FOAD: Easter decor

A little while ago I was at a thrift store with a friend. We found matching "holy grails" as my husband would call them. And for lack of a better name, a holy grail is what it was. It only cost $1.

We knew it could be used for something. I decided to use mine for Easter decor. 

I put it on a piece of newspaper and gave it a fresh coat of Krylon's Ocean Breeze spray paint. 

I am using it to hold our speckled Easter eggs. I love the way it turned out! 

And I especially loved that it only cost $1! You would be surprised at the things

you can do with things you already have around your house.

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What ideas are you most anxious to read about?

The inspiration behind this blog...

My Mom!

It is her birthday today. 

Even though she isn't here to celebrate it with us, 

we will be playing the Barbie Game in her honor.

I owe all my festiveness to her.

More here.

Skor cake

My husband's favorite birthday cake is Skor cake. It is so delicious. I am glad that he chooses it every year so I have an excuse to eat it! I love how perfectly the flavors come together.

Skor Cake
1 German chocolate cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar caramel sauce
2 cups cool whip or whipped cream
4-5 crushed Skor bars or 1 cup hershey's chocolate covered toffee bits

Bake cake according the the directions on the package (a 9x13 pan or cookie sheet work best). Let cool for 2 minutes and then take a fork and poke lots of holes in the cake. The more the merrier. Pour the entire can of sweetened condensed milk on the cake, letting it seep into the holes. Then pour the caramel sauce over the cake. Let the cake cool and set up in the fridge. Right before serving, top with cool whip and chocolate covered toffee pieces.

Birthday Traditions

For my husband's birthday last week, we celebrated by doing some of our favorite traditions.

He found quarters in his shoe from the birthday fairy.
He got his favorite breakfast.
He got his favorite dinner. (I like that I was in the kitchen all day :)
He got his favorite cake. Post on that tomorrow.

I kept the decorations simple. My husband LOVED the giant 26 that was hanging from the ceiling and kept talking about it for days. In fact, it is still hanging. I sprinkled balloon confetti on the table and had birthday hats on our plates. I also used the birthday plate to serve breakfast and dinner on.

I took one of our favorite birthday traditions from the family I nannied for. Each birthday, they would watch a slideshow of the birthday person. It was a montage of pictures from birth to present. It was so fun to watch the pictures and see how much the person had changed.

Unfortunately I didn't have pictures from my husband's entire life, so I just used pictures from when we were dating. I included some pictures of him with other people and me, but I tried to keep it to pictures of him. It was a fun way to reminisce!

What are some of your favorite birthday traditions?

Homemade tortillas

My husband made the green tortillas for our St. Patrick's Day dinner. This year he made them especially green. And I think that made them taste that much better. If you want to make your own, follow the recipe below. (If I had time, I would always make homemade tortillas).

Homemade Tortillas
3 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. oil
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp. water + 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix dry ingredients together with a fork. Blend in oil and add the water until it is absorbed. Divide into 10-12 balls. Roll out and cook on a warm griddle.

Our Pie Day

We celebrated Pie Day by eating mini pies. 

I used red as the main color with pops of red and white gingham.

I made this Pie Day sign out of old cereal boxes, shiny wrapping paper, and cut-out letters. 

I was going to make it into a banner, but I kind of liked it in this stand.

I made pistachio and strawberry tarts. 

And used red striped straws to add some more flair.

Party Week

This has been a big party week for us. But then again, this week is always a big party week and we kind of like it. We celebrated Pie Day, St. Patrick's Day, and today is my husband's birthday. I'll have details of how we celebrated next week. Happy weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Don't forget to wear green.
Hope you have a great time celebrating!

Green Dinner

It's become a tradition in our family to eat green tacos and Green Mean Machines on St. Patrick's Day. 

the festive table 2010

the green meal

yep, we even dye the chicken green

We'll have to see if this year is the same...How will you be celebrating?

Happy Pie Day

It's not too late to grab a pie and celebrate Pie Day!

Cucumber Lime Drink

My aunt Marilyn made this deliciously refreshing drink for a get-together. It is a great addition to any party, but since it's green, I think St. Patrick's Day is a perfect occasion to make it.

