My Leisure... My Life

Thank You...

2011-06-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

A huge thanks to Not Just a Mommy for featuring Isa's Baking Party on her blog!
Check it out here !

If you are in the look-out for insane and truly original ideas, make sure to check out her blog.

I will be taking some time off this summer to enjoy with my family... so not much posting will be going on here for a while... Hope you all enjoy the nice weather!!

xo

little Red Riding Hood Party - Part 4/ Activities

2011-06-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

I had planned several activities to keep the little ones busy. Especially since we didn't know how the weather would be. A week before the forecast was calling for thunderstorms... Thankfully we had a beautiful sunny day! The kids were able to play outside on the swings, trampoline, zip-line and sand box :)

We still had a "pin the nose on the wolf" game, they made little baskets made of paper which they colored and cut with the help of a grown up and had plenty of LRRH coloring pages to keep them busy.

We had several prizes. We had felt doughnuts and cupcakes made by me, some sets purchased at IKEA, a LRRH puppet made by me and some other small things.

The kids were entertained with a LRRH puppet show.

And they had to find and kill the wolf pinata :)

Isn't this little guy cute? I sent an email with the wolf graphic to this pinata shop at etsy and they did a great job. You can find the link here: etsy

Even the grown-ups had fun :)

Pinatas bring me great childhood memories...

Little Red Riding Hood Party - Part 3 / Dessert Table

2011-05-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

This always ends up being my favorite part... I guess it's due to my natural sweet tooth!

Oreo Truffles are so simple to make and always a big hit.

Perhaps not as pretty as "Allyson Jane's", but not too bad for me :) They were a little time consuming but worth the extra work. I used a citrus sugar cookie recipe.

I made similar flower pots for the spring garden party I styled last month.

A close-up...

I love these... they were a box of the caramel delight girl scout cookies I was saving for this party.

Another view of the dessert display and birthday banner.

She waited so patiently for her "grandma's flower pot"!!

Now wearing her cloak.

Now the birthday hat while we sang "happy birthday"!

Make a wish my beautiful girl!!

YUM!!

Little Red Riding Hood Party - Part 2 / Food

2011-05-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

Little Ones:

I wanted to keep the kids food simple as I usually end up with too much left-overs after the parties.

The little ones had:

Forrest Berry Juice (Fruit Punch)
Woodman's logs (Pretzel Rods)

Wolf-wiches (ham and cheese sandwich)

"Granny" Apples

Little Reds (red m&m's)

I decided to change the kids menu last minute because I had planned on making little red cookies, but with all the desserts that we had, I decided to do the "little reds" instead, which were only 4 red m&m's packed for each kid.

Adults:

My husband usually requests middle eastern food, so I made baked stuffed kibbe loaf, chicken kafta, tahini, tabbouleh and a lebanese rice with pine nuts.

For drinks we had hibiscus tea and "tinto de verano" which is a southern spain drink with wine, sangria and mint leaves... yum! Gotta say I love my drink dispensers I got with 20%off at BB&B. They are acrylic so I don't have to worry about them breaking and worked awesome!

Little Red Riding Hood Party - Part 1 / Decor

2011-05-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Grandma was so nice to send us all the capes from South America for the little girls coming to the party. They were on a clothes hanger with name tags waiting for each girl.

The nice LRRD graphics were purchased on Etsy and I designed all the paper goods and tags.

Each little boy got an adorable mask made by Mahalo (etsy)

I made a quick wreath with things I had on hand...

The little baskets were a hit. They not only served to put the kids' food in, but also to put all the goodies they took home. Mom and I made felt doughnuts and cupcakes for the kids to fill their little baskets.

I can't remember where I found the bamboo plates and utensils... my guess is Amazon. Everyone asked about these. So esthetically pleasing and most importantly biodegradable. The little blocks were a nice touch.

My kids love this pop-up book. It is so well made. The graphics are adorable! It was an Amazon find.

There was one basket on each place setting. Inside was a menu card and the items listed in it. (See below)

This table had pics of memorable pics of Dani since she was born, her birthday hat, and the little brown bags for kids to collect their loot from the pinata.

Here's a complete view of the party room.

This sign was located at the entrance of the party room.

