Piggy Bank Parties Designs & Giveaway!

I want to introduce you to one of our newest sponsors, Piggy Bank Parties, who is also offering an introductory GIVEAWAY (details at the end of the post)!  Piggy Bank Parties is a printables party shop that offers unique and custom designed paper goods.  Founded by Do and her husband, they are not just graphic designers, but graphic Artists!  All of the illustrations and artwork are originals, and as Do says, "Every feather on our Thanksgiving turkey was hand colored and we even create our own animal prints so they are unique."  Now that's what I call a one-of-a-kind party!  

Here you can see just a sampling of their work and their talent.  From invitations to mini cake bunting, for adults and kids alike, Piggy Bank Parties will 'brand' your party with whimsical style.

Now for the Giveaway - Do is offering one lucky reader a custom party banner, and set of cupcake toppers (a $30 value).  Below is just a hint at what you might choose.

How to Enter:

This Giveaway is now Closed.

Congratulations to Cineca of Dreamin' in Details!  Her comment, #19 was chosen as the winner!

1. Please visit Piggy Bank Parties shop and let us know what you love by leaving a comment here.
2. For a 2nd entry, "Like" Piggy Bank Parties Facebook page and leave another comment here letting us know.
3. For a 3rd entry, Tweet this:  Enter to win a custom party set by @PiggybankParty on @CelebrateAtHome http://tinyurl.com/3s3jcjz

Entries will be accepted through Sunday, May 22, and announced on Monday morning.  Good Luck!

Graduation Party Ideas - "A Bright Future"

Looking for the perfect theme for your graduation party?  How about focusing on "A Bright Future" and incorporate light bulbs into the decor!  Paula of Frog Prince Paperie designed this table and printables (also available in red & black) to give you some ideas for a graduation party.  Just look at all the cute details...

Paula found the light bulb candy containers at Hobby Lobby and added real light bulbs around the table.  A few symbols of graduation like pirouette cookies tied with fruit candy strips to look like diplomas, mortarboard "hats" to top the push pop containers, lollipops molded into "2011", and of course decorated cookies help convey the celebration of the day.  Great Tip: you don't have to use the cupcake push pops only for cupcakes.  Fill them with other candies for a cute presentation as well!

You can find all of the Graduation printables in the Frog Prince Paperie etsy shop.

Other Vendors:

 Cookies - Dandy Delights

Cupcake Push Pop Containers - CupKates Event Design

Paper Rosettes - Pom Flair

Lollipop Molds - Vintage Confections

Photography - John McLaughlin

  

Graduation 2011

If your asking the question, "What shall I do for my graduating son/daughter?" then The Celebration Shoppe has got the answer.  Kim's brand new Graduation Collection is in a neautral black & white color way to coordinate beautifully with any school colors.  It's as easy as printing, cutting, and putting it all together.  You can even shop for complementary plates and napkins while you're there. 

Items included in this collection are:

Invitations & Thank You notes

Printable napkin rings, bottle wraps, & stem or straw wraps

Cupcake wraps, & circle toppers

Thank you favor tags

Personalized "Congratulations" sign

Check out the Graduation collection today, and then head over to Kim's blog for a quick tutorial for making the crepe paper rosette embelishment, and mortarboard cupcakes in order to complete this look. 

Easter Special Offers

There are so many ideas for Easter in blog land now I thought I'd share just a few special offers with you.  Visit these sites for more information.

Genevieve of Celebrate Today is offering FREE SHIPPING on her too-cute-for-words Easter Kandy Kones.  These are the coolest things that have hit party land since the dessert table was established!  You don't even need a "party" to use these - kids will love carrying them around filled with sweet treats during your private family gathering.

Amanda of Shindig Parties To Go has created a FREE Easter printable set for Operation Shower.  You've seen me talk about Operation Shower many times, and they are doing great things for military families.  The printable set is free but donations are greatly appreciated.

Bird from Bird's Party is offering a FREE pattern template and tutorial on these super cute plush fabric birdies.  These have so many possibilities - Easter, baby showers, baby gifts, etc.  Find out how to make your own at Bird's Party.  

Just thought you'd like to know!

Milk & Cookies Bar

Debbie of Wants & Wishes sent in this sweet table that she designed for a recent baby shower.  Inspired by the popularity of Momofuku's Milk Bar, and the mom-to-be's love of cookies, Debbie created a beautiful Spring-like Cookies & Cream table. 

The white ruffled backdrop makes you think of milk, while the printed party set incorporates tiny "chocolate {heart} chips" which also remind me of the spots on a cow!  Several varieties of cookies were served: oatmeal craisin & white chocolate chip, blueberry & cream, classic chocolate chip, and cookies & cream frosted cupcakes.

Perhaps the cutest detail is the chocolate rimmed glasses of milk, dipped in nonpareils.  YUM!

The lovely printable set used here is in the Wants & Wishes shop, and available in 6 different color ways.  What a delicious treat!

