Party Invitations, Party Planning & Event Ideas

DIY Shower Favors

As promised here is another thrifty do-it-yourself idea from the bridal shower I hosted a couple of weeks ago.  

These are made out of card stock, heart candies and adhesive labels.  They are very simple to do. 

Start off by taking any coordinating style of 12x12 card stock paper and using a paper cutter, cut them into 4x12 inch strips.  You should be able to get 3 favors from each piece of paper. 

Next, I took an Avery package label, and using Microsoft Word, created the custom thank you message.  I cut the labels using my paper cutter so that they would have a crisp square edge, but you could leave them rounded if you like.

Then, starting at one end of the paper fold down about an inch and a half. This will be your top flap to close the favor.  Take the other end and fold the paper in half, right sides together.  This is what will give your favor a little more stability when standing it up.  Now, fold the paper in the opposite direction(almost like an accordion) about an inch from that fold on both sides. (refer to picture for a better understanding)  

After the favor is folded, take a small cellophane bag and fill it with any type of candies or mints that you like.  The bags can be found at any craft store or Wal Mart.  I paid about $1.50 for 100 bags. Fold the top of the bag over 2 or three times and place the folded edge up to the top of your favor.  Fold over the top flap and staple it closed.

Finally, place your thank you label on the favor and you are done!  These cost us around .50-.60 each to make.   

 

Alice In Wonderland Party Inspiration

With the release of the Alice in Wonderland Movie it is a perfect time to share these Tea Party Inspirations. This movie is sure to bring out the desire to plan many Mad Hatter Tea Parties! With the use of vibrant colors, a mix of textures and patterns and an eclectic mix of teacups, you can create a wonderful whimsical event.

Here is a collection of amazing Alice inspiration. Click on the links to see many additional photos with great ideas!

1. & 5. A vintage party not to be missed - from Sarah at the Middleton Family Blog.

2. This lovely Alice in Wonderland Party was created by Lollipop Events.  See more photos and details at HWTM.

3. Mad Hatter magic from A Fanciful Twist. You won't want to miss this one!

4. This party was done by In Good Company. Visit the blog of Amy Atlas Events for additional photos and a entertaining tips.

6. This Mad Hatter Tea Party was created by Party Wishes. See all the details here.

Posted by Entertain Exchange

Winter One-derland First Birthday Party

My son celebrated his first birthday on December 27.  I know as a first time mom I’m supposed to want to go all out and have a big bash for his first birthday, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I decided to save the big blow out for his second birthday.  Instead we just had a little very budget friendly “Winter One-derland” get-together with our closest family members.

Instead of sending out invites through the snail-mail I decided to go the quick and cheap route with Evite.com.  I created a “Winter One-derland” logo on Microsoft Publisher using clip-art that I used in the invitation as the main image.  Within an hour all the invites had been sent out and were sitting in inboxes waiting for RSVPs.

 
  
Budget Friendly Tip: You don’t have to be a genius at (the expensive) Photoshop to create cute digital invitations.  With just a little time and patience you can easily create one-of-a-kind invites or invite logos using Microsoft Publisher and the Paint tool found on most computers.  Since it’s becoming more popular to send invitations through email don’t be afraid to use the wonderful inexpensive services of Sendomatic.com or Evite.com.  Some of the most original invitations I’ve seen have been made using these websites.

I hadn’t really planned on decorating much since I wanted to keep the budget really small.  I popped on over to my local Dollar Store to buy some cute snowflake paper plates my sister-in-law had found and while I was there (did I mention this was on December 26?!) I discovered ALL Christmas decorations were on sale for $0.50!  I couldn’t resist the temptation, so I scooped up all the snowflake decorations I could fit in my cart.  I also bought snowflake covered tablecloths and plastic cups with blue and green snowflakes similar to these found at Windy City Novelties.  We didn’t have much snow on the ground, so I stuck snowflake stickers onto our door and windows. 

