Pirate Party Food, "Shiver Me Timbers I'm Hungry!"

Mates,

Here is a quick look at some of the food I put out for this party.  With many school mates running a muck I had plenty of pizza and other mini pirate friendlies for them to feast on.  I also had a platter of fancy sandwiches for the parent folk...

 The veggie planks were a big hit...I should serve this more often at home, maybe my kids would eat more veggies without the typical family stress at dinnertime. 

 I love Dixie cups...and not for drinking out of.  They are the perfect snack holder at parties for little hands.  Parents scoop in the fish into the cups for the kids to eat on the go.  Love it!

So I will make these available to you for printing somehow...  Please stay posted on that given Scribd is no longer an option.

Happy day everyone, hope you are spending it with family.

xox
Dish

It has come to my attention. My printables not free on Scribd.

Friends,

It has come to my attention that the site Scribd that I have been using to upload my free printables for your use has in fact been charging a fee to get access to their network (including my uploads).

My sincerest apologies and trust me when I tell you I am royally annoyed!

I need to figure out a solution but admittedly I need to pull in the advice of a gal pal on this one as my tech savvyness is officially non existent in this area. 

I will not remove the documents from Scribd until I have a solution and can repost them elsewhere.  If you need support during this time please email me directly at jen@swelldish.com

Apologies again,

xox
Dish

Time to return to shore. Pirate's AHOY!

My friends,

 

After some time away I have so much to share with you and how better to steer the boat ashore than with this pirate themed party for my eldest held this past fall.  Being completely uprooted, currently in temporary housing whilst we renovate our casa this party invite needed to wow without any requirement of special spice.

 

Yep, this wee invite was created by staring at the non existent crafting supplies around me and making it work with nothing but mega creativity.  Granted obviously these bad boys were hand delivered but they still had the desired effect I was looking for...one wee man excited to bring along some mates for adventure.

 

 

The how to was simple, some flags glue gunned to tooth picks and then to the legal sized invite folded into a paper boat.  Click here for a how to fold your own boat.

Crazy cute right?!

Check back soon for more to this story...

xox
Dish

PS When distributing you may want to verbally clarify it is a party invitation...long story, just take my word for it. ;o)

How Do You Organize Your Points Cards?

I had the opportunity to work with a colleague recently and LOVED when she pulled this collection of cards out of her purse and I just had to share.  This is brilliant!  Being that I travel quite a bit for work I love this idea of keeping all of my points cards in one spot and OUT of my wallet. 

What makes this so incredible to me is the ingenuity of using a shower hanger to keep them on a ring.  I asked her as to why she didn't use a circular ring you can pick up at a business supply store and she said it kept opening up in her purse.  She resolved the issue by using the below.

Another bright woman making it happen.  Pure inspiration.

Love it.  Look around yourself, what little things do you do that would inspire others?  Please share!!

Thanks GV! 

Night all.
xox
Dish

Coming Home

Dear Friends,

I am so sorry for the time away but happily I can tell you that the dust is starting to clear and I feel as though I am breathing a bit of fresh air.  The kids have adjusted to their temporary home, my new job although insanely busy is showing signs of a routine and as a family we are learning to put our feet up a bit to enjoy the summer. 

I have had some time to sit back and reflect and I will admit to you that I do not see some of the goals that I have set for this year as a continuing priority. I still do not know what everything will look like but I promise it will be fun.  Thank you all for your comments and wants to have some of the artwork used in your family's birthday occasions.  It is through the blessings of being able to help you that I have realized how much our communications mean to me and so I continue on. 

It feels good to be back.

Gratefully,
Dish
xox

Crazy Crazy Still.

Hi all, I just wanted to drop a little update for you on the chaos. First I have been (and still am) away on business. Between the never ending travel, the kids always getting sick before I go and the sad attempt at the household packing I have not had any time to post anything for you. I miss you but am hoping to see a glimmer of light in the tunnel shortly. Thank you for understanding! Xox Dish

Packing Packing

Hi all, Things may be quiet over then next little while as I prepare my family to move in a few weeks and am away on business travel. I'll try to keep you posted but please be patient with me and I will do my best to manage my time to post a few things here and there. Gratefully, Dish

Jungle Birthday Party Cake

This was the first birthday Jungle party cake for a wee little man that my family loves.  It was made for him apparently by a nurse (Karen Nardini) who like so many women that I know have these incredible talents that are completely unrelated to their day profession.  I just love the detail of the little animals right down to the hair, spots, stripes etc.  Love the creative design and the approach to the different layers.

