How About 2016

Well, the end of 2016 was not quite like I thought it would be. I planned and planned all month for a successful retro holiday party and snowman themed room party. I hosted a Pop-Up Stella & Dot shop at a friends reality office and hosted an in home trunk show the following night. I cleaned and prepped the house for Christmas cheer. And when all was said and done, I wound up with a horrible case of strep throat! I guess being on the constant move finally caught up to this super busy mama! I was down for the count for about a week, still recovering if I'm being completely honest, and I just hoping that 2017 finds us all a little more on the healthier front! 

However, 2016 wasn't a total bust, right? And it's funny when you think about your year of achievements or milestones, because I tend to think of just the second half of the year. Or, I acquaint it to the start of the school year, but our year actually started in January. McKinley completed Pre-K, swimming lessons, lost two teeth, was part of a t-ball team, and started Kindergarten. As a family, we visited the zoo, the farmstead, Kansas City Sea Life, Worlds/Oceans of Fun, Monster Jam, a Food Truck Festival, and another Opening Day at the K. McKinley and I played, argued, went on adventures, spent an afternoon in Arkansas (our first visit to the state), baked, crafted, and finished out the year watching numerous Hallmark Christmas movies! The last part was pretty damn priceless!

  
 

I continued to struggle and thrive in my Stella & Dot business. My mom and I went into business together with me just being slave labor. I've dabbled in other smaller businesses of my own and hope to plant a seed in more than one and watch them flourish. One of them being this blog. I hope to write more in 2017. Bring you more ideas. More This Kansas City Mama adventures around this amazing city. And to continue to experiment and try new things and share with you all the failures and successes along the way.

So what does 2017 hold in store? Well, McKinley is talking about going to Kindergarten full-time and every time we talk about it, a piece of me dies and I fight back tears. If I let him go full-time, I'm slowing losing him and that's something that's so crippling with every thought I have. He's my world, which may or may not be healthy, and I can't see how I will ever make it through six hours without him! Maybe he'll change his mind! And more on this topic after the first of the year.....

I've set goals, not resolutions, and I'm going to either meet them or crush. As my Facebook quiz stated, I'm apparently a Workaholic. "Your dedication to the goal at hand is really strong. You're extremely dedicated and have your eyes on the prize. When you want something, you follow it down to getting it and leave everything else on the side." I don't really call this a workaholic. I just call it goal digging and I've always been like this. And, I hope to continue this quest in 2017.

Other related goals, to be a better mother and wife. To be a good friend. An honest person. I kinder person. A successful entrepreneur. A great listener. And to challenge myself on a more regular basis. In whole, to just be a better overall person. And for you, I hope you have your best year yet! 

XO,

Andrea

Holiday Party Planning - The Day Before

Well it appears that this party planner got bogged down by the day to day tasks of getting party ready and didn't get around to blogging! How are you doing? Is your party date close? For me, it's the day before the soiree and I'm feeling really good! Normally, I'm in a panic right about now, but thanks to my checklist, I've been steadily working away at checking off those tasks. 

For today, I have a few things to do. I need to iron my tablecloth and get my tablescape set. I started working a little yesterday, but it was only one detail to the whole look. I am going to set the table with my serving pieces and then add the refrigerated items to their respective platter and then store until tomorrow. I also need to chill my mixers. Oh, I need to wrap the party favors!

Later this afternoon, I'm taking a slight break and get that well deserved manicure. As I've been scouring the nooks and crannies of kitchen and bathroom cabinet moldings, with Clorox wipes to scrape away dust and grime, my nails look horrendous! I'm so looking forward to a few minutes of pampering. Here are some Pinterest nail inspirations that I'm considering!

When my husband asked what he could do to assist on Saturday morning, I only need help with the dusting and vacuuming! I can't believe it! Normally, I'm still baking, straightening, and deep cleaning the house. To only need help with the surface cleaning is huge! 

I am so excited about hanging out with family and friends tomorrow night. I haven't seen a lot of these people in months so it will be to good to be in the same room with them for a few hours. I truly believe that this is what the holiday season is all about! 

I'm going to leave you with this image. If you haven't tried the original Champagne Cocktail, you must! Simply soak a sugar cube in bitters, add it to a champagne flute, poor your fav bubbles over that, and add a twist of lemon! So good. The perfect cocktail for the season!

Cheers!

