Everyday Celebrating

Easy and cute - never a bad thing!

Sometimes the cutest things are the easiest!  

Rice krispy treats on a stick!

Click on the photo to see it larger.  Love the sayings on the sticks!

Everyday Events: Monster Jam Dirtfest!

Kristy from the Purple Pug recently threw an amazing Monster Jam birthday party for her son.  This girl left no detail undone. 

Photo area!

 

Lots of checkerboard details!

 

one of my fave details.. the "mohawks and mullets" station!  One of her best friends is a hair stylist and did the guests hair up with spray on paint and stencils.

and love that she hired the ice cream truck to visit the party



all kinds of activities including a "make your own license plate" station

adult favors?  car air fresheners!  LOL



There are TONS more details of Kristy's party including one of my balloon wreaths on her blog.  Check it out!  She loves details as much as I do!

Cake talent and edible jewels!

One of the things that blows me away is people who have amazing cake talent.  Some people just have it. They can turn a cake into something amazing.  

Like my friend Lenneke of Cedar City Cakes.  If you're in the Nashville area, you need to know Lenneke.
Click here to "like" her business on Facebook.  Look at this amazing hawaiian shirt cake.  Click on it to see it larger!

or this one.. tinkerbell's house

  
 and many many more you can see on Facebook.  I'm thrilled to have met Lenneke.  She will be making a rather LARGE cake for a university gala I'm working on for next year.  I can't wait!

Anyway, something I love just as much as cake art are cake JEWELS.  Edible cake jewels.  

See these?  EDIBLE!  


Edible jewels to glam up your treats!   Fancy Flours has them in all different colors and sizes.  Perfect for a fancy sweet sixteen or princess party.  Sex and the City cupcakes, etc.  Diamond jewels for New Year's Eve! Endless possibilities!  Check out all the beauties at Fancy Flours.

  

Everyday Events: Under the Sea Children's Party.. on a BOAT!

Looking for a party location that's not the same ole same ole?  What about on a BOAT?   My friend Kelly from Eventology Weddings in Houston, recently threw this unique "Under the Sea" party for her daughter.   Enjoy the photos as Kelly tells us about the party details.   And for those that live in the Houston area, you're in for a treat as Kelly shares all of her vendor details.  All photos by Erin Woltz.

Kendall's 4th birthday was held on a Sunday afternoon on a party boat provided by Houston  Party Boats.
The invitations were delivered as messages in a bottle.

As seen below, little chinese lanterns in bright turquoise blue and teal green were strung along the perimeter of the boat. Kid sized tables & chairs were rented and a royal table was set up in the middle of the boat for the kids. Bright green iridescent linens were provided by Over the Top Linens.

 I used color coordinating decorative rocks to add a little color to the table
 


I also made cookie bouquets for centerpieces using darling custom cookies I purchased off of etsy. These doubled as party favors for the adults at the conclusion of the event.



Up close


 The kids feasted on pizza & Juicy Juice (in color coordinating cans) and the parents on a huge 6 ft. long "submarine" sandwich, in going along with the nautical theme!

The paper goods were dressed up with special custom stickers I had made by my graphic designer (http://www.scarlettdesigns.biz/) and printed at zazzle.com. These gave them that personalized touch without breaking the bank.



My daughter had her heart set on a mermaid cake...and Cakes by Gina did not disappoint with this adorable masterpiece!


  
 

As an added treat, I ordered delicious french macarons to color coordinate with the party colors.



Events at the party included a make-your-own sand art picture frame, a caricature artist drawing the kids' likenesses with an under the sea theme, "Pin-the-fin-on-the-shark" (purchased at Michael's craft store), and limbo. I made a special nautical iTunes playlist which included the following songs: All Aboard, Under the Sea, Jamaican Farewell, Jammin', At the Bottom of the Sea, Day O, Sea Cruise, and Catch a Wave, which was played through the boat's speaker system throughout the party.





