More Valentine's Day inspiration - more hearts!

Is anyone else having a warm winter week?! I am so excited! I keep thinking of all the money I'll save on my gas bill lol! More money for parties! WOOT!

If you haven't finished your Valentine plans, maybe one of these ideas will inspire you!

Dove hearts in the center of your favorite recipe - YUM! super sweet (and easy!) idea for any sweetie on your list! Source and recipe

Marbled red velvet cheesecake brownies - a mouthful of goodness! These are so beautiful by themselves, but add a lolli stick and paper to create arrows for an extra dab of Frosting! Source and recipe

Here's a fancy pants idea - bake a quick box mix of brownies or chocolate cake (shoot, make it yellow cake, add red food coloring!) then cool, cut out with heart cutter.  Melt some chocolates from the craft store, dip edges and then dip into crushed nuts! So cute no one will care you did a box mix ;o)   Source unknown :o(

Make a sweet breakfast to go box! Heart shaped muffins (I'm feeling another box mix, how about you guys?!), tea bags with cut out heart and some butter in a cute container - lovely! Source and recipe (heart shaped bakeware here)

Shopping Saturday!

How is your weekend doing? Ours feels like an early Spring day! WOOT! Love when winter isn't showing ;o)  Got a lot of shopping in today and got my hair done!

Here are my local finds (at National stores) that might help you stash away for your next event!

Make sure you look close at seasonal items - these sets have stickers to apply - so you could use the pins on cupcakes or as favors at your Bowling party & noone would know they were from Easter!

Found: Big Lots
Section: Seasonal
Price: $3

 Easter baskets are a great time to snag serving bowls for your parties - these are perfect for Sports themes - Basketball, Baseball and Football!

Found: Big Lots
Section: Seasonal
Price: $7

Love art activities for parties! These ceramic cars would be perfect for your Cars theme - and super inexpensive!

Found: Christmas Tree Shops
Section: Toys
Price: $1.29/6

Look in unexpected places... these shower curtains are perfect for buffet or photo op backdrops! Hello Kitty and Cars among others available.


Found: Target
Section: Bath
Price: $19.99

These craft projects would make perfect cake pop holders for a Princess or Construction theme! Just add styrofoam!

Found: Target
Section: Valentines
Price: $5

 How sweet are these felt baskets?! Tons of uses - serving ware, lunch kits, favors, etc...

Found: Target
Section: $1 bins
Price: $1

Check Easter treats for your party - stash these candy favors for your Stars Wars party!

Found: Target
Section: Easter

Price: $3.99

Stash these "bases" away for decorations, placemats or games for your Baseball party!

Found: Dollar Tree
Section: Seasonal
Price: $1

These are jumbo sized (17"x12") coloring activities for Cars, Toy Story and Princess themes.

Found: Dollar Tree
Section: Toys
Price: $1

National Chocolate Cake Day! and Recipe!

I am serious people! and how did I not realize that until now?!? I would have taken the day off! Those that know me know I am not a big sweet eater but my one vice is chocolate cake! OMG I need a chocolate cake party STAT! ;o)

So in honor of what I will consider the most bestest holiday eva'! I will come out of secrecy and share with you the most amazing chocolate cake I have ever made! p.s. this combination is what I made for our wedding cake! I can't take credit for the recipes, but just for putting them together ;o)  p.s. sorry for the crappy pic from long time ago!

Chocolate Cake with coffee and vanilla filling

My go to chocolate cake: Recipe
(most moist EVA' - I use dutch cocoa even though they say not to - maverick, baby) 

Coffee filling: Recipe
(kinda like a thick pudding consistency)
 
White icing:  Recipe
(fluffy, way lighter and less sweet than buttercream)

p.s. make it with red food coloring in the icing for Valentine's Day!!!

Candy party ideas/inspiration

If you don't mind the grumbles from the parents... a candy theme is always a great gender neutral party theme! You can pick a few colors to focus on or make it a rainbow of sugar! 

Some ideas to add a little Frosting to a Candy theme...

Is your sweet tooth drooling yet? Love the fun colors and the multi-height banners! Source 

Use over-sized lollipops to create a delicious centerpiece - add candy to a vase as filler and even string into garland! Source

Add fun candy details like these candy napkin rings - just glue candies onto a cut toilet tissue roll or wooden rings.  Source and tutorial

Make paper candy toppers for your cupcakes.  Source and tutorial

Valentine ideas/inspiration: All hearts!

