The Perfect Blend - A Tenth Anniversary Party

The party is over! So now I just need to post the pictures and details. Stay tuned for more in the next couple of days...

Monogram cookies

Extra cookies from another party, whip up some icing, experiment with decorating tubes and tips and voila! Monogram cookies! Not professional by any means - but not bad. Think we'll use them for the upcoming tenth anniversary party we are designing - throw them in with the other party favor items as an extra...

A "Fairy" Happy Birthday!

Ah the magic of pixie dust! What is it about fairies that make little girls swoon? Perhaps the shimmering frocks, the fanciful wings, or the endless possibilities for imaginative play? Whatever the case - it seems that fairies get a lot of credit for being the theme of many a young lady's birthday party and this instance was no different. Here are just a few images and details of one I had the pleasure of planning. Enjoy! :)

By the way - if you have not caught on by now, most of my parties are budget parties. I am a firm believer that one does not have to be rolling in money to throw a beautiful, fun party (although it sure helps if you are crunched for time). In fact, finding ways to be creative with what can be found in a person's house is sometimes a really fun challenge. What IS usually required for a budget party though is often time and one's own hard work. So sometimes I or someone else might make some of these items by hand - and if WE can do it - so can YOU! :)

Invitations:

The invitations were printed on pearlescent paper with indented patterns of butterflies. They were then rolled up and slipped into handmade sleeves of real bark sprinkled with super fine green glitter. A shimmering moss colored ribbon and pale butterflies adorned each sleeve as well.

Main Agenda/Activities:

A treasure hunt for the girls' costume pieces! I wrote a story (and bound it up into a book complete with a cover made of real bark) based on the girls who were coming to the party (naming the fairies in the story after them, of course). Each section or chapter in the book was about the fairies searching for appropriate party attire or items needed so they could have a birthday picnic. Following the reading of each section, the girls would then have to "travel" to that decorated part of the home/yard and complete the required task in order to receive a piece of their costume to wear. Here's an example: Fairies A,B,C,D,E need wings and remember that the most beautiful ones are grown on the Butterfly Tree. But the Butterfly Tree requires a gift in exchange so the girls each take it a special drink of water from Bubbling Pond (where they had just earned their frocks by way of another task). Then they are allowed to pluck their wings from the tree (the wings were laid or hanging on branches). Decor for this section of the yard consisted of large paper butterflies placed on the selected tree. The story culminated when all the costume pieces had been earned and the decorative picnic basket found with many delicious treats inside including the chocolate nests with berries you see pictured above.

We rounded out the day by also including a fairy hunt for tiny fairies hidden around the yard and a station for creating homes for the fairies that had just been found. Items provided for making fairy furniture - rocks, bark, flowers, etc.

DETAILS:

**Each fairy costume was custom designed for each little attendee based on her favorite color, AND we attempted to make them all coordinate roughly with each other too. The end result - a beautiful mixture of soft colors and flowers complete with shimmery, translucent wings (try a good opalescent cellophane wrap to achieve the look of our wings) which were also custom made to match each frock/fairy skirt. These doubled as some party favors that the girls could take home. The "frocks" were no sew skirts made of tulle and flowers. Check out this person's site for an idea - she made hers into full dresses for her little girls! http://askthepartyfairy.wordpress.com/fairy-dress-make-your-own-no-sew-fairy-costume/

**Book - the story was bound into a book and tied with ribbon. The cover of the book was made from cardboard and covered with real bark to give it more of a woodsy, enchanted look.

**Outside entry - guests were greeted with a shimmery sign letting them know they were entering an enchanted forest. "Fairy dust" (super fine glitter) led the way into the home of the birthday fairy. A word to the wise - sprinkle this on the sides of the path leading in or else you might be finding "fairy dust" all over the floor in your home for weeks afterwards.

