{Invitations} Holiday Kiddie Party

I'm throwing a little holiday party for my nephew Jack, niece Maura, and son Dean. It's really just an excuse to have my sister {and her kidlets} over for lunch since I rarely spend time with any of them anymore :-{ Praying, praying, praying for an opportunity for their family to make their way back to New Jersey after living in Virginia for the last three years.

I've got some little crafts planned to keep Jack busy while us girls {my mom too!} have lunch. And I'll be creating a holiday cookie bar for everyone to munch on.

Funny how things change...last year I threw a Christmas cocktail party with a specialty martini and now this year I'm throwing a cookies & crafts party for the kids. What a difference a year makes! Wouldn't trade it for the world :-}

{Giveaway} Winner!

Congratulations to Kristi P., winner of the Fancy Chandelier Holiday Collection! Thank you to all who entered! I really enjoyed hearing about your holiday color schemes and got some great ideas from you all!

Stay tuned for the next giveaway taking place in the coming weeks!

{Decorating} HELLOOOO Christmas!

Thanksgiving is over, and I didn't waste any time moving on to Christmas. Fall decor down, holiday up! One of the things I look forward to most is decorating the mantle above my fireplace. It's not very big {and I would secretly LOVE a great big one some day in the future}, but it suites me quite well for now.

In addition to some greens with twinkly white lights, I also decorated my mantle with some silver candle holders I found at IKEA for a pretty reasonable price. Shimmery candles and a big sparkly Christmas ball adorn the holders. Also on the mantle are an old tree topper {snowflake} and a shimmery red Christmas tree. I'm fairly traditional in my color choices and decorate with mostly red, silver, and white {and throw a little lime green in the mix because it's my favorite color}.


Shopping Guide:
Lighted greenery, sparkly Christmas ball, snowflake tree topper, mirror ~ Target
Silver candle holders ~ IKEA
Candles ~ PB Outlet & Bath & Body Works
Red Christmas tree ~ Bath & Body Works

BY THE WAY...I LOVED HEARING ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY COLORS!

{Entertaining} Thanksgiving at my House

Dessert Buffet: I used my good ole' sideboard in my dining room to display my desserts. I'm so glad I purchased this piece of furniture. It serves as a storage unit for dishes, placemats, napkin rings, etc. and also provides me a spot to display dessert or whatever I want when I'm entertaining. And it's perfect because it's right next to my dining room table, so my guests can not only see the dessert display, but the sweets are within arms reach of the table!

I also love using white dishes and platters for my dessert displays. The white is a nice contrast with my black furniture, and it allows me to add color accents through ribbons, food tags, menus, decorations, etc. In addition, using tiered plates and serving pieces allows me to add varying heights, creating some dimension to the display.

My mom's birthday was on Thanksgiving this year, so I ordered a small birthday cake and created a topper to coordinate with the menu and colors I used. Also, I added a pretty fall tree with hanging acorns, a bundle of wheat tied with a ribbon, and some little tealights in glass cubes to decorate the space.


I love this new addition to my dessert display that I found at TJ Maxx for peanuts! I pinned my dessert menu to the open area, but you could also use this for pictures or whatever else you wanted to display. It could also be painted to add a pop of color to the dessert table.


The setting of our Thanksgiving meal was my dining room. I used a maize colored table runner with a slight sheen that I found in the fabric section at IKEA.


My centerpiece was incredibly easy to make! I was inspired by a picture I saw in the PB catalog that showed apothocary jars filled with different fall items. So, I filled my own apothocary jars with leaves from my yard and pinecones & acorns from Target. Then I added some multicolored corn from my local farmer's market, a sparkly pear, and a candle on a chunky candle holder. I arranged them all on a black tray and voila! It was inexpensive, easy, and festive.


The dinner menu hung from my grandmother's old bookcase that I inherited. I spraypainted a wooden dowl black and threaded it through a round paper thingy {haha...can't think of the name!} that came inside a poster I ordered for my classroom. Then I used brown bag paper, which I also snagged from my classroom supplies, and glued it on the round paper thingy. Next, I tied some ribbon to the dowl so it could be hung. Lastly, I used a black Sharpie marker to write out my menu.


