Nine to Five Mom

From Navy and Salmon to French Blue and Goldenrod Yellow

2011-09-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Reagan's party was such a hit that I have been asked to recreate the Sound of Music theme several more times... one of my clients, Julie, found me via etsy and asked me to change up the coloring to match her daughter's party color scheme and once I saw the direction she was going... I KNEW it would be a hit.

Check out these photos. Julie even found the adorable "bright copper kettles" on etsy and created bracelets for the guests as a birthday favor... SO CUTE!

Thanks for sharing Julie!

Enjoy!

Reagan's Sound of Music Inspired Party

2011-05-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

Well here they are, the photos from the infamous Sound of Music inspired party I have been working on. When Nicole first contacted me about helping her with the party, she didnt have a specific theme in mind so I asked her what Reagan was really into. She mentioned Sound of Music but didnt know how we would make it into a party. Once I started throwing ideas at her, she was excited and jumped on board with the theme.

I hope you enjoy the photos! I had a fabulous time working with Nicole on this party.

These AMAZING looking and tasting cupcakes were made a friend, Anika. Anika is in the process of starting up her baking business. Please contact me for her information. She is a fabulous person!

Custom Wine Bottle Labels

Brown paper packages and tied up with string... goodie bags

Custom Tented Food Cards for all the different cookies we displayed. We chose to get the cookies from Bundles of Cookies in Bethesda, Maryland. Gotta love supporting local businesses ESPECIALLY ones who are so talented! The cookie themes were "Sew a Needle Pulling Thread", "Raindrops on Roses", "Tea, a drink with jam and bread", "Cream Colored Ponies", "Girls in White Dresses with blue Satin Sashes" and "Rea, a drop of golden sun"

And the birthday girl, in her white dress with blue satin sash, staring up at her table...

Jessie from Toy Story inspired party take 3....

2011-05-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

Just some more photos from the Jessie inspired party.

all the cookies were made by Allyson Jane

Oreo pops by Sweeties by Kim

Cake by Fiona's Cakes in Severna Park, MD

My beautiful little Jessie inspired birthday girl...

Cameron's Mickey Mouse Party

2011-05-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

In April, my friend Megan asked me to help do the cupcake printables for her son's 2nd birthday. The theme... Mickey Mouse! She told me she was making a banner but I had no idea she was cutting out EACH letter, EACH square, EACH Mickey Mouse ear... BY HAND! When I first saw it, I was convinced she had a cricket machine... that's what I call party dedication! In addition to the banner, she also made the poms, all the desserts and the Disney character cut outs (actually those were made by her mother but cheers to her for delegating some of the work!)

All in all, this was a perfect Mickey Mouse themed party for a 2 year old... just ask my children... they stole about 5 chocolate covered pretzels before the desserts even started!

Great job Meg! Cameron was too cute singing Happy Birthday and eating the cupake with no hands! He's my kind of guy!

Cinco de Mayo Printables

2011-05-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

I first found Jillian of Catch my Party after my son's birthday party last year. Ever since then, I have been keeping up with her blog, facebook page and website. Not only does she run a fabulous party site, she is a wonderful person. When she posted that she was looking for people to design some exclusive free printables for her blog, I jumped at the chance to work with her.

And here they are in use... not all of them, but some of them from the Cinco de Mayo collection. I cant wait to share the Mothers Day ones next week.

Jessie Collection Printables

2011-05-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

A few more photos from my daughter's Jessie Cowgirl Party. I will have this collection up on etsy next week!
Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo (or anytime!) Sangria Recipe

2011-05-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

It’s the 5th of May and if you are ready to celebrate, here is a drink recipes that are sure to liven up your fiesta!

This recipe is for a sangria made using House Jam Chillin White Wine. If you are not familiar with House Jam, you should be! Check out the House Jam website here.

Chillin’ Passion Fruit Sangria

1 bottle of House Jam Chillin White Wine

1 lemon cut into wedge

1 orange cut into wedges

1 lime cut into wedges

2 cups of passion fruit juice

2 cups of pineapple juice

1 cup of ginger ale

1 kiwi fruit thinly sliced (to be used at the end when served)

Pour the House Jam Chillin White Wine into pitcher and squeeze wedges from lemon, orange and lime into the wine.

Toss in the fruit wedges (make sure you leave out the seeds). Add the passion fruit juice and pineapple juice to the wine.

Chill it overnight or if you would like to serve it right away, make sure the wine is chilled and serve it over ice. Add ginger ale and thinly sliced kiwi fruit just before serving.

(this recipe was posted with permission)

We have a winner!

2011-04-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

Whelp... our first giveaway is complete and with only 3 entries (thank you to those who entered) we have a winner! ELYSE! You are the lucky winner of 3 fabulous Williams-Sonoma kichen gadets valued at $50! Congratulations and thank you to Katie and Valerie for playing too!

Free Easter Printables

2011-04-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to download our {Free} Easter Printables! They are pefect for labels, favor tags, cupcake toppers or anything else you can dream up. I do have a full collection available on etsy too! And keep you eyes peeled as a few new exclusive collections are going to be released shortly from one very popular party blogger!

