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TPD Magazine: Coastal Christmas

Kelly — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:00:32 +0000

I always know that when our contributor, Beth Beattie, signs on to do a party for the magazine, that I will be elated with what she comes up with. I was so obsessed with her “Coastal Christmas” submission to last year’s Holiday Table Challenge, that I asked her to do another one for the holiday magazine. Living in Florida, she has that fabulous “west palm beach” and “coastal charm” influence on her designs that I love oh, so much. Her design did not disappoint, and there are so many lovely details that you can incorporate into your own holiday dinner.

More details from Beth:

For a Coastal Christmas I wanted to use a traditional color but incorporate sea fans and sea urchins in the shape of Christmas trees. The sea urchin trees from Beautiful Details by the Seashore on Etsy and sea fans from Wonders of the Sea were the perfect start. I had a custom graphic created of a wreath with Christmas ornaments and assorted shells for the invitation and menu card.

The tablescape included silver chargers from Pier 1, assorted champagne and martini glasses from Crate and Barrel, silver ornaments from Martha Stewart at Macy’s, crystal votives from Z Gallerie, candlesticks, monogrammed napkins and napkin rings from Pottery Barn.

The create-your-own Berry Sparkle Bar consisted of a premade mixer in a punch bowl with raspberries and rosemary to garnish atop a mirror turned on its back. To enhance the sea fans I spray painted them red and to give the coral a dressier feel, I spray painted it with metallic silver spray paint. Guests ended the evening with cupcakes and a cake with chocolate starfish by Southern Belle’s Cakery.

Images by Leigh Miller Photography

TPD Magazine: Winter Carnival

Kelly — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:00:15 +0000

Holiday parties don’t need to fall into the typical red and green holiday color palette….sometimes it’s fun to shake it up a bit! Fresh Chick Designs did just that with their take on a Winter Carnival party that we featured in the holiday issue of The Party Dress Magazine. With a fresh color palette of pink, red and turquoise, there are tons of darling ideas that you can incorporate into a winter birthday party, baby shower, or holiday gathering. Read on for more from Rebecca and Shannon…..

There is something so nostalgic about going to a carnival as a kid. One of our favorite treats that brings on the childhood memories and sparked our inspiration are the colors, smell, and taste of cotton candy. The oh-so familiar light watery blue and perfect pastel pink are the typical hues that can be associated this fanciful floss and thought it would be the perfect color palette for a Winter Carnival party.

This theme could be used for your next birthday party, baby shower, gender reveal party plus so many more! We started with an adorable pink & aqua argyle fabric that just has a touch of red. We wanted the overall color scheme to set the tone and keep it simple.

We opted for some pre-made Martha Stewart paper fans that complimented the colors perfectly. On the front of the table, we strung various types and styles of trim to add a touch of whimsy. Crystal cake stands were painted to match the colors. Since we already had a slew of sweets, we decided to construct a fake cake using Styrofoam cylinders, carnival tickets, ribbon, candies and a cake sign to resemble a real cake. A super cute and super easy DIY to add to your party decor. Lastly, party printables were used to tie it all together. A “concession stand” was the focal point of this party. We chose traditional treats you may see at a carnival / festival. Cotton candy, caramel apples, apple pie, candies and cookies. We threw in the pink “snowball” treats for the seasonal twist. Some other fun ideas for food could be setting up a hotdog & nacho station, popcorn bar, french fries, and funnel cakes…YUM!!

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: Carnival 1st Birthday

Kelly — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:00:56 +0000

I had the pleasure of working with a client this summer to plan a custom first birthday party for a little girl named Estella. A carnival theme was chosen early on and my client asked me to come up some festive designs that were colorful and playful. We designed a collection of paper goods that includes polka dots, a diamond pattern, colorful stripes and THE cutest circus carnival tent you can imagine (if we do say so ourselves!). We now have a the full collection of items up in the shop, including invitations, decorations, dessert table accessories, melamine plates and fabric by the yard.

As you can see, Estella’s mom pulled together a darling dessert table featuring themed sweets. We created a tile backdrop featuring all of the coordinating patterns, and a striped birthday cake featuring a fondant banner held center stage. Coordinating cupcake toppers, candy jar tags, food tent cards and signage helped to brand the table. The birthday girl had her own special cake served on our melamine plate.

