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2012 Entertaining Trends Continued….

Casi — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:23 +0000

I’m following up my first post on The Party Dress with more darling party trends perfect for entertaining in 2012.

Tangerine Tango

Let’s not forget with Pantone’s colour of 2012 we will be seeing lots of orange and yellow when it comes to party themes this year. Lots of neon to come! Put your sunglasses on — it’s going to be a year of the brights.

Images: trina turk tangerine tabric (layla grayce), pink and tangerine dessert table (pinterest), tangerine vase (pinterest)

Push Pops

Of course my love is always with cupcakes {and cake pops!} but this year, make room for push-up pops. Remember those little push-up Popsicles you loved in the summertime? Well, they’ve gotten a serious make-over. This is a trend that keeps on booming and will be the big hit of every party. Just ask Courtney Dial {Pizzazzerie} — she has an entire book about them coming out in March.

Images: push-up pops book (pizzazzerie), m & m push-up pops (frog prince paperie)

Sweets Table

When it comes to any event, a dessert table is a serious “wow” factor. In 2012, they’ve moved beyond your child’s party and are all the rave. I love how they showcase all things oh-so-pretty and sweet. Each sweets table will be personalized depending on the event creating endless possibilities and a focal point at parties.

Images: mod yellow dessert table (amy atlas), barbie inspired dessert table (the tomkat studio)

Ahh, it all makes me want to throw a party! Cheers to 2012, cupcakes! Here’s to fabulous parties and lots of pretties!

2012: The Year to Entertain in Style!

Casi — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:00:05 +0000

It’s an exciting day here at The Party Dress as we welome a new contributor, Casi from CupcakeMAG! Casi is Founder & Editor of cupcakeMAG & cupcakeMAG for Littles, and ringleader of her 4 girls under 8 (let’s not forget to mention her darling hubs).When she isn’t writing and interviewing celebs, you can find her reading the “weeklies”, redecorating her home, wishing she had a nanny and chasing after her Littles! And now, you will find her here, posting on how to incorporate home and fashion trends into your party themes!

Welcome, Casi!

To kick off 2012, Casi is sharing her top trends to entertain in style! (there are so many great ones, we will be sharing them throughout the week!)

Mixing Old with New: Modern Twist on Vintage

Thrifting is back! In my book, it really never went away but – it is a “must” when planning a party or entertaining. Mix a burlap runner {love Sweet Tea & Cloth on Etsy} with your everyday china adding statement to the table or create a centerpiece around milk glass. Time to dust off your grandmother’s goblets! And oh-my-word talk about endless DIY ideas on Pinterest – perfect reason to sit at the computer for 3 hours. It surely does inspire! Kelly’s DIY Jeweled Napkin Rings fit perfectly with this trend.

Images: milk glass table (more design please), vintage china & flower (tumblr), flowers in milk glass (southern weddings), detailed tablescape (style me pretty), antique plates (tumblr), antique bottles (leaping gazzle), vintage glass decanter (vntage queen)

Muted Metallic

From a rich pewter finish {Juliska has the best!} to a muted, antique finish – metallics will take a subtle, less statement-making turn. Even though for a few years now lots of warm gold and metallic finishes {and accents!} have been spotted which are still super-trendy just taken down a notch.

Images: pewter dome (the old painted cottage), pewter pot with flowers (pinterest), juliska hostess set (neiman marcus), jamie young gold glass hurricanes (layla grayce)

Stay tuned for more trends coming later this week!!

A Muted Monday

Kelly — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:00:11 +0000

On this particular January Monday, I am relating {and loving} to the muted tones of these gorgeous flowers. The pale pink and muted peach are a stunning combination, and seem somewhat perfect for this time of year. Can’t you picture this as the inspiration for a bridal shower?

Image via Real Simple

TPD Magazine: Mad for Plaid

Kelly — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:00:27 +0000

Some of you may remember my “Mad for Plaid” holiday party from last year. That was the start of my plaid obsession, and trust me, it has only grown throughout the year. I love incorporating this traditional pattern as simple accents in my home, as well as in tablesettings. I showed a few of these ideas in the holiday magazine…read on for some more details.

A simple plaid napkin can add a touch of preppy pattern to any table setting. For Christmas, I wrapped a metallic bough of holly around it as a festive napkin ring.
Source plaid accessories for your home. I came across this darling reindeer, covered in a black and white plaid fabric at my local Home Goods. He’s the perfect addition to my home this season!
A plaid runner is a great way to add just a touch of pattern to your table setting. I like mixing this plaid with my quatrefoil plates…the mix of patterns looks fresh to me.
You can recreate the plaid pattern in a monochromatic way by layering items atop one another. My example for this is the small table gift I placed at everyone’s placesetting. I wove a combination of wide and skinny satin ribbon in a plaid-like pattern to achieve the look, without the actual busy pattern.

