Hot Cocoa Bar

Last month I had the extreme honor of hosting a personal shower for one of my dearest friends, Lindsay! Around the time I was starting to plan the shower, I noticed different hot cocoa bars circulating on Pinterest and thought that would be such a fun setup since the shower would be in December. For the spread, I offered a couple different flavors of hot cocoa, a variety of toppings, and a mix of cookies and cupcakes. My Keurig was setup near the table so the guests had quick access to hot water. They aren't pictured below, but I used craft twine to attach tags with each guest's name on each mug so they wouldn't get mixed up throughout the night. Overall, it was a hit! If you're ever planning a party/shower/event during the winter months, I highly suggest having a hot cocoa bar! It's an easy, affordable, fun treat for your guests and there are so many creative ways you can set one up (just search hot cocoa bar on Pinterest). Enjoy the pics!

You still have January and February of this year to try out your own hot cocoa bar! I'd love to hear/see your ideas! Thanks for stopping by!

50th Birthday Party

Both of my parents turned "50" this month - for my mom, it's TODAY! :) In honor of this milestone in their lives, I wanted to throw them a joint celebration with all of our family. Naturally, I turned to Pinterest for ideas...

One of my favorite ideas was creating a poster commemorating the year they were born, which in their case was 1963. The poster was more than a decoration though - it proved useful for a game we played later in the evening that involved trivia about the year 1963. Those that paid attention to the poster definitely had an advantage! 

Another Pinterest idea I had fun executing was the floral "50" inspired by this pin. I photographed my own execution of this project and plan to blog about it soon! What I loved about this craft is that it not only anchored the theme of the decor, but it was also a souvenir that my parents got to take home after the party! 

The party favors ("the 50s are HOT!") were another Pinterest-inspired idea - Hot Tamales! :)

One idea that I came up with last minute was to have all the guests write down "advice for turning 50" or a short message to my parents. We photographed each person &/or couple holding up their sign so I can compile them to give to my parents later on. Here are a few of my favorites...

Happy birthday, Mom & Dad! I'm incredibly blessed to have you as my parents! I love you! :)

Thanks for reading! If you ever have a 50th birthday party to plan or know someone else who will, I hope this post will provide some inspiration!