The Party Dress

TPD Magazine – Summer 2012 Cover

Kelly — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:12 +0000

It is a VERY exciting day around here. As our Summer 2012 issue of The Party Dress magazine goes into print, we FINALLY get to share our first peek with you…..the cover! This issue is full of colorful ideas for summer entertaining, ways to keep cool, entertain children + adults alike, and inspire you to create magical holidays for your family. It truly has a touch of everything and each page makes me swoon with delight.

Launching on June 4th, this magazine wouldn’t be possible without the support of our advertisers and amazing line-up of contributors. So, without further ado, get excited to see amazing things from this {very} talented group of bloggers, party stylists and celebrities:

This issue is available for pre-order now in the shop!

Baby Shower BRIGHTS!

Casi — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:49 +0000

With Spring comes baby shower season and well, I am all about color. These are my favorite months because you can get outside and bring out some serious color. When it comes to baby showers, I love seeing the pink + orange combo or the coral + teal trend. They make for great color palettes for any party – especially baby showers.

I am absolutely in love with the oh-so-chic bridal shower full of brights that Kelly styled. Just perfection! It could easily transform into a baby shower. The coral + teal baby shower featured on The Party Dress blog was one of my favorites too!

Currently though, I am really in love with yellow. Yellow with pink, yellow with aqua, yellow with white…..I just love a bright ray of sunshine. And, it works for girls, boys or even gender neutral.

Not into going bright + bold? Pick a stand out color and match it with something subdued.

Oh, and if you haven’t heard the news, I am now a daily writer for Babble.com. I recently rounded up 15 Pinterest Inspired Baby Showers, WH Hostess included! Make sure you head over and browse the slideshow.

Stay tuned for my favorite Neutral Baby Showers next week!

Bocce Birthday Dinner

Kelly — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:18:51 +0000

Phew. What a BUSY weekend! A 40th birthday dinner Saturday, and Mother’s Day dinner Sunday….I’m pooped! I hope you all had a lovely Mother’s Day weekend. Today, I am sharing a quick picture of the 40th birthday party we styled on Saturday. A surprise party (and it was TRULY a surprise!) held at Pinstripes (great place for bowling and bocce ball!), we took the “pinstripes” and “bocce balls” theme and ran with it!

One long table, three striped centerpieces of big white blooms mixed with yellow billy balls, and a singular BIG, red balloon. Bocce ball placecards, striped menu cards and paper straws finished off the look. Perfectly festive, while still being masculine…..the table set the tone for a VERY fun evening.

Stay tuned for a few pics from my Mother’s Day dinner party…..

Happy Mother’s Day + 20% Off

Kelly — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:14:21 +0000

Tea Cup Centerpiece

Kelly — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:12:33 +0000

Looking for a quick centerpiece idea for your Mother’s Day brunch? I love the idea of using vintage tea cups scattered together down the middle of your table. These tea cups came from my great-grandmother and great-aunt! I love the intricate patterns on them, and they are so simple to fill with gorgeous bloom.

Chevron Mother’s Day Dinner

Kelly — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:03:52 +0000

We’re hosting a little Mother’s Day gathering here this weekend, and I thought I would share a little peek of my inspiration today. Playing off a Dwell Studio grey chevron table runner that I am currently obsessed with on my dining room table, I decided to create a custom invitation to coordinate! I am picturing pretty pink and coral-y orange peonies, citrus infused water, fresh spring-y food, and sorbet sundaes for dessert!

What are your plans for Mother’s Day?

Images: peonies (stylemepretty.com), invitation (whhostess.com), ice molds (via pinterest), ice cream sundae (weheartit.com)

{Mother’s Day} Gift for The Baker

Kelly — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:31:13 +0000

It’s no secret that both Charynn and I love to bake. So when it came time for us to narrow down our Mother’s Day gifting ideas for the Spring magazine – the baking gift was a no brainer. Simple to pull together, we suggest including a cookbook, oven mit, some utensils and maybe even tie on a few cookie cutters with a gorgeous ribbon.

Simple, charming, and outside of Mother’s Day, I think this would make a darling hostess gift when going to stay at someone’s home for a weekend.

To see some of our other gift ideas, click here and here.

Piñata Cookies

Kelly — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:18:58 +0000

These cookies “had me at hello.” I found them via Pinterest and the recipe (along with great detailed how-to photos) is from SheKnows.com. I love the colors and surprise factor associated with the piñata aspect to the cookie. This colorful option is perfect for a Cinco de Mayo, but I think you could also repeat this concept for other shapes for birthday parties, and holidays.

Head over to SheKnows.com for the full instructions.

{To Die For} Margarita

Kelly — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:29:24 +0000

In looking for ideas for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, I came across this recipe for raspberry & key lime margaritas. They have quickly moved up to the top of my list for Saturday’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. Simple ingredients and this combination of flavors is sure to please.

Check out the full recipe here.

April Showers bring May Flowers

Kelly — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:37 +0000

Can you believe how quickly this Spring is flying by? April went by with the blink of an eye, and I sure hope that old saying is true. You know the one…..”April showers bring May flowers.” I am D.O.N.E with the cool, rainy days. It’s time to roll in the sunshine and get summer started! I’m trying to encourage the weather with these gorgeous peonies currently sitting on my dining room table….

I thought I would fill you in on what’s going on here this month. We have quite a busy month! First up, a week worth of party inspiration for Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby and even a little Mother’s Day thrown in there. Throwing a party this weekend? We’ve got you covered on ideas!

Speaking of parties….we have an obscene amount of parties on our calendar right now. Some we are throwing, some we are attending, some we are designing/coordinating, and many {many, many} we are producing the paper goods for. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to do it, right?

Here are the pattern palettes we are working with for just three of our upcoming events. Just enough to wett your whistle and get you excited to see the final product soon on the blog.

May is also a busy month for the magazine, as we finish up our photo shoots and finalize the layouts for the Summer issue. I’m so excited to share this issue with you….we have an A.M.A.Z.I.N.G line-up full of fabulous party inspiration, and tons of ideas for everyday, summer entertaining. Our list of contributors is out of this world, with many new voices, as well as one very exciting surprise contributor. GET. EXCITED. For now, here’s a sneak peek. The issue will launch June 4th and we’ll start the pre-order very soon!

With just shy of two weeks left until Mother’s Day, it’s time to get shopping for the favorite ladies in your life. Our colorful collection of social stationery, notepads, melamine and paper coasters will cover everyone on your list. And our new collection of cell phone cases and calling cards?! Too darling for words. To ensure delivery, please get your orders in SOON!

That’s it for now, friends. There are so many behind the scenes projects going on that I can’t talk about just yet. But will….soon!