When skies are gray

Happy Friday-

Make sure to enter the give away from Wednesday.
If you would like the above printable, I'm happy to send it to you!
You must be a follower of Bloom (on the right sidebar).  Leave me a comment with your email.


SO- Plan A for our post today was an extremely cute lemonade stand dessert table to go along with lemonade week.  The treats are absolutely adorable (been staring at them all morning) and my kids couldn't wait for this afternoon to set up their stand and sell! Then, we woke up to rain, hail and thunder.  It has been pouring all day long with no end in sight.  Did I check the weather? Yes, but even when it rains here in Southern California, it's not for this long.

SO- Plan B? I was very surprised by several emails this week asking more about me as a person.  One in particular was from an early follower who asked where I lived.  That question seemed so basic.  Admittedly, I haven't shared a bunch about me on this blog.  I would probably have to admit that I am a somewhat shy, private person (good description for a blogger:))

HOWEVER- I have to say (write) that I really feel at home with you, my readers.  Your comments and emails have been so supportive and amazing.  I consider you all my friends and would be excited to meet any of you. It only makes sense that you should know where I live!

SO- Since a party is not in the plan,  here are a few random facts about me and answers to questions you have asked-

Where do I live?  Sunny California (just not today), 15 minutes north of L.A., pretty much my whole life. I will probably live here forever.  This is one of my favorite views.  It's from my bedroom.  Each night the moon rises over these trees and is just spectacular! Such a peaceful way to fall asleep.

What about your kids? I have four little ones who are 6 (twins), 8 and 10 years old.  3 girls and 1 boy.  

Is it hard? Heck ya.  I'm pretty much a taxi service between 3:00 and 8:00 each day.  However, life is much easier now than when they were little. At one point, I had 4 kids under 5.  I don't really remember much about my twins' first 2 years of life.  My brain's probably protecting me (haha).  It was a lot about just getting through the moment.  My kids are at a great age now and they always have someone to play with.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I would miss all the juggling, noise and chaos.

How do I find time to blog?  I'm a night owl.  I usually start my "work" about 8:00 at night and go to bed sometime after midnight.  Hate getting up in the morning though and really need 8 hours of sleep which I catch up on over the weekends.

Favorite color? For things- pink, clothes- black, my house- white (yes, even with four kids.  It bleaches great!)

I'm a horrible speller- I could read by sight when I was 4, so I never had to learn phonics.  I'm certain there are lots of spelling and punctuation errors in my posts.  Please, excuse me.

Favorite food? Mexican, for sure.  I eat it no less than 5 times a week. LOVE spicy salsa!

Ahead for me- We moved from a perfectly lovely, newly remodeled house to a total tear down about 18 months ago.  I really not kidding.  As I type, I'm waiting for our septic tank to overflow from all the rain today and last night I woke up to drops of rain hitting my pillow.  It is, beyond a doubt, the worst house on the block by leaps and bound.  Why did we move?  The lot is great and the street is amazing.  I have the most amazing neighbors in my little area!  We are working on floor plans for a beautiful new house for our family.  Hopefully, it will be built before they go off to college. Someday I hope to share our remodeling stories.

Have a great weekend!
XO,
Jenny

S'more Pops and Party Straw Give Away

Party straws are an inexpensive way to add some fun to your party.  Use them anywhere you would use a stick.  These s'more pops are a yummy example of how a straw can liven up your dessert tables.

S'more Pops

Supplies:
jumbo marshmallow, melted chocolate, crushed graham crackers and party straws to match your event

Directions:
STICK on marshmallow
COAT with the melted chocolate
DIP into the graham cracker crumb

Simple.  The kids will love it.  I have used these fun straws at lots of my parties.
Here, they are dressed up with simple party flags.

Here, I used them to hold the banner and bunting on my cakes.

Here, I used they to cover the sticks of the candy apples.

GIVEAWAY

I'm happy to share that my Etsy store sells over 19 styles of these straws.  I can't tell you how much I enjoy looking at them.  They are only $4.00 for a pack of 24.  Order a few colors that you often use to have on hand.  We also carry apple green and red stripe.

 

Today, were doing a giveaway for 2 lucky winners who will each receive 4 packs of straws in their color of choice.  You can receive one entry for each of the following:

1. Be a follower of Bloom (Sign up now, if you're not already one, on the right side bar).

2. Like me on Facebook. If you already like me, share this giveaway.

3. Follow me on Pinterest.

Leave a comment for each one you do.  Contest ends Tuesday, April 17 at noon PST.  Good Luck!

XO,

Jenny

Strawberry Lemonade Party

I am so excited to share this adorable Strawberry Lemonade Party with you. It was styled by Kristina of Modern Frills, one of our new sponsors.  Modern Frills makes adorable custom, personalized tees with a modern twist.  They have many styles and designs to choose from so I'm sure you will find the perfect shirts for all you party needs. Modern Frills is currently hosting a giveaway.  Hop on over and enter.

Kristina hosted this party for her daughter's 5th birthday.  The theme was inspired by the birthday girl's beverage of choice.  I just love the the dessert table- tons detail but very clean and uncluttered.  Kristina's layout takes advantage of the white spaces to keep the design crisp.  The bright red, turquoise and touches of yellow are a fresh, modern take on a lemonade color scheme, while the paper strawberry baskets and wooden crate used for a riser add just the perfect amount of vintage to this lemonade inspired party.

All the more reason to finish your lemonade stands from yesterday's Make It Monday!

