{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.

{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. 



{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

Free Father's Day Printables

Are you ready to celebrate the special men in your life this Father's Day? Amanda of Shindig Parties To Go is generously providing FREE Father's Day Printables to help you make this Sunday a special day for your father, husband, grandfather, and anyone else that deserves being celebrated!

The set includes a cute tie-shaped "Happy Father's Day" banner, tie-shaped centerpiece signs, and cupcake topper sized ties as well. Visit Shindig Parties To Go, here, to download. Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing these fabulous printables, Amanda!

{Party Inspiration} Teacher Appreciation Week

With Teacher Appreciation Week coming up (yep, it's next week!) I thought that I would share this fabulous school-themed party by Leoni of Just Call Me Martha for a little inspiration. Whether you are helping plan a school celebration or just looking for some sweet ideas to send to your favorite teacher, this party is sure to inspire!









I love the use of chalkboard paint to create the backdrop, table "cover", and food labels. And how about using small blackboards in place of the traditional serving platters and cake stands. Genius! I bet that the buttercream math cupcakes would be a HUGE hit in a teachers' lounge. So many great ideas. This one definitely gets an A+ from me! Thank you for the inspiration, Leoni!

{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.

{Real Parties} A Cupcake Themed First Birthday Party

Get ready...this week is going to be full of Real Party features! The first feature of the week is one of two sent to me by Sara of The Homespun Hostess (the second will also be featured this week. Stay tuned!). Sara created a Cupcake Themed First Birthday Party for her daughter that was inspired by an adorable cupcake dress from Momi Boutique. I love all of the cupcake details throughout the party. So cute. So colorful. So FUN!


A Cupcake Party Hat and Sara's "inspiration" dress:


Some of the fabulous cupcake-themed party decor, which included signs, noisemakers, cookies, and cupcake truffles.



The party favors were bubbles that were beautifully dressed in tissue paper, scrapbook paper, and ribbon. Love them. And aren't the party hats fun!



It looks like someone enjoyed their birthday party!



You can see more of this party at The Homespun Hostess, here. Thank you for sharing your daugther's party with Sheek Shindigs, Sara. I look forward to sharing Sara's other party submission later this week.

*Photographs of the party were taken by Maggie Russo

{Real Parties} A Barbie Birthday Party

This week's Real Party is A Barbie Birthday Party. With the help of Party Paper Creations for the invitations and paper products, the birthday girl's mother, Laurie, created an adorable party for her daughter's birthday celebration. I love the zebra prints and hot pink colors that were incorporated throughout the party's decor.

Upon arrival, guests attended "Fashion Design School" where they designed some outfits for Barbie. Next, they went to the Salon and got their makeup and nails done. There were also several games that went along with the party's theme, including one that involved the girls being able to dress up as their favorite Barbie. What a great idea!

It looks like everyone had a great time. You can see more pictures and details about this party by visiting Laurie's blog, here. Thank you for sharing your party with Sheek Shindigs, Laurie. Job well done!