Boxwood Clippings

A few weeks ago, I had a baby shower for my good friend Brea. I wanted a quick and different way to decorate the party cupcakes, so went through my ‘scrap box’ and ended up using remnant ribbon and washi tape:

I simply tied knots of ribbon and folded washi tape in half around toothpicks, the result being easy and festive.

The cupcakes looked so great grouped together, and the toppers worked out to be considerably less expensive than store-bought versions! Do you have any thrifty tips for party planning? We’d love to hear!

We know, we know. Mason jars have been the ‘thing’ for many years, but we just can’t get enough of them. This brand from the Dollar Tree says “golden harvest” on the front with a cornucopia engraved on the glass. Em thought they’d be perfect for a fall favor.

We simply filled it with salted popcorn, and stamped “thanks for popping in” on a tag. Quite adorable don’t you think?!

There could be so many variations of this: perhaps caramel popcorn, or a different saying like “just wanted to pop by to say hi.” Either way, it’s cute and simple and sure to cheer up anyone’s day. :)

Last Saturday we had my friend Kumari’s shower at our house. I wanted to have little favors for our guests, and needed something cute and easy we could put together without any fuss.

We once again headed over to Gygi, where we found these adorable paper bags, and bulk candy. We choose white taffy, and grey bags to match with our theme, and ta-da a cute little favor that couldn’t have been easier.

If you’re planning a party or get together you’ll have to stop by Gygi, especially since they are still offering our readers a 10% discount online with code “BOXWOOD10″…whoot whoot!!! (Remember you can pick up in store so you don’t have to pay shipping.)

PS. Did you see Gygi featured on the Today show last week? We love locals on national telly :) see HERE.

There’s something very Americana about summer. It must be all the patriotic holidays.

Red, White and Blue can be found all over the place this time of year, and cupcakes should be no exception! These liners and decorative flags are from the Dollar Tree. That’s right; they were only a dollar for a pack of 24 pairs…holler!

Don’t you think it makes the cupcake extra cheeky?

Along with Memorial Day and the 4th of July, these also might come in handy for the Olympic Games. I’d love to get a hold of some Union Jack ones–anyone seen any?

PS. I finally got around to making THIS recipe I’d pinned ages ago. Banana cupcakes and cream cheese frosting…yum yum! :)

A friend of mine is having her first baby, a boy. The couple has had his name picked out for years: Aston (as in Aston Martin, the famous British luxury sports car).

After seeing their nursery (it’s amazing), I was inspired to throw them a modern baby shower, with a little racetrack theme thrown in.

We headed to Gygi in SLC for some inspiration, and before we knew it, we’d designed the invitations.

The invites became little packages, and a perfect sneak peak for the upcoming shower.

We wrapped them with some bakers twine and a personalized tag, and voila! Simplicity always works best!

We were SO happy with our experience at Gygi. We just LOVE going into a store and finding everything we need. But even better, it’s a place where our heads can get ticking and inspiration flows freely!

We’re also excited to announce that our friends over at Gygi are offering our readers a 10% discount through their online store (whoot whoot!) found HERE. Simply use the code ‘BOXWOOD10′ at check out.

Their prices are already the best around, so with this additional discount you’ll be scoring some mega deals…holler holler! Also, it’s good to note that although the discount is only good online, you can pick up your purchase at the store to avoid shipping costs. :)

The items we used today were: the boxes HERE. The gum balls, HERE. And the twine HERE.

We hope you LOVE this store as much as we do. Now go shop!

As Easter is less than two weeks away, I thought I’d better get thinking about a little treat to pass out at our family dinner.

I’ve had my eye on these favor boxes for a while, and have just been waiting for a perfect reason to get them. They’re located in the baby section of the Dollar Tree, and come in a pack of 8 for a $1…holler!

They come in four colours: blue, green, yellow and pink. I think they make the adorable mini easter baskets don’t you?

I simply stuffed them with a sheet of tissue paper and topped it off with brown grass also from the Dollar Tree. Then filled them with our favorite Easter Chocolates, Cadbury Mini Eggs. It worked out perfectly that they come in the same coordinating colours. And finished with a ribbon.

Now the only problem is not eating them before Easter gets here:)