We held our annual New Year’s Eve party last week and I was able to try out my decorations in our new house.  I also added a few new things this year.  The best new addition was a wreath for the front door.  I bought the silver ball and tinsel wreath after Christmas at Target, then added some NYE flair using a glue gun.  I had to remove a few of the silver ball ornaments from the wreath in order to fit the extra decorations in well.  I added two party horns covered with gold and silver glitter and a silver tiara.  The gold starburst was an ornament I picked up at World Market after Christmas.  I also added an extra strip of tinsel to the outer and inner edges of the wreath for a bit more substance.

In the foyer, I put a crystal clock and two champagne flutes under a glass cloche.  I changed the DIY tinsel-covered numbers to read 2015 on the wall behind the table.  Lastly, I wrapped some gold and silver garlands that I picked up from Walmart after Christmas around the stair banister.

In the living room, I set up the party hats and noisemakers for ringing in the new year at midnight.  I hung a silver mylar “chandelier” above the coffee table.

On the coffee table, I put out little baggies of “Midnight Kisses.”  For dinner we had chili and chicken-corn chowder, cornbread, and buffalo chicken dip.  At midnight, we toasted with champagne with rock candy garnish.

In the den, I added a party hat to the bulldog jar given to me by a good friend this year.  Even Buddy put up with us putting a little hat on him for long enough to snap a picture.

I had the privilege of playing hostess for a bridal shower honoring Bradley’s cousin and his soon-to-be bride.  There were four of us hosting and about 20 guests that attended.  Our house was brimming with people and I think it turned out really well.  As a nod to the couple, we decorated with a rustic chic theme that included burlap and lace.

On the front door, I hung a veil and faux hydrangea bloom in place of a wreath.  Another hostess brought the cute little lanterns and tree slices to line the path on the front porch.

In the foyer, we set up the ‘guest book’, which consisted of paper leaves and flowers I cut out using my Silhouette machine.  Guests left messages on the leaves and then we arranged it into a wreath on a 12×12 piece of scrapbook paper.  The inspiration came from here.  The wooden ampersand cutout came from craftcuts.com.

The food table held tree slab stands from another of the hostess’s wedding, and were made by my father-in-law.  We had pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, vanilla cupcakes with almond buttercream frosting, mixed fruit cups, crackers and cheese, veggies and hummus, and I made ham and swiss sliders using this recipe.

We served water, sweet tea, and a fruity punch.  Also, we set out a Keurig with coffee and chi tea.  I included some rock candy sticks to stir into the coffee.

On the gift table I layered a white table coth, a white lace table cloth and a burlap runner.  Above the table I used an old lace table cloth to cut circles that would fit in some embroidery hoops that were suspended from the ceiling.

As a parting gift, one of the hostesses made some delicious cream cheese mints and packaged them in these cute stamped paper baggies.

2014 has been a year full of babies on my dad’s side of the family.  The fourth baby shower I’ve helped with this year for one of my cousins happened over the weekend.  I had helped throw a Welcome to the World shower for a couple in our small group last year using inspiration for a blue and yellow map/globe theme.  This Welcome to the World shower further inspired my direction.  My cousin’s nursery will have a travel theme, so reusing the theme worked well.

I was able to find an old atlas at Goodwill to use for making decorations.  I made this wreath for the front door using this as inspiration.

In the foyer, I started out putting some globes and a paper suitcase (from Target) on the table, but my cousin made an awesome diaper airplane, so we switched it up last minute.

The Welcome Baby sign consists of a hot air balloon and banner cut on my Silhouette machine and chipboard letters onto which I mod-podged maps.

The food table had brie bites on another paper suitcase, chocolate-covered strawberries, fruit and veggie platters, and a cute gift-themed cake.  Above the table, I hung embroidery hoops with maps in them.

Above the gift table, I hung a wire mobile with 3D paper hot air balloons.  I found a cute canvas bin at Kohls that seemed like the perfect size for a stack of diapers to hold her gift.

Here are photos from our friends’ shower at which I originally used many of these decorations last year – just at someone else’s home.  We made it an ice cream social with our community group from church.

I set the BABY  sign on the mantle and made paper ornaments to hang from the mantle .  On either side of the gift-opening area, I hung bunches of blue lanterns and yellow honeycomb balls.

We got to throw our first Memorial Day cookout in the new house yesterday.  We had a few more people and quite a few more kids this year, but I felt like we had plenty of room.  I set the food table up in the breakfast area and put the small table in the living room for extra seating.  I had a lot of fun with the decorations this year.  Behind the food table, I hung a cluster of paper fans (that I actually found on clearance after Christmas).

We did our standard low-country boil and Bradley added a few racks of ribs from the BGE this time.

At the entrance, I hung the wreath I’ve been working on for the past week.  I found the tutorial for the wreath here and the felt flowers here.  I also put our bocce ball set in a cute red metal basket from Target by the front door.

I used my red polka dot tablecloth on the foyer table, with a little lantern I had painted blue at the old house.

On the mantle I strung up some paper fireworks I made following this tutorial.  This was probably my favorite project I worked on for this year’s party.

The last of the three cousin showers I helped with happened last weekend.  It was the only girl shower that my mom, cousin and I got to plan.  We went with a Sugar and Spice theme, which is wide open for interpretation, but I found some cute inspiration online.

For the gift table, I hung a dozen white tissue honeycomb balls and a sugar and spice, everything nice banner made using this kit from Rifle Paper Co.  My cousin made the adorable diaper tricycle on the table.

We used a lot of pretty cut glass dishes on the food table – I made chicken salad on croissants, sugar donut muffins and pumpkin spice muffins.  I also put out some sugared peach candies and rock candy sticks.  My mom made sugared and spiced pecans as well as a fruit and angel food cake trifle.  My cousin made chocolate-dipped oreos and Strawberry Lemonade Punch.  She also made the white tutu that we used under the cake stand.

Above the drink table, I hung a set of the Martha Stewart Pink Accordion Lanterns.  On the table, I added my gold sequined table runner that I use at my New Year’s Eve parties for a little extra sparkle.  I also rimmed the glasses with light pink sugar sprinkles and set out some pink and white striped paper straws.  The flowers came from mom’s yard.

Bradley nailed the design for our invitations (my inspiration came from here).  I love the way they turned out.