One Cute Nursery

Ninja Party Decorations - New Designs on PPP

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:40:00 +0000

Looking for some ninja birthday party ideas? You are in the right place! I am so excited to show you this brand new design!

Last week we celebrated my nephew's 6th birthday. He is such a big boy now you know?, practicing martial arts and doing what most 6 years old do...fight with swords and pretend they're bulletproof!

So, who else could design a black, red and white ninja birthday party suited for a 'master' like him? Auntie the crafty...

We started from scratch. I purchased beautiful ninjas clip art and designed the invitation. He is obsessed with the 'katanas' {the ninja stars} and nun-chucks so I made sure to purchase a design that included them.

The party was held at the place where he takes martial art classes. Just like for my little boy's 2nd birthday party, we only had a short time to get set up and with only a small 6 ft table where we tried to squeeze all the goodies. It all turned out great!

This time, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and instead of designing a long straight 'Happy Birthday' banner with ninja images here and there, I looked for some inspiration on Pinterest and found wonderful ideas. I decided to stick to one in particular...Look for the credits at the end of the post. :)

Banner inspiration via thecrafftedsparrow

I thought about using a couple of tri-fold project display boards to imitate a japanese room divider...While searching high and low on how to make the banner special, I landed at The Crafted Sparrow's blog. Once I saw how she created this beautiful banner and hung it in front of a red fabric background, I changed my mind and put that tri-fold project display board to work in a much better way.

I bought red cardstock {poster size} and covered the tri-fold board on both sides. Then, covered the creases with 3/8" black grosgrain ribbon and hot glued each banner separate spacing them evenly on the center of the board. For the banners, I printed each letter on bright white cardstock and then cut the silhouette of each one of them.

I have also bought one 'pirate sword' {I know, pirate?? it was all I could find at my local party supplies store} and I was planning just to prop it on the table over a red box ...but then my background looked blah! so I decided to go purchase another one and we {grandma helps too!} 'framed' the banner with them. Before, we wrapped red and black grosgrain ribbon around the handles of each sword.

Ninja Party Cupcake Toppers by PoshPaperParties

I made him simple 2.25" round red and black cupcake toppers and used all of the ninja images I had available in the package including swords, nun-chucks and katanas. We went for plain vanilla white buttercream icing on chocolate cupcakes to match the decor.

and because we all LOVE cupcakes and buttercream icing, here is one more 'sweet' shot! ;)

For the bottle wrappers, I made a 'black belt' design that everyone loved for its impact and simplicity...

My nephew has a sweet tooth..{don't they all?} so we bought a couple of glass containers and filled them with Cherry Twizzlers Nibs and Mini Marshmallows. To those jars I added a little 1.5" inch ninja tag mounted on 1" wide black satin ribbon.

We wanted to go for chinese take out boxes for the favors but they wouldn't fit some of the surprises my nephew had picked for his friends, so we gave in and he picked red and black medium (9") gift bags. I added contrasting ninja favor tags with red and black backgrounds.

And last but no least, a thank you note to his friends for sharing with him such as special day packed with fun and lots of ninja action!

All Ninja Birthday Party Decorations designed and handcrafted by Posh Paper Parties with the exception of the Happy Birthday banner, inspiration drawn from The Crafted Sparrow blog.

Find these and more party ideas in my Etsy shop! All items seen on this post can be sold separate.

Thanks for looking,

Baby Shower Games Ideas - Simple and Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:10:00 +0000

My girlfriend is having her third baby in a few months and most people think that when you have more than two babies, you don't need a baby shower anymore. Why not? At baby showers we are not only 'showering' the 'new mom' with gifts but we are having an excuse to get together and have some fun!

So, I am throwing my dear friend a 'Diaper and Wipes Shower' {you always need those, if you're not cloth diapering} and we are gathering by the pool for a brunch! Yum! I will make sure to come back to this post and give you an update.

While searching on Pinterest {but of course} for fun and simple baby shower games to do that day, I landed at this wonderful post written by Kris @ Driven By Decor a blog which -by the way- has made it to my blog lovin' list!

photo via Driven By Decor

Here is a brief of the games! Click on the title of each game to read the full description and how to's!

1. Name That Baby: have your guests bring a baby picture of themselves and play a 'matching' game!

2. Daddy's Knows Best: ask the 'dad to be' some questions like 'what is the biggest craving 'mom to be' has had during the pregnancy? ' and then have mom guess his answer. Kris took it up a notch and videotaped the father's answer! Swoon!

3. Wishes for New Baby: have the guests write a thoughtful wish for the baby on this free printable Kris has created! And speaking of... take a look at these Wishes for Baby cards I made too!

4. Late Night Diapers: this one is my favorite. Have your guests write messages on the diapers to make late night diaper change a fun task!

photo via Driven By Decor

I love how simple, inexpensive and fun games ideas these are for a baby shower! Thanks to Kris for allowing me to share her post. Please make sure to drop by Driven By Decor and show her some love!

Looking for more Baby Shower Ideas? Click here and read one of my most read posts!

Thanks for stopping by, happy Friday everyone!

XOXO

Custom Birth Announcements - Printable Files

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:19:00 +0000

I have been wanting to share with you these custom printable birth announcements I am starting to design for my nursery decor Etsy shop. I wish my listings could grow faster but it's insane the amount of orders of birthday parties I have to fulfill each month.

For my first attempt, I created a nautical birth announcement... of course.

Each custom birth announcement print measures 8" x 10" formatted to be printed on a 8.5" x 11" paper. After the purchase is made, the customer will receive a rough draft of the file for approval and then it will be re-sent in a 300 dpi PDF form.

Here is another example I made for my girlfriend's little girl...

These birth announcement prints make a perfect gift for the new parents. What a wonderful way to treasure baby's very first vital stats.

If you're interested in purchasing one of these custom birth announcements, please email me to onecutenursery {at} gmail.com or send me a conversation via Etsy. I will design your printable file with the colors and theme of your choice. As always, the sky is the limit!

Thanks for looking!

A Shabby Beach Cottage - Pinterest Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:21:00 +0000

Good Sunday morning!

Pinterest has become such a great source for me. Whenever I am lacking of inspiration, ideas or I am looking for an answer to almost anything, I pull out my Pinterest app and there you have it!. And I often end up lost browsing for new craft ideas and home decor...Especially home decor for the dream beach house I don't own {yet}...

Who doesn't dream of a shabby beach cottage?

photo via hutkerarchitects

This morning {while looking for something else, of course} I got lost in four words: SHABBY - AQUA - BEACH - COTTAGE....I am sucker for all things beachy, shabby and aqua blue...So, I gathered some of my favorites beach cottage pins for you...Nothing that you can't find on Pinterest but these pictures sum up my love for that cottage feel and look.

1. A Welcoming Beach Cottage Porch:

What I love about this picture: besides the obvious aqua blue boat, I love the mix of shabby fabrics: plaid, gingham and stripes.

photo via completely-coastal

2. A Warm Foyer:

What I love about this picture: besides the obvious aqua blue old beach wood paneling, I love the wall art made out of seashells...I am a beachcomber so, now I have a new craft idea to bring to life. The coral table lamp tops it off.

photo via completely-coastal

3. A Modern Kitchen with a cozy cottage feel:

What I love about this picture: besides the obvious pale blue beadboard {I am sucker for beadboard too!}, I love the open shelving, the beach dinnerware is gorgeous.

photo via bhg

4. Must Have Beach House Dinnerware:

What I love about this picture: well, it's obvious! And wherever you see birds and flowers together, you know you have a shabby chic look.

photo via everythingturquoise

5. The Dream Beach Cottage Master Bedroom:

What I love about this picture: the right amount of aqua blue in a fresh, bright and airy white room. I absolutely love the iron bed frame.

photo via coastalliving

6. The Welcoming Beach Cottage Guest Bedroom:

What I love about this picture: the shabby chic ornate details on the bed frame. I might just paint my own white shabby chic guest bedroom set in aqua blue one of these days...

photo via rosesandrustblogger

and last but no least....

