Evergreen Christmas Wreath...

I picked up this amazing ribbon at Costco!  I have a serious ribbon fetish and this is one of the best I have ever bought.  The color, width, texture, price, quality, and the way it ties couldn't be any more PERFECT!  It was $6.99 for 50 yards!!!

I bought this plain green wreath at Hobby Lobby for $4.99.  It looks really plain and I hesitated buying it because I wasn't sure it was the look I was going for, but I ended up really liking it.

The branches are all flat when you pick them up from the store.  I spent a few minutes pulling them apart and making the wreath look more full.

Next, I took some of the red ribbon and cut it long enough to make a good size bow.  I wanted the bow on the bottom of the wreath, but you could do it many different ways.

I tied a knot first around the bottom of the wreath...

Then I tied a good size bow.  I tie my bows very similar to a shoe lace...

The bow...

Once I tied the bow on the bottom, I cut a smaller piece for the top of the wreath...

I measured for the length I wanted it to hang on my window and then tied it in a knot on the back of the wreath...

 I bought this window suction for $1.50 at Hobby Lobby...

 I made sure to get the suction centered on my window and then hung the wreath...

I made sure the ribbons were straight and looking how I wanted...

 The finished product...

I love how they turned out.  We have 3 large size windows on the front of our house and I put these on 2 of the windows...the 3rd has our tree behind it.  This project was so easy and inexpensive (about $8.00).  You could also hang inside the house on a window, door or mirror!

 (I will post more pictures of all the wreaths and my tree very soon!)

Thankful Tree

This is one of my favorite holiday decorations ever!  I bought the tree several years ago at Pottery Barn Kids and I use if for multiple holidays and events.  For Thanksgiving, I have the kids cut out leaves from card stock, punch holes in them and tie ribbons on the leaves.  We sit around the table and talk about all the things we are thankful for.  We take turns writing them down on the leaves and then hanging them on the tree...

 I love to watch the kids as they think of things they are grateful for.  Some of the things they wrote down this year are: school, church, family, friends, Hank (our dog), mom, dad, brother, sister, freedom, food, sports, and job.  

There is nothing I am more grateful for than being a mom to these three...

Family is the most important thing to me.  I love to have this tree up for the month of November to remind us what is truly important.  Such a fun tradition for us too!

Halloween Storage...

I use these orange and black rubbermaid containers to store all of my Halloween decorations in.  They are durable and hold up really well.  Plus, they are orange and black so I don't even have to label them!

For storage inside the bins I like (or LOVE) to use ziploc freezer bags, tissue paper, sharpie marker, and trash bags.  You can see how I label the ziplocs so I know what's in them and it helps me remember each year where it goes.  The plastic is also really good protection from dust and dirt.  I wrap any glass or fragile items in tissue paper.  Once all the items are inside the containers I fill any extra space with larger size trash bags and tissue paper for cushioning.

Backyard Birthday Party...

This party was so fun to plan and all of the details and colors were perfect...

We had a taco stand come and serve dinner. They offered 4 different types of meat and then the guests could top their street tacos how they liked.  We served rice and beans as well.  On Each table we had chips with several types of salsas and dips.

For drinks we served all different types of sodas and water.  We used ball jars for cups with cute grey  and white striped straws.

For the dessert table we had Mexican pastries, melt away cookies, birthday cake, and ice cream.  I also used this table to display the cute party favor.  Next to the dessert table I used a display board that I made and compiled it with photos.

For centerpieces: I painted large ball jars, tied some twine around them and filled them with fresh hydrangeas.  I used a combination of a pretty grey fabric and burlap for color and texture.  I used different size ball jars along with a few other votives for candle light.  

 The white lights, luminaries, fire pit, and candles on the tables made for the perfect ambiance and lighting...it looked gorgeous!

These were the cutest party favors that Betsy made.  She had her sister who came from Ensenada bring some authentic Mexican candy.  They filled ball jars and tied a cute note on them with twine.

I made a two layer chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.  Betsy made the adorable banner to hang across the cake.  Since we were hanging paper across the cake we opted to put the candles on the side.  I tied 40 white candles together with a bow and put them on a candlestick.  It looked so cute!  And here is the beautiful birthday girl...

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BETSY!