Now Available: Medieval Knight Birthday Party August 17, 2011

I am so excited about this latest collection! After the cute and ultra girly Pink and White Damask collection, it was fun to switch gears and do something very manly! What could be more boyish than a medieval themed birthday party! Thank you Brigitte for contacting me about creating these them for your son’s upcoming party!

By Royal Decree, a Knights Tournament there shall be! Prepare to test your strength and power with the greatest knights of the kingdom! This birthday theme is sure to be a huge hit with boys of all ages! Wouldn’t you agree? As with all tournaments, there are two teams… in this case, the red team (the mighty griffin) and the blue team (the regal lion). All the party printables reflect these two team colors and logos. There can only be one birthday invite though so you get to choose which you’d prefer. Here they are:

 

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I LOVE welcome door signs and absolutely ADORE cupcake toppers!

Every tournament has to have some friendly competitions! Here are some signs you can post at each game station!

 

 

Buffet food labels and water bottle wrappers add a manly touch to this party’s theme!  And of course, no birthday party would be complete without a banner and thank you tags for the favor bags!

 

 

This medieval knight party printable collection is now available at my Etsy store. If you want all the party pieces shown here, the cost is only $45! Such a bargain! Don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! If there’s a themed party you’d like to see me create, please contact me! I LOVE custom work.

 

Advertisement

Sailboat Party Collection and Free Printables! April 13, 2011

As you probably know, I have been working on launching digital party invites and party supplies. I have a few collections available now at my Etsy store and I will be adding more over the next few weeks! I love digital party invites because you can print as many as you need or you can simply attach the file to an e-mail and send it out that way.

The digital party decorations are fantastic too because they are totally customized and personalized. Love the race car collection but need it for a girl? Not a problem since it is digital and I created the artwork, I can change the colors! Perfect!

For my son, Asher’s first birthday, I wanted a theme that embraced the beauty of New England and the gorgeous view we get to enjoy everyday from our home in Jamestown, Rhode Island. I wanted his invite and birthday colors to be soft and muted, like the landscape we have been seeing this winter. There’ll be plenty of other birthdays with bright, vibrant colors. For now, I get to choose his theme and the palate of his party! Here is the color board:

Sailboat collection color board

And here is the invitation!

 

Invitation

And of course, the rest of the party decorations:

Cupcake toppers

Party favor tags

Happy birthday banner: HA

Happy birthday banner: PP

Happy birthday banner: Y

Welcome door sign

Water bottle wrap

In my Etsy shop, I offer all the individual pieces. I also have the full range available– a fantastic deal at only $45. The full collection includes:

• 5” x 7” invite
• Happy Birthday banner: 5” x 5” square letter panels
• 2” party circles: thank you, anchor, age, happy birthday name
• 4” party circles: make signs and cake toppers
• 7.5” x 10” welcome party sign
• 4” x 6” thank you note cards
• 4.5” x  3.5” set of 4 blank labels
• Water bottle wraps

To celebrate the launch of the sailboat party collection, here are a couple FREE printables for you!

Classic Girl Collection! April 1, 2011

New in my Etsy shop is the Classic Girl Collection! These are fantastic because you can have them personalized with your child’s name, age and photograph!  When you send me your child’s photograph, I will do basic photo editing such as cropping and turning the picture into black and white, at no additional cost! I love the bright colors in this collection and the stripe/polka dot combination is SO MUCH FUN for any age!

Check out this darling invite:

Classic Girl collection- invitation

The invite measures 5″x7″ and you can either print at home on heavy, bright white card stock or upload it to an internet digital photo service to get printed. If you have it printed on photo paper, then make sure you choose the matte finish. This will look less photography and will not show fingerprint!

And of course, you know how much I love “welcome to the party” door signs. I they are a great way to get the party theme started as soon as your guest reach the front door! I can do additional personalizing to these signs (such as “take your shoes off and step inside” or “the party is in the back garden”). Here’s the one that comes with the Classic Girl collection:

Classic Girl collection- door sign

Your little girl will love seeing her photograph on the party decorations! The rest of the collection comprises of a Happy Birthday banner, cupcake toppers and thank you tags/circles!

