Plan Your Friday Happy Hour!

It was a Monday evening, and Kari and her hubby were already wishing for the weekend.  So, what did they do?  They whipped up this invitation (above) and emailed it to local friends and coworkers in anticipation of a Friday Happy Hour.  It was a hit.  So spur-of-the-moment was the decision that there was no time for retraction or over-thinking!  On Friday, after work, Kari and her husband, Robert, set out easy appetizers, uncorked a few bottles of wine, and just relaxed as their home filled with friends who needed to unwind a bit after a harried work week.  Seriously, folks:  easiest party ever.  The rave reviews from the party attendees are still coming in, weeks later.  We're thinking it needs to be a monthly thing now.  We hope you'll try it.  It's Monday...tonight, whip up that invitation and email it before you can talk yourself out of it.  We promise, it'll be fun!

Valentine's Day

Check out these great Valentine's cards from LittleBrownPen at Etsy! You pay $5 to receive a PDF containing Valentine's cards that you can print and reprint to your heart's delight. Send one to everyone you love!

Putting the "Happy" in Happy Holidays...

Christmas is a time for smiles. :)
Here's an Etsy shop we stumbled upon that has things that are just smile-worthy. Paper Lady Invites made these cute holiday decorations, and there is much more to see at the Paper Lady Invites Etsy shop. Check it out!

We Love Moo...

If you have never heard of or checked out Moo.com, you are missing out! Moo is all about printing, but unlike most printing places, Moo is affordable, allows limitless creativity, and doesn't limit you to using only one image per order. You can make custom stickers, cards, business cards, etc...and you can use a different design or image on each sticker or card in your order! The Moo.com site if full of creative ideas, so check it out. Think of using Moo the next time you want to create a custom invitation or come up with a fun little detail for your party. For wedding ideas, go to Moo's Wedding Idea Page. For other events, check out the Moo Idea Page for Valentine's, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day...the list is limitless and so are the ideas!

Papersource Does It Again...

We can't get enough of Papersource. They just have fun things! Check out these fun kits! Papersource has done the design work so you can put these kits together for fun, creative seasonal decor. These kits would be especially fun if you have kids at home---give them the reigns and let them craft your next party's table centerpiece!

Halloween Party Idea

Alas, sometimes the best-laid plans just don't materialize. The above invitation was created for a potential Halloween cocktail party that one of us was planning on throwing (with lots of help from the husband!) We were anticipating the end of our lengthy home remodel and we were going to celebrate with a little seasonal revelry. However, our renovations won't be completed in time and some other commitments came up, making the party a non-event. So...we thought we'd at least post our invitation idea so maybe some of you who are thinking of throwing a last-minute Halloween bash will be inspired! Ours was to be a theme party, but you could easily just do "Cocktails and Costumes" without any specifications. If any of you throw a great party, we want to hear about what made it a success! Happy Halloween!
P.S. You can click on either invitation picture to see it enlarged.

Thanksgiving Invitations

Have you ever noticed how Thanksgiving sometimes gets lost? Halloween seems to be a bigger and bigger deal commercially and Christmas is probably THE biggest holiday to most people. And there, stuck in between, is Thanksgiving. If you think about it, Thanksgiving is incredibly important! We live in a land of plenty and we forget to be thankful A LOT of the time. Here at The Babs Blog, we hope you have something wonderful planned for Thanksgiving. It is a time that can be spent with a large or small group and in many different ways, but by all means, reflect on all you have to be thankful for!

Maybe you'd like to plan on hosting a Thanksgiving party this year. Above are three invitations from Etsy, that wonderful world of handmade craftiness. Consider setting the tone for your unique Thanksgiving celebration by actually sending out invites this year. Your invitation sets the tone...and these three examples show a range from elegant to fun (not that the two are exclusive of each other!) Click on the pictures to start shopping and to check out the other available designs from these artists.

Paper Flowers---How Chic!

Here's a really fun, really sweet alternative to traditional floral centerpieces and decor: Paper flowers. Papersource sells darling paper flower kits, shown above. This idea is pretty popular right now, so you probably can find fun paper flower kits at your local craft store, too. Wouldn't these be fun at the next bridal or baby shower you host?

Good, Old-Fashioned Letter-Writing

We have rainy weather here in California today, and the yard work that was on our list of things to do is being put aside for the day. It's actually a perfect day to settle into fall: do a little nesting at home, pull out a mug for some spiced tea, and sit down to write a quick note or two to friends. In this age of technology and email, handwritten correspondence has suffered tremendously. Still, there is nothing like the handwritten note to brighten someone's day; it's a treasure to find a handwritten letter amidst the usual bills in the mailbox! Papersource is a favorite resource for stationery treasures. These delightful cards and thank you notes came from Papersource, and they have dozens more! Stock up on stationery that makes you smile and you'll be much more apt to write a quick note to a friend or family member when the weather keeps you indoors. (And don't forget the importance of writing thank you notes, too!)