When I was a little girl, I used to always say that when I grew up, I wanted to be a teacher, just like my mom.  Then as I grew older and watched my mother come home each night with homework to grade and tests to make, I slowly started to see just how much hard work and dedication it took to be a teacher.  And it of course doesn’t stop there, as she would go to workshops, plays, sporting events, etc.  during all of her free time…not including all of my extracurriculars!  It was at this point that I thought, maybe being a teacher really wasn’t as easy as you’d think it would be.

Our teachers work so hard to provide our children with an education, emotional support and a safe place to learn, play and grow!  One day a year, we celebrate our hard working teachers which, let’s face it, spend as much time with our children each day, as we do!  National Teacher Day, (National Teacher Appreciation Day), is Tuesday, May 7th…and it’s the perfect time to make your child’s teacher or coach feel appreciated and loved by not only their students, but by the parents of the students, as well!

What can you do to show your appreciation?  My favorite way is to send the kids to school with a letter to the teacher thanking them, a bouquet of fresh flowers or a unique gift that they can either use at home or in the classroom.   I found this amazing teacher supply cake here to the left on the blog, Three Pugs & a Baby.  Not only is this supply cake adorable, it is also extremely useful for helping your child’s teacher refresh their school supplies.  Crayons, markers, glue, tissues, hand sanitizer – you name it!

Simply hit up your local Wal-Mart or Target for supplies including paper mache boxes, ribbon, cotton balls, pencils, crayons, markers, glue sticks, glue, travel hand sanitizer, Kleenex, rubber bands, a hot glue gun and cake board.  You can leave the mache boxes empty, or fill them with leftover supplies.  You can hot glue each item to the round boxes, or rubber band them to the outside, if the rubber band is large enough.  Glue dots are also a great alternative, and are easier for the teacher to remove the supplies.  Wrap each layer with a thick ribbon, which will hide the rubber bands and you’ll be all set.  This project is so adorable and any teacher would be overjoyed to receive it!

If you’re looking for something personalized, we have great National Teacher’s Day gifts that can be personalized for your son or daughter’s teacher.  Our personalized teacher gifts collection features, from customized notepads and note cubes to desk planners, monogrammed mugs, clip boards, coasters, picture frames, water bottles and wall art.  Personalize it with your child’s teacher’s name formal name, or their first name for something they can use at home.  We also offer engraved gifts featuring compact mirrors, key chains, trinket boxes and paper weights.  If your teacher sends home lots of notes or puts stickers on children’s papers, try out our teacher self-inking stamp, which you can personalize with her name, “from the desk of” or “GRADE A WORK!”.  Each time she uses her stamp she’ll be thinking of your child!

Let your child’s teacher know how special and vital they are to you and your family.  Your child’s education is priceless – celebrate their special teacher this National Teacher’s Day!

One of the things I fondly remember from my childhood was the totally fun and unique ways my mom would serve us food.  I was an extremely picky eater, but I remember that she would get me to eat just about anything, as long as it was on a stick or arranged in a funky way.  My favorite thing she made was little bugs made from toothpicks, cheese and grapes – adorable!  We also had a sandwich book that showed you how to make animals and colorful roll-ups out of your sandwich ingredients.

Now as an adult I find myself having the same issues my mom had with me with my own children – where if they could choose, we’d be eating processed chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese and oreos for dinner each night.  It’s time to have fun with food, and that’s what today’s blog is all about!  The more fun you have making it, the more fun your kids will have eating it!  And these fun ideas are super simple, so you can even let the kids help you create it!    Check out these bright ideas and make your own food creation tonight!  Just watch as the kids line up to help – and ask for seconds!

