Christmas Cookie Challenge

 Christmas Cookie Challenge 

This is SO exciting!  My friend Kima of Kima's Konfections  is competing in Food Network's Christmas Cookie Challenge.   I had no idea she was doing this until she announced it in November.  She had to keep things all hush-hush.  I don't know how she did it.  I would be bursting at the seams wanting to tell someone.  I was so excited for her that as soon as I found out I invited my friends to a viewing party. As I type this on Sunday night the episode my friend is in hasn't aired yet. It airs on Monday, when this post goes live in the morning.  So if you're reading this now, be sure to come back after Monday to get the update. 

In preparation for the viewing party I got out my Wilton Cookie Cutter set, seen below and available on Amazon.   I looked up a sugar cookie recipe and decided on Semisweet Mike's. The almond scent filled the air as the cookies baked and made the kitchen smell so good.  I of course had to try one once they were done baking to make sure they baked ok. I haven't baked sugar cookies since we got our new oven.  The almond comes through lightly in the baked cookies and tastes delicious even without frosting.  I also used Semisweet Mike's royal icing recipe.  It turned out just like the pictures on his site.
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My plan for these cookies was to pipe an outline and then flood the cookies.  After outlining all the cookies I decided not to flood them.  Cookies are not something that I make. I'm a cupcake baker so I didn't want to throw too many techniques at myself at once.  Shoot, it took me longer then expected just to pipe the cookies the way I did.  I decided I would just pipe the frosting on and smooth it out with a toothpick.  Oh my goodness, I have mad respect for cookie artists.  Piping cookies is not as easy as I thought it would be.  You can see I smudged Santa's hat there.

I did the candy canes first and you can tell because the icing isn't as smooth.  The candy canes were my learning cookies for sure.  The Santa hat's turned out so much better.  My smoothing with the toothpick technique definitely improved.  Next time I want to try flooding.

Be sure to come back to see if Kima's Konfections won and more viewing party pics. I'll be updating this post the day after the episode airs. 

Holiday Clothes Swap Party

This post is part of the Evite Influencer Program. #Evite #PartyontheFly #LifesbetterTogether #BeThere #Ad #PaidPost   Party concept is my own, opinions are all my own and as always, honest.

 I love hosting a Christmas party and almost every year I host a themed Christmas open house.  This year I didn't seem to get it together to host one so I was just going to skip it.  Then Evite® sent me a message and challenged me to throw a party on the fly for $100.  Ha! No problem.  The bigger challenge was, would any of my friends be free to come over.  December is such a busy time of year for everyone.  I sent out this fun Santa Evite® and sure enough most of my friends couldn't come. They were out of town, had kids birthday parties to go too or had to help their kids sell trees for their local club.  Luckily, 3 of my friends were available. Woo Hoo!!

The theme of this party was a twist off of the Naked Lady Party.  What's a Naked Lady Party?  Yeah, my friends asked me that too.  It's where friends bring over clothes, bags, shoes etc they no longer want to wear but are still in good condition.  All the items are placed on a table or on racks and the guests go through the items and take home new to them items that they like.

Instead of everyday clothes to swap like at a Naked Lady Party, friends were told to bring holiday clothes, socks, jewelry etc. My friends loved the idea and I know all my friends who couldn't make it are going to be bummed they couldn't come.

Keeping with the invitations Santa breakfast theme I held this party at the brunching hour, 11:30 a.m. and served up a crustless mushroom spinach quiche, baby croissants, turkey bacon and cranberry juice and egg nog.  I love brunch parties because everyone loves breakfast foods and guests still have most of the day to get errands, housework etc done.  Plus serving brunch keeps cost down.  Breakfast foods are less expensive then lunch or dinner.  I spent $30 on food, including candy.

 Friends placed their clothes, socks and jewelry on the table when they arrived so everyone could see what was available before the trading began.  T-shirts, PJ bottoms and more were up for exchange. Keep the table decor simple because it will be full of clothes.  Just bring out holiday items you already own. This saves you money.

