I am truly a sucker for a good costume party, and when the theme is 1920’s that’s an event that I HAVE to attend. Hosted by Give 5 Productions this summer’s Cottonwood Club extravaganza transports you back in time to to when there were more sequins than belly buttons and an outfit was incomplete without the right hat.
We attended the inaugural Cottonwood Club taking place at the newly renovated Ironworks Denver and I loved how the venue naturally fit the theme of the event. Located just a few blocks from Mile High Stadium this the historic event venue originally opened in the early 1900s as the home of Midwest Steel, one of the regions foremost steel manufacturers. Many of Colorado’s landmarks came to life within these walls, including the Royal Gorge Bridge and Denver’s City and County Building. The building recently underwent major restorations brining it back to life as an art deco inspired event space – perfect for a speakeasy brought to life in 2019.
Put on by Give 5 Productions the Cottonwood Club is more then an event. Each Give 5 extravaganza helps the production house give back 5% to non-profit organizations annually.
Like I said originally, a good costume party is my jam. I ordered my dress for the evening from Rent the Runway. I’ve been a Rent the Runway ‘Pro’ for the last several year’s and I love how easy they make it for me to dress the part for special events. The Pro members provides free shipping and insurance for every order I place, plus a complimentary dress each year for my birthday. For events like this one, renting a dress is perfect because it’s unlikely I will need a 1920s-esque dress to wear again and they dry clean each item before it heads out the door. Full of sequins and lace this is the Like To Party Dress from Nicole Miller.
Once at the party it really did feel like being transported back in time, with the addition of modern lighting and cell phone cameras. Throughout the evening a wide variety of performers took the stage, ranging from the tap dancing Honey Taps to the fusion music stylings of the Black Iris Collective.
Everyone in attendance donned their 1920’s best, making the party even more festive. Themed cocktails brought the speakeasy vibe to life and complimentary snacks served by ‘cigarette’ girls were available throughout the evening.
It was a blast and I’m definitely putting it on my list to attend one of the next events with a group of friends. The June Cottonwood Club is the first of a series of events, the next one coming up on July 26th. Tickets are available online and are limited for each event, making this an exclusive event you want to plan ahead for.
Disclaimer: I received tickets to this event to facilitate this review. All thoughts an opinions are my own. Some links are affiliate links.
I’m in the middle of what I like to call a ‘population explosion’. This last year I think I’ve attended at least six baby showers, maybe more. Two of those showers were my cousins and one is my sister in law. After years of only adults it’s so much fun to have babies in the family again!
I shared photos from one cousins woodland baby shower last fall and today’s photos are from another cousin’s Peter Rabbit Baby Shower! She knew she was going to be having a boy so when this May shower happened blue and spring flowers became the perfect backdrop for this garden party.
Using inspiration from Beatrix Potter I worked with Denver Bakery French for Sugar to put together this beautiful cake. Each character was hand painted on fondant (just like the water colors in all of Beatrix’ books) and attached to the cake. They handmade each flower and cabbage as well. I couldn’t believe the amount of detail that went into everything!
Each cupcake was decorated to match the color scheme of the shower and both the frosting and cake was delightful. Just enough sweetness set off the perfectly fluffy cake batter in every bite.
Since the shower was in May it was easy to collect up bunny table toppers from easter display’s. These rattan bunnies all had the sweetest expressions.
This Bunny Bunting was one of the projects I made. I used my silhouette and cut out the bunnies and shirts using the instructions for this project from Sixxix. I loved the little cotton ball tales on each of these bunny bottoms!
One of my other cousins made a diaper cake wagon using flannel to cover a box base and diapers as the outer layer of the wagon. The front wheel consisted of several diapers rolled together with a large ribbon the the handles were constructed from receiving blankets. When it was all done she added plastic play vegetables from Amazon. It came out so cute!
On the buffet we used green silverware wrapped in orange napkins to look like carrots and plastic pots as dip containers. It all looked so sweet once it was put together. More cutout characters from the Beatrix Potter Stories adorned the fruit display giving the buffet it’s finishing touches.
Credit for this adorable party idea goes to my aunt and cousins who came together with this adorable idea and I was just there to photograph it and shower the mama with some love before baby arrived!
Peter Rabbit Baby Shower Decor
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Disclaimer: French for Sugar provided a product sample as inspiration for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Disclaimer: I received a Stick Up Camera Solar from Ring as inspiration for this post. All opinions and writing are my own.
It’s finally starting to feel like summer in Colorado and for me that means more time outside, more yard work and more reasons to explore the beautiful outdoors. Whether I’m traveling or just out for a day trip up to the mountains, keeping an eye on things around the house is important, both during the summer and beyond. No matter what adventures the warm weather brings, a few easy precautions can make summer home safety second nature.
Before Drew started full time law enforcement he worked for a major electronics company in Colorado. One of the projects he worked on was the team at Ring, before they brought the Ring doorbell to market. At the time I remember talking about how useful it could be both for families and police departments, now flash forward several years in the future Ring is the leading brand making DIY home security easy and affordable for families.
