Tuesday, December 29, 2009

It's a Wonderful Life: The Party!

Conrad's first birthday celebration was a little over a week ago and I am so excited to share the photos with you!
The color scheme came from our Christmas tree and other seasonal decor around the house...gold, copper & ivory.

We often call Conrad, "C", so when we were designing the invitation, I wanted to use the initial instead of his full monogram. The "C" was present throughout many party elements. I was very tempted to have my favorite florist make a "C" wreath that matched the exact font, but instead of paying $300, I decided to give it a shot myself. It turned out okay.

On the kids tables, I set out gift centerpieces instead of using vases because inevitably, they would be knocked down by one of the little ones (probably my 2 year old!).


Jingle bell wreath ornaments served as favors which helped tie in the theme of the party.





Cinnamon hot chocolate...so yummy!




We had a make-your-own parfait station along with other breakfast goodies.

One of the party activities was a pull string pinata that matched the color scheme as well.





Face first!

The three of us...Nicklaus would not stand still long enough to join us!

All photography by Angela from Bella Smile.

A few party details you might be interested in:

* Invitation, favor sign, hot chocolate sign, napkins & cup stickers were all designed by my talented friend Hayley Hardcastle.
* Tiered cake & smash cake from Ooh La La.
* Custom bib designed by another talented friend, Amanda Skelton Yocum. Find her Etsy store here!
* The pinata came from Birchangel Pinatas through Etsy. Joylyn was so great to work with! She customized the pinata with the party colors and even took my order at the last minute.
* Linens were from Distinctive Details here in Houston and the table and chairs came from another Houston firm, A Finer Event.
* Caspari wrapping paper found at The Container Store.
* Apothecary jars came from Pottery Barn.



Monday, December 28, 2009

Serious Cake Inspiration!

Get ready to ooh and ahh over these gorgeous cakes designed by The Cake Girls!




LOTS more eye candy and cake inspiration from The Cake Girls here! Just looking at their cakes makes me want to plan a party around the designs.


Sunday, December 27, 2009

A Few Ideas for New Year's Eve

From Martha of course...





These are a few EASY, last minute things you can do to make your NYE feel more special. What would we do without Martha?!

On another note...I have missed you! These last few weeks have been a whirlwind and things are finally getting back to a normal pace. So, I'm back to blogging! Thank you, thank you for reading and for all of the nice comments you leave! They make my day. =)

Have a wonderful week!


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

MIA

I am so sorry I have been MIA these past few days...and even weeks! I miss blogging and reading all of my favorite blogs on a daily basis!

On top of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I have been busy planning Conrad's first birthday party which is this Saturday. Every free moment I have, I seem to be out the door running an errand or organizing things for the party. I love it though!

picture from Ooh La La who is making Conrad's party cake

Today is Conrad's actually birthday and I just iced a batch of cupcakes (and ate a few along the way!) for our small family celebration tonight. Happy Birthday my sweet little boy! I love you more than you could ever know and I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by!

I will be back soon!




Friday, December 11, 2009

"Reserve" the Date

I'm always trying to find a way to be different or at least slightly different when putting together a party. I really like the wording of this card which reads "reserve the date" instead of the traditional "save the date." Just a little way to make your card stand out that much more!

invitation designed by Hayley Hardcastle