Classic Girl collection- birthday banner

Classic Girl collection- cupcake toppers

Classic Girl collection- thank you tags

Remember the notecards with belly bands that I made for the Classic Boy collection? Well, I am of course offering the girl version! These are great to print and use as stationary for your little girl! Also, after the party, you can use them as thank you note cards. Since you print them yourself, you can make as few or as many as you need! The notecards are sized to 4″x 6″ so that you will get two per sheet of paper.

Classic Girl collection- note cards

Inspirations March 30, 2011

My son’s first birthday is coming up. His party will be at the end of April. Deciding on the theme for his party was harder than I’d expected. For my daughter’s first birthday party, I knew months in advance that I wanted a ladybug theme… but for my son, I’ve had a harder time deciding. And, he’s too young to tell me.

So, I found inspiration from our surrounding. Here are a couple photos of his bedroom and the amazing view he wakes up to every day. We are very fortunate to live right on the water in beautiful Jamestown, Rhode Island. The pretty colors outside have influenced his birthday party theme. We’ll be celebrating his birthday with a sailboat/nautical theme. Over the next couple weeks, I’ll give you sneak peeks of his party decorations and invites but for now… here’s the inspiration:

The colors I’ll be using are: light blue, navy blue, rustic orange, dark red, beige, and brown. Of course, there’ll be some plaid because that is sooooo cute.

Party “Welcome” Door Signs March 29, 2011

I am so happy to have mailed off some fun party decorations and invites to Tisha this morning! She is having a joint birthday party with her husband. In fact their wedding anniversary’s sandwiched in between the two birthdays so they really do have a lot to celebrate! I enjoyed working with her on the invites and am thrilled with the final product. The invites are 5 inches by 7 inches and have a bright white card stock overlay. The overlay is tied to the card with about 8 inches of grosgrain ribbon which are cut on a diagonal. I printed their return address on the envelopes so all she has to do is address them.

Invites

The invites match the Happy Birthday banner which I had listed in my Etsy shop. I do have more of this amazing card stock so keep an eye on my shop… I may just have to make another one of these. I love that the colors are bright. Also, some of the paper in this collection has glitter, too.

Happy birthday banner

 

Happy birthday banner

As a special treat for the birthday gal (and guy!), I made a welcome door sign for them to hang on their front door. This is a fun way to create a party atmosphere from the moment people enter the house.

Party door sign

 

Party door sign

I really like making welcome signs for parties. I think they are really fun and add  a nice touch. I sell print your own door signs in my Etsy store. The one below is part of the sailboat collection. I love making party collections and think it is really fun to have matching invites, cupcake toppers, party circles, etc.

Sailboat party door sign

Sailboat printable door sign

 

 

Tutorial: Note cards with belly band March 28, 2011

I am so happy to now offer printable note cards in my Etsy store. I’ve been wanting to branch out to the print-your-own party supplies for a while now and have had a lot of fun creating some incredible collections. The pattern in the photos of this tutorial is from the Classic Boy collection. There are invites, birthday banner, cupcake toppers and thank you tags available in this collection.

I can custom make these note cards in any color and font! They are make fabulous gifts and also make excellent thank you cards after a birthday party. Here’s how to put these together. Of course the first thing you’ll have to do is print the file that I e-mail you after your purchase 😉 It is best to use heavy bright white paper (ideally 110 lb). This is available from Staples or most craft stores.

1. Use a paper cutter to trim the paper. Each sheet of paper will give you two note cards that measure 4 inches x 6 inches. It is easiest to cut the belly bands first. Then, trim each side.

Cut the belly bands

Belly Band

Trim the sides

Trim the top and bottom of cards

2. Your printer may not be able to print all the way to the edge. So, if you have a white margin on either side of the belly bands, trim these off with scissors.

Trim belly band

3. Use a corner-rounder punch in the corners. If you don’t have one, you can use scissors for this part. I highly recommend getting a punch though, especially if you are doing a lot of the note cards!