I can’t wait to try this fun with food project with the kids!  It can turn Sunday brunch into an event my kids actually like attending!  This adorable food inspiration is from Spoonful.com, and it’s called the Crabby Crabwich.  It only takes a few simple ingredients to make this crab, and I like that you can fill your croissant with whatever food suits your taste buds, (I was thinking eggs and cheese, because my kids will not go anywhere near anything with the word “salad” in it)!  To make your Crabby Sandwich, all you have to do is slice and fill your croissant and tuck six baby carrots into the edges, which will make your crab’s legs.  Slide 2 1/2 inch balls of cream cheese onto tooth picks and garnish with 2 black olive slices for eyes.  Cut the tips off your croissant and slide in two pieces of red bell peppers to make claws, (or change it up and do strawberries instead)!  Add half of a radish for a smile, adhering it to the croissant with a dot of cream cheese.  My mouth is watering already!

Perfect for after school or in-between play, the folks over at Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons certainly have healthy snacktime down-pat with this adorable Peachy Parrot snack!  It’s great because it only involves four simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry, (well, except for the peaches)!  Simply cut the peaches in half – one for your parrot body and the other for his face. Place them face down with a pretzel rod directly below it.  Take another peach and cut it in half.  Cut the halves into thin slices to make your wings, beak, feathers and feet.  The eyes are made with mini marshmallows cut in half, with two chocolate chips for the eyes, (yum)!  If you want to add a little sweet, make sure everything sticks together with a small dot of frosting or yogurt!

One of my favorite websites for festive foods, Hungry Happenings featured this adorable dinnertime meal that doubles as a fun Halloween treat or a creepy critter to add to your son’s plate at dinner.  Corn Dog Centipedes are super easy, as you only need three simple ingredients – mini corn dogs, chow mein noodles (or potato sticks) and 2 dots of ketchup.  First bake your corn dogs according to your package directions.  When you remove them from the oven, reduce the temperature to 200 degrees.  Use about 9 corn dogs for each centipede and arrange them in a squiggly line.  Press your potato sticks or chow mein noodles in the sides and front of the corn dogs to create your legs, tail or antennae.  Place into a warm oven until ready to serve, and then finally dot the front of each bug with two ketchup eyes.

Nothing is better then spending the day at the spa with your girlfriends; it’s the perfect stress reliever, and the perfect chance to talk – really talk.  This past month I tried to book a spa day for a friend and myself at our local spa and it would have been over $400 EACH for four hours of relaxation.  Not that there’s a price for a stress-free day, but I don’t want to cause more stress for myself at the end of the month because I went over budget on a whim.

If you’re like me, and enjoy the benefits of the spa, but prefer to keep your money in your wallet, there’s still hope!  Create your own spa at home and invite all of your best gal-pals to join you!  It can actually be the perfect low-budget party, (to be honest, I found a site that promoted a home spa day with everything purchased from the dollar store – score)!  Ask each girl to come with a robe in-hand.  You can offer terrycloth flip flops, which are perfect after pedicures, and make a perfect party gift.

Have plenty of wine or bubbly on hand, which will make the girl-talk flow so much easier, (as if you needed help)!  Or, if you’re looking to rejuvenate, you can also create your own spa-inspired drink with a glass of cucumber lemon water, with just a hint of mint.  From the first sip you’ll automatically be thinking SPA.    Simply slice your cucumber and lemon slices extremely thin and let them seep into spring water for about an hour before serving.  Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and you’ve got a refreshing spa drink for everyone to admire.

Have a stylish chalkboard frame on your coffee table listing the treatments your home spa will be offering that day – think manicure, pedicure, foot soak, lip scrub or face mask…easy spa ideas which only take 20-30 minutes to do.  Put on some relaxing spa music to set the tone, (and yes, Spotify actually has spa/zen music that you can playlist)!   Be sure to have plenty of basins, towels, nail files and nailpolish on hand for all of your guests.  If you don’t have enough nailpolish to go around, try asking each guest to bring a brand new bottle of nailpolish with them to your spa party.  You can put them at your pedicure area and have each guest take a different polish home with them at the end of the evening.