Credits:

Desserts and Styling - Wants & Wishes Dessert Studio

Printables - Wants & Wishes Etsy shop

Backdrop - RuffleFabric

Don't forget - I'd love for you to join me on The Blog Frog Coffee Talk Community.  If you like to chat and share your thoughts and ideas, it's a great place to be!

Bird's Party Easter Printables {With Exclusive Discount!}

Since today is the first full day of Spring, I think it's the perfect time to debut an Easter printable collection from the very talented, Bird, of Bird's Party!  Bird created a super-cute, and unique Easter set with orange, yellow, green, and brown - a color combo that is sure to appeal to the boys as much as it does the girls!  And Bird is even giving our readers a special 50% discount - read on for all the details in Bird's own words:

Design Inspiration & Styling:

I didn't want the obvious Spring props like butterflies, lots of Easter eggs, and flowers to style this dessert table. I wanted to create a table that could also inspire any Easter birthdays or why not baby showers too! Usually, I tend to go for overly girly details with lots of delicate touches, but the use of grass instead' and dots and stripes keeps it "universal" and cute, without being overly feminine - Thank you Chris for the tip! ;)

I'm also a self-confessed chocoholic, and this was the perfect chance to create a full-on chocolate dessert table! The color palette of lime green and orange added a fresh touch, and was entirely based on carrots - the food of choice of the Easter Bunny, with dashes of luxurious brown to evoke all the yummy Easter chocolate - My food of choice! :)

To be honest, I see so many stunning and elaborate party tables on the web, which I do love; but I actually wonder if a lot of people have the budget, time or the disposition to carry it out?!

So I cheated a bit and purchased ALL the chocolate groceries (apart from the homemade carrot cake) from my local supermarket and patisseries, and I think it just shows that you do not need to spend a lot, nor slave for hours in the kitchen to have a fun and enjoyable party - Minimum effort, maximum satisfaction, I hope! :)

Party printables are also very affordable and versatile, and this table is a perfect example of how they can be used in all aspects of a dessert buffet to add a nice, personalized touch to your celebration at home! :)

The Desserts:

The centerpiece of this table is the carrot cake decorated with the cake bunting and Easter Bunny cake topper from the collection. All I did was fill and cover a homemade carrot cake with store-bought chocolate spread (Like Nutella), then surround the cake with choclate fingers and decorate the top with mini chocolate Easter eggs. I was lucky and found these in the orange, green and yellow colors I wanted, but you could substitute with M&Ms, Jelly Beans or even Fresh Fruit! Then I wrapped a nice satin ribbon around the cake and placed in the fridge to chill.

The "cupcakes" were actually chocolate muffins with Italian meringue icing, topped with edible sugar decorations also found in the baking isle of my local supermarket. To complete the look, they were decorated with the cupcake wrappers from this collection.

Other chocolate treats on the table were displayed in glass candy jars, embellished with our fancy party labels. The sweets included mini chocolate muffins, chocolate covered pretzels, round chocolate brownies with ganache and nut topping, as well as some chocolate-covered marshmallows and choc-chip cookies displayed in our cute, printable Easter baskets.

Party Favors & Activities:

Party favors consisted of standard 100g chocolate bars, wrapped in the candy wrappers from the collection.

And because no Easter egg hunt party is complete without well, an egg hunt; I designed these little Easter baskets that double as snack baskets that can be displayed on your dessert tables too!

They are sturdy enough to carry small chocolate eggs during the egg hunt, and as take home party favor baskets full of yummy treats!

The fun, photo party props like the Easter Bunny bow tie and Easter Bunny ears are also included in this party collection, and can actually be part of the activities you offer at the party.

Getting the kiddies involved with some fun DIY party crafts that they can take home as favors is a double bonus! Without mentioning that your Easter photos will look even funkier! :)

Special Offer to Celebrations At Home readers:

You can now get the complete Easter Bunny Egg Hunt Printable collection for HALF PRICE (only $10) until Monday March 28!  Just use promotion code CELEBRATIONS1 at checkout.

Printables include full instruction and list of materials.

Thank you so much, Bird for sharing your Easter collection with us!  This is so adorable - especially the photo props! ; D

  All printables, styling, and photos by Bird's Party

Baby Shower Activities From One Sweet Party

  Traditional shower activities can be so old fashioned and embarrassing, but with these darling printable ideas that Yadira from One Sweet Party shared with us, everyone can enjoy something fun and unique without feeling self consious.

1. Set up a photo area with these whimsical photo props & sign - bibs, bottles, pacifiers, and baby caps will bring out the smiles in everyone.
2. Leaving special notes for the guest of honor is not a new idea, but this unique pocket holder is!  Guests can write their thoughts and tuck it inside the framed pocket.  The set also includes the sign.  What a great idea for modern decor!
3. ABC blocks are classic and staple baby items.  These printable boxes can be used for decor around the shower, for centerpieces, or even as favor boxes.  Other colors and custom lettering are available for a perfect match.

Give these modern activities a try at your next baby shower and I'm sure your guests will thank you for it!