Round-corner punch

Round corners with scissors

4. Fold the belly band about ¼ of the way up.

Fold belly band

Crease

5. Now, put the crease over the note card. Turn the card over and do the second fold/crease on the belly band.

Align crease on edge of note card

Back of card

Back

6. Et voila! Your beautiful note cards are finished.

Note card with belly band

Friday Social Network Blast March 25, 2011

1. DaSweetZpot Italian Wedding Berry Jam

Italian Wedding Jam

 

2. Moss Terrarium with Natural Quartz

Moss Terrarium

 

3. Plus Size Brown and Cream KaftanFrom roseglen

Plus Size Brown and Cream Kaftan

 

4. Back Home Vintage Cozy Kitten Salt/Pepper Shakers. I actually love these little kitties! They are very kitsch and would be great conversation starters. Very Dolores Umbridge-esque!

Cozy Kitten Salt/Pepper Shakers

 

5. A Party Studio Set of 12 large pinwheels. Perfect decoration or favor for a garden party!

Large pinwheel wands

 

6. Here is an adorable and bright spring bag with a simple coral design… this is my favorite items this week. So much fun for summer.

Yellow tote

 

7. When Love Happens These brooch pin boutonnieres will be perfect for any event!

Brooch pin boutonnieres

 

8. Charming Whimsical Antique Flying Dove/Swallow Bird Charm Necklace

Necklace

 

9. Hello Again Vintage – Brighten up your outfit with Vintage 1980s Neon Earrings (Lot of 5)

1980s Neon Earrings

 

10. Blazinbeads – American Turquoise Wirewrapped Pendant

Cabochon Pendant

 

11. Sesiber – Pink – Beaded and Caftan Appliqued Regional Neck warmer

Regional Neck warmer

 

12. Totally modern love affair! He Love’s Her and now everyone knows with this colorful and fun save the date design by Kailey Marie!

Save the date

 

13. LJLDESIGNS –  Wine Anyone…

Wine Anyone Note Cards

 

14. Garage Gypsy_Beautiful Sterling Turquoise earrings inspired by geometric shapes and the southwest

Turquoise and Leather Fringe Earrings

 

15. Commonsensical Spa –Get your first taste of Spring with this intoxicatingly floral Ylang Ylang Sugar Scrub!

Sugar Scrub

 

16. The Fix Designs – Pink Circles Earrings for Spring!

Pink Circles Earrings

 

17. ArielSimone – Vintage Inspired Deep V Swimsuit

Gathered Waist Suit

 

18. MellowMermaid – Vintage Upcycled Floral Wall Art

Floral Wall Sculptures

 

19. thebijoubarn – Multi-feather necklace

Feather Necklace

 

20. horseandhare – Japan Relief – Rising Heart Print

Linoleum Block Print

 

21. Visionofbeautydesign – Beautiful Vintage Pink Fire Opal Brass Clip On Earrings

Clip On Earrings

 

22. mkcollection- Rainy Spring Day Girls overalls/halter style appliqued.

Overalls applique halter

 

23. ChrissysCreation – Hawaiian Flower Tote Purese

Hawaiian Flower Tote Purse

 

24. Sweet shoppe birthday invite… this is perfect for a Candy themed birthday party. You could set up a candy dessert station with lots of gumdrops, lollipops. gummy bears, etc. It’d be really cute, bright and colorful!

Sweet shoppe birthday invite

 

25. DellCoveSpices – Pink cocktail sugar rim. Margaritas, martinis, drinks fun with festive glasses. Recipes included. This would be a lot of fun for the adult parties. Or even for kids parties… how much would the little ones love a sugar-rimmed glass full of pink lemonade! So pretty…

Pink cocktail sugar rim

 

26. prettymuchdana – Origami Alphabet Soup Crane Egg Jar

Soup Crane Egg Jar

 

27. Vanrobmac–Tulle Double Birdcage Wedding Veil

Double Birdcage Wedding Veil

 

28. OnMommysApron- Damask and Stripe Kitchen Accessory Set

Pot Holder & Oven Mitt Set

 

 

 

 

Inexpensive party food… a few ideas March 24, 2011

For children, the best part of any party is playing games with friends, eating cake (or cupcakes!!) and general running around. Food is not high on their priority list. It is almost impossible to get my daughter to eat when we go to parties. She is so excited and is darting around having fun that she doesn’t want to stop for food, even her favorite pizza. This means that you can keep this aspect of your party really simple. And you don’t have to go to a huge expensive either. By keeping this in mind, you can free up your budget a little bit and spend more on party decorations, photo props and party favors.

