A Very Girly Birthday

Jessica, of Party Box Design shop and blog, recently created this sweet and girly birthday party for her daughter, and I was thrilled she shared it with me.  From the colors to the flower arrangements, and everything in between, this is a feast for the eyes! 

I love all the fun details Jessica added: tulle poms, gorgeous flower arrangements, some of the cutest cupcake toppers & hang tags on jars and bags, and the unexpected touch of water bottles piled up in a large cylandar vase!  See more photos of this party here and here. 

4th Of July Styling Ideas

With the holiday weekend just days away, you have just enough time to gather up themed paper, ribbons, flowers, and food ingredients to celebrate the 4th in style.  Some great ideas above, from Pottery Barn and Martha Stewart, feature drink bottles served in frosty mugs, fries served in parchment lined mini buckets, mini flower arrangements wrapped with ribbon, a ribbon embelished drink bucket, and of course, food flags. 

Christi at P is for Party set up a lovely table with an elegant flower pomander, striped buckets with tea towels, and ribbon wrapped mason jars.  She also shows how you can create a coordinating child-friendly table.  See her post for more. 

Visit Pottery Barn and watch the video on how to created this gorgeous and budget friendly "flag" flower arrangement using carnations and vintage soda crates.  Then check out the latest video on Better TV featuring some fun "4th of July ideas" from Jeanne Benedict - my favorite is the potato salad served in paper-wrapped dixie cups!

Finally, here are some delicious dishes you may want to serve up: blue cheese sliders, chocolate dipped pretzel "sparklers", and mini cherry pies. 

Romance On The Ranch

Today's inspiration combines just a touch of vintage and a touch of rustic, for a perfectly appointed event.  Designed by Carter and Cook Event Co. and photographed by C. Sherman Photography,  this stunnning celebration would be well suited for a Bridal Shower, Engagement or Anniversary Party, or Special Birthday.   

Look closely at the tabletops and you'll notice that there are variations to the centerpieces.  Old shutters are used to add texture and dimension, as well as stacked books.  Several different containers are used for flowers: milk glass vases, glass jars, colored glass bottles & vases.  The florals are wild flower displays instead of precise arrangements.   And peaches are displayed throughout, either canned or fresh. 

The entire length of the table can be broken down into small vignettes!

The amazing details include programs tied with strips of fabric(great idea for menu cards too), which coordinate with tiny banners strung along the cakes.  The dessert table also included homemade pies and cookies. 

Stamped monograms adorn the jam jar favors and drink stir sticks, while twine is used for tying napkins(topped with a button) and chair tags.  There are so many great ideas to gather from this beautiful event! 

Euro-Style Baby Shower {With A Vintage Twist}

This rustic baby shower is so casually chic, it feels like your in the Parisian countryside.  The details look effortless, but the style is everywhere.  My favorites are the 'diaper' wrapped lemonade bottles, and the wooden planks and cutting boards used to serve food.  

The invitations were designed by Imprintables, with a Kewpie doll motif.  After snacking on fresh and dried fruits, tea sandwiches, and a variety of sweets, guests played a baby quiz, and took home favor jars filled with cookie mix.

Sophisticated Vintage Circus

Do you have a kid?... Or are you a kid at heart?  This Vintage Circus table design has just the right amount of whimsy and sophistication to appeal to children and adults alike!  Created by Honey and Poppies along with Delovely Events (and photographed by Krashing Motions), this was another stand-out table design at the Utterly Engaged design challenge. 

Not only is the overall design impeccable, but the paper details are amazing!  Tiered boxes covered in an eclectic mix of patterns, and finished off with a tiny flag banner.  The cupcakes sit atop a paper fan made of 'vintage' sheet music.  Crepe paper 'prize ribbons' adorn the vases, while tiny circus posters were applied to the candle holders. 

All I can say is WOW!  What fabulous inspiration!

Sherbet & Spice Birthday

Sometimes the simplest concepts make the cutest designs, and that is the case with this back yard ice cream birthday party seen on The City Cradle.  With the repeated use of circles, a few DIY projects, and some clever food/drink paper wraps, this is a delight for the eyes! 