7. Must Have Shabby Chic Cottage Style Nursery:

What I love about this picture: I LOVE IT ALL! and I blogged about this vintage inspired nursery before.

photo via parenting

For more shabby chic, coastal living and beach cottage style decor, follow me on Pinterest....I am always pinning new finds!

For easy pinning of this post, just place your mouse over the picture of your choice, a Pinterest logo will appear at the top right corner of the picture; click on it and pin away!

Happy Sunday and happy pinning!

Free DIY Valentine's Day Cupcake Toppers - Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 14:49:00 +0000

DIY projects for any kind of party have become popular in the last couple of years and even though most the items I sell are handcrafted by me {yes, one by one}, I also love designing DIY projects for my customers. They come in handy especially when they are overseas.

The most popular item sold for birthday parties are the Cupcake Toppers and today I am going to show you step by step how to make yours at home, given you already have purchased or downloaded a file for free.

I have made these Valentine's Day Party Circles for you. Download them here for free. Please remember to read my Terms of Use first.

Ok, let's get to it!

First of all, you must gather your tools and materials. Some items - such as paper, printer and scissors - you should have handy at home but if you're not the crafty type, there are some other items you must purchase or borrow. Click on each item to take a look or purchase some of my favorites.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS:

- White Paper Card Stock - 65 lb

- Inkjet Color Printer
- Sharp Scissors for paper
- 2" scalloped squeeze punch
- 4" Lollipop sticks or wood craft sticks
- Hot glue gun or craft glue
- Hot glue clear sticks if you decide to use a hot glue gun

OPTIONAL ITEMS:

- 2" circle squeeze punch
- 2.25" circle punch

TUTORIAL

I will break it down in 4 easy steps: print, cut, punch and glue.

1. PRINT
With your color printer, print your file as many times as you wish at 100% scale.

2. CUT
With the scissors, cut each row of the party circles.

Now, for the tricky part:

Each craft punch has a different "reach throat" that's the maximum distance your craft punch will reach on the paper. The one I use for my crafts has a very small throat and it's a matter of trial and error until you get the hang of it. Gosh! I wish there was a scallop punch out there with long reach. I am sure there is, I just haven't done much research. I like mine, it's easy to use and soft on the hand; the open head allows you to see the design before you punch...I like that!

You can see in this picture that the circle is not centered, that's because the "throat" of my punch does not reach further....

...so, we cut again. Note: this is trial and error, so be easy on the trims...

...until we get to this. Perfect!

or this...I personally prefer the scalloped punch...You'll see why later...Keep reading!

2. PUNCH:

Once you are absolutely sure that your design is perfectly aligned and centered, punch away!

4. GLUE:

Fire up your glue gun and start gluing the lollipop sticks to the back of your punch out. I use a *very old* cutting mat where I put down my hot glue gun and use the grids as guide.

Put a 1" long 'strip' of hot glue to your lollipop stick like this:

and then adhere the stick to your punch out:

Pardon the thread of hot glue hanging...Remove any rests of glue...{*blush* }.

At this point you can be done with your cupcake toppers and they look cute...However, I am going to show you how to add more "pizzaz" to them. Here is when you could use that optional 2.25" circle punch.

Punch out a 2.25" circle out of contrasting cardstock. I used white, black and pink for these particular Valentine's cupcake toppers...

Put another 1" long 'strip' of hot glue in the back of your semi-done cupcake topper like this:

...and stick it to your punched out 2.25" circle.

and now you're done!

If you have ANY questions, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment and I will reply as soon as can get to it!

Thanks so much for looking, sharing, and for all the LOVE! Have a wonderful weekend!

Choo Choo Train Birthday Party - More items added!

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:32:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

This post is an update for the Chugga Chugga Choo Choo Train Party post I wrote back in October '12.
I honestly wish I had the precious time to post all products at once, but if you are reading this and you work from home and take care of a toddler and of all the house chores, bills and errands...You get me.. :) Anywho, how about some updates on my Train Birthday Party decor ?

This is the invitation, laid out as a train ticket. It's so fun!

Here is a shot of the actual invitation printed and ready to ship:

Train Birthday Party Invitation by Posh Paper Parties

Now, we have some other goodies available at the shop. Like the matching Thank You note:

Train Birthday Party Thank You note by Posh Paper Parties

No party is complete without cupcakes. So here you have the matching cupcake toppers for this Choo Choo Train Party.

Train Birthday Party Cupcake Toppers by Posh Paper Parties

And last but not least, the DIY project that all of you have been requesting via email: 2" Party Circles.

Party circles are so useful, they serve more than one purpose. You can craft stickers, cupcake toppers, favor tags, scrapbook pages, etc. All you need is some imagination and of course some crafty tools.

Train Birthday Party 2" Party Circles by Posh Paper Parties

For more info on these and more products, visit my Etsy Shop.

Happy Friday everyone! Oh! and come back soon for an awesome tutorial on how to craft your own cupcake toppers with a free downloadable DIY 2" Valentine's Day Party Circles and a special Valentine's day offer from Cricut.

Thanks for stopping by!

Giveaway: Win a Posh Party Decorations Package!

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 21:53:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

On November 2012 it was OCN's 2nd anniversary and I promised in one of my posts I was going to post a Giveaway...Well, the wait is over.

To thank you all for your constant support by reading my blog and purchasing my products, I want to give you what I call a "Box of Cheer":

Sweet Little Cupcake Boy Party Package

How would you all like to win a *Posh*Party*Package* worth a $100+ ? You will get to choose your theme {clip art fees may apply} and colors!

*Posh*Party*Package includes:

• 1 "Happy Birthday (Name!)" banner

• 1 "'I am One!" high chair banner *
• 1 Welcome Sign 11" x 11"
• 24 Cupcake Toppers
• 24 Favor Tags
• 24 Cupcake Wrappers
• Bonus: a 12"x12" scrapbook project storage case ! ( a $6.00 value) and I will send you the letters cutout from the door sign so you can use it when you scrap the memories of that day! :)

*If the high chair banner does not apply to you, you can exchange it for an extra dozen of Cupcake Toppers, Favor Tags or Cupcake Wrappers.

This package is the number one seller in my shop. The only thing that's left for you to do is choose your colors and theme!

HOW TO ENTER

To participate, just leave me a comment below and tell me who's birthday you would like to celebrate AND decorate with one of our *Posh* Party * Packages* and which theme and colors would you like to choose.

{just 1 comment per person please! extra comments are only valid when you leave a link informing me about your "extra entry" see below}

RULES & FINE PRINT:

Contest ends May 18 @ 11:59 p.m E.T
Winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by email.
Sorry but at this time, this giveaway is open only to US residents only including HI and AK
Winner pays shipping and handling

EXTRA ENTRIES:

You can earn 9 extra entries by:

1. Following this blog by subscribing to our RSS feed here
2. Liking One Cute Nursery on Facebook

3. Following One Cute Nursery on Twitter

4. Following One Cute Nursery on Pinterest

5. Liking Posh Paper Parties on Facebook

6. Pinning this post on Pinterest with #ocngiveaway

7. Posting about this giveaway on Instagram with #ocngiveaway
8. Sharing this post on Google+ using the G+ button at the end of the post.

9. Blog about it {copying and pasting this giveaway is NOT blogging, so please be so kind and just write a short paragraph linking back to this post}

Remember to come back here to add your extra comment and let me know which of the above mentioned options { hope all 9 of them =D } you chose to do.

Good luck to you all and thanks for looking!

