Wee Festivity

Party Favors: Origami Fortune Tellers

2009-09-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Boy did my brain go "pop!" when I saw this listing on Etsy! It reminds me of another childhood fave of mine, Pop Rocks.

What a super fun party favor! You can totally tailor the text to the age and interest of your guests too. You can endlessly customize this with paper and colors to match any theme as well.

Here is a video tutorial if you don't know, or remember, how to make one.

This party favor earns an A+ for creativity and affordability.

Inspiring Ideas:

2009-08-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

Papermoth's shop is full of images that can inspire a party or an entire room for that matter. For example, I could see easily see this print framed in a child's room inspiring a calming palette of colors from paint to bedding to furniture.

Perennial Moment

Since we're here for party ideas though, I would use this image as a jumping off point for a wishing theme. I am envisioning a tea party. For the invites, I would go with this dandelion stamp from Paper Source.

Imagine clear glass jars with dandelions inside and pale blue and yellow squares of paper around for guests to write down a wish for the birthday girl (of any age!). I would use all white plates and linens and have a tea party with pale blue candles and small bouquets of yellow flowers.

Like dahlias...

photo credit: Buttersweet

Party Favors: Mini Purses

2009-08-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Not everyone is a fan of the party favor, but I am if it's a useful item and not designed to be disposable. The minute I saw this dainty little purse, I thought it would make a wonderful party favor for a young school-aged girl.

Princess Party Favor by sweeteventide on Polyvore.com

The Container Store is using the purse as a wedding favor obviously, but I would just fill it with a small lip balm, plus a couple of stickers and maybe even a rubber stamp. How cute! What little girl wouldn't love to receive this as a parting gift?

Take the princess party idea beyond the world of Disney!

Vitra Miniatures

2009-08-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's post, I had to find out more about the miniature Eames rocker.

In the current economic climate, this post might make me seem, well, off my rocker (couldn't resist), but I ask you, "How young is too young to be exposed to good design?"

It is brought to you via the Vitra Design Museum and their miniatures are "exemplary teaching objects with regard to quality and craftsmanship" and as such, they have become coveted collector's items.

They boast collector price tags for sure, but it is so beautiful I just might find myself saving my pennies for one of these $180 wonders. Until then, I will happily lose myself in the collection.

image via Accurato

Favouritz Dollhouse

2009-08-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

It has been months upon months but I have not forgotten about sweet Wee Festivity at all. In fact, I have big plans for this little spot. Many times I have wanted to do a post, but talked myself out of it since so much time had gone by. But guess what? I'm just gonna do it! I love the topic, it's fun and cheerful and I miss talking about it.

Without further ado, how stinkin' adorable is this dollhouse from favouritz? With a mini Eames rocker too!

Plywood + Wallpaper.

They're out of stock but this idea is ripe for handmade creativity and customization. And this is not girl-centric -- I can see choosing some bold geometric patterns and a little boy driving his cars through the doorways.

Ha, the image makes me giggle.

Yes, I'm the mom of a boy.

via giant peach industries

Inspiring Ideas: Charley Harper Matching Game

2008-11-26T06:05:00.000-08:00

Today I saw this Charley Harper Matching Game at the SF Moma Store. There are many other wonderful Charley Harper items for children including ABC and 123 board books that would make wonderful gifts or favors. It got me thinking that it would be mighty fun and certainly hip to have a Charley Harper-themed party for kids.

The tricky part would be the invitations because the Charley Harper Art Studio doesn't appear to make licensed invitations. They do offer blank notecards in sets of four or individually for only $2 each and I think it would be easy to deconstruct them into an invite.

I particularly like his Lucky Ladybug for this purpose. I would use a paper trimmer and make the card into a postcard and either rubber stamp invitation information on the back or adhere it to a larger piece of cardstock and print the invitation information around the image somehow.

In any case, although I am new to Charley Harper and his gorgeous art in this past year (thanks to Ward), I am fast becoming a huge fan. His style and whimsy are a perfect fit for a Wee Festivity party.

