{Customer Feature} FIretruck Party!

Well, HELLO out there! Did you think I was ever going to post again? I took a little hiatus from blogging while I was on a family vacation to the beach. I had big plans to get up early and blog before the kids came running in searching high and low for breakfast doughnuts (that's a ritual when we're at the beach), but I think the BIG GUY upstairs had other plans for me.

I didn't know how hard it could be getting an internet connection while traveling.... well, maybe "hard" isn't the right word.... how about impossible!! My vacation quickly turned into a daily fiasco of phone calls to internet providers, phone calls to the owners of the condo, going from one room to the next trying to find the single, tiny signal that might actually connect me for 5 whole minutes before it, too, disappeared. And then there was the hotel lobby.... 3 buildings away.... the car rides to local cafes and all the rest just trying to get files to customers. It was a little nightmarish and I think my husband was ready to chunk my computer into that deep, blue ocean. So blogging definitely had to go for a while, but I'm happy to say that I'm home safe and sound and thankfully connected once again to the blogosphere!

Today I wanted to share a cute firetruck party one of my customer's put together for her son, Cole, using the Shindig Parties TO GO Firetruck party printables. Amanda did a fabulous job decorating the house and the dessert table, too. Just take a look:

I love how Amanda used streamers as a backdrop -
a simple and inexpensive way to add flair and color to any party.

For her cupcake stand, Amanda covered rectangular boxes with wrapping paper and added a little ribbon, too. Then she used the polka dot cupcake wraps and cute personalized cupcake toppers as a focal point of the dessert table.

Amanda used the different papers that come with the Firetruck party printables collection to wrap candy jars and add pops of color to the table.

Don't you love the old firetruck that Amanda used as a prop on Cole's dessert table?

And the Dalmation adds a cute touch, too.

Adorable fire hydrant cup favors with personalized tags are the perfect take home treat for the kids.

Cole is one lucky boy - mom even got Elmo to come by to say "Happy Birthday!" Thanks so much, Amanda, for sharing Cole's party with us!

Be sure to check out all of the FIRETRUCK PRINTABLES in my shop. From invitations and thank you notes to everything you'll need to decorate the house and party table, printables are a simple and affordable way to throw a stress-free, personalized party for your little one.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday yesterday! God Bless our troops!

Linking up to: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping it Simple, Craftomaniac, Tater Tots and Jello,Skip to my Lou, Under the Table and Dreaming, Blue Cricket Design, Someday Crafts,Fireflies and Jelly Beans, House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, Tidy Mom,Romantic Home,Shabby Nest, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, The Girl Creative,Tater Tots and Jello, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors,Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, The Idea Room, C.R.A.F.T., Today's Creative Blog, Between Naps on the Porch,Thrifty Decor Chick, Making the World Cuter, Tea Rose Home, The Shabby Chic Cottage,The Trendy Treehouse, The DIY Showoff, Whipperberry,Gluesticks,Beyond the Picket Fence, Mad in Crafts, Sugar Bee Crafts, All Things Related, Savvy Southern Style, The Thrifty Home, Passionately Artistic, Nifty Thrifty

SNEAK PEEK - Cupcake Cutie Collection!

I've been working on a super cute custom order for the last few days and was able to get a few photos taken yesterday of the new designs. My client wanted bright, bright hot pink and yellow for her little girl's first birthday celebration. How happy is that? Love those colors!! Bold and spunky!

Here's a quick sneak peek......

Don't you love the cupcake wraps? I hope to post more to show you tomorrow and have them in my shop soon so stay tuned!

I hope you all are finishing up your last days of school. Ours was yesterday and I have three VERY, VERY, uhhhh.... VERY Happy Kids!!! Off to the pool we go!

DIY Fabric Letters

What a great DIY project this is!

I love using monograms and large initials for decorating and for parties. Everyone seems to love seeing their "special letter" as a focal point, although sometimes it's difficult to find "your" specific letter. The stores always seem to be sold out of the very one you need. Or sometimes I want something really large, especially for a great party feature or centerpiece, but those large letters are not only hard to find, they are expensive, too.

That's where this little project comes in.

When I came across this cute idea for fabric letters from Lindsay over at Artsy Fartsy Mama, I knew I wanted to share it with all of you. Make them as large or as small as you wish.... hang them on the wall.... use them for party table backdrops or even banners.... give your toddler a new tactile play toy.... the possibilities are numerous. And the part that I like best is the fabric -- I'm kind of a fabric junkie anyway. No painting.... no decoupaging.... just pick out a few of your favorite fabrics and wah-lah! You've got a perfectly coordinated bedroom or party decoration.

Here's what you will need:

Fabric for front and back of letters
Quilt batting
Sewing machine
Scissors, pin, etc.
Letter templates

And Lindsay is sweet enough to share a step-by-step tutorial for all of us newbies, too.

Cute and textured, too. I love these!

Lindsay was inspired to make letters to decorate her daughter's bedroom after seeing these adorable alphabet toy creations from Oh So Happy Together. If you take a look there, she's even got some great templates for the letters. Here's the download link for the uppercase ones.

How much fun is that?