Below you’ll see a really fun collage which will help you create the perfect spa day.  My favorite is that At Home Spa Treatment which gives you the exact ingredients you’ll need to mix up the perfect facials, moisturizers and scrubs, using things you likely already have in your pantry!

cucumber water ~ facial ingredients ~ rose water ~ face mask ~ spa gift ~ serenity candle ~ friends

robe ~ polish ~ bath bombs ~ nail file ~ mask ~ bubble bath ~ mini face masks

Ready to host your own at-home spa party?   You can host one just for the fun of it, or let it be the theme for your next birthday party, bridal shower or bridal luncheon!  Set the scene with a spa party invitation that will get everyone in the mood for relaxation.  At InvitationBox you’ll find the perfect spa party invitations for teens, brides and adults.  From cucumber eyes to foot spas, pedicures, manicure essentials, spa scenes and girls wrapped in spa towels, you’ll have exactly what you need to set the scene for your special spa day!

Gentlemen (and Ladies), place your bets! The 139^th annual Kentucky Derby will be held on Sunday, May 4^th, which marks the best two minutes in sports each year.  There’s really nothing else quite like it, when everyone dons their most sophisticated attire along with the traditional large brimmed hats for the women, and heads to the tracks with a mint julep in hand to watch their horse and jockey near the finish line.  Some are lucky enough to attend the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, and others will watch from home as southern tradition comes to life for this special event.  Will your favorite thoroughbred receive the Triple Crown this year?  You just never know.

Now is the perfect time to begin planning your Kentucky Derby party, and make it an annual event for everyone to attend year after year…especially if the tracks at Louisville are nowhere close.  A member of our marketing team told us about her friend that hosts an annual Kentucky Derby tailgate, where she mixes southern tradition, (i.e. formal china and silver, the dresses/hats), with modern tailgate, (fried chicken and a laid back atmosphere).  What a cute idea this was…which totally inspired my blog today!

When anyone mentions the Kentucky Derby, my thoughts automatically go to beautifully dressed women with large, over-the-top hats and floral dresses, and men in bow ties.  Truth: as much as the Kentucky Derby is about the horses, it’s also about the traditional southern attire that seems to surface year after year.  Traditional Derby wear for women is a formal day dress or a floral sundress, along with perfectly matching heels.  Jewelry is typically understated featuring pearls and light bangles, which don’t draw attention away from the gorgeous large hats that we all iconize with the Kentucky Derby.  Typically with Kentucky Derby hats, the larger the brim and the bolder the floral or feather décor on the hat, the better.  One of my favorite things to do in the days after the Kentucky Derby is browse through the craziest hats that people wore this past derby season.  Anything goes with Kentucky Derby hats!  The crazier the better.  Women typically attend events with two bags, one clutch for placing bets and mingling, and one stylish tote for the day’s essentials.  Men attend the Kentucky Derby dressed in seersucker suits with vibrant pants in hues of red, green, yellow or orange.  A bright dress shirt is always popular with a colorful bow tie.  Vineyard Vines does the official style of the Kentucky Derby.

hat ~ dress ~ shoes ~ nails ~ clutch ~ necklace ~ earrings ~ eyes

When planning your Kentucky Derby party décor, consider creating an outdoor event with straw bales for seating, which you can cover in jockey silks.  Your table can be easily decorated with iron horseshoe napkin holders, which also work great for windy days to hold down table cloths.  Romantic florals are an important part of each table setting, featuring jockey silk themed mason jar vases to hold fresh garden roses and peonies.  Serve your food dishes on your finest china and silver.  A great idea for décor that I found this year was a red rose champagne ice chiller.  You’ll want to have plenty of bubbly cold and on-hand as the races commence, so that winning bets can celebrate.  Simply freeze your fresh (unopened) rose buds in ice cubes the day before your party, and then decorate your champagne and ice bucket for a romantic and useful décor.  Once the ice melts, you’ll have a gorgeous bucket of roses rather than a bucket of soiled water.  Need a pick-me up for your mixed derby drinks?  Try a fun (and easy) DIY project with folded flag drink stirrers, which make the perfect drink accompaniment.

