inspiration collages

May 9, 2013 No Comments

healthy lunches

Hey everyone, it’s Bridget today!

I’ve got healthy lunches on the brain since my Kindergartener just had her first lunch at school today, normally she’s just half-day. {sniff}

Daily packing with healthy lunch recipes can be a challenge with three kids; and this time of year I feel almost out of ideas and I’m looking for some fresh inspiration for what to pack for lunch.

Kids eat better when they think it’s fun (even if it’s a green veggie!). And what kid doesn’t love to play with their food?! So I rounded up nine fabulous lunch box finds to share:

Tasty Bugs via Nestle Kitchens are sure to have your kiddo bugging out when he opens his lunch box {smirk}
String Cheese Pencils via Moneywise Moms are just “write” for any lunch box! I know, but I’m on a roll!
Sick of sandwiches? Tortellini Salad via Parents is just one a long list of alternate lunch box ideas
Last Day of School lunch via Bento-logy is a charming way to make an impression
Owl Cookie Cutter sandwich via Cookie Cutter lunches will make any lunch a hoot! OK! I promise I’ll stop now

Sometimes a lunch box just needs a key snack or treat to make it exciting:

Sticky Stacky Sandwiches via Super Healthy Kids is just a new twist on an old standby
Cucumber and Hummus Cupcakes via Creative Kid Snacks is fantastic way to add some protein without meat…and it’s super cute!
Lunchbox Planner via a Little Delightful is the perfect way to stay organized. Kids will eat better if they help plan, too
MineCraft lunch via Bent on Better Lunches is full of (healthy) Creepers!

And since you’ve spent the time and energy to make a fun and healthy kid’s lunch, don’t forget to add a little note to your child’s lunch box. We gave these away at the beginning of the school year, but they’re great for the end of the year too!

DOWNLOAD your FREE printable OWL LUNCH BOX NOTES NOW

As always, we hope you’re inspired to craft, bake, create and celebrate! Happy lunching! {grin}

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show off your party and craft ideas!

Good morning! I’ve teamed up with Bird’s Party on a joint linky!

What does that mean? That means when you link up an idea on my blog, it shows up on hers too! {woo hoo!}

Plus, we’re going to pin and feature some of our favorite ideas shared! We’re setting up a joint Pinterest board, but until we get it up later today, you can us on Pinterest: Bird’s Party and Kim {The Celebration Shoppe}.

Okay, a bit of a tech lesson on SEO. Let me tell you a secret. Link Parties are a fabulous way to improve your blog’s SEO! Yep. If you’ve been blogging for while, you’re bound to have been told or read about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how crucial it is to getting your site/blog noticed by search engines such a Google. And having quality links in other blogs or sites that are similar to your own (parties, food, crafts blogs…), is vital to improving your rank, which mean your blog has more chances of being found in a search!

Plus, link parties offer you the chance to get your blog posts noticed and shared by others! Let’s all be good to each other ladies. If you love what you see, share it. It’s a great way to build relationships and show your appreciation for other bloggers.

Okay, so let’s get linky! {grin}

As always, we hope you’re inspired to craft, bake, create and celebrate!

10 yummy graduation party ideas

Hi everyone, it’s Bridget.

Happy May Day! With May, comes the end of the year and lots of happy graduates! As you plan your 2013 graduate party, I hope these graduation party ideas provide a bit of inspiration:

No party is complete without chocolate, so these Chocolate Pastry Diplomas via Celebrations at Home are perfect!
And who doesn’t want a fun and easy Mini Mortarboard Cupcake via The Celebration Shoppe
These lovely Diploma Sandwiches via Sweetology are sweet and simple
Done-ut Graduation Cupcakes are clever and oh so easy… yep, those are Kim’s too {grin}

And don’t miss the rest of these fabulous ideas…

Candy-filled light bulbs via Frog Prince Paperie are a cute nod to your graduates bright future {smirk}
Graduation Peanut Butter Cup Push-Pops via Bake at 350 sound positively yummy!
Congratulate your smarty pants, with Candy Party Favor Diplomas via Party Pinching
Graduation Party Drinks via Wonderphul are a great touch for party beverages.
Roll-Up Diplomas via One Charming Party
Graduation Hat Sandwiches via Sweetology

All the items in our 2013 black and white graduation party supplies collection can be customized to your school colors. Just convo in the shoppe to discuss color choices.

And if you’re looking for more graduation food ideas, or even crafty graduation ideas, hop over to Kim’s Graduation Party Ideas pinterest board!