The birthday girl {aka my mommy} with my son.


So THANKFUL for this baby, who is suddenly on the go 24/7! He's army crawling all over the place!

I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED YOUR THANKSGIVING WITH YOUR LOVED ONES!

***DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY LATEST GIVEAWAY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WINNING A CUTE HOLIDAY PARTY PACK, WHICH INCLUDES 8 INVITATIONS, 10 TENTED FOOD CARDS, & 12 FOOD PICKS! DEADLINE IS TOMORROW!***

{Giveaway} Fancy Chandelier Party Pack!

I interrupt my Thanksgiving posts to bring you my next giveaway. And let me just add that I don't normally mix holidays. In other words, I don't become Christmas obsessed until Turkey Day is OVER {although I did cave a tad this year and put on a Xmas CD last week}. Because this giveaway revolves around holiday entertaining, I thought it was important to get the ball rolling since Christmas is just around the corner!

I created this holiday collection last year when I threw a little Christmas cocktail party. I used very traditional colors on this invite and of course, I love the fancy chandelier! Fun and sophisticated!

Included in this giveaway:
~ 8 fancy chandelier holiday invitations & coordinating envelopes {size 5x7}
~ 10 fancy chandelier tented food cards {they will appear blank so you can fill in}
~ 12 cupcake toppers/food picks

2 WAYS TO ENTER & WIN:
1. Leave me a comment on this post telling me your favorite color combination for Christmas {ie: traditional red & green, etc.}
2. Become a follower of LIME {and leave me a comment on this post telling me you did so!}

All entries due by Friday at midnight {you've gotta be quick to win this one, girls!}. Winner will be announced by Monday, November 29th using random.org. Products will ship Tuesday the 30th so winner can mail her invites in a timely fashion!

Not throwing a holiday shindig this year? What about next year? These are timeless! ***OR*** Ditch the invites and use the tented food cards and toppers/picks for your Christmas entertaining needs!

Okay, not another word about you-know-what until Friday ;-}

{Entertaining} Thanksgiving Place Settings

I was a busy little bee last night. After my sweet Dean went to bed and my husband and I finished up a relaxing dinner {aka Chinese takeout...ha!}, I got to work. I set my table and worked on my dessert buffet. After unsuccessfully searching high and low for cloth dinner napkins that fit my color scheme, I decided to go with these pretty eggplant cocktail napkins found at Target. Paper napkins were not exactly what I had in mind, BUT there are much more important things to worry about in this world!

Aside from all the cooking, I'm basically ready for Turkey Day on Thursday, my 15 year high school reunion the night after, and Christmas decorating on Saturday and Sunday! Does life ever slow down?!?!?!

{Sneak Peek} Dinner & Dessert Menus

I finished up my dinner and dessert menus tonight. The dinner menu is hanging from a bookcase in my dining room, which is where we will be eating our Thanksgiving feast. Last year, I made a menu that sat on the actual dinner table, and it kind of got in the way. So this year I opted for a hanging menu that my guests could see but would be free and clear of the table!


The dessert menu is going to be displayed on the sideboard in my dining room, which is where my dessert buffet will be set up. Lots of cooking left to do!

FULL ENTERTAINING POST WITH ALL OF MY TURKEY DAY DETAILS SOON!

{Crafting} We're 9 and Fine!

Baby boy is 9 months old today. Happy and sad.

I used fabric again to make his onesie. Hot glue it was instead of stitching...HUGE timesaver!


Look at the drool...haha. Someone is teething BIG TIME. Love my little pumpykins ;-}

{Sneak Peek} Thanksgiving Tablescape!

Hello, friends...I'M BACK :-} Last week was one of the busiest weeks I've had in a long time. I spent almost every free second I had grading essays. This is definitely NOT one of the perks of being an English teacher. Hours and hours of time are spent on EACH and EVERY assignment. And with the end of first marking period last week, it was mad race to the finish line. So glad I made it....just barely ;-}

Here's a little sneak peek pic of my Turkey Day centerpiece. More will be coming on what it looks like and how I made it, but let me just say that it was EASY!

