Back to School! Breakfast

Woohoo! It’s back to school for my kiddos today! We were actually all so excited about it that I thought it’d be fun to have a low-key “back to school breakfast” for my loves. And it forced me to finally “interview” both of my kids, which I’ve really been wanting to do, so I’m going to pretend it was my plan all along to do a back to school interview. It’s all up over at Honest to Nod today — check it out!

Want to hear your own kids say sweet and funny stuff? Just click right here to download our free Back to School Interview printable!

And thanks to The Land of Nod for gifting us the Meri Meri Toot Sweet Collection items and the growth chart!

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Kids Science Club

In case you missed it, we shared our fabulous Kids Book Club last week over at The Land of Nod’s blog, Honest to Nod. We all had such a blast at Book Club that when The Land of Nod asked what else we were cooking up for our kiddos this summer, we knew instantly that we had to expand our club idea to a Kids Science Club. And, fortunately for us, The Land of Nod has the most perfect party supplies available for our meetings. We got together for a few fun experiments, some sweet snacks, and lots and lots of fun. And we’re sharing it all over at Honest to Nod today.

We love our club so much that we think you should have one too! And to help you out, we’re offering a few free printables that coordinate well with the Meri Meri Fundamental Party Collection that we used — links to the downloads are below! The supplies are so, so cute, that we couldn’t help but think how super easy it would be to turn our little science club into a birthday party. So we went ahead and designed a printable invitation and party pack (including the straw flags, 2″ party circles, and milk wraps you can see at our club) all easily customized for your little scientist with a big day coming up. Take a look and gather those summer loves for some science fun!

Fete on!

Free Printable Links:
– Science Club Labels — can be used as place cards, food labels, experiment labels … the options are endless.

– DIY Rock Candy Favor Tags — see how we used these to put together a little tasty take home experiment! these are sized to fit 6-ounce mason jars, but you can adjust the size when printing to fit your own needs.

DIY Favor Tags + Stickers

I’ve run the gamut on party favors: from homemade slime for a kiddo birthday party to more upscale bath + beauty products at a wedding shower, and everything in between. And I’ve finally settled on my favorite favor presentation for most small’ish items (and I’ve also settled on giving away small items in general): a clear bag, made sturdy with a favor tag inside, and folded over and secured with a coordinating sticker on the back. It’s a no-fuss, minimal packaging that still looks well styled.

I’ve been using these so much lately that I thought I’d share a set of bright, summer-colored tags and stickers with you! {Just read through the directions and click the link at the bottom of the post to download}. In addition to whatever favor you’re giving away (our DIY lip balm is a great favor, btw), you’ll need:

– white, heavyweight cardstock (at least 90 lb weight) to print the favor tag
– full sheet sticker/label paper to print the stickers
– a 1.5″ round punch
– a pair of scissors
– clear plastic favor bags (the files are set up for 4.75″ X 6.75″ bags, but if you have smaller ones, just reduce the size when you print)

1. Print out the tags onto heavyweight card stock and cut out. Print stickers onto sticker sheet and punch out. 

2. Place favor tags into plastic bag and add your favor. Leaving enough room for the favor, fold the plastic bag to the back.  

3. Secure the flap of the plastic bag on the back with sticker. 

CLICK RIGHT HERE to download your free set of favor tags (first page) and stickers (second page). Fete on!

DIY Block Letter Garland

I’m going to guess that you already know that I LOVE a good garland. They’re such an easy way to decorate for almost any occasion. And I’ve really been loving all of the block letter garlands out there recently. But what if you want one that says something other than Happy Birthday? Sure, you can custom order one, but that can get spendy (although we’d be happy to make one for you!). So I thought I’d put together a free printable template (link at end of post) for you to easily make your own! The possibilities for these lovely letters are really endless. You can print them full size onto colored paper, use white paper and paint them in yourself, reduce the size and make a mini garland, make your own template to trace onto fancy paper … I’ve shown just a few ideas below. Don’t worry about cutting out the letters perfectly or spacing them exactly evenly — I think making it look handmade just adds character! Happy garlanding!

