3 Ring Circus Baby Shower

This elephant 3 ring circus baby shower photographed by Gertrude & Mabel is Adorable!! I love, love the circus awning above the dessert table! The colors are great and all of the details are even better.







For more pictures, click here. Enjoy!

Customized Chocolate Bars

For all of those chocolate lovers {and gifters} out there, check this out! Chocri, a German chocolate company that is now in the U.S., allows its customers to customize their own chocolate bars. You begin by picking a base chocolate. Then, you have over 100 toppings to choose from, including fruit, spices, nuts, confections, decor, and grains. After you have created your customized chocolate bar, you give it a personalized name and it is packaged and delieverd to your doorstep. Did I mention that Chocri only uses organic, fair trade chocolate from belgium? And, for every 5 bars that you order you get 1 for free! What a fun, YUMMY way to add your personal touch to favors or a hostess gift. Have fun creating!

Above image from Amy Atlas. Thanks for the post on Chocri, Amy!

Easy Paper Pouches

With a few easy folds, you can turn plain paper into super cute pouches for serving fruit and other snacks to your guests. Use sheets of glassine and parchment paper for moist foods, such as fruit. You can also incorporate printed paper to go along with your event's theme and color scheme. These pouches would be especially wonderful for events with small children (pre-packaged snacks can be a huge help to the supervising adults!). See directions below.

For each cup, start with one sheet each of glassine and parchment paper. Cut whichever sheet will form the inside of the cup to 9 1/2 inches square; cut the other to 10 inches square. Center the small sheet on top of the large sheet, and attach in center with a piece of double-sided tape.


Fold square in half to form a triangle.

Fold bottom-right corner to left side.

Fold bottom-left corner to right side.

Fold front top points over front of cup, then rear top points behind back. To complete, hold top of cup open with one hand, then gently press bottom seam up at the center with other hand.

Images and directions are from Martha Stewart.

An 85th Surprise!

This past weekend we helped my Grandfather celebrate his 85th birthday by throwing him a surprise birthday party. A small group of family and friends got together to honor the wonderful person that he is. I did two mini dessert tables to compliment the dinner that my mom provided. I chose blue, green and white to use in the color scheme. The desserts included dark chocolate brownies, assorted cake balls, shortbread "85" cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, M&Ms, meringue cookies, and my favorite, blueberry cupcakes.







I hope that you enjoyed the surprise, Granddaddy. We love you!

Fab Find: Sillycone

I came across this week's FAB FIND when Kara of Kara's Party Ideas hosted a giveaway featuring a versatile alphabet mold by Sillycone. Naturally, I had to check out the featured product and I was really excited about all of the possibilites that Sillycone's products have to offer. Sillycone, Inc. offers a product line of high-gloss, FDA approved silicone. Their molds go beyond the traditional ice trays and can used in baking and craft projects. You can use these molds to make formed chocolates or brownies or to make crayon or soap letters and numbers. They are oven-safe and can be frozen. AND, they are dishwasher safe. SCORE!!


I will be investing in my own set of these great molds soon. In the meantime, if you have done a project using these, let me know. I would love to see what you have come up with!

{Sneak Peek} Alice in Wonderland Photo Shoot

Last week Kim from TomKat Studio styled an AMAZING photo shoot orchestrated by Laura of Laura Winslow Photography. Kim has only released a couple of pictures from the shoot so far and they are BEAUTIFUL. I can't wait to see more!




Tablescape Styling & Party Designs :: The TomKat Studio
Photography :: Laura Winslow Photography
Flowers :: Zuzu's Petals
Cupcakes & Cookies :: Decadent Delights

Butterflies and Ice Cream Baby Shower, II

This past weekend, Sheek Shindigs set up a Butterflies and Ice Cream themed baby shower that we have been working on. The Mommy-to-be (who loves ice cream) is expecting a little girl and has decorated her room with butterflies, hence the theme.

Each guest was asked to bring a baby book for the expecting parents. There was a table set up at the entrance of the event for guests to drop off their books, view pictures of Debbie's (the mommy) growing belly throughout the pregnancy, sign a photo mat with well-wishes to the parents, and select a favor.


The dessert bar was primarily designed as a toppings bar with a few extra desserts as well.




To the right of the table, we decorated the ice bucket (to hold the ice cream) with pom poms so it would blend in with the colors and theme of the shower.


Each guest received a customized notepad and pen set.


Congratulations, Debbie!

Some Sunny Inspiration

I was flipping through some of my card stock last night to get started on a surprise birthday party for my grandfather and I got side-tracked. My eye kept stopping at all of the great yellow variations that I came across and I was inspired. Yellow is such a cheerful, summer color and could be used as the main color or as an accent color with just about any themed occasion. Yellow can be gender neutral just as easliy as it can be made to be feminine or masculine. It can brighten up an event and add a lot of "happy" along the way. So, here are a few ideas for some cheerful, sunny themes:

A Summer Daisy Party/Baby Shower


A Yellow Inspired Wedding


Yellow and Black Mustache Party


A Bumble Bee Party

Images: A To Z Celebrations

Above pictures are from Martha Stewart and Kara's Party Ideas

Butterflies and Ice Cream Baby Shower

Sheek Shindigs designed and set up a butterfly and ice cream themed baby shower this morning. I will post more pictures and details later, but I wanted to post a sneak peek now.

