P is for Party: July 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

{Friday Finds} M&Ms Cake & Weekly Round Up

I am really liking the up and coming trend of candy cakes, especially a cake decked out in M&MS! The decorating options are endless and it looks good in every color scheme imaginable! I have a few ideas myself and I would love the opportunity to try them out. My only question though is...would people actually enjoy eating a cake with an entire candy layer (taste and texture)? I LOVE cake and my favorite part is the icing. I'm not sure if I would like the crunch addition??

Weekly Round Up

Breakfast and brunch is my favorite meal, so I was smitten with this Eggs Benedict Bar shown on Celebrations at Home.

I was blown away by the styling of this Bb is for Baby Shower on Bump Smitten.

This strawberry inspired bridal shower is just gorgeous. LOVE the pops of turquoise!

Are you familiar with washi tape?! I really want to place an order and get creative!

In case you missed seeing the pictures of a recent client party, here is write up.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

{Real Parties} April Showers Bring May Flowers

Here is an adorable first birthday party styled by my friend, Allison, with the theme, April Showers Bring May Flowers! The guest of honor was born in May, so what a perfect theme!

The cake table was the main focal point of the room and what guests saw as they walked into the party space. Allison wanted the table to stand out and the pink umbrellas sure did the trick!

Allison spray painted the rain boot vases yellow to match the color scheme.

Each child found at their seat, a white lunch pack adorned with a coordinating sticker. Inside was a flower shaped sandwich, carrots and chips. "Rain Water" was the drink of choice at the party!

How amazing is this party hat?! Miss Ruby Sue created this beautiful hat which Allison provided fabric for.

Adults dined on a summer salad bar. To tie in the pink fabric from the umbrellas on the cake table, Allison wrapped wood boxes with the same fabric.

What a fitting favor for this party...flower seeds!

The birthday girl in her adorable hat!

Allison has always been creative! She recently started her own blog showcasing everything from party ideas to interior design. You can visit At Home with Alli here. Stay tuned for pictures of her beautiful wedding!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

{Real Parties} A Princess Party Full of Pink & Gold

I had the pleasure of working with a former client {the boutique firm I used to work for planned her nuptials} on her daughter's first birthday party. Katherine came to me with a vision of pink and gold and anything and everything fit for a princess! We worked together for several months to create a dream come true for Katherine and her sweet daughter Ava...

{photography by Aiylynne Abarado Photography}

Wedding Flowers by Lisa did a beautiful job creating the gorgeous centerpieces and "A" welcome wreath as well as the stunning high chair backdrop which you will see soon! A pink carpet was brought in to create a royal feel!

Katherine was expecting a large crowd, so in addition to a candy table, we also need a large cake with other sweets to choose from. Katherine worked closely with The Sweet Boutique Bakery to create the royal cake. The bakery also created the amazing cake pops and crown sugar cookies.

Throughout the party space, princess wands were found on tables, the high chair backdrop and even on the favors.

My jaw literally dropped when I saw the high chair area completed! The ribbon colors were perfect and the addition of the wands really made it pop. The backdrop was AMAZING and Ava's high chair was adorned with a garden rose garland.

Pink tulle poms from Heart to Heart were hung from 3 different chandeliers at the country club.

We did something a little different on the candy table. Instead of labeling the jars with tags, we topped each glass jar with a large bow custom made at Michael's. The candy selection was displayed on a 8x10 pink sign created by Kelly of WH Hostess who also created the invitation and other party signage.

Balloons were everywhere at this party! Karl of Balloon Masters always does a phenomenal job of creating balloon art.

Bright Star Productions produced a hot pink wall decal that read, "Ava", which was placed on the large window that greeted guests as they walked into the room.

Signs created by WH Hostess were present at all of the stations {son cones, cotton candy, face painting and balloon twisting}.

Guests enjoyed train rides during the party. To dress up the trackless train, I hung a pennant banner designed by WH Hostess across the middle car.

Little guests left the party with bubbles found in tin cans by WH Hostess and tied with a star bubble wand found at Hobby Lobby.

Princess Ava sitting on the pink carpet and getting love from her mommy!

Sources & Vendors

Event styling - Christi Bennett of P is for Party

Photography - Ailynne Abarado Photography

Flowers + Decor - Wedding Flowers by Lisa

Venue - Royal Oaks Country Club

Invitations + signage + favors - WH Hostess

Cake + cookies + cake pops - The Sweet Boutique

Balloon decor - Balloon Masters

Window decal - Bright Star Productions

Candy table bows + gold frames - Michael's

Pink tulle poms - Heart to Heart

Pink Carpet - Party Props

Friday, July 22, 2011

{Upcoming Parties} Sip n' See

Tomorrow I am hosting, along with my mom and best friend, a Sip n' See for one of my closest friends. For those who are unfamiliar with this type of shower, it is a party typically given for a second or third time mom and her new baby a month or so after the baby is born. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the new baby and mommy without any pressure for gifts. It's just a lovely excuse for friends and family to get together!

Kelly Lyden of WH Hostess and The Party Dress designed a beautiful invitation for me! The party colors are cornflower blue, white and touches of burlap. I just love the cornflower blue...a fun twist on the typical baby blue. I am also looking forward to working with several new vendors across the web...Nicole of Dough a Deer and Andrea of Cakewalk Desserts!

I look forward to sharing the party details and pictures with you soon!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

{Real Parties} Dinner Club Fiesta!

I recently started a dinner club with some of my closest friends in the neighborhood, so I decided to kick off the group with a Mexican Fiesta at Casa Bennett (my house)! I'm hesitant to even share these pictures since I am NOT blessed in the photography department + I snapped these so fast as one guest was literally ringing the doorbell! But oh well! Here is a peek into a very fun night had by all at our first dinner club.......

I threw the decor together at the last minute by visiting two stores and using what I already had. Pier One, which I hardly ever remember to visit, was a GEM for this party!

{Sources} New

Green placemats + cobalt drink glasses + cobalt rimmed glasses + colorful ikat acrylic tray + chip baskets - Pier One Imports

Tin vases + paper flowers + serape linen - Casa Ramirez {in the Heights in Houston}

{Sources} Had on Hand

Pink monogrammed napkins - World Market

Pink votives - Crate & Barrel

Pink straws - High Fashion Home

Monogrammed acrylic pitcher - personal gift purchased at Out of the Box in Houston

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

{Real Parties} An Enchanted Tinker Bell Party

If you follow Kiki's List, you already know that when Krista throws a party, she does an incredible job creating a magical party space incorporating her fresh and modern style. {I wrote about her Yo Gabba Gabba party last year}. The recent Tinker Bell party she hosted for her daughter's birthday was incredible! She took a classic theme and gave it a modern twist. I love every detail!

{Photography by Little Moon Photography}

The dessert table is GORGEOUS! I just love all of the bright colors. the backdrop fabric is by Heather Bailey and the beautiful cake is by Tastefully Treated.

Krista created the dessert table labels herself using MS Word and the glitter ribbon is from Michael's.

Krista also worked with another fabulous vendor, Sweet Nothings, who helped her create the dessert table.

Krista has mad flower arranging skills which you can see in this party. Even though she stayed up until 3:00 a.m. creating the arrangements, she said it was all worth it in the end. I completely agree...just beautiful!