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

An Event to Honor and Remember

Over the past two weeks I have had the honor of working on a very special project with an extraordinary group of people called Autumn's Army.This past December a family in our community suffered the most devastating loss that a parent can imagine. The Hoeft family lost their precious 5 year-old daughter, Autumn, to brain cancer.  Autumn's Army is "a group of concerned parents, family, teachers and school administrators, neighbors, classmates, friends and sometimes complete strangers that decided to band together" to help Autumn's family as they struggle to rebuild their lives without their daughter. This amazing group planned and organized a Tribute Dance and Silent Auction to benefit the Hoeft family and I was asked to help out. Sheek Shindigs designed and donated a dessert table for the event. The event's theme was based around two of Autumn's favorite things: pink and butterflies. I decided to use both of those elements to design a table that would honor Autumn and her memory. This is the table before the desserts were added:

I wanted the table to be simple and reflective of a little girl. I found the most adorable butterfly lamps at Home Goods and knew that they were meant for the table. I trimmed several of the serving plates and part of the center cake stand with white ruffles that I made from crepe paper. As a focal point for the table, I created an inexpensive butterfly "picture" by painting a blank canvas (bought at a local craft store) and embellishing it with paper butterflies that were donated by Megan of  Embellished Paper. Megan also donated the cupcake wrappers for the event. Thanks, Megan!

The dessert table featured pink and white cupcakes by a local vendor (Hopelessly Delicious Cakes and Candies), cake balls (Sheek Shindigs), and AMAZING cookies by my talented friend, Nicole. Yummy!

It turned out to be an amazing night for a more than worthy cause. Much thanks to Autumn's Army for all of their hard work and for bringing our community together. Thank you to the vendors and friends that donated items for the dessert table and/or the event as well as everyone that came out to support the family. I know that Autumn was smiling down on you all last night. While I never personally knew Autumn or her family, her story and the impression that she has left on myself and our community is one that I will never forget. Autumn's story has reminded me to slow down and cherish the time that I have with my children. They are truly a gift from God. She has reminded me to be thankful for my family, our health, and life in general. And, Autumn's story has renewed my faith in our community. Thank you, Autumn.

You can read about Autumn's story, here.

Vendor Information:

Dessert Table Design, set-up: Sheek Shinidgs

Cupcake Wrappers & Butterflies: Embellished Paper

Butterfly Canvas: Sheek Shindigs

Butterfly Lamps: Home Goods

Cupcakes: Hopelessly Delicious Cakes and Candies

Cookies: Nicole Soderberg

Cake Balls: Sheek Shindigs

Printables (food/donor labels): The Homespun Hostess





{Party Ideas} A Snowman Themed Party

In need of a versatile holiday or winter theme for your next shindig? How about hosting a Snowman Themed Party. Whether you are hosting a non-religious holiday party or a winter celebration, you can't go wrong with a few jolly snowmen (and women) on your side.

Snowman Themed Food: From a Frosty glass of milk to a shot of snowman ice cream, here are some fun snowman themed snack ideas for your party.

{Images and Source Links: Top Row: All You , Good Housekeeping , Better Homes and Gardens , Middle Row: Martha Stewart , Better Homes and Gardens , babble  , Bottom Row: Candie Anderson , Canadian Family , Better Homes and Gardens }

Snowman Crafts: If there is snow on the ground, suit the kiddos up and let them create a winter wonderland of snowmen and women. If not, here are some snowman craft ideas that should be almost as much fun.

{Images and Sources: Kaboose , Kaboose , Family Fun , Kid Activities }

Snowman Activity: Set up a Build Your Own Snowman station for little ones to create their own frosty snow creatures. Stack marshmallows (skewered with tooth picks) onto a graham cracker with a thin layer of frosting. Use pretzel sticks for arms, chocolate chips for eyes and buttons, and orange jelly beans for a carrot nose.

Snowman Favors: Send your guests home with a snowman-to-go favor. Here are a few of my favorites.

{Image and Source Links: Add Ink and Stamp , Married, Broke, and Hungry , Bakerella }



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?

{Party Inspiration} Apples, Apples!

I love Fall! The colorful leaves, the crisp air, and all of the delicious APPLES! Yes, I said apples. There is just something so wonderful to me about fresh, fall apples. Don't you agree? I was inspired by the recent cool down in Virginia and ready to style a Fall-themed party. My mind naturally focused on an APPLE theme (apple cider, candy apples, cider donuts...) and this is what I came up with for my inspiration:

An Apples, Apples! Themed Party Inspiration Board

This apple-themed party would be fun for a back-to-school celebration, an apple picking party, a fall birthday, or just to celebrate the season with your family and friends. What comes to mind when you think of Fall?