Love, Sweet Love Printable Collection.

2011-04-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

My sister asked me to help her out with a {bridal shower} she was working on. I gladly jumped at the task and came up with the "Love, Sweet Love" collection. The colors were based on the bride (teal) and groom's (black) favorite colors. I hope you enjoy them! They will be available on etsy as a complete collection next week.

A Jessie (from Toy Story) Birthday Party ... designed for my little cowgirl (Part 1)

2011-04-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

{I believe in making parties from scrach...}

I'd like to say that the birthday went off without a hitch, however, I'd be lying. The week of the party my computer decided that it felt left out during the cold and flu season and contracted some sort of strange virus (one which I might add, required some technical antibiotics and is now recovering well and back to normal). In any case, a majority of my printables which I had been working on for a few months were unable to be accessed and therefore could not be part of the actual party.

In addition to the computer debacle a bird snuck into my home the night before and spent about an hour in my dining room (where the party setup was taking place). After the struggle to get the little guy out of the house, I had to then lysol down the entire room AND (heres the worst part) throw away half a dozen chocolate covered oreos which had already been seated in their rightful place on the dessert table.

After all the drama, the party day and guests arrived (even a collection of 4 legged guests!)

{...because when you do (make something from scratch) it "tastes" that much better, EVEN if its terrible!}

Just a little history...When little B was 18 months old, she was introduced to the Toy Story movies and was HOOKED from that moment on. Her first obsession was with Big Baby (yes that scary baby from the 3rd movie) but it soon changed to Jessie.  I gave her a few birthday options, all things that she loved (Barney, Babies or Jessie) and without hesitation, "MY JESSIE party" was her favorite conversation topic. So the planning and designing began.

I wanted to create a theme that featured Jessie but wasnt a traditional character party.   I envisioned a room filled with burlap, bandanas, cowgirl hats, sunflowers an other fun goodies… a country atmosphere for my little cowgirl…

The party took place both inside and outside of my home. I had planned on it being a completely outdoor event with hay stack tables and all but the weather in Maryland has been less then stellar and I had to revamp my ideas.

I am a big HomeGoods shopper and found myself there atleast once a week leading up to the party. It was there where I found the woven red baskets, glass drink dispenser and cake stands. Pottery Barn was my source for all things galvanized and the paper goods were all designed by yours truly. I have to admit however that I am in no way a graphic artists so I while I "verbally designed" the Jessie image, she was created by the creative hand of Kristen Fogarty.

Blake wore this Jessie inspired outfit. The shirt was handmade by Vandynest on Etsy and the headband by cocorosecouture on Etsy

Cowprint napkins, red and yellow plates, eco friendly wooden utensils, burlap ribbon and "picnic" checkered linens added to my printable designs.

The children took home cowboy/girl hats, sheriff badges and red bandanas. I used these items to decorate their table as well.

Stay tuned and keep reading as I will be posting the rest of the details (including the dessert table which featured miniture hay stacks, my printables and the invitation which was designed by my friend Katie of Saving Dates) soon!

My "MUST HAVE" Kitchen Gadget Giveaway!

2011-04-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your patience, its been a busy night filled with Dora the Explorer, Sound of Music, Jessie, Cinco de Mayo and now a bridal shower for Saturday! You've been patient and good things come to those who wait!

So here is the deal, {ONE} lucky winner will receive the {Chef'n Strawberry Huller, the Garlic Peeler, and the VeggieChop Vegetable Chopper} you can see my full post on each of these items here

Become a fan of 9 to 5 Mom on Facebook and leave a comment, telling me who sent you or what your kitchen "MUST HAVE" is... {I love finding out about new gadgets!}

Pretty easy huh?

If you want more then once chance to win, please leave separate comments as each comment counts as one entry!

This giveaway ends Sunday, April 17th at 10pm (EST) and a winner will be chosen by random.org.

Please note, this is a giveaway from me, this is in no way sponsored or provided by Williams-Sonoma. This is virtually a gift from me to one of my fans for helping me get started in this crazy internet business world.

Shipping in the United States is included, international shipping is the responsibility of the winner.

Good luck and Thank you!!

My "Must Have" Kitchen Gadgets

2011-04-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

So as some of you know, I work part-time at Williams-Sonoma. I began working there in 2006 and have left only to have babies, returning AS SOON as I was able. I dont work for the money, I work for the discount... plus I work with amazing women and men.

I feel that I am somewhat savvy when it comes to working in the kitchen and only honestly say this with confidence because of the tools I have been introduced to. They have made my life as a full-time mother and therefore chef, much easier and less time consuming.

So here goes... some of my "MUST HAVE" items all from Williams-Sonoma... yeah you may be able to find them somewhere else, but what kind of employee would I be if I didnt promote my fabulous store (which it is).

(these are NOT in order of importance)...

