Easy DIY Quidditch Game

It's Harry Potter's Birthday!  As many know, I'm a Harry Potter fanatic (need proof?  check out my robes and etsy shop just for starters).  Last year I celebrated Harry's Birthday with a Butterbeer Cupcake Recipe.  This year, my sweet Harry is 35, and I decided to celebrate with his favorite sport--Quidditch!

What You Need:

• 3 Sewing Hoops
• Dowel Rods (I eyeballed the length of mine...you might want to actually measure!)
• Sand
• 3 Glass Bottles
• 20 Solo Cups
• Ping Pong Balls
• White foam sheets
• Hot Glue
• Gold Spray Paint
• Green Table Cloth
• 6 Foot Table
• Drill
• Beer is optional--this game can be played on a points system or as a version of beer pong.  It is up to you! (see rules of the game for more information)

How to Assemble the Game:

• Measure Dowel rods to desired length (again, I didn't really measure...I just eyeballed it.  I'm terrible about that kind of thing).
• Drill hole into one end of dowel rod.
• Thread one of the sewing hoops through the hole and secure.  Repeat with other two hoops.
• Place dowel rods into empty bottles.
• Fill bottles with sand.
• Hot glue tops of bottles to seal sand and dowel rod into place.
• Spray paint entire bottle and hoop gold.  Allow to dry.
• Spray paint one ping pong ball gold.  Allow to dry.
• Trace shape of 2 wings onto foam sheets and cut out.
• Hot glue wings onto gold ping pong ball.
• Place cups into triangle shape (10 on each side)
• Play Quidditch...and as Madam Hooch would say, "Now I want a nice clean game...from all of you!"

The Rules of the Game:

The beauty of Table Quidditch or Quidditch Pong, is that it can be played with or without alcohol making it a game that is fun for all ages.  No matter if you are playing it as an adult or family game, the scoring of the game is the same:  1 point (or cup) for getting your ping pong ball into the cups, 2 points (or cups) for getting it through the hoops and into the cups. Your hands can be used like the broom sticks of a keeper to swat the ball out of the way.  When you are down to one cup on one (or both) sides, the snitch must be used to end the game.

Happee Birthdae Harry!


UPDATE:  not into DIY?  Buy the Quidditch Set in My Shop!

This post is linked with April, Karli , Amanda, Tif, Andrea, and Rebecca.

Five on Friday

It's Friday...so we know what that means.  I'm linking up again with all sorts of fun people (April, Karli , Amanda, Tif, Andrea, and Rebecca) for Five on Friday!

ONE

It's sunflower season on the farm!  Each year my Dad and his friends plant huge fields of gorgeous sunflowers.  The Sunflowers go on and on as far as the eye can see and witnessing the fields in full bloom is something of indescribable beauty!

TWO

 One perk of having giant fields of sunflowers is that I get to have fresh cut flowers in my house as long as they are in bloom.  I love how they brighten up our mantle.  It was looking pretty lonely after taking down all of the 4th of July decorations.

THREE

In addition to it being sunflower season, it is also apple season around our little family farm.  I know many associate apples with fall, but for as long as I remember apples come in season when it is hot.  Maybe this is why I don't get all crazy over apple cider during the fall.  My uncle has been planting lots of new varieties of apple trees and I love watching the little saplings grow!

FOUR

Mum's Grapevine, a super cute parenting blog out of Australia, recently featured Farm to Fete's Watermelon Birthday Invitation on a post about creating a Watermelon Party.  To celebrate, I'm offering 50% off of everything in my shop until July 27th!  Order now while the sale lasts!

FIVE

Don't forget about my giveaway with Tara at  Penniless Socialite!  Enter now for your chance to win a $20 Bloomingdale's gift card!  What would you use it on?  I definitely think I could find some fun accessories!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Friday!

Another Giveaway!!!!

It's Wednesday folks!  That's right, we are halfway through the week!  I had every intention of posting a DIY tutorial on some fun things we've been doing for the house on Monday, but life just got away from me.  To make up for it, I'm sharing another exciting giveaway with you instead!  With all of the giveaways lately I'm starting to feel like Oprah, and I can't say that I'm hating it!

This giveaway is in conjunction with Tara who blogs over at the Penniless Socialite!  I love her blog and we've teamed up to give you a chance to win a $20 Bloomingdale's gift card!

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May the odds be ever in your favor!

Five on Friday

It's Friday...so we know what that means.  I'm linking up again with all sorts of fun people (April, Karli , Amanda, Tif, Andrea, and Rebecca) for Five on Friday!

