You might recall my love for Kelly’s Ikat Invites here. But, I just can’t get them off my mind! And mainly, because pink + orange Ikat pretties are popping up all over the radar!
I have the perfect way to find inspiration for your next party. Take a look inside your closet, jewelry box or hey – even inside your home! Oh yes, a beautiful duvet can inspire!
Don’t be afraid to single this pattern out. Feel free to throw in some florals, polka dots, suzani pattern, chevron and another love of mine – greek key.
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Perk up your average party theme by thinking out of the box. Ikat is definitely one of the HOT patterns for Summer so take on the trend, in style.
We are thrilled to find our colorful chevron melamine tray featured in the latest Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate magazine! We are surround by other colorful items for Spring and are so happy to be a part of their issue. Pick up a copy at your local bookstore – great ideas for Spring entertaining!
Three years ago today I started a new hobby….blogging. Little did I know it would completely change my life, my career and the way I look at things (especially pretty party things like cupcakes and cute, striped straws!). I have been blessed with so many amazing opportunities because of this little game changer….and because of all of you, my fabulous readers.
To celebrate, I would like to extend a 20% discount in our shop this week (thru Friday, February 17th). It’s my way of saying “thank you!” So pick up that little notebook you have been eyeing, get a jump start on some upcoming party planning, or pre-order your copy of the Spring TPD Magazine. Enjoy. And thank you for sticking by me for three whole years. As the saying goes….the best is yet to come!
Discount Code: TPDisTHREE
(offer not valid on previous purchases, custom designs or party plans)
Oh, and by the way…have you joined our party over on facebook?! We are only about 75 fans away from hitting the milestone of 10,000 fans. It’s pretty exciting. Not a fan….come join us! (and don’t forget to tell your friends!)
One of the many thrills of my job is seeing our creations come into play. We recently worked with a California mom to create a custom suite of stationery, decorations and custom fabric for her daughter’s “very merry un-birthday tea party.” She wanted the party to be in true Alice in Wonderland-style, with whimsical touches throughout.
We created this custom pattern, incorporating polka dot tea pots, charming tea cups and flowers in a turquoise blue lattice pattern. I absolutely love how it looked on the invitation, but then when I saw it on the custom fabric used for a table runner….WOW! It looked stunning!
One large table was dressed with colorful linens, chair covers with sashes, and a whimsical assortment of items making up the centerpiece.
The room was decorated with colorful pom poms, creative signage, and some cute floral arrangements. My favorite piece of the decor is the large “S” that hung above the fireplace, made out of paper fans. So unique and festive.The dessert table was absolutely stunning and I am sure received rave reviews from the little girls in attendance. The polka dot back drop was made from our custom coordinating polka dot fabric, and a felt banner from Taffie Wishes hung across the front. I love the color-blocked jars of candy (dressed up with candy jar tags), and the darling coordinating desserts: cookies by Allyson Jane, chocolate covered oreos from Sweeties by Kim, and cupcakes from Cupcakes Couture (embellished with fondant toppers by Edible Details). Striped food tent cards topped off the table, identifying all of the delicious sweets!
The tiered cake was absolutely stunning, as was Sophia’s personal cake! Don’t you just love those super-tall candles?!
Our coordinating pennant banner hung across the party favor table. Goodie bags and candy boxes were dressed up with our cute, square stickers. And to wash down all of those sweets?! Mini bottles of water featuring our striped labels.
Sophia, you and your mother threw a fabulous party, and it was a pleasure to work with you! You can now view this collection in our shop here.
Looking for a last minute idea for Valentine’s Day cupcakes?! I love this idea from Cupcakes Take the Cake…how simple! Frost your cupcake and roll the tops in loose rock candy. If you want to get uber-stylish, you can use different shades of pink for a fabulous ombre effect.
I’m not your typical red-rose-on-Valentine’s-Day-type-of-girl. I bet your shocked, right?! I’m obsessed with full, white blooms and you can typically find vases of them throughout my house on any given day.
I must be getting in the mood for Valentine’s Day, because I seem to be having a current love affair with flowers in the blush pink color palette. Mixed with deeper shades of pink, or even a pale yellow….pure perfection!
With Valentine’s Day coming up next week, I have been trying to decide what sweets I should make this weekend for all of the people I love. I think cookies are on my short list and there are three options that I think are pretty darn cute….
The first are these heart shaped cookies from Cookies & Cups with a hole in the middle for a straw. Cookies and Milk…does it get any cuter?! These would be darling for a Valentine’s Day party, as well.
I’m a sucker for anything on a stick, or with stripes….so these two options shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone! These cookie pops from Woman’s Day are very cute, and could be packaged in cellophane wrapped up like a bouquet of flowers.