Close up of the brown bags. I liked the detail of the little decoupage clothespin.

My LRRH peg doll, which decorated the top of the cake.

Felt food from IKEA was given out as prizes for the smaller kids.

Balloons decorated the entrance.

pool sign.

Stay tuned for more on the party on a later post :)

Credits:

LRRH GRaphics (Vink Design - Etsy)

Wolf Pinata : Etsy (Birchangel)

Wolf Masks: (Mahalo - Etsy)

Fabric (Joann's)

Over the river and thru the woods... to Dani's 2nd Birthday Party we go!

2011-05-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

My 2 girls' birthdays are only a few weeks apart. I've been in party mode for the last couple months getting ready for both celebrations.

Dani's birthday is this coming weekend. I hope the weather cooperates because there's quite a few kids coming, and there's nothing like an outdoor birthday party!!

I wanted to share a few pictures of the invite I sent out. I am definitely a fan of nice (handmade, preferably) invitations... I have not been able to jump in the technology wagon by sending "e-vites"... that's just not me...

The cute graphics were found on etsy... I just loved them!! I used them for everything!!

Next week I hope to post the pics of the party... stay in touch!

Isa's Baking Party!!

2011-05-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

I need to put my feet up!! he-heee Finally Isa's birthday party is over.

I am so glad I had it at the Wayne Art Center and not my house!! I did not have to deal with all the clean-up!! ;) And by the way, they are absolutely fabulous! So accommodating..

Hope you enjoy the pics...

A sign greeted the guests

Each girl was given a chef hat and an apron made by me.

These were the handmade invitations

I loved the cake topper... my first peg doll and I'm hooked now!

The goody bag had a recipe card with one of the birthday girl's favorite recipe, measuring spoons, a rolling pin and an oven mitten.

The birthday banner designed and printed at home.

Pin the cherry on the cupcake game..

The table set-up-

My cupcake cookies for each girl:

pennant:

A wooden spoon garland with pics of the birthday girl since she was a baby.

Now the goodie table!!

Citrus creme cake made by me... yummy!

Now, the "real thing"!!! Little chefs in action!

Like a pro pizza maker!!

The more, the better!

All sugared up!

It was dad's idea to have her cut the cake with that scary butcher knife!

Their beautiful creations:

the birthday girl proudly showing off her cookie bouquet.

Thanks for stopping by. Remember your comments make my day :)

Spring Garden 1st Birthday Party

2011-05-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure to collaborate with the styling of my little niece's first birthday! It was such a happy day! I was in charge of the centerpieces and decor, as well as all the party printables, cake and cupcakes.

I was a bit concerned in the beginning because even though the venue was a lovely backyard with beautiful big trees, it was way too big and I didn't want the decor to get lost, so we went with bold colors and centerpieces.

Here's the banner that greeted the guests as they showed up..

We set up an area with oversized butterflies, flowers and paper lanterns to serve as focal point and backdrop for pictures of the guests.

The wheelbarrow was used to exhibit the goody bags for the kids and the presents.

I like how the leaves of the centerpieces turned out...

These decorated the buffet table:

The pinata!!

The table cloth could have used some ironing ;)

I like the bold flowers on the cake... Similar to the design on the banner.

The taste was better than the look though.. triple chocolate deliciousness!!!

For the kids.. flowerpot cupcakes! These were a hit!

everyone having fun!!

Next week I will be posting the pics of my daughter's baking party!

xo,

Adriana

Isa's Birthday Invitation

2011-05-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter's 8th birthday party will be in 10 days. I have been working on it for a couple of months now and am so excited to share how the invites turned out...

More to come after the party!!

Thanks for stopping by

A New Beginning??

2011-03-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Well, sort of... I finally had the guts to quit my current job. I have to admit I have some mixed feelings, but I know it's the right decision. I do not want to have any regrets in the future. I want to be able to look back and feel proud of the job I did as a mom. I also want my children to remember me as a devoted mom who is always there when they need me. Besides, they grow so fast, and I really want to be able to enjoy and savor every single day with them.

I do feel quite a bit anxious thou... I am a working girl, most of my life have been. Even as a kid, I always worked during vacation time when we stayed home. So I know it's going to be a BIG change. But a change, I am sure will bring lots of good things for me and my family.

