April Fools Food!

Tomorrow is April 1 which means a day of silly pranks.  You can be the funniest mom on the block if you serve your kids any of these deceptively delicious dishes for dinner (try saying that 3 times fast)! 

Start with dessert?!  Serve meatloaf "cupcakes" or "cake" topped with mashed potato "frosting."

Quench their thirst with a berry "juice" made of Jello!  Insert a straw but watch them struggle to suck through it!

Finish up with sweet candy "sushi", "pizza" cake, or a "grilled cheese" pound cake-sherbet dessert.

Make this dinner even more memorable by actually serving the dessert (which looks like the main course) first, and the dinner (which looks like dessert) second....if you dare.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

Hippity Hoppity, Easter's On It's Way...

I've compiled some great ideas for your Easter Entertaining this Sunday.  From creative tabletops, to crafty favors, there's sure to be something here that you can recreate or be inspired by.

Sources:

Table 1, table 2, table3,

Egg cup with flowers, Egg with Monogram "place card"

Cupcakes, Recycled can baskets

paper cup candy holders, sign

Table decor/centerpiece, Easter bags

A Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

Today I want to share this fantastic birthday party from Heavenly Blooms.  It is a Minnie Mouse theme with lots of cute details and a fab color scheme! 

Heavenly Blooms creates gorgeous floral designs for all types of events...notice the amazing Minnie Mouse centerpiece above.  Obviously Jaclyne can throw one heck of a party also.  See the AMAZING wine & chocolates tasting party I posted earlier.

"Spa Candy"

I've got to give a big "thanks" to Swank Sweets for introducing this amazing new online magazine, Nonpareil.

And this amazing "Sweets" table from their latest issue will make you do a double-take!  Designed to look like a dessert table, it is full of bath and body products perfect for a Spa Party for Birthdays, Showers, or other Girl's Gathering!!  How freaking cool is that?!

The online magazine is full of recipes for the bath salts, soaps, lip balms, and body scrubs, as well as printables for the display and packaging.  Start planning your Spa Party now! 

"Jungle Fever" Baby Shower

I have such a fun baby shower to share with you today!  This beautifully designed party is from Donna of Donna Romani Events, and Love and a Latte blog.  This "Jungle" shower was co-ed, and began with an adorable invitation that also included a couple of animal cut-out cards.  These cards were used to write words of parental wisdom on, and sent back with the reply card.  They were then used to create a sweet mobile that hung over the gifts table.

Guests were welcomed by hanging monkeys in onesies, and a bar set up with "Jungle Juice."  Have you ever seen anything so fun, whimsical, and creative?!  There were more onesies inside, for the guests to decorated with fabric markers.

The table was set with zebra print plates, and a cake ball at each setting.  You can see the hanging mobile above, as well as a dessert table with these adorable cupcakes.  This shower has so many great ideas for a shower or child's birthday!  For more details visit Love and a Latte.

A Farewell Dinner Party {Black, White & Red}

This past weekend I designed a Farewell Dinner Party for a family moving back to their home state of New York.  We chose a classic look with black, white, and red with damask pattern.

In the entry was a manzanita tree with note cards set out.  Guests were able to write a goodbye note to the couple and hang it on the tree.  The hostess also compiled pictures of the group of friends from the past few years and placed them in a photo album as a gift.   

The table was set so that the place settings for the men were slightly different than the place settings for the women.  I used decorative red damask packing tape from Michael's $1 bin to wrap candle votives, and also add a decorative touch to the Cookie Bar below.

Personalized bags were attached to the backdrop with a red-tipped straight pin (from Michael's sewing section).  The red damask packing tape provided just a hint of color against the black backdrop.  Guests were able to have cookies and milk for dessert, as well as pack some in a bag to take home.  See more in our Flickr set or Facebook Album. 

This party decor would work equally well for a birthday, bridal shower, or engagement party!

Boxed Invitations

One of the best ways to create a buzz about your upcoming party is to create a fabulous invitation.  Boxed invitations are a great way to do that.  The fun thing about these is that you can add fun details and items that wouldn't fit into a traditional envelope.  You can get so creative with these and the possibilities are endless.  Here are some good ideas to get you going:

Add candies to the bottom of the box and wrap in tissue.(Wedding Bee)

Pink maribou feathered box with beaded ribbon!  Bachelorette Party, or Special Birthday?(Paper Olive)

A "school" themed box with button magnets and personalized pencils.(Amber & Jeff's wedding blog)

Add decorative "snow" for a winter soiree.  Maybe a warning to "open with caution." ; ) (My Personal Artist)

I love this for a man's birthday party.  Cigar and animal print...very rugged! (Paper Olive)

A mini Candyland board with lollipop for a child's birthday (Paisley Quill); A fun questionnaire with pencil for a bridal shower.(Gourmet Invitations)

The rustic look is very popular and these would be great with it's moss lining and scroll invitation (Celebrate Beautifully);  For a baby shower, write directly on a newborn diaper (or add a sticker with the info) and send it in a box!(Make Your Own Invitations)

You can't tell me you wouldn't want to attend any of these celebrations!

The Celebration Shoppe

Would you like a 1-stop-shop for your next birthday, shower, holiday,or ladies' night?  Then head on over to The Celebration Shoppe for any one of their beautifully designed custom invitations and party decor.  I'm excited to welcome The Celebration Shoppe as one of our newest sponsors because I've been a fan of their products and blog for a long time.  Kim is the owner and creative director behind the collections, and I think you'll agree she has great taste and style.  Here is a sampling of some of the great collections you'll find:

Bugs & Butterflies Birthday (soon to be featured in Mom magazine)

Peapod Bassinet Baby Shower (featured in Pregnancy magazine April 2010)

Buzz Bridal Shower or Girlfriend Gathering

Divine Bachelorette, Bridal, or Birthday Party

Head over to The Celebration Shoppe to see all their collections and be inspired!

"Take Me Out To The Ballgame" Birthday Party

I was recently "introduced" to Shelley at How Does She?, when she sent me a link to this awesome birthday party she planned for her little guy.  I immediately loved the fact that it is a child-friendly theme, but also very adult-friendly decor...just my syle!(secondly, I loved her matter-of-fact humor;)  You could also use some of these ideas for Memorial Day, and 4th of July. 
You can see more of this party and find out where she purchased some of the items, on her post.

Thanks, Shelley!

Woodsy Spring Table

How I love the work of Gloria Wong Design!  This is her latest creation posted on Snippet & Ink.  This lush, woodsy table is perfect for a Spring gathering.  The use of Spring flowers, succulents, branches, and moss give a magical woodland feel.  Add in some chalkboard-painted elements and neutral colored favor bag/menu, and it is sheer perfection.  Wouldn't it be fun to "hide" some eggs throughout the tablescape for Easter?  Dye them in subtle colors like pale blues, yellows, and greens.

Dr. Seuss Baby Shower

I was so happy when Maegan Birr sent me these pictures of her Dr. Seuss Baby Shower to share with you all.  Maegan gathered inspiration from all around the web and came up with this adorable design for the theme.  She has some obvious graphic design skills as seen in the invitation, scrapbook (a gift for mom-to-be), menu, and other signage. 

Maegan and her co-host also put together cute food presentation, and a fantastic photo booth area complete with boa, "Cat in the Hat" hat, flower, and blue frame.  You can see more pics on her blog, including note cards (for "tips" for new mom), "who-food" menu, and the scrapbook photo album.