Entertaining

The Unfussy Dinner Party

With barbecue season on its way out the door, it’s time to bring entertaining indoors. Welcome your friends. Treat your family. Invite your neighbors. Celebrate the everyday!

Today’s post is brought to you by the folks at Fancy Feast, because if there is one thing you can count on, it’s that cat people love to party.

And by party I mean eat a cozy meal with a small group of friends and be home by 11pm, aka: a dinner party.

Party on cat people!

Here is the thing about dinner parties: As a kid, I had the impression dinner parties were something adults hosted or attend every other day. As an adult, not so much. Dinner parties are less frequent and way more effort than you might think, but, that’s mostly because we put pressure on ourselves to be overly formal.

“That dinner party was nice but they should have tried to impress us more.” -SAID NOBODY EVER

So. Let’s take the sting out. Let’s break down the five keys to a good, festive, low-stress, fabulously unfussy dinner party!

Food: S+3P
Ever been to someone’s house for dinner and the host spends the whole time in the kitchen preparing an overly complicated recipe they saw in a magazine? And then they get frustrated and overwhelmed and you want to tell them IT’S OKAY PAL, LET’S JUST CALL OUT FOR PIZZA AND BEER but the struggle in the kitchen continues for hours, and then the food comes out and you have to pretend you appreciate their grand effort but really you would have preferred pizza and beer? Yeah. That’s not fun. That’s why all dinner party food falls under what is called The S and Three P’s. I’m not sure who made up this rule, but it’s a good one. S is for salad and the three P’s are pizza, pasta, pot roast. Mind you, those are umbrella food groups not literal suggestions. I’m not saying it has to be pasta – you can serve lasagna, or a pork roast, or whatever, but, the point remains, these are foods that can be 90% prepped before the guests get there and everybody likes them and everyone knows how to make one good version of either pizza, pasta, or pot roast. And salad is easy. And if you don’t know how to make salad, buy a couple from take-out and put it in a big bowl before guests arrive and nobody will know you didn’t make it. And you can serve salad at the end of the meal and everyone will think you are French and fancy pants. (Getouttahere!) All of this means the host (YOU) won’t be stressed and the guests will be happy. And if all else fails, get a really good frozen pizza and drizzle it with exotic pickings like truffle oil, or fresh basil, or arugula, or some foofy pink Himalayan sea salt. Unless you are professional chef, people are coming to see you – not your food. So keep it basic. Save the fancy experimental stuff for nights with just you and the cats. Cats love fancy experimental food.

Music: Low Key
Picking the music for a dinner party is a thankless task because if you do it right, nobody will notice it. Ever. Music is the foundation garment of the evening providing a layer of support – nobody needs to notice it. Let it set a baseline atmosphere but never steal the show. So, while it is the thoughtful details that make guests feel appreciated – music isn’t the place to showcase. Don’t worry, and don’t spend too much time on it – hook up a music app and choose something without too many words. Suggestion: search Spotify or Google Music for “dinner party” and you will find plenty to choose from. Plenty.

Place Settings: Paper Napkins are Your Friends
True story: One time, many years ago, I was enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner at a friend’s family home when someone accidently dropped cranberry sauce on the Great Grandma’s lace tablecloth. The guest felt awful and apologized profusely, but not before the hostess made everyone remove their half-eaten plates and put the food in the kitchen so she could strip the tablecloth and set it to soak before the stain set in. And while I can’t blame the hostess for taking care of a family heirloom, it cast a shadow on the rest of the evening and mortified her guest. Had she just kept the lace tablecloth out of the equation, none of this would have happened. I have seen this same scenario with inherited/wedding china more times than I care to admit. This is a personal choice, but, I would never bring out the fancy stuff for a dinner party. Why? Because I want my guests to be comfortable my home, and the surest way to make people uncomfortable is to make them tense about scraping a plate or dropping a glass. It is more important to me that people feel relaxed than impressed by some old china, or flatware, or crystal stemware. Chances are, if you only bring “the good china” out for company, you are nervous about people using it, and that vibe carries over to your guests whether you intend it or not. That’s a sure-fire way to make the evening dull and unnecessarily-formal. So how about this; just serve company on everyday dishes! Make it special and festive by adding flowers or napkins. Paper napkins in unusual colors or prints make everything seem festive. Or better yet, start using the good china everyday! Or accept that some fancy things can be showpieces that live in a glass case or hang on a wall. There is no shame in treating things nicely, just not to the detriment of your guests. People matter more than o.

