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Adorable And Creative Father's Day Idea

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic ·

 

Father's Day is right around the corner! Since the kids are off school and camps have yet to start, you may be looking for some activities to fill your days.  On June 21, fathers are celebrated for always being there, for making us laugh, and for knowing how to grill just about everything under the sun. This Father’s Day make your Dad feel extra special with a DIY project that’s made just for him. With a little thought and a splash of creativity, you’re on your way to making this Father’s Day one he’ll never forget.

DIY Father's Day Inspiration | www.SmartyHadAParty.com


This DIY Father's Day Inspiration is great for event decor, art projects for the kids, and is sure to impress dad.
The first DIY Father's Day project looks beautiful as a table centerpiece.

DIY Father's Day Inspiration - Paper Airplane Centerpiece | www.SmartyHadAParty.com

 

What you need:

 

Directions:

Step 1: Put tablecloth on the table.
Step 2: Place cube vase upside down in the center of the table.
Step 3: Put clear plastic jar on top of cube vase.
Step 4: Fold paper napkins into mini paper airplanes.
Step 5: Staple the mini paper airplanes to the top of the paper straws.
Step 6: Put straws in clear plastic jar and arrange.
Step 7: Scatter a few paper napkin airplanes around the centerpiece and tape a few to the edge of the cube vase.
Step 8: Voila! Is your "Pop" the best ever? Make a special favor for dad like this one:

 

What you need:

 

Directions:

Step 1: Place a napkin down that matches your theme.
Step 2: Fill the clear plastic jar with dad's favorite popcorn.
Step 3: Tape printable onto the clear plastic jar.
Smarty Party Tip: To make dad's favor a little bit more personal, have your kids draw a picture or write a little note that fits the theme.
Example: Reasons why you are the best Pop ever: 1. You make me laugh... If your dad enjoys golf, plan a breakfast for him on the big day with these golf ball donut hole favors that are both cute and delicious.DIY Father's Day Inspiration Par-tee Favor | www.SmartyHadAParty.com

What you need:

 

Directions:

Step 1: Place emerald green napkins down.
Step 2: Put powdered sugar donut holes into plastic jar and place on green napkins.
Step 3: Write your dad's favorite golf hole number onto a piece of paper and cut it out in a triangle.
Step 4: Adhere the hole number to the pick.
Step 5: Stick pick into one of the top donut holes.
Step 6: Cut the "par-tee!" printable out and adhere to the plastic jar.
Step 7: Voila! If your dad enjoys fishing in his free time, the next Father's Day drink / centerpiece idea is perfect!DIY Father's Day Inspiration - Fishing Pole Straw in Drink | www.SmartyHadAParty.com
 
 

What you need:

 

Directions:

Step 1: Place cocktail napkins down.
Step 2: Cut napkin into little fish.
Step 3: Tape or glue the fish onto ribbon.
Step 4: Tie ribbon to straw.
Step 5: Put the fishing pole (straw) into the plastic jars. 
 
 
Smarty Party Tip: Pour your dad's favorite drink into the fishing pole DIY to make it cute and functional. Like all of the Father's Day DIY's? You can shop for all of them here! 
 

 

DIY Father's Day Inspiration | www.SmartyHadAParty.com
 
 

Party on, Smarties! With love Smarty had a Party!

3 Bee-utiful Napkin Ideas

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic ·

Make an ordinary party extraordinary!!!

3 Bee-utiful Napkin Ideas | www.SmartyHadAParty.com

Looking to make a buzz at your next party? Summer is right around the corner and to celebrate a little bit early, and since bee and bumblebee themes have been gaining a lot of attention lately, we have some bright inspiration that is inexpensive, bee-utiful, and extremely versatile. Black, yellow, and white with bold patterns and bee-utiful treats will create a darling bumblebee theme for your next event!

Here are some great napkin ideas to illuminate any event and, as a bonus, free printables!

 

Embellish party favors with paper napkins

 

What you need:

 

Directions:

Cut a sliver of the napkin and add it to your party favors - we used the Black Grandeur Paper Dinner Napkins. Carry out the theme by incorporating the same napkin in each place setting. From there, tie a black ribbon around the favor to finish it. Adding a printable to your favors makes them look professional and beautiful. 
 
