OLIVIA party :: Food and favors

According to Olivia's Rule of Life #100, "Red is the very best color for absolutely, positively everything!" It wasn't difficult finding party-friendly red foods. We served sliced watermelon, cherry tomatoes, chips and salsa, white chocolate dipped strawberries and bagel pizzas with mini pepperoni as a kid-sized topping.


Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting towered above the assortment of red foods. It was my mom's idea to add red hots to some of them. I loved how they turned out! I took a shortcut and got organic chocolate cake mix that was on close-out at the grocery store and then just made the frosting from scratch at home. I baked the cupcakes the night before the party and then frosted them the day of. The damask-patterned baking cups and picks came from Oriental Trading, and the black and white candles were from Hobby Lobby.

Again, taking a cue from Olivia's Rules of Life, I framed this saying, "Never miss a very important party." Along with the frame, I staggered our little red pail favors on a white tray and filled them with red swirl lollipops and Olivia stickers.

Our guests liked picking these up on their way out the door, and there was enough room in the pails to put the kids' crafts. My next post will give you the scoop on the crafts and other party activities!

To get all the Olivia party posts, click on the tag, "olivia" below.

OLIVIA party :: Decorations, invites and thank you cards

Inspired by the Olivia children's books and Nick Jr. TV show, we threw a party last weekend for our 3-year-old, Natalie. This was a major undertaking, so I'm splitting up the details over several installments! :) Be on the lookout for these upcoming topics...

• Food and favors
• Crafts and activities
• How I spent my $150 budget
  

Decorations: Olivia Cutout
OK, so you're probably wondering about that first photo with the adorable girl who happens to be hugging her favorite pig role model. Although my husband and I hold the patent for how to create that adorable girl, I can disclose how we created the "life-size" Olivia cutout!

It took the largest piece of white foam core I could find at Hobby Lobby, a handy 40% off coupon, and some paint and brushes already stocked in my craft closet. Oh yeah, and a utility knife that my husband begrudgingly used to cut around Olivia so the party guests could pose with her.

I started with this image of Olivia in her signature red and white stripes. I used a pencil to freehand sketch my approximation onto the foam core. Then, I used three basic paint colors--red, pink and black--and custom mixed to get some variations for the shadows and highlights. For example, tint the pink with some black to achieve the right color for the inside of Olivia's ears and her nose.

Alternatively, if painting isn't your forte, you can make an enlargement at a print shop and glue it onto the foam core. (See another Olivia party for directions on that project.)

Decorations: Paper Lanterns & Window/Wall Hanging
By now, you've probably noticed that our colors were red, white and black. As the centerpiece of the party, I hung red and black paper lanterns from the curtain rod over the food table and then suspended a frame, all using fishing line.


In a pinch, you can spray paint your paper lanterns to match the colors you're using. I happened to have a brown lantern just sitting unused in my garage (see center) and a can of black spray paint, so I repurposed it for this party.

Some of you may recognize the white frame from a previous post. My mom helped me with this project by lining the back of the frame with black damask gift wrap paper, then hot-glueing two black ribbons along the width of paper to disguise the paper seams. I cut out the initial "N" from some scrap red cardstock and glued it over the top. Very simple, very inexpensive. I liked how the paper almost looks like fabric; the way it filtered the window light was really nice, too.

Decorations: Signage
Using more gift wrap (this time red and white polkadots), we covered a yard sign and glued on a print-out of Olivia welcoming our guests. We tied a red balloon to the sign and stuck it in the front yard.


Another sign in the back yard read "Don't be a messy pig! Please recycle here." Again, I covered another sign with cardstock, wrapped some grosgrain ribbon around it and attached a print-out and a balloon.


Invitations
My idea for the party truly began when I found these red, black and white invitations at Target on clearance. I originally thought I'd use pink in the color scheme (you know, piggy pink), but I really liked the more grown-up appeal of the red, white and black--not so cutesy.