**Treasure hunt areas - these were marked by different decor depending on the section of the story. For example: Toadstool Glen was an area set up with various sizes of paper toadstools (make these from good cardstock and then attach to dowels or other sticks - not ones that would be dangerous should a fairy happen to fall and land on one. Poke in the ground everywhere and voila - instant Toadstool Glen!). The meadow where the fairies collected flowers to make their individual crowns was actually a section in the yard where I sprinkled a plethora of fake flowers everywhere (make sure there are holes in the middle of the flowers so they are easily strung on a garland) for the joyous gathering. Letting the children make their own crowns doubled as an activity and creative outlet for each little girl. If you have time, you might also make paper flowers/garlands to hang from branches or hang large pieces of tulle to make canopied areas and/or glue silk or realistic flowers on trees surrounding the "meadow" to give it an even more magical effect. So there are at least a couple of ideas to get you started if you decide to follow the treasure hunt/story route....

**Birthday Picnic Basket - originally I wanted to find some smaller picnic baskets and decorate one for each young lady present so each girl would get her own basket (another party favor to take home as well). However, as the party planning progressed, it became apparent that this idea would not materialize in time - thus, an ordinary picnic basket was transformed for the occasion by adding shimmery ribbon and flowers matching some of the fairy outfits.

** Picnic Area - if you are on a REALLY tight budget, consider a plain green or brown tablecloth or plastic tablecloth (like the kind you find at Walmart for $1-2) for the fairies to sit on and just sprinkle with flowers (I would stay away from glitter - unless it is the edible kind - around your picnic area to avoid the guests accidentally eating the stuff). If you have more of a budget, consider getting large pieces of felt and cutting into squares (or circles and paint on white dots if you want them to look like the tops of large toadstools) and then adding felt or fabric letters spelling out each guest's name to create a giant placesetting for each fairy to picnic upon (these can also be taken home as party favors later on and used as activity/play mats for the guests at home).

**Chocolate bird nests - google these and you should find some good recipes out there - very simple to make but a bit messy! I believe we used shredded wheat for ours. Other food items you could add - Fairy creme (yogurt cups or parfaits), pixie sticks or wands (giant pretzels dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles), or just sticks (regular pretzels), Fairy nectar (any juice will do and can be jazzed up depending on the container by adding ribbon or felt sleeves, etc.), miniature sandwiches, granola, cotton candy (I see this labeled as "fairy floss" on at least a couple of sites), fruit kabobs or fruit flowers, etc. You get the picture - the possibilities go on and on...

**Fairies for the Fairy Hunt: Ours were made of tissue paper and paper and glued to clothespins so lots of them could be clipped to branches, etc. all over the yard. If you have a really great budget - consider checking for miniature fairies in stores and buy a bunch. Also a possibility, miniature butterfly nets decorated with ribbon and flowers for "catching" the little pixies. These can be made using dowel rods, netting, and hot glue! Add "doors" to the bases of trees in your yard as we did and place some fairies behind each one. Doors can be made of anything from scraps of wood you might find or have lying around to pieces of cardboard, painted or decorated with real bark.

Oh so many possibilities with a "Fairy" theme! It is my hope that a few of these ideas will help get you started on your way to creating your very own magical day! :)

BTW - the cake pictured above was homemade! Cute, eh?

A huge THANK YOU to the incredibly creative Kate Landers for posting a woodland party on her blog that inspired the beginnings of this one! :)

Gender Reveal Party Idea: What's the Scoop?

I know, I know...It has been FOREVER since I said I would post other gender revealing party ideas! But fear not, I haven't forgotten - just been busy. Now that I have some breathing room this week, I thought I would go ahead and post one of those ideas. NOTE: that the photograph and craft above were done hastily in an effort to illustrate one of the ideas below (plus I did not have pink playdough like I originally thought - so I substituted pink marshmallows). I am sure there are piles of you crafty crafty's out there who could do a much better job if you were actually going to throw this party (which I did not, thus the scrounging around for materials that were on hand)...

So without further ado, gender revealing idea #2: What's the Scoop?

(Number 1 was the classic "What Will it Bee" theme)

Invitations:

Idea 1: Buy up those small individual containers of ice cream (the really small ones that come in a package of multiples) in advance and let your family chow down! Wash out and keep the containers and when you are ready, fill them with balls of purchased or homemade playdough in blue and pink (both together) so that it looks like a small ice cream container with scoops of pink and blue ice cream inside. Next, get a plastic spoon and stamp or draw with a marker a question mark on the scoop of the spoon and wrap a small slip of written invitation with details around the handle of the spoon and tie with a gender neutral ribbon. Wrap up each small container in cellophane and tie with ribbon, attaching the spoon to the ribbon on the outside and a little tag that reads "What's the Scoop?" You could even have your kids add real sprinkles to the "ice cream" or punch out some pink and blue confetti or confetti that matches the paper on which you wrote the party details. Then pass out to your friends and family! Also, if you want to add more pizzaz - you could always wrap a piece of fun craft paper in pink and blue or gender neutral colors around the outside of your small container and attach a little question mark charm that you purchase or make yourself (I am thinking of bending wire to fashion something like that).

