Hosting a party on a budget doesn’t mean you have to pass on the beautiful decorations. I’m guest blogging on the FedEx Office blog today where I designed a bright and cheery “Celebrate” Party Printable Collection to help make your party planning easier! And, it’s all free!

Use this Free Party Printable Collection for a big party, small celebration, or just print a few items for fun! It will work great for a birthday or a generic celebration. There are plenty of designs in the collection to use for all kinds of parties.

• A 5×7 invitation with editable text fields to add your own party details.
• Cupcake Toppers & Tags – Three designs to use for cupcakes and other decor.
• Table Decor Sign
• Three Pages of Patterned Scrapbook Paper
• Cupcake Wrappers
• Water Bottle Labels

I’d love to see photos of your parties. Just add a photo to my Facebook Page or tag Living Locurto if you post one to your wall. Thanks!

Visit FedEx Office to download the free party printable collection.

Please leave a comment over there is you like them!

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Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!

It’s the Holiday season and I’m very excited to be featured in the latest issue of Holiday with Matthew Mead!

So when you’re at the grocery store or favorite craft store, look for it in the isles. I haven’t seen it here in Dallas yet, but was sent a few copies. I can honestly say, it’s one of the best Holiday magazines I’ve ever seen. Definitely an issue you will keep on the shelves for years to come.

There are so many wonderful DIY ideas including decorating ideas, recipes, parties and more! It’s an honor to be featured among so many wonderful designers and bloggers.

Matthew asked me to come up with gift giving ideas and tags. Using items from around my house like newspapers, duct tape, jars and paper bags, I came up with these pretty black, red and white designs.

The Printable Holiday Collection comes with eight pages of red, black and white tags with ideas and directions for DIY gift giving and home decor.

You can purchase this Holiday Collection now in my shop!

E-News subscribers get 15% off for a limited time. Check your email for the discount code!

Can’t find the magazines on newsstands? Purchase the expanded keepsake version HERE.

Cookie by Bridget from Bake at 350.

Be sure to join Amy on Facebook for more fun!
Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!

Halloween Pencil Party Favor via Tip Junkie

Party Printables by Tatertots & Jello

Whether you are planning a Halloween party or need a simple gift idea, you’ll love these free printable designs!

Halloween Pencil Party Favor via Tip Junkie Party Printables by Tatertots & Jello Test Tube Labels via The Idea Room   Party Printables by Tatertots & Jello   Party Printables from B.Nute Productions Via Catch My Party   Ghost & Owl Halloween Placecards by Jinjerup

Party Printables by Hostess with the Mostess You're Batty Tags   Printable Treat Box by Paper & Cake   Brains in Jar Treat - Free Printable Labels Candy Bar Labels

Find more great Halloween Free Printables here and here.

Be sure to join Amy on Facebook for more fun!
Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!

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Spooky Halloween treats always make fun party food and gifts!

It’s almost Halloween, so…  Surprise!!

I made you Brains in a Jar!!  Isn’t that just what you’ve been wanting?

Obviously these are not real brains (much to the disappointment of my 7 year old son), but they’re close enough and are the perfect combination of creepy and gross.  They can be put together ahead of time, and would be great for a Halloween party dessert table or class party.

Or you can do what I do and take one to your child’s teacher and say, “here’s a Brain in a Jar…and I look forward to my kid getting A’s on his work for the rest of the year…”  and give a giant awkward *WINK*.

Anyway…

These treats are seriously easy to put together.  You’ll need:

•  Small jars –I buy a box of half pint canning jars at Wal Mart, but you can buy bigger ones if that’s what suits your fancy

• Seedless Raspberry Jam–Because blood doesn’t have seeds in it, mmmkay?

• Pink cake–I used strawberry but you could color white batter if you prefer.  I baked mine in a large jelly roll pan so it would be thin, but you could bake it in 9 x13 or do cupcakes and cut them in half.

• Frosting–I made my own using THIS easy recipe.  Just add a few drops of pink and a tiny drop of black to get that pinky grey color

• Piping bag fitted with a #5 round tip  (You can buy these at Michaels or Walmart)

Once your cake is cooled, cut a circle of cake the size of your jar.  I used a round biscuit cutter, but you could also use another jar or a small glass.

Spoon some raspberry jam over the cake, covering the surface and making sure it reaches the edges of the jar.

Put some frosting in your piping bag.  Hold the bag at a 90 degree angle and squiggle the frosting along the edges of the jar.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, just squeeze and make a zig zag motion along the inside of the glass.

It should look like this.

With a smaller glass or cutter, cut a piece of cake small enough to rest in the center of the “brain frosting”.  Place the piece of cake in the middle.

See?  That way you don’t go hurting your hand trying to pipe frosting all in the center.

Holding the piping bag at a 90 degree angle again, loosely squeeze frosting all over the top of the cake.  Just let it squiggle all over.

It should look like a gross brain in a jar.

Isn’t that totally disgusting?

But it tastes good, I promise.  I even tried a few one for quality control.

All that is left to do is attach the cute printable tags that Amy made to go with!!

How easy and cool is that?  We practically did all the work for you!!

Halloween Brains in a Jar Free Printable Tags

Download the Free PartyPrintables here: 

Halloween Brains in Jar Labels & Tags

We hope you are disgusted by these in a good way.  Enjoy your Halloween!!

About Kristan

Kristan is a fun mom from rural Arkansas with an amazing talent for creating cute recipes along with humorous stories. Find her on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, Twitter & Facebook.

Be sure to join Amy on Facebook for more fun!
Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!

I had a blast designing my birthday party printables. I you missed my post with all of the photos, check them out here.

I thought it would be fun to share the designs with one of you who might be celebrating your 40th birthday as well. So I’ll be giving away ALL of my 40th birthday paper party supplies to one of you!

I’m not giving away the digital files, but the actual paper pieces!

Here is a little bit of what the winner will receive in the mail from me…

All decorations are cut, embellished, assembled and ready for a party!

Your kit will include: 12 Happy Birthday flags, 12 “40 and Still Hot” favors with candy attached, along with photo booth lips, framed sayings, tags and more.

This giveaway is closed. Congrats to Stacy!

To enter to win:

Leave a comment below telling me all about your party or the one you will be planning for someone’s 40th.

To get an extra entry:

• Like Living Locurto on Facebook and share this with your friends.

Please leave a comment for each item you do above to get those extra entries!

Giveaway ends Monday, October 10th at Midnight CST.

Be sure to join Amy on Facebook for more fun!
Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!