Well, I'm off to catch some zzzzzs...GOOD NIGHT! Short week ahead!

{Giveaway} WINNER!

Congrats to Shannon, winner of my first giveaway! I will be contacting you shortly. Number was chosen by random.org.

Thank you to everyone who participated! I greatly appreciate your feedback and all the sweet things you had to say. I really want to make LIME a place you enjoy visiting, and I figured who better to ask for ways to make it better than YOU! So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Stay tuned for more giveways in the coming months!!!

{Party Styling} Nicole's Baby Shower

I styled a special table for my long-time friend's {Nicole} baby shower this afternoon. Her requested color scheme was gray, white, a touch of silver and angels. I'm a simple stripes and polka dot girl who loves COLOR, so you can see how this presented me with quite a challenge!

Read on as I take you on a tour of the table I designed for this special little Mama-to-be...


Nicole requested cupcakes for dessert, so I ordered a combo of vanilla pound cake and red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of edible glitter on top. {Country Sweets in Woodbury made these DELICIOUS little bites of heaven. My mom ordered the same ones for my own baby shower and received a ton of compliments on them. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!}.

I also made the cupcake toppers {Little Angel, Sweet Baby Boy, & Coming Soon ~ Jan. 2011}.


I borrowed these cute pregnant girl dressforms from my cousin's wife {Thanks, Kelly!}. I added some sparkly silver ribbon around each girl's waist to incorporate Nicole's requested touch of silver. Aren't they adorable?!


Okay, here was the real challenge: incorporating angels. I was pretty much convinced that I was not going to find anything with angels. I figured I'd stick to gray, white and silver and call it a day. I searched for fabric to use as a table cover for quite some time without much luck. My last hope was IKEA, and they came through BIG TIME! Not only did I find the fabric table cover, which is white, gray and has angels on it, but I also found the gray pillow above and some wrapping paper with silver angels on it! How lucky was that?!

I decided the pillow could serve double duty: 1. part of Nicole's gift 2. a backdrop for the table. I propped the pillow on an empty box that I covered in the silver angel wrapping paper.

{I find a lot of inspiration from fabric, and IKEA is one of my favorite places to look for it. They have a nice selection of unique and intersting colors/patterns right in their store}.


I also made Nicole some tip cards and guess-the-baby's-due-date cards. I used sphere glass bowls that I saved from my wedding centerpieces {you never know!!} as holding vessels for the cards once guests were done writing on them.

In addition, I added a chunky silver candle holder {also from IKEA and part of my Christmas fireplace mantle decor...future post!} with a lit white candle to add warmth {not literally, but to "warm" up all those cool colors I used} to the table.




I WISH I had listened to my own advice 8 months ago my own little angel made his entrance!!!


A pic of me and my fun-loving & spunky favorite who ALWAYS makes me laugh! So glad your little outgoing self showed up on my doorstep in socks and on a scooter 23 years ago ;-}

{Inspiration} A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E Baking Party

This might just be my very favorite children's party EVER. I spotted this yesterday on Amy Atlas' blog {link on my sidebar}; however, One Charming Party {link also on my sidebar} was the creative genious behind all the details.


I have been become very fond of baking in the more recent years, and if I had a little girl, this would definitely be a party I would LOVE to plan for her {maybe some day}! I had suggested this idea a few months ago for my nephew's 3rd birthday party, and I was shot down...haha! I was actually thinking more along the lines of having the kiddies make pizzas or something boyish instead of girly goodies...BUT....still, no cigar. {Boys can bake/cook too, ya know!}


THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THIS PARTY:
~ the colors - SWOON!
~ the sweet little aprons & personalized bakers' hats
~ the kitchen being the setting of the party {it's my VERY favorite room in ANY house}
~ the use of baking cups {ie: the flowers on the bakers' hats & the baking cup banner in the kitchen}
~ the girls are actually baking as a party activity - How FUN!
~ there is a simplicity to this party that I absolutely, positively LOVE...it's a perfect balance of beautiful and creative details, yet not overdone

Thank you for the amazing inspiration, One Charming Party!