Budget Friendly Tip: While it doesn’t get much more budget friendly than the Dollar Store, you could make the decorations yourself.  It wouldn’t take much more than a stack of paper in white and blue, plus a pair of scissors to create dozens of snowflakes.  Hang the snowflakes from your ceiling with “invisible” fishing line. You could also shred paper to make your very own snow piles!  I’m also a huge fan of foam crafts.  For a low cost and in a short amount of time I made a “Sammy’s Winter One-derland” birthday sign.  I also made the birthday boy his very own party hat with foam board and stickers.

 
During the winter months I tend to be in the mood for foods that are hearty and remind me of being warm and cozy.  For the main course I opted for Sheppard’s Pie, one of my all time favorite meals.  This was an easy meal to make for a larger crowd.  Plus, it would be easy for the guest of honor, who was just starting to eat “adult” foods,  to chow down on.  I made cupcakes for the birthday cake.  I bought really cute ceramic cupcake pans at AC Moore, on sale for $5 from $20!

 
Budget Friendly Tip: Feeding a crowd is rarely budget friendly.  However, by sticking with a simple menu you can help keep your costs down.  It’s very easy to double or triple a favorite recipe of yours that you already love to make for normal family meals.  If you need a little help converting your “Serves 4” recipe to “Serves 25” check out this Recipe Converter.

Since I wanted to keep things low key, I didn’t plan activities or games for the guests.  We kept the event fairly short, so guests wouldn’t have time to get bored between eating and chit-chatting.  The kids in attendance were kept busy with the Wii.  Winter Sports 2, the Wii game, would be an excellent addition to any Winter One (or Won)-derland party.

Budget Friendly Tip: Had I chosen to have an activity for the guests, I would have saved money by combining the activity and the favor with a Make Your Own Photo Snow Globe.  Oriental Trading sells snow globes kits.  Instead of using the sports template included with the kit, I would have taken a picture of each guest with our birthday boy and printed them out during the party.  Then each guest could insert their photo in their snow globe!  Instant memories and a fun winter decoration for years to come!

 
For more pictures and details visit A Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench.

I wanted to start off by thanking CME for allowing me the pleasure to be a guest blogger. Thanks so much! :)



For those of you with a birthday coming up soon and no clue what theme to use for a party, never fear. Just about ANYTHING can be turned into a theme- your favorite artist, music, flower, place... ANYTHING! Grab a piece of paper and write down 10 of your favorites. Are you a Starbucks junkie? Have a grown up tea party with your girlfriends. Or maybe you pictures all over your house from when you went on vacation to the Bahamas. Put a spin on the run of the mill Luau.



Let's say your favorite artist is Romero Britto. With his bold patterns & bright colors, his art work would make a great theme for your party. Linenbook.com has a Britto table linen in their Specialty section you can use for the main table where the cake is or for a few highboy tables if you're having a cocktail type party. You don't want to put patterned linens on EACH table- it'll look like a preschool. Also use black linens to make the art pop.



If you've decided to use the patterned linens on the guest tables, use clearn plastic plates and utensils.



For decorations, google some of his art work and print it on card stock, or order some posters from Art.com. Put a couple on the walls and near the main tables. Your centerpieces can be colorful and crazy. He is known for his daisy art, so a few gerberas arranged artfully will make his art work come to life.



Go crazy with the cake! Take some of his prints to your local baker and ask if they can incorporate his smaller prints- the heart, the daisy, the fishes, onto the sides of the cake. If you'd like, have a topsy-turvy cake to add boldness.



I hope you guys liked my post! Have a great day :)

Frugal Find: Bridal Shower(or any occasion) Centerpieces

 
Hi Everyone!

It's Tina again.  Today I am going to share with you an amazing find, and how to transform it into a beautiful floral centerpiece for a wedding, shower or party!

This my friends, is the 9 1/2 inch floral vase found at Dollar Tree for.....yes $1.00!!!  I came across these vases while out looking for thrifty inspiration for a bridal shower that I was hosting for 60 people!!  I found one at my local store, then I scoured every Dollar Tree in my town, AND the next town over...I only found 4.  Luckily for me, I had the idea to check on line and see if they could be ordered.  You can get a case of 6 vases here.  They will ship them to your local Dollar Tree for a mere $4.95 handling fee, you just have to go pick them up.  I recommend this over having them delivered to your house because the shipping is $13.95 plusthe $4.95 handling fee. So, just keep that in mind when ordering them on line. 

