An Oogieloves Inspired Party

In anticipation of the upcoming interactive kids movie coming out on August 29, The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, celebrations.com and contributor Chris Nease of Celebrations at Home recently put together an Oogieloves inspired party and asked me to share their ideas with YOU. This colorful and creative themed party is full of set-up inspiration, snacks and treats inspired by the characters in the moive, and lots of great DIY ideas.

Inspired by the beautiful and vibrantly-colored LovelyLoveville, the table was set with bright placemats, plates, utensils, and printables.

Image: Celebrations.com

I love the die-cut placemats and contrasting plates that are used at each place setting as well as the playful name cards letting each child know where to sit. How cute are the monogrammed milk bottle jars filled with blue-tinted juice! Wooden utensils were dressed up by adding brightly colored tape to the handles. Genius! And, to keep guests occupied, a maze activity card and pencil were attached to each place setting with a clip.

Images: Celebrations.com

Guest were also treated to a fun and colorful array of snacks inspired by some of their favorite Oogielove characters.

Image: Celebrations.com

Ruffy was the inspiration behind the Goldfish crackers, Lero and Lola's maracas inspired these adorable Colorful Crunchy Cereal Pops, and homemade Dotty Rounder Cupcakes were served for dessert.

Images: Celebrations.com

Image: Celebrations.com

Whether you are celebrating the release of The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure or creating a Oogieloves themed birthday party for your child, this party is full of great inspiration and ideas to get you started. Thank you, celebrations.com and Chris Nease for sharing your party with us. For more party ideas and tips, stop by Celebrations.com, here.

{Real Parties} A Firetruck Themed Party

Sound the alarm.....this Firetruck Themed Party is smokin' hot! This past June I shared a little sneak peek of a birthday party that my AMAZINGLY talented friend Nicole, of Salsa Sweets, created for her daughter's birthday. I am so excited to be able to share all of the party's details and photos with you today.

Nicole decided on a firetruck theme for her daughter's birthday party for two main reasons: Anna, her daughter, is obsessed with firetrucks and Nicole's husband, Jon, has been a firefighter for over 20 years and recently joined the local department. Knowing Nicole, I am willing to bet that the challenge of turning the traditional "boy-centered" firetruck theme into a fun and feminine party for her daughter was also appealing. And as you will see, she rocked it!

With the help of her brother-in-law, Jason Markel, Nicole began by designing the invitations and other paper goods for the party. I love the color scheme and design elements that Nicole chose, which included lots of red, white, aqua, and chevron. I also love all of the creative ways that Nicole incorporated the firetruck theme into the party's decor. I mean, seriously, who knew that there was such thing as a fire hydrant beverage dispenser out there!?!

Nicole cleverly set up this gorgeous Chili Bar for her guests to enjoy while they celebrated the birthday girl. What a great addition to a firetruck themed party. And how cool are those chevron-inspired pom-poms!

After enjoying a hot bowl of chili, guests were treated to a sampling of Nicole's true talent: DESSERT! The sweets menu (completley created by Nicole) included an adorable birthday cake, fire helment topped cupcakes, stunning cookies, and some "Smokin' Hot" cake pops.

Did I mention that the local fire department also stopped by to help Anna celebrate? Of course they did. What fun!

Nicole, you knocked this one out of the park. Thank you for all of the wonderful inspiration and for sharing Anna's special day with us!

If you would like to see more of Nicole's work, visit the Salsa Sweets facebook page, here.


Vendor Credits:

Photograhy: Sarah Kaupp Photography

http://sarahkauppphotography.com/ 

Pom Pom garland : http://www.etsy.com/shop/TiTisTuTus

Cupcake Liners: Cupcake Social

Straws: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DKDeleKtables

Poppy Peasant Dress (anna): http://www.etsy.com/shop/adellaperez

Aqua and Red Chevron favor bags: http://www.etsy.com/shop/alifehandmade

Paper Goods: Designed together with Jason Markel

Cake, cupcakes with fire helmet candy, and cookies: Nicole and Salsa Sweets
Cake Pops: Nicole and Alexandra Cake Pop Company

Ribbon Garland: Me with Inspiration from Polka Dot Market

Front Door Sign: Nicole and Salsa Sweets

Firetruck: The Fox from Doylestown Fire Company.

Cute As A Button and Ruffled, Two!

