Okay… so I’m TOTALLY in love with these new Cupcake Sets by Meri Meri! Such a genius idea, don’t you think?!

Each themed set includes 24 decorative cupcake cases (a.k.a. “baking cups”) and 24 assorted die-cut toppers. This is going to make dressing up homemade cupcakes for everything from kids birthdays to bridal showers super easy! ($11.95 each)

Check out all these fantastic designs… starting above with Tweet Tweet Birds and Oh Baby Baby, and continuing below with 12 more fabulous designs for everything from Pirate and Robot parties to Luaus!

Pirate Cupcake Set – $11.95 at Meri Meri

Robot / Space Cadets Cupcake Set – $11.95 at PlatesAndNapkins

Animal Parade Cupcake Set – $11.95 at Meri Meri

Bridal and Groom Cupcake Set – $11.95 at PlatesAndNapkins

Aloha Cupcake Set – $11.95 at PlatesAndNapkins

Fire Truck Cupcake Set – $11.95 at Meri Meri

Mermaids Cupcake Set – $11.95 at PlatesAndNapkins

Teddy Bear Fun Cupcake Set – $11.95 at PlatesAndNapkins

Racing Car Cupcake Set – $11.95 at PlatesAndNapkins

Groovy Cupcake Set – $11.95 at PlatesAndNapkins

Dinosaur Cupcake Set – $11.95 at Meri Meri

Woof Woof Cupcake Set – $11.95 at Meri Meri

Additional designs are also available, and – better yet – several of these cupcake kits are part of a larger overall party theme that includes coordinating centerpieces, plates, napkins, gift bags, and more.  Happy baking! =)

Looking for some creative party ideas for St. Patrick’s Day? Entertaining expert & cupcake guru Jeanne Benedict has some fabulous ideas in the dessert department… my favorite being the “Beer Cupcakes” pictured above – how fun are those?!

And don’t worry… these clever treats just LOOK like beer! This design is all about the presentation, so you can still stick with traditional cupcake flavors topped with a generous helping of vanilla or cream cheese frosting.

For the “beer” wrapper, look for scrapbook paper with a similar motif or purchase a beer background stock photo and print & cut them yourself.

(Side Note: This would also be a great dessert for an adult birthday or “big game“ party… or even a DVD viewing of The Hangover!)

For the little ones, how about Jeanne’s cute Leprechaun Hat cupcake idea (above), or a traditional cupcake topped with green frosting and mini chocolate chips:

And these next 2 are pretty for all ages:

Use food coloring to turn white or yellow cupcakes bright green…

… or use clover leaf images and shamrock fondant cutters to create fun wrappers and toppers for decadent chocolate cupcakes!

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For more fun ideas from Jeanne, visit her website: www.jeannebenedict.com

I have to admit that today’s Real Party feature makes me extra-happy… because it was inspired by a theme found right here at HWTM! Jennifer Gentry took our Bedtime Stories Baby Shower and spun it into a seriously fabulous birthday party for her son!

There are so many clever elements to this party… from the “story book” style invitations and ultra-creative thank you notes to a ridiculously adorable fondant bed – complete with pillows, books, teddy bear, and flashlight nonetheless!

Read on for lots more images & all the party details, as told by Jennifer…

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“I fell in LOVE when I saw the Bedtime Stories theme on HWTM! I knew right away that is what I wanted to do, and Connor’s favorite thing is reading books with us, so even he got excited!

Invitations
When I told my friend about the theme she gave me the idea to do “books” for invites. Since I am a photographer, the invites were my favorite part, and I had so much fun putting them together.  I made little “books” written from Connor’s point of view about turning 3 and his party. They were a huge hit!

Decorations
I LOVED the idea from HWTM about making the table a bed, so I knew that was a must.

Since we had all the main food on the island in the kitchen, I decided to make the dessert “bed” the prettiest one.  I got the duvet cover & pillowcase from Ikea for only $19.99, and found little blue pillows for only $2. I wrapped orange string around the blue pillows to make them a little prettier.

The bed canopies were from Ikea too (only 9.99 each!), as well as the throw blankets (just $7.99). I set everything up on the table, along with stacks of books that I’d covered with decorative paper so that they would match well.

I also covered glass cylinders with the same paper used on the books, embellished them with alphabet stickers, and filled them with orange flowers.

I decorated the ceiling of the kids play room with strings of tissue paper poms and hung paper lanterns all over the house.