These double-decker, striped cookies from Bake at 350 Degrees had me at…..well, the stripes! I love how bold and graphic they are, and seem to be simple to make. Click over for her simple instructions here.
Over on cupcakeMAG for the past month we’ve been working on pretty fun project — our next birthday editorial! WH Hostess included of course! {See a sneak peek here}
With the 100th anniversary of the Titanic coming in April {and a 9 year old little girl who is obsessed with the history!} we opted for a different theme than your average party store find. We wanted something that was fairly simple to re-create. Or maybe a reason to have a viewing party when the movie hits theaters in 3D this Spring?Just give us any reason to party!
Well, we had a vision in mind - a modern party and sprinkle of vintage - all keeping in mind, the Titanic. We wanted guest to feel as if they were attending a tea party in one of the amazing dining rooms on board the historic ship. So, we pulled out the history books to help with research & watched the movie as we set sail in full planning party mode. And then — I emailed Kelly.
Yes, Kelly – the legend behind this very blog. This is exactly what I said -“We are going for a vintage feel with lots of inspiration coming from the Titanic. Thinking maybe an anchor on the invite?” Oh, well she went above and beyond! She gave us a Titanic labeled ship. Could it be any more perfect? Definitely not. The invitation Kelly designed for us is the center of attention. From the bright turquoise + pink color combo to the modern mixing vintage feel of the ship and striped background. It truly shows how one design can totally inspire a entire party. With the color palette in mind and modern invite we began pulling spectacular finds from our favorite sweet shoppes, handmade designer on Etsy and even a few things from my own home. I have a serious love for vintage finds!
Of course, I had to give my fellow party animals a sneak peek at the party! And my advice to you? When planning a party, I would try and mix and match as match as possible. It’s not a bed in the bag deal. Sure, all the paper pretties should be the same {invites, cupcake toppers, etc.} but don’t go down to the store and buy all the coordinating accessories. Just because the invitation has a ship on it doesn’t necessarily mean everything on our dessert table will resemble a ship. Instead, let the invite inspire you to look outside of the box. We pulled in stripes, anchors, and even a vintage candelabra to fit the theme. We even found an Anchor Wall Hook on Etsy that will help create a perfect centerpiece! And just think, you can reuse so many of these items in home once the party is over!
You can read some more tips on how to mix old and new in my first post on the blog! And stay tuned to see what tips I have for making your color palette come to life! In the meantime, I hope this helps inspired your next party.
My readers and clients are always asking me for tips on updating their centerpieces, whether it be for a party, or just an accent on their kitchen table. My favorite tip is to cover a basic, glass vase with either paper, fabric or ribbon. It’s a simple and very inexpensive update! Also a great way to coordinate your centerpiece with a party color palette!
When it comes to planning parties down South (Houstons) in November, there is nothing like hosting a birthday bbq outside (which we would KILL to do here in Chicago!), especially when it involves a petting zoo, horse rides and some pretty darling decorations!
We were thrilled to be asked to design a custom collection of party goods for this Barnyard BBQ held in honor of Olivia’s birthday….and I’m even more thrilled to be able to show you the fabulous images from the party! Olivia’s mom is one of Houston’s premiere wedding planners, Christine from Belle of the Ball, and we are always thrilled to work with her. (Do you remember her daughter, Sadie’s mermaid party from last summer?)
The collection was designed around a red and aqua blue color palette. To add a preppy, modern spin to your typical farm party, I used animal silhouettes along with a red barn (all dressed up for the party with a pennant banner) on the invitation and coordinating party goods. We introduced accents of yellow and green in a colorful leaf pattern that you will see throughout the collection.
Olivia’s party was set on the property of their beautiful home in Houston, and they decorated with red and blue oversized balloons, our patterned pennant banner, tables set with traditional red and white check tablecloths and galvanized tub centerpieces holding our centerpiece sticks. Each child had a cowboy hat, a bandana and a sheriff badge sitting at their place.
The kids enjoyed a petting zoo with baby goats, bunnies, ducks and more. How cute are they?
Don’t you just love these cups? Christine had us design a coordinating logo to have printed on plain, white styrofoam cups….a perfect addition to the party! Who Made the Cake created an amazing cake for the party, and a special one for the birthday girl, featuring our red animal silhouettes and a 3-dimensional red barn on top.
Olivia clearly enjoyed her own little birthday cake, also featuring the red animal silhouettes, and served on her coordinating melamine plate! Isn’t she darling!?
You might recall my love for Kelly’s Ikat Invites here. But, I just can’t get them off my mind! And mainly, because pink + orange Ikat pretties are popping up all over the radar!
