Dollarstore diva:Get great serveware pieces on the cheap

The days are ticking away! The pink party is nearly here, so before I reveal any major details I want to take a moment to share some of my fantastic, affordable party gear finds. I'm going with chic yet cheap for my upcoming mocktail party, which means some creativity with the serveware and food is definitely required.

First down the runway in this frugal home entertaining fashion show is this lovely number:

Will I be trying my hand at Asian cuisine? Wonton soup anyone? No, not at all. What I will be doing however, is serving mouthfuls of one of my appies meticulously mounded in the bowl of these darling wonton spoon, which will be nestled in a bowl o crushed ice. Presentation perfection! And the cost? A mere $.59 a piece. Forget any store that specializes in home decor, and departments stores or the like. You can find cheap wonton spoons in Toronto or probably any ethnically diverse city at an Asian grocery store for pennies.

Mocktail Bar: Keep an eye on the curveballs

Sometimes plans just don't go the way you want them to, and sometimes, that can be really good thing.

I went into Ikea last Friday to purchase the bottles and straws I'd mentioned in my previous post about the mocktail bar set up, and guess what? They were out of the bottles for my mocktail bar juices and the straws didn't come in the colors I wanted. 

BOO! Needless to say I was greatly displeased. As I trudged out of the store, through the insidious Ikea marketplace maze (clearly intended to entice one into purchasing frames, candle holders and other bits not previously required) I happened upon the vase section and inspiration caught my eye in the form of this:

 

 
While this is a rather iconic Ikea vase, in that moment I couldn't help thinking that it would make an absolutely fantastic bottle for my mocktail bar. So, rather than driving a few cities over to another Ikea, I changed plans and purchased 5 of these vases(three pink and two clear) for $2.99 a piece. We did a mock up of the mocktail bar last night and I couldn't be happier with my choice. The vases look fantastic. And as for the straws, I was lucky enough to find a pack a gorgeous, hot pink straws at my local Dollarama, which saved $1.99.


 
I wonder how many people have had thwarted plans turn into a blessing in disguise.

Mocktail Maddness

Long time no see! Bad blogger, I know; but it's summertime and life has been busy. However, we now have only one week till the Pink Party! Can you believe it?! Seems like just the other day it was just a thought. So now I'm in power planning mode. Also known as the result of far too much summer fun induced procrastinating. Hey, we can't all be Martha, you know what I mean.

So now here I am with this grand vision in mind and a massive to-do, to-buy and to-make list. First on today's post-day job check list: Get the Mocktial Bar gear together! I'll be making a bee-line to my nearest Ikea for some fantastic essentials.

Online inspiration board maker: Updated

UPDATE: Read my update, listing more options for easy inspiration board creation.

If you've been around the wedding or event planning blogs for a little while, you're probably quite familiar with the concept of inspiration boards. These great collages of photos inspiring a wedding or party design theme can be an incredible help when it comes to visualizing a cohesive theme.

If you want to create an inspiration board for a wedding, party or just for fun, you have a variety of options for getting the job done. There's the ultra-retro way of cutting and gluing photos onto some foam core, you can use a paint program of any number of design programs (which can be costly and may come with a learning curve), or you can turn to s super easy, online inspiration board maker, like Mosaic maker. Mosaic Maker is free (but requires registering) and fairly easy to use. I'm using it to organize the theme for the Pink Party. Stay tuned for the results.

Mosaic Maker: A world of creative photo possibilities.

Easy Reduced Fat Blueberry Muffin Recipe

I am a foodie, I cannot lie, and unfortunately it shows. So I'm constantly looking for ways to reinvent my favorite recipes to make them healthier but still just as delicious. So I present to you my easy reduced fat blueberry muffin recipe.

I confess my first attempt at making a reduced fat blueberry muffin turned into a major case of fail. The problem was, I went too far. Sometimes you need a little oil and white flour to keep thing yummy and not so much like blueberry scented stones.

But I didn't give up. After another attempt and a few easy changes I finally have an easy reduced fat blueberry muffin recipe that I (and my family) can live with, plus an interesting experiment that resulted in something super delish ...although possibly higher in carbs than I'd like...but onto the reduced fat blueberry muffins.

Living room inspiration: Beachy, blue-greens and built-ins

So the living room/dining room redesign continues. After bathing the walls in a wonderfully serene blue-green I need some more inspiration for the next design phase. I haven't said much about this project, mainly because I'm still trying to get my thoughts together. Generally, I have a good idea of vibes and feels that I want in a room. But when I get down to execution, I'm all over the place. More about the LR/DR revamp in a few days.

Have mercy, I’m in love with a pillow!

As the pink party draws ever nearer, I've been on the lookout for a new pink tablecloth. Not just any tablecloth (of course), but the most divine, squee-worthy table cloth imaginable (at a reasonable price). In my searching I stumbled up a site called Tonic Living …and just about fainted dead out of my chair!

Tonic living specializes in retro fabrics, pillows, upholstery, outdoor fabrics etc, and even better (for me anyway), they're located right here in Toronto! Double, triple and even quadruple squee! They have the most fabtastic patterns reminiscent of prints popularized in the 50's, 60's and 70's. But wait, there's more. They also have organic fabrics!
So of course, I'm no longer visiting Tonic Living in search of tablecloth fabric, I'm shopping for my in progress living room redesign. I've totally fallen in love with this pillow:

This other pillow

And this fabric

Right now, somewhere our mother's are collectively gagging and wondering why the heck we want old lady pillows in our houses. It's funny how retro adoration seems to skip a generation.

Check out Tonic Living