Treat company like family and treat family like company.

Drinks: The Forgotten Art
Everyone needs a signature cocktail. Cocktail carts have home back into vogue in recent years, which is wonderfully charming but also baffling because hardly anyone (who isn’t a bartender) knows how to mix drinks. What is this about? So, want to impress company? Learn how to mix one really good cocktail. Make it your signature. Make it so good that people invite you to their house and insist you make the martini/sidecar/pinacolada/gimlet because you are so good at it. Get the proportions and the ingredients down so you could make it in your sleep. Be picky about ingredients. Buy one of those jumbo ice cube things. Have a story about where you learned to make this wonderful concoction. Doesn’t matter! People will appreciate your dedication to the art and that will make it taste better, if not The Best.

Company: Always Have Someone (or Something) to Celebrate
Want to make someone feel special in your home? Make them the guest of honor. Find a guest who has a recent occasion worth celebrating. Is it close to their birthday? Is somebody get promoted at work? Did they just complete a race? A personal goal? Come back from a big trip? Going back to school? …You get the idea. There is always something SOMEBODY in the room is doing that is notable, so raise a toast to them! Put some candles on a cake. Or make their favorite food. Not a big whoop – just enough to give them some recognition and the occasion a sense of festiveness. Celebrations mark the passage of time and give people a reason to enjoy themselves and congratulate each other. So enjoy!

And who was the guest of honor at this particular meal? None other than my cat Lolabelle. She is celebrating eight years since she came home from the shelter (and counting!). How does one celebrate feline nobility in a worthy-yet-non-obtrusive fashion? She gets her favorite food: Fancy Feast Medleys.

To be honest, Lola is a less than ideal dinner party guest because she is a first rate picky eater. But she is nuts about this line from Fancy Feast – not just quality meat but real vegetables and cheese. There are four pate varieties to choose from, her favorite being White Meat Chicken Florentine Pate with Cheese & Garden Greens. Even the name sounds elegant enough to be served at the table. I love it because, like a good dinner party, it is fancy, but it also comes in a can.

Elegant + Unfussy = Favorite.

Check out the complete line of Fancy Feast Medleys!

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Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site possible. Thank you to Fancy Feast for sponsoring this post.
Thank you to Lola for allowing me to adopt her and giving me a reason to celebrate everyday!

Easy Father’s Day Cake Toppers

by aunt peaches 3 Comments

Here is a question for you; What about Father’s Day?

Seriously. What do you do for Father’s Day? Holidays like Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Mother’s Day, and even National Root Beer Float Day (Aug 6^th BTW)….they all have clear expectations and traditions. But what about Father’s Day? How do you celebrate? The traditions are still in formation. And every dad is different. And if your dad is anything like mine, he might not even like a whole day devoted to him! A day spent on the couch with people paying attention to you is some dad’s idea of torture. So, what about Father’s Day?

What about devoting a part of the day, the best part -dessert– and turning it into a tribute to your favorite guy?

Now we are talking!

I came up with this DIY edible treat as a great way to incorporate your favorite photo and grocery store baked goods into something special and celebratory. It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to let good ol’dad know he is appreciated. Where does it all start? The place you shop most often – the grocery store!

Personally, and I know this is a little weird, I love my grocery store. Love. It. It’s a local chain, and the stores are large and they carry all the usual stuff, but they also host the best bakery in town.

Literally, it is the best bakery for miles around. Cookies, cakes, breads…whatever you want. They sell an impressive assortment of cake by the slice, which is awesome because it means I haven’t had to make a cake from scratch in years. Not so awesome because when you live less than a mile from a never-ending assortment of cake-by-the-slice, you visit a little too often. But I digress…

Back to the bakery section!

I knew I was going to be inserting photos with a 3” width, so I had to select something with some heft. Oh, darn. This concept would work well on just about any baked good though- cupcakes, muffins, brownies.

Then, with a box full of fudge cake in hand, I went back to the house to craft up some cake toppers for the special occasion.

Materials
Photos of your favorite person printed on sticker paper*
Dark/plain paper
Glitter paper (optional)
Toothpicks
Scissors

*Note: If you don’t have sticker paper you can sandwich the photos and plain paper together with a glue stick, just make sure it’s quick-drying and non-toxic. But if you are considering making a bunch of these, I highly suggest buying letter size sticker paper. It’s great stuff!