For the food labels, I punched out moon and star shapes with a craft punch, then used toothpicks to stick them in little fondant books that I’d made.

I hung another bed canopy above the kids table, covered the table with matching fabrics, and added plastic buckets filled with party toys.

The Menu
Although I didn’t get many photos of the main food set-up, there was a lot of it! In addition to trays of trays of cheese, vegetables, crackers, and fruit, I made parfait cups, caprese skewers, ham & cheese skewers, turkey wraps, mini twice baked potatoes, lil smokies, and pigs in a blanket.

For dessert I made cream-filled strawberries, mini brownies, marshmallow pops, lemon cupcakes with fondant decorations, and these AMAZING Chocolate and Strawberry Cupcakes!

The cupcakes were a HUGE hit, and the only change I made was swapping out the cream cheese frosting from chocolate-flavored to regular so that I could dye it to match the party.

For the top of the desert stand I made a fondant bed with a little teddy bear, flashlight, and books. It looked so cute! We also had an ice cream bar set up on the counter top.

Activity
I had all the kids come in their pajamas to stick with the theme, and since they were too small for “real” activities, I just made the play room baby-friendly and set all of Connor’s toys out for play.

The kids played great together and the adults enjoyed lots of chatting time over great food. Since there were no set “projects” for the kids, it made it easy for the adults to just relax and socialize.

Party Favors
I found cute little book bags at the party store and made little hang tags for them that matched the food labels. In the favor bags for the babies I put in a little stuffed bear and an Elmo bedtime book.  Toddlers received glow bracelets, suckers, fairytale finger puppets, sticker books, a coloring book, and crayons.  They looked really cute!

Thank You Notes
Since there were so many people & kids that attended, we decided not to open presents at the party.  I had Connor open them the next day, and I took pictures of him opening each one, then I made storyboards for each guest with the photos of him opening the present that they gave him.

Everybody loved them, and it was great because they still got to see him open their present, but without the chaos of the party!”

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Thanks again to Jennifer for sharing this with us!

Have St. Patty’s Day, Easter, or another spring celebration on your mind? This “Green Theme” tablescape from Southern Living is fantastic inspiration for all of the above!

The fresh, chic vibe of this (completely flower-free) table design is created with clear glass dishes & cylinders, white linens & candles, and LOTS of green foliage – including wheatgrass, fronds, and magnolia leaves.

You can find inexpensive glass plates & dishes at places like IKEA or HomeGoods.

For the foliage, the best place to start is your own backyard… take a quick peek outside and see what shapes and styles of leaves and grass are available to you for free.

Wheatgrass is typically sold in flats and can be purchased from places like local florists, nurseries, some health food stores, and online. (If you’re feeling extra motivated, you can even buy the seeds and your grow your own!)

Blades of grass are perfect for embellishing candles and dressing up napkin rings… just remember to be gentle when tying the knots!

Leaves also make for fabulous place cards and food/drink labels! To add text to the leaves, use a white paint pen or acrylic white paint.

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Fore more details, visit SouthernLiving.com.

{Photos by: Van Chaplin}

Elizabeth from To Be Charmed sent over some fabulous DIY inspiration starring Japanese washi tape that she thought you guys would love – and I couldn’t agree more! In fact, I can’t wait to try this stuff out myself and just researched a bunch of different places to purchase washi tape (resources listed below).

If you’re not yet familiar with Japanese washi tape, it’s basically a multi-purpose adhesive tape (similar to masking tape) that’s used for things like gift-wrapping embellishments and arts & crafts projects.

Pictured above and below are some fantastic examples from Elizabeth that demonstrate how the tape looks applied to vases and paper cups.

These examples utilize bright colors and fillers that are perfect for Spring… she even uses simple white eggs as a filler in of the vases – great inspiration for Easter celebrations!

Click here for more tips and DIY details from Elizabeth over at her {absolutely adorable!} blog. She also includes some helpful hints that she learned along the way to help make things easier on you.

Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth!

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Japanese Washi Tape – Where to Buy:
(The following shops have a GREAT selection of colors & patterns!)

• Happy Tape
• Washimatta
• Pretty Tape
• FindTape.com

In today’s HWTM post over at Real Simple, check out 7 Cute & Contemporary Kitchen Tools – from ladybug mixing bowls to “angelic” colanders … great gift ideas for yourself or someone else! (Added bonus: they’re all super affordable!)