More to come soon...

Poolside Inspiration

Looking for a little inspiration for your next summer gathering or party? If you have access to a pool (preferably a private one) then look no further. Kelly from The Party Dress put together this "Cocktails by the Pool" inspiration board that left me wanting to host a Girls' Night by the pool myself. Now I just need a private pool! Whether you are hosting your event during the day or at night, a poolside gathering offers a fun, relaxed setting to guests of all ages. Hop on over to The Party Dress for more details and poolside inspiration and tell her that we sent you!

Fab Find: Fondant Cupcake Toppers

This week's FAB FIND will make customizing your cupcakes a cinch. Cake and Kids offers custom, handmade fondant cupcake toppers for birthday parties and other special occasions. Their etsy store offers a large variety of cupcake toppers to choose from OR you can place a custom order. They are super cute and include many fantastic options for both boys and girls (which is often hard to find).

Robot Cupcake Toppers



Ladybug Cupcake Toppers



Superhero Cupcake Toppers



Whale Cupcake Toppers



Owl Cupcake Toppers (LOVE IT!)



I already have an event in mind that I plan on using Cake and Kids for ;) Visit the Cakes and Kids etsy store here for more information.

Boutique Tents...Couture Cabanas with Classic American Style

Boutique Tents was going to be this week's Fab Find (and it still may be) BUT I just couldn't wait until Friday to post about them. Anne Girault of Boutique Tents "seeks to impart classic style and a touch of whimsy to each pavilion she creates" and let me tell you, she does! Anne puts 10 years of sewing experience and her training in fine arts and interior design to amazing use by designing and crafting these OH SO SHEEK tents.




Boutique Tents offers a collection of 8 designer tents as well as a custom design service. These would fabulous for any special occasion... wedding, reception, baby shower...the list goes on. These gems would add color, visual interest, and an amazing custom ambiance to any event. You can check them out here.

Popsicle Party {sneak peek}

I am hosting a casual get together this August for my kiddos and a few of their friends. I wanted a summer theme that would suit all ages (18 months to 6 years old) and that we could do outside. I ended up deciding on a ....

POPSICLE PARTY!

Here is a sneak peek at the invitations that I just finished making:


I used card stock and popsicle sticks to make the Popsicle Party invitations. They open up to reveal the party's details. I will post pictures and more details in August after we host the get together.

In the meantime, one of the activites that I would like to do is a craft involving popsicle sticks. I need it to be appropiate for both 3 and 6 year olds. Any ideas??

Fab Find: Olliegraphic

This week's FAB FIND is one of my favorite finds so far. And it is, of course, an Etsy find. Olliegraphic offers its customers customized printable designs and accessories. Some of their items include calling cards, stationary, edible cupcake toppers, and melamine plates. All of their items can be customized with pictures that resemble your child. These items would be super cute for a "customized" birthday party.

A sample of the invitations, which you can customize to look like your little birthday boy or girl.



L-O-V-E these customized cupcake toppers. Wouldn't it be cute to customize one to look like each child attending the party!

Customized melamine plates. Not only would these be cute for your own children, but you could customize one for each child attending a birthday party, use them at the party for snacks and cake, and then send them home with each child as the favor.



Hope on over to Olliegraphic's etsy shop to check out all of their super cute items.

Dress Up Your Beverage Bottles!

A simple way to add visual interest and some "WOW" at your next event is to dress up your beverage bottles. Any type of plastic bottle, juice box, or jar can be dressed up with some craft paper, ribbon, and a few embellishments. For a customized look, add a personalized label or tag with a message to your guests. This little detail will really add a lot to your party!

Above images from My Creative Cafe

If you don't have the time or energy to dress up your bottles with lots of embellishments, a simple tray lined in paper and colorful straws can still have the same effect on your beverage bottles.

Above image from Sharnel Dollar Desings

Have fun "dressing up"! We would love to see your creative ideas.

Cool Pops

I have a new fascination with popsicles. It may be solely based on the fact that we are roasting this summer with temps in the 90's and 100's and anything that helps cool us down is extra appealing. Even so, there are so many fun recipes and molds that you can use to make the otherwise ordinary popsicle into a COOL POP at your next event!

Mint-Melon Pops
recipe


Lemon-Blueberry Twist Pops
recipe



Tie Dye Pops
recipe



Mandarin Orange Cream Pops
recipe



Rhubarb and Raspberry Yogurt Ice Pops
recipe



Pops would be a great alternative to cake and ice cream for a summer birthday party. Or, serve them as a playgroup treat next time you host. They are easy to make, fun to eat, and super COOL on a hot day!