Groundhog Day Tradition from Heather

My husband's family has the strangest ground hog's day tradition. They make "ground hog" (sausage) and pancakes for dinner but then after dinner everyone makes a wish and throws pancakes on top of the fridge.

You stand about 10 feet away, make a wish, close your eyes and then throw the pancake over your shoulder. If it lands on top of the fridge your wish comes true. You can throw the pancake as many times as you like. It is really strange but really fun.

I guess that it is an old Cajun tradition that his aunt discovered when they lived in Louisiana. So it may be authentic or they might just be a bunch of weirdos but it sure makes groundhogs day a bit more exciting --not to mention when you find pancakes behind the fridge a year later!

V-day gift for those who didn't win...

I'm in love with this Valentine decor.
I love the clean, simple, modern look to it.
And guess what?

You can get your own print for FREE!
Visit this site and leave a comment.
It's that easy.

Winners announced...

Thanks to all of you who entered!! How I wish everyone could have won. But we'll have another giveaway soon because they are so much fun!

And the winners are...
(I used random.org and numbered all of your comments)

Winner #1- the heart-shaped notes go to:

Aubrey!!

Winner #2- the headband goes to:

Jenni!!

Winner #3- the postcards and heart clip go to:

Emily!!

Winner #4- the muffin/cupcake covers go to:

Brittney!!

If you won, send an email to sofestive@gmail.com before Saturday at noon to get information on how to get your prize mailed to you. Include your address!!

Last day to enter

Don't forget to enter the V-Day Giveaway.
Entries will not be accepted after midnight tonight.

Winners announced tomorrow morning.
Good luck!

V-day GIVEAWAY!

It's about time for another giveaway, right? Yes indeed!

All the items for this giveaway are things you will "LOVE".
And help you with your festivities for Valentine's Day.

{not to mention they come from really cute shops that have lots of other festive things}

There are 4 ways to enter (and you get one entry for each thing you do)

1. Become a fan on Facebook
2. Follow this blog
3. Put the So Festive! button on your site
4. Mention this blog/giveaway on Facebook, your blog, or Twitter.

Then leave a comment(s) telling me which you did. (One comment for each entry).

Here is what you could win:

-Heart notes stack from CandiLovesPaper. These would be perfect for leaving little love notes even after V-Day.



-Valentine Flower headband from the Raspberry Bowtique . How cute would this be for a newborn photo shoot?

-Adorable valentine's postcards and heart clip from A Beautiful Miracle. See more of their cute items on the Facebook. That could definitely save you some work for the big heart day.

-Heart cupcake/muffin papers from PartyTreats. Imagine your V-day breakfast in these! AND, PartyTreats has offered a 10% discount on any order (including custom orders) if you mention this blog. So nice, huh?

Enter now! Entries will be accepted until midnight MST on Thursday, January 27th. Winners will be announced on the morning of Friday, January 28th and have 24 hours to respond.

Good luck!

Themed Party: A COLOR Party

I planned a very fun "COLOR" themed party a few years ago. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend because I had a hot date with my boyfriend who would become my husband a year later. My sister had just got home after being abroad and she wanted to throw a party that would be fun and a good way to reconnect with old friends. So this is what I came up with:

A COLOR PARTY!

Costume Contest: Have your guests dress up in one color. You could assign them a color, but I wouldn't so they can use things they have. I wish I had pictures from our event, but I do remember one of my sisters decided to be gold, so she wore this gold shimmery dress from a thrift store, gold boots, gold jewelry, and a gold headband. Let them know they don't need to buy an outfit and they can just find things around their house. Making this activity into a contest will help them not feel hesitant to go all out.


Food/Treat: Along with each guest wearing an outfit of one color, have them bring a treat or snack that is the same color as their outfit. For example, if they are wearing green, they could bring grapes or green apples. For red, they could bring strawberries and red starbursts. If you are feeling really ambitious, you could supply all the food and buy different colored ingredients for a chocolate fondue. Activity/Game: Play the game "TRUE COLORS." This is a game for teenagers + so if you are throwing this party for younger kids, you may not want to use this activity.

Party favors: Wrap up any multi-colored treat in clear cellophane bags so the colors will show through.

Decorations:

• Use colored chinese lanterns. You can often find them at the dollar store.
  

• Use skittles for confetti on the table to add more color
  

Pistachio heart wreath

I had some leftover pistachios from Christmas.
I wanted a Valentine's Day wreath.

So I took those pistachios and made a wreath out of them!

I cut a heart out of cardboard.
Then, I hot glued the pistachios on.
Then, I spray painted it all red.
Easy as that.

And so very festive!

Cookie Contest Recipe #4

The Cookie Contest resumes...

This recipe earned a 6. We loved the oatmeal in them!

more coming.

Themed Party: Indoor Camp-Out

Many of you asked for themed party ideas this year. So that is what you are going to get. Some people think themed parties are more work. They definitely can be, but if you plan it right, they can actually be easier. Once you think of a theme, the rest will take care it itself and the ideas will just keep flowing...