Today’s adorable Real Party – created by Lindsey Mintrone of Bella Grace Party Designs – was originally designed as a Valentine’s Day celebration, but it would also serve as great inspiration for the always-popular “Love Birds” bridal shower theme!

From clever lollipop flower arrangements (so cute!) to a homemade “Love Birds Tree” centerpiece and adorable owl & birdie graphics, this get-together is full of charming details and great DIY project ideas…

Read on for lots more pics and all the sweet party details as told by Lindsey…

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“Nature and Birds have both been such fun, green and popular inspiration for party themes recently, and I thought… what cuter theme for Valentine’s Day then “Love Birds“?! However, I wanted to take this idea in an unconventional direction.

I chose a color palette of deep burgundy red, light pink, & bright baby blue to put a little twist on the traditional holiday colors. I also commissioned custom bird graphics to be illustrated so that we could include both owls AND love birds, instead of just one or the other, like I have typically seen.

My dear friend – the amazingly talented Courtney Vickers – photographed this adorably fun and kid-friendly event. She did a perfect job showing the party elements and details!

The adorable Love Bird tree centerpiece (pictured at top) was HWTM-inspired and crafted from branches from my own yard. The precious little birdhouse nestled in the tree was found last minute in the Valentine’s section at Target and made the perfect addition to the DIY project.

The Love Tree was the home to sweet little birdie favor bags filled with pink, white, and red M&Ms.

The delightfully delicious lollipop flower arrangements were inspired by Martha Stewart. Hand-crafted with coordinating paper hearts and red tootsie pops, the “flowers” made another adorable party favor.

Another dear friend and very talented graphic designer Kori Clark of Kori Clark Designs created the precious little love bird and owl graphic which were used to dress up the little Valentine gift bags.

Each little “Love Bird” at the party was given a gift bag to fill with Valentines from each of their little friends. On each bag hung a cute custom name tag and fun Valentine saying to coordinate with the graphic such as “Owl Love You Forever” and “WHO Loves You?”

Desserts and Drinks
The most delicious of the party foods – and of course the biggest crowd-pleaser of the party – were the cupcakes! (See image #2, above.) I baked, decorated and topped each one with one of my favorite party elements, cupcake toppers. Again, loving this little owl graphic!

The gorgeous little heart cakes were a hit with the kids thanks to Little Debbie.

A featured party drink is a must at every event! Now of course these were not for the kiddos, but I had to throw in a few details for the momma birds. This was strawberry lemonade accented with a sweet little birdie nest straw.

Another one of my favorite party details is the custom water bottle label and it was one more excuse to use the sweet little birdie graphic.

I think the most effective way to dress up a food table is by using the food as the decoration. These little snack cups filled with popcorn and M&Ms are adorable and are super kid friendly:

Another DIY project was the Be My Valentine Banner. The design and patterns for the banner inspired most of party details and was used as a backdrop for displaying the kiddos Valentine gift bags.

Of all the parties I have thrown for my daughters, I think that this was one of my favorites. Not because of the décor or the food but because of all the adorable little faces and great friends I was able to share it with… what better way to spend a Valentine’s Day?!”

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Thanks again to Lindsey for all the sweet party inspiration! =)

I stumbled upon this absolutely AMAZING Alice in Wonderland-inspired party on photographer Jessica Claire’s blog a while back, and even though it’s been almost 3 years since the party actually took place, it still remains as one of the most adorable kids parties I’ve ever seen…

It also feels especially timely to feature this theme right now with Disney’s new Alice in Wonderland movie by Tim Burton opening in theaters today… which I personally can’t wait to go see in IMAX 3D!

Something tells me there are going to be a LOT of “Wonderland” themed celebrations popping up this year… and hopefully for all ages –  I love the idea of tailoring the Wonderland theme to adult parties too – like milestone birthdays, bridal showers, and whimsical engagement parties!

This colorful tea party was actually a combined celebration for 3 different birthday girls, and each guest of honor received her own fabulously decked-out birthday girl chair:

The rest of the guest chairs were embellished with lots of brightly colored artificial flowers & greenery:

Place settings included real china tea cups, colorful utensils, rhinestone details for added sparkle, and a princess wand for each girl to decorate:

The ultra-creative “whimsical flower garden” featured giant flowers and an enchanted carousel horse with fairy wings!