At the end of the party, guests departed with a special bait bucket full of "ocean" themed party favors including a package of swedish fish, a "fish-kabob", mermaid stickers, and a bag of glazed popcorn made by the birthday girl's daughter. Hand-crafted tags purchased off of etsy adored the bucket & bags of popcorn.



For thank you notes, I took the caricature drawn of the birthday girl, scanned it in, and had custom postcards printed at zazzle.

Kelly really does amazing work, right?  If you're in the Houston area and are looking for a wedding planner, she's your gal.  I've known her for years and she leaves no detail undone.  

 

Another great Goodwill find!

I always say that you just never know what you'll find at Goodwill.  Here's one of my recent finds. Sorry, it's still dusty and still has the price tag on it.  This is a truck shelf that is perfect for a wall in a child's room. It's large and sturdy!

What did I see when I spotted it?   A fabulous focal point for a boy's truck party.   A unique cupcake stand or a place to display favors.   Love it!

Total price - $4!   Keep your eyes open.  You never know what you may find!

Blues Clues!

Boy, can I tell you how obsessed my son was with Blues Clues for a LONG time.  If he still was fascinated by Steve and Blue, we would DEFINITELY look to this party for inspiration!  Julie submitted her son's 3rd birthday party and it's so cute!

I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves, but for a complete listing of all the details that Mommy Julie created herself, visit her blog.  She really outdid herself! (click on the photos to see them in full size)  

I love to feature reader's parties!  Send'em in! 

 

  
 

Get'em while you can!

Some Dollar Tree stores are featuring small aluminum bottles for $1.  Trendy and colorful, these make great giveaways or favors.  Having an outdoor gathering?  These are a perfect gift for guests. Having a Memorial Day BBQ?  Serve your beverages in these! 

Have a Cricut machine?  These are prime items to personalize! Think ahead for gifts you may need in the future.

Dump truck cake!

Photo credit:  kids stuff world

I love this idea!  I love it when people get creative with serving pieces.  This features mini dump trucks from Target ($1.99 each).  Purchase one per child.  Bake a couple of sheet cakes and cut into cubes, then top with whipped cream or ice cream and sprinkles.  

Another fun addition would be using small plastic shovels as spoons!   

In the end, the trucks double as favors.  Rinse them off and let them take them home!

DIY: Creative candy logos

This is a tale of how creative, fun celebrating can come out of the blue - every day!

A few weeks ago, I was meeting with Nicole, the owner of this amazing cupcake boutique in downtown Franklin, Tennessee - Naticakes.  We were bursting with ideas of parties and cupcakes and themes and charities when in walked a lady named Claudia.

Claudia was looking for a creative way to make a University of Tennessee logo on top of a cheesecake.  This cheesecake was to be a gift for a teacher friend and while she wanted it to be special, she had no idea how to re-create the logo.

Here's the logo - a simple letter T.

The conversation turned to candy and I told her that she could easily create a UT logo out of orange slice candy.  And I'd even draw it out for her to show her how.  Remember that candy?

Orange slice candy was perfect because it has one side that is almost straight and one side with a curve. These two elements are the same ones that primarily make up the UT logo.  AND, it was orange - UT's primary school color. I went back to my computer and drew out how to lay out the candies to create the logo and sent it off to Claudia.

A few days later, I received an email from Claudia along with this picture of her finished cheesecake!

See how she used the sides of the candies?



Claudia was thrilled to have a creative finished cheesecake to give to her friend and I was happy to have been there to meet her and come up with something fun!

Sidenote:  If you're ever in downtown Franklin, Tennessee - right outside of Nashville - pop into Naticakes and tell them Everyday Celebrating sent you.  The cupcakes are amazing!  See?

Matchbook mints now on etsy

I've had several people ask where they can get the design of the matchbook mints that I used in the damask and green apple shower.  

The printable file is now available in my etsy shop.  Just print, staple and fold!