Now, back to the transformation...I designed the wedding invitations,(click here to view them) in a black, white and pink color scheme.  So, my fellow hostess and I decided to continue those colors on into the shower theme, adding a little grey into the mix.  First, we took the vases and filled them with white tissue paper.  $2.99 for a package of 90 sheets at our local craft store.  3 sheets crumbled into each vase filled them to the top.  Next, we took several different styles and shades of pink flowers and filled each vase with a mix.  Wrapping the stems in the tissue paper for a clean look.  For 16 vases, I bought 21 bunches of pink flowers.  These were also found at Dollar Tree.  They have a surprisingly large assortment of fake flowers!  Each bunch came with about 6-7 flowers.  We cut them apart to mix the colors and types for each vase. 

Next, we took 12 X 12 inch scrapbook paper and cut them into 3 inch strips.  We used 4 different black, white and grey patterns. 

These were going to be glued around the center of each vase.  They were just a tad too small to wrap all the way around, so I had an idea to have the H monogram that was used for her invitations printed out in 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch squares.  A little adjustment to the colors and they worked perfectly.  I had a little trouble getting the scrapbook mounting squares to stick to the paper tightly, so I ended up putting a tiny dab of hot glue on each side to keep them in place.  It worked great, and they turned out beautiful. 

Here is a breakdown of the items we used and their costs including tax and handeling fees:

$0.65 - 4 12X12 sheets of scrapbook paper

$3.24 - tissue paper

$18.35 - vases we had shipped to store

$4.33 - vases I bought in the store

$22.73 - flowers

$4.32 - H monograms printed on glossy card stock paper(done at my local print shop)

For a grand total of $53.62, when divided by 16, comes to a fantastic $3.35 EACH!!  We had 2 flower arrangements per table, and everyone loved them, especially the Bride-To-Be!

Well, this concludes my guest blog for today.  But be sure to check back next Tuesday.  I will have more pictures and tips from this bridal shower! 

Party On,

Tina 

Sports Themed "Jack & Jill" Baby Shower

When my cousin’s wife was pregnant, he really played a huge role in getting ready for baby, including preparing the nursery and helping tremendously with the registry.  When it came time to plan the baby shower we really wanted the Daddy-to-be included in the festivities.  We decided to host a “Jack and Jill” baby shower with a sports theme to appeal to both women and men.

Right off the bat (no pun intended) we knew the best way to invite the guests to a sports themed shower was with sporting event tickets.  To save money we opted to create our own invitations.   Every great sports team has a recognizable logo.  Since the baby’s nursery was decorated with monkeys, I created a logo for the invitations with a monkey and the baby’s name, “Baby Ryan.”  I also created a baseball card for the registry information, complete with stats!

Budget & Time Friendly Tip: One of the best ways to save money on invitations is to DIY.  However, sometimes DIY and NAT (No Available Time) add up to not-so-great invitations.  If pre-made custom invitations are out of your financial budget and DIY invites are out of your time budget, you could opt for semi-DIY invites by buying a digital custom invitation.  Once you receive the finished custom invitation file by email, you simply print it out on your own paper.  These are two great options from eBay sellers stephruiz915 and jacknjilldesigns.

 
The menu for this shower was very simple: typical sporting event foods.  We served hot dogs, chili dogs, hamburgers, French fries, pizza bites, soft pretzels, popcorn, and chips.  For dessert we had mini cupcakes decorated with candy sports balls and ice cream products, like Dreyer’s Dibs, Dove bars, and Italian ice.  We kept the sports theme going with baseball paper plates, football serving trays and bowls, and a field grass table cloth. 

 
Budget Friendly Tip:  If you don’t want to offer so many food choices, just serve your favorite sporting event food.  Love the greasy pizza? Rather than ordering pizzas, serve up your favorite frozen pizza or make your own pizzas.  Pair up sliders (mini-hamburgers) with cocktail weenies.  Instead of buying several boxes of individually wrapped ice cream bars, create a “Sundae’s Sports Bar” with your favorite ice cream and sundae toppings and let guests make their own ice cream sundaes.      

