good clean fun (favor tutorial)

as promised, i'm back to show you how to make your own personalized hand sanitizer favors/gifts. 

what you need:
hand sanitizer (i found 3-packs at the dollar tree)
your labels (printed on label or sticker paper)
paper cutter/scissors
glassine bag (or tissue paper)
ribbon/twine/yarn/twist tie

gather your gear | cut your labels down to size | peel off the old labels | 
stick on your new labels | wrap 'em up with a pretty bow | and, give 'em away

see how easy that was? now you can go make your own!

Tea for Two

isn't a tea party the perfect way to celebrate a baby? the hostesses of this cute shower wanted to tie in the colors of the baby's room with the theme. so, i set to work designing options in blues and greens, tying in tea cups, tea bags, and swirling warmth.

the girls unanimously chose the teacups to set the mood (my personal fave, too). and, i whipped together their package of invitations

thank you notes

and favor tags (we did 4 different sayings, but i thought this was cutest!)

i hope they got mama a box of chamomile, since she'll be up all night pretty soon! i tell ya, it never ceases to amaze me the creativity of my clients - custom is SO cool!

Easiest Salsa...Ever

when you're from new mexico, you always have 3 things in the house - green chile (from hatch, duh), jalapeños (the hotta, the betta), and salsa (no, pace is NOT salsa). so, as i was whipping blending up the latest batch of salsa, i thought you, my 3 readers, might want the recipe. yes, yes?

it's the easiest thing you'll ever make. promise.

first, grab the goods (diced toms, jalapeños, garlic salt)

dump it all in the blendy

give it a whirl (chunkalicious) or two (saucalicious)

QA time - give 'er a taste and tinker with the salt and jalapeño ratio, if you gotta (try not to eat the whole batch straight from the blendy)

i know you'll be keepin' it all to yourself, but here's an idea for ya! toss it into a mason jar, slap a cutesie tag on it and give it away to yer friends.

EL RECIPE-O:

EASIEST (and most deelish) SALSA EVER
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (or 1 can diced toms and 1 can rotel)
1/4 - 1/2 cup jarred jalapeños or 1 fresh jalapeño
1 - 2 Tbsp garlic salt
toss it all in the blender and mix to your favorite consistency.

now, you may be thinking, where are the onions? (barf) or i need me some cilantro in my salsa. (double barf) well, i don't like either of those things, so they got no bizness in my salsa. but, hey, you like onions and cilantro, g'head, toss them in, too.

if you wanna make a mean salsa verde, just substitute the diced toms with a few tomatillos. (dehusk those bad boys before tossing them in tho; maybe give 'em a rough chop, too.)

after you make your batch, come tell me all about it. how'd it taste? what'd ya substitute? give me all the deets.

What a Hoot

how is it that our little sweet p is 2, and i was tasked with designing all her 2nd birthday swag?! she's supposed to be a little peanut, but, now she leads us all around by the nose and chatters and sings constantly.

she also loves ALL animals, birds, bugs, etc. so, mom wanted a cute 'look whooo's 2' theme with an owl. you've seen the invites.

and, for the party, we did a banner

a party hat

and favor tags...

for the cutest favors my sister handmade (good thing there were only 5 guests!)

what did i tell ya about the mamas gettin' creative up in here? the guests also decorated owl masks to take home, and feasted on the cutest owl cupcakes. (i'm sure she'll blog about all the goods soon).

lucky girl got to celebrate her birthday twice, so the swag made two debuts (one for friends and one for family) - love that.

for good measure, i thought we needed a pic of the birthday girl modeling her birthday hat. she's just the cutest dang thing ever!

let's chat about your kiddos birthday.

Having a Ball

when a client comes to me and says "i want it all!", i start doing back flips and side herkies in my mind. i mean, few things are more exciting. and, that's just what this client did for her son's 1st birthday.

it started with the beach ball theme, and kept rolling (heehee) from there. we did invitations, with printed envelopes and seals.

then, we addressed party decor by creating festive birthday banners and tissue poms

we topped the cake with a festive banner, and decorated cupcakes with fun toppers (not pictured)

the birthday boy donned the perfect hat for the occasion

we sent the little guests home with goodie bags

and, after it was all over, thank you notes carried on the theme

see? the sky's the limit when it comes to party fun. they can be as simple, or as detailed as you like. let's chat about your next shindig.

You Dig?

for vali day, my sister ordered (me to make) cards to go with the trinkets she gave out at sweet p's play date that day. the bag of goodies was stuffed with healthy snacks and a shovel...hence i dig you. isn't that the cutest? i know love day was weeks (months!) ago, but i wanted to share the cuteness.

and, to tell you - i dig you!