The Party Dress » spring

Spring Desserts {perfect for Easter!}

Kelly — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:54 +0000

With Spring blooming a little bit more every day, I find myself getting busier and busier printing Spring party supplies! Birthdays, bridal showers, and Easter brunches and egg hunts. It makes me so happy to see how many people are hosting parties coming up in the next month! That being said….when there is a party, there must be desserts! I’ve compiled a list of 8 darling dessert ideas that are sure to delight your guests young and old. Perfect for Easter egg hunts and brunches, and garden birthday parties, these desserts are going to knock your socks off!

Bridal Shower in the Vineyards

Kelly — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:00:09 +0000

How in love with these images are you?! I sure am! I’ve been swooning over this centerpiece idea for a while now….and I now have the perfect place to use it! In my free time {which doesn’t really seem to exist anymore!}, I have been planning my younger sister’s bridal shower…in Napa Valley! Say goodbye to these freezing, grey days here in Chicago – I’m grabbing the bride and her bridesmaids and we are taking off for a sunny weekend in the vineyards. Sounds pretty fabulous, right?! I sure hope the bride thinks so!

In addition to a few days of wine tasting, vineyard tours, shopping in the quaint villages, and eating at some pretty fabulous restaurants, I plan to end the weekend with an extra-special “bridal shower” at a sparkling wine estate. Champagne tasting, brunch, and a gorgeous setting….what more do you need to plan, right?! Come on…this is me….I have to throw in a few personal touches, right?!

Throwing an out-of-town shower poses a few logistical problems, and I’m wondering if any of you have ever done this before. Did you use local vendors for everything? Did you ship everything in prior to the event? I would love to hear what you all think!

The images above are a few images I pulled together to coordinate with the invitation I designed for her…..I love the way it turned out! I think you may just see it show up as a new collection in the shop soon!

Images: centerpiece (hatchcreativestudios.com), invitation (whhostess.com), cocktails (theknot.com), small centerpiece (josevillablog.com), placesetting (saltharbordesigns.com), mini champagne bottles (brides.com), overhead champagne shot (karljuengel.com)

The Party Dress Magazine

Kelly — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:00:19 +0000

The Party Dress blog has been inspiring readers since February 2009. After months of brainstorming, we finally took the plunge into producing a quarterly e-glossy magazine. Chock full of amazing party ideas, DIY projects, easy entertaining and ideas for Easter celebrations, this first issue of The Party Dress Magazine is sure to become one of your favorite reads! Enjoy!

This extensive collection of parties and ideas was put together by an amazing group of contributors, and we want to thank each and everyone of them for their hard work and brilliant designs. We also want to thank our amazing group of advertisers and sponsors. This first issue has been a great adventure and we can’t wait to get started on the next issue (scheduled to launch in June 2011). If you are interested in being a contributor or advertiser in our next issue, please contact hostess@thepartydress.net for information.

Contributors

Christi Bennett from P is for Party, Melisa Fluhr and Pam Ginocchio from Project Nursery, Kim Stoegbauer from The TomKat Studio, Charynn Olsheski from Two Sugar Babies, Sharnel Dollar, Beth Beattie, Vana Chupp from Le Papier Studio, Tanya Martinez from Save the Date 4 Cupcakes, Maggie Hemsworth from Delish Catering Chicago, and Adrienne Miller and Missy Reedy from Fleurs.

Birthday Brunch for Kate Landers

Kelly — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:00:39 +0000

I love being a part of any type of celebration….but especially birthday celebrations. So when my dear internet-friend, Kate Landers, contacted me about doing some items for her own birthday brunch, I was thrilled to be able to design for her! She fell in love with the custom-designed bamboo print I used for Chase’s Chinese New Year 1st Birthday Party, so I swapped out the colors to a preppy pink and white and voila! A sweet, pink and white collection that would be perfect for a birthday party or even a baby or bridal shower!