If you have any questions regarding this giveaway, please refer to our TOU

Owl Themed Crib Bedding Set - Exclusive Custom Design!

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:07:00 +0000

I grew up making homework in the same room where my mom used to sew all kinds of stuff. Cute stuff.
I watched her sew from evening gowns to bedding to custom Barbie doll clothes. Yes, my Barbies had a big closet! They even had beach towels that matched their bathing suits!

I truly believe that I got the "need" to save all those leftover pieces of scrap paper from her. She would save every tiny piece of fabric around because she knew that one day, it would serve a purpose again...Like for making my barbies bathing suits. :)

Long story short, shortly after my father passed away last year, I thought that all this talent and knowledge my mom has for sewing, needed to be passed on to me somehow. After all, I am the crafty one in the family. I could - literally - spend hours trying to figure out how to craft something until I get it right. And today I know more about sewing than I did 6 months ago.

So, we sat down and decided to take One Cute Nursery {OCN} to the next level and jumped into the adventure of designing and sewing custom crib bedding.

Here is what I call OCN's "first baby". ****Update: this item sold on 02-07-13****

Owl Themed Crib Bedding Set

OCN has been a mixed of all things baby, not only handcrafted decor, but we went from blogging about nautical nurseries, to gender neutral nurseries, to kids' parties decorations ideas. The party decor "niche" started growing so rapidly, I had the need to open an Etsy shop strictly for party decor, and I have named it Posh Paper Parties, the main reason I did this was because I knew that {as a shop} I wanted to separate the two markets.

We {mom and I} are looking forward to see what happens next! So, I wanted to share with all of you these beautiful pictures of this custom made crib bedding set. I have personally picked the fabric and put together a contrasting design.

Owl Themed Crib Bedding Set

The owls panel was the starting point. I fell in love with it!. Love the patchwork and the color palette. We decided to stick to the pale yellow {or cream if you'd like} and green.

The minky fabric is a must in a nursery. Is soft and cozy, so we used it on the crib bumper and on the reverse side of the owl blanket. We found the perfect fabric to make a matching fitted sheet for the mattress and you can see how seamless it all looks. Peaceful! I LOVE IT!

The accent pillow is also included in the set!

Owl Themed Crib Bedding Set

The bumper is one solid piece {6 batting pieces inside}, made out of non flammable, hypoallergenic, polyester fiberfill batting. We added a generous amount of fabric ties in order for the end user to be able to make bows {or knots} depending on their taste.

Love the ruffled skirt, but we are also looking forward to make a solid flat skirt in the future for a more modern look. I will come back to this post with an update whenever we make a new set!

Owl Themed Crib Bedding Set

This 4 pieces Owl themed crib bedding set is available for sale ****Update: this item sold on 02-07-13**** at our Etsy shop and it is ready to ship! It is the only one of its kind and we won't be making the same design again. So, if you are looking for exclusivity, this is it!

We heart custom orders, email us to {onecutenursery at gmail dot com} with any questions or requests.

Thank you so much for looking! Have a wonderful day!

Our Party Decor Has Found a New Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:48:00 +0000

It's been awhile... I have been terrible at posting, but I love how you all keep coming back to read my posts for some party decor inspiration. Thanks for that! ;)

Last month I made a bold move and re-named my paper goods business. One Cute Nursery still exists as an Etsy shop and can be found here, however all the party decorations and printables found a new home and I named it POSH PAPER PARTIES.

If you have been following my blog from the get-go, I am sure you have seen me grow from mommy blogger to mompreneur....and I am having a blast!

One Cute Nursery was born for the love of all things baby, from nursery decor to birthday parties but once the demand for paper goods, invitations and printables spiked, I felt the need to re-brand my shop. I have left open One Cute Nursery on Etsy and I recently added personalized tutu bow holders! I will also be adding some crib bedding so check back here for an update!

All new { and old } Facebook fans to come like Posh Paper Parties, will receive a 10% off coupon code good to be used on our Etsy shop! Make sure to send me an email to poshpaperpartiesco (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject "New Facebook Like" and I will reply back with your code!

I will be launching Posh Paper Parties dot com next year and we will celebrate with a HUGE giveaway... Also, One Cute Nursery {the blog} just turned 2! and I will come back with a blogiversary giveaway next week! So, check back next week for a giveaway post!

Thanks for stopping by and from the bottom of my heart, Happy Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

XOXO

Guest Post: How I Coped With a Mesothelioma Diagnosis

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:09:00 +0000

Hi there!

This is the first time in almost 2 years that I accept a guest blog post. Heather reached out to me last week and told me a little about her story. Now, I know that most of you visit this blog looking for nursery decor and party inspiration...but unfortunately, we can't forget the many lives - including mine - that have been touched by cancer. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.

With this guest post, I want to share with you the amazing story of a young lady who was diagnosed with mesothelioma at age 36, only 3 months after giving birth to her precious little girl...

I want to thank Heather for reaching out to me, I would do anything in my power to help spread awareness for cancer.

Here is her story:

How I Coped With a Mesothelioma Diagnosis

by Heather Von St. James

No one wants to hear those three little words that can spread fear throughout your whole body.

”You have cancer…”

These three words can cripple the strongest person and come at a time when things should be at their best. When I heard the news that I had pleural mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure, I had just given birth three and one-half month prior.

When I tell people that I have mesothelioma, they usually ask, “ Isn't asbestos banned?” or “Where were you exposed?” The answer to the first question is an unfortunate, “no.” Asbestos is not banned. The answer to the second question is “Through secondary exposure.”

Asbestos was on my father’s work clothes. He worked in construction, and he came into contact with asbestos while sanding, muddling and drywall taping. The dust from sanding contained asbestos. It was on his clothes, on his jacket and in his car. This white dust seemed innocent but was filled with asbestos fibers.

It was rare to be diagnosed at the age of 36. The typical mesothelioma patient is an older male who has worked in trades such as plumbing and heating, or they worked as electricians, mechanics. Many military members were also exposed to asbestos. Now, the wives also suffer. Most wives came into contact with asbestos after doing their husband’s laundry. They shook out the dirty clothes before putting them in the washer, and unfortunately, the clothes were filled with asbestos. Even women who worked in schools as secretaries were exposed to asbestos.

photo via Heather Von St. James

The next generation of mesothelioma sufferers is being diagnosed. The trend of young people being diagnosed with mesothelioma is alarming. Children who loved and wanted to be near their dads were exposed. They were exposed when they jumped into their father’s arms. Children were exposed when they hugged their father or put on their father’s coat to go feed the rabbits.

After being involved in the mesothelioma community, I got to know many young patients. These men and women are in their late twenties and early thirties. Young men and women were forced to concentrate on overcoming mesothelioma rather than getting married, having babies and getting new jobs.

There is some good news. Much advancement in the treatment of mesothelioma helps more and more people to survive. People young and old are managing to survive.

Hearing you have cancer is devastating, but I continue to maintain optimism and hope and so do others do who have mesothelioma. Those of us that have mesothelioma have tried to come together as a community. In our community, we share our experiences, and we support each other. We cry when things don’t our way, and we celebrate victories.

photo via Heather Von St. James

So, why do I do what I do? Why do I continue to share my story? I do it to bring awareness to others who may be suffering. Without awareness, nothing will change. If by sharing my story, I can help a newly diagnosed person or help someone living in fear with mesothelioma, I feel I am doing the right thing.

Heather

**** no compensation was received for this post ****

Partnering up with The Little Gym Of Boca/Delray

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 13:17:00 +0000

Last summer I signed up my son for Parent/Child classes at The Little Gym of Boca/Delray. Being a SAHM, you know that your little one needs more than just the daily play date with the kids in the neighborhood at a local park or playground. I knew that Logan needed some kind of playtime where he could be having fun and learning lots of new wonderful things at the same time.