XO,

Andrea

Holiday Party Planning - The Menus

I've been doing a lot of research when it comes to a retro cocktail party. I'm trying to be as authentic as I can possibly be with the menus. And when I say menus, I mean the hors d'oeuvres, the cocktails, and the desserts. I've used Pinterest and Google and I've received a ton of information back! And, I've used my parents as reference guides, although they weren't old enough to attend or throw a cocktail party in the 60s. 

As it turns out, I've been throwing a semi-retro party all these years. The only difference are things like deviled eggs and marinated olives. I generally reserve deviled eggs for BBQs and I've never really thought to serve marinated olives. And I love olives! The other interesting things I've discovered is molds of all kinds! It doesn't have to be a Jello mold, which I'm not unfamiliar with, but there are sold food molds. Apparently, my mom has a recipe for a shrimp mold which will make its way to the table this year. Speaking of food, here's what I plan to serve:

Meatballs

Mini Quiches

Deviled Eggs

Marinated Olives

Shrimp Mold

A specialty cheese on top of a Crostini drizzled with honey

Cheese Platter with Crackers

Sounds pretty delish, no? There's substance and there's lighter eats as well. You don't want to fill up and miss out on dessert!

My desserts are going to be pretty different this year. I generally go with the same baked goods every holiday. I will find time to make the chocolate chip cookies, the sugar cookie cutouts, and Seven Layer cookie. But for this party, I'm going old school. 

Fruitcake Cookies

Chocolate Fudge

White Fudge with Green and Red Candied Cherries

Pecan Tassies

Peppermint Bark

Brach's Old Fashioned Candies

Then there's the drink menu. If Sandra Lee has taught me one thing over the years, it's to serve a signature cocktail. And I always do! This year we will have two. I know I'm serving a Champagne Cocktail, but I need to test the others. I'm looking at a Sidecar Martini, an Old Fashioned, or a Manhattan. I'm leaning toward the Sidecar, sounds like something I would drink verses the others, but I'll let my parents to do some taste testing for the final vote.

And there you have it! I've finalized all of my menus and I'm set with the grocery list. I plan to start baking fudge tomorrow and a few other goodies before Friday. Fudge will stay the freshest longest. From there, I will just continue to follow the food portion of the checklist to have it all prepped before Saturday afternoon!

What are you serving up? Have you done as much research as myself or just going with what works? How much will be store bought verses homemade? I'm a little mix of both. It's so much easier to same yourself some time when throwing a party! 

Meet you back here tomorrow!

XO, 

Andrea

Holiddy Party Planning - The Check List

Hey! How's the party planning going? It's going fairly well over here. How close are you to the party date? I don't know about you, but I work so much better with a checklist. A do-to list. A master party planning activity sheet. Whatever you call yours, do you have one created? I just put mine together because the party is less than a week away! EEKK!

When it comes to checklists, I'm not a super fancy girl. I just use plain old pen and paper. Cute little notebooks to be exact. But when I created this one, I wanted to stay in the festive mood, so I went with red and green pen colors! And in true task form, I put all the to-do items in red so that I can could check them off in green. The red is staring back at me saying "Stop watching Hallmark movies and get to work!" But the green is jolly when I'm marking off the items I've completed. 

So what do I put on my checklist? Well, I break it out by days of the week. I add tasks to each day so that I'm not overwhelmed on any given day of the week trying to get way too many thing accomplished and feeling defeated when I don't. Plus, you don't want to do certain things too early. Like vacuuming. Sure, you have spill, you clean it up. But if you vacuum on Monday, you're going to have to turn around and do it again the day of the party, so I have this as a to-do for the day off. For today, Monday, my items are fairly simple. Continue to clean and straighten the house, dust ceiling fans and the light over the kitchen table, and finalize any last minute holiday decor around the house. Simple rule of thumb when it comes to straightening, stick to one room at a time. I'm horrible at this, but it really does make life easier. Today, I'm working in all three bedrooms. Putting shoes and folded laundry away that didn't get done earlier, clearing off the spare bedroom bed that becomes a catch-all for things like gymbags and McKinley's too small clothes that I cleaned out but haven't stowed away for the spring garage sale. And when it comes to things that need to go downstairs, I make stacks to take down later. If I leave this space to take things to another space, I start cleaning that space and now I have two disorganized stories in this house!

Other things on the list are to finalize our menu, sample the drinks we will serve for the evening, begin baking some of the desserts, wrap party favors, and ironing the tablecloth. And they all have a day assigned to them. One thing I really like to do is to set the table the night before. I put together my tablescape and then place all the serving pieces on the table to make sure there is enough room. I also like to put the refridgerater items on their platters and then store them back in the fridge until the party. It just helps with party prep the day of. If you're going to have a floral arrangment, wait and do that the day of. Keep your flowers in the fridge or garage to stay cool and then place them on the table a couple of hours before the party. They tend to wilt from heat of the oven or overhead lights. You want them looking fresh for your guests. 

