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August 9, 2011

Snapshots of Our Little Picnic Party

I love rain and thunderstorms.  A whole lot.  So it is a big deal that I am a little mad at Cumulonimbus right now. 

Oh you may know him as Rain but I think our tight relationship gives me due cause to call him by his proper name. Like how everyone calls my oldest Cati but I usually call her Caitlyn or CATE when I am not happy. And Cumulonimbus caused quite a stir on Saturday as I finished decorating for the girl's birthday party and he decided to show up as soon as I was done.  
And he was SO not invited.

But thankfully, as I commenced my breathing in and out of a paper bag...he decided to not overstay his welcome in time for the party. YIPPEE!
And Y'all?  It was HOT. 
But oh so fun. :)
Here are only a few shots that I could get.  They are not very good so I fancied them up a bit to make them fun and hide the fact that there are only a few. I was attempting to be a good hostess and prevent my friends and family from melting. 
Oh and the above photo is the table where everyone could make a picnic basket and take it back to their blanket.  Fun, right?


We stuck to a simple menu:
Deli sandwiches from Publix
Homemade mac and cheese served in individual cups
Strawberry salad with candied walnuts in individual cups
Vegetable and Pita chips in small brown paper bags
Watermelon
 The striped wax paper gives these a totally cute, homey look.  Loved how they turned out!
I got here too late to snap a photo.  The kids literally swarmed me when I brought out the lemonade in mason jars.  This is what was left on a little end table that usually happily sits in my living room. 
I meant to make a drinks sign but you gotta just know when to quit.  The open drawers for the waters was a pretty nifty idea and I think I will do that again for some other entertaining endeavor I do.
Those of you have been reading here for the past 2 years know I do this every year and the recipe is super simple and somewhere on this blog but I will post it again so here you go...
You will need: 
8 Ice cream sandwiches and 1/2 gallon of ice cream (I used chocolate) and a spring form pan.
For real.  That is it. How stinkin simple is that? 
The tricky part is the prep and only because things melt fast.
1. Cut you ice cream sandwiches in fourths. First lengthwise and then across to make four pieces each. The way I did this is to clear out the freezer for the cake(s) and then set a plate inside the freezer.  I grabbed each sandwich one at a time and cut them and placed the cut pieces back onto the plate each time. 
2.  After they are all cut, begin lining them up around your spring from pan.  It depends on what kind of pan you have but I recommend you keep it unlocked when doing this.  Push each piece really close together, lock it and then put the spring form pan back in the freezer.
3. Thaw out your ice cream a bit on the counter to soften it up and then take out your spring form pan, and fill up the center with all the ice cream. I smoothed the top out and then froze it overnight.
4.  I chose to put the hot fudge on it early and then freeze it again but you can do this right before serving (or whatever topping you would like). I made homemade whipped cream using whipping cream, confectioners sugar and a splash of vanilla.  I eye ball everything.  And then topped it off with a cherry.
Release it from the spring from pan right before you top it and serve.
Enjoy!
At the last minute, I decided to do a photo booth.  I downloaded some fun mustache and glasses props and covered them with clear contact paper so they would last the whole party. I also made signs from some bubble labels I had already downloaded to feed my love of digital things. I put fun messages on the bubble labels, sized and printed them out and hot glued them to white cookie sticks. I found them at the Friendly Scrap and you can find the direct link for them here.
Here is a link to download the Colorful Lips & Mustache Set by The Paper Dolls Shop at Catch my Party.

I cannot find the link for the black glasses and mustache set because the download does not refer me back to a site.  But here are a couple of other great great ones I found for you...
Oh Happy Day and this one too!
Lil Blue Boo
Living Locurto

The kids looked so cute and had a blast with them! 
My lovely friend, Shelya, who is a professional photographer brought the background screen for me to use.  She is such a sweetie! And the cutie girl in the bottom center, who should seriously have been paid $100 for all her help at the party, took all the photos of the kids.  She did AMAZING!
And some shots of my girls I got at a restaurant.  This was the end of their party packed birthday weekend.  
Happy Birthday to my precious, sweet girls.

When I have more photos to show you...I will. 
But hopefully I will have new projects to share soon!

31 comments:

  1. I love this! I hope we have a girl someday!!! So cute!
    Great job getting it altogether jess!

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  2. Awesome! Well done! I can vouch for the cake...I used your recipe last year and it is amazing!!

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  3. Aww, Jess . . . this party looks so stinkin cute and fun. Wish I could have been there! And how did I miss the ice cream sandwich cake post?! Must try that one sometime. For the little man we made a Smores Cookie Cake thingie . . . and no, I did not attempt to decorate it. Just baked and DEVOURED. :)

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  4. I say this everytime but I do not know how you put it all together! Where did you get that cute striped waxed paper?? that is great. I am sort of having a cool party for Sophie? not really, but I got cute pink and white striped paper straws! I need serious cute party help.