What is a sports themed baby shower without a little competition?  We kept guests entertained with several fun
games.  First, we tested the guests’ team mascot knowledge with “Mascot Match-Up.”  Next, we found out who could chug the fastest…out of baby bottles!  Guests also participated in a free throw contest.  And remember the “Section, Row, Seat” numbers on the invitation tickets?  Each guest had different numbers on their tickets, so we drew numbers out of a baseball hat for a winner. The game of the hour, though, was our version of NASCAR and March Madness all rolled into one in what we called, “Nascycle.”

I created the “March Madness” bracket ahead of time.  Guests raced against one another on tricycles until only one competitor was left standing!

Host(ess) Tip:  Originally, each guest was going to get a copy of the bracket and, in true March Madness fashion, they had to pick who they thought would win.  Well, I messed up when making the brackets.  We almost didn’t play the game, but then we just readjusted our plans and the rules of the game.  No one knew about my mistake and everyone had one H-E-double hockey sticks of a good time.  The point is, you’ve spent a lot of time trying to make your event perfect, but something will, no doubt, go awry.  As long as you don’t sweat it and you just relax and go with the flow during party time, your guests will never know something wasn’t exactly how you planned it and they’ll have a fantastic time.

The prizes for the game winners were presented in a similar fashion to the way we did the prizes at the Nursery Rhyme Shower.  We bagged each prize and attached a card with a word clue to the bag.  One tag read “Seattle” along with the logos for the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.  The prize was a bag of Seattle’s Best Coffee, coffee press, and mugs.  A dozen steamed crabs and a cooler had a tag with “Baltimore” and the logos for the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens.  Other prizes included: Chicago Cutlery (Chicago), Emeril cookbook, grill pan, and seasonings (New Orleans), Griddle pan and maple syrup (New England), Wine and Cheese Tote (Wisconsin), Netflix Gift Certificate, popcorn, and candy (Los Angeles) and Lowe's Gift Card (NASCAR).  

 
Budget Friendly Tip: Trying to come up with sports theme related prizes wasn’t easy since actual sport team items (like baseball caps) can be very expensive, plus not everyone loves Penn State or the 49ers. That’s why we put together prize packages that could relate to a team’s hometown.  However, rather than having several items as one prize, slim things down to stay within your budget.  A horseshoe key-chain, like these from Wedding Favors Unlimited, can represent the Colts or a tin filled with Hershey Kisses from The Hershey’s Store could represent the Hershey Bears.

 
After the food was eaten, the games were played, and all the prizes had been won, we sent the guests home with their sporty favors.  Each guest received a lunch bag with an NFL team logo filled with a koozie, a cookie lollipop in the shape of a football or baseball, a box of Cracker Jacks, and peanuts.  “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” was tied onto each bag.

 
Budget Friendly Tip: The epitome of a great sporting event is the box of Cracker Jacks! Make your own Cracker Jacks with this recipe from Savory Sweet Life, package them in these retro popcorn bags from Hey Yo Yo, and of course, don’t forget the prize!  These golf ball tape measure key chains from Plum Party would make a great and very affordable Cracker Jack prize.      

 

I hope these ideas help make your next sport themed party a home-run!
 

Holy Party, Batman!

The bat signal went out; my friend C needed inspiration. Like myself, she only has boys and of course we can't seem to shake the super hero party, and Batman is the obsession of the moment. That's ok, it can still be stylish, especially since pretty much all of these ideas can be adapted for any crime fighter. Luckily for her, I'm always bookmarking inspirational ideas...

Setting The Scene
How great is Creative Stirrings' great tabletop where she wrapped presents as Gotham City buildings. Clever napkin tip - scallop napkins to look like bat wings. Disguise ordinary water bottles as Super Water with a simple change of the label.