Speaking of fresh, after all this cleaning, baking, and planning, these fingers will have been worked to the bone. It's been over a year since I've had a mani and I'm splurging this year. With our holiday party, an Open House the next day, a Stella & Dot Pop Up Shop and trunk show, another holiday party, and other activities taking place in the span of a week, I'm going to need to have the nicest looking nails I've had in ages. And while we're on the subject, on the morning of the party, make sure you take time for you. Relax, have that cup of coffee (or two), make sure you leave enough time for you to get ready so you don't feel rushed in those final hours before the guests arrive. To be the hostesses with the mostest, you have to be party ready, and the only way to do that is to ensure you've taken time to breath!

Lastly, but not on the list, enjoy the party! Once everything is in its place, the guests have arrived, and everyone has a drink in hand, have fun! Talk, laugh, be present in the moment, and cherish this time with family and friends. That's what the holidays are all about. And if there is something out of place, don't sweat it. I'm sure your guests won't notice it at all!

Coming up this week, menu creation, drink sampling, desserts, and so much more! 

Happy Monday!

XO,

Andrea

Giftable Ideas - A Phone Case from Casetify

I got a new phone earlier in the year and I've been on the hunt for a new case ever since. I had the perfect one for my previous phone, one that was the epitome of me, and I feel like a phone case is an extension of your personality. Like another accessory to your outfit. And finding the right one is trying! And time consuming. And hard!

That is until I found Casetify. I happened upon them from Pinterest, that amazing site that will suck you in for hours and won't let go! I found a photo of a darling case, clicked the link, and then got sucked into Casetify's website! And once you head there, you will see why! It's the best case site for any of your pieces of technology. 

However, it's so great, I made a wish list that is thirteen cases long and I can't decide on which is the perfect one for my phone. Maybe I need two. Or three! And, there are ones for the holidays and I'm thinking I need one to trade out during December next year. Seriously, I can't get over this site!

Check out all the ones I've chosen.

From this list, I call it miscellaneous, who can I pick just one? I mean those shoes! I would love to have them in real life! I wear Chanel perfume, my signature scent, I drink coffee, I love shoes, and I'm doing what I love. These are all perfect! 

Then there's these..... Top left, I have a hat just like that! The large photo on the right is how I see myself in my head, but let's be honest, I'm more the girl on left of her in the top knot. But they're all so chic and phone case worthy.

And these!! Oh, I adore these. Especially the red dress and the wreath! That has to be hands down my favorite from the holiday collection.

So how do I chose? Can you help? Even maybe help me narrow it down? Which one(s) do you think look most like me? And visit the site and tell me which ones look most like you! I die!

Happy Friday!

XO,

Andrea

Holiday Party Planning Guide - Tablescape

Earlier in the week we talked about picking a theme for your holiday gathering. Do you have one? I do! Remember, I'm going with vintage. A retro cocktail party, to be exact! My love for Mid Century Mod is bleeding pink and avocado green this season and I can't get enough of it. So, we've picked our theme, sent out the invites, and now it's time to start checking things off our master checklist.

Up next is decor. My house is decorated in fairly traditional Christmas flare. Green tree chocked full of Hallmark ornaments, handmade ornaments by mom when I was younger, and now handmade ornaments made by McKinley in school. Those are my favorites! But, I've added a little something old to this years decor. I put up my antique aluminum tree and all the antique Shiny Bright glass ornaments that we've found over the years. It's gorgeous! Oh, and did I mention that I have an old light color wheel? The whole look is perfection!

I have so many pins from Pinterest to share regarding a vintage inspired tablescape. And guess what? More than half are pink! I've never been a pink girl, but this year, I am over the moon for it! Maybe it's the whole Mid Century Mod thing or maybe it's the fact that Michael's has totally fed my obsession. I went in for ribbon the other day and walked out with an entire holiday decor of everything they had that was pink. Okay, not everything because there are still pieces I want, but let's say about 50%! Needless to say, I'm covered in pink glitter and I couldn't care less!

So here are the inspiring tablescapes I found on Pinterest.



 

And here are all the things I bought at Michael's!

I'm sorry, but there was no way I was going to pass up a pink Santa, at half off, wearing white fur! 