A little shy of being two years old, my son entered into this big room with a big red mat for his first class. He literally panicked! And he panicked on class 2, 3 and 4. He wouldn't let go of my leg and cry constantly. All I would hear from other parents and from the instructors was: "It will pass and then he's going to love it".

Find a free introductory class at The Little Gym of Boca/Delray

Soon enough, one morning he went from crying to"hmm, that stick looks interesting, let me tap it on this bar..." and that was it. My son "soars" at The Little Gym, he has built so much confidence that now he tries to do somersaults at home, climbs-up his high chair and balances on his tip-toes and calls his Nana to show her his stunts.

Learn more about The Little Gym

We are so lucky to have found such a wonderful place where not only kids make friends but us parents too. The staff of instructors are so friendly and Oh my God! How can they remember each and every name of each parent and child?...When you walk in The Little Gym, you're welcomed as family and we all have as they say: Serious Fun!

Their services include:

Parent - Child Classes (Infants to 3 years)
Pre-School - Kindergarten Gymnastics (3 to 6 years)
Grade School Gymnastics (6 to 12 years)
Sports Skills Development (3 to 6 years)
Dance The Little Gym Way (3 to 12 years)
Karate Classes (4 to 12 years)

And the fun stretches to:

Summer and Holiday Camps
Stress Free Awesome Birthday Bash (see my own son's birthday bash here)
Parent's Survival Night

Book an Awesome Birthday Bash

Quoting their words:

" At The Little Gym, kids soar.

Literally. They hop, they bounce, they leap through the air.

But that's just the half of it.

Because as their bodies soar, so do their spirits.

And when they master a new skill or make a new friend,

their confidence soars too "

If you live in the Boca Raton - Delray Beach - Boynton Beach area, make sure to check out The Little Gym of Boca/Delray, maybe you would like to have your child's next awesome birthday bash at their facility. Promise, you would love it to pieces! As a proud member of The Little Gym, I am happy to be partnering up with them and I will be offering 10% OFF on all my products on my Etsy Shop to all other members!

* no compensation was received for this post *
*all images courtesy of The Little Gym of Boca/Delray*

Thanks for stopping by!

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo - Train Party On Its Way!

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 04:03:00 +0000

My customers inspire me.

I said it before and I will say it again: I LOVE custom orders. I love working from scratch and going from zero to hero! .

When Kasey contacted me last weekend and she asked if I had some ideas for a train birthday party I must admit I was a little lost. I could not believe that in a whole year handcrafting so many parties for little kids I have never had the chance to design a train themed birthday party. Come on! Choo choos are so cute! My son is in love with Thomas...and if that love grows bigger within the next ten months...then you'll know what the 3rd birthday party theme will be!

So, back to what I was saying... {I got a little sidetracked there daydreaming on my son's 3rd birthday} Kasey sent me this picture of the birthday T-Shirt she got for her son...

photo via planetpudge on etsy

She wanted to keep the theme within the colors light blue, navy and red. I did my research within Etsy too, and found the cutest clip art at ViveraDesign.

All Aboard Clip Art at ViveraDesign

I have to say, I love buying within my Etsy fellows. It's such a wonderful marketplace. Vera from Vivera Design is located in Jakarta, Indonesia - yes, the other side of the world - Oh! the wonders of the internet! I received my files within 24 hours and I was able to send Kasey a digital proof of the train party invitation.

And here is the final product:

I can't take credit for the wording since it was all my customers' input and so was the idea of making the invitation look like a train ticket. I do, however take credit of the entire design and layout. How do you like it choo choo train lovers? I am 'all aboard' this train!

I am having a blast designing from scratch...I am not only making my customers happy but I am supporting other artists' businesses purchasing their original designs.

I will make sure to give you an update on this theme, since I will be designing some other train party decorations.

This train party invitation and other decorations will be soon available for sale at my Etsy shop. If you happen to stop by and don't see anything listed, just shoot me an email at poshpaperpartiesco at gmail dot com {just change the at for an @ and the dot for an actual dot (.) } .

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful weekend !

UPDATE!: more items have been added! Read the post here.

Fall Decoration Ideas - Pinterest Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:59:00 +0000

I am going to get out of my 'comfort zone' here for a bit. It's fall and I love it! .Even though down here in FL we don't have 'actual' fall, it's in the 'air', in the stores and hopefully we will get our first cool front soon {fingers crossed}.

photo via weather.com

I come from a country where there's only one season: hot and humid. So -to me- even the hottest day in South Florida 'is not that bad'. I love America. Period.

I love the seasonal changes and how each season brings an opportunity to breathe new air, see new clothes collections in the stores, eat different types of food and desserts ;) ... I love it all!. And of course, one of the things that excites me the most is changing decorations around the house.

It is a relaxing sunday morning and I decided to get some 'pinspiration' {that's my contraction for "inspiration drawn from Pinterest"}.

Here are my DIY top picks:

1. Fall Subway Art - Free Printable

photo via antsi-pants

2. Fall Decorating with Hurricane Vases

photo via amanda

3. Cinnamon Stick Letter: Tutorial

photo via morrowsunshine

4. A plain crystal vase is all dressed up with pine cones, tree branches and crystal clear christmas ornaments. How easy and beautiful is that?

photo via Better Homes and Gardens

Getting pinspired now? I am hoping to get these projects done within the next few weeks and I will make sure to be back with some pictures and instructions.

Thanks for looking! Happy Fall Y'all and Happy Sunday!

Craft Room Design - The Big Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:38:00 +0000

The moment has finally arrived and I am so excited to share with you this big reveal! For years...YEARS I have dreamed of a craft room / studio and you all {y'all ;) } have no idea how happy this makes me! :) Yes, I am like a kid with a brand new toy...The difference is that I am not going to get tired of this one EVER!

If you read my post Craft Room Design, you've been waiting to read this post and see the new remodeled room. Well, wait no more, it's here!

For months I searched the words "craft room ideas" and an image of a white craft room -or ten rather- would pop up! It's the cleanest, nicest look. Now, before I describe how I did it I have to say that I can't give you an exact amount of money I put into this because: 1. I have been buying items for the last year here and there (on sale or not) and 2. My husband put a lot of work and craftmanship into this and his work is priceless ;)

Ok, on to the project breakdown:

THE WALLS

The room had plain white walls. I wanted the room to look clean and airy but white walls are too blah!, so I picked this muted yellow color called Banana Cream Pie from Glidden in eggshell finish. Easy to clean. Glidden paint is sold at Home Depot.

FLOORING

Bye bye carpet!

Even though I love the feeling of carpet under my feet { I am a barefoot type of girl }, the room needed a flooring upgrade badly. The carpet was just too worn out from all the traffic all these years. We picked laminate flooring, besides economic, is very low maintenance. Oh! and I can move my chair around with ease!. I keep handy a handheld vacuum that my husband gave me {he can pull out anything from the garage like a magician from a hat} and I can't live without it. I virtually have no mess at all now!.

STORAGE CUBBIES

I bought these at Michaels. I initially wanted to build a "wall unit" with these cubbies and just make a small counter against the wall flanked by a pair of cubbies on each end. Then, I realized that the depth of the counter (14.5") would be too small for my projects and then I would be begging for more space again.

So, here is where the project took a big turn on the way.

I had bought 22 cubbies one day at Michaels when they had a big sale. All the scrapbook storage was 40% off, plus I had a 25% off total purchase coupon. So, it was a good deal. I knew this before hand { it pays to run to the craft store three times a week} and I made a pre-design on a sheet of paper and went there the day of the sale with a plan! ;) That was at least 7 months ago!

I bought a mix of cubbies with shelves, with drawers, shelves and drawers, magazine holders, etc. You can see some of the other cubbie designs in this picture...