TPD Magazine: Gumdrop Topiary

Kelly — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:22:03 +0000

You all know my LOVE (obsession, maybe?) with candy and all things sweet, so it is no wonder that I immediately fell in love with this DIY gumdrop topiary tree project that assistant editor, Charynn of Two Sugar Babies did for the holiday magazine. It’s cute, colorful, and although I absolutely love it made with gumdrops – it’s a project that you could tackle with just about any type of candy. Which gives you the opportunity to color coordinate it to your party theme….gotta love that.

This DIY project is simple: use a styrofoam ball as your base, and attach candy with toothpicks (and perhaps a little glue!). Depending on the type of candy, the ball will get heavy, so make sure you plan for a sturdy base. You can also preserve your topiary ball with a clear acrylic spray after you complete it, so that you can save it for years to come!

TPD Magazine: Color My Party

Kelly — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:00:06 +0000

Color My Party has been a favorite feature in The Party Dress Magazine from the start, and Kim (from The TomKat Studio) did not disappoint with her holiday edition, featuring a pink and aqua color palette! Click on the images to take you to the magazine for all of the links!

TPD Magazine: DIY Nailhead Pumpkins

Kelly — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:00:11 +0000

These DIY nailhead pumpkins by Christi Bennett of P is for Party is one of my favorite features in the holiday issue of The Party Dress Magazine. It’s simple, it’s modern, and it speaks to “fall”, not necessarily a holiday. I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for those non-holiday decorations that make my home look cozy, yet updated….and this fits the bill perfectly.

Step 1:

Gather your supplies: pumpkin, nailheads, a pencil, and decorative ribbon

Step 2:

Think about your design before you draw it on the pumpkin.

Step 3:

Draw your pattern onto the pumpkin (you could use a stencil too)

Step 4:

Once your design is drawn on the pumpkin, start inserting the nailheads one by one. (line them up so they are touching on both sides)

Step 5:

Finish up your whole design or letter and voila! You have a modern update to a traditional pumpkin!

Tip:

You can use nailheads on any type of gourd – not just pumpkins!

Images by Ellenzilla Photography

TPD Magazine: Pumpkin Moss Centerpiece

Kelly — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:00:18 +0000

This moss and pumpkin centerpiece is so easy to make, and adds a great pop to your fall or Thanksgiving tablesetting. As featured in the holiday issue of The Party Dress Magazine, it requires minimal supplies and a few easy steps:

Step 1:

Gather your supplies: vase, styrofoam ball, moss, wood skewers, mini pumpkins, glue gun & glue sticks

Step 2:

Place the styrofoam ball atop the vase, and insert skewers into the bottom of the pumpkins.

Step 3:

Insert the skewered pumpkins into the styrofoam ball.

Step 4:

Once all of the pumpkins are in place, start gluing on your moss in between them.

Step 5:

Continue to cover the empty space with moss, so it is nice and full.

Step 6:

Once you have covered your ball completely with moss, clean up any loose pieces.

The Holidays are Almost Here!

Kelly — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:21:48 +0000

We have been busy, busy little elves around here this month. I have to be honest, I am actually totally excited (and somewhat relieved) that October is coming to a close. November 1st marks the start of the holiday season in my book, and for us it will bring the launch of WH Hostess’ Holiday Collection, followed by the launch of the holiday issue of TPD Magazine! It’s going to be an exciting week! You will also see {very soon} a new and improved whhostess.com. Better navigation, easier to shop….all good things, my friends!

The holiday collection is by far, my favorite collection to date (especially the photo cards). It’s colorful, it mixes classic Christmas style with updated patterns, offers a mod twist to Hanukkah, and we have so many darling decorations (like the AMAZING stockings you see below), and gifts at a great price point!

Melamine trays, individual plates, paper coasters (the perfect hostess gift!) and chunky notepads for $18 (they make THE perfect teacher gift!). So, although we aren’t officially launching the collection until next week…..I’m pretty sure that if you click on the links in this post, you’ll see some pretty exciting products!

Speaking of the big launch….our newsletter subscribers will be receiving a special treat in our newsletter next week. Are you on the list? If not, sign up!

Patterned Pumpkins

Kelly — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:00:32 +0000

I have totally fallen in love with the idea of creating patterned pumpkins using paper. I found this image and the do-it-yourself instructions on Country Living….think I may just give it a try this weekend with some of our patterns!