Did you notice the adorable mini bunting on the crate.  It is also available at Modern Frills. For vendor credits and more information on this party click here.

Another give away tomorrow! "See" you then.

XO

Jenny

Make It Monday- Lemonade Stand

Happy Monday- I spent last week at the beach playing with my family. I can't wait for summer and the warm southern California weather to kick in.  So, it's lemonade week on Bloom and what better way to start things off than with an amazing lemonade stand tutorial.  Before you click off thinking that it will take forever, I want you to know that this stand took me less than 2 hours to build.

When I was looking for a farm stand for Charlotte's birthday party, I found this adorable photo on Pinterest.  It took me to Lil Luna and I've been a fan ever since.  I've emailed with the lady behind Lil Luna, Kristyn,  a handful of times and she is an incredibly sweet, down to earth, adorable person- a new friend.  You will love her blog!

So, I followed most of Lil Luna's directions for a lemonade stand, which you can find by clicking here but I made a few changes that suited my party a bit better.  My secrets-
1.  I  didn't need to antique my stand since that wasn't the look of my party.  The crisp hot pink and white worked great.
2. I had all the wood cut at Home Depot when I bought it.  They will do this for free.  I took in all the measurements with me and they did the real work.  When I got home, all I really had to do was paint the boards (with a big roller) and screw the pieces together.  This step requires a bit of preplanning and math but it saved me soooooo much time.
3. My stand is obviously longer than Lil Luna's.  Decide on the length you want.  Adjust the length of the front 2x4s and increase the amount of planks that you need.
4. I did not use glue, or counter sink or make corner brackets- I'm sure Lil Luna's stand will last much longer than mine.  I did use drywall screw to attach everything.
5. I simply screwed the posts for the sign into the back 2x4 eliminating the need to make slits for the post.  My skills are not at that level:)
6. Like Lil Luna, I had a vinyl decal made for the lettering.  You could easily hand paint it but I am much too impatient. Maybe someday.

Add the adorable party bunting we made last week:) and let the kids have fun!

Now that the Apple of Our Eye Party is over, my kiddos have new plans for the stand.  We are repainting and using it for a future project.  Concessions anyone? Photos coming soon.  See you tomorrow.
XO,
Jenny

Happy Easter!

Hope all of you are enjoying your families today!

XO,

Jenny

Happy Friday- Some Bunny Loves you!

So excited to announce last week's winners of our 100,000 page view give away.  The response was amazing.  We are already at 210,000 page view, believe it or not.  We will do another huge giveaway party at a million:). So if you didn't winner this time, keep reading!

Our winners:
$50 Credit to my Etsy Store- Lindsay from Easy Made Invitations (amazing store and blog by the way, check it out).
Sweet Designs by Amy Atlas- Shannau- a Bloom Follower
Push Up Pops- The Cashwells- another sweet follower
A set of gumball tubes- Donna from Epicurian Crafter.

Congratulations to each of you!

If you would like this very last Easter decoration for your celebrations, leave a comment with your email and I will send you this 8x10 print without my blog name on it.

I will be happy to send it to you but ONLY IF YOU ARE A FOLLOWER OF BLOOM (MY BLOG).
It is available in pink, purple, green or light blue.

Have a super weekend filled with blessings! Don't forget to spread some bunny bait on the grass to attract the Easter Bunny and please take lots of pictures to send in!

XO,

Jenny

Busy Modern Family and Link Party!

Hi Everyone- Are you ready for Easter Break? Are you looking for an adventure?  Then, I have a blog for you. Today is my 15th year anniversary (!) and for the past month I have been hunting around the web for some getaway ideas.  I stumbled upon Busy Modern Family a few weeks back and have been reading ever since.  The blog has amazing ideas on family travel, party planning and home designs.  Last week, I had the pleasure of "meeting" Rebecca, the lady behind the blog, who also throws a wonderful party.  She recently hosted this adorable Enchanted Forest birthday party for her daughter.

So Adorable!  Busy Modern Family is currently hosting an amazing opportunity for one lucky reader traveling to Malaysia. 

 In response to her post last week about amazing spa getaways, Rebecca received a generous offer from Four Seasons Resort, Langkawi, Malaysia.  They are offering one Busy Modern Family reader a 180 minute Malaysian Mist ritual spa treatment, valued at $340 USD!*

To enter the giveaway, simply-

-“Like” Busy Modern Family on facebook

-Subscribe to Busy Modern Family via e-mail or RSS

Be sure to leave a comment on Busy Modern Family letting Rebecca know which you did.

HURRY!  You don't have much time.  All entries must be in by Saturday (April 7^th) at 12 noon!! For complete details, visit Busy Modern Family.

Ready for our Link party?

Share your parties, favors, and holiday ideas.

Last weeks most viewed entry was 10 Non-Candy Egg Fillers by Michelle Paige- perfect timing!

This is your chance to share something YOU created on my blog.  I would love for you to share your parties, creative holiday ideas, and favors. Really, I would love to see anything pretty.  Next week, I will highlight some of the most viewed links.

 A few rules:

1. Please be a follower of Bloom Designs Online (a member in bloom)

2. Link directly to your idea not your home page.

3. Insert a text hyperlink back to my blog or grab my button.

4. No Etsy shops, giveaways or personal link parties.

<a border="0" href="http://bloomdesignsonline.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img 

  

Thanks! So excited to see your ideas.
XO,
Jenny