{The Chef'n Strawberry Huller}

If I told you that before last week I knew this little gadget did anyting more then remove the green stem, I would be lying. I only found out at work a few days ago, that it was actually taking the bitter part of the strawberry out. Prior to knowing that, I was giving all the credit to the strawberry farm for producing such perfect tasting strawberries. The bottom line is, if you or your family eat strawberries as much as mine, this tool is a must have.

(Photo from www.williams-sonoma.com)

{The Garlic Peeler}

This is very simple, very very simple. If you cook with garlic (and are talking fresh garlic here, not the already peeled garlic that is in a jar and ready for use), you need to purchase this handy little peeler. Quite simply, you place the unpeeled clove of garlic inside the little yellow tube, push down roll and voila, the skin pops right off. Even if you dont use garlic alot, for the $9 that it is, it is worth it.

(Photo from www.williams-sonoma.com)

{VeggigeChop Vegetable Chopper}

Just like the other two items above, I cannot handle a kitchen without this hand powered kitchen gadget. It will chop anything from tomatos to meats! The more you pull it, the finer the chop will be. To make salsa, add all your ingredients, pull and serve. The bowl and blades are dishwasher safe which allows for an easy cleanup. Additionally, this "fancy" little gadget is fool proof. The link above takes you to the items website where you can watch a video just to see how fool proof it is to use. I dont know if you've noticed yet but Im really all about saving time and energy.

(Photo by www.williams-sonoma.com)

{Breville Convection Countertop Oven}

And now, my newest and probably most used (honestly) kitchen must have.... yeah I know, this is a little bit bigger then a gadget... But it's something I am overjoyed that I purchased (which is probably the same way I will feel about the Vitamix once I breakdown and just finally buy it).

Ok back to the Convection oven, it has 9 functions... toast, bagel, bake, roast, broil, pizza, cookies, reheat and warm. Seriously! I have used it for all of those functions and was impressed from day 1. My husband was against getting a new toaster (we had the same one for 5.5 years and only one side of it was working yet he insisted we didnt need to use that side) but once I brought home this countertop jewel he was hooked... well lets clarify that, he hasnt said he's hooked but he hasnt mentioned that old broken toaster once (and he would if he wasn't hooked).

It has a two hour timer and a convection (OBVIOUSLY) function that allows you to cook foods 30% faster then in a traditional oven. It includes a baking tray, broiling tray and pizza pan. It can fit a 9" x 13" cake pan. The bottom line for this wonderful kitchen addition is that if you like to entertain and have only 1 oven, this item is a must have!

Well thats all I have time for today folks, my son needs to get to school. I hope you enjoyed my Williams-Sonoma promotion blog (i am not getting paid to write or say anything on this blog, this are my honest to God opinions and thoughts about these products)

Have a {fabulous} day!

St. Patty's Day - Green Drinks (and I dont mean earth friendly)

2011-03-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Its finally happening, I am doing this thing. If you all came from my facebook page 9 to 5 Mom thank you so much for stopping by. If you came from a random search for Green Drinks, well then head over to my facebook page for more fun ideas. However you found me, thanks for doing so!

Obviously green beer is a staple for St. Patrick’s Day celebration, but I know too many women who just dont drink beer (I am not one of those women). So this post is for you.

If you are throwing an Irish get together this March 17th, spice it up with wine and wine cocktails. Obviously, you don’t have to forgo beer all together (there are some people out there who just dont like wine) so offer your guests a cocktail choice.

Here are a few good recipes to use.

GREEN WINE
This is probably the simplest recipe Ive ever found. WITHOUT A DOUBT. Just be careful because if you are not familiar with using food coloring - especially green. Start with a TINY amount, it can be VERY potent and will end up looking black. With that said, here goes...

-1 Bottle of white wine
-2 to 3 drops of green food coloring

Yup. Thats it.

IRISH SANGRIA

-1 bottle white wine
-2 limes cut into wedges (remove any seeds)
-1 orange cut into wedges (remove any seeds)
-1 to 2 green apples cut into wedges (remove any seeds)
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 to 2 shots Irish whiskey
-2 cups club soda, ginger ale
-2 to 3 drops green food coloring (optional)

Pour wine into a pitcher. Squeeze juice from lime and orange wedges into wine. Then add lime, orange and apple wedges to wine. Add sugar and Irish whiskey. Chill overnight. Add carbonated soda just before serving (use Sprite or Sierra Mist for a sweeter version). If you'd like to add the food coloring to make it a green sangria then go right ahead - it is an optional thing.

And don't forget if you would like the free St. Pattys Day printables, please download them over here...

"You should start a blog"

2010-04-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Im always hearing "you should start a blog" and I have.... several times... Ive just never had time to stick to it... and this time may be no different, but I might as well try.

I have so many inspirations which then lead to so many projects which then lead to my husband eventually cutting me off (aka Blake's birthday party).

I also have so many opinions on different things and OCCASIONALLY feel brutal enough to blurt out what I'm thinking.

So there it is, my first new blog (in a long time) - I did start one for Brooks and was so busy with him and then getting pregnant with Blake and then raising two kids that I got a little sidetracked... I hope you enjoy!