roses ~ table ~ straw bales ~ peonies ~ folded flag drink stirrers

A Kentucky Derby party wouldn’t be complete without traditional southern cuisine!  Create a gorgeous sampling of southern foods with fried chicken, pulled pork sliders, potato salad, watermelon salad bites and biscuits.  The less messy the food, the better, which is why my favorite Derby recipe is always Cucumber Benedictine Sandwiches, which combine a delicious combination of cucumbers, cream cheese, onion, Tabasco, salt and white or wheat bread.  They’re elegant, dainty and absolutely delicious!  Be sure to refresh your guests’ taste buds with a refreshing mint julep cocktail, lemonade or a Long Island Iced Tea!

cucumber tea sandwiches ~ pie ~ watermelon ~ sliders ~ mint julep

Have strange things been happening to you all day today? Heard some bad news about a friend or family member? It’s April Fool’s Day…so don’t let too many people tell you a story today without being a bit skeptical! Usually a group of us stays late at the office on March 31st so that we can prepare all of our tricks for April Fool’s Day. A few years ago we played some amazing office pranks, from covering our Vice President’s desk with sticky notes to covering customer service’s phones with elastic bands.   However with April 1st being on the Monday after Easter this year, I’m sad to say that the office pranks were at a minimum this year…although there’s still a little bit of time left in the day!

So what are some really great April Fool’s Day pranks that you can play on your friends, family and co-workers?  I found a few really fun April Fool’s Day pranks online this morning, and I felt compelled to share – far be it for me to deny anyone the perfect April Fool’s Day prank!

1 – Place mini marshmallows ontop of the blades of your ceiling fan and ask someone to turn the fan on because it’s getting a bit hot!  Not only will they fly everywhere, it will suddenly appear to be snowing!

2 – Create a screenshot of a co-workers desktop and then hide all of their icons into a folder on their normal desktop.  Replace their background with the new screenshot you just took, and watch as they wonder why none of their icons on their desktop will open or work.

3 – At the office, bring in soda for everyone to share with solo cups.  Ahead of time, punch tiny holes right below the rim of each cup and watch as the drinker tribbles all over their shirt, not knowing why they can’t stop dribbling!

4 – If your co-worker has  a wireless mouse, place a piece of tape over the laser so that they have no reaction from their mouse once it is moved.

5 – When the kids are fast asleep, pick them up and move them to someone else’s bed.  Watch their amazed faces when they wake up somewhere other than where they went to sleep.

6 – Borrow someone’s cell phone when they aren’t looking and change the language to something foreign.

7 – Bring multiple outfits to work and change every few hours.

8 – Take an item from a co-worker’s desk and leave behind a ransom note.

9 – Put a note on your office copier that reads “The copier is finally voice activated, please press the green button and then begin speaking your commands”.  Be sure to have a video camera ready for future enjoyment.

10 – Leave a pair of boxers in the men’s room which have someone’s name on the tag, (make sure it is visible).

11 – Put a “blue screen of death” as someone’s screen saver

12 – Paint a bar of soap with clear nail polish so that it won’t suds up when wet.

13 – Fill cups with red jello and a straw instead of juice and give it to the kids for snack.

Looking for more April Fool’s Day jokes?  The Huffington Post has a great reporting on 2013′s best April Fool’s Day jokes which is constantly updated.  Google Blue & Google Nose were my absolute favorites!

In just a few months summer will be be in full swing, which means it’s time to start thinking about your daughter’s upcoming birthday party!  I always love a great party theme that gets the kids excited, as well as takes me back to my childhood while planning it!

Back in the day, my friends and I were always pretending that we were Ariel from The Little Mermaid each time we jumped into the pool.  If you were the lucky one who got to be Ariel that day, you’d jump out of the water and perch yourself on the edge of the pool singing “Part of Your World“.  I’m not sure if it was how pretty Ariel’s hair was, the fact that she had a talking crab as a best friend or that she got to married a handsome prince that we liked best…but we always wanted to be her!  Dinglehopper anyone?!