Holiday photo prop head bands were very popular as was jewelry.

Holiday socks were a big hit too.  Everyone went home with new to them socks because they were the most item brought.

Going through all the clothes that were brought and trying them on calls for snacks.  Luckily Santa brought some. Store bought holiday candy is cheap. Again, saving you money.

We were having so much fun going through all the clothes we almost forgot to take some photos.  Here's a party tip that will save you money and is so easy to do.  For a photo backdrop I like to use wrapping paper. Yes, wrapping paper.  It's inexpensive, easy to put up and can match any party theme.  If I didn't tell you you'd probably never know that was wrapping paper we were standing in front of.  I spent $3 for a roll that I used for the backdrop and on the table.

In case guests forget to take photos at the party it's easy to share them now with the new Evite® Private Sharing Feed.  It's your own personal photo album of the party.  Your guests can like and comment on the photo's you upload.  You could even share some teasers before the party to get guests excited to come.

After the party it's super easy to send out a Thank You to your guests along with a few photos of the party.  All the guests emails are already in your Evite® and you can even personalize each guests thank you.

This post is in collaboration with Evite® and the Evite® Influencer Program.  I was compensated for this post but all opinions, party themes, and party ideas are 100% my own and totally honest. #Evite #BeThere #Partyonthefly

Christmas Cards and Cocktails

Let's face it, filling out Christmas cards can seem like they take FORever to fill out. You sit at the table all by yourself filling out the cards because it's always the women who fill out the cards. Not the men. Am I right?

This year why not make it fun!  Gather your girlfriends for a Christmas cards, cupcakes and cocktails night.  Filling out cards with friends is way more fun then doing it alone.  Your house is probably already decorated for Christmas so this mini party won't cut into your Christmas budget.

For this mini party we sat at my dining room table to fill out the cards.  I wanted to make the area festive and fun so I splashed the wall with red and white snowflakes and fun tassel garland.   The table was left pretty bare of decor so we had room to write our our cards.

When serving cocktails it's always a good idea to serve some food too.  If you're not serving a full meal, bread and dip is a good option.  It's easy to make, easy to eat while writing out cards, and everyone loves it. You could serve a couple different dips or just one like I did.  I chose Spinach Parmesan because it's just.so.good.

Have some craft supplies on the table in case you have some crafty friends who want to do more then just write in their cards.  Glitter glues, stickers, stamps and ribbon are just a few things you could have on the table.

I just love these little reindeer pull back toys from Oriental Trading.  They add festiveness to the table and your guests can take them home to their kids.  They make great stocking stuffers too. Stockings were always my favorite part of Christmas.  They're packed full of fun little items.

These reindeer plates and napkins fit the party perfectly.  Festive, fun and cocktail in hand these reindeer are ready to get those Christmas cards done and sent out early.  My friends loved the napkins the best.  We talked about how they'd be great for a New Years party too.  A reindeer theme works for New Years, with Christmas over the reindeer are ready to relax and ring in the New Year. See, it works!

Drink stirrers aren't always necessary, it depends on the drink, but they sure are fun.  These drinks didn't need stirrers but they looked fun and I like adding little details that match the theme of the party I'm throwing.

We had a lot of cards to fill out so a sugar break was a must.  If you don't feel like baking cupcakes you can pick up store bought ones like I did here and embellish them with candy sprinkles.

Cheers! to getting our cards done early and having fun doing it too.

Before your guests head home with all their finished Christmas cards be sure to give them their party favor.  I always like to send my guests home with a little something.  I filled festive boxes with cookies for my guests to enjoy later or to share with their family.

Are you ready to have more fun filling out your Christmas cards this year?

