Southern Belle's Charm

{Twinery} Valentine's Day Styling with Twine

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

{Happy Valentine's Day!}

Please stop by The Twinery Blog for my inaugural post for The Twinery Design Team.

So excited to be there on a day all about romance.

In honor of the holiday all about expressing love for each other by presenting flowers, offering sweets and sending valentines, I included great ways to use twine to embellish your special day.

{Inspiration} Just My Type Valentine's Play Date

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Just thrilled to share our newest inspiration photo shoot with you in time for Valentine's Day!

The {Just My Type} Valentine's Collection is perfect for all ages.

The grey and red color palette featuring the vintage typewriter is so fun.

I wanted to do a spin on the Coffee Shop & IPad craze --

the kids loved their play date.

Greyson was so excited to call Anabelle up for their play date.

She anxiously awaited his call to play.

Of course she wants to hang out for the afternoon!

When setting up for play dates, kids love when you set the stage for fun.

I found this fantastic typewriter that they could play around with.

They loved typing notes and couldn't stop laughing about how it was in a suitcase.

The gorgeous valentine's are part of the printable collection from Frog Prince Paperie.

Add a little vintage heart shaped ribbon or twine and the look is so cute!

The kids loved all the sweets.

Lynlee's Petite Cakes provided the awesome goodies.

I grabbed a white iced cake and stuck the x and o cookies on top.

Simple and such a statement.

I also wanted the new black and white rice krispie treats from my local market.

Add a skewer and ribbon and they just tasted sweeter.

I fell in love with this vintage slide protector trays and just had to use them as props.

We played tic-tac-toe with fondant sweets and checkers with cookies!

A very special thank you to April of April Summers Photography -

we are thrilled to have you join the team -

your love of sweets and Vegas makes you a perfect fit!

Vendors:

Concept, Design & Styling: Southern Belle’s Charm

Photography: April Summers Photography

Printables: Frog Prince Paperie

Fondant Toppers, Cookies, Oreo Pops, Typewriters, Whoopie Pies – Lynlee’s Petite Cakes

Twine - The Twinery

Insulated Disposable Cups – Repurpose

{Entertaining} Super Bowl Touchdown Tailgate

2012-01-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

As a lover of all things football,

I just had to include a few of my absolute favorite recipes for the Super Bowl.

{even though the Cowboys were far from victory - we still love a great time to eat!}

Seven Layer Dip in a Shot Glass

Cheesy Football

Football Bites

Super Quick Chili Bites

Is planning a party ruining the fun of the Big Game? QVC is here to tackle entertaining problems head on! Whether cooking for a crowd or just a few, the multimedia retailer offers the perfect products to turn ordinary parties into championship-worthy celebrations. Created for culinary connoisseurs and rookies alike, preparing hearty, crowd-pleasing food has never been so easy.

Rachael Ray Stoneware Chip and Dip

QVC Item # K297171

Serving snacks has never been so stylish. Whether dishing out chips and dip or

mozzarella sticks and marinara, impress football foodies with this stoneware serving set

that is perfect for both hot and cold appetizers

Cooks Essentials Chip and Dip Warmer with Removable Heating Base

QVC Item # K33997

Keeping hot dips warm during cold winter months is easy thanks to this

Cooks Essential Chip and Dip Warmer. Perfect for cheese or artichoke dip,

the ceramic dish and removable heating base ensures food will stay warm and tasty for the whole game.

Super Amazing Microwave Popcorn 12 Three Ounce Football Bags

QVC Item #M107828

These football-themed bags of all natural popcorn are sure to

score with kids and adults alike. Simply place each bag in the microwave

and watch as it transforms into a snack that will bring a smile to any football fan’s face.

Natalie Clause, 2012 Design Team for The Twinery

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Southern Belle's Charm is excited to announce that we are part of the

2012 Design Team for The Twinery.

Stay tuned for great ideas, tutorials and party collections using twine.

Have you checked out their new colors?

Adorable!

Here are a few of the wonderful designers I have the pleasure of working with this year.

Make sure to follow their blogs for inspiration as well.

Angelica Suarez - Senior Designer

Monika Wright - Senior Designer

Julie Ranae - Design Team Coordinator

Teri Anderson

Dorangela Bobet

Helen Bird

Lauren Brewer

Amy Crockett

Tifany DeGough

Carolyn King

Kathy Skou

Kellie Winnell

{Inspiration} Oh-So-Very Merry & Mod Christmas Photo Shoot 2011

2012-01-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2012 has some great parties on the horizon and I am thrilled about all the

exciting things that are going to happen this year!

But before too much time passes, I wanted to share with you the

{Oh-So-Very Merry & Mod Christmas Photo Shoot} we did in October

that was featured on Hostess with the Mostess.

Adorable red polka dot favor boxes were displayed on the table and the children could fill up their box with cookies and oreo pops from the dessert table as part of the exchange. For the smaller items, Party Starters sent us the mini candy favor boxes and I added a circle from the collection.

Theme :
‘Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.‘

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

When I envisioned the Mod Christmas Photo Shoot, I really wanted to portray the Christmas quote by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Children have a way of making our holidays bright and cheery. The Mod Christmas Collection utilizes the trendy Quatrefoil and Polka Dot patterns with simple red, black and white. It is perfect for holiday parties, classroom events and packaging up all of your gifts.