It's been a wild week so far! how about you guys! I need a personal assistant (don't we all?!) I have barely thought about Valentine's Day - and it's my first married one, I better step up!

Here's some more ideas for your day

Have you seen these yet? Super clever! Lollipop sticks turn these plain cupcakes into Valentine specials! (even if you make them from a box mix ;o)  Source and tutorial

Use edible markers (buy here) to draw hearts on sugar cubes! (to make sugar cubes: 1 cup of sugar to 1 tablespoon of water) then form into square cookie cutter or molds.  Source unknown :o(

Use heart silicone molds (you can usually find at dollar store this time of year) to make colored ice - freeze fruit juices or just add food coloring.  Source unknown :o(

Super cute Valentine's gift - yarn hearts! You could even make them into a toss game.  Source and tutorial

Tea Bag Cookie Love!

Thank you everyone that has been showing such great love for my tea bag cookies on Pinterest!!! In case you are having a hard time finding the instructions.... You could make them with heart tags for Valentine's Day!

INSTRUCTIONS - click HERE and turn to page 55 & 56


p.s. the shortbread yummy recipe I use is from: here

Sponsor Showcase!!!

Now that the wedding is behind me, I have opened my blog back up for sponsorship! I wanted to take a minute and thank the lovely ladies below and welcome them as new Frosted Sponsors!

If you are interested in sponsoring, drop me an email here - spots are affordable to even the smallest start-up!

Remember those cute Valentine chair back bags (here)? Yep, this is the creative chick! She's got tons of patterns for all sorts of bags... hurry to check out Easter and tons of women's handbags too! Link

We in the party world hang together - Check out Fizzy Party (link) to add even more party inspiration to your day! She's a total sweetheart and has party in her veins like us! So go add her to your bookmarks!

Crafty runs in my family - check out my sister's etsy sites - creative mamma like you guys!She sells tons of paper crafts - everything from coupon holders to bracelets ...and her prices are like shopping Target's bargin bins! Stop over and see what's she's whippin up! Link

Shopping Saturday!

brrrr!!!! It's super cold and rainy so my Shopping Saturday was QUICK! I wanted to get home to a quilt and a cup of coffee! Hope everyone is staying safe as the country has severe weather in some places!

Here are my Shopping Saturday finds... finds from local stores (but national chains) that might help you stash away for your next event!

Having a Garden or Dora the Explorer party this Spring? Pick up these gloves and garden tools!

Found: Lowes
Section: Clearance
Price: $1!!

Having a Princess, Alice in Wonderland or Spa party soon? Snag up these incense bottles - dump them out and enjoy a great container for restuffing for just a buck!

Found: AC Moore
Section: Clearance
Price: $1!!!

Make sure you carefully sniff out the Holiday clearance... Like this candle holder you could snag for an Angel themed Baby shower! 

Found: Michael's Craft
Section: Clearance
Price: $1.09

Speaking of Holiday clearance... don't overlook just because it's Holiday printed! Like these wine tags... just bring them home, paint with chalkboard paint or cover with contact paper! You won't have worry about free-form cutting them!


Found: Michael's
Section: Clearance
Price: $0.44

Doing a Bicycle theme? This cute piece would look adorable with fresh flowers in the baskets!

Found: Michael's Craft
Section: Spring
Price: $16.99
definitely use a coupon!

Camping party ideas/inspiration

We are all preparing for a bit of snow here! Hoping for not too much- can't shovel with the accident injuries! I am definitely saying TGIF though - been a long week at my (day) job! Since it's so cold, you'd have to do an indoor camping party... here is some inspiration

Cute camp tabletop setup - look closely, I am sure you own a lot of things you can use in your setup around the house already! Source

How awesome are these s'more kits?! ingredients in plastic bag, pop of color with a tag and all tied to a stick - adorable and inexpensive! Source

I've seen a lot of push pop ideas this year... but this might be my fav! Don't you love the marshmallows in the box as the display?! Source and tutorial (buy push pops here)

Another great treat would be s'more candy apples! Also love burlap and wood accents in this pic! Source