Party Favors: Custom Candy Bar Wrappers

2008-11-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

Pardon the screeching halt over here, I bailed on NaBloPoMo to participate in a holiday boutique last weekend and lost all momentum. Yikes.

But Jessica over at How About Orange inspired me to hit the keyboard again so I can share her awesome find with you guys.

Cute, custom candy bar wrappers that you can print at home?
It's a wee-tail all the way!

Party Food: Rachael Ray's Mega Milkshake

2008-11-13T11:55:00.000-08:00

Ran across this Rachael Ray recipe today and I will definitely be trying it out at one of our family's next festivities. The Noodle would have to make a hard choice between a chocolate or strawberry Mega Milkshake. And Mister Blue Eyes and I would share a chocolate & peanut butter one, no thought required there.

A Wee PSA

2008-11-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

Oooh Wee Festivity is kind of giddy over our new little featurette over there to your right...Goody Goody Gumdrops. Whenever I have a free minute to eat eye candy, I head straight to Etsy. Now I can share some of my finds here with you!

Yum, Yum.

Gift Idea: Birthday Royalty

2008-11-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

{the photos are direct links to the Etsy listings for these items}

Wee Festivity recommends investing in a crown or two for the entire family to wear on their birthday. Although I am featuring children's crowns, knowing most Etsy sellers, it would probably be possible to custom order one with enough elastic to fit an adult also. After all, you're never too old to feel like royalty on your birthday.

In fact, I'm guessing adults need to be reminded even more than children how special THEIR birthday is too!

Inspiring Ideas: Kid Dingbats

2008-11-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

Granted, I am way biased in my love affair for all things typographic. However, I bet these cuties will inspire everyone, not just font-happy folks like me.

For more kid-flavored dingbats from dafont, click click here.

Flickr Fun: Le Cupcake

2008-11-09T17:35:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you but I needed a little eye candy today. Flickr to the rescue! Check out Kylie Lambert's (Le Cupcake) Explore set with me.

Party Planning: A Crafty Idea

2008-11-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Wondertime Magazine featured the most darling item that I had to post about: the Leaf Press by Selecta. Although their linked store doesn't appear to carry the item anymore, Wee Festivity found it at Blueberry Forest Toys.

At a fall party, take the kids on a nature walk (even just up and down the street) to collect fall leaves. Once back at the party, each child can take a turn pressing their leaves and then gluing them to a blank card that you provide. Or glue them all on a posterboard and have each guest sign their name and it can be a birthday poster for the guest of honor.

I'm sure you can come up with a million other creative ways to use this product, please leave a comment and share!

Gift Idea: Betty Bunny Amigurumi

2008-11-07T09:51:00.001-08:00

Wee Festivity has not really gotten into talking much about gift ideas yet but Betty Bunny Amigurumi here reminded us that while our kids will naturally gravitate to the mass market stuff out there, they can be influenced in other ways. What little girl or boy wouldn't love to carry Betty Bunny everywhere they go? We think this is a perfect gift for any age and not a budget buster at $14. Etsy seller trinlayk tells us that Betty Bunny likes to bake cookies and cakes and have tea parties.

Wee-Tails: Ice Cream Cone Candles

2008-11-06T20:25:00.001-08:00

What kid would not go beserk over these ice cream cone candles on their birthday? I think I am even going beserk and my birthday is 10 months away. These candles are simply adorable and a wee-tail if we've ever seen one.

Party Planning: Decorate with Wilton

2008-11-05T15:14:00.001-08:00

While surfing the web for birthday candles today, I landed up in the decorating section of the Wilton website.

Wilton "has been the industry leader in cake decorating, quality bakeware and food crafting" for 80 years now. You can browse the site for inspiration.

Giant cupcake, anyone?

Back to candle shopping!

A Wee PSA

2008-11-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

We are excited to tell you that we are going to begin ramping up our Flickr group!

We plan to collect a visual feast of party goodness to inspire you whenever you want or need it.