ONE

Tabletop torch from Home Depot (not pictured online),  similar one found HERE

I am seriously sensitive to mosquitos.  It's an issue, especially when you live near a pond.  Muffin and I can stand in the same outdoor area for the same amount of time and I will come inside with 100's of bites and he will remain untouched by my nemesis.  This is one of the main reasons we built our screen porch--because sometimes a girl wants to go outside and not feel like she's on the set of a Twilight movie.  Lately, we've been doing some research on how I can actually go outside and enjoy the outdoors without having to be protected by my screen porch.  We've come up with several ideas and I'm pleased to report that many of them are working.  Phase 1 of the war on Mosquitos was purchasing a tabletop torch to keep them away from me when on our deck.  So far, so good.  Phase 2 is to put up the bat signal--literally.  Bats naturally eat mosquitos and make great neighbors when you live out in the wilderness like we do.  So we are going to put out a bat house and ask them to join our crazy family on the farm.  They keep to themselves, feed themselves (on my enemy), and are entertaining to watch as the sun sets.  I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  I will keep you all posted!

TWO

Sorry the pizza pan is so ugly...it's well loved :)

We had the most amazing dinner last night--I'm talking a definite repeater--Chicken Enchilada Pizza.  I adapted this recipe by cooking my chicken in the crockpot with chicken stock, taco seasoning, and cilantro.  It gave the chicken the right amounts of Mexican flavor and the crockpot made it super easy to shred.  I didn't have any pizza dough on hand, so I pulled out my handy-dandy bread maker and let it whip up some fresh dough for me.  It couldn't have been easier.  I also opted to use Mexican blend cheese for my topping instead of Monterey Jack (because it was in the fridge) and I loved the flavor it gave the pizza.   I topped my whole creation off with a little taco sauce and was in fusion pizza heaven!

THREE

Since I always share my Netflix discoveries with my readers...here's my latest:  White Collar.  I cannot stop watching.  It is a serious addiction, and the fact that Matt Bomer is in it doesn't hurt (I mean look at him).  But really, I'm in for the Thomas Crown Affair/Art Thief aspect--the art nerd in me can't get enough.  Speaking of being an art nerd, please check out this Buzzfeed.  It gets me every.single.time.

FOUR

I'm gonna whine a minute--I've somehow injured my jaw and can't talk that much right now.  I do have some long standing issues with the right side of my jaw (it clicks and pops if I open my mouth too wide--eating burgers drives me insane), but my left side has always been fine.  I woke up on Wednesday night in extreme pain at about 3 am and have been having jaw issues ever since.  This whole "not talking" thing isn't really working out, but here's to hoping it gets better soon!

FIVE

Don't forget about the awesome giveaway I'm particpating in with some other great ladies!  I would hate for you to miss out on your chance at more than $200 of cash and prizes!

karli | amy | hannah | katie
hawks & doves | ashley | penny | z & co.

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Happy Friday!

It's Giveaway Time!

Happy Thursday...it's almost the weekend everyone! To celebrate, I've teamed up with some fun folks to giveaway $200 in cash and prizes.  Just check out all the details below!

karli | amy | hannah | katie
hawks & doves | ashley | penny | z & co.

Up first, there is this totally adorable Meriwether leather clutch.

This clutch is super cute  and is made out of leather that is made in the USA.  It will fit an iPad mini, along with your other daily essentials and is perfect for everyday use!   Jessica from Hawks and Doves is responsible for this beauty, along with dozens of other fabulous designs.   You really need to check out her shop.

Next up in the list Candles and sprays.

This farmhouse candle and spray are not only obviously beautiful, but they smell aaaamazing!

Z & Co. is a family business {which I love} and they do a great job at making quality products that are perfect for your home or for a wonderful gift. 

Aren't they so pretty!?

Go and check them out!

Finally,  in the giveaway is the tried and true favorite... cash.

I mean who doesn't want to win some cold hard cash?

We're giving away EIGHTY-FIVE dollars in addition to all of the other fun items listed above.

That's over $200 worth of amazing stuff for you to win.

NOW, what are you waiting for?

It's time to get entered!

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May the odds be ever in your favor!

DIY Pallet Bar

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend.  We spent a lot of great time with my family and completed some fun projects around the house.  If you remember my outdoor living inspiration post, one of our goals for the new house this summer was to get the screen porch decorated and settled since we love to spend time outside.   

One of my inspiration items was a bar cart, but I just didn't want to spend a few hundred dollars on a piece of furniture that didn't have the perfect dimensions for our space.  Bar Carts can often be wide and short and our space requires a piece of furniture that is pretty narrow and tall.  Instead of buying something, I convinced Muffin to help me make an outdoor bar out of Pallets.  The best part is that the total cost of our new furniture piece is $20!

Supplies you will need:

• 2 Pallets (I got mine at a local store for free)
• 4 12x12 Pavers ($2.50 each at Home Depot)
• 4 Cans Spray Paint ($2.50 each)
• Zip Ties (we had ours, but if you have to buy them they are around $5)

This project is so easy you are going to think it is silly to write out the directions--seriously!

