Frugal Foodie Mama: Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party

Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party...

Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party.
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pier 1 Imports. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for participating.


My husband and I have been married now for over 3 years, and we have never had a proper (or pretty) outdoor space for entertaining.  Mismatched furniture- some pieced together from our previous lives before our marriage, some handed down from family, no cohesive color scheme, and basically just outright meh-ness prevented us from hosting too many outdoor get-togethers for family and friends over the past 3 years.  Which had been difficult for this hostess-at-heart to handle...

But all of that changed last month. :)
Last month, we finally dug in and painted, laid stones, and headed to Pier 1 for the finishing touches for our new outdoor oasis.

We found that Pier 1's wide selection of outdoor cushions would be the perfect budget friendly way to add a pop of color to our outdoor furniture and to tie it all together with a vibrant green & calming blue color scheme.  We chose reversible cushions so that we could easily change the feel of our outdoor space with a simple flip. From bold stripes to a pretty floral pattern in seconds!

After adding the gorgeous final touches to our new outdoor space, it only seemed natural that we should throw a little party to celebrate and to show it off to family and friends...

Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party.


I don't know about you all, but in my outdoor oasis there is a fire pit and s'mores.  But I couldn't entertain my family and friends for the first time in our gorgeous new outdoor space with just plain old s'mores.  
Oh, no...


Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party.


I hosted a fancy pants s'mores outdoor oasis party. ;)


Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party.


The beautiful (and affordable!) cake plates I picked up at Pier 1 were perfect for displaying the variety of crackers & cookies & chocolates I offered my guests for their fancy s'mores.  I even created a fun new s'mores recipe just for the occasion- Fluffernutter Banana S'mores! (You all don't want to miss that recipe... trust me. ;) )


Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party.


And a s'mores party also happens to be a deliciously excellent way to show off the brand new fire pit my husband built.  


Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party.


The evening was filled with sweet tea sangria (a recipe I borrowed from my good blogger friend, Heather at Sugar Dish Me), lots of laughter and chatting, and of course, a s'mores making competition! Who gets roasted marshmallows this perfectly golden brown?? That would be my future brother-in-law. 


Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party.


I was probably most excited to show off the outdoor illumination we brought home from Pier 1. This beautiful lantern caught my eye pretty much from the moment that we walked through the store's doors, and I had to have it.  
I think you all can see why. ;)


Forget plain ole s'mores this summer! Really wow your backyard guests by throwing a Fancy S'mores Outdoor Oasis Party.


My gadget-loving husband picked out the Light My Umbrella LED lights from Pier 1.  I have to admit- it is a pretty amazing.  Not only does it put out a surprisingly good amount of light, but it is also remote controlled and you can set it on a timer!  No accidentally leaving it on all night and wearing down the batteries. 

We had a fabulously wonderful evening entertaining family and friends in a beautiful space that we could enjoy and were proud to show off.

The only thing that I would love to add to our outdoor oasis that would make it beyond perfect would be one of Pier 1's Swingasans.  I have my eye on that gorgeous peacock one... ;)