The Munchies
For the menu, go crazy with a bat cookie cutter. Make bat Jell-O Jigglers from grape Jell-O, bat rolls with pizza dipping sauce, and serve Bat Cream Sandwiches. Make bat cookies, sandwich softened ice cream between two and refreeze. What To Do Keep them busy with a cape-decorating workshop like at Ambrosia Girl's super hero party. Each child was given a package that included a cape, mask, and a stencil of their initial to trace onto felt; check out the free download patterns at Living Locurto. To make it more Batman themed, make black masks with initials in yellow like Cookie Monday's party. For those of you with serious sewing skills, check out My Tiny Sweet Cheeks for making pretty sweet capes.

Send Them Home With A Smile
Loving these bat bean bags from Roots and Wings Co, perfect for a bean bag toss or for party favors . I seriously heart this ridiculously cute Batman envelope treat bag from Just Jenn (which she also provides the pdf), but these bags sewn by Green Jello with personalized name tags are coming in a very close second. Not enough? OK, check out my last superhero party post....Not Just A Mommy!

Everything's Coming Up Daisies

Hi everyone I'm Christina, Tina for short.  I write a little blog called Twitterpated.  It's my creative outlet for all the fun things that make me happy:  parties, crafts, designing, decorating, cooking, etc....  So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when Jennifer asked me to be a regular guest blogger here at Create My Event.  I will be sharing fun ideas with you every Tuesday, and I hope to never disappoint!

I thought I would start out with a party blog that was very dear to my heart.  My daughter's first birthday party.  I realize that the 1st b-day is usually attended by more adults than children.  At least that was the case with us.  Catie was the first grandchild, and one of the first babies amongst our friends.  So basically it was more for my husband and I than our daughter.   She's never going to remember any of it anyway!  So, this is why I chose a fun, colorful and easy garden theme with daisies and bugs.  It turned out perfectly, and everyone had a great time. **Plus, it leaves some of the more fun party ideas available for when she is older and can enjoy them! 

Let's start off with the invitations. I made these cute flower invites myself using plain old Microsoft Word. They were very easy, and it got the ball rolling for the garden theme. I hired our friends over at Nine Photography to come hang out and take pictures during the party. If you have this as an option I definitely recommend it. I didn't have to worry about running around snapping photos all day, I just got to enjoy hosting with my little Bug..
I found this birthday t-shirt at Kohl's, very cheap and it came with a matching bib. I made the pettiskirt for her myself. (Not something I plan to do again anytime soon) At least not until I get a ruffle attachment for my sewing machine. These skirts are very time consuming!!!! It turned out great though.Let's begin with the dessert table. I found brightly colored check fabric at WalMart for $1.50 a yard!! I bought orange, pink, purple and green. These made excellent table cloths. I also used some to cover the back of Catie's high chair and draped the extras across the buffet(kitchen island). I made the cupcakes myself. They were super easy. Just a regular box cupcake mix and store bought icing tinted green.. I piped the icing in a swirl using a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Then, just sprinkled little jimmies on top. To add an extra little something special I bought already tinted fondant at the craft store, rolled it out with a rolling pin, and using flower cookie cutters, cut out the shapes for the tops of the cupcakes. SOOO easy! I did the same thing for Catie's personal sized cake. I found small flower vases and brightly colored fake daisy flowers to put on the tables. Behind the dessert table I had Catie's high chair set up with balloons tied to it. I hung the birthday banner behind her chair. This was an easy banner to make. I just printed out the letters and then pasted them to some purple felt. I took pieces of hot pink tulle and tied them all together. Above the dessert table and buffet I hung several different sized paper lanterns along with glittery butterflies and dragonflies. All found at the craft store for a few dollars each.On the other end of the table I set up a little candy bar for guests to snack on, or take along for the ride home. The sign was printed off the computer and put in an extra frame I had around. I filled inexpensive vases from WalMart with different candies bought on sale after valentines Day.(how lucky for me her party was right after the holiday) I stuck cute pinwheels in the candy and used these adorable little lady bugs all over the party. They popped up in all sorts of places. :-) I took white paper bags, and using a regular address label and Microsoft Word again, printed out a little thank you message for the guests. On the dinner buffet I had a menu printed out and framed also. I wrapped the silverware up in pretty pink napkins and tied them off with colored ribbon. Using those same checked fabrics, I covered the buffet and set out the food. BBQ for the adults and fun flower shaped PBJ's and chicken nuggets for the  few kids that were there. I had two beverage dispensers I borrowed from a friend. One had pink lemonade in it, and the other had an adult cocktail. I made labels for these also and tied them around the tops of the dispensers with more ribbon..

