{Sparkling Inspiration} Celebrating Independence - Don't Forget the Kids!

Right in time for Independence Day, we bring you our grand FINALE from our Independence Day Inspiration shoot and it’s all about the kids! The great thing about the little ones is that it doesn’t take much to please them so we kept it simple. We designed an activity table with the all the works! Loaded with coloring books, crayons, glitter glue and more, this was the perfect setup for any child. We topped it off with a centerpiece that’s great for anybody who loves to dip into DIY projects. We wrapped a clear vase in scrapbook paper and made a few cupcakes on a stick and lollipop to give the illusion of a bouquet. How neat is that!!! Take a peek!

And to end with a little picnic area for the kiddo's! 

I hope we've given you some simple and easy ideas for the upcoming 4th of July holiday! Thanks for reading! 

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{Sparkling Inspiration} Celebrating Independence - Ketchup Tasting Bar

Hey SED fans! It’s time to play “catch up” with our Celebrating Independence party feature we are rolling out and what better way to do it than to bring you Part 3 of our Celebrating Independence inspiration shoot…our Ketchup Tasting Bar! Recently I ran across a restaurant called Ketchup.  It serves any and everything that can be eaten with ketchup.  So as a lover of ketchup, like are you going to have some fries with that ketchup? So a Ketchup Tasting Bar came to mind.  Such a twist! We made sure we included favors that reached everyone’s taste buds. From spicy, sweet, tangy, and classic…we covered it all. Take a peek!

We will be back on Wednesday with the children's table! 

Here is a peek! 

See the rest of our 4th of July Independence Day inspiration shoot! 

PART 1 - Celebrating Independence Brunch Table

Part 2 - Celebrating Independence Desserts

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{Sparkling Inspiration} Celebrating Independence - Desserts!

Happy Monday

Happy Monday from SED! Some people say sequels aren’t as great as the first part, but we prove that theory wrong by bringing you Part Duex of our Independence Party photo shoot. And the sweet part is that we are focusing right on the sweets!!! We’ve all seen the new trend of using indoor furniture for outside events so SED tapped into this by using a beautiful rustic dresser found in a local thrift store. We decided to use it just as is and not refinish it and it turned out to be a great focal piece for the shoot.

Now moving onto the desserts…we did run into a classic mishap with our whoopee pies, the cream inside decided it just wanted to be on the outside on this hot day but we still decided to use them anyway because you know what…sometimes you have to go with what you got and imperfection can be perfect!! We used our motto…K.I.S.S – Keep it Sugary Sweet! Check out the desserts that took this party to the NEXT level.

 Part One of the Celebrating Independence - Table for Brunch

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{Sparkling Inspiration} Celebrating Independence - 4th of July Event

Today, I'm so excited to begin sharing pictures from our 4th of July inspiration shoot.  This is something that we put A LOT of effort into and we hope that you like it and are inspired.  The vision for this photoshoot came from a good friend of mine who recently left her "high-powered" (and highly paid I might add) attorney job to become a teacher.  It wasn't a decision that she came to lightly and it took about a year of soul searching to finally get there.  I'm so proud of her courage and desire to follow her passion, hence, I thought we could have a "Celebrating Independence" party in her honor...which led me to this idea.  4th of July is about our country's independence but it could also be celebrating your own independence from any number of things just like my friend.  So go ahead and plan your own "Celebrating Independence" brunch.  

I wanted this party to be about Independence Day but I didn't want it to scream 4th of July.  I found this fabric and it just about leaped into my cart.   It was so beautiful and perfect for the look I had envisioned.  So this party was 4th of July "deConstructed". I didn't want the typical stars and stripes so I created the pattern for the placecards to match the pattern of the fabric. 

First we have the entrance. A simple welcome sign made of circular pinwheels in different color scrapbook paper. 

Greeted with a tasty beverage and chocolate, what could be better! 

 Live For Today

One of my motto's "Dream Big" 

This table design was really simple to put together, the only thing I purchased for this shoot was the fabric, flowers, and blue martini glasses (found those at the Dollar Store).  

Here are a couple of tips:

1.  Break out your fine china, this is a special celebration - My china was perfect for this shoot because it has a blue and silver ring and I already owned the chargers. 

2.  Hunt for bargains. I purchased those big red round vases from JoAnn's Fabric for $5 bucks on clearance (save them for Valentine's Day and/or Christmas to reuse).

3.  Think of words that describe your independence - use them throughout the party in various ways. 

4. Starting the event off with a tasty beverage is always a great to the party started!  Champagne with fruit or even a refreshing sangria are great choices. 

5.  Take it outside!  Yes, we are beginning summer but this weather is perfect to be outside and soak up some Vitamin-D.  Enjoy the nature! 

On Monday, we will share the dessert table design....here is a sneak peek! 

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{Real Party} 4th of July BBQ - Marley's Dedication

Today I'm excited to share some photographs from our 4th of July BBQ.  As previously mentioned we had our daughter, Marley, dedicated at church on Sunday, so we decided on a "God Bless America and God Bless Marley" theme!  It was such a wonderful and beautiful day.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, not a cloud in sight.  So here are a few pictures from the event.  Details and inspiration credits given at the end! :)

The dessert table!  This was the ONLY picture I got of the table because once it was set up, things went so quickly.  I used the fabric I purchased to wrap a board for the background and red & white striped fabric for the tablecloth. For desserts we had french vanilla cupcakes with blue buttercream icing and red sprinkles. We also had 'pink' meringues because I couldn't get them red enough with the food coloring.  Very yummy! Pom poms were made out of tulle and netting by my mom.  

The guest of honor, our Marley Cakes (as we call her because she's so SWEET)

Here Marley sleeps with the assistant pastor through the whole ceremony!  I'd rather have that then a screaming baby!  

More pom poms because they are so pretty and we had them everywhere! 

I really loved how my mom mixed the colors of the netting!

And finally the evening ended with a little poker! :)  Was a wonderful day ALL THE WAY AROUND! :)

Credits:

Tulle Pom Pom - The idea originally came from Jess from Party Box Designs (aren't Mommy's the bestest!) My mom was already working on red, white and blue tutu's for the girls (which they wouldn't wear but I'll share pictures of them tomorrow) so I told her about the tulle pom pom's and she was all over it!  Thanks PBD! 

Tent - Purchased from Walmart - I rented one last year that was smaller and I know that I'm going to need it for at least two more parties this year, so we went ahead and just bought one! 

Decor - Sparkling Events & Designs, LLC - Made all the tags, signs, labels and invitations 

Rentals - Tables and Chairs from Capital Party Rentals - as much as I use them I really need to invest in my own.

Linens - My own plus some accent fabric purchased from Joanne's fabric. 

Food - My hubby! ;) 

Centerpieces - Red Blumeboxes (I love Blumeboxes to add a touch of color to any table inexpensively)

I'm running on empty! Two events back to back weekends and traveling to NYC this coming weekend... I need one day to do nothing but SLEEP!  Here's to the short week!!! :)
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