Laid Back Labor Day

This labor day we are taking a step back from the party planning and letting the "boys" take over. 

This is what we eat, breath, and sleep - so giving up the control made us a little bit nervous, but then we realized this is a good thing. We don't have to lift a finger or worry about anything; all we need to do is kick back and relax. 

The only thing we might offer are these adorable Beach Party Cupcakes.

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Beach Party Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 recipe favorite cupcake recipe 
• 1 recipe favorite cupcake frosting
• Blue decorating tint
• Blue decorating sugar
• Honey Teddy Grahams
• Finely Crushed Graham Crackers or Teddy Grahams
• Lifesaver Gummies (innertubes)
• Fruit-by-the-Foot Fruit Rollups (rafts and towels)
• Airheads Xtreme Belts (rafts, towels and cut up by color for pool noodles)
• Cocktail Umbrellas (beach umbrellas)

Directions

• Bake cupcakes as directed, cool completely
• Make frosting as directed
• Mix blue decorating tint to get desired shade of blue for water
• Spread each cupcake top with desired amount of frosting (I typically don’t like a lot of frosting but I did make these with a little more so the little dudes had something to stick to!)
• Use teddy grahams and candies as fun decorations – be creative
• Dip a few iced cupcakes in crushed grahams to look like sand (and a few half in the grahams for a sand and sea look!)

Anchor's Away

Ahoy there! Since we are off to Newport, RI for the weekend, we were inspired to share with you some fun items that will help you pull together your next "Anchor's Away" Bash.

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Pamper the Birthday Girl

Pamper your little girl this year by throwing her a spa inspired birthday party. 

At this full-service celebration, everyone is treated to having their hair, makeup and nails done any way they imagine. But Mom's we warn you - this might look like so much fun, you will be tempted to invite your friends over and join them!

Invitations: Each little girl receives a fun invitation like the sample below. Click to Purchase

Favors: Treat the girls to customized robes that they can use at the party and take home with them. We love these pink ruffled robes provided by Etsy. Click to Purchase

Spa Treatments: There are two ways you can do this. The first way is to bring in someone to do the girls hair, makeup and nails (one person for each station). The second is to rally your friends together to each take on a station.

A Sweet Ending: No party would be complete without something sweet at the end, like these homemade mask cookies.You can even make these masks ahead of time and let the girls decorate them on their own. Click Here for directions on how to make these.

We also love these adorable cupcakes. Click Here to purchase cake toppers like these. 

And last but not least: Make sure you take tons of pictures; before - during - and after!

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Summer Beer Tasting Party

Summer is all about kicking back and relaxing with a nice cold beer in your hand. So before the summer comes to a close, make sure you throw and end of the summer beer tasting party. 

It's simple to do - All it takes is three easy steps:

1. Send you friends and family and invite.
2. Grab some beer (with all the private distributors out there, make sure you pick up some kinds that people have never heard of/tried).
3. Make a delicious BBQ style menu filled with these crowd favorites - Jack Daniels Pulled Pork Sliders, Mini Smoke Mesquite BBQ Cheddar and Grilled Onion Hamburgers, Mac & Cheese Shots, Potato Wedges w/ Ketchup, Doctor Pepper Ribs, Coleslaw, Cornbread, assorted snack foods (popcorn, pub mix, etc), and some Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes.

See that's it. Simple right? 

Oh and don't forget to pick up some customized pint glass for the beer tasting, tasting rate cards, and supplies for beer pong. You're party won't be the same without them. 

Photo Credits: Beer Bottle Invitations, Table Setting 2 and 3, BBQ Slider, Irish Car Bombs Cupcakes, Mac & Cheese, Customized Pint Glass, Tasting Sheet.

Would you Trash your Dress?

"Trashing the Dress" is a growing trend that thousands of brides are taking part in. Instead of preserving their wedding gowns, they are wearing them one last time in a less traditional way in an artistic photo shoot.

Here are some of our favorite images of wedding gowns that have been soaked, attacked by paint, and just plain old dirty.

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So, would you Trash your Dress?