Hi Everyone! Can you believe the 4th of July has come and gone? Where is this summer going?!! Slow down this crazy train!!
With that being said, hope you had a great holiday - whether spent with family, friends, or just relaxing on your own. We had a house full of folks yesterday, but were blessed with incredible weather so we were able to use our brand new patio to it's full advantage!
Earlier this week, I started a mini tutorial on making cake balls. Today......ta da! I give you the thrilling conclusion.
Once you have formed & frozen your cake balls, you simply melt the candy per package directions (I use a cup, because it gives a nice, deep vessel for dipping. Then you simply dip a cake ball in, give it a swirl to take off the excess and place on a cookie sheet (I usually use foil, parchment, or waxed paper to top my sheet to make for easy removal), and allow to cool. Sometimes I add sprinkles on top, but after doing a few this time I preferred keeping them plain. And that's it! Finito! Always a hit at our parties.
The awesome blogger who inspired my napkin rings is Lucy's Lampshade. Please check out her blog here. Hers are actually much cuter than mine, as I was unable to find navy and red chevron ribbon. She made hers to mimic the flag - awesome! Thanks for the idea Lucy!
We brought out our popcorn maker and set up our back bar with a beverage station with lemonade and white wine sangria. This is one of two serving bars we have in our new patio and I LOVE them. Love them, love them, love them. Have I told you I love them - cuz I surely do!!! A quick story about the white based "Pottery Barn" dispenser. The base is PB, but I found the Mason Jar style dispenser at World Market, on sale - with free shipping - for only $17.99, as opposed to PB's which was over three times the price. I couldn't find a knock off base, but the PB one was $24.99, plus I had a $10 off coupon, so I was willing to get the real deal! This combo is one of my faves! The beverage dispenser next to it is a little cutie that I picked up at Kirkland's a few years ago for way under $20.00 - it has the neatest wicker base.
And of course, food! Have to have lots of it to feed the hungry masses! The table runner is just 3 sheets of scrap book paper (20 cents each!). We have glass over our kitchen table, so the paper stayed in place and looked really cute. I especially like the toile in the center. The mardi gras beads were from the parade earlier in the day - never know where you will pick up some home décor! lol!
And now, reality.......after a big party comes the BIG MESS! Yikes!!!!!! But it was all worth it - everyone had a fabulous time, hanging out, playing bag toss, drinking cool drinks, and eating yummy food.
So, today, the morning after - I am busy putting away all the serving dishes and giving everything a good scrub. It's a great day!!!
What are you up to this July 5th?
Thanks for stopping by,
Jane
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