Under the BiG ToP- 365 Swap 2012

The wait is over.... here are the pics from our Summertime Carnival inspired 365 Swap!  

Oh, the fun us Cultivate Girls had clowning around to put this event together. 

-Becky, Sheryl, Melissa, Haley & Nicole- 

 We'll be back later to share recipes, tips & tricks on how we pulled it all off very soon, so please be sure to check back!

-*Also if you blogged about the Swap, please leave us a link to your blog we would love to check it out!-   

But for now just feast your eyes on all of this.... 

{A special thanks to Rachel Penrod for taking the pictures of the event for us- we appreciate it!} 

Ok, here they are pictures get ready for photos GaLORE!! 

Step right up, RiGHT this way..... 

The entrance to the Swap- so bright, colorful & FuN!!  

  A rainbow of flags draped from the roof to the fence created makes for a festive atmosphere to walk into.  Such a magical space to step into & wonder just what else is right around the corner.

Welcome to the 365 Swap everyone!! 

We let our Swap-ettes have a chance to participate in a few Carnival inspired games for a chance to enter a special Swap drawing- it was a blast & everyone loved it & came out a winner! 

-Embroidery hoops with ribbons tied on them to use for the ring toss- clever! A crate of mis matched bottles finished off the game-

-The line of anxious Swapp-ers ready to come in- 

These next pictures pretty much sum up why we Cultivate Girls love to throw such an event-  the friendships & connections we have made have been priceless!  So fun to see old friends & make new ones each time. 

-Becky giving a HuG!- 

-Now that is the face of one happy, & grateful to be at the party, Swapper!! Gotta love sweet friends - 

A big part of the Swap is the FooD!  Oh, we Cultivate Girls feed our Swap-ers well. No one goes home hungry let me tell you.  

-The food was served in cardboard drive-in boxes. Super cute & made for easy clean-up too.  No dirty dishes, hooray!- 

We were also lucky this time around to have amazing helpers this year.  They helped us out so much with the food, desserts, games & photo booth.  We couldn't have done it without their help. 

Thanks guys & gals!! 

-Watermelon on a stick, pretty clever!  Not to mention the teeny tiny water balloons tied to the forks in the pasta salad- 

 The vintage cooler Lemonade {of all kinds} station! 

 Wet your whistle with either.... Guava Lemonade, Cucumber Mint Lemonade, Strawberry Basil, Good ol' Fashioned Lemonade & more... take your pick. So refreshing! 

 Fun Stripey straws with clown noses... just for fun! 

Everyone digging into the grub!  The Pork Sliders, grilled Ham & Pineapple Kabobs were tasty too. 

Time to grab your Swap currency... clothespins!  Every Swapper got to have 4 clothespins to write their name on & to stick onto something that they wanted to walk away with at the end of the evening. 

-Some of the used clothespins we've saved from years past & clipped onto a ribbon -
tah-dah, an instant banner to string up in the tree tops- 

-Yes, we brought in bleachers for this Big Top event! Check out the ones made from old barstools with a old closet door placed on top, darling!!- 

 Time to be a little bit silly .... 

- Loved all the instructions written in chalk, here & there- so clever & cute! Such a talent to be able to have a way with words,not to mention write super cute too,  thanks Jacy!- 

 Just a few funny pics... much more to come! 

 Time to start looking at the goods & start Swapping! Lots of great, cool stuff to choose from. 

 Now for the parade of desserts {told you the Swappers were well fed!}..... too many treats to choose from.  All Carnival inspired of coarse. 

 Popcorn being served up & down the aisles of bleachers, just like at a real circus.  

-Recipe to come...Yum!- 

 Let the 365 Swap begin..... 

 Bleachers full of happy 2012 Swappers. Hope to see you all next year too! Thanks for coming! 

-Cute Clown noses, everyone!- 

Thanks to everyone who came & got a little silly with us this year.  We hope you had a blast! We enjoyed playing along, jumping into your pictures, giving hugs, seeing old friends & making new ones.
**if you want to join in the fun with us next year- just be sure to FOLLOW our blog for updates & info., thanks! 

-Aren't good friends, you can be silly with, the best?!-


  Hope to see you soon.
Love, the Cultivate Girls