How to Make Your Own Mimosa Bar
Mimosa bars are a super fun addition to holiday brunches, wedding showers and summer parties!
I created one for brunch last Sunday and it was a huge hit, so I wanted to share exactly what you need to make your own at home!
Supplies Needed
- colorful tablecloth
- chalkboard
- champagne flutes - available at World Market @ $11.94 for 6
- 4 glass bottles with stoppers – available at Ikea @ $3.99 each
- tags for each bottle
- ribbon for tags
- serving tray for fruit
- assorted fruits
- assorted juices
- champagne
Begin by placing the tablecloth to your table, next place the “Mimosa Bar” chalkboard sign on the tablecloth.
I picked up this fun chevron green tablecloth and adorable owl chalkboard sign at Hobby Lobby!
Next, add the champagne flutes to the table.
I purchased fresh fruit from Polito Farms at the Little Italy Mercato and juiced them myself (with the help of my Dad!) using my Healthy Juicer!
Remember to click on the right banner of the page where it says “Win a Free Healthy Juicer” to sign up to win your own!
Next, pour the juices into the bottles, then add tags to the bottles with ribbon for each juice flavor!
Finally, add the fruit to a serving tray. I used my Longaberger 3-bowl serving tray with spoons that worked perfectly! The piece is currently retired, but could come back on special anytime! Follow Muffet Bond, Independent Longaberger Manager on Facebook for updates of when this product will be back on special!
Place a bottle of champagne on the table and await your guests arrival!
I can’t wait for my next party, just so I can make another mimosa bar!
How to Make Your Own Team Holiday Ornaments
These holiday ornaments are so simple to make, they are a great way to show your team spirit at the holidays and get a little crafty while you’re at it!
Because of the simplicity (and lack of messy products), these are perfect to make with kids of any age. They will love having their own special ornament to put on the tree while showing off their favorite team colors!
I made two different ornaments for my two favorite teams, the Oklahoma Sooners and the OKC Thunder!
Supplies Needed:
- Clear plastic ornament balls – $.49 (each)
- Colored pom-pom Balls – 15 for $1.69
- Colored small glass gems – small bag for $2.79
- Basketball (baseball or football) beads – small bag for $3.99
- Small Foam Letter Stickers – $2.99
- Small Foam Star Stickers – $1.49
Steps:
1. Begin to fill the ornament with the glass gems or pom-pom balls.
2. For the pom-pom ball ornament, I layered the two different colors top/middle/bottom.
For the glass gems and basketballs, I began with one color, added the basketball beads in the middle, then added the other color on top.
3. Place the top back onto the ornament, then add the letters and stars!
Voila! 3 simples steps and your custom team ornaments are on the tree!
The great thing about these ornaments is the colors and letters can be completely customized to match middle school, high school or college colors, as well as NFL, NBA or MLB!
Happy Holidays, Thunder Up and Boomer Sooner, from the Little Leopard family to yours!
How to Make Your Own Hanging Wall Menu
I had an idea to make my own hanging wall menu after seeing a similar version at a local restaurant. I tend to cook things on the “unique” side and therefore continually get asked by my guests what they’re eating.
Making a menu wall helped to alleviate repetition of the menu throughout the night, as well as give a restaurant feel to the dining area.
You can make your own for under $7 with 4 items in 4 simple steps!
Supplies Needed
- Ikea Bygel 39 ¼” Rail – $3.99
- Ikea Bygel Hooks – 10 for $.99
- Ikea RÄCKA 28-47″ Silver Curtain Rod – $.99
- Brown 30″ Paper Roll – $1.00
Steps:
1. Hang the rail on the wall. (app. 6 feet from the floor)
2. Place the roll of paper on the curtain rod and lay on to a flat surface.
3. Write the menu using a sharpie. (Make sure to place on a surface where the sharpie will not bleed through and ruin anything!)
4. Place the hooks on to the rail, then hang the curtain rod from the hooks.
And voilà! Your menu is ready to hang as the backdrop for your next dinner party!
After each dinner party, roll that menu down and cut off with scissors, then start fresh for your next party!
Tips
*If there is not an Ikea in your area, try Home Depot, Lowes or other home improvement stores to find the supplies needed!
** The brown paper roll can be purchased at Dollar Tree (for $1) or elsewhere such as Walmart, Michaels or Staples for a little more!
***If the paper begins to roll off the curtain rod, you can easily secure it in place with a paper clip on each side.
How to Make Your Own Photo Booth
I constructed a homemade photo booth for my housewarming party last weekend with the help of my roommate’s girlfriend Doni.
It was a smashing success so I wanted to veer from food for the day to share how to make your own totally fun, yet budget friendly, homemade photo booth!