Smarty Party Theme Idea: "Meant to Bee" is an adorable motif for a wedding. Decorate with yellow, black, and white and maybe even give your guests honey as a wedding favor.

 

  Wrap gifts or favors in a paper napkin

What you need:

  • Paper napkins - we used black grandeur napkins
  • Ribbon - we used black wired edged organza ribbon
  • Free Printables

Directions:

If you are planning on having a gift table at your next event, wrapping small presents in paper napkins and ribbon is a wonderful way to coordinate your gift table with your guest tables. If you are not having a gift table, you can wrap your favors in paper napkins instead.
 
Smarty Party Theme Idea: Having a gender reveal bash? A "What Will Baby Bee" themed reveal party is sure to awe your guests. Have someone put something pink or blue inside of your napkin wrapped box (maybe even some confetti?!) and open it in front of your guests for the big reveal.

Dress up your centerpieces with paper napkins

 

What you need:

  • Vases for centerpieces - we used a glass cube vase
  • Napkins - we used black grandeur napkins
  • Ribbon - we used black satin edged organza ribbon
  • Free Printables

 

Directions:

Fold and attach paper napkins to your centerpieces. Tie a matching bow around the centerpiece and add a printable for that WOW factor.
 
Smarty Party Theme Idea: A "Queen Bee" theme is perfect for Mother's Day or a birthday party. Want matching partyware? 
 
 

Complimentary Smarty Products: 

  

 

The “buzz” on the street is that this party is all the rage!

Party on, Smarties! With love Smarty had a Party!

The Perfect Party Cake

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic ·

Banana-Coconut Upside-Down Cake 

 

If you ever need the perfect cake for a special celebration like a birthday party, bridal bash, baby shower, or summer gathering – this is it! 

Prep Time: 12 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Yield: Serves 8 Cost per Serving: $.93

 

The magic of this delicious upside-down cake is in the reveal: invert the cooled cake over a serving dish and that little flip does all the work for you. Upside-down cakes really are maximum impact with minimum effort.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Topping:
 
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 2 cups loosely packed shredded coconut
 
Cake:
 
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick (1/4 lb.) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup milk

 

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F.
 
Step 2: Make topping: Melt butter over medium-high heat in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet at least 2 inches deep. Stir in brown sugar and cook, stirring often, until smooth, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice; stir until bubbling, about 1 minute. Arrange bananas in a flat layer over the bottom of the pan and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle coconut on top; remove from heat.
 
Step 3: Make the cake: Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter on high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with flour.
 
Step 4: Pour batter over bananas and coconut; spread evenly. Be careful not to mix bananas and coconut into the batter.
  
Step 5: Bake until cake springs back slightly when touched in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cake sit in the skillet for 5 minutes to allow juices to blend into the cake. Run a knife around outside of the cake to loosen, then carefully invert onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. 
  
 

Party on, Smarties! With love Smarty had a Party!

Throw A Green Party With Smarty!

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic ·

 

Parties are serious business...as we very well know! But, unfortunately, they can also be an invitation for excess and waste. Every big life event — birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, holidays, and religious festivals deserve to be marked appropriately. Celebrate in a greenway, and you extend your focus on an environmentally friendly lifestyle to every aspect of the fun.

Smarty cares about the planet just as much as you do. So we’ve collected just a few Smarty tips for being a bit greener at your next event.

 

Start with Eco-friendly Partyware.

First things first - you’ve got to have recyclable and compostable dinnerware at your green party. Forget about those faux-styrofoam potato-based pieces, we’ve got a collection of beautiful palm leaf, bagasse, and birch tableware that will impress even your most discerning guest.

Buy fresh instead of packaged.

One of the biggest sources of waste at every party is food, and this is where you can be eco-friendly. Buying fresh ingredients instead of packaged foods can be a great way to cut down on waste. For example, instead of buying frozen vegetables or meat, go to your local farmer’s market and purchase everything fresh.

 

Dress your tables with reusable centerpieces.

