An Inexpensive Graduation Party with Reusable Decor

Don’t you love the bright, happy colors and characters of Dr. Seuss? They are perfect for a party! I’ve used this Dr. Seuss theme for several parties. It can work well for graduation with an “Oh the Places You’ll Go” theme. For a back to school dinner there are a lot of different Dr. Seuss quote options, I like, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” I’ve even used my Dr. Seuss party decor for a baby shower with the theme, “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, New Fish.” There are so many wonderful Dr. Seuss quotes and books; the possibilities are endless.

Using bright colors with stripes and polka dots are an easy and inexpensive way to make things Seussified. (is that a word?) The Seuss themed posters, hats, and flashcards I found at Target’s Bulleye’s Playground, but a quick search for Dr. Seuss posters and party decor brings up endless options you could try.

My “Oodles of Noodles Salad” is easy to make and super yummy! I cook drain and rinse in cold water 1 bag of Barilla Rotini Tri-Colored Pasta. I use one bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing and add some red pepper, black olives, and cheese (we like diced up cheddar or crumbled feta to taste. Stir it all together and let it chill until serving.

I kept all of the foods easy to make. The cupcakes are from a boxed cake mix with bright blue frosting topped with Sweedish Fish. For the chip dip, I added a little green food coloring to make it work for the “Grinch Dip.”

For “Pink Ink Yink Drink,” I just mixed pink lemonade concentrate with a liter of Sprite and filled the punch bowl with ice. Super simple and fun!

Red and blue solo cups and plates layered with smaller red and white striped plates from Target are perfect for this theme. "Cat in the Hat" party hats peek out from under the top of each plate.

These Seuss looking “flowers” were easy to make and inexpensive. I just cut the long tissue paper pom-pom garland from Dollar Tree into individual pom-poms. Then I tied them, fluffed them up, and glued them on top of a black and white striped or polka dot paper straw. I covered the table with a blue plastic tablecloth and then used wrapping paper, both from the dollar store, to run down the middle of the table. One of my favorite things about this party is the decor is inexpensive yet really looks put together. You get a lot of bang for your buck! I used another bunched up plastic tablecloth on the bar serving area, and then cake stands and bowls turned upside down and put on top of one another create different levels and dimensions to make the presentation more fun. One of my favorite party tricks is to use different levels for your food display. Levels always create visual interest; they will give your spread the wow factor. If you don’t have cake plates, use your tablecloth to cover a stack of books, then sit your serving dish on top of the covered books. Do this several times at various levels and then tuck your other serving dishes in between.

These delicious ham and cheese sliders are perfect for “Sam I am Sliders”! https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/ham-cheese-sliders/

The pie I used for the “Star Bellied Sneetch Pie” is one of our favorite desserts. It is Joanna Gaines’ Lemon Pie, try it now, and you’ll thank me later. https://magnolia.com/lemon-pie-recipe/

I hope this helps inspire you to throw a Dr. Suess inspired party of your own. As the wise doctor once wrote, “It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.” -The Lorax

One Room Challenge: Week Two

For week two of the One Room Challenge™, I wanted to share with you my inspiration for the loft playroom that I am designing.

To me, one of the most enjoyable parts of interior design is finding your inspiration. Sometimes inspiration can come from a vacation, or place you have fond memories of. Sometimes it can be somewhere that you imagine going. I like to use these experiences to create rooms with a sense of history. I wanted this playroom to feel like a retro, lakeside sleep-away camp. The first thing that came to my mind when I pictured a good old fashioned sleep away camp is a traditional Pendleton blanket. You can’t go wrong with one of these classic staples. I found the ideal Pendleton blanket to be my jumping off point for this room at Overstock.com.

Isn’t it perfect? The colors were just right for a more masculine boy space and it worked well with the sofa I needed to use. I love every detail of this blanket from the color and texture right down to the touch of leather used in the tag. All of these details will be reflected in my room design.

After finding the blanket, it was easy to source the throw pillows for the sofa and window seats.

I knew practical storage was one of my main goals and I had these green, rolling, canvas bins that fit perfectly under our built-in shelves. I loved the idea of bringing in a little more of the green, and leather, and the canvas reminds me of a tent.

I wanted to replace the boring white cubbies under the TV for something a little more industrial looking and found the perfect storage solution with the metal cubby drawers.

A few fun retro accessories round out the room including a vintage chalkboard, vintage trophies, and antique globes. One of my favorite things in this room are the motivational pennants. Not only do they look great and fit the feel of the room, but I also love the idea that my little man will be surrounded by these words of inspiration every day.

Be sure to check back next week. I’m going to share some playroom storage solutions that are both beautiful and functional.

You can follow along with the other participants in the One Room Challenge™ by clicking the link below.

One Room Challenge: Week One

I’m excited to announce that I’m going to be participating in the One Room Challenge™ for Fall 2018.

The One Room Challenge™ is a design event held twice a year in the spring and fall. Interior design enthusiasts can participate by linking up and sharing their chosen rooms while documenting their progress as they transform the room over the next six weeks. At the end of the six weeks, they reveal the finished room.

After building a new home last year and spending the year furnishing and finishing up most of the rooms, I’ve been so busy that little attention has been paid to the less visible spaces in our new home such as the loft playroom. What better way to get it finished than to challenge myself to tackle it in the next six weeks?

As you can see, this playroom is pretty uninspiring. While building, I had the foresight to have custom shelving and window seats installed. I’m excited to finish the vision I’ve had for them. Not only do they need to look good, but it would also be nice to have them functional for toy and book storage.

There is a large area to the side of the couch and a long hallway that gives me a lot more space to work with. I’d like to add a round table for games and art projects and refinish the little vintage desk that is obviously well used and loved.

After furnishing our new home with all new furnishings and decor, the budget for this playroom is going to be pretty tight. I’ll be keeping the couch, coffee table, and TV. All are functional and pretty easy to work around. This, in my opinion, will make the design challenge all the more challenging.

I can’t wait to share my design process with you all over the next six weeks. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the latest updates. You can also follow along with other amazing designers as they transform their rooms. Just click on the link below.

The Hive Christmas Home Tour 2015- Front Room

Welcome back for our final installment of The Hive Christmas Home Tour 2015.  Our front room is the most colorful and whimsical room in our house at Christmas time.  I love my Christmas ornament wreath that hangs above my piano. 

On the piano I have displayed pictures of Christmas past.  It is so much fun to take them out each year and remember all of our fun Christmas memories.  

I use my front room shelves to display my Department 56 Christmas Village.

The Hive Christmas Tour 2015-Family Room and Entryway

Hello friends!  Welcome back to our Hive Christmas Home Tour 2015.  Today I'm sharing our entry way and family room.  Our home has a very open floor plan so the entry way, family room, and kitchen are all open to each other as you can see by the pictures.  For these rooms I basically stay with the traditional Christmas color scheme of red and green.  

One of my favorite things is our garland on the stairs.  We use this garland to display the Christmas cards we get from family and friends.  We love getting Christmas cards each year!  This is a simple way to display them so that they are easily looked at by even the smallest member of our family.  He loves to recognize loved ones in the pictures.

Our tree has spinning ornaments that are fun. Check out my Instagram feed to see them in action!  Notice the lack of presents under the tree.  I'm so behind this year!  I better get wrapping!

I love to use Christmas books as decor. 

Tomorrow I'm sharing our front room decor.  This is where I change it up a little bit and go with a more colorful decorating scheme.  I also can't wait to share one of my favorite collections with you.