Congrats Karen on having the courage to pursue something you love.  This is far far beyond anything I could pull off even if I had the patience, well done and good luck!  www.sprinklez.ca

Doesn't it make you think about your passion?  Are you doing what you love?
xox
Dish

Taking A Night Off

Sorry all but I am taking a night off, super exhausted after a long long day. Xox Dish

Hello "Essence Du Papier", So Happy To Meet You

I stumbled upon this gem while trying to relocate my hotel in the underground paths whilst on a business trip last week in Toronto.  Fortunately I did make it back although sadly all I had on me at the time was my phone camera so I did my best below. 

What I loved:

1.  Walls (literally walls) of paper.  Beautiful.

 2.  New unique items.  Check out these fantastic gift bags perfect for a gal pal's birthday!

 3.  Fun full lines of matching everything.  In the picture below business products, in other areas party products etc etc.

Have a look if you are interested.  Essence Du Papier

xox
Dish

I ADORE Meri Meri Party Products...You Must Have A Look See!

So clearly I am a die hard DIY'er.  I can pull off some really amazing parties when I put my mind to it but I have to tell you since last week (when I was officially introduced) I fell in love with Meri Meri.  



Sure I've see a few of her products here and there but they were always "cute", "a great idea", "why didn't I think of that" moments, nothing too earth shattering.  That was until I found an awesome store (you'll hear about that later) that really carried a full line of the Meri Meri products and I was done for.  

Every theme has a FULL line of accessories, right down to the 3D centrepieces that are beautifully created and would be a "true centrepiece", the most elegant version of the word.  One of my fav's (it was hard to choose) was the Peter Rabbit Carousel below (its packaged).  Please look for that on the Meri Meri website. 



My only fear now is that I'll suffer an identity crisis if I'm not staying up all night before the next party trying to pull all the details together...  I may actually break down and let Meri Meri do all the work for me.

 Although I am sure I could think of a million things to compliment her fab products...

Check it out.
xox
Dish

Happy Mother's Day

Just a quick note to wish all of you mothers a wonderful day tomorrow. I for one am looking forward to spending it with those I love and I wish you the same. Enjoy and hope to see you Monday. Xox Dish

My First School Mother's Day Tea: I'm A Proud Momma!

Today was a milestone, a day that I will never forget.  Don't expect a big bang story, today was an hour of mother/son sharing in an environment that he loves; his school (daycare).  Today I was treated to an hour of tea and treats and playing with my wee man while he showed me proudly the puzzles, books and toys that make up his mornings 5 days a week. 

I looked around at all the other proud mom's, us sharing a few giggles but really each focused on absorbing the experience with our special little partner.  I met the little girl that apparently kisses my son daily and her mother who tells me she hears a lot about my little man when her daughter is at home.  I took a few pictures of her in case I might need them for a distant wedding decades from now (this shouldn't surprise you about me thinking that far in advance to be prepared for such a party). 

A sincere thanks to Kathleen and Nelvie for making today so memorable for us mom`s.  You really are stars.

I know Mother`s Day is Sunday but for me today was the most perfect day to celebrate the love between mother and son.  Perhaps it`s not being treated like a Queen or a bit of time to relax that is important on May 13th this year.  Perhaps it`s as simple as being allowed a quality uninterrupted hour with each of your children to share, bond and love.

xox
Dish

The Personal Apple Pie; Crazy Easy Way To Wow Them Yet Again!

 Can you believe how adorable these are?!  I made them in about 30 minutes and everyone loved them.  Okay so I'm not completely the super mom...I did use the Tenderflake small pie shells but really I think I'd have been crazy not too..  Well, that and the fact that I absolutely despise making pastry. 

Check it out.

Totally doable right?!

Give it a shot.

xox
Dish

Chicken Olive Anglehair Pasta; Perfect for a Summers Eve

Chicken Olive Angelhair Pasta
Light pasta with lots of flavor perfect for a summer evening.

Apologies for the vagueness of the ingredient amounts but please note the more the better so don't worry about overdoing it.

Generous handful of Italian Parsley.
2 cloves garlic
Delicate Olive Oil
2 chicken breasts diced
2 cups of green olives with pimento
1/2 small onion
1/2 package angel hair pasta
>1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to pan (no heat yet).
2. Chop/dice garlic, onion and Italian parsley (remove thicker stems before chopping) and add to oil. Let sit while preparing other items.
3. Chop olives and set aside.
4. Boil pasta, when done add 1tbsp oil to stop it from sticking. Set aside.
5. Turn on heat to pan, add chicken and cook. 5 minutes before chicken is done add olives.
6. Add cooked pasta to mixture and if needed add more oil to adequately cover all ingredients.
7. Add 1/2 cup grated cheese and stir.



Serve with extra grated cheese on the table. Enjoy.


I leave on a business trip tomorrow morning so sadly I will not have another post until Thursday.  My apologies but I do promise Thursday will be worth checking in!!

Sleep well all,
xox
Dish

Sweet Shoppe Birthay Banner Printable

I went all out for this banner and it was a serious headache but it was really beautiful.  I just love the hanging Donuts so much so that when you make your own banner and if you want to use them you may download them here.