I just have to say how glad I am that it's Friday...... our last Friday of the school year!

Only two more school days left.... yippee!!

Circle Punch Table Runner

What do you get when you cross this 2" circle punch from Marvy Uchida.....

With some scrapbook paper?

How about this great idea for a party table runner! Wendy over at Wendy in Florida has a super idea for an easy and inexpensive but adorable party decoration. How great for an art party or rainbow party or even Sesame Street! And better yet, you could fill the whole room with circle garlands or streamers hanging from fishing line.... make placemats for the kids.... or maybe even have a circle crafting station where the kids take the circles and glue them together to make some cute and creative artwork to take home with them.

Oh, how I love easy!!

Wendy was inspired by this gorgeous table setting as seen on Say Yes to Hobeken. How amazing is this display! It just goes to show that mixing the inexpensive and ordinary with a touch of "fancy" can make for a stunning showcase.

I hope this little project inspires you all to make something awesome from every day items around the house. Happy Wednesday!

{Customer} Pirate Party

I received an email the other day from one of my pirate party customers who is also a talented photographer. Nicole of Barrett Photography sent a link to these wonderful photos of her son Jaden's 5th birthday party and today I'm going to share them with you.

From the eye patches to the swords to the sashes and bandanas, these kids not only looked the part but had a blast, too. I mean, really, what's more fun than having permission to use a sword to fight your friends!

Nicole used my Pirate Party cupcake toppers to set a swashbuckling mood. She decorated her house and the tables using lots of pirate-y items that her mom made with vinyl and also some pirate party paper products that she found at Target..... gotta love Target!
The centerpiece pirate ship was a birthday gift to Jaden and worked perfectly on the kids' dining table.

















What a fun pirate crew!




As a game at the party, Nicole made clues that she hid all over the house which eventually led to this great pirate chest filled with treasure for the kids.



Jaden and his sister posing for a piratey photo.





Sword fights and tattoos are a must at any pirate party!

Nicole says, "It was such a fun party, and Jaden felt so special."

That's what it's all about.... making the birthday boy feel special, so I think all of Nicole's work paid off. Great job! If you'd like to find out more about Jaden's party, be sure to visit Nicole here. And if you need any pirate party printables to host your own high seas adventure, be sure to check out all of my pirate party items here.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Fancy Nancy Soiree! (That's fancy for party)

I'm so glad to be back! It's been a crazy few weeks of getting my daughter's party designed and executed but life is beginning to get back to normal which means a little more blogging - yay! And I must say, that party was one of my all time favorites and I can't wait to share the details and photos with all of you. It was a wonderful celebration for an amazing young lady, and best of all, I think she and her friends had a blast!

Today, I wanted to share another party that I collaborated on with the unbelievably talented Kate Petronis of And Everything Sweet. There is nothing this lady can't do! I could post photos of her parties every day on my blog. She is such an inspiration and her parties..... sheer perfection! Kate and I were "talking" via the internet, and I found out she was working on a party for her daughter Bailey's birthday and I quickly jumped at the chance to design some printables to coordinate. You are going to love this one -- so cute and colorful and funky, too! And by the way, if you like this party and would like the printables, you can go to my Etsy shop and contact me about them (they aren't listed for sale yet).

The invitations Kate made - purse style for those fancy girls

Miss Fancy Nancy herself....

And Miss Bailey, the birthday girl

Kate's fondant work.... Gorgeous, right? See what I mean about talent!


Printable food labels that I designed for her dessert table


And printable "Oh La La" tags for her gorgeous cupcakes

Cake balls embellished with my printable 2" logos.


And more food labels for Kate's adorable poodle cookies





Kate made some of those chocolate covered Oreos to coordinate with Bailey's dessert table.




Juice "mock-tails" with "Pinkies Up" printable flags that I designed for Kate.










A perfectly "fancy" dining table for the girls.

More of that extraordinarily fancy dining table.




Perfectly Posh Fancy Nancy table settings....


Fancy gloves for fancy girls!

Miss Bailey applying some sparkly lip gloss with her mom, Kate, looking on

Poodle Dressing Center




Poodle dressing station


The Posh Poodle Kit table








Happy Birthday, Bailey!!

Nothing short of amazing! If you'd like to see more photos and find out more details about Bailey's party, please go visit Kate at And Everything Sweet. And then become a follower because I don't think we ever want to miss out on anything that Kate puts together!

Linking up to: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping it Simple, Craftomaniac, Tater Tots and Jello,Skip to my Lou, Under the Table and Dreaming, Blue Cricket Design, Someday Crafts,Fireflies and Jelly Beans, House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, Tidy Mom, Romantic Home,Shabby Nest, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, The Girl Creative,Tater Tots and Jello, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors,Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, The Idea Room, C.R.A.F.T., Today's Creative Blog, Between Naps on the Porch,Thrifty Decor Chick, Making the World Cuter, Tea Rose Home, The Shabby Chic Cottage,The Trendy Treehouse, The DIY Showoff, Whipperberry, Gluesticks, Beyond the Picket Fence, Mad in Crafts, Sugar Bee Crafts, All Things Related, Savvy Southern Style