So, here are a few easy snack ideas and menu choices that should appeal to the little ones and not break the bank!

 

Popcorn is delicious, healthy and kids love it. Be careful though if there are going to be any young toddlers at the party because popcorn is a choking hazard. You can get really cute popcorn bags online. 25 bags for $3.50. That is a great deal!

Popcorn bag

 

And  how about pretty fairy bread? Simply take sliced white bread, cut off the crust and get the slices into perfect squares. Spread with butter then cut diagonally in half so that each slice gives you 2 triangles. Now sprinkle with cupcake topping! The sprinkles stick to the spread. How cute and easy!

Fairy bread

You can also use cookie cutters to make pretty shapes. This is a fun and simple alternative to the basic sugar cookie. Depending on the age of the children at the party, you could set up a station where kids make their own fairy bread! Children love sprinkles.

 

Of course, if you don’t want the kids too hyped up on sugar and want to offer something healthy then fruit  kababs are the way to go! These look beautiful and are so simple- and the adults will loves these, too. Simple cut your fruit into chunks and skewer with a kabab stick. Any of the party picks in my store can be made on bamboo skewers instead of tooth picks! Everyone loves fruit kabobs. You can even offer some sweet dipping sauce to go with these. If fruit isn’t in season then you can skewer marshmallows onto your party sticks!

Fruit-kabob platter

 

 

If you are going to have a lot of adults at your party then grilling burgers and hot dogs is a simple and fun menu. Simply add a bowl of coleslaw or potato salad and you are all set. The men love the grill so this is a good way to get dad involved. Setting up a ‘toppings’ station looks attractive and lets everyone personalize their burger! You can keep the toppings real basic or go all out with gourmet mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, various cheese slices, pickles, relish, sliced onion, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, avocado slices, etc. This also works good if your party is for older kids.

BBQ

 

Hope this gives you some fun ideas. Let me know what your favorite (inexpensive) party menu items include!

Ribbon Wands March 21, 2011

I was recently asked about ribbon wands for little boys. The ones I’d made up to now definitely had a girly feel to them. Think soft, girly colors and flowers! But boys love ribbon wands, too. I think the idea of twirling around with the ribbon is appealing to all children, regardless of gender. There is something fascinating about the way the ribbon moves and follows their hand movements. So, I was tasked with designing wands that any parent would be happy to let their child play with…

Combination of 5 colors!

Gender-neutral Ribbon Wands

8 feet of ribbon per wand

I love this color combination. It is inspired by the Bright collection in my Etsy store. It is a combination of orange, white, turquoise, light green (celadon) and yellow. So fun! Each strand measures 2 feet long and there are four strands per wand. That means these ribbon wands have a very generous amount of ribbon- 8 feet per wand!

 

Here are some items from the Bright collection that inspired the choice of color combination.

Party picks

Birthday banner

 

I hope you love these wands! Leave a comment and let me know what color combination you’d like me to use for the next set of wands.

 

 

Tutorial: The Silk Flower March 17, 2011

You will need:

Silk flower

Lined double prong alligator clip

Hot Glue

Rhinestone Embellishment (optional)

 

Step 1

Cut the stem off the flower. Discard the plastic green “crown” so that all your have are the leaves.

Cut stem off the flower

Step 2

Separate each layer. We are going to glue these on the alligator clip, one layer at a time. We’ll start with the bottom layer and work our way to the top (smallest) layer.

Separate each layer

Step 3

Put hot glue on the alligator clip and on the largest layer of the silk flower.

Hot glue

Step 4

Press the flower on the alligator clip and hold to the count of 10.

Press flower on alligator clip

Step 5

Repeat with all the additional layers.

Repeat

Step 6

Once all the flower layers are glued on the clip in a stack, take your embellishment and glue it in the middle of the flower. If you don’t have an embellishment, you can use the ‘center’ of the flower and that’ll give you a more ‘natural’ look.

Embellish the center

Enjoy! And be creative:)

In hair