Okay so enough of the Sweet Shoppe Party.  I truly hope that if you use some of the ideas you found here that you try to add your own flare to the event and share with us all.  So boring it is to only chat about what I do!! 

On to more fabulous things Monday!  I can't wait.

Have a wonderful weekend all!

xox
Dish

Sweet Shoppe Birthday Party Cupcake Toppers

For the Sweet Shoppe party I created these personalised cupcake toppers but if I had the opportunity to do this theme again I think I would try to be a little more creative.  Yes, they looked great and matched the theme but I wish I would have pursued real candy toppers.  Perhaps creative candy figurines made out of various candies and stuck together with icing or fancy retro candy straight from Charlie's Chocolate Factory.  How exciting would cupcakes be with the twirly multi coloured suckers sticking out of them?!  Please share with us if you come up with other wonderful ideas!

One more night of the Candy Shoppe and then we will move on to other fun things and ideas.  Don't forget Mother's Day is quickly approaching so you may want to give that some thought when planning activities/crafts with the kids this weekend.

Night all, its been a long week and I need to veg!

xox
Dish

Sweet Shoppe First Birthday Month Banner Printable Tags

You probably know I have a special place in my heart for the first birthday month banners.  I take every opportunity to suggest to friends that they make the effort to take monthly photos for this very reason.  There is never a first birthday party where at some point in time all the guests don't go to stop and look at each photo of the wee one, smiling and remembering as they walk along.  Don't even get me started on the fact that the banner is a huge keepsake...would it be bad to pull them out at my sons' weddings?  Would that make me the crazy "mother-in-law"?

Anyway, here is the Monthly Banner a girlfriend (thanks JS) put together for her daughters first birthday.  I provided the monthly tags (which you can download here) and she did all the creative work to put this beauty together. The tags aren't specific to the Sweet Shoppe theme so if your party colours are shades of pink you'd do fine to use them.

I truly hope they inspire you to formally show off your little one at their first affair.

Happy crafting.

xox
Dish

PS  Shout out KS!  Thanks for always checking in.  

The Sweet Shoppe Birthday Party Sweet Box Printable

What would a Sweet Shoppe Party be without a matching bag or box to take candy or baked goods home in?  It would stink in my opinion and be just plain unfair....so here you go.

Designed to fit a cupcake but certainly limited only by your imagination.  You may download it here but please note it needs to be printed on an 11x17 to make the 3 inch cube.  Please also note....not a ton of fun to cut out and put together but I will leave that most certainly in your capable hands.

Back to working on my day job.

Night all.
xox
Dish

Sweet Shoppe Birthday Child Party Hat

Well this was a first for me.  Creating birthday hats really added to the party but it also meant there was much added labour for me.  Sure printing them up was easy but then I had to cut and assemble which was consuming (especially if you need a lot of them).

You can download the "Sweets" hat here for your own use. 

I say, try to delegate this one out if you can or simply plan enough ahead and do a few every day.  It can't be all fun and games right...or can it?!

Enjoy and night all,
Dish

The Sweet Shoppe Birthday Invitation

So it's probably a little late in the game to present the invite but alas here it is.  It's not perfect but you are welcome to download it here for your own personal use.  Be weary there may be faint faint lines in the background pattern...I suggest you do a test print.  If you know how to fix that with the patterns function in AI please do a girl a favour and pass along some advice.

Thanks all.  Night.

xox
Dish

The Sweet Shoppe Birthday Party Water Bottle Label Free Printable

So to continue with the Sweet Shoppe theme I love love the addition of a matching water bottle label.  People under estimate how easy it is to do these yourself and it really adds to being able to pull the theme of a party together. 

For your Sweet Shoppe party I created a generic "Happy Birthday" water bottle label for you which you can download and print here.  Print them up in colour, buy your water bottles, rip off the original labels and using two sided tape on one end of the label pull tight and attach yours.  I kid you not it will take you 5 minutes to do 24 bottles. 

Note:  Do yourself a favour and use a board cutter to trim these labels quickly.

Looking forward to continuing this theme with you all Monday.

Wishing you a restful day tomorrow.

xox
Dish

Loving Mary Ness Greeting Cards

So I am sorry to interrupt the Sweet Shoppe Birthday Party stretch but the next few posts need me to post some free printables and I don't have time this evening to edit them for you. Instead I thought I would show you some stunning Greeting Cards by Mary Ness that I picked up today in a boutique near my home.  Each one is a piece of beautiful art and they made me happy.

Did anything catch your eye today and make you smile? 

xox

Dish

Sweet Shoppe Birthday Party Candy Jar Labels Free Printable

Well you certainly can't have a Sweet Shoppe birthday party without jars of candy everywhere.  Really...what would be the fun in that?!