For the printable graphic collection, Frog Prince Paperie used modern tree and ornament silhouettes in the color palette. The bold patterns create an invitation to the eyes. The full collection includes an invitation, menu card, Wish List, Dear Santa letter, circles, banners – Believe, Wish, Cheer, favor tags, bag toppers, gift tags, straw flags, tented labels, thank you notes, cutouts of trees and ornaments, and 8×10 sign.

The Sweets Table was full of goodies from cookies, cupcakes, cake and oreo pops. It was a sugar coma waiting to happen and the kids enjoyed sampling everything! For the cookies I wanted them to be displayed in creative way, so Cookies Are My Canvas left tiny holes in the top so I could string them up. It was so fun watching the kids try and eat these while playing with the photo props.

The kids dressed up in their Christmas best to have hot chocolate, write their letters to Santa, create their Christmas Wish Lists, and play in the snow – Vegas style of course.
For our dessert table, I wanted to showcase the amazing talents of sweet vendors. Their creations are divine! Simple white cake stands on a quatrefoil table cloth trimmed in red created a bold backdrop for the goodies. The cake adored with the mini pom bunting by Titi’s Tutus was presented on a quatrefoil and red polka dot frame on top of a wire basket.

The gorgeous black curled wood wreath was the perfect centerpiece between the whimsical red boa stockings. I just adore the trendy paper book stands and wanted to transfer them into a

chandelier with poms attached to the bottoms.

I wanted some simple paper fans and garlands to get my son involved in the party planning.

I transformed old Christmas decorations with glossy white spray paint.

For the hot chocolate part of the party, the children were able to walk up to the red and white dresser and get their mix-ins for their drinks. They loved munching away on the goodies while creating different drinks. Simple white dishes and milk glass helped the sweets pop off the display.

KIDS TABLE

To add some whimsical style to the kids table, I covered the table with ribbon and pom garlands. What’s better than a little hot chocolate to get the kids sugared up for a party? The printables were used for favor tags and lots of great gift packaging ideas. Lynlee’s Petite Cakes created the most adorable Santa Belly Marshmallows to fit inside of the reindeer's ears. So fun! Just drop one right into your cup of cocoa and you have an instant milky, marshmallow treat. The children wrote their Dear Santa letters and Wish Lists using a template from Frog Prince Paperie’s printable collection.

SNOW

I live in the fantastic Las Vegas! So many times, my son wishes he would wake up to a winter wonderland. So this year, I promised him snow. The adorable Anabelle, daughter of Lynlee’s Petite Cakes, was thrilled to join in the fun. So after all the photos and play – we let them have a snow fight in the house.

It was the most fun of the entire day. I filled little containers with snow and they laughed until

they were rolling on the ground. It made quite the mess but was an easy cleanup.

The kids still talk about having a snow ball fight in the house.

SAYING THANKS

With all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is important to remember to send Thank You’s. As a southern girl, I remember sitting down at the kitchen table with my mam,writing out thank yous and drinking sweet tea. It has been very important to me to teach my son the same value and I wanted to inspire you as well. The collection includes an adorable thank you – please remember to spread thankfulness throughout the season. I also wanted the collection to include gift tags for your holiday gift giving. A simple loaf of bread, small bouquet of flowers or homemade sweet can mean the world to your mailman or child’s teacher. Remember to thank all those that help make your life special.

VENDOR CREDITS:

– Complete Event Styling & Paper Products: Southern Belle’s Charm

– Printables: Frog Prince Paperie

– Photography: Sarah Bouchard of The Silhouette Studio

–Custom Bling Tree Shirt & Tutu: Tini Posh

– Candy Favor Boxes: Party Starters

– Custom Mod Tie: Little Vys

– Handmade Table Runner: Frog Prince Paperie

– Candy Cane Footless Ruffled Tights: Isadora/Rachuel80

– Large Pom Headwrap, Pimps Poms, Pom Cupcake Toppers, Pom Banner, Pom Bunting: Titi's TuTus

–Quatrefoil Cake & Cupcakes: Retro Bakery

– Fondant Pieces on Cake, Cupcake Toppers, Polka Dot Oreo Pops, Chocolate Trees on a Stick, Marshmallow Santa Bellies & White Chocolate Pirouettes: Lynlee's Petite Cakes

– Ornament Cookies: Cookies Are My Canvas

Twinery 2012 Design Team

2011-12-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

Angelica Suarez - Senior Designer

Monika Wright - Senior Designer

Julie Ranae - Design Team Coordinator

Sarah Andreotti

Angi Barrs

Ashley Bores

Jen Carter

Jamie Cripps

Katarina Damm-Blomberg

{Recipes} Slush Punch

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

I also love this punch for it's color and texture.

Feel free to substitute any flavor of jello to match your party setup.

Note: This punch cannot be served in a dispenser.

{Slush Punch}

1 Small Package Strawberry Jello

4 Cups Boiling Water

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Large Can Pineapple Juice

2 (12 oz) Cans Frozen Lemonade Concentrate

1 (2 Liter) Sprite/7Up/Ginger Ale

Combine all ingredients in order and stir together. Put in a gallon container and freeze.

Remove from freezer 1-2 hours before serving.

Add 1 large (2 liter) bottle of Sprite, 7Up or Ginger Ale. Mix. Punch should be slushy.

{Recipes} Holiday Punch

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

Another very favorite holiday drink that we serve at all our holiday parties is Holiday Punch.

It is so yummy, my husband asks for it every time we entertain.

Must warn you now -- I usually triple this recipe and run out -- it's that good!

{Holiday Punch}

1 (24 oz) White Grape Juice

1 (32 oz) Apple Juice

1 (28 oz) Ginger Ale

1 (6 oz) Can of Frozen Lemonade

Chill grape juice, apple juice and ginger ale. Make lemonade as directed on can.