 
Isn't my aluminum tree gorgeous!!

So here's what I plan to do. I will add a white tablecloth to the kitchen table and arrange the bottle brushes, church, and a large glass hurricane full of pink and avocado green ornaments in the center of my table. I may even add candles. I have lovely silver candlesticks that hold tealights. And I plan on hitting up my local Home Depot to dig through their evergreen scrape pile like I did last year. The greenery lasted through the remainder of the holidays and allowed for a subtle hint of pine. I will arrange the greenery throughout the tablescape as well.

I will place the serving pieces around the table, black and white Christmas pieces I received as a gift from my aunt several years ago. And it just so happens that the pattern is very Mid Century Mod inspired, even though they came from Target! I plan on bringing out my bar cart, even though it's red, and decorating it as well. I may have to give that some thought regarding the clashing of colors. As Tim Gunn says, I will make it work.

Oh, and I found the coolest website that gives a tutorial on how to give everyday tumblers a little Mid Century update as well. Definitely going to have to give this a try! 

Lastly, here's a little sneak peek into a DIY drink stirrer I found that would look darling on the bar cart!

There you have it! My tablescape inspiration and the pieces I picked to create mine. Now that you have your theme, what would you use to decorate your table? Would you go completely DIY? Scour the amazing sales at places like Michael's is currently offering, or go brand new with your purchase?

I can't wait to hear what you're up to! What do you think of my party so far?

XO,
Andrea

Mama Crafting: Deer Head Holiday Pillow

I'm not sure that I've ever shared the news here, but about a month ago or so, my mom and I opened a booth space in Louisburg, KS. That's right, we are business owners. Or at least my mom is. I merely help her find the finds, make the crafts, and set up the booth. I'm the hired help! And, just recently, we expanded! We now have two booths side by side which allows us to house way more stuff! And we have stuff.

Within this booth space, I mentioned that I was in charge of crafts and I've been crafting like mad! Our newest creation is a deer head silhouette holiday pillow and I'm kind of obsessed with them! And because I love them so much, I thought I would provide a how-to. Not that I really want you running out and making your own, I would prefer you buy ours, but who I am to keep a good thing to myself. Consider this my holiday gift to you!

First you start with an image. I found a free image and had my dad format it to fit a 15X15 pillow. Next, print out the image. Here is what you need: scissors, a stencil sheet, black permanent marker, Exacto knife, the fabric you want to cut the deer out of out, the fabric for the front and back of the pillow, Poly-Fill to stuff the pillow, and fabric glue. 

I cut out the deer head image and laid it on the stencil sheet.

I traced out the deer head using a permanent black marker.

  From there, I attempted to cut it with the Exacto knife, but my dad stepped in when he realized I wasn't doing it correctly. I was getting jagged edges and you can't have that! 

I took the hollowed portion of the stencil and placed it on the fabric. I traced it out using the marker, but I would suggest a white crayon. (I used those on all of the other pillows we made.) I didn't account for the trace marks bleeding through so I had to make sure to cut a little on the inside of the trace marks. 

The cutting out of the deer head took FOREVER! You need a lot of time and a lot of patience. But, he was super cute in the end. So now you need to place it on your pillow front. To find the center, fold the fabric in half and the deer head silhouette in half. I placed it on the fabric and began measuring from the bottom of his chin to the bottom of the fabric and from the beginning of his head to the top of the fabric. From there, I just continued to move him up and down on the fabric until there was the same amount of space between the top and bottom. 

Now you're ready to start gluing. I just started at one of the deer head, applied glue, pressed down, and continued all around the silhouette until it was completely glued. After it dried, I went back and lifted the edges to see if any were loose. If so, I just added small amounts of glue.

Here are our fabric choices.

Now it's time to sew. I left this task up to my mom. She pinned the pillow together, leaving space at the bottom so she could stuff the pillow. 

She sewed all the around the pillow, stitches showing, until she reached the stuffing point. 

And then she stuffed it!

She then sewed up the bottom and a deer head pillow was born!  

This was our prototype and it resides in my living room. We have since made two more and we've done things a little differently. Instead of sewing the stitches on the outside edges of the pillow, my mom has turned the fabric inside out and now the stitches are no longer visible. It's just more aesthetically pleasing. 

And there you have it! The how-to for the cutest deer head holiday pillow. Is this something you're going to attempt to make or take a little trip to Louisburg to purchase? If you can't make the trip, we can make them to order! Just ask.

Happy Crafting!

XO, 

Andrea