Image Credits:
1. Apple Cupcakes: What's New, Cupcake?  2. Apple Invitation: The Homespun Hostess  3. Candy Apples: Wedding by Color  4. Apples Sign: Hello Naomi  5. Cider Donuts: Handmade Simple  6. Apple Wreath: Faux Flora  7. Apple Plates Craft: Two Shades of Pink  8. Apple/Floral Centerpiece: Style Me Pretty  9. Apple Cider: Google

Pretty Printable Place Cards

Pretty Printable Place cards....now say that 3 times fast!

Amy of Delightful Distractions created these sweet printable placecards/gift tags/ note cards that you can download for FREE and put to use in so many different ways. Don't you love them!

So many fun ideas for how to use these come to my mind. Most involve celebrating something special with my little girl... they remind me of her.  You can download you own set of these printables, here. And, don't forget to stop by Delightful Distractions, here, to follow Amy and see more of her wonderful creations. Thank you for sharing these, Amy!

{Crafty Ideas} A Colorful Pencil Necklace

I came across this fun, colorful craft project a few weeks ago and thought that this would be a perfect time to share it with the start of school and the need for a little sunshine in our neck of the woods. It has been raining almost non-stop for an entire week here! We need some rainbows and bright skies!

Kate of Mini-eco created this fun pencil necklace using a junior hacksaw, tiny drill bit, sandpaper and some string. Each pencil-bead is 0.6mm in length.

To create, hold pencil firmly and cut a .6mm length section using a junior hacksaw. Once pieces are cut, lightly sand each end of each piece smooth. Drill a small hole through each pencil piece and string with your thread/string. While you will have to do the "heavy" crafting work, little ones will enjoy helping you create the pattern and stringing them as you go.

These would be a cute craft or favor for a rainbow or art themed party, don't you think? I hope that you enjoy!

And, just as I am wrapping this post up, sunny skies are trying to peak through. Hooray!

Carnival Mini Edible Designs

I am excited to announce that the Sheek Shindigs Etsy Shop is in the process of adding some great new products to help make your next Shindig one to remember! One of my favorite new products are these Carnival Mini Edible Designs. These edible decorations are flat-printed edible designs that can be applied to many food items (cakes, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream cakes) for a finished, professional look. They are prepared with edible food colors and absorb moisture from food products, becoming soft and melding with the food item that it is being applied to. They DO NOT contain: wheat, milk, eggs, fish, shell-fish (crustaceans) peanuts and/or tree nuts, are gluten free, and Kosher Certified.

So, what can you do with these fun, edible designs? Here is a suggestion: Upgrade your favorite small cookie!

White Chocolate Carnival Mini Cookies

1. Prepare your favorite cookies or use pre-made. TIP: make sure the cookies are no larger than 1.5” in diameter to fit into a chocolate or candy mold with 2” cavities.

2. Place Carnival Mini designs face down in the cavities of your candy mold.

3. Fill a parchment triangle with a melted chocolate to fill the mold. TIP: don’t use a metal tip in the bag, as its coolness will stiffen the chocolate too quickly.

4. Press cookies into the chocolate before it sets up; top off with melted chocolate if necessary. TIP: tap the entire mold on a counter top to level the chocolate.

5. Let set, and then remove coated cookies from the mold.

The final result is sure to impress!

Visit the Sheek Shindigs Etsy shop, here, to view this product and others, here. And don't forget to check back...more are coming soon!

{Real Parties} A Picnic Party

Today I am sharing a party submission from Jozen of Lola's Girl. Jozen recently celebrated her daughter's 6th birthday by incorporating one of her favorite summertime activites and throwing her a Picnic Party! 

Guests were asked to bring their own picnic blankets or lawn chairs and were treated to quite a picnic spread for the birthday celebration.The menu included hot dogs, hamburgers, traditional Filipino barbecue on sticks, salad, and fresh fruit.

A diy lemonade stand provided guests the opportunity to create their own picnic beverage....I love this idea and I would image that it was a hit with the kids as well!

Jozen put together a mini dessert table which featured mini cupcakes, donut holes, brownie bites, oreos, and mini cinnamon buns. So cute and sooo yummy!

Every birthday girls needs a cake! This cake was extra special because the birthday girl's aunt baked it for her. Isn't it beautiful!

The birthday celebration ended with a movie under the stars for all of the guests to enjoy. What a great way to finish off a special day and a wonderful celebration!

Jozen, thank you for sharing your daughter's party with Sheek Shindigs. You did a wonderful job. You can see more of the details from this party at Lola's Girl, here.