Stir in grape and apple juice. Before serving add ginger ale.

The drink can be served in a drink dispenser or in a punch bowl with frozen grapes or cranberries for color. Enjoy!

{Recipes} Wassail Punch

2011-12-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite traditions every year is going to my parents' home and being greeted

with the smells of hot Wassail. Since I can remember, my parents have had a huge

Christmas Party and my Daddy makes his famous Wassail.

Wikipedia: The word Wassail refers to several related traditions; first and foremost wassailing is an ancient southern English tradition that is performed with the intention of ensuring a good crop of cider apples for the next year's harvest. It also refers to both the salute 'Waes Hail', the term itself is a contraction of the Middle English phrase wæs hæl, meaning literally 'good health' or 'be you healthy' and to the drink of wassail which is a hot mulled cider traditionally drunk as an integral part of the wassail ceremony.

{Wassail Punch}

1 Gallon Apple Cider

2 Cups Pineapple Juice

2 Cups Unsweetened Orange Juice

2 Lemons - Juice Only

2 Sticks of Cinnamon

8 Whole Cloves

1 1/4 Cups Sugar

1 Package of Red Hots

Mix all ingredients together in a large saucepan. Simmer 20 minutes. Serve hot.

My mom would always have the most gorgeous mugs and a cinnamon stick ready so when their guests arrived she could hand them a drink to warm them up from the winter weather.

She even serves hot cocoa to the kids so they feel just as special. Enjoy!

{Decorating & Crafting} Holiday Favorites

2011-12-02T08:15:00.001-08:00

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Brisk air, fallen leaves, cozy fires, and time with family– this holiday season is the perfect time

to remember and celebrate the blessings of the year.

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite holiday decorating ideas

and crafts that will hopefully inspire a handmade Christmas.

Advent Calendars

Stockings

Garlands

Wreaths

Next week I will be talking about my easy tutorials for a vintage & homemade Christmas.

Photo & Tutorial Credits:

Snow Scene - Flickr

Suitcase Paper Bags Advent Calendar - Anetteshus

Little Cloth Bags - Cakies

Burlap and Ruffle Stocking - Dear Lillie

No Sew Burlap Stockings - Susie Harris

Felt Stockings in Grey & Gold - RikRak

Ribbon Garland - Martha Stewart

Rope & Branch Garland - The Charm of Home

Vintage Book Merry Christmas Garland - High Street Boutique

Wooden Bead Wreath - Sweet Paul Magazine

Sheet Music Wreath - Double Take Event Styling

Faux Curled Rosewood Wreath - Under the Table Dreaming

{Real Parties} Papa G's Pizzeria: Moustaches & Mozzarella

2011-12-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

PARTY DETAILS:

Every year I get so excited to style for my son, Greyson, and this year for this 6^th birthday it was quite the fete. He had several requests this year and I really wanted to incorporate all of them. Moustaches. Restaurants with Cooking. Dress Up. I thought long and hard about creative ways to include all of these requests. Then one day while visiting Kindergarten on Pizza Day - it all came to me. {Papa G's Pizzeria: Moustaches & Mozzarella}. I would create a restaurant just for him.

After that was decided, I contacted my fabulous friend Paula of Frog Prince Paperie to turn my son into an Italian Chef cartoon. She did an amazing job! For the printable collection, I wanted to use red and white checkered patterns with the traditional Italian colors. When searching for new, creative twists on parties - patterns are a wonderful way to achieve that goal.

THE INVITATION
From start to finish, I wanted Greyson and his friends to have the full experience of a restaurant geared towards them. White mini pizza boxes from Instawares were embellished with a cover, address label, invitation on the inside panel and a custom Pizza Delivery Magnet created by Buttonhead. I loved the added touch of the magnet so that the children could put it on the refrigerator to look forward to the upcoming party. I added checkered parchment paper to the bottom and Lynlee's Petite Cakes created giant pizza cookies. The detail work on the cookie was absolutely amazing! Greyson hand delivered all of the invitations dressed in his pizza delivery outfit. The experience ended up being so great as it was a wonderful opportunity to see all of his friends.

Note: As a promise to Greyson years ago, I do not resell his invitation. I wanted to have an option for clients that are interested in this collection so not only did we create an invitation for Greyson, but there is also a DIY invitation in the collection.

DESSERT TABLE

I chose Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria as the venue for the party partly because of its wonderful pizza but mostly I just fell in love with all of the vintage details. The brick and wood walls, black and white framed New York photos and the black tables and chairs were a dream. I knew that the backdrop for the dessert table would be created from the elements in the room. I used red felt fabric and added the red and white and black and white checkered tablecloths.

Display Props & Sweets
The chef alligator, known to us as Simon, was the perfect centerpiece. The chalkboard that stands next to him was filled with the Daily Specials and it was an added way to incorporate the chalkboard element into the main display. My new favorite must-have is chalkboard ink. I have the worst issue with chalk so when I was introduced to the ink - it was love at first sight. Plus it washes away with soap and water. I added in my favorite Gourmet art from my kitchen and made a Papa G frame using the printables from the collection.

For Greyson's party, I wanted to try a new look to the traditional birthday banner. I used the pizza cutouts from the collection and added a 3D look using foam as mozzarella cheese and olives. Brown mini poms were a great substitute for sausage.