Here are a few details from Kate, herself, about her birthday brunch:

Brunch is my favorite meal. I absolutely love having a yummy brunch with family and friends, so when it came time to celebrate my 32nd birthday, it was easy to plan. Kelly (WH Hostess) designed the printed sign, food signs, waffle cake topper and all custom printed details. LOVED the print quality. She got the ink color just PERFECT and was so quick to turn the order around. The paper was excellent quality as well. Having much experience in the high end stationery industry, I am very selective and was very happy with what she sent! (why thank you, Kate!)

The table was set with white tableware from Crate & Barrel, a table runner that I had in my personal collection (that mimicked the pink and white bamboo pattern on the WH Hostess printed party goods. I wanted a clean, fun preppy look–especially for a February birthday in Boston! Whenever I can I like to dress up the vertical space above the table, so I hung large paper lanterns for a celebratory feel.

Fresh flowers are always a part of my celebrations, and I had lovely pink and cream roses as a centerpiece. After the waffle cake was gone, I moved the 32 cake topper to the floral arrangement! The framed sign “32″ was darling, served as a fabulous decoration and way to reinforce the theme of the party. LOVED it, as did everyone at the party! I made hand made party blowers with pink and white damask print paper from Michaels Craft Store….just a little something festive. I also make my own ruffle trimmed fabric party hats. I had one on hand from when I had my online shoppe, in the same fabric as the table runner, which was just perfect! Pink polka dot straws added a whimsical touch.

The brunch menu consisted of belgian waffles with choices of fresh berries, butter, syrup and whipped cream. Along with that was fresh fruit salad–strawberries, oranges and bananas. Then, of course there was coffee, orange juice, milk, water and tea. BUT we also had my favorite smoothie that my husband, Ryan, makes: a strawberry smoothie that is just the right sweetness and thickness….yum!

Instead of a standard birthday cake, I made it really simple, and stacked the belgian waffles (kept warm in the oven until ready to serve), topped with an adorable cake topper from WH Hostess. Everyone loved it, thought it was creative and fun–and after filling waffles and smoothies, no one would have had room for cake!

Kristina of Modern Frills custom created for me the darling ultra-soft and comfy long-sleeve birthday t-shirt. I LOVE IT. On the front is a pink and green flower, and the back is “32″ to go with the theme. I love this shirt because I can wear it all year, as the “32″ on back is almost like a sports team number. I am hoping to do a new one every year–thinking what fun this will be, as well as what a great gift idea for others.

Colorful Candy Wreath

Kelly — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:00:29 +0000

I have a fascination with candy wreaths. Okay….let’s be honest, I have a fascination with all things candy and sweets! But, there is nothing like a well-done candy wreath to really get me excited! So you can understand my excitement when I found this darling idea from Country Living. Made of pastel colored jordan almonds, this wreath is the perfect way to welcome Spring, and would make a sweet addition to any Easter celebration.

See the full tutorial here on Country Living.

P.S. Think past Easter, and consider using this concept to create color-coordinated decorations for any type of party. You can purchase jordan almonds in bulk by color at our favorite online candy resource, Candy Warehouse. Can’t you just picture a series of monochromatic wreaths hanging in a row as a back drop to a dessert table!?

Preppy Mod Baby Shower Ideas

Kelly — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:00:08 +0000

I’ve been a busy bee working on a bunch of upcoming Spring parties. I’ll share some tidbits of each party along the next few weeks, but today I am showing you the inspiration board for an upcoming baby shower. The hosts wanted something super sunny, with a preppy and slightly modern edge – perfect to welcome both Spring and a new baby!

The inspiration board is based around a new collection for us that includes a yellow Greek key pattern, and pops of hot pink and grass green. Combining modern patterns like the Greek key and ikat, and a sweet summer-like eyelet will help me achieve a layered look that I think will be fabulous! I’m focusing on a stunning tablesetting for lunch, a small dessert table and party favors for the guests. More details to come soon!