We love a big, beautiful floral centerpiece as much as the next guy... but they’re just not very eco-friendly. Instead, be original and create reusable centerpieces. You can use gorgeous manzanita trees, glass vases, LED lights, water beads, and more. Get creative and combine these elements for environmentally-friendly displays that will have your guests oohing and ahhing.

 

Reuse or gift your table linens. 

While our prices on table linens are some of the lowest you’ll find, that doesn’t mean you should just toss them when the party’s over. Clean them right away and store them for your next party. Or, if you know someone who’s getting married soon or throwing a very special event, help a hostess out by gifting your linens for their use.

 

Don’t let anything go to waste. 

At the end of the night, there’s the inevitable cleanup...and the usual throw-out. But you don’t have to let your leftovers contribute to our landfills. Send guests home with unopened bottles of wine, those reusable centerpieces, and, of course, any leftover food. People love noshing on leftovers the day after a party. Simply order some eco-friendly take out containers before the party, so everyone has something to take home and nibble on. 

 

These are just a few basic ideas on how to be more environmentally conscious when hosting an event. What are some of the earth-friendly things you do at your parties?

 

Party on, Smarties! With love Smarty had a Party!

Cotton Candy Cupcakes Worthy Of A Fairytale!

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic ·


Calling all cotton candy lovers because I’m about to share the cutest party idea ever! There's not a better summer treat than cotton candy, so when you combine those with cupcakes, you get one big (or in this case little) bite of AWESOME. These Cotton Candy Cupcakes are super fun, extremely delicious and adorable, and full of classic cotton candy flavor! They’re perfect for celebrations that kids (and your inner kid) will love!

Yields approximately 2 dozen mini cupcakes.

   

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 3/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 2/3 cups pink vanilla cotton candy sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) softened unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 sticks
  • 4 large egg whites, plus 1 whole egg
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla

Frosting:

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cotton candy flavoring
  • food coloring
  • 1 tablespoon whipping cream

 

Directions:

Step 1: As always, preheat your oven to 350ºF so it can be getting all warm and cozy while you combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together.
Step 2: Using a mixer on low speed, start adding the softened butter, one-half stick at a time, allowing the butter to mix well before adding the next.
Step 3: Next, add one egg white at a time, followed by the whole egg. You want to make sure that all of your eggs are completely blended in, so you don't get a chunky cupcake batter.
Step 4: In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and vanilla extract together and then add it to the bowl of batter in small portions, allowing the mixer to combine the liquid completely before continuing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue to beat for an additional minute or two until the batter is fluffy.
Step 5: If you wish to serve your cupcakes in a small teacup, as shown, you may choose not to use liners when baking. If you opt for this method, be sure to spray your mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray - unless your pan is silicon or already nonstick-coated.
Step 6: Your other option is to bake with cupcake liners and remove them after they've cooled. Fill your mini cupcake molds until they are ⅔ of the way full. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until a toothpick just comes out clean, so as not to overbake. Set aside to cool. In a standing mixer, whisk together the sugar and softened butter on low speed. Once it becomes well blended, increase the speed to medium until the mixture becomes fluffy. Add vanilla, cotton candy flavoring, food coloring, and cream, and beat on medium until well incorporated – about 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with pre-made cotton candy for a fun treasure troll effect!

 


I doubt these cupcakes will grant you wishes if you rub their bellies, though. Be warned - the cotton candy will MELT after being in the open air for a prolonged time, especially in warm/moist conditions (how do you feel about the word "moist"? I know a lot of people who hate that word.... MOIST). Serve your teacup cupcakes on a Smartyware Coral Square Plastic Dinner Plates.

 

Complimentary Smarty Products: 

 
Grape Purple Square Plastic Plates Dinnerware Value Set 7" White Wave Plastic Appetizer/Salad Plates 2 oz. White Square Plastic Mini Coffee Tea Cups Black Plastic Disposable Spoons
 
 
 

Get the centerpiece and table setting look in these related blog posts:   


Awesome Citrus Magic Centerpiece Rethink Your Event's Tablescape - Smarty's Square Collection
 

Party on, Smarties! With love Smarty had a Party!