Today I am excited to share a dessert table that I designed for a baby shower this past January. The guest of honor was already a mother of two girls and was expecting her third AND fourth (yes, twins!). One boy and one girl. So exciting! I wanted to keep the theme gender neutral, casual, and bright and cheery. I came up with the theme Cute As A Button and Ruffled, Two!

After choosing a theme, I decide on two main gender neutral colors: a bright yellow and an aqua blue. I also used white as my neutral base. I added ruffles that I made from white crepe paper streamers to the cake stand and serving pieces (see my post about this, here) and then finished them off with mini paper fans that I made and/or a little ribbon.

Cute As A Button printables were created for the dessert table (will be available in the Sheek Shindigs Etsy Shop, here, soon!) and embellished with mini paper buttons.

I also made paper fans and embellished them with Cute As A Button stickers to hang above the table for a little extra fun. You can find instructions on how to make these, here.

The main attraction of the table was the button cake. To create, I simply purchased a double-layered 8" cake from my local bakery and decorated it with edible sugar buttons myself (buttons are available in the Sheek Shindigs etsy shop, here). This was an easy and inexpensive way to dress up a standard, store-bought cake. I created a coordinating cake topper by accordion folding a 7" x 1 1/4" piece of paper, embellishing it with two mini paper buttons, and attaching each end to a white candy stick.

In addition to the button cake, there were cupcakes, cake balls, and mini meringue cookies for the guests to enjoy.

What a fun day it turned out to be for a special woman and her growing family!

Credits:

Sheek Shindigs: design, set-up, decorations, desserts

With Love Photography and Design: Photos

ABC Paper Party Cups

Yesterday I came across a fun Etsy find and just had to share. Check out these ABC Paper Party Cups from Isakay Boutique. Aren't they great!

These paper party cups come in packages of 30 cups with 2 different letters on each cup (one on each side), plus a heart and a period symbol.  If you are looking for an easy and unique way to personalize your next shindig, these cups may be your answer. I love the idea of using them for a word party banner...



To help "label" your food...

Or, to just help you get your message across.

What would you say with your ABC Paper Party Cups?

Go Green!

Want your next Shindig (and all of the others to follow) to be Sheek and eco-friendly? Investing in some basic reusable party goods is a great way to begin your future of Green Entertaining. Not only will these reusable party items save you money in the long-run, but they are earth-friendly as well. Double score! Parents.com has some great suggestions for a starter kit:

Image: Parents

Durable plastic tumblers: ikea.com
Melamine divided plates: amazon.com
Cloth drawstring good bags: bagsplus.com
Fabric banner: landofnod.com
Felt party hats: partypartnershop.com

{DIY} An Outdoor Dining Oasis

If this image doesn't put you in the mood for an outdoor summer party, nothing will! When I came across this photograph from the archives of Decor Amor I immediately fell in love and wanted to re-create this Outdoor Dining Oasis.

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I think that a re-creation would really be quite simple. Here is my DIY plan for the GORGEOUS outdoor canopy and dining set-up that is making me want to plan an outdoor party of my own right now!

Supplies:
- 4 PVC poles or metal poles
- fabric of your choice (you could use a tablecloth, sheet, or cut fabric)
- streamers
- table and chairs (or whatever you have on hand. Be creative!)
- colorful table settings, pillows, accessories

Directions:
- Secure 4 poles into the ground. Attach fabric to each end of the pole, draping to resemble a canopy. Add colorful streamers, fabric, bows, etc. to the canopy. Fill your dining area with a table and chairs/benches, pillows, flowers, and colorful accessories. Food and drinks wouldn't hurt either!

Once I actually put my plan to the test, I will follow up with DIY feedback. If you try it out for yourself in the meantime, let me know how it turns out.

{Real Parties} An Orange, Aqua, and Blue Circus Celebration

I am thrilled to be able to share this week's {Real Parties} submission. Mae of Mae Armstrong Designs sent me this ADORABLE Orange, Aqua, and Blue Circus Party that she created for her precious twin boys AND her husband (they all have the same birthday...how cool!).  Mae was inspired by all of the DIY parties that she had seen online and decided to challenge herself.

