so i was sitting here editing pics for this post with the news on tv in the background.
there was a story about "the sting of summer."
ah! i for sure can relate to that.
cuz for some reason bugs LOVE me and my daughter.
ugh.
during our many hotel stays during our
vacation a few weeks ago,
we stayed at a pretty nice hotel only to find the next morning that my arm and my daughter were attacked
by a weird bug overnite.
i know it was weird cuz the bites itched and burned and looked different than ant or mosquito bites, all of which we are quite familiar at what they look like since we are always bitten living here in FL.
my hubby said it was a bed bug but only my arm was bit (about 7 times) and my daughter was bit about 10 times on her neck and forehead. he nor my son were bit at all!?!
i told him it's cuz us girls are sweet.
anyway, now that i feel all itchy just thinking about it,
the point i am trying to get to is,
i can't go camping or fishing too much for fear of bug attacks and hunting is just not for me...
unless it's hunting mosquitos which i honestly would not mind seeing them all dead,
not to mention whatever critter
munched on my arm and my daughter.
:>O
so, now that that's all said,
i wanted to share the latest party i helped with for my friend's stepad.
it's all about fishing, hunting and camping,
all of which he happens to love.
we had the party at a local sports bar & grill restaurant.
having a party at a business location has its pros and cons.
a big pro is lots of help with set up and clean up
as far as the meal goes.
a big con is the limited decor and space you can use.
but this restaurant is always so friendly and accommodating.
the only problem was the limited space they gave me for the dessert table. but nonetheless, i made do.
this is how i decorated the dining area:
the centerpieces actually lit up which was pretty cool but hard to see in the pic.
i made them with tissue paper, foam board for the base, and then hot glued sticks and rocks.
i tucked a battery pack for the lights in the paper.
i got the lights at wonderful dollar tree.
(the same lights i used for this craft here)
i made a hunting target sticker and stuck it on the little plastic containers for favors filled with mint m&m's.
(sorry for the poor quality pic)
i bought these camping photo props and also took a pic of the birthday guy and used his face for a prop.
(it was the most popular prop by the way and made for some funny pics)
we had salad, lemon chicken, baked ziti, ribs, mashed potatoes, rice and beans,
aaaaand
some of you guys know i'm a nurse and i make a ton of stuff.
i probably should make an "about me" page
(someday) but truth is,
i would much much rather be a party planner than a nurse anyday cuz dang it's just a ton of fun for me and so i do it on the side whenever i can, sometimes making my own random printables too.
i've done a TON of parties so now and then i'll show them to you if that's ok...
anyway, let's move on.
they have camouflage ones and i made some sugar cookies with cinnamon frosting i bought then topped them off with a camouflage sugar sheet circle.
i also cut out some letters to spell the bday guy's name.
i didn't want to make a bday cake cuz we had so many treats so i just stacked the cookies in a pile to resemble one (kinda) so that the bday guy had some way to blow out some bday candles.
i took a pic of it up close but it didn't come out too clear.
nuts.
here's a light-up one though, with some camping stickers i stuck on toothpicks and a missing "A" cuz some crazy kid at the party took it before i noticed it was missing.
sigh
here are some better pics of the rest of the treats.
these i made from the totally awesome food genius, sandra, right here.
these deer are brownie bites using this mold and dipping them in chocolate and adding the eyes and pretzel antlers quickly.
i wanted to display them on my cake pop stands but like i said space was limited on the table so i had to put the poor deer in nap mode.
then i dipped golden oreos and added some black sugar sheet paws i cut out freehand for the deer and bear tracks using black sunflower seeds for the toes.
gotta have fruit y'know?
(it lessons the store-bought sugar overload guilt :>P)
if you frequent this blog, these will look familiar.
as well as these:
i bought the fishing poles at dollar tree to use as a decoration.
and since this was an all-you-can-eat buffet,
i knew guests would be overwhelmed with all the sugar so i provided the pie tins with personalized labels so they could fill up on the treats for a take home treat.
