Personalizing a "Home Party"

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a Matilda Jane party. It is my absolute favorite line of clothing. I originally started buying it for S.R. Almost everything is made of soft knits in this line, and S.R. loves to be cute but most importantly, comfortable. 

I only recently started buying pieces for myself. If I could live in these clothes day and night, I would. 

The new spring line is called "A Wonderful Parade." 

You all know that I need very little excuse to decorate for an occasion and this one was definitely right up my alley. Super girly, and so much fun.

It's not mandatory to pull out all the stops for a home party, but I think that the guests and the person selling the merchandise really appreciate it. It never hurts to put a little effort into a party like this to make it more personal.

Super cute right?
So how do you come up with a personalized, super awesomely cute home party??
Pay attention to what the theme happens to be. What do they use as far advertising their products? What kind of flowers do they use in the background? What kind of food do they have on display? What is the color scheme on the brochure that will be handed out?
Those small details can make a huge impact when decorating for your party.

Here is a list of the items that I purchased for this party..the rest of what you see was already apart of the arsenal of party supplies;o)

Cookies-Telah's Cozy Cookies

Popcorn Boxes-Hobby Lobby

Tray for Popcorn Boxes- Marshall's

Napkins and Pink Straws-Hobby Lobby

Lemon Drops & Cotton Candy- Dollar Tree

Flowers & Balloons-Publix

Jar Lids-Etsy

I hope this inspires you to think outside of the box when you host your next home party!

Our Valentine's Dinner-Princess and the Frog Family Night

Did you have a fantastic Valentine's Day? We had THE BEST! 

I wanted to do something special for the family, so I started looking for inspiration. I found it here of all places. I just recently started following this blog because we are planning a surprise Disney Vacation later in the year...shhh! Don't tell the kids;o)

Anyway, I thought the Princess and the Frog movie night would be the perfect family night.

 I had a good bit of the decorations, but did have to hit Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby for a  few items.

 I wanted the meal to be formal, but not "sit-at-the-dining-table" formal. 

So we ate at the coffee table. It's kid/frog sized:o)

I purchased green fleece from Wal-Mart and made lily pads for our seats, and the purple fabric for the table cover came from Hobby Lobby.

 The cute little frog princes came from Hobby Lobby as well and were in the spring section. The yellow flowers in the background were a Dollar Tree purchase as well as the green glass beads.

 Dinner was delicious. I knew that the hubs would have a fit over it. He loves Cajun food. Can I just say that those grits were the very best grits I have ever eaten!! And yes, those are homemade "man-catchin' beignets" in the back.

I wanted both of the kids to dress up, but the boy refused...for obvious boy reasons... I was able to get the princess of the group to dress up though:o)

I am sad that I didn't get a picture of their Valentine's gift baskets because they were really cute, but here are a couple of shots of them pulling stuff out. They both got the same things. I wanted to keep everything frog themed. I got them stuffed frogs from Hobby Lobby, a $5 gift card from Sweet Frog, the cute little F.R.O.G. wooden stand came from Hobby Lobby as well, and the little pink frog that S.R. is frowning over came in a Princess and the Frog party pack. She didn't know quite what to do with it..hence the frown. They also got some chocolate.

Before the movie, we snapped a few pictures of ourselves. This one was one of my favorites. 

Out of all the family nights we have had, this one has to be the best thus far. The bar has totally been raised now;o)