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.

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.

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!

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!

"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

Boxed Invitation Design

I have the pleasure of helping coordinate another event for a family I have known for quite some time. The parents are hosting a dinner in honor of their oldest daughter who has received her PhD. Close family and friends have been invited to their home for a 10 course meal. My mouth was watering when I read what the chef will be serving!

The decor has a modern feel and the colors are teal, silver and white with possibly a few peacock accents. We turned to no other than my friend Hayley Hardcastle to design the special boxed invitation. Inside each box were two champagne flutes tied together with silver ribbon and then the invitation with the party details. The party is this weekend, so I will hopefully have pictures to share with you soon!

It's a Wonderful Life: The Invitation

I am thrilled with how the invitation turned out! My friend Hayley created yet another amazing invitation for me...thank you Hayley! I had tears in my eyes when I saw the final copy.

The invitation is an accordion card and the first picture you see is Conrad's silhouette. The inside features a few of my favorite pictures along with quotes from It's a Wonderful Life. The back of the card contains a collage of pictures throughout his first year and more quotes from the movie.

I have been dying to send out a boxed invitation, so I thought this was the perfect celebration to do so! The invitation sat on top of "snow" and bells ("everytime a bell rings an angel gets its wings") were tied around the card.

Conrad's First Birthday: It's a Wonderful Life

I cannot believe that my baby boy will be turning 1 in just a few weeks! Time has FLOWN by. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time, so he will always be itty bitty. But on the other hand, I'm so excited for him to reach this milestone.

I thought long and hard about what "theme" I wanted to go with to help celebrate this special boy. I love that he is a December baby which means his birthday is during my absolute favorite time of year! It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite movies and I watch it year round, not just during Christmas. It always takes me to a happy place and makes me feel warm and cozy.

When I was thinking about the movie a few months ago, the idea of planning his party around the film popped into my head. It's been a special year and so many wonderful things have happened...It's a Wonderful Life.

Lots of party details to come!

Photography by Candid Chic

Real Parties: Under the Big Top

Do I have a party to share with you! Angela Hudson from Fantasy Celebrations orchestrated this vibrant, fun-filled circus event for her client's 1-year-old son.

The life size baby elephants are a show stopper!

What circus party is complete without carnival games?! The celebration also included a stilt walker, face painter and clown duo! You can see more great photos here.

If you are not familiar with Angela's events (she's been featured on HWTM a handful of times!), head over right now to Fantasy Celebrations to see her inspiring children's parties. She pays incredible attention to detail and the dessert buffets she creates are amazing.

Angela is a fellow Houstonian and I hope to have the pleasure of meeting her one day! If you are in the Houston area and are looking for someone to plan your child's (or adults!) next event, look no further than Fantasy Celebrations.