After a replacement is found and fully trained, hopefully by the end of April I should be in my new role as a SAHM. So, be prepared to see a more posts :)

I am actually very excited I will be able to share some of the things I've been working on. My 2 gilrls' Birthdays are coming up in the spring and I have a lot to show!

Until next time! xo,

My Sip & See Party has been Featured!!

2011-02-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

I am beyond excited!!! Amy from Blowout Party has featured my Sip & See party!! It is such an amazing feeling to have someone so talented appreciate and recognize the work of a newbie :)

Check out the amazing parties she has thrown for her kids. The last two being my fave:

Glittery Ballerina Birthday Party

Aleph-Bet Train Birthday Party

Her blog is one I check for daily inspiration. Don't forget to check out her store and become a facebook fan; if you do, you will get special offers to her store where she has the cutest stuff to make your party a fabulous one!

"Tweet Baby" - Sip & See / Part 2 Dessert Table

2011-01-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures from the Sip & See Party.

Hope you enjoy!

"Tweet Baby" - Sip & See party / PART 1 - table set-up and decorations

2011-01-16T12:47:00.000-08:00

This weekend I hosted a 'Sip & See' Party for a friend's baby. It was a great chance for for the girls to catch up, have a few drinks and most importantly meet the sweet baby.

Ever since I saw this baby shower at Hostessblog I knew I wanted to do a similar theme.

We had a mimosa bar and a few appetizers. Dinner consisted of beef tenderloin with mushrooms, salmon with dijon and prosciutto, mixed greens, wild rice and scalloped potatoes. For dessert there was a choice of cake, mini cherry cheesecake trifles, molten chocolate mini cakes, sugar bird cookies and pink marshmallow pops.

My favorite has to be the little bird houses I found at Michael's. They turned out so cute!

There are too many pictures so I will show two separate posts.

Thanks for stopping by.

Spooky - Chic Halloween Party

2010-11-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a small Halloween party for the girls. We had very few friends over but had a great time. The kids worked on some crafts, played, ate yummy treats and then we all went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. It was the baby's first time and she really had a great time.

While browsing the web for ideas, I fell in love with the non traditional color scheme that Kim from tomkatstudio used on her Halloween glam collection. I went ahead and purchased it 50% off, ad started the planning and execution. So much fun!

Here's the goody table:

Another view...

some spooky treats... I found these at Walmart at $1 ea. They were really creepy. The picture is not that great, but the green lollipops had a very realistic spider inside. I also got some lab specimen candy with lizzards, frogs and snakes inside... the kids loved them!

I kept the treats super simple... they were all store bought and I just added a little pizzaz!! Simple, yummy (kid approved) and cute.

More TomKat designs hanging from the table centerpiece. I also hung hershey kisses in the party colors from the branches.

The kiddie table:

I think these were from Target... perfect for the party and what I like most is that I can use them for years to come... go green!!

Isabella decided since last year she wanted to be Hermoine... It was quite a long wait...

Here she is casting a spell...

A little wizzard love...

We all followed of course, so Daniella was Hedwig:

And here's the rest of the family: Harry Potter, Hermoine, Hedwig and a plain ol' witch!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Giant Lollipop Tutorial

2010-08-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

Hello there!

It's been a while now since my last post. We've been busy here enjoying the last few vacation days left before school starts.

Dawn over at Not Just a Mommy asked me if I could put together a tutorial for the tissue paper lollipops I made for Daniella's "Sweet One" birthday party. It was harder than I thought since there was no one around to take the pics... but I did my best.. ;-)

Materials:

Tissue paper (4 sheets each in 2 or 3 different colors depending on what you want)
Dowel rod
glue
cellophane (I didn't have any on hand but you wrap the lollipop once done)
Skewer
Heavy books (or extra set of hands)

Start by gluing together the tissue paper on the short ends:

after you are done gluing, you should have 2 (or 3 if you want 3 colors) long strips of tissue paper like this:

Now it's time to fold the paper strips in 4 lengthwise, like this:

You now will need a set of heavy books (in case you don't have an extra set of hands that are willing to assist you) to hold the ends of the strips so you can start twisting each strip:

Now the second (and third if you are doing 3 colors):

Now you put the ends of the strips together and start twisting again (you can try to smooth them out and even them out with your hand as you go)

Now grab the other end and start gluing and rolling it up like a snail...