Thank You Cards
Our homemade thank you cards only took some leftover damask gift wrap glued to black cardstock and a printed sticker that matched the other party details. FYI, the typeface I used is called "Daniel." The birthday girl scribbled on some index cards that I glued to the inside of the cards along with a note of thanks for her gifts. At least I'm teaching her some old-fashioned manners in the midst of all this crafting! ;)

That's it for now, folks! Stay tuned for the rest of the party details soon. To get all the Olivia party posts, click on the tag, "olivia" below.

Rainbow Art Collage

Looking for a rainy day activity with quick set-up and toddler/preschooler appeal?

I recently did an impromptu art project with my toddler using magazine clippings in all the colors of the rainbow. I drew the outline of the rainbow with the color names on the left and set out a pile of magazine clippings. My toddler sorted the clippings by color and used a glue stick to arrange them on the arc that matched the color.

Although she ran out of clippings to complete the rainbow, we hung it up anyway and have been working on it in stages as I have time to clip more magazines. By the way, the colors we used were: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple (a simplified version of Roy G. Biv).

Bee Mine Valentine

Here's your step-by-step for some adorable valentines that you can make with your toddler or preschooler.

1) You'll need a pack of medium tags and pink dye ink pad from a craft store (these are from JoAnn's Fabrics).

2) Have your child use their fingerprint to make a single mark on each tag. Disclaimer: this ink can be messy, so supervise your child closely.

3) Repeat, repeat! :)

4) Now, it's Mom's turn. Draw details on the bees using a thin-tipped black marker and write your "BEE MINE" message in pink. Tie to a small Juicy Juice box as a gift for classmates. Choose the Juicy Juice punch flavor for the pink packaging to match your sweet bees.

Retrofitted Baby Changing Stations

I'm a big fan of just using what you've got, whenever possible. You can creatively repurpose almost anything; it saves money, reduces waste and just makes sense.

When you have a baby, there's a big push (no pun intended) to buy all new furniture, including a changing table. I really didn't want a matching nursery set anyway, so I looked around the house for what would work for a changing station. Virtually any sturdy piece of furniture that is about waist-height can be retrofitted for that purpose.

For our firstborn, I ended up using an antique table I had in storage. I painted it white and situated a changing pad on top. To allow easy access to diapers and other necessities, I purchased a stand-alone cabinet with shelving and hung it above the changing table.

For the second iteration of the changing station with Baby #2, I updated the cabinet with some discounted paint. I used my grandmother's sewing machine cabinet, changing out the hardware for a more contemporary look. I like the extra storage that the drawers provide. A new changing pad and a wall lamp complete the ensemble.

Always look for ways that you can repurpose existing furniture. Do you have any ideas or links to share of projects you've pulled off?

Colorful Christmas Menu

I thought I would share my Christmas menu and some preparation tips with you! Our spread was so colorful and the flavors balanced well.


One of my favorite cooking shows is Food Network's "Cooking for Real" with Sunny Anderson. I used two of her recipes this year: Turkey with Pan Gravy and Garlic Green Beans. I didn't have any sage for the turkey, so I just substituted thyme and more rosemary. It was the juiciest turkey meat I've ever had--well worth the time it took to brine it in the fridge. And the seasoned rub and olive oil basting gave the whole bird such a lovely golden finish. The Garlic Green Beans were tasty and fresh; I found them less heavy than the traditional goopy green bean casserole.

Not wanting the turkey neck and giblets to go to waste, my husband made Cornbread Dressing, a Southern Living recipe (see top photo, far left). I have to commend him for being resourceful, even when we didn't have all the ingredients on hand. He made do, and it turned out great.


For me, another go-to resource for recipes is Better Homes and Gardens. I tried their Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Pecans and Creamed Corn Casserole. I liked the creaminess of the sweet potatoes along with the crunch of toasted pecans on top. Also, both these recipes lent themselves well to pre-holiday prep. The corn casserole took up no oven space by cooking in the CrockPot throughout the morning, and I whipped up the sweet potatoes the day before and had them stashed in the fridge awaiting the oven.

Forget the canned sludge! I made fresh cranberry relish for the first time, using this recipe from the Closet Cooking blog. I might not include the orange peel next time (it was a little bitter for my liking), but I loved the texture of the relish and the brilliant color.