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  5. The party was so much fun! I will have more pics for you when I'm back home :) The girls had a blast! I did not know that you made those cakes! AMAZING! You did a great job sweet friend and I know your girls thought so too!

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  6. Great job,Jessica! Everything looked so sweet and cute! So glad everyone didn't have to hide from a storm! ♥

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  7. Precious! Can't wait to try out your cake recipe!

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  8. Oh.My.Word! This party was fantastic!! So many little details...LOVE!! The photo booth idea is so stinkin' cute!! I also love how everyone could pack themselves a picnic lunch & take it back to their blanket in the yard!! Seriously, adorable!! You could be a professional party planner girl!! You did a fabulous job!! Got me thinking that maybe I should be putting a little more effort into my son's 1st birthday party which is quickly approaching!! He is having a sock monkey theme!! I can't wait!

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  9. oh la jolie fête ! il y a plein de bonnes idées dans tous les domaines : pique-nique et déco. C'est formidable !
    Belle journée

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  10. Ahhhhh! Party of the year! Seriously! Cutest! You just make everything soooooo pretty! Pretty pretty pretty! The baskets & even how you wrapped the sandwiches!

    So glad that rain did not ruin your day..I totally know what you mean about taking pics...I wasn't happy with any of Annie's party pics because I was soooo busy too...I just left my camera out & people snapped pics for me :) But your pics are really really cute & I totally LOVE how you dolled them up! I need to take a lesson or two from ya, or 3 , or 4. You have the magic touch & one thing is for sure I AM your biggest fan (trust me you DO NOT want anyone loving you more than I love ya or it would just be creepy)

    The kids look adorable in the photo booth pics! That was the PERFECT touch! & I KNOW everyone had a fab time! Just know it ....wish I had crashed (now THAT would have been creepy) :)

    Take Care Jess!

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  11. How perfect were those baskets! I LOVE Publix...wish we had one here in Omaha! Great ideas, all! Love the photo booth idea! Thanks for sharing it all!

    Sheila

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  12. WAY, WAY CUTE!!! No excuses necessary!!! Everything looks adorable and the pics are cute too! LOVE how you used the Polaroid look with that tape - ADORABLE!

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  13. I am completely amazed by your talent once again! You really should be a professional party planner, your ideas and creativity are astounding! I'm glad Mr. Rain did not visit your party and your family had a great time!

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  14. ahhhhhhhhhh!!! this turned out Perfect!!!!!
    GF we need to talk on the phone!!!!!
    I MISS YOU!!!

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  15. Not only was it cute and beautiful and creative and amazing, but it was FUN too! Thanks so much - what a privilege to be a part of helping celebrate your girls and their birthdays!! I concur that you should be a professional party planner. I've never seen anything like it. Incredible!

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  16. Wow, what a great party! I love all your ideas, especially the picnic basket and photo booth. Serving the drinks from from a chest of drawers was fantastic too!

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  17. And I just need to brag that I was there in person to experience it all. Jessica, simply amazing. How blessed your little girls are to have such an incredible and hands on mama that you are. Love you!

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  18. Um, WOW. Can you please invite me to your next party?! I'm just amazed! You are just amazing and have SUCH a talent for crafting! And I LOVE the new look of your blog! I'm in the process of getting a blog make-over but shhhh it's a secret. =)

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  19. How totally lovely Jessica. All the love you put into every detail makes this party so incredible! xo

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  20. sooo talented you are!!!!!! Can I ask your source for the striped wax papper? THANKS

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  21. Hey sweet Audrey! I got the striped paper at Michael's in the gift wrap section. I guess I forgot to mention it in the post! :) HUGS!

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  22. Beautiful inviting party. So delightful your decorations & delicious picnic presentation.


    Would you be so kind to leave a comment on my BLOG ONLY (no emails), for the Miracle Makeover fund drive thru 8-18. Charlie, 8 yr. old, & his story are fabulous. Every comment brings us a $1 for the next person that will be sponsored.

    Have a beautiful weekend.
    Hugs,
    TTFN ~
    Marydon
    blushingrosetoo.blogspot.com

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  23. What an absolutely great party idea. I am so using this for an outdoor summer party;)

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  24. Ooooh what a fun party! Great job and the decor is amazing:-)

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  25. I am dying over this party. So pretty and fun! Job well done momma!

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  26. Love all the little details. I'm planning a picnic party too, thanks for the inspiration!
    Dannyelle @ www.lifeisaparty.ca

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  27. This is seriously the cutest party I have ever seen in my life. Thank you for posting it! I'm so glad I found in on pinterest. I can't wait to try my own :)

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  28. Thanks so much for sharing this. I'm starting a photo booth business and you give a lots of ideas.
    Be bless.

    Yve
    New York

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