In the dining room(which luckily for me was empty with no furniture) I set up a large round table for gifts, and 4 square folding tables with chairs for guests to sit and eat at. I covered them with fabric and used daisy clips around the legs. One simple vase on each table with a couple of flowers did the trick. I took about 60 balloons and filled them with helium and just let them float around the ceiling of the dining room. I tied long strings on them and let the kids play with them. I found a cheap inflatable kiddie pool on Amazon.com along with jumping balls. I filled the pool with the balls and voila, an easy tot play area. The kids went crazy for it! They played in there for hours!I gave each child a gift of their own to open while Catie was opening her presents. I made something special for each of them according to their ages. Some got blankets, super hero capes, tutus..Along with little toys and stickers, everyone was happy. This was easy to pull off because we only had about 6 or 7 kids at the party.

This was a fun and amazing party to plan for my sweet little Catie-bug's 1st big bash!  I hope my ideas help with planning your next party! 

Party on!

Tina

Spring is in the air!

I LOVE spring!  The colours, the flowers and party opportunities!  I am planning a Mad Hatter Tea Party for all of our friends and family in April.  I CAN'T WAIT!  When I saw this Easter Tablescapes and Spring Parties Contest over at Maddycakes Muse I just had to pull out some of the things that I had been collecting for my tea party!  Here are a few photos:

 A fabulous view from the top!

Some of the goodies!

Cute bumble bee hey?

I'm also starting to plan for a good friends Bumble Bee Baby Shower in July.  I couldn't resist adding a few yellow, black and white touches!  My friend and fellow blogger, Amy, at Momma Bee's PartyZ threw a Rubber Duckie Baby Shower the other day!  It was fabulous!  And so springy!  Here are a few pics:

Rubber Duckies and an invite.

Yummy party favours!

For more details and photos go to It's My Party Events.   
   

Chocolat(e) Bridal Shower

My sister’s favorite movie is Chocolat, so I was totally inspired to have a chocolate themed bridal shower (or a Choco-Soiree as I called it) for her back in December. 

With a theme like chocolate inspired by Chocolat it was easy to go all out.  We had a chocolate-infused menu, chocolate candy buffet, chocolate games and prizes, and chocolate favors.  Even the colors, turquoise, red, and gold, and the location of the shower were inspired by the movie. 

I was blown away by the Vera Wang Retro Verso invitation.  While gorgeous they are also expensive, so I made the invites myself.  I took a page from Vera’s book and made the shower invites dual sided. I bought paper from Paper-Source.com.  I used the 5.5" circle card in "Pool" and the 5.75" square envelopes in "Red".  And, of course, I had to include the kangaroo!

 
We held the shower at a local winery that was described as a “French Country Chateau.”  The venue itself was simple, elegant, and embodied the “quiet little village in the French countryside” that sets the scene in Chocolat, so we kept our decorations to a minimum.  We used clusters of turquoise and red balloons too add some color.  We also bought centerpieces with all red flowers, including kangaroo paws, and turquoise vases.

 
Budget Friendly Tip:To help create a French Country atmosphere decorate with clusters of grapes and use empty wine bottles as candle holders.  Make this French Country tablecloth for $10. Bright reds and yellows for paper goods will also help give you a French Country feel.   

A local caterer helped us come up with a delicious chocolate menu, which included: 

Vegetable Display with Chocolate Yogurt Dip

Tiki Shrimp with a Ginger Dipping Sauce

Chocolate Soup with Mascarpone Brioche Sandwiches made with honey and cream cheese

Hot open-faced Ham, Swiss, and Granny Apple Sandwiches on Baguette with Dijon Mustard

Chocolate Fondue with Strawberries, Pineapples, Bananas, Pretzels, and Marshmallows

Raspberry Iced Tea

Budget Friendly Tip: Chocolate recipes can be found all over the internet.  Click on the links in the menu above for recipes.