Images: table setting, dessert table, watermelon cubes (amyatlas.com), pink peony centerpiece (josevillablog.com), double-sided Greek key baby shower invitation (whhostess.com), floating flower centerpiece (brides.com), placesetting (marthastewartweddings.com), champagne (karljuengel.com), lavender water glasses (sundaysuppers.com) lemonade party favor (eatdrinkchic.com), mini crab cakes (theknot.com), ikat bowl (anthropologie.com)

Cocktails & Snacks on the Patio

Kelly — Thu, 20 May 2010 09:00:17 +0000

It’s been a bit of a crazy week in my house…..all of the hustle and bustle has made me crave a simple weekend on my patio! I was scrolling thru Williams Sonoma’s recipe bank today and found a couple of recipes that I must try! (and I think you may want to, too!) Any of these would be perfect for a summer party, a cocktail and appetizer party, or a Memorial Day bbq.

Images: hammock (potterybarn.com), mason jar lantern (theknot.com)

Preppy Spring Table

Kelly — Tue, 11 May 2010 09:00:31 +0000

Last week I shared my inspiration board for my family’s Mother’s Day dinner (see the post here – it would be perfect for any summer party!) I’ve had so many people asking to see how it turned out, I thought I would show you a couple of pictures!

The main focus on the table were my monogrammed preppy plates – like I told you last week, I have been DYING to whip these little beauties out – Mother’s Day was the perfect occasion! These melamine plates are darling and add such a {pop!} to any table. The come in tons of patterns, and even have matching lucite trays and coasters! Definitely check them out – and remember them for gifts!

Real Party: Pinwheels & Pearls

Kelly — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:00:37 +0000

This party makes me happy! When I saw it sitting in my inbox, I truly got giddy trying to get the post up quickly! It’s just a darling, unique party full of charming details that are sure to make you swoon the way I did!

Sent to me by Victoria Hudgins of The City Cradle, this “pinwheels & pearls” party was inspired by a Kat Spade ad (a girl after my own heart!) that came out this spring. They lined over 50 pinwheels along their back fence, hung pearls in the tree and a thrift-store chandelier was painted white & pink for the occasion. A desert bar with starburst pinwheel pops, pinwheel cupcakes and a doughnut tree in the center stole the show, and they set up a table at the perfect kid-height for coloring in pinwheels during the party. Boys were decked out in handmade pinwheel bow-ties, and the girls were adorned in pinwheel necklaces!

Click here for Victoria’s pinwheel tutorial, and here for her free download-able pinwheel labels.

Images via Michael Chan

Mother’s Day Dinner Party

Kelly — Tue, 04 May 2010 09:00:43 +0000

With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, I realized that I had to get myself into party-planning mode! Today I am showing you a peek into my own party-planning for a family dinner celebrating Mother’s Day. Since we will be hosting this dinner party at our home (hopefully in our newly-remodeled sun room….if we can get it done in time!), I am mainly focusing on the table setting and menu! I decided it would be fun to use a bright, cheerful color palette of Kelly green, navy blue and hot pink. Very spring-like and preppy, but updating the look with some modern patterns.

The honeycomb invitation from my very own WH Hostess stationery line is perfect for this dinner party! And it also helps that it coordinates with my monogrammed melamine plates – which I have been {very impatiently} waiting to debut this season! I plan to set the table with crisp white linens, and tie the napkins in a preppy stripe ribbon. For the centerpieces, I plan to use monochromatic pink flowers – a vase of tulips, a vase of gerber daisies, etc. – and white, clean-lined vases. I may even wrap the vases with the stripe ribbon, just to tie that look together.

I am still working on my menu – and I can’t give everything away since my mother does occasionally read this! But, I do think it would be so fun to create a candy bar for dessert! Can’t you picture it done in green, white and pink candy?! Utterly charming and totally preppy!

How will you be celebrating Mother’s Day this year?!

Images: lanterns (michellerago.com), invitation (whhostess.com), cocktails and daisy flower bouquet party favors (brides.com), gerber daisy centerpiece (floralartla.com), green pattern melamine plate (whhostess.com), stripe ribbon napkin rings (amberkarsonevents.com), green candy table (amyatlas.com)