PNW Blogger Swap

I just participated in my first box swap! I belong to a group on Facebook called the PNW Bloggers. PNW standing for Pacific North West. Back in July I attended one of their get togethers.  It was a crafty/luncheon event and I met some fun local bloggers.  With the holiday's around the corner the group asked if anyone wanted to participate in a box swap.  You would be assigned a fellow PNW blogger, given their address and some of their likes. You don't know who got your name until the box arrived. Laura of Snapshot in Time Photography passed out the names.

The PNW Blogger who received my name was Kendra from Simply {Darr}ling- Ideas for a Daring Life. She did A-mazing! I LOVE everything. I mean, look at all these adorable items! I love FUN mail :)

Pretty sparkly ribbon tape, Fun thick Washi tape, bakers twine, in my favorite colours red!

Bread wrappers for delivering homemade baked goods, lip balm for the damp cold PNW winters and super cute napkins!

I mean, LOOK at these napkins! SO cute. Thank you Kendra. Loved this box swap. Can't wait to do it again.

Who did I get for my box swap? Rachel of Small Steps on Our Journey. Pop over to see what I sent her.  Rachel's blog is full of lots of fun information. Especially if you're a Seattle local or visiting the area. 





A New Adventure

The shop is OPEN! 

Fizzy Party's Fun Handmade Tulle Wreaths 

It all started with this wreath pictured below. Not only do I love throwing parties but I love crafting and creating.  When Cupcake With Character mentioned a nutcracker themed party she was having I wanted in.  Not having a shop of my own and no real medium I worked in, I asked if she needed a tulle wreath. She did.  She requested pale blue and  pale pink with touches of gold glitter. Little did I know this wreath would lead to an Etsy shop.

I had so much fun making the wreath for Cupcake with Character  that when I found out that Print & Cut Your Printables was having a Santa's Workshop party I asked if she needed a tulle wreath. She did! This party lady wanted something a little more custom.  Red and green tulle with hints of red and green glitter tulle. Christmas balls and glitter stocking to make it festive and fun. 

This beautiful snow white wreath made with all glitter tulle and snowflake ornament was a special request from another party lady who's identity will be revealed in another post.  I think she likes to keep her parties a secret until the big reveal. I'm loving the drama! The glitter doesn't POP in this photo like it does in person.  It just shimmers when you see it for yourself. All three of these ladies asked me for my shop information. But I didn't have one. 

Until NOW! Fizzy Party's Fun Handmade Tulle Wreaths is now open. I know the shop looks a little bare right now but more products are coming soon.  I especially enjoy making custom wreaths that are unique to each person.  There are so many gorgeous colous of plain tulle and glitter tulle to choose from.  I love the glitter tulle but then I'm partial to sparkly things :)

Some of the choices in the glitter tulle are:

The beauty of my shop is there are so many choices to fit any reason, season, occasion or party.  You can order all one colour in plain or glitter, two tone plain, two tone glitter or like this one below, two tone with two tone glitter. 

Add some Christmas picks to give it some character.  The two shown below are some of the ones currently available. (available as of November 5, 2013)

Or add some ornaments to hang from the center like the snowflake in the all white glitter tulle wreath shown above. The two ornaments below are some of the ones available. (Available as of November 5, 2013)

Coming to the shop soon are these FUN tulle pom pom cupcake toppers or drink stirrers. Available in a wide variety of colours in both plain and glitter tulle. 

I'm so excited to finally share the news with you. I have so many fun fabulous ideas for wreaths and I can't wait to fill the shop with them. A big thank you goes out to Bubble Off Plumb, Cupcake with Character who also created the logo for the shop, Print & Cut Your Printables and my secret party lady. These women were the inspiration for the shop and  the cheerleaders.  Thank you ladies!

Apple Cake

Guest post today and you're going to love it. Thank you Elena for this delicious recipe. 

Hi! My name is Elena and I’m an Italian mom of two kids, Tommy and Giulia, and we live in San Francisco but move a lot because of my husband’s job. I always worked as a graphic designer and since last year I’ve opened my shop for party printables. Of course I LOVE to bake and cook and today, thanks to TIffany, I’m here to share you a simple but amazing recipe that my grandma taught me: a classic apple cake.

I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe!

Thank you,

Elena

INGREDIENTS:

3 apples Golden Delicious

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

1 and 1/2 cups butter (or margarine)

3 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°F

Separate the whites from the yolks and whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Set aside.

Mix well sugar, butter and the yolks.

Add flour and baking powder.

At this point incorporate the egg whites and milk.

Scrape into buttered cake pan.

Top with apple slices.

Bake about 40-45 mins until top is nice and browned and apples are tender.

World Wide Party can be found on Etsy  and Facebook. 

Reflections on Halloween

Halloween has come and gone.

Halloween usually screams through our house all month.  This year, it whispered.  One would think with 13 being my favorite number that this would have been the  year for Halloween for me.  But it wasn't.  Perhaps it was all the house repairs, the endless phone calls back and forth, taking time off work for apts, or maybe it was the new products I was making in preparation for my new business. Shop opening November 3rd on Etsy.

Halloween normally screams in toward the end of September. I fill my calendar with Halloween fun. Never enough days in October to pack it all in.

3 to 4 loaves of pumpkin bread are made through out the month.  Zero loaves were made this year.  Although part of that is my husbands fault.  He kept coming home with loaves from Great Harvest Bread Co. 

The house is fully decorated.  The kitchen and dining room become the bat cave. 

The living room is filled with spiders and the mantel becomes a cemetery. 

The hallway always gets covered in a cemetery scene.

This year the hallway and mantel were all I accomplished.

2 to 3 trips are made to pumpkin patches.  Two times with friends and once with my husband.  No trips were made this year.

8-10 pumpkins are carved and placed in the yard. Lit every evening until Halloween's end.  No pumpkins were carved this year.

Caramel apples are made. None this year. Nails are painted black all month. One week this year.  Costumes bought. None this year. Parties are attended. One this year. And Halloween movies are watched every day. Five were watched this month.

Today I'm mourning Halloween a little.  How could I have let you pass with a whisper.
Fear not Halloween 2014, I'll be sure to see you come in screaming and continue screaming until the last Trick-or-Treater of the evening.

Related: Pumpkin Carving Party 

shhh, I'm already planning for 2014 ;)  Halloween sales here I come.