Here I used a pointy metal skewer to open a little hole so it is easier to put the dowel in:

Note that I also tried sharpening the end of the dowel with a knife. Now put some glue on the dowel and carefully insert it in the lollipop:

Now you can use cellophane paper to cover the lollipop and use some nice ribbon to tie:

These really make an impact as outdoor decor!! Hope you enjoyed!!

Daniella's Sweet One Birthday Party was chosen as Party of the Day!!

2010-08-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

I woke up to very sweet news on Saturday. I got a message from Jillian at Catch My Party saying Daniella's Birthday was rotating on their home page as "Party of the Day"!!

Check out their site... You can find a whole lot of inspiration there!

Summer Birthday Cakes

2010-08-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

I have not done much baking or cake decorating lately. Between working now full time and at home with 2 kids (one of them being a baby) there is not much time left for one of my favorite activities.

I was going through some old pics and stumbled across some cake pics that would be great to use for summer birthdays.

This one I made for my husband's birthday a couple years ago. He likes windsurfing, so I made him this cute cake. I saw the design somewhere on a book (can't remember), and I added a few personal touches.

Two pirate cakes:

Pool party cake:

Finding Nemo: ( like this turtle... it kind of looks real.. too real to eat LOL)

This is Isabella and me on her fourth birthday party. She gave me a huge hug of approval after seeing her cake. She had a mermaid / pirate treasure hunt party.

Hope you enjoyed...

Slumber Party - Isabella's 7th Birthday

2010-08-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

When I asked Isabella what she wanted for her birthday she said a chihuahua and a sleepover party... there's no way I am adding a four legged friend to our family (at least not for now...) so I decided to let her have the sleepover with just a few friends and got them little chihuahuas to stuff.

Fill a friend has the most adorable plush chihuahuas and their customer service is amazing!! fillafriend.com. I ordered little pj's for the doggies as well.

These were the invites.

Here are the goody bags. These were plain canvas totes which I embelished with fabric and buttons.

The table

These are the goodies!! My first attempt at decorated sugar cookies. I must say I'm proud of myself!!

The birthday girl wanted lemon cake. It looked a bit weird because it was a very small cake but I was determined to make it a 2 tier cake!

The Birthday Banner

More goodies!! Chocolate and strawberry swirl cake balls.

My birthday girl with her chihuahua

A lot of fun was had by all....!!

Thanks to Dawn from Not Just a Mommy for the inspiration. Check out her silly sock PJ Party here: silly-socks

Daniella's "Sweet One" Birthday party

2010-08-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a more recent party...

I created this party for Daniella's 1st Birthday.

I pretty much had this theme in mind since she was about 6 months old!

My sweet thing!!

Handmade invitations

Party Decor:

Giant tissue paper lollipops

Isabella's 6th Fairy Birthday party

2010-08-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Isabella is fascinated by fairies. I wanted to throw a memorable party for her on her 6th birthday since it would be her last as an only child. I guess I was feeling a bit guilty for what was about to come.

I came across many wonderful ideas but particularly fell in love with the one created by HWTM. It happened to be the same color scheme I had planned.

Enchanted Fairy birthday Party

Here is a preview of the invitation. I love Michael's! I go bankrupt every time I visit them :-P I got a ton of supplies... even more than ever needed...

A sign greeted all the fairies as they came in...

and lots and lots of tissue paper flowers.

Heres a peek at the table setting:

Aren't those little bear fairies cute? I found them at Oriental Trading.

The girls were given a make over and a set of wings to decorate.

Even I was dressed up (at 8 1/2 months pregnant).. My inner fairy!!!

Here's a pic of the cake I made

a closer look of the gumpaste figurines...

The goodie bags

and my beautiful birthday girl!

By the way... this party was featured in hostess with the mostess (I'm so proud!!). Take a peek!

Fairyland Birthday Party

A gift from heaven...

2010-08-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

My two princesses, a gift from heaven.

Thank you God for blessing me by having these two girls in my life :-)