I had mentioned before how difficult it was to come up with a plan, being that I had only two walls to work with. But I am delighted with what my husband and I came up with! He's a genius, if you ask me :)

{ Bonus picture! } When my son saw his father working with power tools, he went running to his room, dug in his toybox and found his screwdriver (bottom right) and brought it to his dad... Just too cute!

Back to the description.

THE COUNTER TOP

Because I wanted a big and - I mean BIG - surface to work on, my husband custom made the counter out of wood and high gloss white Formica. It weighs around 300 pounds! Yep, it's huge! It came home from his shop in three pieces and he put it down over the cubbies that I had strategically placed in the room.

Please don't mind the spider web of cables I have under my desk...That's my next project....one thing at a time. Look at the 'big picture' here.

On the wall side, the counter is 30 inches deep by 11 feet long. When it turns, on the left of the top picture, it's 36 inch by 7 feet long and then, when it turns again it's 15.5 inches deep by 4 feet long. We brought the cubbies forward so the counter would overhang just 1 inch. Behind the cubbies -on the wall side- there's an opening, which we thought it would be our son's hideaway...but it turned out to be perfect: behind those cubbies I have a built in garbage pail and an over sized sub-woofer.

That hole in between my desktop station and my Cricut is for the garbage! I came up with this idea, when my son started "depositing" all his toys inside the holes that my old desk had...and then I started "depositing" my garbage there too. This one has an actual garbage pail underneath! LOVE IT!

THE WALL UNIT

My wall unit plan {with the cubbies} changed when I spotted this Ikea Expedit Bookcase on Pinterest.

To my despair, Ikea does not make the biggest Expedit shelf they have {6x6 cubbies} in high gloss white. So, we purchased two: a 4x4 cubbies Expedit and a 4x2 cubbies Expedit and we mounted {yeah WE! I picked it up and gave my hubby a hand} one on top of the other. My main idea was to have some storage in the bottom for my son's toys. His bins are the white ones and I make sure he knows it..No more touching mommy's stuff!

Inside the fabric drawers I have all things possible...I have come to realize that - no matter how hard you try - crafting is always going to be a little messy. If I stopped to put 'neatly' away each scrap of paper or any material for that matter, I wouldn't be able to finish projects on time. So, these bins are wonderful. If I have leftover paper, I just drop it in its bin, leftover tulle or ribbon, in another bin...and so on.

SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES STORAGE CLASSIFICATION { this is what works for me}

Each bin is full to the top with all these supplies {they're still neatly organized inside...I still have the 'brand new' fever}

- Paper punches

- Solid color paper scraps

- Patterned paper scraps

- Stationary (includes cards, envelopes and return labels)

- Stamps and inks

- Fabric, tulle and ribbon scraps

- Cricut accesories like jukebox, blades, vinyl rolls together with stencils and other miscellaneous tools I don't use everyday.

- Glue products and tools like screwdriver, X-Acto knife, pliers, wood sander, etc

- Acrylic paint and brushes.

EMBELLISHMENT CENTER

Another item I bought at Michaels at 65% off (40% off plus 25% total purchase coupon) was the embellishment center.

At first I thought I wasn't going to have a wall where to hang it because it is big and because I have an open loft I didn't want it to be seen from the formal living room downstairs. Turns out I found the perfect wall kind of behind the wall unit but perfectly accessible.

Yikes! I still have the black filing cabinet...It's an eyesore but I can't change the color of the printer so I figured I'd rather keep the whole thing like that, seamless. Until I come up with a new plan.

In the embellishment center I keep...well, embellishments. Ha! :)

I cut hundreds of tiny onesies at a time for my favor tags so I store them by color in different storage jars. I also use mason jars where I keep lollipop sticks for cupcake toppers, wood craft sticks, mini clothespins and multicolor pom-poms.

I just bought a bunch of Martha Stewart Martha Stewart embossing powder and I am looking forward to start new projects :) Now that I have a much more functional {and inspiring} room, I'm hoping I can work on new items and projects.

THE SHELVING SYSTEM

We bought 3 of the Ikea Lack shelves in high gloss white. I could not be happier with this set-up! They are so sleek {and I don't dig too much the minimalist decor} but they work so well with the room!

I love how I can keep my cricut cartridges handy and they still look cute and decor the room. To the right of them I have 4 ... just 4 {out of my hundred and something collection} cats figurines. These 4 are dear to my heart and each one represents a special moment in my life. Oh! and I have an {empty} cat treats canister because I have my cat on a diet...poor thing. This is the shelf on the right side of the room.

On the left side of the room I decided to just place all my blue tin buckets {same ones I used on my son's Caillou Birthday Party last summer} with all my pens, markers, felt tip pens, pencils and scissors. Easy to reach for me while I am working, hard to reach for my toddler. I think they look cute! {they scream: 'This is a craft room!'}.

The center shelf is still empty. I have a project under my sleeve...just haven't got the time to do it. I will make sure to come back to this post and link-up the project. The calendars, dry erase board and corkboards I bought at my local Walmart but there is a wide variety of these products on Amazon.

The next morning after we put the shelves and boards on this wall, I woke up to this note from my husband:

"Good Luck in your new office. You deserve the best. I love you! Me."

With a supporting husband and an inspiring room I think I can conquer the world! .

My mission with this post is to inspire you as a crafter to follow your heart and your dreams...With imagination and will power, you can achieve great results :)

If you have any questions about any other products you see on these pictures, feel free to ask!

Until next post.

Love,

Flavs

Shabby Chic Baby Shower Decor - Vintage Style

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Since I was a little girl, I had a tendency to like cottage chic decor.... especially those little girl bedrooms full of white distressed furniture with pink floral bedding and splashes of aqua here and there. I remember when I first saw a picture of a beautiful 'shabby chic' bedroom set portrayed on a JC Penney Catalog... I was probably 10 and I ripped the page and kept it for years. Yes, I have been scrapping for a long time!

When I first got pregnant, I knew that if I was having a baby girl, I was going to make her the most beautiful shabby chic nursery ever ;) ...God blessed me with a little sailor and instead, I designed for him a not too shabby nautical retreat.

I have been saving a shabby chic nursery post for later this year...I have an ongoing project that I would love to share with all of you, but it's not finished ;). I will make sure to come back to this post and write an update when the time comes. Well, I do not have a shabby chic nursery for you today, but I do have a beautiful shabby chic baby shower that I designed for Daniela based on the colors pink, aqua and lavender.

Shabby Chic cardstock is not easy to find. To make a sturdy banner, I printed shabby chic scrapbooking paper and mounted it onto solid color coordinating cardstock.

Shabby Chic Baby Shower Banner

This particular banner read: "Lu's Baby Shower" - a long one, yes -

This time I incorporated pastel color mini clothes pins instead of wooden ones. Both types are itty bitty cute and pretty :) !

The patterns include roses, stripes and damask.

I made cupcake toppers out of the tiny roses on pink and tiny roses on aqua papers. I do not carry this design of cupcake toppers anymore - printed on the back - I would only make them if custom ordered. They are a little more time - and ink- consuming therefore, the cost is higher.

These are the food tents. I sent these blank because the customer hadn't decided on the menu just yet. But I do offer them with the food names printed on it.

We kept the cupcake wrappers in coordinating solid colors. These are the perfect final touch for the cupcakes.

Cupcake wrappers ship flat and ready to assemble.

These are two samples of shabby chic baby shower favor tags. Tiny roses on pink...{very popular in my shop} and featured on an Etsy Treasury.

and tiny roses on aqua ...

For more shabby chic baby shower decor or nursery decor, check out my shop. I am constantly adding new products. If you have any questions or any particular request, please ask! I heart custom orders. Send me an email to poshpaperpartiesco at gmail dot com { replace the at for a @ and the dot for an actual dot (.) } nobody likes spammers!