Typical carnival food was served: burgers, french fries served in individual cups with stickers on them, and summer beverages (lemonade and iced tea) were placed in glass bottles with custom labels. It was a hot summer day, so water bottles with our labels were a hot ticket item!

The yard was decorated with colorful balloons, banners, and centerpieces made of candy and dressed up with our centerpiece sticks. The kids were all given party hats to wear at the party, and there were bubble tins and cotton candy bags readily available for the taking.

Kids had a blast getting their face painted and with the balloon artist. One of my favorite details was the “photo booth” – we created a large, colorful polka dot backdrop that hung for guests to be photographed with.

This was such a festive and fun party to plan and I just love how it turned out. I hope you enjoyed a peek into Estella’s first birthday! To view all of the items in this collection, please click here. For more information about our custom party planning options, please click here.

TPD Magazine: Burger Bash

Kelly — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:00:40 +0000

One of my favorite features in the latest The Party Dress Magazine was the burger bash photo shoot I did…..preppy seersucker, bold stars and a hint of patriotic pizzazz. A burger bash is the perfect time to gather friends and family this Fourth of July. Good food, and good friends….that’s what the holidays are about, right?

I’m a sucker for seersucker, so our party was designed around a blue and white color palette, with pops of red! Floral pomander balls made from craft-store carnations served as centerpieces. The festive party space was dressed up with pennant banners, polkadot and striped paper fans, centerpiece sticks, lanterns, and coordinating food tent cards, candy jar tags and cupcake toppers.

I love creating buffet tables with bite-size food – so for this bbq, we made an assortment of burgers – sliders with brie and carmelized onions, cheeseburger kabobs, and burger bites served on waffle fries. Cups of fries and fresh pickles complimented the main course, and everyone saved room for dessert!

A patriotic dessert table was full of candy, cupcakes with fondant stars by Two Sugar Babies, hand-iced cookies by Allyson Jane, cupcakes, and s’mores kits for the kids.

TPD Magazine: Americana Picnic

Kelly — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:44 +0000

The latest issue of TPD Magazine has tons of creative ideas for hosting a stylish Fourth of July party. Today, we are showing off the details of a patriotic picnic with pure Americana style from Anders Ruff. Enjoy!

To create a fresh take on a traditional Americana picnic, we mixed in a traditional red, navy and white with some accents of aqua and kraft. Some of the graphics have a “distressed” feeling, making it feel like a classic American Fair. Pinwheels and firecrackers give off the vibe of summer and celebration, and we mixed inmodern patterns to give it a fresh feel. This collection was designed to be versatile for any summer BBQ or 4th of July celebration.

The dessert table had navy with white modern dot backdrop, paired with a classic white tablecloth and a kraft paper overlay to make it less “formal” and give off the vibe of a true american fair celebration. Galvanized metal played a role throughout the entire party, but in small doses. Metal lanterns hung from the ceiling, and a printable pennants banner from our collection hung on the front of the table. A stunning cake by Got What It Cakes served as the centerpiece with a bright pinwheel decor. “All American” caramel apples sat on top of the cupcake tiers with a printed party flag, pinwheel cookie pops by by Oh! So Yummy, white chocolate covered strawberries gave a fresh “summertime” feeling, and kraft paper bags were filled with candy as a party favor. S’Mores kits and festive sparklers and matches that were embellished to coordinate were on hand for some patriotic fun.

Images by Becca Bond Photography

Real Parties: Ball Park Gourmet Dinner Club

Kelly — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:00:44 +0000

Today’s Real Party feature comes from Kate from Studio Lime Designs, who recently hosted her group of friends for a ball park-themed gourmet club dinner party. She thought the theme would be really fun considering their month to host was June and baseball season is in its prime. Also, since it was held on their patio, a fun, simple menu that would work well with outdoor entertaining was a must. The colors navy and brick red were used, because they are “all American” baseball colors and also festive for the 4th of July, which is just around the corner. The menu was designed around typical ball park food – nachos, soft pretzels, hot dogs. Signature cocktails included: “The Grand Slam” and iced tea, which was called “7th Inning Stretch Tea”. Decorations included an old blackboard was made to look like a scoreboard, and was used as the backdrop for this table, vases of baseballs, peanuts and cracker jacks.

I love the classic baseball feel of this party…..I always get requests for ideas for baseball-themed birthday parties and this is PERFECT inspiration!

