Buckets of Strawberries

Today I took the kids strawberry picking for the first time.  We had a blast!  The strawberries are really late this year due to the unseasonably cold spring/summer and the monsoons of rain we've been getting.  I think Ethan ate more than he picked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wouldn't it be fun to host a strawberry inspired party?  Berry parties are quite the thing now.  Here are some of my favorite inspiration.

 

Sweet Strawberry Party - Glorious Treats

 

Strawberry Pie in a Jar?  Perfect Party Favors!

Source

 

I want to have a strawberry party just to use these invitations and coordinating products from Loralee Lewis!

Source

 

Now back to the kitchen to clean all those berries!  Happy Summer!

Neighborhood Ice Cream Social on Living with Amy

Today was our big television debut!  What an exciting experience to be on a real television set!  I have to say Amy and all of the folks associated with her show were so nice!  It was a GREAT experience and they even invited me back!  I can't wait to share something new with them. 

I have a disclaimer though - Amy is so tiny and petite!  I am 5'4" - on a good day - and I towered over her!  She was so welcoming and nice.  Here is the video in case you want to look. 

 

{Exciting News!}

I have been MIA for the past few weeks.  It is crazy busy here - but where isn't it!  Anywho - I am absolutely ecstatic over the reception our Neighborhood Ice Cream Social received!  We were featured on so many fabulous sites I am truly humbled!  Thank you to Chris at Celebrations at Home for featuring our party.  Thank you to Jillian at Catch My Party for making it the party of the day!  And thank you to the Party FAQ blog for the feature.  I was amazed at how many of the great party gals posted a link on their Facebook pages.  Again, so humbling!  And, thank you for all of your kind words and comments. 

What is even more exciting is that Buckets of Grace hit 100 followers (and counting!)  I honestly cannot believe that either.  When I started this blog, I never imagined that 100 people would want to see what little ol' me was up to.  So, I am going to work on some sort of giveaway to thank you!  I'm thinking a printables set for all followers (and new ones!) or one fun giveaway to one lucky follower.  Leaning more towards the printables set...  Now just need to come up with one :)  Any ideas or anyone interested in creating one, let me know.  I'm thinking more Fall/Halloween since we are almost up to Fourth of July and there has been a lot of great sets out there already.

And finally, tomorrow Buckets of Grace makes its television debut :)  Okay - it's a Green Bay market mid-morning life style show, but it's still television!  I will be on Living with Amy on Fox 11 around 9:00 to show our Neighborhood Ice Cream Social.  I don't think there is any live stream, but I'm hoping it will be posted on their website afterwards.  We don't have DVR (or even a VCR!) so I won't be able to see it either.  I'm so nervous and excited!

Again, thank you ALL for your support and kind words.  It means more than you know!

Neighborhood Ice Cream Social

We hosted our first Neighborhood Ice Cream Social last night, Unfortunately, the weather was awful.  While it had been in the 90's all week here in Wisconsin, the weather turned unseasonably cold, even for June.  So despite high temps of 50's all day, the kids were still determined to get their share of sugar and fun.

The inspiration for this party was a red and light blue color palette with a hint of a vintage ice cream parlor.  I am in love with those colors right now.  But also, that color combination is the same for Ethan's upcoming Carnival Party so lots of the items I used for the ice cream social are going to make a second appearance.

As I noted in an earlier post, this party was planned ultra-last minute.  Despite the last minute planning, I think it turned out super cute.  But most importantly, the kids and neighbors all seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the night.  The party was a GREAT way to kick off summer, despite the weather not cooperating!

This post is a picture overload again because I can never narrow down the pictures - even if they are not the best example of photography!  :)  I will list the vendors at the end of the post.

 The Invitation

Decorations

Favor and Float Table

Favors

Make Your Own Root Beer Floats

Toppings and Treats Table

Ice Cream!!!!

After dark fun!

Vendors and Credits:

• Invitations:  Anders Ruff
• Printables:  Dimple Prints
• Root Beer and Whip Cream Labels:  LoraLee Lewis
• Root Beer Float and Floral Arrangement Cups:  Dollar Tree
• Sparkler Cards:  Print Your Party
• Soda Jerk Hats:  Ebay
• Ice Cream Bubbles:  Windy City Novelties
• Small Pinwheels and Pinwheel Clips:  Crossroads Cottage
• Ice Cream Cookies:  Melissa Joy Fanciful Cookies and More
• Sugar Cone Wrappers:  Refresh My Heart
• Grace and Ethan's Shirts:  Stitch This

I just want to thank my neighbors for being the great sports that they are and for being great people!  It is a treat and joy to live in our neighborhood with such great people.  Here's to a great summer!