We also had a gorgeous cake designed by the same cake artist that was making the wedding cake.  We kept it simple with three tiers covered with turquoise and red fondant and a gold damask pattern.  Each tier incorporated chocolate.  Our mascot, the kangaroo decorated the second tier.

 
Budget Friendly Tip:  Chocolate cupcakes with red and turquoise frosting or cupcake liners (like these found on Etsy.com at sweet treats supplies and make it sweet) on a tiered cupcake stand will look just as gorgeous and delicious. 

I like playing games at showers because it gives the guests something to do besides chit-chat.  Plus, they’re great icebreakers.  We played “How Well Do You Know the Bride & Groom?” trivia and our version of “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.” In keeping with all the chocolate, guests had to guess what candy bars they were eating and how many Hershey Kisses were in a jar.

Our prizes were chocolate related as well.  We gave away a fondue pot, a chocolate making kit, a chocolate spa set, and tickets to a chocolate making class.  We like to keep our prizes hidden, so guests get a fun surprise too.

 
Budget Friendly Tip: You can keep prizes simple by handing out the jar of kisses as one prize and centerpieces for the rest of the prizes.  Chocolate scented candles are also inexpensive.

The favors were wrapped in red damask boxes with turquoise ribbon and a kangaroo button. Along with an Egyptian perfume bottle (which the bride collects) each guest received the movie Chocolat, Bride and Groom Chocolate Miniatures from Oh Nuts!, Poppin' Time Brittle Bark from Brittle Bark , and white chocolate fudge covered Oreos with the bride and groom's picture on them from Cookie HQ.

 
Budget Friendly Tip:  Make personalized candy bar wrappers, like these from CandyUnderCover.com,  and let everyone take home the bride’s favorite candy bar.  For a slightly more expensive option, set-up a chocolate candy buffet!

In addition to our other favors we also set up a chocolate buffet.  Guests filled up their own bags before they left.  We bought some chocolate from a local candy store and some prepackaged chocolates from the grocery store.  Each chocolate had its own dish and was labeled, so guests knew what they were taking with them.

 
For more pictures and ideas visit A Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench.

 

Win an Inhabit Pillow! Winner Announced!

Congratulations Catherine Whitten Harvey! You have won our Facebook Fan Contest - you won a 2Modern Inhabit Pillow! Become a Sendomatic Facebook fan to be entered to win more prizes!

Congratulations!

Sponsors: Sendomatic & 2Modern

Valentine's Party

I recently put on a 3D Valentine's Day workshop for all of the girls!  They created over 4 fabulous projects while learning fun, new paper crafting techniques!  Just in time for Valentine's Day! 

The party table was a bit of a challenge for me as I am surrounded by boys... PINK is a hard colour to come by in my house!  I created fun tissue paper balls using a 1 1/2" styrofoam ball, 6" squares of tissue and lots of hot glue.  I love how they turned out! 

 

The decor was found in a variety of places.  I used a swatch of coordinating wrapping paper in a picture frame from my bathroom, I made fabric hearts out of scraps of material and I displayed all of our fun workshop projects (which included: a Valentine's Day card, triangle boxes, pin wheels and paper fortune cookies).

Of course I had to make PINK goodies!  My poor family was allowed to look but not touch until AFTER the party!

I love working with Rice Krispie treats!  I molded them into fun heart shapes, decorated them and put them on a stick!  These were yummy party favors for all of the guests!  You can find the tutorial here.    

For more fabulous event details and photographs please visit It's My Party Events.   

Nursery Rhyme Baby Shower

When my mom, sister, and I wanted to throw a baby shower for my cousin that was laid back, classy and had the charm of the quintessential baby shower, we jumped on a Nursery Rhyme theme.  With hundreds of nursery rhymes to choose from, we knew we would have hundreds of ways to find inspiration.  An excellent website to begin getting inspired by is:  Nursery Rhymes Online.

