Adorable Muslin Favor Bags

{images via Perideau Designs}

I love this simple favor bag idea from Perideau Designs which I spotted over at Hip Hip Hooray. The design is so simple, but still makes a statement!

{Real Parties} A Stylish Yo Gabba Gabba Party!

Is it possible to take a commercialized character theme and make it stylish??! The answer is YES and Krista Salmon of Kiki's List Blog did just that.

I absolutely love how Krista used the Yo Gabba Gabba colors to put together a modern arrangement of flowers. This just might be my favorite part as I am such a flower person!

This character cut-out is just too cute!

Great favor bags!

Thanks so much Krista for sharing your rendition of Yo Gabba Gabba! Be sure to visit Krista's blog for the how-tos!

{Real Parties} Cookies & Milk

On my to-do party list is a Cookies & Milk theme. I have such a sweet tooth (as do many of my friends) which would make this the perfect theme for my group! I really enjoy seeing how people take this theme and give it their own twist. Carey did just that! I love her use of chocolate brown and white and the vintage touches throughout the party.

Cookies were set on top of vintage egg crates for added height.

Making the backdrop was simple and Carey can easily change out the fabric for future events. All you need is a 4x4 piece of plywood. Then, cover it in batting and coordinating fabrics.

Rice Krispy Treats on a stick...adorned with coordinating fabric ties!

Here is a very unique centerpiece idea. Carey filled an old mixer with Baby's Breath...love that!

Thank you Carey for sharing this adorable Cookies & Milk baby shower with us! You can see more party pictures on Carey's blog.

Sources:

* Milk bottles - on clearance at TJ Max

* Bottle tags and ribbon - Hobby Lobby

{Dessert Table} An Adorable Aloha Table

Tanya from Save the Date for Cupcakes designed a colorful luau dessert table that I just love. My favorite part of her table has to be the adorable hula skirts on the cupcake stands and the cinnamon sugar doughnut holes in a bed of "sand"!

Save the Date for Cupcakes is a daily read of mine and filled with dessert table eye candy! Each day, Tanya features gorgeous dessert tables from all over. Be sure to visit Save the Date for Cupcakes for lots of party inspiration and to learn more about this fabulous luau table!

Cupcakes in a Jar

OH MY! When I first came across these adorable cupcakes in a jar via Jackie Fo's blog, I HAD to look further. These look divine and I can't wait to try a similar version!! Visit MyCakies to learn the steps on how to recreate these tasty delights yourself...

{Guest Post} Melanie from Scout-A Mom's Guide to Stylish Living!

I am Melanie, from Scout-A Mom’s guide to stylish living, and I am so THRILLED to be guest posting on P is for party today!

Since Christi brings you all of the amazing finds in the world of party and event planning, I thought it would be fitting to talk about great hostess gifts.

I am a little old fashioned, as I always like to bring something if someone is hosting us for dinner, and especially if I am going to stay at someone’s home for a weekend. I truly take the time to find the perfect gift that I know my hostess will love.

Here are just a few of my favorite items that are sure to please your gracious host!

I myself recently received this as a hostess gift, and it is so wonderful that I hope to reciprocate someday. This is the room spray from L’Artisan. If you know L’Artisan, you are familiar with their intoxicating scents and high quality fragrance. Their room spray is no different…definitely not a febreeze type smell here! We have the linden flower and it is light, and springy and absolutely wonderful. www.artisanperfumeur.us

We love to give wine as a hostess gift, but why not make it more personalized with a custom wine tote? This one is amazing because it is also a cooler bag. So they can use it for picnics, or other outings. Only $21.99 available here: www.simply-bags.com

I think that you can also never go wrong with a wonderful hand soap. You always need a fresh bar in your guest bath, and I personally feel like I am always buying new soap for our house. I have fallen in love with soaps by Mistral. They carry the line at Anthropologie and there are many great scents to choose from. The South Seas is one of my personal favorites! www.mistralsoap.com

Lastly, for the host or hostess that has everything, I am absolutely head over heels for this bee hive sugar and creamer set by Juliska. How lovely to set out for guests in the morning?! And I think they would fit in nicely with any neutral place setting. Available here: www.neimanmarcus.com

Thanks again to Christi for letting me guest post on her blog today, I hope she is having a wonderful vacation!