 1. Simple message, bold prints. I printed out the initials of my husband and me and added a simple plus sign in between. I find that if you’re not using many letters, it’s easiest to simply tape the letters on to twine and they’ll stay lined up enough. This would also look cute framed.

2. Colorful letters, silly words. It’s spring and I’M HAPPY! For a longer garland, I suggest actually stringing the letters onto twine (see our pennant bunting directions 2 – 4).

3. Short saying, sparkly letters. Sometimes you just need to pat yourself on the back. Glitter always helps. I printed the letters out at 25% size onto card stock, cut them out, and then traced them onto the back of glittered card stock. Once I cut those out, as with 1., I just taped these letters on to the twine and then tied the twine onto two bamboo skewers to make a mini cake garland.

CLICK HERE to download the free block letter garland!

Holiday Wine Labels

In our first post of Fete Favorites, I told you about my love of gifting wine and creating my own labels. Whether it be host/hostess gifts or just because you like your friends, wine is always a good gift. And, because I like you {our readers}, I’m giving you two free printable holiday wine labels that I designed for this season. The first is a 3″ wrap that is as easy as cutting out and wrapping around the bottle. The second is a 2.5″ round label that you can hang from the neck of a bottle if the bottle is too large or if the existing wine label is too long for the 3″ wrap to cover.

Below are steps to follow once you print out the wrap and/or labels. It is so simple that it almost seems silly to outline the steps but here they are just in case…

Peace, Love and Wine Bottle Wrap

1. Print out the wine bottle wrap  sheet {there are two wraps per 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper} and cut out with an x-acto knife or simply cut with scissors if you have a steady hand.

2. Once the wrap is cut out, put double sided tape or adhesive on one end of the wrap.

3. Simply wrap the paper the bottle and line up the two ends. There should be about 1/4″ overlap of paper. Now you’re done and ready to gift. How simple was that?!

Peace, Love and Wine Circle Label

1. Print the circle label template out and line up a circle cutter over the label. I have this great circle cutter by Fiskars that can cut circles any size between 1″ – 8″.

2. Punch a hole at the top of the white space of the label and thread some bakers twine through the hole.

3. Tie a knot in the twine and just rest it over the neck of the bottle. A few more steps with this one but still pretty easy!

‘Tis the season to give wine so get out there and start gifting!

A S’mores Party

Fall, it’s my absolute favorite time of year. The colors, the smells, the crisp refreshing air – I love all of it. I always get a bit sad after Halloween because I know that November is going to fly by with preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then fall is essentially over.

But this year, I’m determined to take a step back and savor the last few weeks of fall before all of the holiday madness begins. What better way than to relax outside in front of a roaring fire roasting marshmallows? I can’t think of one.

Now get out there, enjoy fall and start roasting…

 

1. S’MORES party invitation by A Feteful Life!
2. Skip the bagged grocery store marshmallows, check out the amazing gourmet marshmallows at SweetJubles
3. It’s getting cold outside so stay cozy with this gorgeous throw from Room & Board.
4. No fire pit, no problem. This portable {and eco-friendly} bonefire log from Essay Group is less than $10 so you can get a couple and set up multiple roasting stations.
5. Gooey, Melty, & Crunchy food labels. Get your free printable here.

 

 

 

Hello! and Fete Favorites

Fete (n.): An elaborate party.

Hello and welcome to A Feteful Life! If life is anything, it is an elaborate party. But we believe it can be celebrated in the simplest of ways. This blog is our place to collect and share ideas to do just that: fete everyday life. Always simple, never plain.

Here you’ll find celebration ideas, yummy things to eat, DIY projects to create, things we love, and {yes!} free printables. To kick off our blog, we wanted to share with you our fete favorites. Are you ready? It’s {always} time to celebrate!

Rebecca’s Fete Favorites

1. Celebrate. I am perpetually trying to convince someone to have a Dia de los Muertos birthday party. It’s in keeping with my love of celebrating all parts of life and I am obsessed with the contrast of black and white popped by blindingly bright colors. Plus, skulls. Yet the holiday just passed again with nary a sugar skull in sight at our house. I’m hoping for next year and I think these sugar skull cookie cookies from SweetWildFlour would be a fabulous addition.