(i had to put them on the desert table for lack of space i had but i guess it worked.)
so for the tent all i did was take 2 foam core boards, stood them against each other in a triangle shape, draped them with green material from walmart, and then anchored them with a vase on each side.
if you look up real close,
you'll see parts of a sound and movement activated owl (i got at dollar tree again) that's sitting on the tent peak.
when anyone came near it, it would say
"HOOT HOOT!"
hehe
i wanted the guests to feel like they were really camping.
shoot i shoulda taken a pic of him but i was too preoccupied with everything else i forgot about the little guy.
i also got some birds that chirped which i stuck around the cookies i showed you at the beginning of this
ultra L O N G post!
so for the vase, they were stuffed with a tree branch i got from my yard and then adorned with green leaf battery pack lights i also got from dollar tree.
dang i love that store.
wish i could've taken a pic of the table with the restaurant lights out so you would get a better view of the green lights but i don't think the restaurant or the other customers would be happy if i asked them to turn the lights off to take that photo.
party poopers.
LOL
so that my friends is how i spent this past saturday night.
full of fish, deer, bear, hunting & camping stuff, and thankfully,
no bugs.
Girl, you have out-done yourself!! What an awesome party!!! I think I want your dollar store. Green lights? Never seen 'em, but what a clever way to make those trees!! Everything you've done here is amazing. PLEASE share more of your parties!!! BBFF, you ARE amazing!!!!! I'm humbled in your presence. Dona
ReplyDeleteOH MY! don't think my BBFF can get any sweeter! :>D thank you thank you thank you! someday i need to send over an entire dessert table to you Dona! heehee :>D
DeleteLisa - AMAZING!!!! I had no idea your talent extended to entire parties! You are so good at this! Love all your treats and the way they fit the theme and how original all of them are! Terrific! Everything!
ReplyDeletewowza thank you J! most people make cupcakes and cookies for a party...not me-i can't for some reason try as i might! lol the only thing that comes to me are crazy ideas that i am compelled to make. good thing people seem to like it-whew! ;)
DeleteWow what awesome decorations! Thanks for linking and sharing this at our Cooking and Crafting with J & J party this week. We hope to see you again. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJulie
thank you thank you Julie! it was a lot of work for someone who doesn't like to put together parties but for me it was a blast :>D!
DeleteOh Lisa what a Fabulous party. I love the theme. My Cowboy would have loved it! Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI would love for you to come over and link at the Fabulous Fall Party at my blog! Come over and join the fun!
hey your cowboy likes camping?! :>D! it would be fu to make a cowboy camping party! heehee i'm so happy you stopped by Grantham Lynn! i'll have to go check out your party now :)
DeleteLove the idea! Great job with the decorating :)
ReplyDeletethank you Muchmore Creative! it's quite a manly-man theme isn't it? LOL ;)
DeleteSuch great ideas you have here! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
thank you Jess! for awhile there all i could see was outdoorsy stuff! LOL ;)
DeleteHi Lisa, Your being featured tomorrow at the Inspiration Spotlight Party! Hope to see you there! Feel free to join in with any of your posts again.
ReplyDeleteYAHOOOOOO!!! thank you thank you Theresa!! :>D
DeleteLisa. Loved your Fishing Camp post. Thanks for linking. The Fall link goes until Halloween. Come by anythime and link your Fall posts. Halloween week I'll be featuring posts. Then the Thanksgiving linky will begin on the 1st. Come and link any Fall themed posts! Have a great Friday.
ReplyDeletethanks again Grantham Lynn! i'll check out that arty of yours-sounds like it's gonna have a ton of inspiration! :)
DeleteI've never seen a hunting and camping themed party before, but I'm impressed! I love the brownie deer bites and the s'more fish! Very creative and cute as usual! Thanks for sharing at the Submarine Sunday Link Party!!
ReplyDeletethank you SO much T'onna! i've never seen a combined party like my friend requested either so it was a challenge at first but then it came together pretty well :)
Delete