A hand-crafted 'chandelier' of felt circles hangs over the cake, along with banners of circles strung across the yard...575 tiny circles to be exact!   A fun teepee was made using sticks and a thrifted bed ruffle.  I'm not sure which I love more, the teepee, or the DIY ice cream/sherbet stand.   The stand served up a variety of frozen treats along with toppings displayed in a vintage model ferris wheel - so cute! 

An easy to do tip is to wrap your juice boxes and other food items in coordinating papers, and tie it off with string or ribbon.  These wraps are available for download here, and would work with any girly party.   There were also handmade kites as favors, hanging along the wall.  To see all the details for this party visit Part 1 and Part 2 on The City Cradle.

'Shabby Chic' Style Birthday Design

Today's feature looks as if it is straight out of a photo shoot for Country Living magazine, although it is actually a dual birthday celebration.  I shouldn't be surprised, though, since it is the work of Jess of Pen n' Paper Flowers.  I think I love it so much because it combines party design concepts with interior design concepts....2 of my favorite things!

I adore all the gorgeous vignettes above, as well as the dressed-up 'antiques' and accoutrements.  Jess spread the pink and yellow colors throughout with the use of fabric and food, and I love that she used the small frappuccino bottles I've talked about here, as part of the favor bucket!  You can visit Pen n' Paper Flowers for more details on this delightful party.

Oh, Go Fly A Kite!

I've never met Tracey Lau, but I'm pretty sure she is a creative genius!  She designed this dessert table for her son's 1st birthday and it is nothing short of spectacular!  When you look at the big picture you feel like you are literally in a park, and when you inspect the details, they are unlike anything else you've seen....I mean check out those candy bar wrappers below, with the kite detail!

The popcorn cones served up in a frame!...the cloud-shaped marshmallows, and cotton candy favor bags!...the fenced-in grass with kite cookies!...the cupcakes!...the cloud food markers!...that serene back drop!  I'm floating on cloud 9!

FYI, see another AMAZING table Tracey created for her 40th birthday celebration.

(thanks to Sharnel at My Life My Loves, for the 411)

Chic Bistro Style

I am so excited to share this incredible table design by Carter & Cook Event Company!  This was initially created for a design challenge hosted by Utterly Engaged, and has a Modern Craft feel with neutral tones.  The details are simple and chic, and easy to recreate:

Small parchment-lined cardboard boxes were filled with a variety of cheeses and bread, along with custom labels attached to the beer bottles. 

Brown craft paper is used for a runner on top of a linen table cloth.  More texture is added through the addition of a gauze 'runner' atop the craft paper.

The paper flowers made from old books are a great alternative to large voluminous flower arrangements.  And the menu cards are tucked into a small paper bag....so clever!

Of course, one can't help but notice the fantastic table-front design...or should I say 'art piece'?  Who knew cupcake liners could look so cool?!  The ladies just attached several sizes of liners onto the linen using push pins.  Some liners were spray painted tan to add interest.  The result is a beautifully textured look!    

Real Party Showcase

I've received so many parties lately (which I love!), that there aren't enough days in the week to feature them all.  Sooooo, I will do a mini-feature/showcase of several of them.  Enjoy all the talents and inspiration from these party ladies!

Any Lopes sent me these photos of a recent Nautical themed baby shower she hosted.  Some great nautical details include the "life saver" cake, paper boat place cards, nautical cake toppers, and a fantastic table top!

Renee of Busy Bee Paperie sent me this fun-filled Carnival party she designed for her twin son's 4th birthday.  She also designed those cute invites and has an online shop which offers more gifts and stationery. 

Haley's Peaches & Cream 1st birthday party for "E" has some stylish details.  Customized drink koozies, adorable photo gallery wall, and fabric-lined baskets and banner were all theme specific - the photos were of some of "E's firsts".  You can see more on Haley's blog, Little E and Company. 

Julie Cox added so many sweet details to her daughter's 1st birthday party!  Visit her blog, A Reason To Get Together, to see several posts featuring the complete design.

This Pinkalicious 1st birthday party was sent in by Thetis of Little Sooti blog.  I think she did a great job on that dessert table!

Finally, my friend Laurie, designed this Airplane 1st birthday party for her son, Nathan.  This is the same friend who I created the Nautical Sip n 'Sea' shower for last year.  She did a great job incorporating the toy airplanes, the themed picture wall, and the airplane cookie favors.  So proud of her!

Thanks for all the fantastic party submissions!!