Spotlight on Snap Parties

2008-11-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Wee Festivity is excited to shine our spotlight on Ivanna of Snap Parties.

Ivanna found my blog recently and began leaving lovely comments on many posts and an email exchange was quickly born. It turns out that Snap Parties and Wee Festivity have a very synergistic philosophy about how to throw a party.

I wanted to learn more about Ivanna and luckily she agreed to answer my interview questions.

Guess which one is Ivanna? :)

I am so happy you found my blog because we seem to have a lot in common. How did you find my blog?

I wanted to find some other party planning mamas to share ideas with and get inspiration from. So I did a Google blog search and found you!

On your About Us page, you mention you have four little boys. How do you balance all that male energy?

LOL! Very carefully! My boys can get rough wrestling each other and running around the house, but they also have a very compassionate sensitive side where I can spend time cuddling them. Also, giving them some crayons, scissors, and paper makes them real happy and quiet. We do hope to have another child and hopefully put a daughter into our family.

You mentioned in a comment on my blog that you are Sicilian too. Do you speak Italian and are your boys learning any?

I did speak Italian but I'm losing a lot of it as I use less and less of it, unfortunately. I could understand it fairly well still. My boys know a few words here and there, especially words that we just all use as a family instead of the English version. A popular phrase in our home is "non en boca" (not in your mouth).

You plan a lot of parties for your children. What does a perfect celebration for your birthday look like?

We love celebrating people especially the friends and family that help make us who we are. Our perfect birthdays include lots of people, great food, happy children, and of course a birthday boy who is absolutely excited that everyone is there for him. We especially love to make everyone who comes to our home feel our love for them. Perfect parties are when everyone has a great time and feels special to be a part of the day.

What is your go-to dinner on a weeknight?

Taco salad. We probably make it once a week. I must say, though, that I hardly do any cooking. I'm not that bad of a cook but my husband just loves cooking and is really good at it. That being said, our taco salads always have fresh home made salsas (one spicy for the adults and one not for the kids). Very yummy!

What website do you wish you created?

Diaper Swappers. It's a social message board for cloth diaper users and really any mom. I love everything cloth diapers. Plus the website now has over 50,000 members so the owner is making really good money selling ads on that site. Darn, why didn't I think of that.

What is your favorite kind of cake?

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

What is your favorite song right now?

I seriously do not have a favorite song right now. I usually only put the radio on in the car and often am too distracted to even listen.

What toy in your house drives you crazy?

Anything with lots of pieces. Pieces everywhere to pick up. Ugh! The noise making toys are kind of annoying but they are always short lived as we never put new batteries in them.

Before you were a mom and the owner of Snap Parties, what did you do?

I was a teacher. I taught 5th and 6th grades in the inner city public schools. Very rewarding and difficult at the same time. One of my former students actually just found me on facebook last week. It was fun finding out how he was doing.

Wee Festivity highly recommends clicking over to the Party Planner section of Snap Parties where Ivanna answers party planning questions in blog format and even gave us a little link love there!

Thank you Ivanna for taking the time to share a little more about yourself with my readers today.

Inspiring Ideas: Wooden Spinning Tops

2008-11-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

We think these hand-colored, wooden spinning tops from Etsy seller Sleeping Forest would make an excellent party activity for toddlers or party favors for any age. You get a set of three tops for $18 and as the seller notes, "Put these in a bowl on the table, and we guarantee hours of fun."

Beautiful!

NaBloPoMo

2008-11-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of National Blog Posting Month and Wee Festivity has accepted the challenge. To be perfectly honest, I don't know exactly what I'll be posting about each day here but I do know this: it will be fun, it will be cute and it will inspire your holiday party season!

A-Z Guide: Western Party Games

2008-10-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

We'll wrap up our first A-Z Guide with a few fun party games that fit in perfectly at a Western party.

1. Classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Land of Nod has this vintage game. Their version has reusable sticker tails so the birthday child can play after the party guests have all gone home.

