A super busy staycation! { the first event of the week }

I'm on vacation for 10 whole days!!

Specifically a staycation and relaxation is kinda the last thing on the list for us this week.

The first event this week was the hubby's surprise birthday party...  it was a major success!!

{ Yes, he was totally shocked and surprised. }

See for yourself.

That look's saying, "thanks for the party, hunny!"

It might be hard to believe from this picture, but we didn't do thirty candles for fear of setting off the sprinklers in the restaurant { love you hubby }

He can't wait for a piece of the German chocolate cake I made specially for him.

A couple of the cuties that were at the party { smile }

And then there's the German chocolate cake I made for the special occasion...

I found the recipe at Une Deux Senses, get the recipe here...  it was delicious!

{ the hubby told me how good it was a couple of times... so that means it was AMAZING }

And in case you're interested in the frosting technique I used check it out here.  

Thank you again to all of the family and friends who helped us celebrate this special day for my hubby!!

Check back soon for some other exciting events from our week of vacation { smile }

Invites are designed!

I'm pretty sure that sometime between now and my rambling about the prince's birthday plans, I mentioned that I had finally created/designed the perfect invitations for that same party!  And I even think that I had promised to share them with you...

Surely you have been waiting and hoping everyday for my next post to be the one.

Well the wait is over... thank god, I know.  { smile }

Ta da!!

I am more than pleased with the finished invites!  And they only took a few hours/days to get just perfect!  FYI, don't forget to make sure your file saved properly before exiting...  

Best part of this invitation is that I made it using Pixlr.com, an online photo editing service that's completely FREE!!  I highly recommend it if you don't want to invest a few hundred $$$ in software.

One more thing...

Picture via Sprinklebakes

I'll be using this Cherry Vanilla cake recipe for the cupcakes...  

SERIOUSLY could it get any yummier?!

Have a wonderful Friday, lovelies...

TGIF!!

Thanksgiving touches { Inspiration. Inspired } Part 2

How's about some inspiration for decorating around the house for Thanksgiving?!?!  If you aren't up for the go-all-out approach with your tablesetting then here are some ideas on little touches of Thanksgiving you can do instead.

Add a frame and you've got a great addition to your mantle.

A collection of pumpkins/gourds would look festive at your front door.

A beautiful wreath for your front door by Saffron Fields design studio on Etsy.  I just { LOVE } the colors and the glittery pears!!

Add a simple and colorful bunting to your table/mantle/anywhere you want.  You can find the DIY project for this garland at A Beautiful Mess Blog.

Another printable to put in a frame, this time with words of fall and Thanksgiving.  Get the free printable here from Betty Crocker {wannabe}.

And to decorate your dessert... I found this adorable Autumn Garland on Etsy from Potter + Butler.  I think the fabric poms would look just PERFECT on this Snickerdoodle Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream, get the recipe for this scrumptious cake here by Foodie with Family.   

Our you could make some cupcakes that look like pumpkins.

{ Simply add frosting to the cupcake in a dome shape, roll it in sprinkles so that it completely covers (or cover in M&Ms), then use the back of a butterknife to make the indents and then add the end of a chubby pretzel to the top. }

Here's another printable for those who { LOVE } cranberry sauce...  specifically that which comes from a can (or at least love commenting every Thanksgiving about where the canned stuff is)...  **pointing finger at you Dad**

Get the printable here, courtesy of Scene of the Grime.



Until next time, enjoy!