You can bring the magic from under the sea to life at your daughter’s birthday party, whether she’s turning two or seven.  A mermaid party is the trending theme for little girls, and it’s a fairly simple party to plan!  You can set the scene with a mermaid invitation or a pool party invitation if you’ll be hanging out in your back yard pool.  My favorite is this formal Seaside Invitation by Checkerboard, which is actually a stylish layered ensemble with a white top card and a lagoon bottom card, which is wrapped with a silver cord.  A tiny seashell motif subtly gives way to the beachy/tropical theme, which I just love.  The best part about this invitation is the seashell envelope liner, which acts as the perfect finishing touch for presenting your party theme.

Your mermaid party will give you so many possibilities for location, decoration and party treats.  If hosting your party at home, a twisted blue, teal or green streamer against a wall will help you create seaweed and ocean waves.  Colorful paper poms strung together from the ceiling easily look like floating sea creatures for an under the sea masterpiece.  Dress the party guests and the guest of honor in a fun mermaid beach towel or a pastel tutu – whatever makes them feel most like a mermaid princess.  For a party craft, have each guest create their own mermaid wand for creating under the sea magic.

punch ~ cupcakes ~ cake ~ tutus ~ flip flops ~ cake pops ~ party spread

In the collage above, you’ll see a variety of fun suggestions for planning the perfect mermaid party.  I absolutely love the ombre mermaid cake which features mermaid tail scales which fade from a pale blue to a deep teal color.  A touch of gold shimmering frosting creates a seaweed garnish good enough to eat!  You can even carry this theme into your cake pops, or small cupcakes with white frosting, dusted with silver edible pearls.  A white chocolate mermaid tail (colored teal with food dye) makes the perfect cupcake topper.  Offer your guests a fruity teal punch that looks like it came from a tropical paradise.  Be sure to send each guest home with a fun under the sea themed party favor, like the vibrantly colored flip flops below, displayed in a treasure chest.

Have you jumped onto the washi tape bandwagon yet? I honestly thought there wasn’t anything more addicting than Pinterest, however, I have now moved onto a new obsession, introduced to me by a coworker, and now I am spending way too much time using pinterest to search ideas on how to use washi tape!!  I will pre-apologize, because after reading through this blog you’ll be finding ways to use washi tape in your life too!

So what exactly is washi tape?  Washi tape is basically a gorgeously decorated masking tape that originates from Japan.  But it’s not your everyday masking tape that you use to mark up floors, tape a temporary fix or write on to protect a surface.  It’s a DIY crafter’s dream that’s available in a variety of thicknesses, designs colors and patterns upon patterns!  Washi tape is made of sticky paper, which is composed of a combination of natural fibers from hemp, bamboo or other trees, however it is much stronger than you would think.

Washi tape has taken the world by storm and you’ll not only see it by the registers at checkout, or in the art section of your local target, but you’ll see it sold in many places on the internet, my favorite being Etsy.  Washi tape is not only cute, it’s also affordable.  Rolls typically range from $3 – $7, depending on how large, decorative or thick the roll of tape.  Most manufacturers sell bulk packages where you can pick your own patterns to bundle and save.  Vendors are even offering washi tape storage cases and towers so that you can keep your washi tape organized.

Just what can you do with the washi tape?  EVERYTHING!  I created a collage of some of my most favorite uses below, including creating party favor tags, decorating your keyboard, creating your own iPhone cover, creating a design on a flower vase, adding a border to a cup or creating patterned letters for your son or daughter’s nursery or room.  My favorite way to use washi tape is wrapping a present in white wrapping paper and then decorating it with unique patterns and lines of washi tape.   It’s a perfectly fun, trendy and inexpensive way to turn a boring box or wrapping paper into something fabulous!  You can also stick two pieces of washi tape together to create a matching bow or ribbon.  Washi tape is also a scrapbooker’s dream as it creates a really fun and unique way to create borders or frames around photos and images – throw that old ruler away!

cups ~ gifts ~ phone case ~ vase ~ tape rolls

Feeling a bit inspired?  Look for upcoming spring designs which will feature a few washi tape-inspired looks.  You can also send us pictures of your washi tape creations and we’ll feature them in a future blog to help inspire other DIY-ers.