Supplies Needed
- 48 Inch Dowel Rod (or shower tension rod) ($2-$4, available at Walmart, Target, Home Depot)
- Pair of Curtains ($5-$10, available at Walmart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond)
- Ribbon for tie-backs ($2-$4, available at Walmart, Michael’s)
- 2 medium Command adhesive hooks ($6-$8, available at Walmart, Target, Michael’s)
- Tripod (or stand for camera)
- 2 chalkboard signs (see instructions below on how to make your own)
Optional Props
- Word or phrase signs
- Large Empty Frame
- Neck-wear (beads, leis, ties, boas)
- Headwear (hats, glasses, tiaras)
- Hand-wear (gloves)
- “Action” Props (plastic sword, pom-poms)
Start assembling the actual photo booth wall by placing the Command hooks on the wall. These are great for this kind of project because they do not leave any damage on the wall after the party.
Next, place the curtain on to the dowel or tension rod, then simply place the tension rod in the command hooks.
Next, tie each curtain panel in the middle with the ribbon.
Now it’s time to prepare the props.
I loved having the large empty frame for people to hold and pose in. If you would like one too, it’s very simple to do-it-yourself!
I purchased the frame at a thrift store for $3.99 and then purchased a can of spray paint at Michael’s for $6.99.
I spray painted the frame with two layers of paint then allowed to dry. The next morning I sanded the frame down to give it more of an antique look. The final result…
A super fun way to “frame yourself” in the photo booth!
Next up on the do-it-yourself portion of the photo booth were the chalkboards.
I purchased two silver trays and a tray stand from the dollar store for.. $1 each (obvi!) then found an old Ikea magnetic board (still available at Ikea for $12.99) and used chalkboard spray paint ($3.99 at Walmart or $6.99 at Michaels) to turn all of these items into chalkboards.
I used one of the silver trays as an “instructional board” in which Doni came up with this very cute rhyme!
I used the other tray as a “write your own message board”, in which my fellow Oklahoma girl Tess started it off right with Boomer Sooner!
I used the Ikea magnetic board to add our “Instagram Hashtag Message” which was inspired by Pinterest.
This is a great way to see everyone’s images from the photo booth as they upload them onto Instagram (or Twitter) using the unique hashtag you create for your party.
I personally used the hashtag throughout the day and into the night to catch all of the housewarming party action!
Now, on to those fun, crazy, silly props!
Doni snatched up almost half of the props at a Goodwill Thrift Store for about $10. The rest, as much as I am embarrassed to admit, actually came from my closet, ha ha.
Headwear is a must!
Headwear Options
- Oversized Glasses
- Cowboy Hats
- Top hats
- Feather Flapper Hats
- Tiaras
- Kitten Ears
- Devil Horns
- Angel Halos
- Funny noses/moustaches
There also must be neck-wear involved!
Neck-Wear Options
- Mardi Gras Beads
- Leis
- Funky Ties
- Feather Boas
What to do with your hands you ask?
Hand-Wear/Hand-Held Object Options
- Gloves
- Pom-poms
- Plastic Swords
- Plastic Tomahawk (because, why not?)
If you would like your guests to send a message in their image using a word or phrase, make your own signs!
Simply write whatever you would like on black construction paper using a silver sharpie, then cut it into a cute shape and tape it onto a large popsicle stick.
I did allow my male roommates to input on these, so don’t judge me for all of them, I am definitely not “Banned from Disneyland” (that would be like the worst thing ever!) I will, however, take all the credit for “Fear the Beard” and “I’m Here for the Food”
The total cost of the homemade photo booth will vary depending on what supplies you already have and how many props you want to add but can be easily made for as little as $20!
And, let’s be honest, you can’t put a price on all this fun!
Feel free to Tweet me or Facebook me with any questions about making a photo booth for your next party!
How to: Throw the Perfect Music Festival Party
If you live in or around southern California, this past weekend there is no avoiding the word “Coachella” in all aspects of your life, filling up your Facebook and Twitter feeds, advertised on Pandora, most likely over half of your friends are there! So if you’re not, it’s kind of a lame weekend… unless you decide to throw your own “make your own Coachella party” at home, which is exactly what I did!
Those few friends left hanging around Los Angeles this weekend joined up at my house for food, drinks, music and glow sticks!
Things you will need:
- Glow sticks, in the form of necklaces, bracelets, whatever you can get your hands on!
- Music, I think this one is pretty obvious! I used the “Coachella 2012″ station on Pandora, but you can set it to whatever Music Festival theme you’re going for (EX: SXSW, EDC, WMC)!
- Food and drinks (menu below)
Since traditional music festivals involve camping out, on the menu were “sophisticated substitutes” for traditional camp fire foods including:
- Traditional: Cold Cut Sandwiches
- Sophisticated Substitute: sweet and savory grilled cheese sandwiches
- Fig and Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese
- Buffalo Chicken and Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese
- Traditional: Chips and Salsa
- Sophisticated Substitute: Mango Avocado Fillo Baskets
- Traditional: Brownies
- Sophisticated Substitute: Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Brownies
- Traditional: Hot Dogs
- Sophisticated Substitute: Bacon wrapped hot dogs with grilled onions/bell peppers/jalapeños, AKA the official hot dog of Los Angeles (look it up, it’s an actual thing!)
- Traditional: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
- Sophisticated Substitute: PB&J Chicken Skewers
- Traditional: Fruit Punch
- Sophisticated Substitute: Fresh Fruit Sangria
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