Start by holding the printed sticker paper and plain black paper together and cut an approximate loop around the desired shape. This need not be perfect, just roughly the same size.

Then, after peeling the backing off the printed sticker paper, lay it in a table sticky side up, and lay the top third of a toothpick on top.

Now lay the plain black paper on top and smooth it down, securely sandwiching the toothpick in the middle.

Flip over the pick and trim off any excess paper. The more dynamic the photo, the more interesting the shape! If you can find a photo of your dad making jazz hands and sticking his tongue out, even better. Special shout out to all the dads who refuse to take a photo without making a silly face. Double special shout out if your dad looks like Larry David while he’s doing it.

Ahem.

And because it’s Father’s Day, we need a crown. A small square of adhesive backed glitter paper is an easy addition!

Just slice in a few triangles to make a crown and you are ready to go! King for the day, indeed.

Repeat the process until you have one for everyone in the family.

This DIY was geared toward fathers day, but it would be so easy to customize to a birthday party, weddings, anniversaries, or even a graduation. Wouldn’t it be cute with a new graduate’s baby photo with a mortar board tassel hat? If somebody out there does this, you have to send me a photo!

The key ingredient in all of this is something delicious to serve as the base: baked goods! So it is appropriate that today’s post is sponsored by the Give Bakery Because campaign. In-store bakeries provide the backbone of so many celebrations, and now you are invited to join in the fun! The Give Bakery Because campaign is offering two $25 gift certificates to Aunt Peaches readers who leave a comment sharing a story or sentiment about someone who deserves a special gift from their favorite in-store bakery.

So you tell me, who in your life deserves a special treat?

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For more ideas, visit the Give Bakery Because campaign’s pinterest page or instagram and you’ll find dozens of cool, easy DIY ways to customize edible gifts. Join in on the fun by creating and sharing your own spin on a Father’s Day Treat and using #GiveBakery.

As always, thank you for supporting the brands that make this site possible!

Summer Entertaining Ideas

by aunt peaches Leave a Comment

So here is something I thought I’d never say: I bought a barbecue. A real, full sized, tomato shaped Bee-bee-que. Not a grill, not a fire pit, a BBQ. What does that mean? Cooking large quantities of meat.

And what does that mean? A great excuse to have people over.

As part of their Makers campaign, Michael’s asked us to take a look at their summer entertaining goods, and WHOA NELLY are they stocked! I grabbed a few plates and napkins for Memorial Day weekend, plus a few flags.

Can you ever have too many flags? Yeah, no.

As much as I like a good stars and stripes napkin, I like a good patriotic luminaria just as much.

Two words: mood lighting. And you know who sells white paper bags and paint? Michaels. And while you have the paint out, why not amp up your mood lighting with some painted party supplies!

Mood lighting is everything. But, let’s be honest: a cold cocktail goes a long way…

Finger painted party bucket anyone? Yesir!

And if you like the flower power, my fiesta flower door frame is the way to go…

I know where you can find some serious tissue paper options. You guessed it: Michaels.

And be sure to check out all of the other Michaels Makers DIY summer party ideas on the Michaels blog. For craft supplies and party goods to outdoor lighting, Michaels is your DIY destination for summer celebrations. Check them out!

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Mrs. Roberson’s Secret Twice Baked Chex Mix

by aunt peaches 13 Comments

There are two types of people in this world; people who understand the power of homemade chex mix and people who buy that devil-trash ready-made stuff in a bag.

I, all-knowing of these critical matters, fall into the former category of people who make their own chex mix. I’m not going to pretend that it’s complicated or anything, but I am going to say that the recipe on the side of the box that your grandma used to use doesn’t cut it anymore. No my friends, like all good things that run in generational cycles of popularity, chex mix is on round three. Maybe four, but who is counting. Most people eating chex mix are half-drunk so I don’t really trust their math anyway.

And. Actually. According to my childhood neighbor Charlene Roberson, historically speaking, chex mix came to popularity as a party food because it goes so great with booze. Cocktails in particular. Hostesses would serve chex mix at the beginning of the party because it was so salty and crunchy and delicious and that would get people to drink more and the drinking would get people to mingle and the mingling would make for a good party. So that just makes good sense. Granted, Charlene Roberson facilitated my first experience with alcohol and what led to a mighty rainbow of vomit sprayed across her garage door, but, that is a story for another time. I digress. Bottom line, I owe the woman a great debt as she shared her secret recipe for twice toasted chex mix with me when I first learning to cook, and it has been a favorite ever since.

Just to clarify, for the two of you who have never had it before, let me tell you, as a snack species, homemade chez mix is delicious. Especially in the dead of winter when there is nothing to do but watch television and drink. If you are going to somebody’s house for the Superbowl, bring this chex mix and you will be the most popular person in the room. If you are staying home to watch Downton Abbey by yourself, that’s cool too. Make chex mix and you’ll love yourself for investing time into this special treat. I don’t why that is, but it is. I don’t make the rules. I just know a good thing when I see it/taste it/crunch it/rub it all over my face/OH MY GOD IT’S SO GOOD.

This recipe is an amped up version of the classic. If you are a hipster or trying to impress someone, I suggest adding bacon grease and wasabi but this is America and I’m keeping this mainstream, just the way Mrs. Roberson liked it – extra Rosemary and seasoning, with the cooking in two phases. She used to say that was the secret, “Toast up the cereal beforehand, then season, then toast again.” I have tried both ways, and the lady knew what she was talking about. Try it yourself!

PART ONE: Dry Stuff

9 cups Chex cereal or similar (I mix about 6 cups corn chex with 3 cups wheat, but you can use whatever you want. If you stick to rice based cereal it’s easy to keep this recipe gluten free)
1 cup mixed nuts (I like to use salted nuts but it’s a matter of preference)
2 cups small pretzels
1 cup Gardetto’s garlic rye chips*

* Gardetto’s garlic rye chips are the quintessence of what I call Old Man Food and you may or may not be familiar with their tasty crunch. You are more likely to find them in the snack aisle at a 7-11 than a grocery store but that’s something you’ll have to take up with the management. If, and only if, you cannot fine Gardettos rye chips 1. I feel sorry for you and 2. You can substitute bagel chips or some sort of pumpernickel chip, but really, Gardetto’s is the thing you want. Some people even make do with Cheezeits, and we all hold it against them. The seasoning on the Gardetto’s are what make this recipe taste retro and manly, so I suggest some investigating before surrendering to the dark side aka: goldfish.

Mix all the dry stuff together and spread on two cookie sheets. Bake at 300F for 15 minutes. You would be crazy to do this without lining the cookie pans with parchment paper, but feel free to try it.

PART TWO: Wet Stuff

One stick of melted butter
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Sesame oil
2 Tbsp. Rosemary
1 Tbsp Seasoning salt (I like Lawry’s)
1 Tbsp. Black pepper
1 Tsp. sugar
1 Tsp. finely minced garlic (double that if you serving amongst friends)

*Like it hot and spicy? Add a tablespoon of Sriracha sauce.

While the dry stuff is in the oven, mix all the wet stuff together in the largest bowl you can get your hands on.

PART THREE: The Secret

Remove the dry goods now in oven and throw them into the bowl with the wet stuff. Toss around thoroughly and then spread the newly wet n’ wild cereal and stuff back on the parchment lined cookie sheets. Lower oven to 250F and roast for a good 45 minutes. This process could actually run anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on the weather and how dry/absorbent your cereal is, so check often, but 45 is a good estimate. The cereal will look brown and toasty – that’s how you know it’s done.

If you like it warm, you can eat it 10 minutes out of the oven, but be sure to let it cool 100% before putting in an airtight container. If you seal it off when it’s warm it’ll get soggy and all your beautiful twice-toasted tastiness will be gone.

THE SECRET: The secret is in the pre-toasting. Those first 15 minutes at a high temp dry out the cereal thereby making it extra absorbent when it comes to soaking up all the flavorful spicy dressing in Part Two. It makes a big difference. The final result is extra crispy and every single piece is packed with buttery deliciousness. I dare you to make a batch and taste test it side-by-side with a bag of that readymade stuff. You will be shocked. No need to send me a thank you note, the buttery crunch in my heart is thanks enough.

DIY Tassel Napkin Rings

by aunt peaches 6 Comments

Confession: I hate napkin rings.

No, really. It’s hard to hate something like a napkin ring, but I do, I really do. So imagine the surprise I felt when I was setting the table and a wave of inferiority rushed over me. I NEED POMPOMS. I NEED POMPOMS. I NEED POMPOM NAPKIN RINGS!

…and thus, a new chapter began. Much like the last chapter, it was filled with pompoms and tassels and yarns of yore.

And by yore, I mean the largest yarn stash ever known to someone who does not knit.

I have been on a tassel making kick for months, making small batches at night in front of the TV. They pile up in plastic bags in my craft room waiting for the day (probably any day now) when I turn them into knob bobbles. If you don’t know how to make yarn tassels, check in over there first. Get your tassel on!

The keys here is to leave the hanging strings long enough to tie them together (I also tied on a couple extra long strands for good measure). Then I braided the strands together and tied it off in a loop. It’s a little messy, but really, who is counting on neatness here?!

Confession: Those aren’t even real napkins. I just buy a yard of 100% cotton fabric, rip it in quarters, wash in hot water with baking soda and towels (puffs up the fibers), and let the edges fray. Nice thing about napkin rings is you don’t have to iron. Hayo!

Another confession: These babies stopped being napkin rings 20 minutes after these photos were taken and are now hanging on a Christmas tree. More on that next week!

Painted Chargers for a Holiday Feast

by aunt peaches 12 Comments

I have been toying with the idea for painted holiday plates for a while, but I’m not patchouli enough to hang out at the local pottery shop wearing Tevas and tube socks. Since Thanksgiving is upon us, I decided to do a little experiment with painting chargers. Neither chargers nor placemats have been of interest to me in the past, as it seems like just one more thing to have on the table. BUT. In this case, when you pair a painted charger with a glass plate, it’s like having mini art pieces on the table.

Lookit!

Wouldn’t mashed potatoes look really good on that?

Yeah. I know.

Want to make some? It’s crazy easy. It’s just layers of splotches in a circle-ish pattern around the plate. Let each layer of paint dry before you move on to the next. Or not. Maybe you want them to blend. You do that. You be in charge. Get it girl!

Materials
Gold Chargers $1.50 each
Martha Stewart craft paint, Satin finish $1.99 each (colors used here, bottom to top: Wild Blueberry, Granny Smith, Wedding Cake, Beach Glass, Habanero)

PS: You’ll find everything here at Michaels craft store. Yes, I am a Michael’s Maker. No, They aren’t sponsoring this. It’s just handy when you can find everything in one place.

Won’t the paint wash off?
I can’t speak for every acrylic paint on the market, but I really like this Martha Stewart paint in the satin finish (mixed review on the others). `The label reads:
“Use on Wood, glass, metal and fabric. Indoor/Outdoor Water based. Non-toxic. Weather resistant. Shake. Dry 1 hour between coats. For glass: Clean surface with alcohol. Cure 21 days. Top-rack dish wash.”
Because the charger here is probably plastic coated, and acrylic will never stick to plastic as well as other surfaces, I would probably not put it in the dishwasher. And I would never soak it in a sink like regular china. But a soapy rinse and wipe down? Sure thing. These haven’t even cured 48 hours and I can testify to them surviving a good rinse and dry in my kitchen, no special sealer or anything. And I’m not eating on them directly, so really, I’m not that worried. Worst case, if some of the paint did come up, it would just mean more of the gold underside showing through, and I like that. Problem solved. Boom.

You gotta love fancy china, but there is something awesome about clear glass plates. Especially since you can find them at most any thrift store or Dollar Tree. Inexpensive, all occasions, and you can add to your collection at any time.

And…while we are chillin here before dinner, did you see my centerpiece?

A cluster of glittery gold candle sticks, also from the thrift store (all five for sunder $10, btw)….but using my not-so-secret method for making no-shed glitter objects. Because nobody needs glitter in their cranberry sauce.

Or do they?

You can get the deets over at ILovetoCreate.com.

I’ll admit, I made these chargers just for the fun of it. I’m not doing a big Thanksgiving feast, butttt, if I was, I would go back and make these in autumn colors on this metallic brown base. Or for Christmas or Channukah, maybe a selection of blues in navy, white and periwinkle on these silver chargers. Or maybe just buy some blanks and let the munchkins go wild. Is that a family art project I hear coming down the tracks?

Toot toot!

Welp. That’s it. Your place is set. Who is coming over for dinner?!

Fingerprint Painted Party Bucket

by aunt peaches 18 Comments

In the great words of the mustache guy at my local gas station,”A party ain’t no party until someone buys a bag of ice.”

He also likes to tell me about his double adam’s apple and cooking eggs on the engine of his Dodge Durango. But I digress. Mustache guy has a point: there are very few things that create the benchmarks between regular old ‘hanging out’ and full on ‘summer entertaining’ – a cooler full of bagged ice and cold drinks is numero uno.

I mean, it just feels festive. It doesn’t matter if you’re entertaining 100 people, or it’s just you and the cat – if there’s a cooler with drinks, it’s a party. Oh, snap.

This one below feels very summery, but it’s a year rounder. Best part is that it’s easy to make, inexpensive, kid-friendly, and your peeps are going to be so impressed at the results. Zero artistic skills required. If you love color and messy fingers, you are going to love this project!

This is the first of many projects you will be seeing from me where you will find all the materials at your local Michael’s store. I am proud to tell everyone that I recently joined Michael’s craft stores as one of their Makers (woot woot!). This is an exciting opportunity for me and I hope you will join myself and the other Makers in the adventure ahead. I have been shopping at Michael’s craft stores since Jesus wore short pants, so this is like coming home for me. The idea that they want to partner with me because they want to reach out to YOU GUYS makes me smile. Gosh, they have great taste in audience, don’t they?

Okay. Back to the bucket!

This party bucket was inspired by this painted tub, one of the many projects you will fine on Michael’s website. This one uses a different technique for getting the paint to work, but you get the idea. Metal safe paint + sandpaper + bucket = awesome.

Materials

Galvanized oval party tub
Sandpaper (I suggest a rough grit)
Metal-safe craft paints (I like these by Martha Stewart. Multi-purpose and the colors are delicious)
Optional: Small paint brush to clean up and mistakes

Instructions
1. Prep your aluminum bucket by sanding it thoroughly. The paint will not stick if you don’t rough up the surface properly, so really take a few minutes to rub it thoroughly. Move in circles to leave a sub-texture. Or not. Your call….

Next…

2. After squirting some paint onto a disposable plate, dip one finger in the paint and daub it on the bucket. Daub it. Like a finger print — just one single move then BOOP, it’s there. Go back for more paint and make another boop right next to it. Some will be bigger, some will be smaller. Some will be pointy, some will be curvy. Embrace it!

Tip: Pattern Making
For this project, I worked in clusters of 11 boops at a time. After one cluster went down, I laid down another 11 boops right next to it. And another, and another. Eventually the surface will cover and you’ll have to fill the gaps with more or less than 11 boops, but that’s cool. Keeping most of the clusters consistent in volume helps create a pattern that will look very purposeful. Even if you are not comfortable with painting or basic principles of composition — it’s going to look great.

Tip: Dry Thoroughly
Be sure to let your paint cure for 48 hours before you stock it full of ice. If you don’t, the sides of the tub will build up condensation and that could mess with your paint. I experimented with this a bit, so trust me…just give it a good 48 hours and then you’ll be set to party.

Bonus Craft
When you are done painting your bucket and find extra paint on your palette, don’t throw it away! Use that paint to swipe doodle over a box or blank envelope. Michael’s sells blank white gift bags in quantity – you could make a whole closet full of these. Collapsible boxes are great because you can hoard them all year and then you’ll be stocked for Christmas.

Those skinny boxes in the middle are perfect for giving away cookies – they are actually aluminum foil boxes that I store up under the sink. Do I sound like a hoarder? Yeah. You got me. But I got you come Christmas!

Lord, why are we talking about Christmas when it’s summertime and the gorgeous weather has barely even begun? Let’s go outside…

The party is on. You bring the bean dip, and text me when you are on the way. If I don’t see you there, have a great weekend!

BTW, check out some of the other inspiring projects coming from other Michael’s Makers and their brand new blog, The Glue String. If you decide to pick up some items while you are over there, use the promo code 50MEMORIES for 50% off one regular priced item. Free shipping on orders over $50.

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Flamingo Cake Toppers for Under A Buck

by PEACHES 10 Comments

It’s official: Flamingos are The Unofficial Bird of 2014.

They are pink. They are rad. They are everywhere.

I’d like to think this is because of my 2013 flamingo Christmas tree (thanks again to all who participated in the exchange!) but I think the rightful origin of this trend is just good old fashioned common sense. Flamingos have always been the biggest badass bird running, it just took people a while to hop on the flamboyance wagon. (PS: A flock of flamingos is called a flamboyance) (PPS: here’s 20 more fun facts about flamingos in case you need to brush up)(don’t you get annoyed when bloggers use parenthetical statements side-by-side?)(I hate that!)

What was I saying? Oh cupcakes!

Do you need an easy, non-flammable, totally festive cake topper FOR UNDER A BUCK?

Yeah, you do.

You can buy a package of 18 of these awesome honeycomb flamingo drinking straws at Dollar Tree. For a dollar. One. One dollar. They also carry pineapple straws (The Unofficial Fruit of 2014), but the flamingo situation is off the hook! I went in for a can opener and came out with all kinds of flamingo themed goodies (see here). High snaps to Dollar Tree for delivering to flamingo crazies like me, but if you don’t have Dollar Tree stores in your area, you can also find some similar beauties here.

The straws come multicolored in the pack. This one had five red and white straws so that’s what I used for the photos here. Because it makes pretty like that. I’m not going to say what happened to the other 13 blue/green/yellow and white straws from the package, but let’s just say there was onion dip and a gal named Margarita involved.

Flamingos and chocolate y’all: it’s a winner!

Easy Watermelon Tablecloth

by aunt peaches 4 Comments

Eating watermelon makes me feel like a rebel. Easily, it is the most badass fruit.

See, I don’t know about you, but I grew up in a “no eating watermelon in the house” type of house. Too messy. Too sticky. First you give a kid a slice of watermelon, next you find slimy black seeds in the sock drawer. No good. My parents were hardly neat-nicks but that was one battle they refused to wage. Watermelons were only for outdoor consumption. In the summer. Preferably in a swim suit or something suitable for a good hose down. One time, at a birthday party, while wearing a nice dress, I ate a whole slice by myself and didn’t get anything on me. It was amazing. You know how in the movies when people rob liquor stores and then the hop in the getaway car and pound their chests and jump and holler all crazy like? Yeah. That’s what it felt like. Watermelon! Indoors, baby!

Well, this isn’t like that. You don’t actually have to eat watermelon to get your fix. Inside or out. This tablecloth is easy to make in an afternoon. It requires almost zero technical skills and could make a great way to kill an afternoon with a couple of munchkins. Go check out the tutorial to see how it’s done. Feel free to make it inside while eating something messy.

Go on now. Be a rebel!

Paper Cups and Thoughts on Stuff

by PEACHES 14 Comments

Yay! Today I am guest posting a fun and easy tutorial on paper cup lanterns over at Elizabeth Banks.

Actually, thing is, I’m a day late on this. My post went up yesterday. Today if you go to www.elizabethbanks.com you will see another post, a post I would much rather you read than my thing about paper cups. It’s an essay in response to Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. I think 50% of the women I know have read that book in the last 90 days and I suspect the other half will follow suit. And I am glad of this because, well, this book is worth reading. However, I read Sandberg’s book and wanted to write a response because, frankly, I wasn’t the biggest fan (which is why I was glad to read Elizabeth’s response).

Don’t get me wrong – there are parts of the book that made me want to grab some pom-poms and cheer along (wearing cargo pants and a sensible team shirt, obviously)….but there were other parts that made me think WTF is this woman talking about? Logistically — who is watching her kids right NOW? Does she not know what it’s like to live off an hourly job? Why is she worried about leadership when millions are just struggling to make ends meet?

Bottom line, there are people who work to live and people who live to work. For folks who fall into the former category, this an excellent self-help book.

Look, I give here credit for writing it though. There is a part of me that doesn’t want to criticize the book because it’s perpetuating a cycle of women knocking down the work of other women, which is the last thing we need right now. What do we need? We need to talk about what it takes to move ahead and bridge the gender gap. This book opens the discussion. People are crediting her with ‘bringing feminism back to the mainstream.’

“Back to the… what? Where exactly did they think feminism went? Because it’s been husslin’ my ass along for 30 years straight.”
– Excerpt from my review.

Okay, I’ll save my thoughts for another time. In the meantime, read EB’s response, or pick up the book and read it yourself. This is the sort of thing that makes me want to start a book club – so I can talk and listen with all y’all about stuff that drives me nuts. Lean In is a good book but is missing perspective, which isn’t something I can fault Sandberg for – she is only one person with one history to draw from. As am I. As are you. But I like to hear your perspective on stuff too. All stuff. Because I, or should I say we, are better for it.

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