Thank you for looking! :)

Pink Kitty First Birthday Party - Pink and Lavender

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 19:44:00 +0000

In the midst of organizing my craft room {yes, it is finished, I just haven't put the finishing touches, once that's done, I will snap the pictures and write a post} I stumbled upon so many projects I have done in the past months and that I have not been able to share on the blog, neither to post on my online store. Yikes! I really have a lot of work to do!

Sorting through the pictures files on my computer, I found this beautiful pink kitty party I made for baby Olivia back in May. One thing I like about my work, is being able to design around someone else's idea. Usually, the customer would send me a picture or a link of something they saw online, or something they own and ask me to design the party package around it. So far, so good :) I have delivered beautiful party packages inspired on just colors, any possible animal { I am working on baby shower package with baby panda bears!} trees {like my cherry blossom favor tags}, favors, the baby's nursery decor and more.

Olivia's mommy sent me the party invitation and asked me to design a welcome sign, a happy birthday banner, a high chair banner and a mini happy first birthday banner. The theme was a pink kitty with touches of lavender... I used a beautiful white glitter tulle fabric for the hanging part of the welcome sign, tied with pastel pink satin bows. Cute!

I put 'jewels' around the kitty's neck to make a collar... fancy kitty :)

Now, a "Happy Birthday Olivia" banner is quite large {even in the picture is hard to get the whole banner within 600 pixels width } ...

...so I kept the "Olivia" banner separate and added one kitty link on each end.

Olivia's mommy kept it and hung it on the nursery's door. These banners are well made ;) and they sure will last for years if you handle them properly. Keeping the name part, is a nice idea for baby's first birthday keepsake.

I usually tie the banners' links together with sheer ribbon, however, this banner was so dear to me and so sophisticated, that I decided to tie it with pink and lavender fabric tulle knots.

I kept the small banners ( happy 1st birthday and high chair) simple. Those, I printed {instead of die-cut as above} and tied them with sheer ribbon.

Sorry for the large amount of pictures...they might look the same but I actually zoomed in every three links... This is the high chair banner:

And one more collage picture of all the products.

This party package is available at my Etsy Store for $85.00 plus shipping. It can be customized on any colors of your choice, any animal. If you have an idea that you would like to share with me, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for looking, happy weekend!

Nautical Birthday Party Package - Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 02:31:00 +0000

I am so excited!

I have been searching high and low for the perfect clip art to make a whimsy and special nautical themed printable party package and last week, I finally found something I fell in love with! I will also be selling handcrafted customized party goodies as usual.

Baby Patrick is the lucky boy to get the first physical package on the mail this week!

So far I designed cupcake toppers, Happy Birthday bunting banner and water labels (not pictured).

These are not the 'official ' pictures, these are my Instagrams :) {how addictive is that? }. Notice that the bunting banner below is not finished...I tied the flags together with knots made out of grosgrain red ribbon.

I will be posting soon more details about this package which I am going to customize for a nautical baby shower too. Customers will have the option to buy it handcrafted or printable. Once done, I will post the link to it here.

Thanks for looking and sharing. Will see you soon!

Craft Room Design

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:36:00 +0000

I have been planning to redesign my office/studio for the last year or so. In a year, I have seen so many pictures of craft room decorating ideas, furniture and storage products, that I am a little overwhelmed by it. I have seen thousands of products and storage systems and I have not one, but two Pinterest boards with lots of "pinspiration" {is that a word?, it is now! } and they have been of great help. The time has come and we are { that's hubby and me } going to tackle this mess during the next two week s and hopefully {fingers crossed} it will be done very, very soon.

This room started as a regular home-office, with a computer hutch, a desk and a bookcase. We bought this set 6 years ago, and it looked something like this...

If I would've known then that I was going to end up finding my bliss paper-crafting, sanding wood and painting, I would've chosen something more laid back and more appropriate. But, since my husband and I love DIY-ing, it's actually nice to have the opportunity to step into a new project.

Our home-office is located on the second floor, in a room that I would call it a hybrid between a den and a loft... Some people call it a den, some call it a loft. Bottom line here is: there's no doorway, it's all open. If you have a mess {like I do 90% of the time}, everyone will see it and you can't say: 'I will just shut the door'. No. To my advantage, this room is located at the end of the hallway and no one has to go past it to go to another room. If you go in that direction, you're going to the office.

I have been dreading the fact that, in order to be able to share "the big reveal' with you, I have to share the "the big mess"...but it's ok, I will get over it.. You will too, I promise.

Here is a picture of the room as you 'walk in'.

To the left is the railing, open to the 12 ft high ceiling living room. Beautiful, yes. Scary when you have a toddler at home. I have to keep my Making Memories Desktop Carousel on top of the hutch {upper left corner} to keep all the tools away from my toddler's little fingers.To the right, there's a sliding door that leads to a small deck, and this is the best part of having the office located in this den.

This is my view every morning when I 'come to work'...

And this is the view every afternoon...

Even though, this is extremely nice, I only have two walls - one across from the other - to work with and that interferes with my craft room layout ideas. It would have been easier to design the layout in a room with two walls converging in a 90 degree angle.

This is the other wall, across the hutch. Yikes! This is the part I dread the most about sharing...

We bought this armoire five years ago, we scored it at a Rooms To Go Outlet. It was a floor sample, so we paid half the price { $480.00 if I remember right}. At the time I was only scrapbooking, and my collection of embellishments, stickers, glitter, embossing powder and tools was growing rapidly. Those little drawers were perfect to stash them away while the bigger drawers held loose cardstock and paper pads. Behind the doors there are two shelves, it was the perfect storage for magazines, books and albums. The 4 bottom drawers stored my son's toys for the last 2 years...and that's why they are all crooked and falling off. They don't close properly anymore. My son has been pulling those drawers daily for the last 14 months.

To the left is my massive laser printer sitting on a black filing cabinet (that came from our old business office). My husband had to build a custom wood top for the cabinet, that's how big the printer is. I don't like this set-up at all, I am thinking I want to spray paint the cabinet white to match all the new furnishings.

To the right, there's a storage ottoman I found at Home Goods. It was one of those impulsive purchases. I love it but it's big and I am having a hard time finding a place for it {can you tell? }. That frame that you see to the right, is my BS diploma. It looks misplaced, I know. I had to move it over when I started stashing things on top of the armoire. Like I said, this is a project in the making for the last year. I am delighted that it's actually happening this weekend!

Here is the desk. My one and only working surface area.

Not having enough surface to work on, triggered the idea of re-designing the studio. When my sales spiked last year around this time, I had to work on 5 or 6 parties at a time and this desk looked like a bomb hit. I bought several Iris Project Cases and stored each party project separately. It works like a charm, but I still need the surface to spread my tools. See that canvas, and the wooden words 'Dream' and 'Imagine' on the desk? It's a project I am working on to decorate the studio. I am excited!

This office may look empty now but it is only because I have moved out 90% of my tools and supplies to another room so we can start moving furniture out. Before these pictures were taken, this room was 'chaos'. I could not share the chaos.

We will be working on the big project this current week and hopefully we will have everything done by the weekend. So, stay tuned and come back to check my "Craft Room Design - The Big Reveal " post.

Just one hint: I am painting the room "Banana Cream Pie" by Glidden (found at Home Depot) and all the furniture is white. Yay! for a fresh and airy craft room!

Thanks for looking!

Gender Neutral Baby Shower Banner - Pastel Colors

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 11:00:00 +0000

When throwing a neutral gender baby shower, green and yellow seems to be the preferred palette for moms to be. However, there's nothing wrong with adding some other pastel colors like baby blue or lavender... even throwing a hint of pink is absolutely ok.