***DON'T FORGET: GIVEAWAY DEADLINE IS TODAY AT NOON. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH.***

***TGIF TGIF TGIF TGIF TGIF TGIF TGIF!!!***

{Sneek Peak} Thanksgiving

Turkey Day is just around the corner, which means I've got to get a move-on with my tablescape ideas! They're all up there...somewhere ;-}

Tonight I decided to experiment with the place settings. I created a little name card for each guest, and I'm liking the way they look propped in a pinecone. I bought my pinecones last year at Target {I also have some in a glass hurricane with some acorns}, but you could just as easily collect some from your backyard. The kids might enjoy collecting pinecones and acorns, too.


I tend to stick to a pretty traditional menu foodwise, BUT I'm working on a unique way to visually display the items on my menu for my guests....STAY TUNED!

FULL TABLESCAPE POST AND ALL THE OTHER TURKEY DAY DETAILS COMING SOON!

{Sneek Peak} "Little Angel"

My oldest and dearest girlfriend's baby shower is this weekend, and I am more than excited that she asked me to help with some of the decorating. Nicole has a fabulous group of women collaborating to help make her shower an amazing day, and I'm honored to be a part of it!

My job is to style a dessert table for the new mommy-to-be. This particular assignment was somewhat of a challenge for me because Nicole has a unique flare, which is very different from what I am naturally drawn to {she's my fun-loving, city-girl-living, W-magazine-working girlfriend with a style to match!}.

Nicole requested the following: gray, white, a touch of silver, and angels. Check out the little sneak peak photo of some of the goods I created for N's big day {tip cards, guess the baby boy's name cards, and cupcake toppers}. The additional image is courtesy of IKEA, which is where I purchased some other fabulous ANGEL accents for Nicole! The full {party styling} post on how I accomplishd my task is COMING SOON!

***DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WINNING YOUR OWN SET OF MONOGRAMMED NOTECARDS! ALL ENTRIES DUE BY FRIDAY, 11.12.10***

{GIVEAWAY} Monogrammed Notecards

Hello my friends & readers! I'm more than excited to announce my first ever giveaway here on Studio Lime Design! Read on for details...


I'm offering one of my readers a custom designed set of 10 monogrammed notecards {shown above}. Printed on a beautiful white shimmery paper with matching envelopes, these beauties are sure to catch the eye of their receiver. They are 3.5 x 5 in size and completely customizable, including color and monogram.

With the holidays right around the corner, these notecards would also make an adorable gift or stocking stuffer for a special woman in your life {mom, sister, daughter, friend, etc}. Who doesn't love a monogram anyway!?!

Popular Uses:
~ Send a note the good ole' fashioned way {pony express - haha}
~ Use as a thank you card {I do this all the time with my monogrammed notecards}
~ Put one in a small frame and use to decorate a little girl's bedroom or even your own personal office space
~ ETC, ETC, ETC!

How to win? Do any one of the following to be entered to win your own set of monogrammed notecards:
1. Become a follower of my blog {leave me a comment on this post to let me know you did so}. If you are already a follower, leave me a comment telling me.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you'd like to see more of from Studio Lime Design.
3. Leave a comment on this post telling me what feature you like best about Studio Lime Design.

***Please be sure to include your email address along with your comment so that I can contact you if you win!***

***All entries are due by Friday, November 12th by 12 noon.***

***WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN VIA RANDOM.ORG & ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH by 12 NOON.***

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

To be completely honest...
I'm excited and NERVOUS about doing a giveaway.
I really want feedback from my readers
so I can create posts they enjoy reading,
but I'm not sure anyone will actually participate.
If this giveaway is a flop,
well, at least I know I tried it.
AND, if it's successful,
I have even BETTER ones planned for later in the
month and December...just in time for Xmas ;-}

{Recipes} "Reminds Me of Thanksgiving" Casserole

I thought it would be appropriate to share this casserole recipe with you as we approach Thanksgiving because that is exactly what it reminds me of. It's a little teaser for the WONDERFUL meal we will all be eating at the end of the month! ***This meal was made by one of the members of the women's bible study I attended last spring. I loved it so much, I asked her for the recipe.***