Americana Picnic Tablesetting

Kelly — Tue, 24 May 2011 09:00:23 +0000

I kind of get giddy with excitement when this time of year rolls around. Memorial Day marks the start of summer, the start of bbq season, lazy days in the park, and simple reasons to have a party. I also get excited because it means I can pull out one of my ALL TIME favorite table inspirations……this amazing patriotic table from Carolyn Rohme’s Passion for Parties book. I have loved this table since the first time I saw it years ago – the simple items used look fabulous when repeated down a long table. Hope you find inspiration in it too!

4 Simple, DIY Ideas for Dressing Up Memorial Day

Kelly — Mon, 23 May 2011 09:00:48 +0000

Can you believe Memorial Day is just one short week away?! Officially the kick-off to summer, Memorial Day weekend is a fabulous time to gather the troops and fire up the grill! I’ll be back later in the week with some yummy ideas for what to serve, but today, I thought I would focus on 4 simple ideas on how to “dress up” your Memorial Day party.

Better Homes and Gardens has put together a gallery of ideas for decorations, table settings, centerpieces, etc. and today I pulled out a few that I think would be very simple for you to re-create. First, dress up those paper lanterns! 5 minutes with a glue gun and some patriotic ribbon or ric rac will work wonders with those old, white paper lanterns you have been holding on to. Second, create a monochromatic, tiered centerpiece using different sized white pots. Bold, red mums are an inexpensive option….this could also be darling done with sunflowers for a summer picnic! Third, edge your food or dessert table with striped crepe paper or ribbon. Simple, stylish and easy to put up and take down. (double-sided tape should do the trick!) And lastly, put that pie up on a pedestal! Just because you serve a simple dessert doesn’t mean it shouldn’t look extra-special! Dress up your basic, white cake stands with ribbon or mini bunting.

Parties by WH Hostess: Mod Safari Birthday Party

Kelly — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:00:14 +0000

Today’s featured party comes from party blogger and event stylist, Christi Bennett of P is for Party. Featured in our premiere issue of The Party Dress Magazine, this party is chock full of sophisticated details that were loved by kids and parents alike. When Christi asked me to create a “modern safari or zoo” collection for her son’s birthday party, I took my color direction from the party room at the Houston Zoo. The rusty-red and brown carpet helped set the color palette for the party (and even inspired the graphic patterns we used throughout the event).

Christi had less than an hour to create this festive environment – and had to transport all of the decorations, sweets and party favors into the zoo. Not an easy task! She created a natural look with burlap tablecloths, grass plant centerpieces (cube vases wrapped with our patterned paper and embellished with centerpiece sticks), and safari details such as animal print napkins, basket weave paper plates, and mini water bottles wrapped in our coordinating labels. Each child had a safari hat and yellow binoculars tied with a gift tag at their place …..perfect for exploring the zoo!

The kids were given snacks in brown paper bags sealed with a “party animal” sticker to carry around the zoo while they explored. But the big highlight was the dessert table! A neutral, burlap backdrop and tablecloth set the stage for all of the fabulous goodies to POP! A coordinating banner and paper chains decorated the table.

The sweets on the table were arranged around the F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S cake by Cakes by Gina, on a white pedestal cake stand. Isn’t it wonderful?! She did an amazing job of incorporating the banner detail from the invitation, as well as the 3-d fondant lion and giraffe.

On to the sweets! Christi used small details to tie together the table and give it a cohesive look. Candy jar tags, food tent cards, flags on pop sticks, and patterned tray liners (a simple way to dress up your basic, white serving pieces). The sweets included round brownie bites with fondant toppers by Two Sugar Babies, rice crispy pops, chocolate-dipped marshmallow pops, candy, cupcakes with fondant toppers by Sweet Petal Bakery and couture cookies by Allyson Jane.

The kids enjoyed face painting and bubbles while enjoying their sweets. Their little animal faces make me smile every time I look at these pictures! Can’t you just imagine how proud and excited their were as they walked around the zoo with their painted faces?!

The party favors were displayed on a table using natural elements such as wood slabs and moss to accessorize the table. Small plastic animals, mini bubbles and muslin bags by Perideau Designs held little sweets. What I love about this party is that Christi took a classic zoo birthday party theme, and gave it an updated look with the modern patterns and fresh color palette.

Photography by Ellenzilla Photography