If you can afford even more expense, you could buy those little clear plastic condiment containers (check the kitchen utensil aisle at places like Walmart - I think they are roughly a dollar each). Some of them look a LOT like a miniature bowl you would put an ice cream sunday in (at least they do to me). Or you could purchase an ice cream scoop for each family you plan to invite and wrap your written invitation around the handle, tied with a bow and a tag with the theme on it.

For a cheaper version of the ice cream container idea - whenever you go to Sam's or Walmart and they have a sample day, eat every sample you can that comes in one of those small clear containers and keep the containers. After a while, you will have a nice stash of containers for invites! Or you could just find out where they buy those cups and purchase some yourself.

Idea 2: Need an even cheaper idea? Print out ice cream coupons that you make yourself saying something about: a fun time and free ice cream sunday for each family member or friend. Mail or hand out personally!

Idea 3: Another variation of invitation would be to purchase ice cream cones and roll up your written detailed invite and place inside the cone. Top (or leave it just the way it is) with a roll of pink and blue swirled playdough. Glue a circle of fun print paper to the front of the cone with a question mark on it. Wrap the entire thing in cellophane and tie with gender neutral ribbon and tag with the theme on it.

Decor:

1. Hang colored pom poms from the ceiling. For a fun experiment - try mixing shades of blue and pink together when you are making each pom pom (see my idea on the pom pom bumble bee in an earlier post). Or just hang varying shades of pom poms in those colors around the rooms. You could also try stringing them on a ribbon and hanging them with a brown paper cone attached at the bottom so they look like ice cream cones hanging from the ceiling.

Or you could take extra plates you have and draw or stamp question marks on them and glue them back to back (so if they spin with a breeze - people are not staring at the back of a plate and wondering what it is) and glue those to a ribbon/string with a paper cone on the bottom to look like hanging ice cream cones. You could also do something similar with all the fun patterned craft papers out there. Just don't go too crazy with a huge variety of papers - I would pick maybe one or two patterned pieces (and stick to those for any other decor or background ideas as well) and maybe one or two main solid colors. This might be the least expensive option especially if you pick these papers up when they are on sale - I think the major craft places like Michaels or Hobby Lobby tend to have sales on their papers at least once a month perhaps?

2. Banner - make smaller pompoms and string them along a banner string - attach a brown paper cone (or REAL cone if you can manage it with your hot glue gun or super glue) to each and add a circle to each cone with a letter printed on it to make up whatever you want to say...

Or you can just make paper circles and attach paper cones with your banner's greeting.

3. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE those large ice cream containers and turn them into holders for napkins, utensils, and yes - even flowers!

You can also turn ice cream cones into small vases for flowers to sit in. Just make sure you line the inside first before adding water or floral green foam or else your cones might not remain nice and stiff the whole time.

4. Perhaps keep one container available for baby name (flavor) suggestions...

5. Ice cream scoop babies: wrap some scoops in cut up baby blanket pieces so they look swaddled - place in a bed of ice in the middle of the table and add a rounded scoop of vanilla or chocolate or whatever color for the face in the scooping part. Add features with candy or frosting or other decorations. You could also just use playdough if you don't want to mess with the possible melting situation.

6. Balloon ice cream cones: get some balloons in the colors of your party to be the "ice cream scoops" and then glue them very carefully to paper cones you make yourself from brown construction or butcher paper. Place these around the room!

Food:

If you are going to have an ice cream bar, load it up with different flavors and toppings which allow guests to make their own fun concoction (if expense is a problem, just stick with basic vanilla and purchase several basic toppings - your guests will enjoy the treat!).