When it comes to "baby talk" my favorite quote says: " Babies are kiss from Heaven, blown by the hand of God " and to me, my precious baby has a hint of all the colors in the rainbow, the colors of the sunrise and the sunset all together.

A few months back I created this beautiful banner for "Baby Morgan"

The baby shower theme was "Ready to Hatch" and we incorporated the bird in the banner, keeping the letters in pastel yellow on top of a very delicate patterned cardstock.

The patterns included stripes, polka dots, stars...

and this cute pattern with all baby items/words printed on it ( picture below - first onesie with the letter O ).

For this particular banner, instead of hanging the onesies with clothespins on a tulle, the customer preferred to have them tied to each other with tulle knots. I used green, white and lavender tulle to make the knots.

This order included 130 favor tags ( big party ah?! ) and I kick myself because I did not take pictures of them. Even though it was my popular onesie design on a scalloped background, this time the onesie was die cut on this yellow gingham patterned paper and it looked lovely.

Don't be afraid of adding a touch of lavender or pink to your gender neutral baby shower...after all, there's 50% chances that you will have a baby girl too...so why settle for just green and yellow?

By the way, consider this too when designing your neutral gender nursery. Not much the adding pink and lavender part, but thinking outside the box an adding pops of bright color to your baby's room. Take a peek a this Cool and Retro Neutral Gender Nursery and design board and get inspired.

Thanks for looking! Happy Baby Shower planning!

Baby Shower Favor Tags - Wording Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:56:00 +0000

What should I write on baby shower favors? That is a very common question customers ask me when ordering favor tags for this occasion.

I have made so many baby shower favor tags in the last year that I think I have enough material to write this blog post {and I am sure there's more to come!}. Each "saying" is accompanied by a picture, so you can also see examples of color and patterns combinations and get inspired.

If you're also looking for some Baby Shower Games Ideas, make sure to read this post later!

Note: You're going to see A LOT of onesies! They are people's favorite!

OK. Let's get to it:

1} Most popular and no brainer: " Thanks for coming! - Lu's Baby Shower "

2} If you have picked your baby's name, this wording is appropriate and very cute!: "Welcome Baby Harlyn Annabelle"

I love this pink and lavender favor tag so much I have to post another picture ;)

I love... { I know, I love all of them ! } this shabby chic favor tag with a baby blue background, not too common for a baby girl baby shower, but it works well!

3} You can also omit the word 'baby' and just write a plain: "Welcome Elizabeth Robin"

4} This is another simple wording, it includes the name of the mom to be and the date of the baby shower: "Cara's Baby Shower - February 26th-2012". No onesie here, this tag was for a customer hosting a vintage themed baby shower and wanted a vintage baby carriage. Cute!

5} Sometimes, baby showers are not only offered for the mom-to-be but also for the dad-to-be. This particular tag was meant to be tied around a drink for a picnic themed baby shower. It reads: " Stephanie and Travon's Baby Shower - Cheers for Baby Aidan". Notice that to give the tag a 'laid back' feeling, customer chose baking twine instead of satin ribbon.

How about this one to welcome your little prince? This particular tag was made to match the A New Little Prince Baby Shower theme.

6} Here is another example using the baby's name and the date of the baby shower: "Baby Kendra - April 7th-2012" . I love this tag! The customer asked me if I could customize the background to be cherry blossoms, and I did. I love the palette of green and pink with a hint of brown that comes from the cherry blossoms tree.

7} This is one of the most popular favor tags in my shop, if not THE MOST popular. In fact, they were featured on a Etsy Treasury list. It was designed for a shabby chic themed baby shower where the baby shower hostess was giving tea bags as favors. It reads: "A Baby is Brewing - Kim's Baby Shower".

8} And one more example, for a baby girl baby shower: " We are tickled pink that you came to celebrate Katharine Grace!"

I hope these favor tags wording ideas inspire you as well as the color combination, themes and patterns used on them. For more baby shower colors and ideas inspiration, click here.

Oh! and if you're looking for some Baby Shower Games Ideas, make sure to check out this post!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mod Baby Shower for a Boy - Brown and Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:14:00 +0000

When it comes to decorating baby boys' nurseries, the brown and blue palette is a favorite. It is the perfect balance between delicate and masculine. This combination is also widely used on baby showers and this post is loaded with ideas!

This is my grilfriend's baby shower; this girl knows how to throw a party! Renata is brazilian and she actually imports from Brazil what they call ' forminhas' which is basically paper wrappers for sweets and appetizers, favor boxes and some other party supplies. With a palette of colors in mind and forminhas in hand, we sat down and designed the decor.

All photos via Flavia Andrews (that's me! )

Let's start by welcoming the little man :) . This banner is a variation of the popular onesie banner on a tulle. I chose all baby blue patterned papers for the onesies and chocolate brown die cut letters mounted on foam squares It's hard to see, but the letters actually look like 3D (see the happy birthday banner on this post).

Welcome Baby Boy Banner

Renata handcrafted these beautiful pom poms...I will soon post on how to DIY these. Very easy! :)

I was in awe with the flower arrangements that my girlfriend put together, she's really good at it!. Hydrangeas are definitely my favorite flower! :) and these ones have a hint of blue / periwinkle that I love.

The party started at 3 pm, so the perfect thing to do was to serve Hors d'oeuvres and here is where she put the 'forminhas' to work :)

Is there anything cuter than baby feet? Yep, I don't think so! Look at these cuties that Rafaela, my girlfriend's sister made!

This is a gorgeous cupcake stand...I love how it really sets the mod mood on the table...

I die cut these tiny itsy bitsy onesies to decorate these 'tacinhas' (little cups) where Renata served a delicious potato salad.

These sweets are my all time favorite, and Renata serves them at every party (they are very traditional in Brazil). The chocolate balls are called 'brigadeiro' and they are melt in your mouth chocolate goodness with condensed milk - I have to make these !- and the white ones are 'beijinhos' (little kisses) made of coconut...She actually made the coconut balls for my son's birthday.

This fun and giant die cut baby bottle shows us -non expecting ladies- where the drinks are...

I also die cut litlle baby bottles to use them as tags for the wine glasses...

These favor boxes are also 'forminhas' imported from Brazil. The favor tags are handmade by me. These design is totally opposite from my popular favor tags where the onesie is mounted on a scalloped circle, here the scalloped circle is mounted on a tiny onesie.

The baby's aunt made the beautiful cake. Look for her link at the end of this post...

These are the credits and their respective links:

Favor Boxes, Hour D'Ouvres & Sweets Forminhas, Cupcake Wrappers & Tacinhas : Forminhas FL
Cake and Cupcakes: Cake Designers
Baby Banner, Favor Tags, Bottle Sign, Wine Glass tags: One Cute Nursery on Etsy

And that's all! Thanks for looking!

Sweet Little Cupcake Boy Birthday - Baby's First Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 21:44:00 +0000

A few months back I got the pleasure to prepare the Sweet Little Cupcake Boy First Birthday Package for little baby Nolan.

I was so excited when his mommy was so kind to share with me the pictures of his party! She really did a great job and made all the decorations shine! This takes me to write a little disclaimer:

All pictures shown in this post {except for the invitation design} via Jaime (Nolan's mommy). Thank You Jamie!!

With a few exceptions, I don't get to see my party decor "in action". So, when Jamie sent me these pictures, my first thought was "Oh My! I have to write a blog post about it." Thank you Jamie for allowing me to share this beautiful party with my readers.

It's been 4 months since Nolan's party, I thought I was just going to sit down and blog away that same night but things got a little complicated when my dad fell sick and then his passing...I don't think he got a chance to see these pictures actually... :(

Well, moving onto happy thoughts!

First things first: this is the invitation that I custom designed for Nolan. He looks so adorable with his birthday hat! I gotta say, his picture makes the whole design!