The party's theme was inspired by a paper Meri Meri elephant carousel that had been given to the twins. Mae created the invitations (LOVE!) and "sewed a simple elephant themed fabric pennant and a crochet banner...re purposed old baby food jars into pretty little containers for Jelly Beans... whipped up some homemade caramel popcorn  and added a jar full of animal crackers and goldfish to our dessert table". Mae also made birthday shirts, pj's and bibs for the boys, party hats, and three giant smash cakes. I am so impressed!

As an added touch, Mae's husband "hired his co-worker to play 'Happy Birthday' and some other songs on his bagpipes. It was an ode to the boys half-Scottish heritage and filled the neighborhood with some pretty cool tunes". What an awesome idea!

Thank you for sharing your impressive party with Sheek Shindigs, Mae. Job well done!! You can see more of Mae Armstrong Designs here and here.

Vendor Information:

Sweet Zugar Cakes: Main birthday cake

email: sweetzugarcakes@hotmail.com
website: http://www.sweetzugarcakes.com

Katie Cakes: Giant smash cupcakes
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Katie-Cakes/168834879840539?sk=wall

{DIY} The Paper Lantern Makeover

I LOVE this DIY tutorial from The Crafts Dept. (Martha Stewart). Give your plain paper lanterns a much needed makeover! With the help of tissue paper circles and double-sided tape, you can create these lovely hanging beauties for your next shindig. For a full tutorial and pictures, visit The Crafts Dept. here.

{DIY} Zig Zag Party Streamers

Looking for something to jazz up your next shindig? Check out these DIY Zig Zag Party Streamers by Oh Happy Day. All you need is colored paper and a pair of scissors. Yep, it's that easy.


Instructions and Photos from Oh Happy Day:

Step 1: Start with some colored paper in the shape of a rectangle. Start on one of the long sides and cut a strip about 1" wide but don't cut all the way through.

Step 2: From there measure about 2" from the first and cut again. Continue doing 2" cuts on that side of the paper.

Step 3: Turn the paper over and make cuts (but not all the way through) half way between the 2" sections. Et voilà! You have an accordion streamer to make you party festive.





So cool. So fun. So jazzy! Can't wait to try these out for myself sometime soon.

{Party Ideas} A Candy Land-Inspired Party

Did you see this Candy Land-inspired party in the May issue of Parents Magazine? Love it! This Land 'o Candy Birthday Party is colorful, creative, and full of great, easily re-creatable DIY ideas to make your child's next birthday party a sweet one!


No Land 'o Candy Birthday would be complete without life-sized....CANDY! How creative are these Balloon Lollipops (made by wrapping regular balloons in cellophane and attaching to a paper tube stick) and Wall Candies (made by taping together two plastic plates, wrapping in cellophane, and tying the ends with ribbon)? Genius!




My favorite element is the Candy Land-inspired colorful pathway of squares. Not only does this element add color and clarity to the party's overall theme, but it is totally functional as well! With the help of a deck of cards from the Candy Land game, your fabulous party prop turns into a real-life version of the game that your guests can participate in and enjoy.



And don't forget the cake and favors!



To see all of this party's details, tips, and DIY instructions, visit Parents here.

{Real Parties} A Candy Shoppe Party

This week's Real Parties feature is the second party submission sent to me by Sara of The Homespun Hostess. Sara created A Candy Shoppe Party for her daughter's 2nd birthday party last year in honor of her daughter's love of lollipops. Once her daugther went to sleep the night before her party, Sara went to work transforming her dining room into an adorable Candy Shop (what a wonderful surprise to wake up to!). The final result is something that any child would LOVE!




Sara used inexpensive jars to display candy and add height to the candy table. She also covered Dollar Store popcorn boxes with coordinating cardstock and used them as cotton candy containers. Such a great idea! For the party, Sara ordered subs from a local sandwhich shop and wrapped them in colorful cellophane and tied with ribbon to look like candy. Love it!


I think that my favorite party details are the crepe paper backdrop and the mini gumball favors. To add color to her tan walls that backed the candy table, Sara taped bright pink and orange crepe paper streamers to the wall to create a beautiful stripped backdrop. For party favors, Sara found $1 gumball machines at Walmart (score!) and dressed them up with a personalized tag and some ribbon. They were a huge hit with the kids, as you can imagine.




Sara, once again you did a fabulous job. Thank you for sharing your daugther's party with Sheek Shindigs. To see more of Sara's creations and The Homespun Hostess, click here.