Alice was even there to do a little face painting…

… as well as a petting zoo, complete with lots of bunny rabbits, of course!

A couple more shots of the guests enjoying themselves… does this look like a fun party or what?!

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Thanks so much to photographer Jessica Claire for all of the beautiful and “WONDERfully” inspiring images (pun intended)! =)

In continuing with the lovely Twilight Wedding Tablescape posted earlier today, here are some additional – and equally inspiring! – details from this creative & romantic theme by Lina and Heather…

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“We took inspiration from the iconic cover of the first book where hands are holding an apple. Apples were used as escort cards, candle holders, as the cake topper, and as inspiration for our signature beverage: Hot Apple Cider.

For Bella’s bouquet, we used peonies, roses, lisianthus, dusty miller and bluporum tied with a satin white ribbon that had the words “so the lion fell in love with the lamb” written by our calligrapher, Calligraphy Katrina.

Melody of Sweet and Saucy designed the cake. She took our themes and ideas and created a truly unique and beautiful cake that incorporated our color scheme, the branches and the apple of course!

Our ceremony décor consisted of floating rose heads and crystals hanging from a tree with a simple white rose petal aisle.

For the favors, we had several options including buttons with “Team Bella” and “Team Edward” (great diy project!), as well as miniature green trees and pashmina wraps in coordinating colors, which are also a great way to keep your guests warm at an outdoor event.”

Credits:
Event Design – A Stunning Affair and Events by Heather Ham
Photography – Meg Perotti
Floral design – A Stunning Affair
Cake – Sweet and Saucy
Rentals – Classic Party Rentals
Stationary – Calligraphy Katrina
Table Runner (featured in Part 1) – Sashes for Love

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Thanks again to Lina and Heather for all the wonderful inspiration!

If you missed Part 1 (the coordinating tablescape), you can check it out right here.

Today’s wedding feature is incredibly romantic and chic!

When Lina of A Stunning Affair and Heather of Events by Heather Ham first sent this over, I was immediately intrigued by the unique sound of the event… a “Twilight Themed Wedding“, and whether you’re a fan of the popular book series or not, chances are good that you’ll be visually inspired by all of this gorgeous eye candy!

Read on for TONS of beautiful images {shot by photographer Meg Perotti}, and all the creative details, as told by Lina.

(P.S. As an added bonus, there’s also a “Luxe  for Less” example that shows how to achieve the same look on a tighter budget!)

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“Our tablescape is based on one of the most romantic love stories… Twilight.

We chose elements from both the movie and book to capture the ideas for our Twilight themed wedding. The colors and elements are remeniscent of Forks, Washington, the outdoor setting for their breathtaking wedding reception.

For the main table we used a family style wooden table paired with wooden chairs.

Laying across the table was a custom lace runner made by Sashes for Love.

On top of the runner sat a variety of beautiful glass vases that held an assortment of flowers with different textures, hydrangea, roses, lisianthus, blueporum, dusty miller and touches of succulents.

In lieu of traditional candles holders, we wanted to do something a little different, we used two tall silver candelabras, glass vases with floating candles and apples as our candle holders. We purchased a candle carver, a tool that scoops out the center of the apple and leaves a perfect space for you to place a tea light candle (great diy project!).

The name of the table – “First Sight” – was taken from the first chapter of the first book of the Twilight Series.

At each place setting sat a white napkin enhanced with a brown satin ribbon and sparkly antique broach. Tucked into the napkin was a menu that doubled as a place card hand made by Calligraphy Katrina.

The Look for Less
We also decided to do a “Luxe for Less” look to show brides how they could take a high-end tablescape and interpret it into something more reasonable. Instead of the rented wooden tables, we used a standard 60” round table and draped it with a cotton poly linen in a shade of tan.

We used wooden folding chairs in an antique finish, apples as place cards, and a single candelabra with a few floral centerpieces for a similar effect as the main tablescape.”

Credits:
Event Design – A Stunning Affair and Events by Heather Ham
Photography – Meg Perotti
Floral design – A Stunning Affair
Cake (to be featured in Part 2) – Sweet and Saucy
Rentals – Classic Party Rentals
Stationary – Calligraphy Katrina
Table Runner – Sashes for Love

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Thanks so much to Lina and Heather for sharing this gorgeous theme with us! Stay tuned for Part 2 (featuring the cake, bridal bouquet, signature drink, and more) coming later today!