*A special thanks to Cristen Pallante for sharing her DIY washi tape creations with her Mac keyboard and baby nursery letters…adorbs!

It’s finally here…today is the first day of spring!  I am sure our northern customers are overjoyed at that statement today, as from what I understand, you’ve been buried in snow all winter long!  We only saw one snow dusting here in NC this past winter, but any weather below 30 degrees is enough to chill me to to the bone!  Bring on the warm spring weather!!

Spring offers so much promise, from fun activities with family and friends to a brand new wardrobe, flowers in the garden and enjoying the daylight hours long after work and school get out.  Spring is one of my favorite times of year at Ibox, as we get to see all of the brand new product that will be on our website in the coming months.  Our vendors and designers work extremely hard in the fall and winter months to follow trends in stationery, fashion and party planning to bring those trends to paper!

Noteworthy Collections has given us a sneak peek at some of their brand new wedding invitation designs that they’ll be releasing to us exclusively in the next few weeks, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!  To be quite honest, I couldn’t keep it a secret any longer, so I thought we’d preview four of their brand new designs to you today, so that you can get an idea of what designs you’ll be seeing once the entire collection is released.  Each wedding invitation is paired with a collage to give you some modern wedding inspiration.

Washi Tape Inspiration - I promise that I will do a blog on washi tape in the coming weeks, (if you have not yet heard of washi tape, you will soon be consumed by patterned tape like the rest of us).  This fun photo wedding invitation is ultra modern and is perfect for a lime & turquiose wedding, (though it is available in several color schemes).  Drawings of washi tape border your askew photo against a weaved charcoal background for a striking invitation that’s as modern and trendy as you are!

Lime & Turquoise Wedding: dresses ~ table setting ~ wedding favors

Romantic Floral Inspiration – Perfect for a formal, feminine and romantic wedding, this is one of my favorite floral invitations this spring.  It features a classic large pink floral bloom on the right side of the card with a contemporary trellis patterned background for a modern twist.  Within this collage, the dress this bride wears is simply gorgeous, and it ties in the floral cluster from the beautiful invitation.

Romantic Wedding: table setting ~ bouquet ~ wedding dress

Watercolor Ombre Inspiration – As any trendy girl knows, ombre is the IT thing this season.  Fading colors from dark to light, or light to dark makes for a gorgeous range of a color palette, and you’ll see a variety of ombre designs in stationery this season.  This is my favorite of our ombre collection, which features a vibrant orange fading background which was created with watercolor paints.  You can easily pair it with an array of orange and yellow wedding decor, which is perfect for an upoming summer wedding.

Perfectly Orange Ombre: table setting ~ wedding cake ~ shoes

Rustic Western Wedding Inspiration – There’s just something about a souther girl!  One of the biggest trends we have seen over the past year is the incorporation of woodgrain into your stationery.  It’s dark, eye-catching and perfectly southern.  If cowboy boots are your go-to each day, this wedding theme is perfect for you!  I love the fact that this bride wore cowboy boots underneath her dress, along with her maids.  It’s the perfect setting for a barn reception.

Rustic Western Wedding: barn reception ~ horseshoes ~ maids in boots

The rest of the new Noteworthy Collections 2013 wedding collection should be live on our website within the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled!  Hooray for spring and brand new designs to make your wedding perfect!!