Lastly, for dessert, I opted for the classic pumpkin and pecan pies. I used Whole Food Market's Old Fashioned Pecan Pie and the simple recipe from the back of Libby's canned pumpkin. Admittedly, I made a shortcut by using Pillsbury pre-made crusts, but I needed all the timesavers I could get with a 4-month-old and 2-year-old underfoot and a long list of other to-dos! :) The pecan pie was good but different than one made from Karo syrup. It used honey and maple syrup instead, so it was healthier and not as sugary.

COOKING TIMELINE (to eat by 12:30 pm, Christmas Day)

Dec. 21:

Go grocery shopping

Dec. 22:
Brine the fresh (not frozen) turkey and leave in fridge for up to 3 days

Dec. 24:

- Bake pies

- Make cranberry relish

- Prepare sweet potatoes to refrigerate overnight

- Assemble spices for the turkey rub and leave on counter

- Set out all your other ingredients in stations, along with serving dishes

- Set the table in advance

Dec. 25:

- 7:00 am: Pull turkey out of the fridge and do prep for roasting, allow to rest at room temp

- 8:00 am: Assemble creamed corn casserole and turn on slow cooker, set to 4 hrs on high

- 8:30 am: Put turkey in the oven

- 10:45 am: Turkey comes out of oven

- 10:50 am: Toast pecans for sweet potato casserole (10 min)

- 11:00 am: Put cornbread dressing in oven, side by side with sweet potato casserole

- 11:30 am: Make green beans

- Noon: Make pan gravy from turkey drippings; cornbread dressing comes out of oven; add marshmallows to sweet potato casserole

- 12:15 pm: Take out s.p. casserole; carve the turkey

- 12:30 pm: Call everyone to the table, say a prayer of blessing and serve one tasty meal!

GENERAL TIPS

• Whenever possible, use a food processor to do your prepwork for you. I despise chopping onions and never get them finely diced because tears are streaming down my face by that point. A food processor takes care of this job for me and takes a fraction of the time.
• Make a habit of growing herbs in your flower garden, windowsill or the like. It's such a cost-saver and handy in a pinch when you have to make a substitution.
• Don't throw away the turkey carcass/bones. Put them in a dutch oven, fill with water and simmer for one hour to make turkey broth to freeze for later use. No need to buy broth at the store!

Whew! I'm done, folks. Hope this helps you out for next year. Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!

No-Sew Advent Calendar

Repeat after me: "Tacky glue is my best friend." Seriously, I got this entire project completed with just one bottle of that adhesive awesomeness. I own a sewing machine but (tsk, tsk) I haven't learned to use it, so I rely on glue and iron-on tape to get the job done on most of my crafts.

Supplies/Instructions:

• 1 - 22x34-inch fabric of your choice (I chose one with polka dots which made for less guesswork and tedious measuring on the rows for the calendar and when folding over the edges to glue to the back! Just follow the row of polka dots. Could work the same way with a striped fabric.)
• 1 - 9x12-inch light blue felt and scrap felt pieces cut for the manger scene (forest green for hills, brown for barn structure)
• 25 - 3x3-inch felt squares for the pockets (5 rows of 5)
• Stencil-cut numbers for Advent pockets (1 through 25)
• 1 - dowel rod trimmed to 22 inches
• Ribbon to tie on each end of dowel rod for hanging
• Tacky glue
• Fabulous Foam Self-Adhesive Nativity Shapes (500-pc from Oriental Trading; $7.99) There are two sizes of nativity shapes that come in this pack. I sorted them and, using the larger ones, I will have enough pieces now for eight years! Sheep, stars and palm trees all made double or triple appearances in the Advent calendar to have enough to fill up 25 pockets.

A foam sticker peeks out of one of the pockets. Tip: Use a stencil flipped over to trace the numbers in reverse on the felt. When you go to cut them out, any pen marks on the back will be hidden.

Tip: Using 9x12 sheets of pre-cut felt, you'll have enough 3x3 pieces cut out from 3 sheets to make 24 pieces. Use some excess felt of another color to make your pocket for Day 25...Christmas!

Here's what it looks like hanging from a door using a wreath hanger.