Whenever I style tables, my first shopping trip is to the thrift stores for goodies. I was lucky to find a Lazy-Susan for $3 and the large Pizza Peel for $2. We spray painted the Lazy-Susan Italian green and set it on top of the galvanized steel bucket added with a moustache placard glittered by The Purple Pug. The Lazy-Susan displayed the brownie bites with the stunning fondant toppers by Lynlee's Petite Cakes. Words cannot describe the amazing detail on each topper. There were eight different designs: red and white checkered #6 with moustache, pizza topper that matched the cookies from the invitation, chef hat and rolling pin, pizza ingredients, pizza cutter, red with black moustache, embossed Papa G and the most impressive of all - Papa G himself.

To display the cupcakes on the table, I covered a red box with red and white checkered paper and added a moustache to the front with a pizza pan on top. The chocolate chip cupcakes were from Retro Bakery and were embellished with cupcake toppers from the collection. I used Hey YoYo black and white checkered cupcake wrappers to finish the look.

The chocolate moustaches on the sticks from Lynlee's Petite Cakes were a huge hit with the kids. There were three different types of moustaches and each was tied with red and white checkered ribbon. I saved stewed tomato cans to use as displays for the party. Each can was washed and dried {note: I have a can opener that cuts a clean line leaving no sharp edge} and embellished with matching paper and 4" party circles and moustaches from the collection. The edges were adorned with the ruffled crepe paper provided by Superchick Studios. I added foam to the inside and a bit of shred for added color and the moustaches fit wonderfully in the top. I made Papa G centerpieces and tied them with matching fabric to add height to the cans.

The chef hat cake pops were displayed in a similar way but instead of cans, I used mini paint cans. The pops were designed by Lynlee's Petite Cakes to mimic the chef hat in the logo. As a lover of cake pops, these were so yummy.

Grimaldi's was kind enough to lend me the pizza stands and pans to display the amazing cookies by Cookies Are My Canvas. The detail on the red and white checkered chef hats and moustaches were amazing plus they tasted just as good.

The chocolate chip cookie cake (yes there were actual chocolate chip cookies inside) was made by Retro Bakery and displayed on the large pizza peel. I designed the cake to mimic the look of the party - red and white checkered pattern, moustaches and Italian green. It was a perfect fit!

All of the extra sweets were sent home in pizza boxes that matched the invitation.

FAVOR TABLE
I used a metal wine rack as the favor table covered in the red and white checkered tablecloths. The sweet treat pizza boxes were stacked on top for the guests to grab and fill before the left.

The kids favors were mini old-fashioned coke bottles with custom red Pizza straws created by Krazy Straws and tied with favor tags. The kids were thrilled they were sent home with a coke!

The adult favors were geared toward families and their time together. I cannot take credit for this idea as it came from Greyson. He wanted each family to receive the ingredients to make a pizza at home. That way they would get to have family time together which is very important to our family. I completely fell in love with the idea and went to work. I knew the custom canvas bags from Paper Nook would be perfect. They designed a custom bag to fit Papa G's party and it was perfect. Each bag contained a dough mix, pasta sauce, pizza cutter and Parmesan cheese shaker. The families just needed to add their toppings and they had a perfect family night together. The bags were tied and a recipe card from the collection was added.

As a southern girl and lover of thank yous, it was very important to me that the thank yous reflect the feel of the party. I knew instantly that they had to be receipts and Frog Prince Paperie created the most adorable thank you receipt cards.

CHILDREN'S TABLE

I wanted the children to all sit together so I made a long dinner table and covered it in the red and white checkered tablecloth. Each place setting had the coke can glass with chalkboard moustaches from Braden's Grace with their name in chalk ink as the place card. The glasses were filled with red and white striped paper straws from Hey YoYo. We used the activity page as their place mats there were cans decorated similar to the display table filled with markers. The Purple Pugsent glassine bags with moustaches on them so I filled them with a red and white checkered napkin and a fork. The centerpieces were glass stinky cheese containers filled with shred that matched the look of the Italian flag and a moustache vinyl on the front. Kandy Kones by Superchick Studios were stuck in the top and filled with pizza veggie chips. It was a great snack as the children colored.

DIY Pizza Chairs

The chairs were gorgeous but I really wanted them to have an added touch. I made large foam pizzas to mimic the banner on the display table. They were tied to the chairs with black tulle. When the party was over the children used them as props in the photos.

ADULT TABLES

I had bistro tables that sat four adults surrounding the children's table. The red and white checkered tablecloths were used again along with Papa G centerpieces and mini glass coke bottles filled with the paper straws. The adult tables had the Papa G Pizzeria place mats. I loved the use of the vintage fork and spoon in the design by Frog Prince Paperie. The setup was a great opportunity for the adults to socialize and not have to worry about their children. Restaurants with children can be so difficult at times and I wanted this to be a worry-free zone. The children were amazing and the parents loved the break.

ACTIVITIES
The vision for the Pizzeria Party was to create a restaurant feel that was centered around children. I really wanted each child to feel comfortable dressing up, getting dirty with markers and dough and eating to their hearts content while their parents had time to enjoy a relaxing time. Mission accomplished!

Activity 1: Papa G's Pizzeria Activity Page
Since Greyson was very young, he has always loved the activity pages/menus at restaurants. We bring them home and hang them on the refrigerator. It is an accomplishment for him, so I knew he would love his own activity page that Frog Prince Paperie designed: draw your own pizza, add a moustache to Papa G, word puzzle and included a joke at the bottom. The children had a blast searching for the words and drawing photos of each other on the back. The activity page also created an opportunity for the children to be seated once they arrived while others were getting dressed for the party. It was a great transition to the Dough Play Activity.