Be Back Soon!

We are heading here tomorrow and I.CAN'T.WAIT!!! Any guesses?? I will be back soon and fill you in on our vacation with friends...and of course more party ideas!

{Favors} Ice Cream Basket

This is such a cute and creative idea that I found via Keely Thorne Events! Although this was a welcome basket for a wedding, it would be perfect for any ice cream party.

The bride ordered empty Blue Bell Ice Cream gallons with the flavor "Grooms Cake". How cute is that?! Then, they filled each bucket with essentials and snacks for their wedding guests. For a children's party, you could order the gallons in "Birthday Cake" and fill them with games, stickers, custom cookies and any other goodies you want to share with the little party guests.

{images via Keely Thorne Events}

{Real Parties} My Birthday Dinner

A few weeks ago, we celebrated my birthday in a special way! My parents, being the kind and generous people they are, had a private chef and a small staff come to our house and wine and dine us for the evening. I had such a wonderful time spending quality time with some of my closest friends. Of course, being the party planner that I am, I had to try and make the night as memorable as I could for our guests.

The color palette for the party came from my china which is the Queen Victoria pattern by Herend. It is bright and colorful and is filled with intricate flowers and butterflies. My talented friend, Hayley Hardcastle, designed the most gorgeous invitation which she hand wrote for each couple. My best friend, Whitney, asked Hayley to paint the door sign {shown above} as a surprise gift for me! My jaw dropped when I opened the package!

I had so much fun pulling the dinner table together! I wanted to combine modern and traditional touches which I did by using my china, silver and crystal along with modern white vases from Crate & Barrel.

One of my favorite parts of the decor were the pink napkins I purchased from World Market and had monogrammed with our initial.

As our friends sat down, they found a gift at their seat. Each lady received a butterfly frame with a picture of them and their significant other. This also helped direct them to their place.

The guys each received a monogrammed Jon Hart koozie which was wrapped in coordinating pink toile paper. I know, PINK! But I was not about to wrap their gifts in a masculine paper that took away from the table setting. Sorry guys! It's the inside that counts though, right?!

The table was filled with beautiful pink peonies and roses. I was beyond pleased with how the flowers turned out!

Hayley Hardcastle also hand wrote each menu card which served as the place card as well. Each guests name was written in a dark pink pink to give it a fun pop of color.

The guys monogrammed koozies which they found packaged in their seat.

Before we sat down for dinner, we sampled many delicious bites. My favorite had to be the tomato basil soup shots with mini grilled cheese sandwiches!

I changed the specialty drink the day before to Champagne Slushies after I saw this gorgeous photo shoot on Style Me Pretty. The drink was light and refreshing and perfect to start with. On the drink tray that the waiter passed, a card was placed near the glasses so guests could see what was being offered.

Another goodie for my friends to take home! I individually wrapped mini pies from my favorite source, Royer's Round Top Cafe. They are divine!

I tucked bamboo forks {from Garnish} which Hayley embellished with the word, Indulge, inside the ribbon.

It truly was such a memorable celebration for me and I hope my friends had a wonderful time as well. Here is a picture of me and my hubby before everyone arrived...

Ellen Johnson took all of the beautiful photographs and was such a pleasure to work with. Ellen also photographed the clothing swap that I hosted last August.

Party Sources:

* Invitations, menus, specialty drink card & hand painted door sign - Hayley Hardcastle

* Flowers - Whole Foods {Woodway/Jose}

* Pink napkins - World Market

* Gold beaded chargers - A Finer Event

* White, square vases - Crate & Barrel

* Butterfly frames - Z Gallerie

* Jon Hart kozzies - Bering's...stamped at Maidas

* Toile packages - wrapped by Bering's

* Mini pies {chocolate chip, buttermilk & pecan} - Royer's Round Top Cafe

* Bamboo forks - Garnish

* White boxes - Palmer Packaging

* Sheer, pink ribbon - Michael's

* Catering - Abuso Catering