If you are just itching to go camping this winter, but don't want to face the cold, have an

Indoor Camp-Out

Here's the how-to:

Decor:

• Set up your Christmas tree without the lights for a true mountain setting.
  
• Use any other mini pine trees you might have. Gather pine cones if you can.
  
• If your room is big enough, set up a tent.
  
• Or, for sleeping under the stars, get glow-in-the-dark stars for the ceiling.
• Build a fake fire and set up camping chairs around it.
• Use an indoor lantern or use candles for light.
  

Food/Treat:

• Make Indoor S'mores using this recipe.
  
• Or use an indoor s'more maker like this one.
  
• Roast hot dogs over the stove burners. It really works!
  

Activity/Game:

• Go "star gazing." Set up the stars on the ceiling in constellations. Check out a book from the library if you need ideas.
• Read stories around the camp fire.
• Play card games using a lantern.
  
• Watch Parent Trap, Troop Beverly Hills, or another camping-themed movie.
  

F.O.A.D.: Glass jar idea #5

#5 Chore Jar

Write all the chores that need to be done in a certain week, month (for deep cleaning), or day. To add a fun twist to your routine cleaning schedules, have your kids draw their chore out of the jar.

F.O.A.D.: Glass jar idea #4

#4 Fun Fund

My husband and I have a "fun fund". Each paycheck, we set aside a certain percentage that goes into our "fun fund". That means that any money that is on our "fun fund" can be used for fun things. We have used our "fun fund" for traveling, bigger purchases, outings or anything that is extra. It has taught us to save for fun things and helps us appreciate them more.

You could start your own fun fund with a glass jar. Start collecting your spare change in the jar and see it fill up. I could see kids getting really into this. Then use your fun fund for a trip to the ice cream shop, a new movies, or a trip.

F.O.A.D.: Glass jar idea #3

#3 Hot Fudge container

Use a glass jar to store the world's best homemade hot fudge. And you'll save lots of dimes by making your own, too! Why do you need a glass jar for it? Well, that is so you can reheat the leftovers (if there are any) without worry of BPA escaping into this delectable topping. Just don't forget to take off the metal top before you heat it.

World's Best Homemade Hot Fudge

3/4 cup sugar
2 TB white corn syrup
2 TB cocoa
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 canned evaporated milk (or 1/2 milk 1/2 water)

Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove from stove and add 2 tsp vanilla.

F.O.A.D: Glass jar idea #2

#2 Guessing Jar

At every reunion and family party on my mom's side of the family, we would look forward to the Guessing Jar. If we were lucky, there would be 2 or 3 or 4.

Throughout the course of the party, every guest would get to make their guess of how many items (usually candy) were in the jar.

At the end of the night, the host would go through all the written guesses and announce who was the closest to the actual number of items. That person won the jar and the candy.

If you need an ice breaker or just a little and cheap way to spruce up your event, have a guessing jar. And chances are, you probably have a glass jar lying around the house that would be perfect for it.

F.O.A.D.: 5 things to do with a glass jar

This inaugural "Festify on a dime" post will hopefully give you a better idea of what this whole series is about. It's all about being able to festive without a lot of expense.

Since there aren't many exciting things happening in January, this week's posts will fall under the theme of

5 things to do with a glass jar

And just if you don't think there are five festive things to do with a glass jar, well, you just wait and I'll prove it.

#1 Love Jar

When my husband’s parents were moving, they were throwing out this large glass jar. I knew I wanted it when I saw it. I’ve come up with quite a few ideas for it, which explains why it always moving around our house.


But this time of year, it will be debuting as our Love Note Jar. I tied a few ribbons (saved from gifts) around it to look festive for Valentine's Day. I also cut a few small squares of red, pink, and white paper.

Until Valentine's Day, my husband and I can write little love notes to each other. We'll plop them in the jar and then on Valentine's Day, we'll get to read them all as part of our festivities.

Announcing...

I don’t know about you, but I could break the bank on festive things… serving ware, holiday and party décor, paper embellishments, gift wrap, etc. Since a tight budget seems to be the norm rather than the exception, I love taking things I already have around the house and use them for festive purposes. Guaranteed, not everything looks like it came straight from a magazine, but I try to come close. And with that I’ll introduce a new series for 2011…

and just in case you don’t know the meaning of festify, I’ll give you the definition straight from Webster’s.

Festify- (v.)- to add character, excitement or pizzazz to your home, party, and/or life

This series will be geared towards simple things you can use around the house to make things (like holidays, parties, life) more festive.

So get ready, this is going to be fun!

2011.

It's 2011. A brand new year. Don't you love that feeling? I sure do.

And now a question (or 2) to my faithful readers (if there are any of you out there).

1. What do you want to see on this blog this year? Crafts, more tradition ideas, themed parties?
2. If there were to be giveaways, what would YOU want to win?

And just a reminder, I will be resuming the cookie contest. Stay tuned!