2. Eat. A recent Paleo convert, I love to find ways to satisfy a crunchy snack craving. Kale chips are incredibly addicting and incredibly expensive, particularly if you eat a whole package at once. This homemade recipe for vegan cheesy kale chips has done the trick and even my daughter asks repeatedly for “those seaweed chips.” (I sub coconut aminos for the soy sauce).

3. Create. I’m a firm believer that glitter makes everything better. There are many situations in life where less is more, but I don’t think that glitter is one of them. I’m a DIY glitter maniac and am all over these DIY glittered letters from b.loved.

4. Love. One of the things I love most in life is laughter. My husband {Joel} is one of the funniest people I know and I’ve been known to record the sound of my kids giggling. We’ve recently started this Q&A a day for kids journal and my kids’ answers constantly have me in stitches. You just never know what’s going to come out of their mouths. HIGHLY recommend.

5. Give. I can’t think of a party I’ve styled or a holiday celebrated that hasn’t involved a pennant banner in one form or another. It’s an easy way to add color, spell out a message, decorate a cake, or sprinkle sparkle throughout a room. And I find that I reuse them over and over again. I love this super sweet mini banner from TheTinyCrafter, but you can also make your own from just about anything! BECAUSE we’re giving you a handy pennant banner template. JUST CLICK RIGHT HERE. This template is for a 6 X 6 inch banner piece, but you can change the size by printing it at whatever % scale you want on your printer settings. Just print it on heavy cardstock and trace it on the back of whatever media you’d like to use. Cut the pieces out, follow the guide to cut slits, and string the pieces up. Instant party.

Suzanne’s Fete Favorites

1. Celebrate. My husband {Jim} is a doughnut fanatic and has consequently converted our kids. Every Saturday morning he loads them in the car and takes them out for doughnuts while I get to sleep in {heaven}. So, in honor of their mutual obsession of this sugary confection I threw my son a doughnut birthday party this year. Hands down it was my favorite party I have ever thrown. It was so simple and yet so indulgent. While I don’t usually repeat parties, I think I may have to make this one a tradition. Next time I’m definitely hitting up Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken for some of these beautiful artisan doughnuts. Yum!

2. Eat. When a big snowstorm is announced on the news, most people flock to the grocery store to load up on essentials. Not me, I rush there to load up on ingredients for recipes that I have been dying to try. Last year we only had one sad little snow day, but that one day resulted in my absolutely favorite bread discovery. In less than 5 minutes of hands on work you can make the most wonderfully crusty and chewy bread. Thank you Jim Lahey and the NY Times for changing my {baking} life.

3. Create. I come from a family that loves to fete. We’re lucky enough to live close to each other so we are always getting together to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc. And, the majority of these celebrations happen at my house. I feel like I’m always hanging up or taking down streamers. When I saw these easy DIY watercolor streamers on dandee, I knew I had to make them for our next celebration.

4. Love. Wine + California = Perfection. I spent 3 magical years in California while I went to design school and during that time I fell totally in love with wine country. Napa, Sonoma, Central Coast, it doesn’t matter – it’s all amazing.  Jim and I have visited a few times since we moved back east and each time I fall even more in love. We were just in Napa in August with some very dear friends and we discovered a new favorite: Larkmead Vineyards. The tour of the vineyards and tasting on the veranda with Sonny is an absolute must.

5. Give. I have a friend that loves sparkling wine. A lot. So when she got married I was racking my brain trying to think of something to give her. I came up with the idea of giving her and her husband bottles of champagne to open on their 6 month, 1 year, and 5 year anniversaries. I created custom gift labels for them in the colors of their wedding. From that point on I started to make these wine labels for other weddings and hostess gifts. And because I love giving them so much, I decided to give you two free printable thank you wine labels. One round which works perfectly with these Paper Source label sheets and one square which you can print on full sheet label paper. Click here for the circle template OR click here for the square template.