Our house has been warmed

We finally put away hid enough of our junk to have our housewarming party.  

All along, the husband and I wanted to have a casual get together so everyone could hang out, watch football and eat some good food.  

Combining our housewarming with a day of college football seemed to be perfect.  

Instead of going nutso with decorations and stuff, 

I used Piggy Bank Parties Lot-O-Dots free collection.  

It worked perfectly!  

Using a rainbow of colors made sure to include everyone's favorite team 

(even though I bleed garnet and gold) 

& it helped create a fun color scheme.

Here's the banner I used from Piggy Bank Parties.  

I printed 2 - one for inside and this one for outside.  

The little palms by the pool were the perfect distance!

(I only took a few pictures - but trust me, we had lots of food) -

Food was going to be my main focus.  

Wings, dips, sweets....

I'm pretty proud of the sun-dried tortellini pasta 

(it's a family favorite and this was my first time making it).

 

"Team Color" Rice Krispy treats are super easy 

(especially if you buy them already made).  

I covered them in candy melt and let the kids dip them in sprinkles.  

Football Whoopie Pies were a hit!  

I used this recipe and it was delicious!  

This was the first time I've ever made them & I know it won't be the last!

(notice my place cards??  Another freebie from the Lot-O-Dots collection glued to a bamboo skewer and poked through the bottom of a paper cup)

Polka dot cups (from Target), krazy straws (from $ Tree) and 2 cans covered in football scrapbook paper helped keep things fun.

We also had football shaped Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, buckeyes 

(chocolate covered peanut butter candy), fruit and lots of chips!!

And for the kids, we had a cooler full of drinks.  

Plus we had tons of popsicles for them.

For the BIG kids, we had LOTS of beer!

Our favors were football shaped crayons for the kids 

& coasters for the adults.  

Everyone really seemed to like both!

There was swimming, playing with bubbles, hitting baseballs, throwing footballs and chasing. Everyone was worn out!  

I know after hosting ~50 people for 5 hours or so, I was BEAT!

Time to start planning our Halloween Rave :)

Football Friday (freebies)

ok..so I know I posted Superbowl printables yesterday.  Thank You for all the sweet comments (I'm so happy you guys all liked them).  

Not to wear out my 'football' welcome...but I made just a few more.  

Specifically for the BCS National Championship game (it's Monday Jan 10th).  

If you're having a party..or just want to cheer on your team - 

enjoy these labels and toppers!

 print on full sheet label paper and use 1" punch

I have Auburn only labels here & Oregon only labels here.

 

These were designed to be used with a 2" punch

{just click on the image to download}

Add these toppers to coordinating paper.  

Use them on cupcakes, brownies, wings and/or bottles :)

Use team colors (cups/plates/napkins) for a quick festive look.  

If you have a football (or several, like us), use it as your centerpiece!!

This is my favorite kind of party - super casual and so easy to style.

Enjoy!!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Don't forget to join me on Facebook.

I share all the freebies, crafts and party ideas as soon as I find them.

my take on cupcakes in a jar

I love Love LOVE the idea of cupcakes in a jar!  I've seen several variations lately...the most recent one I saw was at Everyday Celebrating 

(which came from Brandy at Gluesticks).  

What caught my attention (beyond the cuteness of the cupcakes) was Michelle's comment about how cute they would be for tailgating!  

Of course...you need sweets to balance out all the wings, chips and beer :)  

Instead of using glass jars, I wanted to use plastic.  

I thought plastic would be safer for my kids (since they break everything).  

My first task was to find clear plastic cups with lids.  

{let's just say this was the longest step in the whole process} 

I now have 2 sleeves of cups and one sleeve of lids - but none go together.  

Time to come up with a craft using lids :)

Frustrated with the cup and lid business...I made the cupcakes anyway. 

While the were baking, I realized I had a few Solo 9oz clear plastic cups & my kids have a few 'kid size' Solo 9oz red plastic cups with lids & straws.  

Ding Ding Ding.  

I made the cupcakes (from a box mix) and let them cool completely. 

Plopped one in each cup - perfect fit!

Next step:  add icing.  I put a few big blobs in a plastic bag and snipped the corner. 

*I used store bought icing too :)

 Next:  add sprinkles.  

You can use your favorite team colors 

(or any celebration/holiday colors).  

I chose red, pink and white 

(1. I took these to my husband's grandparents to celebrate Grandparent's Day.

2. I already had them).

*This is the part you can really have fun with...*

make chocolate cupcakes with crushed Oreos on top (like 'dirt), add a few gummy worms for a great treat for a bug/camping/garden/gross-out Halloween party.  

So many possibilities!

Repeat until you fill all your cups.  

My cups fit 2 cupcakes 

(which is a nice treat at a party/picnic/tailgate).

I wanted to add a spoon (it's so cute & it's the polite thing to do) so I tied a ribbon around each spoon and added a glue dot to the backside of ribbon.    

Attach it to the side of the cup and...

**TADA** To-Go cupcakes!!!

I think they are just as cute as cupcakes in a jar :)




 

We Got Spirit Yes We Do...We Got Spirit How 'Bout You

College football starts tonight...at least for my husband.  

He grew up in Columbus, OH so he is a big Buckeyes fan.  

I grew up in Florida and graduated from Florida State University
(so college football starts on Saturday, for me).

Given my latest obsession with jars 

(while I'm waiting until my etching creme arrives), I decided to paint a few.  

Add some glitter stickers.  

Now I've got myself some cute 'college' containers.  

You can fill them with candy, nuts, cupcake-in-a-jar..whatever.  

Tie a ribbon around the top and 

they make great gifts for the college football fan in your life :)

 here's what I used.  

I cut a 3" punch using contact paper.  I used it as my stencil.

Once the paint dried...I added some glittery stickers.   

{And YES, that's an official FSU helmet in the background}

 Go Noles }------->

Here's the OHIO one.  

Followed the same steps.  

Since this is for the husband...I filled it with one of his fave candy.

What I love about this project is that it's cute, simple and inexpensive.