Activity 2: Dough Play

Making pizzas was not an option for this party since it was held at a restaurant but I still wanted the children to have the full experience of dough play. I struck gold at The Dollar Store when I found red plastic cutting boards. Hobby Lobby had their mini red rolling pins on clearance so I added vinyl moustaches to tie in the look. Grimaldi's was kind enough to provide the dough which was put into plastic containers with labels from the collection and chalkboard vinyl on the front. I added the words (Dough) in chalkboard ink as the children are working on reading for the summer. The children had the best time rolling out, forming and throwing the dough. It was a sticky activity but worth the clean up!

Activity 3: Moustache & Foam Pizza Photobooth
Grimaldi's was a perfect venue because of the ambiance. The subway entrance doors made for the perfect backdrop for the restaurant experience I envisioned. The children completely enjoyed posing for photos with their costumes and moustaches.

FASHION:
Each child received an apron, red and white checkered chef hat by Party Cheap and scarf (red for girls and red for boys). I embellished the chef hats with foam moustaches for the boys and red flowers with black feathers for the girls. For added fun to the aprons by KNG, I cut out foam moustaches and glued them to the aprons. Each child was given a paper moustache on a stick. The moustaches were glittered and flocked by The Purple Pug. The children were given an option of a real moustache or a paper one to play with during the party. Anabelle, daughter of Lynlee from Lynlee's Petite Cakeslooks adorable in her outfit!

Greyson wore an awesome custom felt shirt that says I Heart Pizza by Finley and Oliver. His outfit was paired with black and white houndstooth shorts and a Fedora for delivering pizzas. Greyson wore a simple red apron, red and white checkered scarf and matching hat. My favorite part of the outfit was the black Guess shoes with white G's on them. It was a great find!

All of the Moustaches & Mozzarella: Papa G's Pizzeria inspired party supplies are available in my shop!

SPECIAL THANKS:

Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for the vendors that helped create Papa G's Pizzeria. A special thank you to Paula with Frog Prince Paperie who went over and beyond to make sure the designs were amazing. She was an excellent consult on this party and I truly appreciate everything. Thank you Miss Paula!

Complete Event Styling, Design, Handmade Designs & Photography: Southern Belle's Charm

Printables & Party Consulting: Frog Prince Paperie

Photography: Lynlee's Petite Cakes

Photo Editing: Jill Luecht Photography

Packaging & Decor:

Cupcake Wrappers: Hey YoYo

Papa G's Pizzeria Favor Bags: Paper Nook

Kandy Kones & Ruffled Crepe Paper: Superchick Studios

Glittered & Flocked Paper Moustaches on a Stick & Moustache Glassine Bags: The Purple Pug

Pizza Magnets: Buttonhead

Pizza Straws: Krazy Straws

Chalkboard Vinyl Moustaches: Braden's Grace

Pizza Boxes: Instawares

Desserts:

Cake & Cupcakes: Retro Bakery

Cake Pops, Chocolate Moustaches, Pizza Cookies & Fondant Toppers: Lynlee's Petite Cakes

Sugar Cookies: Cookies Are My Canvas

Fashion:

I {Heart} Pizza Shirt: Finley & Oliver

Chef Hats: Party Cheap

Chef Aprons: KNG

Hairy Moustaches: Party City

Venue:

The Patsy Room - Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria

{Real Parties} Camryn's Diva Minnie Mouse Party

2011-11-30T08:09:00.001-08:00

Children are so amazing! Their smiles, laughter and comments are truly a blessing.

This year I had the opportunity to work with a great friend,

Angela on planning her daughter's second birthday.

Last year we did a {Pink Polka Dot Elephant Birthday}

so this year Miss Camryn asked for a Minnie Mouse Party.

Not just any Minnie Mouse party -- a DIVA party.

With every party there are challenges to work with and this was not an exception.

Camryn loves to tumble and play so the party was at a Play Zone.

Lots of booths, tables, kids and only an hour to setup.

The venue needed extra love and we did it!

In tired spaces, create visual presentations for your eyes. Kids love balloons and they help distract from ugly tables and worn-out carpet.

Embrace your surroundings when you are planning a party. Don't fret over what you see. Focus on what you can create. With just a few supplies - fabric, place settings, centerpieces, flowers and balloons we were able to transform the room into a party fit for any DIVA.

Blow horns to make lots of noise -- it is a party after all!

Favors for the boys

Favors for the girls

Minnie and Micky ears for everyone!

Happy Birthday Miss C! So glad you had a wonderful party! A special congratulations to Angela and Brock as they are expecting identical twin boys! We are so excited for you!

Concept/Party Design & Styling/Paper Products - Southern Belle's Charm

Printables - Frog Prince Paperie

Minnie Heads with Bows - Peas & Thank Yous

Photography - Collective Moment's Photography

Cake Pops - Mom's Killer Cakes & Cookies

Birthday Hat - Shoplissy

Birthday Outfit - Amacim

{Real Parties} Ava's Lava Lounge

2011-11-29T08:05:00.001-08:00

You are just going to love all of the fun details from this party!

When Katie contacted me about Ava's party she had quite the request --

Ava loves neon colors and peace signs but not a groovy chick party.

We wanted to incorporate glowing lava lamps and craft materials.

Without further ado...

{Ava's Lava Lounge}

Paula of Frog Prince Paperie was ecstatic to help me with the glowing lava lamp.

She did an amazing job of capturing my vision.