Summer Home Safety Tip
Keep an eye on the front door
When we moved to our new house one of the first projects I worked on was installing a Ring Doorbell on the front of the house. With Drew’s job requiring odd hours and my perpetual online shopping habit being able to keep an eye on the front door was a priority. I installed the doorbell myself in just a few minutes and the hardest step was finding the right drill bit to go into the brick on the front of the house.
Now when we travel it’s nice to be able to let family and friends know if there is a package on the front porch no matter where in the world we may be.
Summer Home Safety Tip
Install a video security camera
While seeing the front door is a great start to keeping the home secure, adding an additional camera can help with additional peace of mind. Our front door is next to the garage, so anything happening on the left side of the door isn’t visible from the doorbell camera. We live in a nice area so I’m not usually worried about leaving lawn equipment outside in the back yard but it’s nice to have that extra feeling of security.
When Drew’s working and I’m home alone it’s nice to be able to peek out in front of the house if I hear anything unusual. With how the door is located, looking at the driveway or gate requires looking out an upstairs window. If we are traveling, that part of the house isn’t visible at all.
Since I already love our Ring Doorbell the Ring Stick Up Cam Solar was the perfect choice for adding that extra bit of security. Easy to set up, everything we needed to install the camera was in the box, including a drill bit. Battery powered, you can either charge the battery manually every few weeks or attach a Ring Solar Panel to keep charging whenever the sun is shining.
We installed ours on the edge of the garage using a couple of small screws (provided in the kit) and the articulating arm made it easy to adjust the camera to whatever angle would capture the most of the yard. The Stick Up Cam features a wide angle HD Camera and the ability to talk through the camera if anyone enters the yard and sets off the alert. Using the Ring App I can playback video later from my Ring account or see live views of whatever is happening in front of my house.
It’s nice to be able to keep an extra set of eyes on the house no matter how busy the summer gets and I love that Ring is a company that supports law enforcement families. Finding a good home security system is a conversation that comes up in a lot of the Police Wife groups I’m a part of . Being home alone with the family can be scary, especially for those with kids, so knowing whatever service you use is one you can rely on is important. Ring definitely fits those needs for our family.
Did you know Ring provides a 20% discount for first responder, military and teacher families?
View the full details about the discount program on the Ring website.
Interested in other products law enforcement families like ours love? Check out my holiday gift guide for police wives.
Growing up in Colorado I have always been spoiled with good Mexican food everywhere I turn. It was honestly a bit of a shock when I moved to Texas and discovered ‘Tex-Mex’ is an entirely different genre of cooking, and one that doesn’t feature green chili as the predominate ingredient.
The Blue Bonnet Restaurant off Broadway and Alameda is one of Denver’s oldest family owned and operated resturants and just celebrated their 51st anniversary in the city. The evening we visited we were seated by Lulu, a staple of the restaurant itself who has worked at the Blue Bonnet for 35 years.
When you are craving good classic Mexican Food the Blue Bonnet is the place to be. We started off the evening with a classic margarita. Margs are my go to drink during the summer and the Blue Bonnet’s refreshing house margarita is just what a hot day ordered.
Next up we tried the bacon wrapped shrimp. Stuffed with chorizo and cheese these were the perfect compliment to our margarita’s alongside the house salsa.
I’m a bit of a salsa fanatic and typically will completely fill up on salsa before the meal is at the table. Blue Bonnet’s salsa could have easily been my entire meal. Fresh flavors and a little bit of heat provided the ideal snacks while we waited for the rest of the meal to arrive.
Remember what I said in the beginning about green chili? The same goes for poblano peppers. For me, a good stuff pepper is a must have and Blue Bonnet’s did not disappoint. Fire roasted each order includes two poblano peppers stuffed with onions, sour cream and your choice of protein. I tried one with Chili Lime Chicken and the other with their Homemade Chorizo. Both were equally fantastic but I enjoyed the Chorizo a bit more with the added seasonings and flavor that comes with it.
Drew chose the Carne Asada for his entree. Marinated steak is the star of the dish and served up alongside roasted salsa and fajita vegetables. The long marination really draws extra flavor into the beef, giving it a unique flavor that helps this dish stand apart from regular fajitas.
After the entree plate were cleared away it was time for dessert. Dinner at a Mexican restaurant wouldn’t be complete with out a cinnamon and sugar filled soppapillas. Making a good soppapilla is an art form and the Blue Bonnet is a master. Topped with honey, caramel and whipped cream, this dessert was the perfect way to wrap up the evening.
Since I typically spend most of my time on the north side of Denver I’m not surprised that I had never been to the Blue Bonnet before but I’m looking forward to making it one of my go to stops for Mexican from here on!
Interested in other dining reviews in Denver? Check out Ocean Prime for the best Seafood downtown!
Disclaimer: I received a hosted meal to facilitate this review. All thoughts, opinions and photography are my own.
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