Ingredients:
~ 8-10 large chicken breasts
~ 1 large bag of stuffing mix
~ 1 stick butter
~ 1 can cream of mushroom soup
~ 1 can cream of celery soup
~ 1 can evaporated milk
~ 1 large onion, diced
~ 4-6 celery stalks, rinsed and diced

Directions:
1. In a casserole dish, place uncooked chicken and cover with the diced onion & celery. Cover with water and bake on 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes {or until chicken is done}.
2. Once cooked, cut chicken. Place the onion/celery broth mixture in a separate sauce pan on the stove and add the butter. Melt butter into broth.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the soups and evaporated milk.
4. In casserole dish, layer the chicken, then soup/milk mixture, then stuffing mix, then broth/butter.
5. Bake on 350 degrees for another 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
6. ENJOY!

***I served mine with a side of cranberry jelly and a green salad. Rice would pair nicely with this meal too.***

***This made a nice large serving, so I separated it into two smaller casseroles. One we ate for dinner last night,and the other I froze for next week. LOVE THAT...getting two meals out of one!***

{Recipes} Tortellini, Tomato & Spinach

I made another one of my mom's soups tonight, and I must say, it's my new favorite. I LOVE it, and I have plenty left over for lunches this week. Good thing because tomorrow is going to be rainy and cold, which is PERFECT soup weather ;-}

Ingredients:
~ 1 large vidalia onion, diced
~ 1 tsp minced garlic
~ 1 bag baby spinach
~ 2 cans diced tomatoes {I used one can diced and one can stewed}
~ 2 bags cheese tortellini
~ 2 boxes chicken shortcuts {I used a 22oz bag of Perdue grilled chicken strips}
~ 2 large cans or boxes of chicken broth
~ paremsan cheese
~ EVOO

Directions:
1. In a stock pot, saute diced onion in EVOO until translucent. Add garlic {just for a minute}.
2. Add the broth, tomatoes, and chicken {cut chix into smaller pieces}. Bring to a low boil for approximately 15 minutes.
3. Next, add the tortelli and cook for about 10-15, or until tortellini is cooked.
4. Turn down heat and add spinach until it wilts {will not take long for this to happen}.
5. Turn heat off so tortellini does not get mushy.
6. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top of soup and serve.
7. YUM...ENJOY!

Not only delicious, but this is also a quick and easy soup, which might just be my VERY favorite thing about it ;-}

{Invitations} Thanksgiving

Halloween has passed and it's November now, so my energies are geared toward Thanksgiving. I will be mailing these little invites I made tomorrow. I also created matching wrap labels {not pictured} and a few other coordinating pieces that I will make futures posts on.

A color palette I am really liking right now is deep eggplant paired with a goldy mustard yellow {like a maize color}. These colors are the inspiration behind my Turkey Day decor this year. I'm currently on a hunt for dinner napkins in these colors....searching high and low without much luck!

{Design Work} Custom Business Sign

I posted this custom sign a while ago, but made a few more adjustments to it before printing. I finally picked it up today, and I'm really happy with the final product. This was created for a business woman who will be displaying this sign at her shows {Colorz 4 You}. It's approximately 20 x 20 inches in diameter and is mounted on foam board and laminated, so it's sturdy and can withstand a lot of use.


I attached a matching ribbon so this sign could be hung and easily spotted by potential buyers/customers at shows. This could also be displayed on an easel.

{Holidays} Happy Halloween!

I'm a little late on the Halloween post, BUT yesterday was a tad busy! My little puppy dog was as cute as cute can be in his costume. We trick-or-treated in my mom's neighborhood and hit a total of three houses ;-} Cousins Jack and Maura {farmer and piglet} accompanied us. Maybe we'll last a little longer next year...haha.

My mom and I actually found Dean's costume at PBK last November on the clearance rack a few days after Halloween. He obviously wasn't even born yet, but we only paid around $11 for it, so it couldn't be passed up. If you like PBK's costumes, you should definitely check out their clearance section in the next few days because that was a steal!