Need labels for your party? This person has GENEROUSLY made ice cream labels and offered them for FREE on her blog!! How neat and sweet is that!! They are adorable and decorative...and did I mention FREE!!!

http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/post.cfm/diy-ice-cream-parlour-make-your-own-sundaes-buffet-concept-for-wedding-or-party

So now all you have to do is decide whether you want to keep your labels simple (just list the toppings) or add some amusement to them by coming up with little ideas that tie your theme together with ice cream. For example:

Nuts (how Mommy feels after those first few sleepless nights) or "Diaper Creme" (whipping cream), etc.

The Big Reveal:

Now this could be done before or after guests eat depending on when and how you want to let everyone know about your new baby's gender.

Idea 1: Bring out a container of ice cream that you or a friend has loaded up with the color that lets everyone know what your baby will be. Make sure that the guests cannot tell what the color is from the outside. I suggest a plain white container with a large question mark written or stamped on the outside and decorated according to your color scheme for the evening. Give everyone a blindfold and then scoop out a little taste for each guest. On the count of three, let them eat it and see if anyone can figure out what the color is before actually seeing it (for example: blueberry for a boy and strawberry for a girl. Or something boyish like rocky road with additional blue marshmallows you add yourself or peaches -n - creme - think complexion - for a girl with some pink swirled in).

Idea 2: Borrow a homemade ice cream maker if you do not have one yourself. Before the guests arrive, you or a friend (if you are keeping it a surprise for yourself as well) add the ingredients for vanilla ice cream plus some generous amount of appropriate blue or pink food color. Depending on the ice cream maker - you may need to figure out a way to seal it from sight while the ice cream is being churned to avoid spoiling the surprise. Then have guests spend the evening helping you make the ice cream. When it is time to eat - reveal the color and let guests add their toppings. If they have already eaten ice cream and this is the last event - spoon some ice cream into styrofoam containers and send home with guests for later enjoyment as a party favor.

For this idea, you can also probably find directions online as to how to make your own ice cream maker from scratch using just a tin or container that guests shake up or roll around all evening until the ice cream is ready.

Idea 3: Baked Alaska! Just use the appropriate color of ice cream and cover it with a generous layer of meringue (at least I think that is what it is) and bake according to instructions. When it is done, let the new parents or some honored person in your family (perhaps a great great grandfather or grandmother) cut it open to reveal the color.

Idea 4: I am not sure this would be possible - but perhaps you could order an ice cream cake from a local bakery just as you would with a normal cake and tell them to put the color ice cream or icing of the gender inside the cake. Make sure they know what it is for so they understand the color needs to be hidden so it will remain a surprise until the appropriate moment!

Okay - so there you go! Ideas for a What's the Scoop gender reveal party... And if anyone happens to use this idea - I would love to see pictures of it!

If you want more suggestions for this idea or need help with anything - I can offer free assistance from afar as needed or as possible since some weeks are rather busy for me. Just e-mail me and I will try to respond when I can.

Pink & Chocolate Baby Sprinkle

Is there anything better than pink in a variety of shades mixed with dark chocolate (and I DO mean the kind you eat as well as the color...) to celebrate a baby girl? I know, I know... It is a color scheme that has been used over and over for showers and weddings - but hey, it works - and quite beautifully I might add! Why mess with a classic, right?

My friend really liked the colors AND she has a sweet spot for dark dark chocolate (nice because it worked so well with the color scheme). So what is a girl supposed to do when her friend expresses such desires? Why, throw her a baby "sprinkle" she hopes her friend would be proud of!!!

I held a brunch for her and several friends and family. The handmade invitations had the underlying theme of "a blossom of love from the Father above". Thus, I had roses and rose petals scattered all over the place - including the walk up to the door where guests were met with a pretty pink feathered boa and welcome sign. I also interspersed ribbons in the pink and chocolate theme with blossoms on them in different places.

Once inside, guests were invited to fill out a name tag, write in a handmade advice book for the baby, as well as sign the guest "book" which was the mat surrounding a maternity photograph of the mother. Then the guests could help themselves to a "Momosa" - non-alcoholic version of Mimosa (basically just orange juice and ginger ale mixed together, and I added a drop of pink or red food coloring to add some intensity and "rosiness" to the color). I also had "Baby Soft" Sangria (non-alcoholic) and a water bar (with slices of lemon and cucumber) available.

