The Party Dress » children’s birthday party

{Party Inspiration!} Invites Really Inspire!

Casi — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:01 +0000

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.

Parties by WH Hostess: Barnyard BBQ

Kelly — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:20 +0000

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!?

Photography by Goodlight Photography

Supplies & Vendors Used:

Balloons, Stripey Straws and Favor Bags (Sweet Lulu), Decor (Belle of the Ball), Cake (Who Made the Cake), Linens and Chair Rentals (Aztec), Bounce House and Cotton Candy Machine (Incredible Events), Face Painter and Clown (Daisy and Curly), and Invitation and Paper Goods (WH Hostess)

Halloween Sock Monkey Party

Kelly — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:00:17 +0000

I came across this darling Halloween party for kids on Better Homes and Gardens, and I just had to share it with you. As you all know, I have a soft spot for monkeys (my god-daughter is obsessed with them, and it’s also one of our best selling party collections!). This sock-monkey twist on your traditional Halloween party is so cute….I love the colors, the patterns and there are some great activity ideas that you could re-create for any party!

Some of the activities include a candy corn relay race, and a matching card game. Totally cute for kids! Whoopie pies are dressed up with monkey faces, and check out these cute pumpkin straws! Check out the feature on bhg.com for all of the darling details.

Parties by WH Hostess: Mod Fish Baby Shower

Kelly — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:00:40 +0000

When it comes to baby showers, I prefer to cater to the Mom-to-be’s design aesthetic….not the babies! After all, the party is for her! It’s a great opportunity to pull in unique baby-friendly concepts, but perhaps modernize them to appeal to the adults in attendance. We get so many requests for fish/under the sea parties, that I decided that it was time to move that theme up to the top of my “to do list” and I partnered up with Charynn of Two Sugar Babies to create this modern, gender-neutral baby shower inspiration for the fall issue of The Party Dress Magazine.

We set the table with a crisp white tablecloth and topped it with paper placemats featuring our mod fish pattern, a green napkin and a coordinating blue striped placecard. The centerpiece was probably my FAVORITE part of this party….it literally cost me next to nothing to create, and I think mad a huge impact. I took basic glass cylinders that I had sitting around the house, and created white fish vinyl decals using my Silhouette machine. I filled them with water, and used gel food coloring to add the bold color. So simple, right?

We set up a “bubbles bar” with both punch and bottles of key lime Italian soda wrapped with fish labels. Blue balloons were attached to the wall behind the bar to create the look of bubbles floating away.

A bold polka dot grid patterned backdrop anchored our dessert table, and there were so many darling sweets. First off an AMAZING cake covered in cake balls by Velvet Cream Bakery (DIY tutorial coming later today!). I love the ombre effect of the shades of blue, as well as how it resembles little bubbles! The cake topper of fondant fish and bubbles was created by Two Sugar Babies, as were the darling cupcake toppers.

Color-coordinated candy and jumbo marshmallows were placed in candy jars with coordinating tags, and we used these fabulous new tilt bowls from Crate & Barrel for pearlized gumballs in blue and green. I made blue jello “shots” using my votive candle holders (also dressed them up with a fish vinyl decal), and stuck a cupcake topper in them for some visual interest.

Darling fish cookies by Allyson Jane were lined up to look like a little “school of fish” and cake pops by Velvet Cream Bakery stood up in a white pot full of gumballs and looked like they were floating!

We thought we needed a creative party favor….you know, besides the candy! So we filled up small bottles full of bubble bath, wrapped them with a custom label, and tied on a coordinating gift tag. Darling….and useful! The mod fish collection by WH Hostess is one of my favorites, and (although just added to the shop recently) is quickly becoming one of our most popular. It’s perfect for a baby shower or kids birthday party! You can see the complete collection in our shop.

Make sure to head back later today to view the DIY cake pop cake tutorial by Charynn of Two Sugar Babies.

TPD Magazine: Superhero Birthday Party

Kelly — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:00:14 +0000

Boom! Pow! Bang! Bam! Get your superhero capes on for this action. What better way to celebrate your little ones birthday than to throw him a superhero party, showing him just how “super” he really is?! Kara Allen of Kara’s Party Ideas designed this party for her two little boys and their friends, and it was featured in the latest edition of The Party Dress Magazine. Stay tuned for some pretty fabulous party inspiration, and ideas as told by Kara, herself….

I wanted the party to be bold and fun, creating a mini superhero world for all the guests. I had a main Superman party table, a Batman treat table and a Captain America food table. I also created a “Clark Kent Disguise Station” on a large briefcase with Superman glasses & ties. “Daily Planet” yoyo’s were also a part of the display.

Among the favorite treats and food were barbell suckers, superhero “pops”, lighting rod yellow peppers with “power” dip, “Super” ropes, corn “pops”, ring “pops”, “pop” rocks, Wonder Woman lassos, skyscraper cookies, lighting rod watermelon,“hero” sandwiches, push “pop” cupcakes, cookie“medals”, telephone booth cookies and more.

All the party goers received a superhero muscle shirtwhen they arrived, colored a giant superhero back-drop, got their faces painted like their favorite hero. They lifted a super barbell, stood behind a car raising photo op, sprayed the evil villain, colored in superhero activity books, flew away with lighting wings on their shoes, stepped inside a super bubble & more!