First, you will zip tie the two pallets together.  I'm all about not having to nail/screw/construct things if we can avoid it.  Luckily, Muffin is better at this sort of thing than me and volunteered to make sure everything was level and matching up.  One tip though--if the Pallet is too tall for your space, just use a circular saw to cut it down to your preferred height!

Such a cutie!

Once everything was zip tied together, we spray painted the pallets ivory.  You could use any spray paint color, but this matched the trim on our screen porch.

Please ignore how rough I look--it was 90 million degrees!!

Once the paint dries, move the pallets into your space.  Caution, the pallets tied together are pretty heavy.  Once they are in place, top with the cement pavers.  Just like that you have a new piece of furniture!

Five on Friday

It's Friday...so we know what that means.  I'm linking up again with all sorts of fun people (April, Karli , Amanda, Tif, Andrea, and Rebecca) for Five on Friday!

ONE

Is Mercury in retrograde again, because my dogs have totally lost their minds this week.  Toys everywhere, chewed medicine bottles, calls to the emergency vet, you name it.  What in the world is going on!!!!! Right when I think my little babies are all settled into their new home they have the craziest week ever!  Little Memphis was adopted into his forever home on Monday, so I'm wondering if they are missing their little puppy pal.  Either way, they are cute even when they are bad.  I could just eat them up I love them so!

TWO

Daniel is turning 30 in August.  The Event Planner in me really wants to throw an elaborate party to celebrate what an amazing guy he is, but for all who know Muffin, that just isn't his style--and it is his birthday after all.  So before I started planning something that he might hate, I just asked him what he wanted to do (I know, what a novel concept).  Muffin suggested that we go on a trip and his only requirement was that we spend the time relaxing without an itinerary.   In just 45 days we are heading even further south to celebrate my special guy's day with sun, sand, and tequila!  Be sure to follow along with the hashtag #muffinis30!

THREE

Going on a beach vacation means that I actually need to buy some new swimsuits (YIKES!!!!).  I have managed to get out of doing this for a few years.   According to Daniel, however, it is time.  My old swimsuits need to be retired.  I just HATE. SHOPPING. FOR. THEM.  The lighting has to be perfect, I have to be in the right mood, heaven forbid they have a cheap mirror in the dressing room and my hair and make-up aren't just so...otherwise it's all over.  That's why I've decided to do a little online recon before actually tackling this issue in the stores.  The above four are my favorite swimsuits thus far.  What do you think?

Option 1.  Option 2. Option 3. Option 4.

FOUR

Book Nerd Alert.  I'm currently reading Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll.  It's a great mix between Gone Girl and Devil Wears Prada which makes for a great Summer Page turner.  It is just what I needed after a grueling statistics class.  If you are looking for a good book for the summer, this could be the one for you!

FIVE

Buy the Watermelon Invitation HERE

My favorite Etsy Shop invitation of the week is this Watermelon invitation.  It is perfect for Summer parties of any kind and makes me wish I had a reason to use it!  

I'm constantly adding new designs so be sure to check back.  If there is something you would like to see, please let me know and I would be happy to make it for you.  Lastly, I've had several requests for printing services and that is something I can offer if you are interested--just shoot me a message!

Happy Friday!

S'mores Themed Date Night at Home

For the past few months, Muffin has been traveling a lot for work (I don't know what couples did before facetime) and we have been making a concerted effort to have more date nights at home when he is here.  It is often hard to do something special at home when the laundry and dishes are sitting there looking at you, begging to be done.  This leads to the common problem of going out and spending time together that isn't necessarily quality time because we are out at a restaurant people watching, seeing everyone we know in our small town, and not really focusing on each other.  This is when it is time to get creative and make date nights at home fun! 

 Enter S'mores night!

Nothing says fun in the summer like cooking S'mores on a campfire, but going through the steps of actually building a campfire kind of kills that whole feasible/easy date night thing for me...so instead, I opted to set up a mini S'mores bar near the back porch fireplace.  If you don't have a fireplace you can use, don't worry! There are really great S'more's kits you can purchase HERE and HERE that will give your marshmallows a perfect golden glow.  Another option would be to purchase a sterno at your local grocery store.  Set up your kit/sterno on your porch, dining table, coffee table, etc. and you have an easy date night all ready to go!

If you really want to get creative, add some fun candy varieties like Reese's Cups and Rolos to make gourmet S'mores!  Daniel loves peanut butter, so the Reese's Cup versions were a hit!

Lastly, no Farm to Fête fun is complete without a free printable!  To complete our S'mores Date Night I made a "I love you S'more" chalkboard print! 

 CLICK HERE to download it for yourself!

Can't get enough S'mores?  Here are some more ideas for you:

How to make S'mores in the Oven

S'mores Bars

S'mores Fudge

S'mores Grilling Basket With Handle

S'more Maker for Oven/Toaster Oven

S'mores Cookbook





This post is linked with Jennifer, Karly, Ginger, Robin and Kristin.