We played on the word Lava since Ava was our client. I just loved the outcome!

The Kandy Kones were perfect!

The room turned out perfect! The low seating and black really made all the details pop!

We used chalkboard paper so the kids could write all over the place. It was a huge hit!

Chilling with the girls! Inflatable furniture was a must!

I really wanted an activity that was true to Ava's personality -

so we chose to have all the kids decorate white canvas shoes. It was a blast!

Peace Tea Cans for the Adults

Happy Birthday Ava!

Peace & Love to you and your family!

Concept/Design/Paper Products - Southern Belle's Charm

Printables - Frog Prince Paperie

Cookies - The Adventures of Sweet Sugar Belle

Mini Doughnuts - Dough A Deer

Kandy Kones - Superchick Studios

{Real Parties} Josh's Truckin' Good Time - Construction Collection

2011-11-28T07:48:00.001-08:00

With birthday season winding down, I have made a promise to get all of the fabulous

new designs on the blog and in the shop for everyone to see!

Starting off the week is one of my favorite new collections {Construction - Dump Truck Style}

created for a fantastic little boy, Josh.

I had the pleasure of working with Jill on Josh's First Birthday {Gears}

so I was thrilled when she asked for help with this theme.

Jill does a wonderful job focusing on Josh's favorite things when choosing a theme --

of course what boy does not love trucks?! Loving the real cake with rocks and trucks!

I wanted the look to be trendy so we worked with chevron and houndstooth patterns

in orange, yellow and black.

Paula of Frog Prince Paperie did a fantastic job with the printables.

One of my favorite elements of a party is transforming the venue. For Josh's party an old barn filled with tools and trucks was perfect. The guests were given construction hats and vests.

Using toys and candy as centerpieces makes everyone happy!

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

Styling/Design/Paper Products - Southern Belle's Charm

Printables - Frog Prince Paperie

Setup - Jill

{Feature} Half Baked

2011-10-31T16:41:00.000-07:00

A {Wicked} Thank You to Half Baked for featuring our Paper Wreath from the

Bewitching Halloween Collection designed by Frog Prince Paperie.

Check out all her favorite goodies!

{Recipes} Candy Corn Cupcakes

2011-10-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year!

I love the oranges, yellows and reds in designs, decorations and food!

While browsing Pinterest today, I completely fell in love with this idea

of showing off icing inside a cupcake.

I know, I know, we all love icing -- but sometimes the element of surprise is just as fun!

Candy Corn Cupcakes

The Sugar Turnable shows a great tutorial on creating this look --

make sure to stop by and tell them you love the idea!

Are you following us on Pinterest? Our Halloween Board is full of

great DIY and Recipes to enjoy this holiday season!

{Holidays} Bewitching Halloween Collection by Frog Prince Paperie

2011-09-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

The{Bewitching Halloween Collection} by Frog Prince Paperie

was featured on Hostess with the Mostess.

I just adore working with Paula and loved whipping up some goodies for the photo shoot.

Centerpiece Pinwheels

Book Wreath

Make sure to stop by to see the full spread of goodies by so many talented vendors.

More tutorials, pictures and freebies to come -- stay tuned!

VENDOR CREDITS:

Paperie and Styling: Frog Prince Paperie
Photography: Heather Stine Photography
Photo Editing: Jill Luecht Photography
Baked Goods: Contemporary Cakery
Sugar Cookies: JP Creatibles
Fondant Toppers: Lynlee’s Petite Cakes
Paper Wreath and Fan Centerpieces: Southern Belle’s Charm
Treat Bags: Laugh Loud Smile Big
Facepainting: Debra Heuskin Face and Body Artist
Costumes: Patti Fabulous
Floral: Buds, Etc. Floral Studio

{Real Parties} Mad Hatter Hawaiian Tea Party

2011-09-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of working with a wonderful mom, Maree, while designing her daughter's first birthday. Maree had such a beautiful vision and it was a pleasure to share in the special day with Miss AbbeyLane. Their family is stationed in Hawaii - so not only was the backdrop gorgeous -- but we used pineapples as a great way to fuse the Mad Hatter into their new culture.

As told by Maree...To set the day-we started with AbbeyLane's W"one"derland photo session outside with her own little tea party table with her buddies all dressed in tutus- we had tea and cupcakes.

Next we had all our friends and family join us for ice cream & tea inside The Hammond Hatter House. There were lanterns and 7 foot tree cutouts framing the open dinning area- dress up tutus, bow ties, top-hats and fabulous ears for all the party guests ,even little piggies joined the party as favors for a very merry un-birthday gift.

Everyone made there own ice cream treats of Cold Stone favorites: bubblegum, cotton candy, vanilla bean, strawberry, sprinkles, candy gummies, oh my - our table had its own tea table dressed with upside-down cups for chairs.

AbbeyLane's buddies looked so cute enjoying teatime -and whats more fun than bouncy house outside. Mr. Benjamin Buttons enjoyed playing with all the kids they always drop treats. The kids colored their favorite classic wonderland prints! My son, Dallas and the children enjoyed reading Wonderland Adventures with his little sister Miss AbbeyLane.

Wonderland is a family adventure for all ages and the guests took home a goodie bag filled with white rabbit pez, wonderland storybook, handmade aprons, fun ears/hat and jumbo playing cards! I can"t believe our miracle baby AbbeyLane is 1! W"one"derland in paradise was full of bright colors and pineapples - just your everyday here in Hawaii! Aloha for all your inspiration and having so many creative party friends to share ideas and love with everyone!