Photography by Lyndsey Fagerlund

Vendor Credits: jumbo building coloring page (anders ruff) , cake (sweeten your day cakes), sugar cookies (batches),

fondant cupcake toppers (edible details), party printables (paper & pigtails), face painting (painted party), custom tablecloths and backdrops (pots & pins), mini cape & mask printables, lightning bolts (kara’s party ideas)

Lightning Bolt Shoe Tags- www.karaspartyideas.com

Sugar Cookies- Batches http://www.etsy.com/shop/batches?ref=seller_info

Parties by WH Hostess: Baking Party {Part II}

Kelly — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:00:27 +0000

Our baking party feature from the latest issue of The Party Dress Magazine continues with all of the sweet details of our cheerful dessert table. Charynn and I crafted colorful cake stands to complete the look of this table (be on the lookout for the DIY tutorial later this afternoon), which highlighted a variety of custom desserts. A coordinating pennant banner crisscrossed across the wall as a backdrop, and we spray-painted a vintage chalkboard turquoise to list off the specials of the day.

We dressed up a store-bought cake with a few charming decorations by Two Sugar Babies: a fondant number 5 and cherries were placed on top of the cake, and Charynn placed two rows of red hot candies around the side of the cake to add a touch of color.

A colorful “malt ball shoppe” was placed center stage, with clear canisters full of candy. Each embellished with ribbon and a circle tag featuring the coordinating images from our baking party collection, and signage was placed in a lucite box frame.

It wouldn’t be a party (especially a baking party!) without cupcakes! Grouped together on one large cake stand, or placed on the individual ones, these cupcakes looked extra special with darling, coordinating toppers by Two Sugar Babies.

Darling cookies from Sugarbelle’s, glass jars full of colorful ribbon candy were adorned with candy jar tags, and jumbo marshmallows {dipped in chocolate and sprinkles} wore coordinating cupcake toppers.

In addition to their malt balls, guests each took home a “cupcake in a jar”. So simple to make, simply layer cake and frosting in a mason jar, top with some ribbon, a gift tag and voila! The perfect end to a darling party.

Parties by WH Hostess: Baking Party {Part 1}

Kelly — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:00:16 +0000

When planning a birthday party for a bunch of little girls,what could be more fun than a baking party full of sweet treats and activities?! I partnered up with my fav baking pro, Charynn of Two Sugar Babies to create a whimsical event full of charm for the latest issue of The Party Dress Magazine.
A custom collection of paper goods from WH Hostess set the color palette for the party, and we played off the polka dot and cherry patterns for decorations. The tables were set with a custom table runner made out of our cherry pattern fabric, polka dot placemats and silverware “pockets” made from oilcloth, and each girl had her name on a miniature rolling pin (a very simple DIY project using my trusty Silhouette machine). The centerpieces consisted of apothecary jars stacked full of baking liners.

Cookie and cupcake decorating served as an activity, and the main attraction was the bake shoppe dessert table. You will have to head back this afternoon for all of the sweet details!

DIY Colorful Cake Stands

Kelly — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 08:00:42 +0000

These colorful cake stands stole the show in our baking party dessert table! You, too, can create these….simple steps, inexpensive materials and quick turnaround time….and the best part is, you can make them to match any color palette!

Supplies: wood candlesticks, wood circle plaques, gloss spray paint, spray paint primer, wood glue or epoxy

Step 1: If needed, sand imperfections from woodpieces and apply base coat according to the manufacturer instructions. Base coating your pieces allows for a more even coverage of the wood. Let dry.

Step 2: Apply several coats of spray paint to evenly cover the candlestick and both sides of the wood circle plaque. Let dry.

Step 3: Glue the pieces of the stand together, measuring and marking the center of the plaque if needed. Use a heavy book to maintain even pressure on the pieces. Let dry completely.

Step 4: Enjoy your cake stand! Please remember that most paints are not food safe and something must be used between food and stand.

The Party Dress Magazine – Issue 3

Kelly — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:00:28 +0000

It is with great excitement that I introduce you to the third edition of The Party Dress Magazine. Each issue is a true labor of love – with articles from amazingly talented contributors – so it’s a true thrill to see the final product. This edition of the magazine is full of delightful parties, simple ideas on how to make everyday a celebration, and Halloween style that you are sure to love.

As I am sure you can tell, producing this magazine quarterly takes a lot of work. So I am thrilled to announce…..The Party Dress Magazine has a new assistant editor! Our contributor and the fondant guru behind the uber-successful Two Sugar Babies, Charynn Olsheski, joined me this issue and I am so grateful. Her style, enthusiasm and ability to talk me down off a ledge has made her an invaluable addition to this team, and will help me take TPD Magazine to the next level.

Our amazing list of contributors this issue include some VERY talented chicks. Beth Beattie, Christi Bennett from P is for Party, Vana Chupp of Le Papier Studio, Chris Nease of Celebrations at Home, Maggie Hemsworth of Delish Catering Chicago, Jessica Kirkland of Pen ‘n Paperflowers, Kara Allen of Kara’s Party Ideas, Kim Stoegbauer of The TomKat Studio, Shannon Helliker & Rebecca Propes of Fresh Chick Designs, Glory Albin of Glorious Treats, and Jill of Modern Cupcake. We have an incredible list of advertisers in the book, and I encourage to check out each and every one of them!

I do hope you enjoy this issue!

You can purchase a luxe, glossy edition in our shop here.

Real Parties: Tea for Three (Part II)

Kelly — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:00:40 +0000

We are back with even more darling details from our featured tea party today. There were so many darling sweets – cookies from Allyson Jane, fondant petifore toppers by Two Sugar Babies, gorgeous cakes by Knolle Cakes, cake pops by Cuter than Cake, and chocolate-covered oreos by Sweeties By Kim.

We designed coordinating food tent cards and tags to brand the table…..don’t you just love the ruffled tablecloth!?

The birthday girls each had their own cake with candles to blow out and make a wish on. Check out their darling party dresses by Racheal Calzada, accessorized with a birthday crown, of course.

The ladies invited their guests to join them in getting beautiful at manicure and make-up stations. How darling are these little “shops” with awnings made from our custom fabric?