Directions for Cucumber Lime Drink

• Thinly slice a portion of a cucumber.
• Place the sliced cucumbers in the bottom of a punch bowl.
• Add in one can of limeade, ice, and a bottle of lemon/lime soda.
• Make sure you add in enough ice to reconstitute the limeade.
• Stir well and add water until you get desired taste. 

3.14

March 14th (3.14) is Pi Day, but in our house, we call it PIE day!

We celebrate the day by eating pie. And you should, too.
So put it on your calendars and make (or buy) a pie. 

If you need a few recipes to get you started, try
Chex Pie
Peanut Butter Pie
or visit Pie Love You (an entire blog dedicated to pies)

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

 

I’ve had this “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” card for over 5 years now. I have never known what to do with it. Yet, my frugal self has won each time I’ve had the debate of whether to throw it out or save it for that one time that I will need it and will regret throwing it away. Can you relate? Nevertheless, I’ve decided that this is the year I’m going to use it or I will throw it away. It cannot stay in my card box any longer. 

 

Since St. Patrick’s Day is not really a holiday for card giving, I decided that I’m going to (I sure hope my husband isn’t reading this) write a note to my husband and send it to his work office. I would love to get real mail at the office and I’m sure it will brighten his day. I’ll hopefully time it just right that it will arrive on St. Patrick’s Day. Who says kissing notes are only allowed on Valentine’s Day and anniversaries? Besides, I do have Irish blood in me.

 If you don’t have a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” card lying around your house, just make one with what you have. A simple one is better than nothing.

All it costs is 44 cents for postage. Now that is being festive on a dime!

St. Patrick's Day Mantle + Decor

I went for a simple and classy look for the mantle. Everything was stuff I had at home. 

I put some window clings on the bathroom mirror. I got them for 50 cents last year.

Our $2 St. Patrick's day sign is also on display. 

Cookie Contest Recipe #6

This recipe scored barely belowr recipe #5. But still delicious!

My husband loved the dough and how soft they turned out.

And the winners are...

Thanks to everyone who entered! How I wish everyone could have won something. But I promise more festive giveaways so keep following!

If you won, send an email to sofestive@gmail.com by Monday at 10 pm for instructions on how to claim your prize. 

Now, for what you've been waiting for. The winner of the St. Patrick's Day and Easter collection from Andersruff:

 Dirk n'Juli!

The winner of the Clover bow from Looney Daisy Creations goes to...

Craig and MJ Parker!

Last, the winner of the St. Patrick's Day table runner from Regocreations is...

Annette!

Congrats! There will be a post every day (except the weekends) before St. Patrick's Day for fun and festive ideas...so  be sure to visit again. Thanks for being festive with me! Doesn't it make life fun? 

St. Patrick's Day Giveaway!! --Updated...Additional Prize Added!

Because of the huge response to this giveaway, there will be an additional prize added. So 3 people will win instead of 2! Make sure you enter before Saturday at 10 pm to be eligible. Scroll down to see the additional prize.

Ready for another giveaway? I hope so!

There will be 2 winners this time. You could win one of the following festive prizes...and keep in mind that the sponsors for this giveaway have lots of other festive things in their shop. So take a peek.

Lucky St. Patrick's Day & Easter Printables from Andersruff. If you want some festive ideas, check out their blog too here. I spent hours looking through all the fun parties they've thrown.  

And I have to say, Maureen has been so great to work with. She offered to throw in the Easter Collection as well. That means the prize value is $20!! I'm thinking you could throw a very festive party with these.  

Polka Dot Clover St. Patrick's Day hair clip from Looney Daisy Creations 

And one more prize! You could win this festive table runner from regocreations. It would add so much character to your table for the big green day. Check out the others one here.

To enter: (you get one entry for each thing you do)
1. Post this contest on your blog or facebook or twitter
2. If you are new to So Festive, become a follower
3. For every person that you tell that becomes a follower, you'll get an extra entry
4. To win the first prize, you must also become a Facebook fan of Andersruff here

Then, leave a comment saying what you did.

The giveaway will close this Saturday, March 5 at 10 pm.
The winners will be announced on Monday, March 7th.

Good LUCK!!

(pun intended!)

Hosting Tip #6

If you are having people over for dinner,
ask them if they have any allergies
or don't like anything.

Don't you hate eating something you don't like?