Thanks and Giving from Paper & Cake

This Thanksgiving marks the one year anniversary of Paper & Cake printable partyware, and it has been quite the year! We want to show our appreciation for all of the support you have given us - with your business, your blog posting and your kind response to this creative endeavor - by offering you a little thank you gift.

The Paper & Cake "Thanksgiving" collection includes all you will need to entertain your family in style:

* Invitation + Envelope
* Menu
* Place Cards
* Wine Glass Tags
* Napkin Rings / Vase Wrap / Candle Wrap
* Party Food Label
* Recipe Card
* Favor Box

Download yours here, and please pass it on!

4th of July and Green Valley Lake

that's me on the left

Back in the late 70s, my parents bought a vacation fixer in Green Valley Lake. After my dad and my grandpa gutted and rebuilt the inside of this lakeside cabin, we started spending our summers up there. The photo above is of my sisters and me, c.1980 (notice our super stylish feathered hair-dos). I have one fond memory after the next I could bore you all to tears with - but since you all are so busy, I guess I'll save them for another day.

4th of July was a pretty big holiday to celebrate up there, always culminating with watching fireworks exploding over Lake Arrowhead from our lookout vantage point, miles away, at "the Rocks" (apparently the most original nickname we could come up with for an outcropping with an unencumbered view of said lake).

my sisters and me at "the Rocks" May '09

So, if the 4th of July is a big celebration in your house, how about some inexpensive but fabulous decorations to give your kids some of those memories people are always going on and on about. You can find this printable partyware collection over at the Paper & Cake Etsy shop for only $8.

And have a safe, happy, and fun filled Fourth.

shown here: cupcake wrapper and snack carton

Christmas is Coming

Yes, yes, I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but aren't you feeling the pressure? The decorating, the shopping, the entertaining... ahhhhhh! It's enough to make any Martha wanna-be scream.

What I've been thinking about lately, is what our family Christmas card will look like this year. Being a graphic designer and a fairly decent photographer (meaning I know how to use photoshop), I think there is some expectation that it really be a winner. I've got to hit it out of the park. It must be one for the books.

etc. you get the picture.

And to top it off, the past two Christmas cards have been pretty funny (if I do say so myself). Do I do a funny card again? Should I go traditional? Help me! I can't figure out my Christmas card!

Barnes Family 2006 (note my 2 dimensional husband)

Barnes Family 2007 (click to view this one a little closer, do you see me in this picture?)

Me? A Contributor? Wow!

Yup, it's true, I have arrived.

My own post about a Scooby Doo Halloween party is now appearing on Little Shindigs (you have to see this!) There are just so many ideas swirling around in this vortex of a brain of mine that I now have to spread them around other people's blogs.

Can you tell I'm having so much fun with this?

A Halloween Party?

I’m not big on Halloween. In fact, I hold my breath till it’s over, especially now that I have a couple of young kids that do not like anything remotely “scary” or surprising. This is the only time of year that we completely avoid the party supply store. A store that is just around the corner and that, during non-Halloween times of year, we frequent regularly.

My 6 year old daughter (Autumn) has decided she wants a little movie night with her friends as a “Halloween” party. Normally I would say, “Sure! Sounds like fun!” but because it’s being billed as a Halloween party I’m kind of reluctant.

So, here is my plan…..

Invites


In keeping with the “non scary” theme to this party, I found a stock photo of candy corn (bigstockphoto.com) and typed the information over it. Alternatively, you can easily do this with scrapbooking paper and vellum. I chose not to use envelopes this time because my daughter can easily hand these out to the few friends we are inviting.


Activity


The whole reason for the party is to watch a movie, the main event! We’ll set up all the sleeping bags and pillows in front of the couch so that all the kids can see and hear Casper’s Scare School.


Food


It dawns on me as I write this section… should cookie cutters be renamed? We will be using these Wilton brand cutters (available for a little over $3, they are all about 4 ½ inches, the perfect size) for lots of different foods, none of which are cookies.

Using alternating white bread and wheat bread, we will serve an assortment of peanut butter, plain cheese and lunch meat sandwiches in these shapes.

And how about Halloween shaped Rice Krispie Treats?

You will need:

• Cooking spray
• 3 T. butter
• 1 16 oz. bag of large marshmallows
• Orange, green and/or purple food coloring
• 9 cups of Rice Krispie cereal
• Cookie sheet
• Wax Paper
• Halloween shaped cookie cutters

Directions:

1. Lightly coat the cookie sheet with cooking spray and set it aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
3. Add the marshmallows to the pot and stir frequently until they are melted.
4. Stir in drops of orange (for the pumpkins) or green (for the monster head) or purple (for the ghost) food coloring until the mixture is the shade desired.
5. Stir in the Rice Krispies until they are evenly coated with marshmallow.
6. Spoon the Rice Krispies mixture onto the cookie sheet and allow to cool for one minute.
7. With waxed paper, flatten the Rice Krispies mixture to an even thickness.
8. Press the Halloween cookie cutter into the flattened mixture to create the shaped Rice Krispie treat you desire.

I figure, you have spent the money on the cutters, so why not add Jello Jigglers to your buffet? Jello comes in a ton of flavors and colors, just remember that these take more than 3 hours to complete, so maybe work on them the day before.

To round out this dinner plan, I will be serving fruit salad, slightly steamed carrots, edamame (they actually like these!) and pita with hummus.


Dessert

Yes, I am going overboard in the sweets department. Maybe by the time I do the actual shopping and cooking for this event, I’ll save the Rice Krispie treats for a different day? Moving right along, I can’t imagine a party without cupcakes! Chocolate with cream cheese frosting is my daughter’s favorite! And to finish them off, I will print out my cute Casper the Friendly Ghost images, glue them on party picks and stick them on top.



Okay, I swear this is the last one – I’m adding here mostly because I can’t stop myself. Have you seen these on Martha’s website? I’m going to modify the original recipe slightly to save, myself.


Boo-Nilla Shakes

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 pints vanilla ice cream
• Whip cream in a can
• Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce (you know, the kind that hardens to make a crunchy shell?)

Directions: Decorate the insides of 6 glasses with ghostly faces. Blend milk and 1 pint ice cream in a blender until smooth. With machine running, add remaining pint ice cream, one scoop at a time; blend until smooth. Pour milkshake into glasses, filling them 3/4 full. Squirt mounds of whipped cream on top of milkshakes. Serve immediately.

And there you have it, non-scary non-spooky Halloween fun for my over imaginative daughter. I can almost guaranty there will be NO nightmares after this party. The only thing I can’t guaranty, is no tummy aches. I’ll take photos of the actual bash to post later, so that everyone can see that anyone can pull off this semi-homemade party.