Games (My friend is a game fanatic so I knew we had to have some):

Baby Scrabble - paper scrabble boards for each guest made up of the baby's name. Guests were then given envelopes of paper tiles and given time to come up with words associated with baby, pregnancy, etc. Highest score wins!

Who Has the Best Ducky? (my friend has a soft spot for rubber ducks...) - basically a game of luck. I would ask questions like: who was born on their exact due date, who weighed 10 pounds or more at birth, etc. and the women who fell into those categories would get an opportunity to fish around a small tub of rubber ducks. I had predetermined which duck would be the "best" duck each time so that no one duck would be the "best" in a row. Then if they picked the right duck - they received a prize. This was an ongoing game throughout the shower - we would just stop and I would ask some questions and the ladies would take turns picking out a duck and hope to win a prize.

Candy Bar Game - Thanks to http://simplycreativeinsanity.blogspot.com/ I learned of this game. If you visit her blog, she can tell you more about it! :)

The baby "sprinkle" brunch menu:

Petite four cheese and cheese/broccoli quiches

Breakfast parfait (layers of granola and yogurt and whipped cream)

Apricot and mustard glazed sausages (find it on epicurious.com)

Cranberry apple chicken salad on top of homemade honey walnut bread

Fruit stems (think fruit kabobs)

Dark triple chocolate cake (find it on epicurious.com under "triple chocolate celebration cake") - this also doubled as my Charm Cake (more on what that is later in the week).

Baby "sprinkle" decor:

In addition to those items and pictures shown above, I had vases of roses in pink and slightly orange pink shades. I added some pink food coloring to the water for a "rosy" touch.

A slide show was playing in the background showcasing maternity pictures of the mommy-to-be taken by a local photographer.

A fun "blackboard" hung over the fireplace and on it was written in pink chalk the quote:

"Little girls are precious gifts wrapped in love serene. Their dresses tied with sashes and futures tied with dreams."

Prizes for games were located on the mantel and tied with chocolate or pink ribbon or located in a pink gift bag nearby.

What does a girl do when she does not have any nifty little card holders to showcase labels of food - and little or no time to make some? Why she buys foldable placecards of course! Mine had a pink border with flowers and I added a chocolate bow after I had run them through the printer. Voila! Cute labels for food that did not cost me a fortune - I think I got them for a dollar on sale!

And for the grand finale: In honor of my dark-chocolate-loving-friend, I had a dark chocolate treats bar set up where the women could choose from such eye-opening delights as dark chocolate truffles, dark chocolate coconut clusters, dark chocolate walnut truffles, etc. - you get the picture - it was YUMMY!!! But isn't dark chocolate always? Once they chose their treats, they could place them in a cute little pink box and tie it up with pink ribbon - or they could just eat it right there... Honestly now, what would you have done? :)

What Will It "Bee" - extras....

Remember those pom pom bees I mentioned in the "What Will It Bee?" party? Well, I thought I would post a picture of one because pictures, as they say, are really "worth a thousand words". I made a few of these and had them hanging above one of the tables, as well as some paper flowers (see here for the Ruche tutorial: http://shopruche.blogspot.com/2010/02/diy-wall-decor-from-ruches-lookbook.html) hanging at different levels with the bees.

The "Bee Surprised" drinks were just some Fuzzy Navel drinks, and I made up a quick label in the party colors to cover the original label and to match the theme. Then people could guess at what they were drinking. And at least one person at the party apparently guessed correctly!!
Were the labels done with professional programs, etc. - nope. You too my friend can make these if you have something like Microsoft Word or some word processing tool. Just write up what you want them to say and cut it out. Then add whatever extras you like! I added a small sticker of a bee and a little dashed bee trail with a pen or marker.

So are you getting sick of "bee" stuff already? Don't worry - I am already thinking of another gender party theme idea for someone else to copy and enjoy. I will try to post more on that at a later date...

More Gender Reveal Party Ideas To Come...

Stay tuned for more Gender Reveal Party ideas in the coming days.... Once my little mind got working, it seemed to just keep going and since there seem to be a lack of ideas when it comes to gender revealing parties, I thought I would share some and hopefully help someone else out! :)