 
 
The invitation is always my favorite part of a shower because it lets your guests know what kind of event and atmosphere they can expect.  I made a simple invitation with the nursery rhyme Monday’s Child on the front of it.  However, if you’re not a DIYer you can buy personalized nursery rhyme themed invitations online, like these from Colors By Design:

 

Nursery rhymes even inspired the menu! We served meatball subs for On Top of Spaghetti, deviled eggs for Humpty Dumpty, and cupcakes decorated with a “B” for Patty-Cake.  We also had the Three Men In A Tub floating in the punch bowl.   We went so far as to make a game out of the food and guests had to guess which rhymes inspired each dish. 

We kept decorations at a minimum, sticking to paper goods and balloons. Fishs Eddy has a great collection of nursery rhyme cups. A huge collection of toile-like blue or pink nursery rhyme plates, cups, napkins and other decorations can be found at Party World’s PartyWedding.com.  The Cow Jumped Over the Moon plates and napkins that we used can be found at Cow Depot.

 

 

Aside from guessing the nursery rhyme inspired foods, guests also played Nursery Rhyme Pictionary and they guessed how many balls of wool Baa Baa Black Sheep had in his “three jars full.”  Game winners picked their prizes based on nursery rhymes attached to the prize bags.  Prizes included a restaurant gift certificate for Jack Sprat, a set of ice cream bowls for I Scream, You Scream, and a gift certificate to DSW for There Was An Old Woman.

 
After all the food, games, prizes, and gift opening the guests were sent home with green and yellow baskets stamped with A Tisket A Tasket and filled with Short’nin’ Bread bread mix, Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater pumpkin butter, Mary Mary Quite Contrary potted love plant and What Little Boys Are Made Of homemade cookies.

We found all of our favors at a local market.  Other great nursery rhyme favors would be Over The Moon bookmarks from Bellissimo Favors; Jack Be Nimble beeswax honeycomb candles from Beau-Coup; Humpty Dumpty kitchen egg timers from Weddingvows.net; and Ladybug Ladybug soaps from Simply Baby Stuff.

 

If you still need more inspiration for a Nursery Rhyme Baby Shower check out the details at A Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench.

Lower Calorie Valentine's Day Desserts

Yum! - Look at these wonderful lower calorie desserts from Taste Of Home. When we are trying to watch what we eat and there is so much temptation (especially around a holiday that focuses on chocolate) these sweet treats let us be indulgent without blowing a diet. More lower in calorie desserts here.

Chocolate Bliss Marble Cake - Recipe

215 Calories Per Serving

Chocolate Crepes with Raspberry Sauce - Recipe
203 Calories Per Serving

Strawberry Schaum Torte - Recipe

174 Calories Per Serving

Ingredients
8 egg whites
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1-1/2 cups whipped cream

Directions
Place egg whites in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add the vinegar, vanilla and salt; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved.

Spread into a greased 10-in. spring-form pan. Bake at 300° for 50-60 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool (meringue will fall).

Serve with strawberries and whipped cream. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Yield: 12 servings.

Find more entertaining ideas at Entertain Exchange.

Dr Seuss Birthday Party

I absolutely loved planning and hosting this Dr Seuss Birthday Party!  There were so many fun themes and characters that the choices were endless.  After being inspired by Dr Seuss Baby Showers' at Kara's Party Ideas and Stem Parties I came up with this fabulous party!

  
I painted and cut out over 20 truffula trees taller than me!  I also painted Thing 1 and Thing 2 charicatures to go over photographs of the Birthday Boys. 

Green Eggs and Ham were, of course, a must have on the buffet table!

We had the children play 'Pin the heart on the Grinch' as we all know - his heart is two sizes too small!

 
The party favour table - it wouldn't be a Dr Seuss party if the Cat in the Hat weren't in attendance! 

Thing 1 ready to have his cake and eat it too!  His twin brother, Thing 2, never remained very presentable as he was wont to pull off his hair! 

You can find more great details and photos at It's My Party.