As always, we hope you’re inspired to craft, bake, create and celebrate! Happy Friday!

graduation party ideas

Are you planning a graduation party and looking for graduation party ideas? These are just a few of my favorite for a black, white and gold graduation party:

Graduation year cupcake toppers (aka party circles) from The Celebration Shoppe
Graduation year on wooden dowels with Chris of Celebrations At Home
Photo banner (perfect to show school pictures through graduation… although I think I would leave out second grade!) Mint Love Social Club
ConGRADulations graduation cap gift box from Shaunte at Crafts Unleashed
Graduation year beverage wrappers from The Celebration Shoppe (available as a set or a la carte)

The best part about starting with basic black and white for your graduation decorations, is that you can add any school color to personalize the party!

All the items in my black and white graduation party supplies collection can be customized to your school colors. Just convo in the shoppe to discuss color choices.

And if you’re looking for more crafty graduation ideas, or even graduation food ideas, hop over to my Graduation pinterest board. It’s packed with fun ideas.

As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake, create and celebrate!

I’m speaking at Bloggy Boot Camp!

Good morning everyone! I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be speaking at the Chicago Bloggy Boot Camp Brand Edition in November, the fifth stop on this year’s conference schedule! If you’ve ever wanted to learn how better to work with brands and monetize your blog, then Chicago is the place you need to be on November 2 and 3!

Dates: November 2-3, 2012
Tickets: $225
Location: Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago {We’ve got a great room rate for downtown Chicago! More details on the Bloggy Boot Camp page.}

The event will kickoff Friday afternoon and evening networking directly with brands, while Saturday is reserved for a full day of education presented not only by bloggers, like myself, but also the PR and brand professionals you want to reach!

Here are a few of the topics for Chicago’s Bloggy Boot Camp Brand Edition:

Paid Blogging Campaigns: How to partner with a brand to successfully execute a paid campaign on your blog.
Brand Ambassadors: Becoming a brand ambassador/social media spokesperson can be a very lucrative opportunity for bloggers. Learn how to pitch and secure these positions.
Work/Life Balance: We all talk about achieving a balance between our online and offline worlds, but how do people really do this? Learn sure-fire techniques to succeed online while managing to not lose sight of the people who really matter.
Managing Social Media for Businesses: Monetizing your blog isn’t the only way to make money online. Another option is to manage social media for a business. Learn how to put your skills to use by growing social media accounts and increasing the bottom line for businesses.
How to Get Help, aka Be More Effective and Work Less: What if it were possible to clone yourself and get more done online? You can, but only if you consider getting an intern or assistant. Let us help you understand how to secure a paid (or unpaid) employee, what to look for in a candidate, and where to find people.

Hop over to Bloggy Boot Camp to learn more about the event, read reviews of other stops this year, see a complete list of speakers with bios and more.

I’d love to see you there!

Join The Celebration Shoppe on facebook, sign-up for the daily ideas to come right to your inbox (a box in the right-side navigation bar), follow us on twitter, pinterest and on instagram at @thecelebrationshoppe

saving sea turtles at the beach

My family is taking a bit of a break this week at the beach. I could show you a million pics of my boys on boogie boards in the ocean, throwing sand on each other or of my husband’s very red feet (they were just peeking out from under the umbrella for too long), but instead I’m going to share this super cute little guy.

There are several sea turtle nests along the beach we’re on and we were really hoping to see them hatch and head out to sea. But instead my son found this little guy washed back on shore. Just think, he made it all the way out (not easy with all the birds scouring the beach) and then he washed back! You could just hear them, like in Nemo, saying ”mine. mine.” {eeek!}

My sweet uncle walked him back out as far as he could, past the crashing waves, and let him go, but he washed back again so we called wildlife rescue. They said he was sick so they took him back to the local aquarium to help him get better before releasing him back into the ocean. I sure hope Squirt makes it! {wink}

I’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week with some fabulous Halloween ideas! Happy weekend everyone!

tailgate party snack ideas

It’s that time of year! It’s football season! And that means it’s time to host tailgate parties! My hubby is a huge football fan, Ohio State football fan to be exact. And I came from a huge football loving family… University of Alabama, Roll Tide Roll! {wink} There aren’t many times when we clash since our teams are in two separate conferences, but when it does happen it’s done all in good spirit and very loud cheering! {grin}

So today I’m talking sweet and savory tailgate party snacks and goodies over on Kellogg’s Snackpicks.com to help kick-off this season. And my first idea was gobbled up as soon as the photos were shot! Guacamole and Town House Flipsides Pretzel Crackers served in single portion fry cones! Other great combinations you could serve are Italian Herb Flatbread Crisps with fresh salsa or Flipsides Pretzel Crackers with queso. YUM!

Hop over to my article on Kellogg’s Snackpicks.com for more ideas! And as always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake, create and TAILGATE!