2. Lasso Practice

Family Fun's guide to a Western party has this fun game idea in which you take a hula hoop, a wooden rocking horse and a kid and have some good old fashioned lasso practice. Wee Festivity might even decorate the hula hoop with red handkerchiefs cut into strips and hot glued around and around to make it more festive. Last time we checked, hula hoops came in bright, fluorescent colors that don't really match and it's all about the wee-tails you know.

If you have the energy for a third game, we suggest this additional idea from the same Family Fun guide: Sidewinder Jump in which...

"...guests have to avoid the "bite" of a deadly rattler. Make your snake out of an 8-foot length of rope. At one end, glue a piece of thick cardboard cut and painted to resemble a rattlesnake's diamond-patterned head. On the other end, create a rattle by filling a few film canisters with a teaspoon of dried beans or rice. Punch a hole in the top of each canister and poke a pipe cleaner through, balling up the end beneath the cap to keep it from slipping out. Glue or tape the canister shut. To play, have adults or kids hold each end of the rattlesnake rope and whisk it back and forth along the ground. Children try to jump over the wriggling snake without touching it. For older kids, try raising the rope a few inches off the ground."

We've enjoyed planning a Western party with you this week.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

A-Z Guide: Western Party Favors

2008-10-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

At the Noodle's party, a western hats & badge was given to each guest as they arrived and the items doubled as their party favors. One of many advantages of a small guest list is the affordability of higher quality favors, like a hat for each guest.

Hats from Birthday in a Box's Cowboy theme.

A bag of badges was found at Diddams.

A-Z Guide: Western Party Food

2008-10-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

For the food at a western party, the possibilities are endless. What comes to mind most obviously if you need to serve a meal would be chili, or hot dogs & beans.

We timed our party such that we only needed snacks for folks. As such, we went with the Noodle's favorites which was strawberries and more strawberries. He is a bit fond of the strawberry. Okay we also threw out a bowl of chips or two.

A sign above the snack-laden table in our kitchen.
Found at Diddams

Baking is not how I like to spend my creative energy. So I opted for a local bakery's chocolate sheetcake that they wrote on for me. However, I giddily embellished the generic cake with more strawberries and a toy cowboy. You can find the details on this idea in a prior Wee Festivity post.

The most fun part was serving the cake and ice cream. I picked up some Handi-Foil pie plates at the grocery store and used those instead of standard party plates. They were one of the biggest hits at the party and the kids were adorable eating from them.

A-Z Guide: Western Party Decorations

2008-10-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Decorating for the Noodle's western party was so much fun!

A giant paper star from Diddams marked the house for guests.

A steer (also from Diddams) greeted folks at the front door.

Cow & horse balloons carried the theme outdoors.
(from Birthday in a Box's Cowboy theme)

Appropriate table linens were rented,
along with the child-sized round table and chairs.

Dad and the grandparents built a Western Town from refrigerator boxes acquired by mom at a random appliance store. My only regret was I didn't discover Mr. McGroovy until the night before our party. Drat!

The crowning authentic touch was a RENTED bale of hay from a local feed supply store. Because who wants to buy hay just for a party? Learn from us though: don't forget to bring gloves and two people to pick up and return the hay.

Tomorrow we will share food ideas for a western party.

A-Z Guide: Western Party Invitations

2008-10-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Wee Festivity is proud to introduce our A-Z Guides, in which we'll outline an entire party from invites to decorations, food, favors and games.

Our first Guide is for hosting a Western-themed party.

Here are two invites to get started, these are actual invites created by Rosina Red Designs (RRD is the main creative outlet for the founder of this blog). One invite was for her Noodle's fifth birthday and the other was designed for her friend's daughter.*

The Noodle's invitation

Bella's invitation

As you can see, RRD used two completely different color schemes, but both clearly set the mood for an authentic Western party. No detail was overlooked, including coordinating the envelopes with coordinating liners (Bella) or artwork (the Noodle).

Tomorrow we will share photos of decorating ideas.

*Note: Since these invites were for real children, we have blurred out identifying information on the invitation.