Thank you so much for sharing the party, Maree! It was a pleasure working with you!

Vendor Credits:

Southern Belle's Charm - inspiration, banners, photo frames, cake toppers,

hat pieces for for bunny ears and photo props

Brooke Channel Designs - stickers, favor tags and invites

LaurenLand Photography - photography

Timeless Creations - photos of AbbeyLane on teapot, cup and favor piggybanks

Cakes By Lee - cupcakes, cake, tutus and tutus for animals at the tea party

Mamas Quiet Time - aprons and highchair cover

{Voting} Project Nursery August Party of the Month

2011-08-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I owe ya'll tons of new products, parties and inspiration.

Guess what?! It's all coming soon!

Just wait a little longer and you will be happy for the wait.

We are in the process of moving so just a few more days and fabulous will be coming your way!

In the meantime, I was so very honored that {Papa G's Pizzeria} was chosen as one of the

Finalists for Project Nursery's Party of the Month.

Please make sure to stop by and

VOTE

daily until August 31st.

If you missed the reveal of the party, please stop by Pizzazzerie and check out the photos.

Detailed info and the full collection will be available soon.

{Guest Feature Favorites} Book Party - Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line

2011-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Summer Series, {Guest Feature Favorites}, Jenny of Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line has provided the most adorable ideas on a book themed party. Read all about it!

I am so excited to be over here sharing book inspired party ideas with you. This theme is extremely versatile and can range from a sophisticated wedding, to whimsical child's party or baby shower {featuring a very special due date}.

Breathtaking Book Dessert Table

Invitations. I am completely swooning over this unique invitation by Mismikado Creations. Inside each book holds a beautiful invitation, map, and pocket with RSVP reply card.

I also love this printable {freebie} library card invitation from Reid Girls Handmade

Decorations. Search your home for things like hardcover books, globes, or rulers. They all make great (and inexpensive) decorations. Make your own book wreath, hang books from a ceiling or tree, stack books in piles, or display books bundled with ribbon or twine.

Hanging Books :: Book Mobile :: Stacked Books :: Book Wreath

Source

Book pages can be made into garlands, buntings, and paper medallions

Book Garland :: Circle Garland :: Book Banner :: Book Fan

Party Favors. Could be as simple as a book, bookplates, journals, or book totes.

Bookplates from Stella and Hodge

Tuck bookplates inside these adorable notebook bitty bags from Whisker Graphics

Library card gift wrap idea from the The Knot

Make Simple DIY Stamped Book Totes

Or send your guest home with this tote (tutorial)

Yes, I had to leave you with these final words. I'll admit, I'm still giggling a little.

{Guest Feature Favorites} Outdoor Parties - Catch My Party

2011-07-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Summer Series, {Guest Feature Favorites}, Jillian of Catch My Party is sharing all about
outdoor entertaining during the hot summer months and the inspiration is scorching!

Photo via lestout.com

I was thinking about what I love most about summer parties and it is definitely being outdoors in a casual environment with good food and good friends (and if I can have my feet in the sand, even better).

My philosophy, and what I write a lot about in Catch My Party is that it just takes a couple of special touches to give your party that "wow" factor. So here are some of my favorite food and drink ideas for summer parties to impress your guests.

From Sheryl B's Backyard Barbecue -- What about brewing your own tea out in the sun and serve it in mason jars with cute labels... How relaxing does that sound?

From Karen H's My 47th Birthday - Yeehaw! -- I love the touch of adding chalkboard signs to anything and everything including galvanized drink buckets. It gives your party a playful feel and even brings back memories of elementary school.

You can achieve this with chalkboard paint or you can even buy chalkboard stickers to stick on everything.

Photo via Braden's Grace Wall Art

From Please RSVP's End of Summer Camp Out -- If you're having a cookout, how about passing out individual s'mores kits to your guests... In my experience, guests love anything personalized.

From Cari's Camp Four Birthday -- What about setting up a fun outdoor food bar, like this trail mix bar and let your guests create their own treats...

From Christina C's Splish Splash Party -- I've been seeing lots of fun Jello shapes everywhere, so I had to show these off. I think there is nothing cooler on a hot day than Jello with a modern twist...

From Fabulous Fetes' Spring Fling Garden Party - How cute is this... serving your fruits and veggies in mini terra cotta pots just like little plants in your garden.

From Sarah Y's Summer Popsicle Party -- And finally, I'm a big fan of homemade Popsicles.

What's great about making them yourself is you can create the most wonderful flavors using seasonal fruit, like these Banana Blueberry Swirl Popsicles from Martha Stewart.

Those are just a sample of some of the great food and drink ideas found on our Catch My Party main site. If you're looking for more summer party inspirations,

we've got them for you, too!

{Holidays} Fourth of July

2011-06-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

I adore the Fourth of July.

Food.

Family.

Fireworks.

Photo via Pottery Barn

In the South, no party is complete without iced tea, sweets & treats.

Here are my favorite inspirational ideas as you celebrate the holiday.

Photo and Tutorial via Tatertots & Jello

Photo and Tutorial via Giver's Log

Photo and Tutorial via Food Network

Photo and Tutorial via Family.Go.Com

Photo and Tutorial via Twig & Thistle

Photo and Tutorial via Canadian Family

Photo and Tutorial via Good Housekeeping

Make sure to stop by my Pinterest board for more.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

{Real Parties} I Stink - Garbage Party

2011-06-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of working with a new client on a Sweet Sixteenth.

We really hit it off so she asked me to design and style her children's parties this year.

You might remember the sneak peeks here.