One of the most gorgeous growing trends for spring and summer parties is a garden party.  With spring just now coming into season, flowers are budding, birds are chirping and the weather is warming – which leaves the perfect setting for a feminine party for you and your girlfriends.  A garden party is the perfect party theme for a bridal shower, birthday party or baby shower, and it can also be a great excuse for a simple gathering of lunch and a few cocktails with the best of friends.

Set the scene with a garden party invitation that embraces the spring season.  One of my favorite garden party invitations is the Contemporary Pink Botanicals Invitation here to our left, which features a shimmering pocket decorated with spring blooms, which is wrapped in a pewter satin ribbon to perfectly tie your ensemble together.  Your invitation wording prints on an elegant shimmering diamond card stock which eludes to your formal garden affair.

One of the best things about planning a garden party is that you don’t have to plan any of those silly games or corny ice breakers for this type of party.  A garden party is meant to be an intimate event among close friends…so there’s no need to break the ice when your guests arrive.  Anyone new can be introduced to the group, which will instantly start a great conversation.  Ask each guests to dress in their most special garden attire and plan for a day of warm conversation, light laughs and serene relaxation.  You can host your garden party in your very own backyard or head to the local spa or resort and take use of their gardens.

lanterns ~ champagne ~ table spread ~ sandwiches ~ macaroons ~ dress ~ heels ~ earrings ~ bracelet ~ ring ~ clutch

One of the largest trends with garden party themes is bringing the inside outside, which brings a warm and inviting setting to your gorgeous garden backdrop.  Set your party scene by bringing your table, chairs, table cloth and fine china outdoors into your garden, for a serene and elegant affair.  Decorate each table with a vase of flowers and tea trays of champagne and fancy cocktails.  For sunset garden parties, a clear or rose colored oil candle makes for a beautiful centerpiece.  Decorate your garden with lanterns filled with fresh spring bloom flowers or tiny lanterns and place floating candles and flowers into a stream or pond in your backdrop.

When it comes to the food you will serve your guests, err on the lighter side of fare.  Serve mini tea sandwiches made from spring greens, cream chese and asparagus, gorgeously colored pastel macaroons, tart lemon meringue bars or a fresh berry or yogurt parfait.  Offer your guests a cup of high tea, a fresh cucumber water, a fun and light cocktail, ice tea or lemonade.  For your party gifts, offer each guest a potted plant to take home with them or a sachel of seeds to plant.  You can also invite guests to take home their floral bouquet as they leave.

While preparing for guests to come over for our St. Patrick’s Day party this weekend, I decided to do a full-on clean of our kitchen and living room, which included cleaning the inside of my kitchen windows which were utterly disgusting, and reminded me how excited I am about spring cleaning…granted, not so much fun to do, but I always love the results of a fresh, clean house!

What’s on your spring to-do list?  Spring cleaning can encompass so many things, from cleaning your home to weeding through your closet, (the best part being refilling your closet with fresh new spring clothes)!

If cleaning out your closet is on your to-do list, remember to give back to your community by donating your gently used items to those in need, be it a friend, co-worker or sibling!  There are also many salvation army or goodwill locations who will take your donations, as well as give you a receipt for your donations, which is always helpful for next year’s tax season.  Try something different this year and after cleaning your closet and organize it with fun drawers or shelves that make having a clean organized space fun!  I have always wanted one of those dream closets you see on TV with a sitting area in the center – a girl can always dream, right?!

After you finish cleaning out your closet, you’ll want to refill it with a fresh look for the warm seasons ahead.  Take a few tips from our bright and trendy collage above with floral prints, wedge shoes, big sunglasses and floral earrings.  Try a head-to-toe makeover and update your hair or daily makeup to go along with your new clothes!

If spring cleaning is at the top of your to-do list, we’re right along with you.  Spring cleaning sounds like a great idea, but where do you start when you feel like your house is just a mess waiting to happen?  How to Nest For Less had a great blog posted this past month for a spring cleaning list that will help you clean your house from top to bottom!  Follow this link to download a free printable which will easily guide you as you make your way through to a clean haven this spring!