This Halloween...

my friend and I will be putting a together another little Halloween party for our friends and their little ones.  Last year we had about 50 people including about 20 kids under the age of 5.  We created quite a scene when we would knock on a neighbor's door and 20 kids later, they were done handing out candy.  :)

My friend has graciously offered to host this year as we just have too much going on.  If you're still looking for a few ideas to add to your Halloween festivities here are links to the inspiration for our party for last year and some pictures from the event.

We're doing the photo booth again... (It's so great having friends who are much better photographers than I am and know what they're doing!)  We'll also have a twilight scavenger hunt in the backyard as we've asked everyone to BYOF (bring your own flashlight).  For food... we're keeping it simple this year and having a "Stew Off".  People will be bringing their favorite stew/crockpot dishes and we'll vote and maybe even have a prize for the winner!

I'll be sure to share pictures of the party!  Lastly, here's a link to one fabulous, over the top, Halloween Party.  I was in awe.  Whitney is amazing!

Cheers to a cozy and tasty, Halloween weekend!

IKEA FRIDAYS - Meet the BYHOLMA chest

I'm so excited to share this week's pick with you.  I've been saving this idea for months!  Meet the BYHOLMA chest.  I've featured BYHOLMA before.  In fact, the BYHOLMA chair was my very first IKEA Friday pick from last August!  Summer is a time for bbqs and parties and we've all had parties with the cold drinks in the cooler on the floor or on the back porch right?  Well, check out this fabulous upgrade.  



(via here)



The BYHOLMA chest for $69 is a beautiful chest for toys, blankets, anything you want to stash.  But you can also fit 2 styrofoam coolers inside for serving cold drinks at your next party.  Nice upgrade from this don't you think?

(via amazon.com)



It's supposed to be a sunny weekend here and we just eat that up around here!  Have a great weekend and see you Monday!

Halloween Party Details

Here are some pictures from our Halloween Party.  A couple of weeks ago, I shared my inspirations so I wanted to show how things turned out in real life.

It was a great night!  It was so much fun seeing all the kids dressed up and so excited about Halloween!  We had about 20 kids under the age of 5.  It was quite a scene once we headed out to Trick or Treat!  We were happy to be a part of creating some special memories for our kids and their friends.  Scroll all the way to the bottom for ideas for your next party.



We kept the decor simple with some
 Halloween lights and pumpkins



A simple tablescape with a black/orange polka dot fabric.
 The crepe paper cone for our pendants were fun. 



I was inspired by mini cones that Martha Stewart made
for small, stringed lights.  I just enlarged the cone
and added crepe paper "petals"



We had a photo booth set up.  A dear friend helped us with the logistics. 
We shot the photos "photo booth" style.  Can you guess our costume?
THE WIGGLES!



Trying to add some balance to all the candy with fruit kabobs.



Popcorn served in unbleached cupcake liners.



The caramel apple bar was a BIG hit! 



INSPIRATIONS:  Some ideas that you might want to try for your next party.

• TEAMWORK!  Cohost with a friend(s)!  Enlist the help and talent of your friends.  Many hands make for light work!  (and more fun!)
• SIMPLE MENU!  I'm so glad we went with just finger foods/desserts.  Everyone still had a great time and it allowed us to have a bigger guest list.
• FABRIC!  Many times, its even cheaper than plastic/paper tablecloths at the party store.  For example, Joann's is always having sales on their fabric.  I spent $5.00 for our tablecloth.
• MINI CROCKPOT!  This was my first time using one of these and it worked great!  You can use it for caramel, chocolate or cheese.  Just prepare some toppings, items to dip and you're all set!  (set it and forget it.)   :)
• RELAX and HAVE FUN!  Enjoy the company of your guests.  That was the whole point right?  

Lastly, never feel like you need a big budget to host a party like this.  Total cost for this party was probably $30.  The decorations were around $10-15 and a few friends helped with the food.