Katie told me the most adorable story about her son, Ben,

falling in love with a book about garbage collection in New York called

I ran out and bought the book and instantly fell in love with the idea of a party about {Trash}!

Paula of Frog Prince Paperie was thrilled to work on the dirty project.

Together we created the {I Stink - Garbage Party}.

There are so many elements to this party but here are my favorites.

Ben stinkin' up the place...

The invitation was a sticker inside of the book.

Everyone signed Ben's book at the party...such a wonderful memory.

The guests were greeted with a stinky wreath...flies were buzzing.

Katie creates amazing foam signs for their parties every year and did not disappoint this year.

Trash Can Guest Book - yes please!

In keeping with the trash theme, we used aluminum, newspaper, cardboard and crates.

The banner was made out of newspaper, trash bags and dyed coffee filters.

Who knew trash could be fun?!

Kandy Kones stunk up the table

Fly Pops

Garbage Truck and Fly Cookies

Odorous Cupcake Push Pops

Dirty Cake

Mini Safety Vest Doughnuts

I knew instantly we had to have trash cans everywhere.

I was thrilled we could use them as cups and the kids loved them!

Another Year Odor Jones Soda Wrappers

Centerpieces

Katie wanted there to be a painting activity so we came up with the Garbage Truck Canvas.

The presentation was amazing!

The fabulous Miss Katie and stinky Ben

What's a Garbage Party without recycling?

The kids were able to have a lesson in helping the Earth.

Adorable displays - loving the safety orange duct tape!

Adult Favors: Green is the new Black t-shirts.

Katie handed out diapers to the adults, the dirty diapers (Dijon mustard) were the winners.

And they won a box of kitchen garbage bags, of course!

Favor Bag Tags

Kid Favors: Trash Cans for their rooms.

Great job Katie! This was the trashiest, stinkiest party around!

I hope Ben's party was everything he dreamed of and more.

Credits:

Party Design & Paper Products - Southern Belle's Charm

Printables - Frog Prince Paperie

Cookies - The Cookie Jar

Mini Donuts - Dough a Deer

Fly Pops - Lulee's Lollies

Kandy Kones- Superchick Studios

Jones Soda Labels - Modern Moments Custom Designs

{Current Projects} Papa G's Pizzeria - Moustaches & Mozzarella

2011-06-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Moustaches. Restaurant with Cooking. Dress Up.

What do all of these have in common?

At first, I thought absolutely nothing, nothing at all.

Since I plan kid parties for a living, my son {Greyson} takes notes all year.

He comments about all of the parties I create and at times has great constructive criticism.

He is 5 turning 30 {I mean 6}.

Usually about 6 months before his birthday we sit down and have a discussion about

his party birthday.

It is a very exciting time, my favorite in fact.

This year I was definitely challenged.

Moustaches. Restaurants with Cooking. Dress Up.

I thought long and hard about creative ways to include all of these requests.

Then one day while visiting Kindergarten on Pizza Day - it all came to me.

{Papa G's Pizzeria: Moustaches & Mozzarella}

I would create a restaurant just for him.

After that was decided, I contacted my fabulous friend Paula of Frog Prince Paperie

to turn my son into an Italian Chef cartoon. She did an amazing job!

Papa G and I both knew we had to deliver the invitations so we worked together to design a Pizza Box, Invitation, Magnet for the Fridge, Pizza Cookie and Outfit.

I was able to incorporate the dress up request twice for this party

{just wait until you see what he is wearing for his big day}

by designing a Pizza Delivery Outfit.

I was thrilled to find checkered shorts and hat.

The fabulous Finley & Oliver was ecstatic to work on this design.

She used felt on his shirt to make it 3D

which has since inspired many a Pizza project in my studio.

Note: There was a fantastic moustache {Papa G calls them "musmashes"}

but somehow it did not turn up in the photos.

I wanted the invitation to be a big production this year so we went with a

white cardboard pizza box and embellished it with {charm}!

A special thanks to the Glitter Queen, Kristy of The Purple Pug, for the pizza box vendor.

The inside of the box had the invite details and a special place for the Pizza Magnet.

When I booked the venue, the manager handed me a magnet with their phone number

so I loved the idea of incorporating that into Papa G's Restaurant.

The super diva of buttons, magnets and tattoos Ali of Buttonhead once again wowed me with these!

She was the vendor that created the rockin' tattoos to match the party here.

And finally, the piece that made it all fit together...the {Pizza Cookie}.

Let me stop here and just say that Lynlee of Lynlee's Petite Cakes is a true Rockstar.

It was love at first sight...we are both Vegas Girls and love to party.

I knew instantly that she was perfect for all the detailed work involved in Papa G's party.

And she did not disappoint! The cookies were amazing and they tasted awesome!

She melted the fondant and glazed it to look real... soul mates I tell you.

A special thank you to everyone that helped make this an awesome experience for Greyson.

{Guest Feature Favorites} Nautical Party - Bird's Party

2011-06-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Summer Series, {Guest Feature Favorites}

Bird of Bird's Party was so kind to share her favorite theme, {Nautical}

and the inspiration is sure to make a splash!

Tutorial via Alphamom.com

With the arrival of summer, I think a nautical party with red, white and blue accents

would be a perfect theme for any fun, outdoors bash or even your 4th July Celebrations!

Party Invites and Printables: Bird's Party

Nautical Wreath: The Knock Knock Factory

Decorated Cookies: Whatever Whimsy

Layered Dessert: BHG

DIY Star Medallions: Martha Stewart