 Shop this party:
Styling, concept and photography by:  Fizzy Party 
Backdrop decor, plates, napkins, drink stirrers, pull back reindeer, candy canes, cookie boxes: Oriental Trading 
Mini trees and mini disco balls: Target 
Stamps, ink pads, stickers:  Michaels 
Cookies: Loft House 
Cards: Shutterfly 

Holiday Open House

After Thanksgiving everyone gets so busy. I like to make sure I get some time in with my girlfriends before the craziness begins and I don't see them until mid-January. A casual open house style party works perfectly.  Friends can drop by when they can without feeling like they have to rush to get to the party on time. An open house style party is one where guests can drop by anytime between the hours you set the party for. For open house parties I keep the food simple and stress free by serving foods that don't need to stay warm or cold. Treats work great for this. 

The holidays call for fun invitations and confetti. The Confetti Bar can create custom confetti to match your party theme. 

To play off the theme of the invitations guests could choose from ginger soda,

Or gingerbread hot cocoa. I love how Gingerhead cookies matched the snow flakes on the mugs.

I can't help myself with the details. These little gingerbread men candies floating on top of clouds of whipped cream are so cute. 

Friends filled their plates with mini gingerbread donuts from 
Green Mountain Mini Baked and cookies from Gingerhead cookies while enjoying a relaxing time catching up.

I love these plates from Create Ur Plate. You can get them to match any party theme. The little guy missing his leg ties in with the invitation perfectly. Again with the details. I can't help it!

No get together at my house would be complete without a party favor and a thank you note. I love to hand write a thank you for attending note. It's more personal and meaningful. 

Winter weather takes a toll on our skin so I made gingerbread sugar scrub for my friends.  Not only does it leave your skin soft, it makes your shower smell like Christmas. 

Cute custom made sugar scrub labels were created by Small Moments. 

Cheers! to open house parties and good times with friends. It's really easy to host one. Decorate up the house, invite some friends over, bake or pick up some treats and enjoy a little relaxing time with your friends before the holiday craziness begins. 

Vendors:
Fizzy Party- Concept, styling,, tulle poms, photography
Tiny Prints- Invitations, thank you cards and napkins
Small Moments- Drink and sugar scrub labels 
Sparkling Sweets Boutique- Marshmallow pops
Gingerhead Cookies- Cookies
Green Mountain Mini Baked- Mini gingerbread donuts
Create Ur Plate- Plates
The Confetti Bar-Confetti
Fancy & Fold- Oh Snap paper sticks

Elf Christmas Party

Glad you came back. This post features the work of some fabulously talented people. Their products add that extra POP to a party.

Loved how Ten 23 Designs words looked against my red wall.  It really set the back drop for the party.  Print & Cut Your Printables added that extra touch of sweetness with candy. The backdrop is simple yet visually pops and sets the theme of the party.

Gingerbread Trifle made using Jell-O's seasonal gingerbread flavor topped with gingerbread Twix candy.

Kima's Konfections did an amazing job with the chocolate covered Oreo's. While I've never liked Oreo's, my guests enjoyed them immensely. Especially the kids.

My guests couldn't stop talking about the amazing detail in these cupcake toppers made by Fancy Cakes. This is just a small sampling. To see the other fabulous toppers, check my FB and Twitter pages.

Once again Mr. Cheesy Snowman's backside was eaten but not his face. I've made this cheesy snowman from Betty Crocker 3 times now. And every time my guests think he's too cute to eat.

I love nutcrackers so this was the perfect spot for the nuts.

Printables by Cupcake with Character and nut cups from The Pretty Party Shoppe.

To go containers courtesy of Dollar Tree. My guests were happy to fill them up :)

How many movie references did you get this time?
Leave me a comment and let me know.

Vendors
Ten23 Designs-Vinyl word saying as backdrop
Print & Cut Your Printables- Candy in backdrop
Kima's Konfections- Chocolate covered Oreo's
Fancy Cakes- Cupcake toppers
Fizzy Party- Snowballs
The Pretty Party Shoppe- Nut cups
Cupcake with Character- Printables