I Want Wednesday: Organic Party Decorations

Now that we know our guests won't be parched let's take a moment to decide the table arrangements. While there are a lot of fun and colorful ways to decorate for a birthday party I'd prefer something a little more subtle, sophisticated and earthy...

Clockwise from far left: pixie birthday party via Martha Stewart, woven cane placemats by Dransfield & Ross via Horchow, birch bark centerpiece by Beth Helmstetter via Hostess with the Mostess, leaf coasters via Martha Stewart, ceramics via Julia Watts

Clockwise from top far left: Pacific Provence reception via Pacific Weddings, oversized mason jar beverage table by Kate Kane for Birdcage Cards, leaf-covered candle holders via Martha Stewart, tall butterfly bouquet and meadow mat centerpiece via Hostess with the Mostess, terrecotta flower pot servers via Martha Stewart

{For a closer detailed view of each image click on the picture.}

Put the Lime in the Coconut...

Any good party needs some tasty beverages to quench your guests thirst. Here are a few of my favorites:

a: Strawberry Daiquiri

b: Lemon Cups

c: Easy Peasy Fruit Punch Float

d: King Kong Smoothie

Strawberry Daiquiri How-To:
Ingredients:
-white rum of your choice (Bacardi works nicely)
-fresh lime juice
-strawberries
-ice
-simple syrup (optional - I never use it)

I tend to make things by the feel of it so please bear with me. A blender full should serve about 6 to 8 people.
1. Drop your ice in the blender first and get a good start crushing it up 2. Add a heavy half pint of strawberries to start with, approximately 8 shots of rum and 2 tablespoons of fresh lime 3. Blend it all together. Play around with the amount of ice and strawberries to get the exact consistency you like 4. You can serve as is but it may be too runny/thin, in that case just pop it in the freezer for about an hour.
tip: There is really only one way to mess up a strawberry daiquiri and that's by adding too much alcohol. If someone would like a stronger drink they can always add more to their glass. Keep your batch alcohol content low.

Easy Peasy Fruit Punch Float How-To:
Ingredients:
-2 liter bottle of carbonated fruit punch
-one gallon of vanilla ice-cream

Prepare yourself for the easiest fruit punch recipe in the world.
1. Pour your fruit punch into the prettiest punch bowl you can find. 2. Add about 6-8 heaping scoops of ice cream (think of making a root beer float when you're deciding your ice-cream to punch ratio) 3. Hide the store bought bottle of fruit punch before your guests arrive 4. Serve with a smile
tip: If you don't have a punch bowl just fill a bunch of small crystal glasses with the fruit punch, add a little dollop of ice-cream on top and line up the glasses nicely on your food or beverage table.

Birthday Week

Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and that it was filled with balloons and banners, 2 layered triple frosting cakes and pink party punch, pizza and presents, goody bags and tootsie pops and lots of laughter and love. What Sunday wasn't your birthday? Oh, well - I guess that was just me then.

So, in honor of turning 28 (again) I'm having a birthday themed week over here at the Birdcage Cards blog. Everyday this week I'll be sharing some fun and crafty birthday party ideas. From yummy summer recipes to cupcake toppers and handmade wrapping paper, this week is sure to be a fun one.

Drum Roll Please...

Thanks so much for all your help! You searched for the perfect blank journal and found quite a few for me to choose from. Now its time to share the best of the best. Coccinellidae, you must have read my mind! The utrecht journal, while a little large for my needs, was exactly what I had in mind and I had a lot of fun browsing Writer's Bloc too. Congrats on being the big winner! I'll be dropping your thank you gift in the mail this weekend.

1. Exacompta journal refill, graph
2. Utrecht recycled hardcover sketchbook

I Want Wednesday: Fresh From the Garden

1. I want to be as casually chic as this model sporting my own short sleeve blouse from Tucker. Actually, I want to sport this and this and this too from the Tucker Summer Collection.

2. I'm crazy about about bright sunny bedrooms. Unlike my sister, I just can't sleep in a dark gloomy cave. I want this gorgeous duvet and for someone ('cause I sure as spit can't) to make me a lovely headboard covered with this upholstery fabric for my bedroom. Okay - so, really who's gonna make it? {Bedding and fabric from Rubie Green. Creator and designer Michelle Adams also has a lovely blog, MA Belle, that's worth checking out.}

3. And while I'm lounging in my new blouse, on my new bedding I want to look over at my hand and see this lovely cream bouquet ring from Naked Tile's Etsy shop. I just have to have it.

A Tedious Task

A few weeks ago I got infected by a nasty virus, that is my computer did. Nothing could be done to rid my little Edgar (yes I named my computer - what you didn't?) of his bad bug. Inevitably my computer had to be wiped and re-built. A lot of goodies were lost - like my detailed and categorized favorites full of craft projects, blog rolls and neat artist websites. I recovered a lot from memory but, as you all know, it takes time to acquire these things.

Now, most of my music was able to backed up, but for some reason none of it is in order and, of course, my playlists are all gone. For weeks now I've been working on a music-less computer and I can't take it anymore! On the agenda today: upload, sort and catalog all of my music. Ugh, tedious but necessary.

{pic via Anthropologie's new catalog - love the photography}

Weekend Finds

The sun was shining bright and early. I went out back for an alfresco breakfast and found that my peonies, my treasured favorites, had finally bloomed. That discovery set in motion a weekend full of fun finds...

Saturday:

Sunday: