Boycotting Blogger

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I must say, I have to boycott the blog until this weekend when I can get my husband to fix things. These blue hyperlinks and whatever else is going on that I can't seem to fix are so hideous looking that I can't even look at my own blog. Seriously. I cringe.

I do however have a new reader submitted Wizard of Oz baby shower to show you as soon as the ole blog is fixed. So there's the upside!

Hang on, kids. Be strong. Mommy still loves you.

Speechless

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Can we all just agree that these Baby Shower Favors from One Cool Pick are the coolest things ever? E.V.E.R.

I really don't know what more to say. I'm at a loss for words. They are that cool. I'll just be sitting over here in silence staring at them now.

Yo, BLOGGER. Meet me at Camera Three.

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Blogger,

Over here. Let's chat. Seriously, why the Courier font in the post below? Why all the big blue hyperlinks all of a sudden? Why the not letting me fix it? What gives? I thought we had an agreement. I type stuff in and insert pictures and you make the magic happen.

You've changed Blogger. I don't even know you anymore.

-Amy

Stem Readers,

As soon as Blogger stops acting a fool or my way more HTML literate husband has a spare moment to help a brother out, this nonsense will be fixed. In the meantime, sorry for the ug.

-Amy

When Life Gives You Lemon Cookies

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As you may know from this blog, I'm a big fan of charitable causes like this and have a personal interest in causes relating to cancer. Liking cute things that are delicious that also tie into both is easy math for me.



The Flour Pot cookie boutique has teamed up with Alex's Lemonade Stand on their new Lemon Cookie Gift Box. The Flour Pot is generously donating 20% of the proceeds of each box to the charity. Each box of cookies is only $25 and they ship nationwide!

What started as a young cancer patient's front yard lemonade stand, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation has now blossomed into a national charity that has raised over $25 million toward finding a cure for childhood cancers.

If you aren't familiar with The Flour Pot you're quickly going to be looking for reasons to shop their site for their adorable and delectable creations to give to special people in your life. The designs are divine!

Summer is the perfect time to throw a citrus hued bash. Wrap them in cellophane and hellooo, instant dessert and/or party favors.

Need a fun way to say "thank you" to someone? Who wouldn't be thrilled to receive a box of these in the mail. Don't you just love unexpected old school mail?

Whatever your occasion, what better way to celebrate than knowing you made someone happy and gave back to a very worthy cause while doing so.

What are you waiting for?

Hooray Hooray We're On Our Way!

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Our summer vacation starts today!



Okay, did anyone else read this Bernstein Bears book when they were little or am I just showing my age here? Not that I care right now because we are leaving for vacation.

It's early squirrley and we are catching a flight to Boston for some time with the in-laws and then up to Gloucester for our annual trip here with friends. It's delightful and just what the doctor ordered! Mama needs a break.

So, keep the party going while I'm gone, won't you? I will see you when I get back next week!

O is for Ovah

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The C is for Cupcake Baby Shower is ovah and so are my posts entitled "(blank) is for (blank)" for the time being. Golf claps.
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I'm sure you ALL come here for the blog post titles but while you're here you may as well stick around for the party photos. If you're like me and want to see every party pixel, feel free to click on the images to enlarge them.



The fabulous Jilly's Cupcake Bar party room provided the perfect backdrop for this baby shower and all of it's modern flashcardy goodness. Details were purposely kept clean and simple to match the vibe of the flashcards themselves.

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I chose white balloons tied with clear fishing line to add some height and bring the eye up while still not being too "fussy." Yes, I just said "fussy." I'm a dork.

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Signs were made and framed in white to highlight some of the various elements of the party: Cupcakes, Gifts, Favors, Ice Tea, Lemonade, etc.

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Napkin rings of alphabet and colored beads strung on clear jewelry string spelled out baby-related words. Details anyone can do!

The bottles were filled with Lemonhead candy to weight them down and create a nice little stand for the flashcards.

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Empty baby food jars were filled with crayons so the guests could doodle on the white butcher paper covered table if they were feeling a little artsy.

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Colorful plates from the summery dishware section of Target made for cute chargers and got a personal touch with round labels. Charger + Name = Placecards. I can do letters AND math!

Fun word games were printed on coordinating paper and small square flashcards were passed around for guests to write words of wisdom for the mom-to-be.

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These gourmet cupcake mixes were embellished with ribbon and 4" round stickers I created to match the shindig.

So those are the highlights. The deets. The dealios. Hope you enjoyed!

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Special thanks to Debra at Jilly's for all of your help and for being so fun to work with on this. If you're in St. Louis and haven't been to Jilly's yet...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? Go. Now.

T is for Tease

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More soon but here is a sneak peek of yesterday's C is for Cupcake Baby Shower.

Cupcaaaaaaakes. Nom. Nom. Nom.

A Very Cute Birthday

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Look at this adorable birthday party inspired by the birthday girl's love of Eric Carle's A Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear books. You know she had me at the Chinese lanterns on garden stakes in the shape of a caterpillar. Seriously. I was done for.





Fellow St. Louisian and mom, Suzanne, contacted me awhile back as she was on the fence about doing her daughter's birthday or sourcing it out for some help. Then, like a woman after my own heart, decided to take on the task herself. Go on, Suzanne! You did a great job!

Crafts included Brown Bear painting (with pudding!) Egg-crate caterpillars and making your very own very hungry caterpillar bookmark. As if that weren't enough, the guests got to have some free-play time with tunnels, inflatables and balls AND THEN had story hour featuring Eric Carle books with full on reenactments of stories with a sign language bear and an adorable hungry caterpillar velcro-story-telling-apron. (Love that grandma got involved with story time!)

Other touches like a buffet full of goodies, Very Grouchy Ladybug Juice, a Happy Birthday Banner hanging over the Story Time location and the great DIY centerpiece full of excerpts from the book made this one Very Cute Birthday Party.

Oh, and those over the top custom Eric Carle inspired outfits for the birthday girl and her sis? Those are from St. Louis' own Nia Design. If you have a little one of your own or need a special gift for someone who does, you must check out Nia Design!

Celebrate Good Times...Come On

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Much thanks to Celebrations.com for asking me to contribute a few details about the Pet Party featured here.

That post wouldn't have been complete with a shout out to Robyn at Mix Mingle Glow and her incredible Party With A Purpose. I love every detail of that party. I must quote one of the best movie lines ever: "I love it so much it makes it look like you hate it." (Name that movie!)

Celebrations.com is one of THE most comprehensive online sources for entertaining, so I really appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it. I would also appreciate a few extra hours in each day to spend on their site. I'm not kidding...go...get lost in it.

Look At The Stars....

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I can't help but sing Coldplay's "Yellow" when I look at this citrusy sweet candy bar the talent over at b.a.s.h.ful events created. I love how sunny and fun it is!

More great pictures over on the b.a.s.h.ful blog. Thanks for sharing! And, dear readers, if you are in need of a custom event kit you might want to just hop on over yourself and check out the goods!

Not As Painful As It Sounds

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Did you know that you can take baby bottles (Helllooo, Dollar Tree to the rescue), fill them with something to weight them down (Lemonheads), slit the nipples lengthwise (ouch) and use them to hold up little cardstock signs or perhaps the Cutest Flashcards In The World?

It's true. I'll show you pictures next week after the upcoming C is for Cupcake Baby Shower. I can't ruin all the fun by posting pictures just yet. Patience, pumpkins...patience.

You Can't Be Serious

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Or at least I can't be serious when looking at these cheeky appetizer plates from CB2.

I'm loving the Chinese Takeout series for a fun, casual get together where you have a great excuse to make it easy on yourself and order takeout instead of slaving in the kitchen. Decorate the buffet with lots of hanging chinese lanterns and vases filled with inexpensive fortune cookies and you're all set.

The little doodle plates are cracking me up. I'm sorry but the corkhead is hilarious. Throw a very unpretentious wine party with these plates and have each guest bring a bottle of wine. Do a very laid back wine tasting where there are no right or wrong opinions. Serve different cheeses and chocolates and ENJOY yourself for once, instead of stressing about the party.

If these plates don't make you take putting together a night in with friends a little less seriously, then I don't know what will!

Get A Load Of The Glitter Girlz

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You know those email newsletters you sign up for sometimes? Well, I'm on the Dreamers Into Doers (DID) mailing list because they are usually full of inspiring stories and interesting people (and it's Martha). Yesterday was the first time I gasped when I opened it though. I totally Glitter Gasped over the feature on The Glitter Girlz. (Fun Fact: The Girlz are nominated for a DID Award. Good luck, you two!)

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Just look at these fun images and scroll down for the deets. (That "fun" was for you, Jodie.)

Children's Party Planners Jodie and Ellie met 5 years ago and decide to join forces and start a very special type of party service in the Chicago area. Glitter Girlz parties are full of creativity, imagination and lots of sparkle!

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There are four different themes to choose from: I Love My....Room, Fashion, Bling, Me where guests get to create all kinds of fabulous things. With things like funky hair extensions, nail polish, create your own lip gloss, make your own blinged out fashions, mini photo shoots, to room decor and more, there is sure to a party to suit every little girl out there. Of course by "little" I mean, "Can I Come?"

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Sashay on over to the Glitter Girlz website to see the full list of what they have to offer. I know you'll be inspired and probably a little jealous of how cute Jodie and Ellie are. I am on both accounts rather guilty. Lock me up. Just make sure my cell is appropriately glittered, would you?

Stunners from StudioWed

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The amazing Michelle Gainey from StudioWed has created the most stunning tabletops with the help of some of her fabulous vendors. Your eyes are in for a treat. There are so many layers of gorgeousness here that you might have a hard time picking your favorite!

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Do you fancy romance? This is Summer Romance is sure to please then.

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Do you have a flair for the Peacockulous? I know I do. I can't get enough Peacock blue in my life. Don't get me started on feathers.

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Or is Eco/Green more your thing? Don't worry, you don't have to sacrifice style whilst minding the earth.

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You must click on each link above to see many more details from these tablescapes. These images are just a sampling of what you will find.

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Thanks for sharing, Michelle. Fantastic as always!

I Wood Die 4 U

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What a wonderfully thoughtful and chic gift these wooden bracelets from Paloma's Nest would make. I'm dying over their simple beauty.

Whether you choose to have them personalized with names, dates, or favorite quotes, I just think they would be perfect for all sorts of things! Bridesmaid's gifts. Me. Graduation. Me. Hostess gifts. Me. New moms. Party Favors. Me.

Paloma's Nest designs have been featured on Good Morning America and Martha Stewart Magazine, so clearly I'm not the only one who has designs on this fantastic Etsy Shop. If you are not familiar with the well-blogged about items in her shop, including the Ring Bearer Bowl (TM), you're in for a treat when you go check out these bracelets and personalize one of your very own!

Happy Paper&Cake Week

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I had another post ready for today but then I got this email from Kira and Abigail at Paper&Cake and thought I'd just keep the P&C love going on Stem. It just made sense to put them back to back!



Since their Cupcake Wrappers have been such a hit, the girls decided to sell them separately. Lucky us!

At $4 each, or 3 for $10, all of the Cupcake Wrapper designs are versatile enough to use for any celebration. The best part? Once you have the template you can use it again and again. You'll never have naked cupcakes again.

Now then, tomorrow I have a wonderful gift idea for you so come back and see me. I know I'm getting one for myself very soon...