Sweet Cupcake Boy - First Birthday Invitation

Note: The package itself does not include the invitation, neither the centerpieces that you're going to see in this particular party. They were added by customer request.

The Centerpieces: Tin buckets anyone?

Love the way she placed these picture frames by the centerpiece. What a neat idea!

Sweet Little Cupcake Boy Centerpieces

The cupcake toppers...Mmm, yummy cupcakes...

See the paper plates and the cups on the bottom right corner of this picture? This is the set that inspired this collection in my shop.

The high-chair banner. This banner is beautiful, I love how it fits perfect the width of almost any high-chair

The Happy Birthday Banners . Jamie got two: one for the main table and one for the mantle...

Happy First Birthday Banner

The favor tags...I want a sugar cookie now!

and last but no least, the Welcome Sign...

Again, this post would not have been possible without these beautiful pictures taken by Jamie. So Jamie, thank you so much! I am glad I fulfilled your expectations with this party package.

All these products are available in my Etsy store. Thank you all for looking and sharing the joy!

Have a wonderful weekend, XOXO

Caillou Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 18:11:00 +0000

On Saturday July 21st our little boy turned 2! That same day we offered his birthday bash at The Little Gym. It was F-U-N!

Now, before I start sharing details with you, I have to say: this was WAY too much preparation for 90 minutes! That's all you have. But knowing me, and always putting so much thought into every little detail, I had to do all these goodies for two grand reasons...One: My son LOVES Caillou! and the look on his face when he saw everything set up -and Caillou images all over the place- was worth all the effort I put into it.

Two: This is what I do, this is what I LOVE to do and I enjoyed every second of it.

I designed the invitation, inspired on all the Caillou party supplies sold online that I have bought two months before. Once I had all these goodies in my hands...

images via birthdayexpress.com

... I designed the invitation. Mostly inspired by the placemat and the image of Caillou with his hands up in the air from the cup...Cute!

Now, for the party goodies I made:

- 2 Happy Birthday Banners

- Food Tents
- Juice Bottle Labels

- Favor Tags

- Welcome Sign

- Centerpieces

- Cake Decoration (well 1/3 of it!)

Beforehand, I want to say that I am not the best photographer out there, neither I have the greatest camera - although I am dreaming of a Canon EOS 7D - and on top of that, the light wasn't good at the venue. The walls are yellow and they soaked up the natural light.... and I picked yellow tablecloths nonetheless! So, my apologies for the not-so-good pics. Here we go:

First, the Welcome Sign. This is the only picture with natural light of course, it was outside hanging on the front door...

This is a simple Happy Birthday banner. Initially I thought I would put it as a background for the main table, but behind that table there was a window - bummer!- so I opted for a wall on the side of the room. Here is where the yellow soaks up my natural light!.

Here is a zoom...

This is the main table (with the outside view background). I put a second banner over the skirt. In case you're wondering, I use double sided foam squares to hold everything up on the wall and on the table skirt, it works great!

These are the kids' tables...

Everytime I go to Target, my first stop is the Dollar Spot. I am always stocking up on tin buckets... I am obsessed with them! They are cute, cheap and they are multi-use. So, I used them for the centerpieces... just like in last year's party and weighed them down with crayons.

Last year I labeled water bottles...This year - thanks to my girlfriend whose little boy's birthday party I helped to decorate - I took the idea from her and labeled also Apple Juice bottles - duh!- last year I gave the kids juice in pouches that I couldn't label.

Here is a picture of the whole label in all colors.

Going back to the main table, these are the favors. I bought mini totes in all matching colors, except I could not find red so I used hot pink instead for the little girls. I was upset I couldn't find red...that's how quirky I am! But, girls love pink so at the end it was all good!

Here is a zoom of the favor tags...

Now, moving onto...the cake! I searched high and low for Caillou birthday cakes ideas and I found beautiful ones on Pinterest, many very professional made with rolled fondant...but I think that kids are not too 'fond' of it -no pun intended! - Instead, buttercream icing is a go! So, I went to my local bakery at the grocery store and I ordered a simple yellow cake with all primary colors icing, specifying that I wanted green on top (to simulate grass in a park) and no writings on top. The decorator called me that morning to double check with me about the "no writing, no words, no happy birthday on top" note I left on the order. And then she asked me again when I went to pick it up! I had a better plan:

I bought these Caillou figurines in a backpack and I placed them on the cake. My personal touch were the balloon candles and the little "Happy 2nd Birthday Logan" banner that Rosie and Leo are holding...It's my favorite thing of the whole party decor! :)

...and because it's my favorite part, here are more pictures :)

This sight made my son smile BIG time!

So, everyone knows I can't bake, but I was in the mood for some mini cupcakes with primary colors icing, so I went and asked my friend Betty Crocker to give me a hand and the night before, I iced 48 of these babies myself with these wonderful Wilton Ready-To-Use Icing. They are... imperfectly perfect! The only reason why I did not use cupcake toppers was because they don't fit inside this particular cupcake stand that I love because it lends itself for some cute decorations.

Here is zoom of the Caillou image on top...

This is one of the bucket tins holding colorful Rainbow Spiral Lollipops. I had two tins, one on each side of the main table...

I found personalized latex balloons and paired them with the foil balloons. Swoon!

My girlfriend made these brazilian sweets called Beijinhos (Little Kisses) and they are made of coconut and condensed milk...I ate them all! :) Here you can see a sample of the food tents.

Another food tent -with better light - this picture is terrible...yikes! I was in a hurry.

and finally, a bonus pic of me and my little man...

After 60 minutes of " serious fun " inside the Gym itself, the kids came inside the party room, ate pizza, draw on the reverse of the activity placemats, we sang happy birthday and ate cake. We had a full house! All the kids that were invited attended and that makes all the hours of hard work worth the effort. Everyone, kids and adults had a great time!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Magic of Scrapbooking

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 23:23:00 +0000

There's something magic about it...it's always refreshing!

Baby's First Bee-Day ! - Bumblebee Party

noreply@blogger.com (Flavia ) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 00:49:00 +0000

It seems like I have sold one too many Bee-Day highchair banners lately and better than that, I was asked to design other matching goodies like invitations, welcome signs and cupcake toppers.

I think that, if I would have had a baby girl, a "bee-day" would have been in the themes list...It is so lovely, so femenine and especially so out of the box! It's a nice change from the popular pink and purple themes.

Here is the welcome sign...

This is the popular high chair banner that I sell almost daily...

and I also made these cupcake toppers to match the theme..

If you have seen pictures of my cupcake toppers before, you probably noticed that I always portray them laying down... and not standing up inside a delicious cupcake, like they're supposed to... and the reason is because I-can't-bake...Well, I can when Betty Crocker gives me a hand! :)

But, that doesn't keep me from loving cupcakes and in fact, I have a pinboard named Cupcakes Obsession...There, I found hundreds of bee-themed cupcakes... like these:

picture via Pinterest

All of them beautiful but...all the bee decoration on top beats the purpose of my cupcake toppers... Then I went to check out Texanerin and look what I found....

picture via Texanerin Baking

Now, if I only could photoshop { just :) kidding } my bee-cupcake toppers on this goodness 100% Whole Wheat Chocolate Carrot Cake Cupcake... Eye candy, yum and healthy! Texanerin Baking is a wonderful blog where you can find recipes of classic baked goods with a healthy twist...most of her recipes contain 100% whole wheat and are low in sugar. Now, isn't that the perfect cupcake for a bee-healthy-bee-day party?... It seems to me that today more mommies watch closely what their kids eat and this recipe fits the bill.

By the way, all my bee-day party decor can be found here.

Thanks for looking and happy weekend everyone!

{*no compensation was received for this post*}

{*I do not claim ownership or copyright of the cupcakes' pictures portrayed above * }