decorations and honor those who have served us in the military. Why not try a beachy twist on the traditional red, white and blue table settings for Memorial day?

Starfish can be bought at most craft store and create a fun and nautical feel to a Memorial Day table setting! Now that you have the table set, on to the food. This delicious flag will be perfect for any Memorial Day celebration.

Add strawberries, blueberries and bananas onto kabob skewers to make a perfect fruit flag. For a sweet twist instead of the bananas use marshmallows for the white stripes!

Author: Rachel Kewer

Arjun’s 6th Birthday!

On April 27th, I had the honor of being a part of Arjun’s 6th birthday celebration! It was such a fun day! The party was Disney Cars themed and super colorful! There were mini cupcakes, chick-fil-a, pizza and TONS of balloons. We were able to make “Arjun’s Tire Shop” with mini chocolate iced doughnuts. For entertainment, we had David the Magician. His act was great and even included animals! He had a bird, rat, rabbit and even a MONKEY! I’m so glad I got to experience this fantastic party with Arjun and his family! It truly was a wonderful day. Here are just a few pictures I snapped throughout the party.

Author: Katy Parrish

With spring finally here, many of you are opting for an outdoor event. These super cute Burlap Flatware holders and Napkin rings are the perfect complement to a spring wedding, garden party or even a friendly get-together. At only $3.20 for a set, this set adds the perfect finishing touch to any gathering.

Available on Etsy.com here

In sticking with the theme, think about incorporating burlap into unexpected places. Here, you can see how a simple Burlap Chair Sash can really make a simple chair pop! These lovely accents are available for $17.99 for a set of 10.

Available on Etsy.com here

With “mini” being so popular right now, these Mini Burlap Print Cupcake Wrappers are sure to have your guests’ jaws drop! It is a fabulous way to tie everything together and make an already delicious mini cupcake even better. You can get a set of 24 of these for only $6 on Etsy!

Available on Etsy.com here

Author: Katy Parrish

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up this weekend, many parents are racking their
brains for fun and creative ways for their children to celebrate the holiday
through food. When we think of St. Patty’s Day, we may picture leprechauns,
shamrocks, rainbows and of course, gold! Here are some quick and easy ideas
to incorporate all of those things into your meals for the day:

For breakfast, serve your family lucky charms with and a glass of “leprechaun
milk” (just a glass of milk with green food coloring. So simple but so cute!)

Go over the rainbow for lunch with this colorful meal. Serve baby pickles,
purple grapes, wheat thins (or your children’s favorite cracker) with cheese
cut into shamrocks and strawberry slices. Finish it off with a few gold coins!

My favorite St. Patty’s snack is a fruit rainbow! I use strawberries, oranges,
pineapple, grapes and blueberries but you can substitute your favorite fruit
and arrange them in rainbow order. A fun, and delicious, way to finish this snack
off is by adding mini marshmallows to one side for clouds and Rolos to the other
for the pot of gold.

For dinner, you could go traditional St. Patrick’s Day and make Corned Beef
and Cabbage but if your children are as picky as some of the ones I know, that
isn’t going to fly. Try making green noodles simply by adding green food
coloring to the water before adding the noodles. Serve with chicken or beef
cooked how your family likes it.

And finally, the dessert! I love to make this super easy “Lucky You” Mint Pie from
Carnation Milk. It’s the perfect way to end any day and you can find the recipe by
following this link:

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/144420/Lucky-You-Mint-Pie/detail.aspx?cmp=EM_VBB_2011-03_010

I hope your family has a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day and enjoys these recipes!

Author: Katy Parrish