You can download the sheet of printable labels here (I included some blank labels if you prefer to write your own).  Again I suggest you use some sharp small scissors as these are a little finicky when cutting out.

Okay all...now I need to get back and do some more work for my day job.

Hugs and tune in tomorrow for another piece of this party.

xox
Dish

Sweet Shoppe Birthday Party Sign Free Printable

I thought it time for another birthday theme and I just adore the Sweet Shoppe Party!  To start off the intro into this girly affair I thought we should begin at the door.....some signage.  What little girl wouldn't get excited to see this to greet guests?!

You can download the "Sweet"" and "Shoppe" here for your own use.  To create the signs you need to do the following:

1. Print in colour and cut out (they are a little tricky so grab some small scissors)
2. Buy some dowels from Home Depot (much much cheaper than a craft store)
3. Hole punch at the top and bottom of the signs and feed the dowels through.
4. Bottom with a knot of numerous strands of pretty ribbon.

Easy right?!  I really hope you enjoy this theme as it was particularly a lot of work for me to create so please make your little girl smile from me.

Come back tomorrow for another piece of the Sweet Shoppe.

xox

Dish

So Sorry

Hi all, Sorry no post tonight....started a new job last week and am swamped with work and travel. Back up late tomorrow night. Hope you had a great day. Xox Dish

Fruit Kabobs and Chocolate Fountain...Mmmm

So I dove into the archives today and found this photo from my sister's wedding shower of the fruit kabobs and chocolate fountain mom and I did. 

I love star fruit and if you have never used them as accents try buying one for your next party and cutting cross sectionally.  Don't worry about what to do with them...cut away and inspiration will come to you.  Also I am not sure if you can see it in the photo but I used a half head of iceberg lettuce as the anchor for the kabobs in the bucket container.  It worked like a charm, dense enough to support the weight of the kabobs and pretty enough to not look out of place if there were gaps after sticks were removed.

Seriously, who doesn't LOVE flowing chocolate and if you are looking for something to do with your leftover Easter goodies try melting it and dipping with fruit.

Night all.

xox

Dish

Fingerprint Family Tree

I just adore this family craft that we did last weekend.  I bought a canvas at the Dollar Store, painted a tree on it and had each member of the family add with their finger foliage to the branches.  Each member had their own colour (or shades of) to use and although fall colours would have been spectacular I wanted us to do a spring bloom tree to coincide with the season.

I know it is something that I will always cherish but I think I will recreate the tree as a print with stamp ink for our fingers and frame it to ensure it is protected as an heirloom. Stay tuned on that as I will make the tree a printable for you to also do with your family.

Just so sweet...

Night all, see you Monday.

xox
Dish

Getting Outdoors With Painted Birdhouses

So I've been away all week with work and I came home to these beautifully painted birdhouses in the front tree.  I always try to leave a big bag of things to do for the kids when I'm away and one of this weeks crafts was to decorate these little houses. 

If you are looking for something similar for your wee ones I suggest checking out the local Dollar Store as its an inexpensive way to grab a few items to keep your kids engaged.  These little houses were $1.25 each.

I haven't forgotten that Earth Day is this weekend so I am trying to work out some environment aware/friendly crafts for us...stay posted.

Have a great evening!

xox

Dish

Post Deleted?!

Hi all, I am sorry to say that there will not be a post this evening. I am away on business and although I had the posts prepared somehow my iPAD deleted the one for today. Sadly the photo files are on my home computer so I am not able to recreate remotely. My apologies but we will resume tomorrow evening when I return home. Hope you had a wonderful day. Xox Dish

Adding A Penny To Cut Flowers Experiment Day 6

If you have been following this wee experiment we did adding a penny to the vase of cut flowers (testing an old wives tale) than you are probably already convinced that it helped keep this cluster of tulips bright, beautiful and tall. 

For those that still needed to see further proof (I may be one of these individuals)....here is Day 6 and not a brown petal in sight.  Outstanding.

Can't hurt right?!  Give it a try.

xox
Dish

Butterfly Feet...Perfect for Mother's Day

With Mother's Day quickly approaching I am thinking about very economical and yet thoughtful gifts for those special women in your life.  I know the whole butterfly feet thing isn't new and I actually was reminded of it by a post on Pinterest (Art by http://pinterest.com/kristi_cck/) but how could we pass them up? 

Just imagine your little ones feet artfully transformed into a beautiful butterfly.  Really easy and don't spend a fortune on the canvas, I bought the below at the Dollar Store for $1.25 each.  Thankfully I bought a few spares and I suggest you do too as my kids weren't exactly serious with gooey, squishy paint between their toes.  It took my husband and I to manipulate the little one as he thought this was hilarious...and I guess we did too listening to his giggles!  Don't forget to use two fingerprints for the antennas.

Oh...and I thought the paint was washable...you may want to check that...

Have fun!

xox

Dish